Chapter 79: Little Mermaid (Part 6)
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
The wind swirled around him, and attempted to take him before anyone can recover from their shock.
Vladstin immediately grabbed on to him, and so did Sangfroid.
"What is happening!?" Vladstin shouted as the wind blew on his face, trying to break his grip on Leron's right hand.
"I don't know! Triton, I fulfilled the deal! Why are you doing this!?"
"You also made a deal with Lord Triton?" Sangfroid asked, holding on to his left hand. "What was the deal?"
"He said I needed a kiss of undying love to stay, and Vladstin already kissed me!" Leron grabbed onto Vladstin's face. "Try to kiss me again!"
"Alright!" Vladstin doesn't really know what is happening, but he kissed Leron as he was told.
Nothing happened and the wind did not die down.
"More!"
Still nothing.
Sangfroid interrupted. "Is there no other way? Triton is a considerate god, he would surely let you make another arrangement. I don't understand why he's not answering now."
Leron remembered the other part of the deal and the wind died down, making him fall on the divan with a plop. This caused Leron and Sangfroid to let go as a knife flew towards his hand.
"No, I will not do it!"
"Not do what?" Vladstin eyed the knife confused, while Sangfroid gave it a knowing look.
"So that is the other part of the deal." Sangfroid said. "Your Highness, you don't have to do this. You can return to the sea with me."
"I would not either! I want to stay with Vladstin!" Leron cried, shaking his head.
Sangfroid gave a pained look, but then he thought of something. "I have an idea, Your Highness. You said you needed a kiss of undying love?"
"Yes! Undying and loyal, which I'm sure Vladstin already gave—"
Sangfroid pressed his lips on Leron's.
Instantly, his tail reverted back into a pair of human legs wearing blue pants.
Sangfroid's kiss was gentle, yet fervent, full of adoration and reverence. He slowly let go.
Leron blinked. "W-Why..... Why did yours work and not Vladstin's?"
"I do not know. What I do know is that I love you with all my heart, Your Highness, that is why I attempted to fulfill the deal." Sangfroid ears reddened. "I did not truly expect it to work."
"Who are you really? What is going on?" Vladstin had so many questions running on his mind as he had just watched his lover be kissed by another man and be confessed to. "Is this Triton the same god as the one on the temple? Why didn't my kiss work? And what was all that Sangfroid said earlier— I am so confused!"
The two former mermen just looked at each other with an awkward pause, waiting for the other to explain.
Leron gave in. "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, Vladstin. You see..... Triton is the one who turned into a human. And you recall that he makes deals, correct?"
"Yeah....? So.... I'm guessing it has to do with the kiss?"
Leron nodded. "In five months' time since I was turned, I needed to get a kiss of loyal and undying love. If not, I would become a merman, and you wouldn't remember me, unable to cross paths again."
"This knife..... It is an alternative if the kiss does not work." Leron threw the knife down, sending it scattering to the floor. "I would have to..... Get your heart out and let the blood flow on my feet to stay human."
"But I will never do that! I would rather die than do that!" Leron immediately added.
"..... I see. Then..... About the kiss. I truly don't understand why mine didn't..... I love you, with all my heart and soul as well. It was you who saved me from certain death, and the reason why I still breathe until now."
Vladstin held his hand. "I do not believe that this meant I did not really love you, or that Sangfroid's love is higher than mine. There has to have been a mistake."
Leron was moved, but now it dawned upon him why the kiss was ineffective. It is in Vladstin's words itself.
"Vladstin..... If it was not me who saved you, would you still love me then?"
Vladstin was baffled and caught off guard by this question. He doesn't know how to answer. "Why would you ask that... It is you who saved me, there could be no one else—"
Sangfroid started humming a familiar tune, very quietly and discreetly, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, but Vladstin managed to hear it. Sangfroid noticed a gash on Leron's wrist from where Vladstin grabbed onto him while he was being pulled by the wind, and it closed once he finished humming.
Vladstin then turned to Sangfroid, whose eyes only rested on Leron. He recognized him now, as he had forgotten because it was so long past and his attention was fully on Leron. But he can now recall a certain arrow hitting his shoulder, and purple eyes.
"It was you." Vladstin said.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Sangfroid showed no signs of being alarmed that he was caught humming.
Vladstin turned to Leron. "It was him, isn't it? Leron, be honest."
Leron bit his lip, and sadly nodded.
"This... This is too much..... I..... I need time to think." Vladstin grabbed on his hair, like he was slowly going insane.
