Chapter 74: Little Mermaid (Part 1)
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Meanwhile, Leron woke up inside a large clamshell.
As beautiful as the most priceless of pearls, the merman prince began his day with a sigh. His many siblings had also woken up from their beds on the ocean floor. Some were in bones of dead whales, large anemones, or they simply laid inside underwater caves of their own.
But the fair Leron was assigned to sleep in a large shell right beside his father's quarters, so the bodyguards can oversee him and he may not escape.
Leron could not recall the name of all his siblings. They were as many as a school of fish. He doubts that his father, King Casserome, can remember them all either.
He looked for a way to escape the guards again, but it always gets trickier every time he was caught. His father doubled the men until they patrol almost every corner, making Leron feel cramped and suffocated.
So many people, yet they are all half-fish.
He wanted to see the humans again, those creatures who walk on two legs. If only he was born as one himself, then his father, who had control over the waters, wouldn't have control over him again.
He'll be safe on land, able to do the things he likes and enjoy. Able to try new things. Not stuck in a monotonous routine that everyone has set upon him.
It's virtually impossible to swim his way through the guards, so he decided to resolve through his wit and charms.
"Hey, you there. Sangfroid, right?" He called out to one of them that was half a purple chromis and with scars in his right eye.
Sangfroid could not believe that he was being called. His eyes lightened up and he did not look intimidating anymore. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Do you have any barnacles?"
Sangfroid must have thought the prince called out to him for another reason that only he knows, and his face fell when the prince asked this weird question. "Barnacles?"
Leron swished his fluffy blue tail with frills towards Sangfroid. He was a blue betta, one of the most beautiful ones in the sea at that. The action seemed to be very meaningful amongst the merfolk, and at this, the palace guard reddened.
"Yes, barnacles. My bed is getting a little dirty lately." With a swish, the merman prince moved closer to Sangfroid. "I need some barnacles to keep it spick and span. What kind of prince would I be if I sleep on a bed of grime and filth?"
"I don't have any barnacles in my person right now, Your Highness." Sangfroid said apologetically, not showing any emotion from his face yet secretly overwhelmed by the sudden closeness of the prince.
"Oh." The prince gave him a look of pure disappointment, like it truly bothered him that he does not have barnacles.
Sangfroid immediately added: "But we can ask the Royal Treasury to supply some for you. Or maybe once we go for the next hunt, we would remember to bring you some barnacles. "
"But I cannot wait that long. I itch. Tremendously." Leron pouted. "I cannot get a wink of sleep because of the itching, and my scales are starting to flake."
"Then we must take you to a physician right away." Sangfroid said worriedly.
He swam to the main palace, which is just a large golden coral reef, but Prince Leron's blue betta tail blocked him.
"Just getting a cure from a physician isn't enough. I would still keep itching if the source is my very own bed." He pleaded. "Please, Sangfroid. I desperately needed those barnacles. I can swim very quickly and just grab some from the hull of a ship—"
"It's too dangerous to go to the surface alone, Your Highness." Sangfroid said. "Many of us had sensed that hurricane is coming soon. Please wait until then."
Merfolk hunt for food when a storm is near because that is when flocks of birds move for shelter. This is why humans have associated them as ill omens and had become more hostile whenever they see them. They thought it was the merfolk that causes the storms, not that they merely come out for their own survival.
Yes, the merfolk diet consists of birds. Birds eat fish, and in a poetic balance, these half-fish creatures are now the ones who eat birds. There are tribes of merfolk that are referred to by humans as sirens that eat human meat as well, but those who practice such acts are highly looked down on and live in seclusion.
Under the King Casserome's rule, the Underwater Kingdom of Ilvedia had become even stricter when it comes to interactions with the land and its creatures. He had created the Ten Rules of the Merfolk. The most important ones are the first two:
If you were seen by a human, you will be punished. If you try to deliberately get to the surface when it is not the time of the hunt, you will be punished.
And the rest are just the same and just more specific variations of the two. All of them end with 'you will be punished'.
No one ever knows what the punishment would be since the King never tried to specify. It must be up to his liking how the punishment would be.
