Remaking The Little Mermaid

by Adharaverse

Summary:

A story inspired by the classic animation, with some elements from the live action, but written in a way that I think would be more interesting.

Or: if we know the story with the human-objects-obsessed (Ariel) as the protagonist, how different would it be if the main character were her older sister, the heir princess?

Notes:

• A translation of Refazendo a Pequena Sereia by Adharaverse

Chapter 1: Prologue

Adhara, the eldest among her sisters, remained silent beside her father's throne while he argued for the fourth time that week with his youngest daughter. Ariel's best friend had long since hidden in the red-haired mermaid's locks, avoiding the gaze of the Sea King. After a heated exchange of shouts, Ariel swam away quickly, her face reflecting disappointment, while the elderly King Triton settled back in his throne, and Sebastian continued to chatter about raising teenagers.

“May I leave, sir?” Adhara asked, knowing she had no obligations as the heir that night. She longed to comfort her sister after all that yelling.

“Of course, my daughter. And dear, you don't need to be so formal when we're alone,” replied the elder.

“Sorry, Dad. It's just a habit,” said the princess, kissing the king's cheek before heading out to find her sister.

“Why can't Ariel be more like Adhara?” sighed Sebastian, barely witnessing the interaction between father and daughter, still rambling that if he had daughters, they wouldn’t disobey him.

Far from there, the black-haired princess entered the secret cave that served as her younger sister’s refuge, being the only one who knew her besides Flounder and the girl herself. Ariel sang as she examined her human trinkets, not noticing Adhara’s presence until the elder embraced her.

“You know he’s so hard on you because you remind him so much of Mom?” the heiress said gently, though this wasn’t entirely true, at least not completely. “You’re too fearless and have a strong spirit, just like her. He just worries you’ll meet the same fate.”

Ariel’s features clouded as she recalled the fateful day. She was too young to remember clearly, but for Adhara, it was impossible to close her eyes and not picture the ship appearing out of nowhere, the nets and harpoons descending in all directions. She was near their mother and had even tried to help her free Attina’s tail before both children were thrown into the water by the queen. The feeling of looking back, searching for her mother and seeing nothing but murky water, was a haunting memory.

“I remember she was always so sweet,” the teenager sighed. “Her voice singing us to sleep is my favorite memory.”

“Yes, she could sing like no one else,” Adhara agreed melancholically, the conversation doing nothing to improve the sisters’ moods. “How about we swim to the surface to admire the moon? It should be full by now,” she suggested, knowing it would lift Ariel's spirits. The full moon had been a tradition for the two since they were very young.

The truth is that, despite their age difference—Adhara being twenty-two and Ariel just sixteen—they were the closest among the sisters. With their mother’s death and their father’s depression casting a shadow over the kingdom, Adhara was, in a way, forced to grow up too soon, practically raising Andrina and Ariel while assisting their middle sisters. It had been just the three of them for many years until the king began to recover from his sorrow. Even now, he still didn’t truly know his own daughters, having spent so much time distant, ruling the kingdom. Adhara didn’t feel entitled to question him; he was her father and her king. But it disappointed her to see his indifference towards his daughters and, worse still, the way he treated Ariel. The younger mermaid, though of royal blood, clearly hadn’t been born to be confined within the palace walls, speaking only with royal entourages, servants, and other residents. Ariel was a free spirit who needed to swim in search of new things that would capture her attention... And, unfortunately, her attention was drawn to the king’s greatest hatred: humans, or at least their objects. This was the sad reality for the royal sisters; their options were to be completely ignored or criticized at every turn.

Except for Adhara. She was the eldest, the heir, the future of the kingdom; the child who held the monarchy together for almost five years until the king returned to his duties. It was her that the father’s endless attention fell upon, her that received the accolades... and the heaviest burdens.

Adhara was the perfect princess in her father’s and the court’s eyes. She was polite, with impeccable etiquette and protocols, always offering warm smiles and attention to everyone. She never spoke out of turn and always sided with her father’s words, never complaining or debating, always present at each of the king’s commitments, learning, supporting, and offering good ideas. She was the exemplary princess.

More than that, Adhara balanced her role as an exemplary princess with caring for her six sisters almost full-time. Sometimes she didn’t even manage to sleep through the night, but she was up early in the morning, talking to subjects, listening to their concerns and suggestions, hoping one day to be a more attentive queen than her father. Above all, she longed to do good for everyone in her kingdom, whether they were her immediate family or not, and wished that her life wouldn’t end up destroying her before she could achieve that.

Because the Exemplary Princess had known for years that one day her duties and obligations would become too much for her, but she would never utter a word of complaint or flee.

And that day was about to knock on her door.