It was all a lie. Leron, though he does feel like he loved him, lied to him all this time. That explains everything.
Leron was in tears. "Don't leave me, Vladstin! I am so sorry that I lied to you, I got carried away by the thought that you would feel indebted to me. I wanted to make you love me since then, and I thought Sangfroid had died, so I thought it would be alright to—"
"Claim something that you didn't do? Make a fool out of me?" Vladstin gripped his hair. "Leron, you could have told me! Since the start, you should have told me!"
"I know, I....." Leron clung to him, embracing him tightly. "I just love you so much that I couldn't bear you leaving me behind once you know the truth. I don't want anything to come between us."
Sangfroid felt even more hurt with this, knowing that the man he loves believes he is just an obstacle to his own personal relationship. He stood up and bowed his head.
"I don't mean to come between you two, I can see that you love each other very much. I just wanted to help Prince Leron with what I could, but I don't need him to reciprocate my love for him. I will be taking my leave. I wish you both the best."
He went to the door, but Vladstin stopped him.
"Wait! Don't go!" Vladstin pleaded. "There's still so much to talk about, so much I don't understand. What about your own transformation? How did you....."
Sangfroid felt his clothes getting wet, and looked down to see bright red spreading on it. He collapsed to the floor and Vladstin caught him.
"Sangfroid!" Leron also stood from the divan and rushed to him.
"It has begun... My punishment for not fulfilling the deal." Sangfroid said calmly, even with his painful injury. "My life in this form is just a borrowed one. It is also not the life I wanted, I never yearned to become human."
"I belong to the sea, and must die in the sea. Yet I was foolish to think I could cheat death....." Sangfroid smiled at Leron. "But at the very least, I am just happy to see His Highness one last time again, and bring him the ending he wanted."
"Why can't you sing to heal yourself!?" Vladstin cried at his dying savior.
"He cannot..... Oh, Sangfroid, what should I do to save you? What was your deal?"
Sangfroid shook his head. "There is no use. Fulfilling my deal would negate yours. Be happy with Vladstin, enjoy your days as a human. I heard that humans have souls, and that they can have what is called an afterlife. "
"Meanwhile, we merfolk just turn into sea foam, and nothing else." He turned to the Crescentian prince. "So, in this life and all the next, take care of Prince Leron for me."
"You need me to join you back to the sea to continue living." Leron had inferred, sobbing as he held Sangfroid's hand. "That was your deal, isn't it? To convince me to turn back?"
Sangfroid weakly nodded. "But I knew since the start that it is impossible. You do belong on land, it has always been where your heart is calling you."
"And I'm glad to be the one to give that to you."
Leron wiped his tears, shaking his head. "There must be another way! Triton, there should be another way!"
Green mist swirled beside them and turned into the merman with a crown of pearls. "Yes, there is."
Vladstin was not even surprised with the sea god appearing out of thin air, and just begged. "Tell us!"
"Leron must die. "
The dying Sangfroid immediately shouted. "No! Anything but that!"
"It is only fair, my children. A life for a life. Sangfroid may choose to continue living as human or a merman. But if you want to save him....."
Lord Triton turned to Leron and pointed at the broken window overlooking the cliffs with the waters below. "You must sacrifice yourself."
Leron was left with another choice, and he looked at Sangfroid and Vladstin. Two men he had grown to love dearly. One who would give his life twice for him, and one who's mere presence give life to his dull world.
He cannot have either of them die.
So would he sacrifice himself?
A voice suddenly gave him the right answer.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
The wind swirled around him, and attempted to take him before anyone can recover from their shock.
Vladstin immediately grabbed on to him, and so did Sangfroid.
"What is happening!?" Vladstin shouted as the wind blew on his face, trying to break his grip on Leron's right hand.
"I don't know! Triton, I fulfilled the deal! Why are you doing this!?"
"You also made a deal with Lord Triton?" Sangfroid asked, holding on to his left hand. "What was the deal?"
"He said I needed a kiss of undying love to stay, and Vladstin already kissed me!" Leron grabbed onto Vladstin's face. "Try to kiss me again!"
"Alright!" Vladstin doesn't really know what is happening, but he kissed Leron as he was told.
Nothing happened and the wind did not die down.
"More!"
Still nothing.
Sangfroid interrupted. "Is there no other way? Triton is a considerate god, he would surely let you make another arrangement. I don't understand why he's not answering now."
Leron remembered the other part of the deal and the wind died down, making him fall on the divan with a plop. This caused Leron and Sangfroid to let go as a knife flew towards his hand.