Besides, no one dares to break the rules besides Prince Leron. He may even be the reason why they were made in the first place.
"But.... I...." Leron's eyes were downcast, then it suddenly widened. "Ah! My back is itchy again! Quick, Sangfroid, scratch it for me!"
Leron immediately unbuttoned his shirt the color of his blue tail and revealed his luscious bare skin to the guard.
This is another rule that he breaks. The King does not allow merfolk to take off their upper clothing easily because they are designed to match their tail and make them seem like common fishes. It is a form of survival technique yet Leron thinks it's a ridiculous rule.
No betta or chromis or even marlins can be this big anyway. The only human they could trick would perhaps be those with the worst eyesight.
Still, this made Sangfroid shocked and flustered, sharp-tipped ears going red. "I cannot, Your Highness. You are a noble and I musn't touch you in an indecent way."
"What indecent? I just needed a back-scratcher, what's so indecent about that?"
"Well.... Put back your clothes and I will scratch it with gloves on." Sangfroid took out his gloves from his satchel.
Leron chuckled. "Oh, that truly won't do! You're so amusing, Sangfroid!"
'How dense can you be?' Prince Leron thought.
"I just wanted to avoid the wrath of the King as much as possible." The guard said, by which he meant he does not want the King to be angry at Leron. All he ever worries about is Leron's sake, but the prince was either unaware or simply too disinterested in him to notice it.
"Hmmm..... I see. You do not want to help me, knowing how much my father would punish you just from associating with the misbehaving prince." Leron's shoulders slumped and he put his shirt back on with a sigh. "I would just stay at my itchy bed then and try to pick on the grime with my own nails by myself."
He sulkily started to swim away. This made Sangfroid anxious, since this was the first time in a long while that the prince, which was his former childhood friend, talked to him. But now he's leaving just like that.
"Wait, Your Highness. I never meant that." Sangfroid swam towards him. "I am willing to help you any way I can. It is my duty to guard and protect you, as well as ensure your wellbeing."
"But you would not help me swim to the surface to get barnacles—"
"I'll get them for you."
Prince Leron blinked. This guard is willing to do that for him? He never expected his loyalty to go this far, since even Sangfroid himself said that going to the surface alone is near to suicidal.
"Are you sure? I don't want to get you into too much trouble. What if a human saw you? What if they.... hurt you?"
Though Leron loves the freedom humans have, that doesn't mean that he likes humans themselves. He envies them, but is wary of them because of the tales of his brethren's deaths because of their direct attacks or consequential damage to the marine environment.
But he is not that worried about Sangfroid. He is just a palace guard after all, and his insatiable desire to meet with humans and observe them is stronger than his already loose morality.
He is merely saying this to flatter Sangfroid more and make it seem like he cares.
Sangfroid took the bait, and his resolve to go on a quest for barnacles got stronger. "Even so, I am still willing to lay down my life for you, Your Highness. It is both my responsibility and an honor."
He made a deep bow. "Do not worry too much about it, Your Highness. If it would calm your heart, I will try my best to come back in one piece. I am also able-bodied and have a weapon with me, so I am the more suitable option to swim up between the two of us."
He quickly added: "Please don't take that as an offensive statement. I only meant—"
"I know what you mean, Sangfroid." Leron patted his head. "You do not know how much your loyalty means to me. I now regard you as one of my truest friend."
Not that he had one, to begin with, anyway.
Sangfroid frowned at this. He mumbled something under his breath. "So you really don't remember....."
"Hm?" He did not hear and tilted his head.
"Nothing, Your Highness. I better be off before someone sees me. You must also go back to your clamshell too."
The odd merman guard parted ways with him with great speed. Leron watches him swim off. There is something familiar with him, something at the back of Leron's head....
Though he was the scariest of the patrol guards, there is a sense of calm with him. A warmth that makes Leron feel settled. He now felt slightly guilty for tricking him.
"Sorry, Sangfroid..." He said to the quiet waters.
He looked from left to right if there was anyone else looking. He waited for a while until there was no more threat.