Chapter 2: The Rescue

 

Both mermaids lifted half of their bodies out of the water, shivering from the cold night wind. A human ship sailed in the distance, its back to them, heading toward land, so the older mermaid saw no problem in staying there. They continued gazing at the natural satellite and sharing stories when, at some point, a seagull, a friend of Ariel, joined them, starting a game of “guess what’s happening on the ship,” where the two mermaids made guesses about what was occurring inside the huge vessel, and the seagull flew over to find out as much as possible to confirm or deny their hypotheses.

“Both are wrong; apparently, it’s the human prince’s birthday party,” the seagull replied to the girls.

“Damn it,” Ariel grumbled; she had bet on a honeymoon.

“Looks like I’m in the lead,” the older one said softly, who, although she had guessed it was a baptism, had gotten the previous round right when she guessed it was a party.

A good amount of time had passed since they emerged, and as the night wore on, the winds grew colder and stronger, to the point of creating gigantic waves that began to trouble even the two sea beings present there, especially as they were pulled closer to the human construction. The seagull left while it still could, and the two sisters were about to do the same when a huge lightning bolt struck the ship they were still watching. They were close—so close they could see the panic of the evacuation, men shouting and giving orders to release the lifeboats, waves threatening the small boats as they were filled with crew members, flames drawing nearer, and then a sound amidst the smoke, the bark of a poor dog left behind, trapped in the chaos.

“We have to help him,” Ariel insisted. Adhara was about to agree when one of the humans left the safety of the boat and returned to the hellish heat.

“Ariel, down! We’ll help, but cautiously; we can’t put ourselves in danger,” warned the older sister, pulling the redhead down until they were submerged in the dark water.

The human quickly freed the dog and threw it into the sea. The animal began to swim toward the boat on its own, but it was quickly exhausting itself against the force of the waves and sinking. Adhara signaled to her sister, and together they swam beneath the dog, holding its belly and stabilizing it, forcing it upwards until it reached safety. The man who had remained on the deck checking if anyone else needed help was about to jump back into the sea when the ground gave way beneath his feet, trapping him in the wood. The sisters exchanged glances; although that’s what legends told, no mermaid felt good about seeing sailors and other humans drowning, especially since they saw he had a good heart.

“Ariel, and... ARIEL, LISTEN TO ME!” Adhara held the struggling redhead, wanting to go toward the sinking boat. She quickly pondered her options; what she was about to do would go AGAINST her father’s rules, but she knew it was the right thing to do. However, while she could escape relatively unscathed from her father’s fury, her younger sister wouldn’t have the same privilege. “I’ll save him, I swear, but you have to get out of here. The current is too strong for you, and I’ll be faster alone if something goes wrong.”

The younger sister didn’t want to leave, perhaps feeling that Adhara was putting herself in the line of fire for both of them, but when another wave pushed her, she recognized that she couldn’t help her older sister. Her tail wasn’t yet as strong as her sister’s, which had been strengthened by more layers of fins when she entered adulthood. So, she submerged and swam deep enough that the violent sea wouldn’t affect her, hoping that everything would turn out well.

Adhara, on the other hand, swam beneath the flames, carefully dodging parts of the mast that fell heavily into the water as the structure continued to be consumed. When the deck had already sunk, she finally managed to reach the man, who had his leg trapped among broken wood, the water already reaching his waist. Thick, dark smoke filled the compartment, making both their eyes burn and the man’s throat start to irritate. When he saw the mermaid, for a moment, he thought he was hallucinating from the smoke, but when his brain registered the truth, he tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to go and ended up letting out a groan of pain as more splinters dug into his skin.

“Don’t move! I’m going to try to get you out of here, but you need to trust me. The more you resist, the more risk we both run,” warned the princess, who kept a safe distance until she received a nod from the human. Only then did she dare to approach, and forcing the boards aside with the man, she finally managed to free him. She reassessed the situation for the second time that night; the man was free, but she doubted he could reach his crew on his own. His leg was twisted at an odd angle, and uneven splinters had pierced his skin, drawing some trickles of blood. She wasn’t a healer and didn’t understand much about human bodies, but she was sure this wasn’t a good sign. Moreover, fire spread all around, preventing him from simply floating to the lifeboat. Making a risky decision that would certainly get her in trouble, Adhara embraced the trunk of the human, causing him to look at her in confusion.

“Hold your breath as much as you can; I’ll take you to shore,” she ordered, diving as soon as he did.

The return journey was much more difficult, considering that now she carried the weight of the prince (though she didn’t know this) while dodging the burning wood that continued to fall. Leaving the boat behind, she surfaced again for the human to take a new breath and then submerged once more to face the breaker and the waves of the undertow. When they reached the beach, the day was already dawning. The prince sat in the shallows, a bit dizzy from repeatedly depriving himself of oxygen for so long, as well as from the throbbing pain in his leg.

“Are you okay?” he asked his savior. The mermaid looked around and saw that the beach wasn’t far from what appeared to be a human village; she couldn’t risk taking him to a beach with people, but maybe if he yelled for help, he could attract someone’s attention.