"No, I will not do it!"
"Not do what?" Vladstin eyed the knife confused, while Sangfroid gave it a knowing look.
"So that is the other part of the deal." Sangfroid said. "Your Highness, you don't have to do this. You can return to the sea with me."
"I would not either! I want to stay with Vladstin!" Leron cried, shaking his head.
Sangfroid gave a pained look, but then he thought of something. "I have an idea, Your Highness. You said you needed a kiss of undying love?"
"Yes! Undying and loyal, which I'm sure Vladstin already gave—"
Sangfroid pressed his lips on Leron's.
Instantly, his tail reverted back into a pair of human legs wearing blue pants.
Sangfroid's kiss was gentle, yet fervent, full of adoration and reverence. He slowly let go.
Leron blinked. "W-Why..... Why did yours work and not Vladstin's?"
"I do not know. What I do know is that I love you with all my heart, Your Highness, that is why I attempted to fulfill the deal." Sangfroid ears reddened. "I did not truly expect it to work."
"Who are you really? What is going on?" Vladstin had so many questions running on his mind as he had just watched his lover be kissed by another man and be confessed to. "Is this Triton the same god as the one on the temple? Why didn't my kiss work? And what was all that Sangfroid said earlier— I am so confused!"
The two former mermen just looked at each other with an awkward pause, waiting for the other to explain.
Leron gave in. "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, Vladstin. You see..... Triton is the one who turned into a human. And you recall that he makes deals, correct?"
"Yeah....? So.... I'm guessing it has to do with the kiss?"
Leron nodded. "In five months' time since I was turned, I needed to get a kiss of loyal and undying love. If not, I would become a merman, and you wouldn't remember me, unable to cross paths again."
"This knife..... It is an alternative if the kiss does not work." Leron threw the knife down, sending it scattering to the floor. "I would have to..... Get your heart out and let the blood flow on my feet to stay human."
"But I will never do that! I would rather die than do that!" Leron immediately added.
"..... I see. Then..... About the kiss. I truly don't understand why mine didn't..... I love you, with all my heart and soul as well. It was you who saved me from certain death, and the reason why I still breathe until now."
Vladstin held his hand. "I do not believe that this meant I did not really love you, or that Sangfroid's love is higher than mine. There has to have been a mistake."
Leron was moved, but now it dawned upon him why the kiss was ineffective. It is in Vladstin's words itself.
"Vladstin..... If it was not me who saved you, would you still love me then?"
Vladstin was baffled and caught off guard by this question. He doesn't know how to answer. "Why would you ask that... It is you who saved me, there could be no one else—"
Sangfroid started humming a familiar tune, very quietly and discreetly, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, but Vladstin managed to hear it. Sangfroid noticed a gash on Leron's wrist from where Vladstin grabbed onto him while he was being pulled by the wind, and it closed once he finished humming.
Vladstin then turned to Sangfroid, whose eyes only rested on Leron. He recognized him now, as he had forgotten because it was so long past and his attention was fully on Leron. But he can now recall a certain arrow hitting his shoulder, and purple eyes.
"It was you." Vladstin said.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Sangfroid showed no signs of being alarmed that he was caught humming.
Vladstin turned to Leron. "It was him, isn't it? Leron, be honest."
Leron bit his lip, and sadly nodded.
"This... This is too much..... I..... I need time to think." Vladstin grabbed on his hair, like he was slowly going insane.
It was all a lie. Leron, though he does feel like he loved him, lied to him all this time. That explains everything.
Leron was in tears. "Don't leave me, Vladstin! I am so sorry that I lied to you, I got carried away by the thought that you would feel indebted to me. I wanted to make you love me since then, and I thought Sangfroid had died, so I thought it would be alright to—"
"Claim something that you didn't do? Make a fool out of me?" Vladstin gripped his hair. "Leron, you could have told me! Since the start, you should have told me!"
"I know, I....." Leron clung to him, embracing him tightly. "I just love you so much that I couldn't bear you leaving me behind once you know the truth. I don't want anything to come between us."
Sangfroid felt even more hurt with this, knowing that the man he loves believes he is just an obstacle to his own personal relationship. He stood up and bowed his head.
"I don't mean to come between you two, I can see that you love each other very much. I just wanted to help Prince Leron with what I could, but I don't need him to reciprocate my love for him. I will be taking my leave. I wish you both the best."
He went to the door, but Vladstin stopped him.