Then, he swished his tail and followed after Sangfroid despite his warnings.
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Meanwhile, Leron woke up inside a large clamshell.
As beautiful as the most priceless of pearls, the merman prince began his day with a sigh. His many siblings had also woken up from their beds on the ocean floor. Some were in bones of dead whales, large anemones, or they simply laid inside underwater caves of their own.
But the fair Leron was assigned to sleep in a large shell right beside his father's quarters, so the bodyguards can oversee him and he may not escape.
Leron could not recall the name of all his siblings. They were as many as a school of fish. He doubts that his father, King Casserome, can remember them all either.
He looked for a way to escape the guards again, but it always gets trickier every time he was caught. His father doubled the men until they patrol almost every corner, making Leron feel cramped and suffocated.
So many people, yet they are all half-fish.
He wanted to see the humans again, those creatures who walk on two legs. If only he was born as one himself, then his father, who had control over the waters, wouldn't have control over him again.
He'll be safe on land, able to do the things he likes and enjoy. Able to try new things. Not stuck in a monotonous routine that everyone has set upon him.
It's virtually impossible to swim his way through the guards, so he decided to resolve through his wit and charms.
"Hey, you there. Sangfroid, right?" He called out to one of them that was half a purple chromis and with scars in his right eye.
Sangfroid could not believe that he was being called. His eyes lightened up and he did not look intimidating anymore. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Do you have any barnacles?"
Sangfroid must have thought the prince called out to him for another reason that only he knows, and his face fell when the prince asked this weird question. "Barnacles?"
Leron swished his fluffy blue tail with frills towards Sangfroid. He was a blue betta, one of the most beautiful ones in the sea at that. The action seemed to be very meaningful amongst the merfolk, and at this, the palace guard reddened.
"Yes, barnacles. My bed is getting a little dirty lately." With a swish, the merman prince moved closer to Sangfroid. "I need some barnacles to keep it spick and span. What kind of prince would I be if I sleep on a bed of grime and filth?"
"I don't have any barnacles in my person right now, Your Highness." Sangfroid said apologetically, not showing any emotion from his face yet secretly overwhelmed by the sudden closeness of the prince.
"Oh." The prince gave him a look of pure disappointment, like it truly bothered him that he does not have barnacles.
Sangfroid immediately added: "But we can ask the Royal Treasury to supply some for you. Or maybe once we go for the next hunt, we would remember to bring you some barnacles. "
"But I cannot wait that long. I itch. Tremendously." Leron pouted. "I cannot get a wink of sleep because of the itching, and my scales are starting to flake."
"Then we must take you to a physician right away." Sangfroid said worriedly.
He swam to the main palace, which is just a large golden coral reef, but Prince Leron's blue betta tail blocked him.
"Just getting a cure from a physician isn't enough. I would still keep itching if the source is my very own bed." He pleaded. "Please, Sangfroid. I desperately needed those barnacles. I can swim very quickly and just grab some from the hull of a ship—"
"It's too dangerous to go to the surface alone, Your Highness." Sangfroid said. "Many of us had sensed that hurricane is coming soon. Please wait until then."
Merfolk hunt for food when a storm is near because that is when flocks of birds move for shelter. This is why humans have associated them as ill omens and had become more hostile whenever they see them. They thought it was the merfolk that causes the storms, not that they merely come out for their own survival.
Yes, the merfolk diet consists of birds. Birds eat fish, and in a poetic balance, these half-fish creatures are now the ones who eat birds. There are tribes of merfolk that are referred to by humans as sirens that eat human meat as well, but those who practice such acts are highly looked down on and live in seclusion.
Under the King Casserome's rule, the Underwater Kingdom of Ilvedia had become even stricter when it comes to interactions with the land and its creatures. He had created the Ten Rules of the Merfolk. The most important ones are the first two:
If you were seen by a human, you will be punished. If you try to deliberately get to the surface when it is not the time of the hunt, you will be punished.
And the rest are just the same and just more specific variations of the two. All of them end with 'you will be punished'.