For the first time out of mortal danger, the prince could finally pay attention to the mermaid. Her black hair, with some silvery strands, reminded him of the night sky with its silver stars, adorned with a crown of shells and gold. Her face had delicate Latin features, full lips, and vivid blue eyes that seemed to sparkle, just like her tail, which was a soft purple with some reflections of a lighter lilac, as light as the clouds in the dawn sky. She looked like an angel and undoubtedly acted like one by saving him.

“Yes. Thank you so much for saving me; I don’t even know how I could start to thank you,” Eric replied sincerely.

They looked at each other, their gazes lingering as they wondered in their minds whether they should say something and, if so, what?

She knew she should say goodbye, quickly return home to face her consequences with her head held high and dignity intact, but those eyes seemed to plead for her to stay a little longer, the sunlight illuminating the bronze face of the handsome man, leaving her fascinated and slightly embarrassed by the intensity of his gaze. 

Eric felt the infernal pain in his injured leg; he knew he needed help as soon as possible, but he also knew that the moment he called another human over, his angel—this beautiful mermaid—would disappear, perhaps forever.

Before they could decide, a net fell over the sea princess, surprising both and breaking the magic of the moment. They were so distracted that they didn’t notice a pair of fishermen approaching over the rocks of the breaker, who were now violently pulling the net where the mermaid was tangled.

“Hohoho, who would’ve thought, Fergus, a mermaid! A real mermaid! We’re going to be rich, buddy,” one of them exclaimed, as big as a wardrobe. They completely ignored the man on the sand, thinking he had already been killed by the mermaid, and even if not, he was just a foolish sailor who had the bad luck of falling for her charms. It wasn’t their problem; no, their problem was figuring out where to sell that creature for the best price and thinking about how to spend the fortune she would bring them.

“Release her now!” the man ordered in a firm voice, straightening as much as he could while still sitting in the sand.

“Oh, what the hell, man, come on... Prince Eric, your highness, forgive this humble servant for lacking in respect,” the man bowed to his sovereign, as did the short one beside him. Eric usually hated all that formal pomp, but in that situation, he was immensely pleased to see that the men in front of him owed him obedience.

“Release the lady, now,” he ordered again.

“But your highness, this creature...” the fisherman tried to argue.

“She saved my life from a shipwreck, so I’d be careful what you say about her,” he threatened in a serious voice, glaring at the men, who visibly swallowed their insults, trembling at the tone of their prince.

“Of course, your highness.” The man finally obeyed the order and let go of the net’s straps. As soon as the movement was complete, the woman tangled there began to free herself.

Chapter 3: Consequences

Adhara did not hesitate when she returned to Atlantis, swimming to her father's office, she knocked and informed him that they needed to talk in private before he started his day. The princess told him almost everything that had happened during the night, excluding only the presence of her older sister and her brief capture and conversation with the prince earlier. Her father listened to everything with a closed expression, a frightening shadow appearing in his eyes until the mermaid finished speaking and remained silent, lowering her head and waiting for what would come. Her father got up from the armchair where he was resting and grabbed the trident, slowly circling the room like a shark surrounding its prey. -I consider myself a very reasonable king, I decree some laws and expect them to be obeyed- The king spoke in a loud and frightening tone- Imagine my disappointment in having problems with my own daughters, above all, imagine my total disgust in seeing that my heir, in whom I should soon entrust my kingdom, disobeyed me to save the life of a lowly and barbaric HUMAN- He shouted before slapping his own daughter.

Adhara touched her face, which was beginning to redden, and suppressed her desire to cry deep down in her mind, as well as the urge to respond, defending the honor of the man she had spared from the storm. She knew that at this moment, anything other than complete subservience would only make the king more and more angry, perhaps even make him lose his temper and commit an act from which he could not take back. No, she would remain silent and endure it until she was dismissed. Just a little longer and she could let it all out on her pillow, in the safety of the room she shared with her sisters. Now was the time to endure it.

-YOU SHOULD BE THE EXAMPLE, INSTEAD YOU CHOOSE TO DISRESPECT ME, SHAME ME, AND PUT OUR ENTIRE FAMILY AND KINGDOM IN DANGER FOR A HUMAN MAN?- She shouted, increasingly angry.- Maybe the other kings are right after all. Decreeing that only one of my daughters would rule was a mistake. Maybe I really should have just married each of you off to allies, at least then the trouble you caused would be your husbands' to manage, not mine, and maybe I would have even gained some decent heirs as sons-in-law. But it's too late for that.

Adhara took a deep breath upon discovering this information, thanking all the sea deities that the time when the king could ask neighboring kingdoms for grooms for his sisters was over. Surely one of the letters her father received yesterday was the news of the engagement of the last available prince. This meant that no matter what one of her sisters did, they would not end up as a bargaining chip like a breeding seahorse. It was one less nightmare on her mind.