No one ever knows what the punishment would be since the King never tried to specify. It must be up to his liking how the punishment would be.
Besides, no one dares to break the rules besides Prince Leron. He may even be the reason why they were made in the first place.
"But.... I...." Leron's eyes were downcast, then it suddenly widened. "Ah! My back is itchy again! Quick, Sangfroid, scratch it for me!"
Leron immediately unbuttoned his shirt the color of his blue tail and revealed his luscious bare skin to the guard.
This is another rule that he breaks. The King does not allow merfolk to take off their upper clothing easily because they are designed to match their tail and make them seem like common fishes. It is a form of survival technique yet Leron thinks it's a ridiculous rule.
No betta or chromis or even marlins can be this big anyway. The only human they could trick would perhaps be those with the worst eyesight.
Still, this made Sangfroid shocked and flustered, sharp-tipped ears going red. "I cannot, Your Highness. You are a noble and I musn't touch you in an indecent way."
"What indecent? I just needed a back-scratcher, what's so indecent about that?"
"Well.... Put back your clothes and I will scratch it with gloves on." Sangfroid took out his gloves from his satchel.
Leron chuckled. "Oh, that truly won't do! You're so amusing, Sangfroid!"
'How dense can you be?' Prince Leron thought.
"I just wanted to avoid the wrath of the King as much as possible." The guard said, by which he meant he does not want the King to be angry at Leron. All he ever worries about is Leron's sake, but the prince was either unaware or simply too disinterested in him to notice it.
"Hmmm..... I see. You do not want to help me, knowing how much my father would punish you just from associating with the misbehaving prince." Leron's shoulders slumped and he put his shirt back on with a sigh. "I would just stay at my itchy bed then and try to pick on the grime with my own nails by myself."
He sulkily started to swim away. This made Sangfroid anxious, since this was the first time in a long while that the prince, which was his former childhood friend, talked to him. But now he's leaving just like that.
"Wait, Your Highness. I never meant that." Sangfroid swam towards him. "I am willing to help you any way I can. It is my duty to guard and protect you, as well as ensure your wellbeing."
"But you would not help me swim to the surface to get barnacles—"
"I'll get them for you."
Prince Leron blinked. This guard is willing to do that for him? He never expected his loyalty to go this far, since even Sangfroid himself said that going to the surface alone is near to suicidal.
"Are you sure? I don't want to get you into too much trouble. What if a human saw you? What if they.... hurt you?"
Though Leron loves the freedom humans have, that doesn't mean that he likes humans themselves. He envies them, but is wary of them because of the tales of his brethren's deaths because of their direct attacks or consequential damage to the marine environment.
But he is not that worried about Sangfroid. He is just a palace guard after all, and his insatiable desire to meet with humans and observe them is stronger than his already loose morality.
He is merely saying this to flatter Sangfroid more and make it seem like he cares.
Sangfroid took the bait, and his resolve to go on a quest for barnacles got stronger. "Even so, I am still willing to lay down my life for you, Your Highness. It is both my responsibility and an honor."
He made a deep bow. "Do not worry too much about it, Your Highness. If it would calm your heart, I will try my best to come back in one piece. I am also able-bodied and have a weapon with me, so I am the more suitable option to swim up between the two of us."
He quickly added: "Please don't take that as an offensive statement. I only meant—"
"I know what you mean, Sangfroid." Leron patted his head. "You do not know how much your loyalty means to me. I now regard you as one of my truest friend."
Not that he had one, to begin with, anyway.
Sangfroid frowned at this. He mumbled something under his breath. "So you really don't remember....."
"Hm?" He did not hear and tilted his head.
"Nothing, Your Highness. I better be off before someone sees me. You must also go back to your clamshell too."
The odd merman guard parted ways with him with great speed. Leron watches him swim off. There is something familiar with him, something at the back of Leron's head....
Though he was the scariest of the patrol guards, there is a sense of calm with him. A warmth that makes Leron feel settled. He now felt slightly guilty for tricking him.
"Sorry, Sangfroid..." He said to the quiet waters.
He looked from left to right if there was anyone else looking. He waited for a while until there was no more threat.
Then, he swished his tail and followed after Sangfroid despite his warnings.
Meanwhile, Leron woke up inside a large clamshell.As beautiful as the most priceless of pearls, the merman prince began his day with a sigh. His many siblings had also woken up from their beds on the ocean floor. Some were in bones of dead whales, large anemones, or they simply laid inside underwater caves of their own.But the fair Leron was assigned to sleep in a large shell right beside his father's quarters, so the bodyguards can oversee him and he may not escape.Leron could not recall the name of all his siblings. They were as many as a school of fish. He doubts that his father, King Casserome, can remember them all either.He looked for a way to escape the guards again, but it always gets trickier every time he was caught. His father doubled the men until they patrol almost every corner, making Leron feel cramped and suffocated.So many people, yet they are all half-fish.He wanted to see the humans again, those creatures who walk on two legs. If only he was born as one himself, then his father, who had control over the waters, wouldn't have control over him again.He'll be safe on land, able to do the things he likes and enjoy. Able to try new things. Not stuck in a monotonous routine that everyone has set upon him.It's virtually impossible to swim his way through the guards, so he decided to resolve through his wit and charms."Hey, you there. Sangfroid, right?" He called out to one of them that was half a purple chromis and with scars in his right eye.Sangfroid could not believe that he was being called. His eyes lightened up and he did not look intimidating anymore. "Yes, Your Highness?""Do you have any barnacles?"Sangfroid must have thought the prince called out to him for another reason that only he knows, and his face fell when the prince asked this weird question. "Barnacles?"Leron swished his fluffy blue tail with frills towards Sangfroid. He was a blue betta, one of the most beautiful ones in the sea at that. The action seemed to be very meaningful amongst the merfolk, and at this, the palace guard reddened."Yes, barnacles. My bed is getting a little dirty lately." With a swish, the merman prince moved closer to Sangfroid. "I need some barnacles to keep it spick and span. What kind of prince would I be if I sleep on a bed of grime and filth?""I don't have any barnacles in my person right now, Your Highness." Sangfroid said apologetically, not showing any emotion from his face yet secretly overwhelmed by the sudden closeness of the prince."Oh." The prince gave him a look of pure disappointment, like it truly bothered him that he does not have barnacles.Sangfroid immediately added: "But we can ask the Royal Treasury to supply some for you. Or maybe once we go for the next hunt, we would remember to bring you some barnacles. ""But I cannot wait that long. I itch. Tremendously." Leron pouted. "I cannot get a wink of sleep because of the itching, and my scales are starting to flake.""Then we must take you to a physician right away." Sangfroid said worriedly.He swam to the main palace, which is just a large golden coral reef, but Prince Leron's blue betta tail blocked him."Just getting a cure from a physician isn't enough. I would still keep itching if the source is my very own bed." He pleaded. "Please, Sangfroid. I desperately needed those barnacles. I can swim very quickly and just grab some from the hull of a ship""It's too dangerous to go to the surface alone, Your Highness." Sangfroid said. "Many of us had sensed that hurricane is coming soon. Please wait until then."Merfolk hunt for food when a storm is near because that is when flocks of birds move for shelter. This is why humans have associated them as ill omens and had become more hostile whenever they see them. They thought it was the merfolk that causes the storms, not that they merely come out for their own survival.Yes, the merfolk diet consists of birds. Birds eat fish, and in a poetic balance, these half-fish creatures are now the ones who eat birds. There are tribes of merfolk that are referred to by humans as sirens that eat human meat as well, but those who practice such acts are highly looked down on and live in seclusion.Under the King Casserome's rule, the Underwater Kingdom of Ilvedia had become even stricter when it comes to interactions with the land and its creatures. He had created the Ten Rules of the Merfolk. The most important ones are the first two:If you were seen by a human, you will be punished. If you try to deliberately get to the surface when it is not the time of the hunt, you will be punished.And the rest are just the same and just more specific variations of the two. All of them end with 'you will be punished'.No