-I should disinherit her from the royal line, leave her wandering around like a jellyfish in the polar seas, without a name, without a home, with no one to turn to, it would be a more than fair fate for such disobedience-the monarch continued, the trident in his hand pointed at the princess, sparking in threat to fulfill his ideas, until the king himself this time, pulled the water harder through his gills in order to lessen the fury and sat back down. -But I can't do that. As much as it was the worst mistake you could make, it was still your first questionable attitude. Besides, among all my daughters, you are the only one who has any sense on your shoulders to make state decisions. However, it doesn't change the fact that I can barely look at your face without being ashamed of being your father, I want you out of my sight for the next month, do you understand Adhara? I don't want to see you at royal meetings and activities, I don't want to see you in the dining room, I don't want you to interact with my subjects, I don't even want to hear your voice in the hallways. Until I recover from the disappointment you caused me, you are no longer my daughter, you are just an employee who I unfortunately have no replacement to be able to fire. Am I clear?

-Yes sir- The mermaid replied, bowing and leaving the room in silence.

Adhara swam through the hallways to her room almost automatically, her mind no longer seemed connected to her body and she barely registered if or which of her sisters were in the room, she just collapsed into her shell and buried her head in the soft pillow, screaming loudly, trying to release everything. Sadness, hurt, anger, fear, shame, everything was released in silent screams and tears that were instantly dissolved in the ocean, until her brain could no longer bear so much emotional pressure and gave in to a restful sleep.

-Does anyone know what happened?- Adela asked quietly so as not to interrupt her sister's fragile sleep.

- I heard Dad yelling at her, he was furious, it was scary. - Aquata said, shuddering just remembering it. - I don't know what she did, but whatever it was, he almost disowned her, he said she was a disgrace as an heiress.

- Gods of the sea, whatever happened, I hope Adhy is okay. - Andrina took pity, grabbing a blanket and covering her older sister.

Ariel, quiet in her corner, felt guilty. She had followed Adhara without her realizing it. She had seen and heard everything and even planned to encourage her sister's friendship with the human. But she had no idea that disobeying her father (something she herself was always doing) would devastate the princess in such a way. If Adhara, who was her father's favorite, received this reaction, imagine if the king found out that she was involved in the incident too. Thank goodness she was the only witness and not even a crazy person would open her mouth.

The older sister woke up the next day with a slight fever and aches all over her body, but didn't tell any of her already worried sisters, answering their questions with a soft "I don't feel ready to talk about it, I don't even know if I can actually." She joined her sisters in their morning routine and did the updo that Attina always wore on Tuesdays, while the girls went to have breakfast with their father she deflected by saying that she was a little nauseous and didn't want to upset her stomach any further, which wasn't a total lie, she did in fact have an uncomfortable knot in her stomach that bubbled at the slightest hint of food. She attributed this to the strong emotions of the previous day and headed to the library, doing some reading that was on her to-do list, even though she knew that the king cared little for her duties at the moment she wanted to maintain some of her normal routine, at lunchtime she accepted a small pot of dulse seaweed tea, which the concerned maid who looked after her brought from the kitchen when she mentioned that she did not want to eat lunch as she still felt unwell. Armed with her tea, the princess held the pain and discomfort until late afternoon, when a terrible migraine added to the mix and she resigned herself to turning in and going to bed early, hoping that by dawn she would feel better.

It didn't happen, for the second day in a row the eldest of the merfolk's daughters woke up feeling unwell, this time even considerably worse than the day before. Once again doing her best not to worry her sisters, Adhara invented a picnic in the seaweed garden to skip breakfast and waited for all six of them to go out to swim out the window and follow the sea current out of the kingdom's borders. Something was wrong with her and there was only one person she would allow to examine her.

-Aunt Ursula? Are you home?- The princess called after passing through her aunt's bizarre garden of souls.

-Adhara? I didn't expect to see you here today, wasn't your visit only next week?- Asked the sea witch in surprise. -Come in, my dear, you're always welcome.

Yes, she knew about the secret kept by the youngest members of the kingdom, that the sea witch was actually the king's sister. She was very young when the big fight that resulted in the exile of the octopus woman took place. Attina, the second oldest, was nothing more than a baby in arms at the time, but she never let her aunt be erased from the family's memory as her father wanted. She made sure to continue visiting, sometimes taking her sisters in secret, sometimes with letters, but she never let the exile break the bond between her aunt and her nieces. Even though nowadays most of them only kept in touch with the woman by correspondence, she made sure to visit her at least once a month. Ursula would undoubtedly hold a grudge against her brother until the end of time, but she loved her nieces and would never hurt them, Adhara above all others because she was the closest to her.