one ever knows what the punishment would be since the King never tried to specify. It must be up to his liking how the punishment would be.Besides, no one dares to break the rules besides Prince Leron. He may even be the reason why they were made in the first place."But.... I...." Leron's eyes were downcast, then it suddenly widened. "Ah! My back is itchy again! Quick, Sangfroid, scratch it for me!"Leron immediately unbuttoned his shirt the color of his blue tail and revealed his luscious bare skin to the guard.This is another rule that he breaks. The King does not allow merfolk to take off their upper clothing easily because they are designed to match their tail and make them seem like common fishes. It is a form of survival technique yet Leron thinks it's a ridiculous rule.No betta or chromis or even marlins can be this big anyway. The only human they could trick would perhaps be those with the worst eyesight.Still, this made Sangfroid shocked and flustered, sharp-tipped ears going red. "I cannot, Your Highness. You are a noble and I musn't touch you in an indecent way.""What indecent? I just needed a back-scratcher, what's so indecent about that?""Well.... Put back your clothes and I will scratch it with gloves on." Sangfroid took out his gloves from his satchel.Leron chuckled. "Oh, that truly won't do! You're so amusing, Sangfroid!"'How dense can you be?' Prince Leron thought."I just wanted to avoid the wrath of the King as much as possible." The guard said, by which he meant he does not want the King to be angry at Leron. All he ever worries about is Leron's sake, but the prince was either unaware or simply too disinterested in him to notice it."Hmmm..... I see. You do not want to help me, knowing how much my father would punish you just from associating with the misbehaving prince." Leron's shoulders slumped and he put his shirt back on with a sigh. "I would just stay at my itchy bed then and try to pick on the grime with my own nails by myself."He sulkily started to swim away. This made Sangfroid anxious, since this was the first time in a long while that the prince, which was his former childhood friend, talked to him. But now he's leaving just like that."Wait, Your Highness. I never meant that." Sangfroid swam towards him. "I am willing to help you any way I can. It is my duty to guard and protect you, as well as ensure your wellbeing.""But you would not help me swim to the surface to get barnacles""I'll get them for you."Prince Leron blinked. This guard is willing to do that for him? He never expected his loyalty to go this far, since even Sangfroid himself said that going to the surface alone is near to suicidal."Are you sure? I don't want to get you into too much trouble. What if a human saw you? What if they.... hurt you?"Though Leron loves the freedom humans have, that doesn't mean that he likes humans themselves. He envies them, but is wary of them because of the tales of his brethren's deaths because of their direct attacks or consequential damage to the marine environment.But he is not that worried about Sangfroid. He is just a palace guard after all, and his insatiable desire to meet with humans and observe them is stronger than his already loose morality.He is merely saying this to flatter Sangfroid more and make it seem like he cares.Sangfroid took the bait, and his resolve to go on a quest for barnacles got stronger. "Even so, I am still willing to lay down my life for you, Your Highness. It is both my responsibility and an honor."He made a deep bow. "Do not worry too much about it, Your Highness. If it would calm your heart, I will try my best to come back in one piece. I am also able-bodied and have a weapon with me, so I am the more suitable option to swim up between the two of us."He quickly added: "Please don't take that as an offensive statement. I only meant""I know what you mean, Sangfroid." Leron patted his head. "You do not know how much your loyalty means to me. I now regard you as one of my truest friend."Not that he had one, to begin with, anyway.Sangfroid frowned at this. He mumbled something under his breath. "So you really don't remember.....""Hm?" He did not hear and tilted his head."Nothing, Your Highness. I better be off before someone sees me. You must also go back to your clamshell too."The odd merman guard parted ways with him with great speed. Leron watches him swim off. There is something familiar with him, something at the back of Leron's head....Though he was the scariest of the patrol guards, there is a sense of calm with him. A warmth that makes Leron feel settled. He now felt slightly guilty for tricking him."Sorry, Sangfroid..." He said to the quiet waters.He looked from left to right if there was anyone else looking. He waited for a while until there was no more threat.Then, he swished his tail and followed after Sangfroid despite his warnings.