-Some things happened that made me have some unexpected free time in my schedule, I'll tell you everything, but first, could you do a health check, aunt? I don't feel very well - the girl asked, being promptly hugged by her aunt

-Of course my love, come here, let's find out what's wrong with you, my beautiful

Stories told over the week and many spells and potions later resulted in a worried sea witch. The tests confirmed the pains, the increasingly high fever, the stomach upset and other symptoms, but they did not respond to any cause she could think of, illness, pregnancy, curses, nothing in the princess's body to cause such results, with the exception of the symptoms she was in perfect health. Leaving her niece to rest after a potion for seasickness and some food, Úrsula took all her books, both those on healing and those on magic, trying to find something that could explain what the young mermaid had. Nothing fit, nothing... Until, when reviewing an article about a healer who treated an elderly woman who had lost her companion, a mental insight occurred to her. Could it be?

The octopus woman looked for a book about mermaids and their soul mates and yes, exactly what she imagined, everything matched, with the rejection syndrome, it was so rare that there had been no news of a situation like this for more than half a millennium.

It was popular knowledge for all sea creatures, mermaids and mermen were lucky enough to be blessed with soul mates, companions chosen by destiny itself to complete each other. Of course, not everyone found their companions and there were those who married feeling affection and passion for their spouse, but it was almost a mutual agreement that if one of them finally found their companion the marriage would be annulled without hard feelings on either side, because no one denied a soul bond, it was the perfect union in every way, understanding, acceptance, duplicity. Who would be insane enough to deny such perfection?

Well, apparently her niece, who by denying whoever her companion is is wasting away until death

Chapter 4: Still on the morning of the rescue

It wasn't long before Eric spotted a platoon of palace guards coming down the hill ahead. He checked the ocean once more to make sure the mermaid princess was out of sight. He was going to tell everyone about his savior, but without any prior preparation, it would be difficult to convince them that he hadn't been bewitched.

-Your Highness, we've been searching the wreckage for you all night long. The rest of the crew is already safe.- The platoon captain informed him as the other guards supported the prince to put him on a stretcher and facilitate his transport to the carriage.

-I'm glad to hear that. I need to talk to my mother and brothers first, but I'll soon clarify the whole situation of how I survived.- The prince replied.

The trip was considerably painful for his fractured leg. Every bump in the road made the carriage shake, but Eric could barely worry about that. With every mile he got away from the beach he worried more about whether he would ever see Adhara again. They had only known each other for a few hours, most of them spent without any conversation while the mermaid saved his life, but he knew she was special. He remembered the conversation he had been having with Grimsby before the ship sank, about recognizing the right person when he met them. Well, he was sure now that he had found the woman he wanted to marry, the problem was that there was a lot more to it than just the standard engagement negotiations.

-Oh my son, you're still going to make this old lady's heart stop with so much fright- The queen mother stepped forward, hugging her adventurous son tightly.

-It's good to see that you're almost all right, little brother. When Grimsby and the others arrived without you, we feared the worst. - Said the prince regent, Duncan, sitting on a corner of Eric's bed. - The governess took ages to get the twins to bed.

The royal family of the human kingdom consisted of the matriarch, the retired queen Mirabella, and the princes Duncan, the heir, Eric, the middle one, and the youngest twins, Tyler and Bailey. King Edmondge, who died a few years ago, was very proud of how united his family was. Even though they were royalty, when they were at home and without royal visitors, they completely abandoned formalities and lived like any other huge and busy family, especially the youngest ones, who, at only ten years old, were always running around, making mischief and laughing their heads off in the castle corridors. Eric knew that his family loved him unconditionally and would support him in any decision he made. They might have doubted his story at first, but they would always be by his side.

-I was trapped on the deck while the ship was burning and sinking. My foot hit a broken piece of wood and broke, it twisted. I don't know exactly, but I couldn't get out. I would have died if a girl hadn't helped me. - Eric said, feeling bad when he saw the expression of fear on his mother's face, who put her hand to her chest in distress.

-A girl? In the middle of the ocean? - Duncan asked suspiciously.

-She was a mermaid, brother. - Eric said, faced with his brother's distrust. - I was scared at first, but she didn't try to attack me at any time. On the contrary, she helped me get off the boat and spent the whole night swimming until she brought me to dry land. We talked for a while and she was so amazing, mother. He turned to the Queen. She is a princess, daughter of the king of the seas and while she is composed like all royalty, she has a spark of vivacity, I mean, I had barely been with her and I could feel that there was so much more to know about her.

- My son, are you absolutely sure that…

- I am not bewitched, mother, I am fully aware of what I am saying and doing. I am certain that she is the woman I want to marry. - Eric stated without preamble. The Prince Regent and the Queen Mother looked at each other, but finally sighed and nodded to the younger man.

- How can we help you?

Chapter 5: Where Ariel doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut

Summary:

(And for once she was right.)

The days went by and Adhara felt worse and weaker. After a tough talk with her aunt she knew what was happening now, rejecting a soul bond as sacred as a soulmate was almost like begging fate to reincarnate in another life with a different partner. She was dying for rejecting her connection with Eric.

To be honest, she didn't even believe it was possible for a soul from the sea to be bonded to a human, she certainly had no idea that this was the case when she turned her back on the prince that morning and returned home and even after much discussion with her aunt, she wouldn't have changed her choice, just as she wouldn't do anything to try to change it now. Without the bond with Eric, she would die, slowly and painfully, but her sisters, although sad, would move on, Attina would become the heir, who knows, maybe even put some of her projects for the kingdom into practice, and her father would have no one to blame, everyone would be fine in Atlantis, with one less princess, but well, “I'm not exactly irreplaceable” she thought in a mental mockery, more melancholic than regretful. The mermaid was writing everything she thought in a diary, for fear of not being able to make her sisters agree with her actions. Eric would be fine too, she thought, after all, humans don't have a soul bond, even if he was connected to her, Eric wouldn't feel the bond, not to the point of suffering from rejection syndrome like she did. The prince would be fine, a little emotionally down for a few days, but fine. He would never need to know.

The alternative wasn't even an option for the girl, if her father was so angry with her for saving the human, what about having a soul bond with one? She feared what the king might do to Eric if he found out and even ignoring the human/mermaid discrepancy which in itself was already an issue she wouldn't know how to get around, even if by some miracle they stayed together and escaped the king's wrath, Adhara didn't trust her father's mental and emotional balance enough not to end up taking the situation out on one of her sisters, especially Ariel, who wouldn't accept her actions in silence. No, she had to protect her sisters, even if that meant leaving them in the end.

Three weeks after the incident, Adhara was so sick that she could no longer get out of bed. Her desperate sisters called the palace healers, who, despite all their knowledge, were unable to discover what was wrong with the oldest mermaid. The king himself swallowed his pride and appeared in her room asking for forgiveness for being too harsh and wishing her to get better soon. The entire kingdom seemed covered by a thick cloud of concern, and every day flowers were left at the castle's golden gates by the sea creatures, wishing their beloved princess a speedy recovery.

In the fourth week, floating from consciousness to unconsciousness, with a fever so high that it made all the water in the room lukewarm, Adhara handed her box with old diaries and the most recent one to Attina, deeply regretting passing on the responsibility of being the older sister and heir to her. At the same time, she secretly hid her diary, not wanting anyone to find it with her while she was still alive. All the sisters burst into tears at that. For them, that was the moment when Adhara gave up hope of recovering. It was the moment when the sea itself seemed to mourn the daughter she was losing, gradually becoming grayer and less vibrant.

In her home of exile, Ursula felt her heart in her hand for her beloved niece, who had made her sign a magical oath that forbade her from telling anyone what she knew. All she could do was try to comfort her other nieces who were going through the beginning of the mourning of losing someone they loved so much.

King Triton was devastated, wondering how much of the situation was solely his fault. He himself had not realized how much he loved his daughter until he was on the verge of losing her. Not having her by his side for the first time in almost ten years made him realize how much his daughter had truly grown within himself, that he actually had a greater level of affection for the girl than he thought. This made him reflect deeply on his actions with all of his daughters. A month and a half later, the king called his daughters together in a closed meeting, put aside all his pride, and asked for forgiveness. Forgiveness for the years of neglect, for the lack of fatherhood, for putting too much pressure on Adhara to care for them. The man seemed sincere, but his sisters, especially the younger ones, did not accept his forgiveness easily, saying that if he really wanted to redeem himself, he should act differently from now on. In another situation, the king would have been furious at this impertinence, but now, he simply nodded in understanding and agreement. By this time, Adhara was already spending 98% of her time unconscious, surviving solely through nutritional serum from the healers, who still did not know what was ailing the mermaid.

Two days after the meeting, the king received a letter from the sea witch requesting a meeting with him at the palace to talk about his eldest niece. At another time he would crumple up and throw the letter out the window, or even incite the guards towards her, blaming her for his daughter's sudden illness. However, after the conversation he had with his daughters, the man decided to grant the request.

Ursula arrived at the palace determined. She had spent the last few weeks examining word for word the agreement her niece had forced her to sign and thought she had finally found a loophole. The octopus woman walked with her head held high through the golden corridors that had once been her home, and even with the weight of hundreds of eyes on her, she did not waver. She did not care about any of those old, gossipy and useless fish. She was here for her niece, not for them. Upon entering her brother's office, she placed the book on the table and stared at him.

-Well, then what do you have to say about my daughter Ursula?- The tired man asked, leaning back in his chair, standing in a row behind him (in a row, perhaps? I think you get the idea) and giving sad smiles to the aunt they rarely saw. In any other situation, the witch would feel great seeing her brother's misery, but not today, not when the cost was Adhara.

-I can't exactly say anything, thanks to a contract your daughter made me sign. But I recommend that you read chapter twelve very carefully, especially page 118- The woman said. The king opened the book and began to read, the mermaids craning their necks behind him, trying to reach the answer at the same time.

-By Neptune's beard- Adela exclaimed, covering her mouth- How... Who?

-It's not possible, is it? I mean, no one has died from rejection in centuries - Attina asked, looking at her aunt.

- Unfortunately, yes, my dear, there hasn't been a case in years because everyone knows that you don't reject a partnership bond, but your sister...

- It's the human, isn't it? - Ariel asked, who had remained silent since the night of the shipwreck.

- What human? - Aquatta.

- Human? - Arista.

- How do you know that? - The king asked, looking directly at his youngest daughter, who took a deep breath and told the truth about being there that night, that despite having been ordered to return, she had followed her sister and noticed a connection between the two, although she had never suspected a partnership bond.

- And what do we do now? - Andrina asked - It's not like we can reverse the rejection, that's up to both of us and I don't see Adhara getting up, admitting she made a wrong choice and going after the human.

- The best we can do is keep the two of them closer, the greater the distance, both physical and emotional, the greater the harm it will do to Adhara, which is why she fell ill so quickly - Ursula explained.

- Interaction with humans is against our laws - the king reminded in a low voice. Ariel snorted, drawing the attention of the room again.

- And once again King Triton puts his damn laws above his daughters. I don't know why I'm still surprised. You can argue all you want about protocols, I'm going to help my sister and I'd love to see who here is going to stop me - the redhead imposed, leaving everyone speechless - No one? Yeah, I imagined it.

Chapter 6: The truth behind the acts

Ariel disconnected her sister's IV and carried her lifeless body through the water to the surface, looking at the empty beach except for a single spot moving in the sand. Swimming carefully, she advanced slowly until she was sure it was the same human the princess had rescued, before letting herself be seen.

-Don't worry, I won't hurt you- said the man, not getting any closer so as not to scare the young mermaid away.

-I know, I saw you with my sister- replied the mermaid, taking herself and her sister to the shallows. Only then did Eric see her.

-Adhara!- the prince exclaimed, entering the water without worrying about getting wet and holding the unconscious mermaid against him in a hug without even realizing what he was doing - What happened to her?

-So... This is a long story and a bit hard to believe- Ariel admitted, but told everything she knew about the partnership bond, the rejection syndrome and how Adhara had been weakening for the last month and a half - We only found out what she has now. I know this all seems quite fantastical, but I thought that being close to you could make her less sick, or at least stop her from getting worse.

The prince's countenance was downcast, as he lightly ran his hand through the older mermaid's dark hair. He had no doubt about the truth of it, he had felt the connection between them on the beach. As soon as he looked at Adhara without the risk of death clouding his senses he knew that this was the woman he wanted by his side in his life. Apparently, however, the decision was not mutual.

-Why? Why did she choose to reject me?-Eric asked rhetorically, giving voice to his thoughts.

- It's Adhara - Ariel replied - She's the expert at taking care of other people and ignoring herself.

The two remained silent for a while, the prince processing what Ariel had said and the younger mermaid trying to find out if her sister's heartbeat was stronger.

- She seems to be a little less hot - She sighed in relief.

- That's good news.

After a few hours, Ariel and Eric said goodbye and the mermaid took her sister back home. Although still unconscious, the older one's fever had subsided enough to give hope that she could recover, to the joy of the whole family.

As the week went on, the same routine continued, Ariel took Adhara to the surface and left her in the prince's arms for as long as they could spare. Every day the older princess showed immense signs of improvement, she was no longer pale and all her internal organs returned to functioning as they should, although without waking up. The king said nothing about his daughter's sudden improvement and pretended not to notice when Ariel left taking her sister. In his head, Triton debated what to do. Even if Adhara got completely better, he couldn't turn a blind eye to this bond between her and the human forever. So how the hell was he supposed to continue to follow his own laws without risking his daughter's health? That was a question he had no answer for. Or rather, he tried to ignore his own mental voice that told him to put an end to this human once and for all. He couldn't kill his own daughter.

When Adhara opened her eyes for the first time in a long time, she didn't immediately realize that she was awake. The human prince's face had been permeating her unconscious moments ever since they met. But this time, the image seemed really blurry, and the man's gaze was divided between her and looking in another direction, as if he were talking to someone. She frowned, which gave her an uncomfortable twinge in her head. In his dreams, Eric never looked at anything or anyone else. It was always her. Squinting her eyes, trying to make what she was seeing clearer, she noticed that her mouth was moving, although she heard a distant buzzing, she knew it wasn't her when she saw a blur of hair of a color she knew very well.

Damn it, Ariel!!!

Sucking the water harder to increase the oxygen in her blood and trying to make her brain work at a slightly more acceptable speed, she tried to straighten up, only then realizing that her entire body was being hugged by the human, who was in the water to keep her submerged. A blush rose to her cheeks and she chose to deal with her sister first.
-Ariel, do you have any idea what you did?- Asked the older mermaid, her voice hoarse from fatigue and time without use.

-By the tides, Adhara! What have I done? What's in your head? Did you really think we would just let you die?- Retorted the redhead.

-That wasn't your decision to make- The older one cut her off.

-It wasn't just yours Adhara- Eric added, his tone was cold, almost harsh- Did you even plan on telling me? This soul connection is as much a part of me as it is of you and you made the decision without even asking me what I thought about it.

- Forgive me if I prefer to keep you safe than ask for your opinion - She replied sarcastically, moving her tail trying to free herself from the hug, which only got tighter.

- You were protecting him from our father - Ariel finally realized, widening her eyes at the implication of that - Do you really think he would have killed Eric even though he was connected to you?

Adhara sighed deeply, she never really felt ready to talk about that subject, but today she felt even worse than usual.

- Ariel, there is a reason why no one in the kingdom, not even you, clearly remembers the time right after Mom died. I stole some memories from everyone, very dangerous memories, even from our father - the eldest confessed - Those were days of terror, little sister, the seas were bathed in human blood and even from sea creatures who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, our father's fury made gigantic and brutal waves, they not only sank ships, they grabbed humans from inside their cities, from the safety of their homes, he didn't care if they were innocent children, women who had never even entered the sea, whether men hunted our people or not. He massacred entire kingdoms, submerged countless islands, and released the worst monsters from the deep trenches. It was desperate, you cried so much, I wouldn't let you leave your room so you wouldn't see the broken pieces of bodies floating around, but even at home it was impossible to hide the water that was getting redder every day, I was too afraid to talk to Father, I wanted to beg him to stop, our people were in distress, you were terrified and he was getting more out of control every day and I was too afraid to do anything... Until the day he beat Arista and you for crying out of fear during dinner.

Ariel covered her mouth in horror, she knew her sister was worried about avoiding her father's anger, but she never imagined the reason behind it would be something like this. Eric remained silent, he had heard about these unparalleled storms, the sailors and handmaids who told him called the period "The months of the wrath of the gods". Little did they know how close they were.

-You only had what? Eight, nine years? - Ariel whispered - What did you do?

- Something I've never done again in my entire life. I honestly don't know how it happened or why, but I screamed for him to stop, I screamed so loud that I think the entire ocean heard, I screamed with everything in me. Until suddenly it seemed like the waters answered my call, they seemed like jets coming out of my hands and pushing him against the wall as far away from us as possible. I didn't know what was happening, the guards entered the dining room, you didn't even know whether to cry or thank them and then there was a white flash and daddy's trident was in my hand, it was huge, I almost sank with its weight and suddenly there were so many people there wanting to know what was happening, because the trident was with me and daddy was shouting orders to arrest me and I just... I just wished that everyone would forget everything, that everything would go back to normal and no one would remember anything and the next moment that's what happened.

- You've been keeping this for over ten years? - The human prince was surprised.

 

- What else could I do? Do you have any idea what would happen if this came to light? - Adhara replied, lowering her tone until she spoke almost in a whisper.

- The trident answered your call - Ariel said in the same tone as her sister, covering her mouth as if she still couldn't take it in - The Trident answered you. Gods of the seas, Adhara.

- What does this mean? - Eric asked, feeling confused, that sentence seemed to have had much more weight on the two mermaids than the whole bloody story told by Adhara.

- That the ocean itself removed our father from the throne. No matter how old Adhara was at the time, the trident chose her to lead our people, our father should never have reigned after the trident changed hands. With everything Adhara said about how he was out of his mind before his memory was altered, if he had discovered this back then… - Ariel began, looking at her sister in astonishment.

- It would have been us or him - the brunette stated - Even if he killed me, the crown would never return to him, it would go to one of you, then another, and another and finally I imagine he would have ended all of us, even Aunt Ursula. It would be the end of our entire family. Even though time has passed, I don't trust him anymore now than I did a decade ago, how could I risk you like that? - Adhara asked, looking directly at Eric, so that he would understand that he was included in the "you" - If I died of "natural causes" or some disease, he wouldn't have a target to direct his anger at, things would get tense for a while but I really don't think it would wake everything up again, but if I ran away with a human? It would be punching old wounds, an ocean of blood again.

Adhara held the side of the prince's face tenderly, caressing his cheek with her thumb.

-I'm sorry Eric, I really am. If it were just for me, I would choose you. I feel in my soul that you are the most incredible man on earth and it would have been my greatest luck to be linked to you. But my sisters and my people depend on me. I can't leave them. Unfortunately, it's a new goodbye-The oldest mermaid said, letting tears run down her beautiful eyes- I hope with all my heart that you have a long life, full of adventures, and that you are very, very happy.