"Wait! Don't go!" Vladstin pleaded. "There's still so much to talk about, so much I don't understand. What about your own transformation? How did you....."
Sangfroid felt his clothes getting wet, and looked down to see bright red spreading on it. He collapsed to the floor and Vladstin caught him.
"Sangfroid!" Leron also stood from the divan and rushed to him.
"It has begun... My punishment for not fulfilling the deal." Sangfroid said calmly, even with his painful injury. "My life in this form is just a borrowed one. It is also not the life I wanted, I never yearned to become human."
"I belong to the sea, and must die in the sea. Yet I was foolish to think I could cheat death....." Sangfroid smiled at Leron. "But at the very least, I am just happy to see His Highness one last time again, and bring him the ending he wanted."
"Why can't you sing to heal yourself!?" Vladstin cried at his dying savior.
"He cannot..... Oh, Sangfroid, what should I do to save you? What was your deal?"
Sangfroid shook his head. "There is no use. Fulfilling my deal would negate yours. Be happy with Vladstin, enjoy your days as a human. I heard that humans have souls, and that they can have what is called an afterlife. "
"Meanwhile, we merfolk just turn into sea foam, and nothing else." He turned to the Crescentian prince. "So, in this life and all the next, take care of Prince Leron for me."
"You need me to join you back to the sea to continue living." Leron had inferred, sobbing as he held Sangfroid's hand. "That was your deal, isn't it? To convince me to turn back?"
Sangfroid weakly nodded. "But I knew since the start that it is impossible. You do belong on land, it has always been where your heart is calling you."
"And I'm glad to be the one to give that to you."
Leron wiped his tears, shaking his head. "There must be another way! Triton, there should be another way!"
Green mist swirled beside them and turned into the merman with a crown of pearls. "Yes, there is."
Vladstin was not even surprised with the sea god appearing out of thin air, and just begged. "Tell us!"
"Leron must die. "
The dying Sangfroid immediately shouted. "No! Anything but that!"
"It is only fair, my children. A life for a life. Sangfroid may choose to continue living as human or a merman. But if you want to save him....."
Lord Triton turned to Leron and pointed at the broken window overlooking the cliffs with the waters below. "You must sacrifice yourself."
Leron was left with another choice, and he looked at Sangfroid and Vladstin. Two men he had grown to love dearly. One who would give his life twice for him, and one who's mere presence give life to his dull world.
He cannot have either of them die.
So would he sacrifice himself?
A voice suddenly gave him the right answer.
The wind swirled around him, and attempted to take him before anyone can recover from their shock.Vladstin immediately grabbed on to him, and so did Sangfroid."What is happening!?" Vladstin shouted as the wind blew on his face, trying to break his grip on Leron's right hand."I don't know! Triton, I fulfilled the deal! Why are you doing this!?""You also made a deal with Lord Triton?" Sangfroid asked, holding on to his left hand. "What was the deal?""He said I needed a kiss of undying loveto stay, and Vladstin already kissed me!" Leron grabbed onto Vladstin's face. "Try to kiss me again!""Alright!" Vladstin doesn't really know what is happening, but he kissed Leron as he was told.Nothing happened and the wind did not die down."More!"Still nothing.Sangfroid interrupted. "Is there no other way? Triton is a considerate god, he would surely let you make another arrangement. I don't understand why he's not answering now."Leron remembered the other part of the deal and the wind died down, making him fall on the divan with a plop. This caused Leron and Sangfroid to let go as a knife flew towards his hand."No, I will not do it!""Not do what?" Vladstin eyed the knife confused, while Sangfroid gave it a knowing look."So that is the other part of the deal." Sangfroid said. "Your Highness, you don't have to do this. You can return to the sea with me.""I would not either! I want to stay with Vladstin!" Leron cried, shaking his head.Sangfroid gave a pained look, but then he thought of something. "I have an idea, Your Highness. You said you needed a kiss of undying love?""Yes! Undying and loyal, which I'm sure Vladstin already gave"Sangfroid pressed his lips on Leron's.Instantly, his tail reverted back into a pair of human legs wearing blue pants.Sangfroid's kiss was gentle, yet fervent, full of adoration and reverence. He slowly let go.Leron blinked. "W-Why..... Why did yours work and not Vladstin's?""I do not know. What I do know is that I love you with all my heart, Your Highness, that is why I attempted to fulfill the deal." Sangfroid ears reddened. "I did not truly expect it to work.""Who are you really? What is going on?" Vladstin had so many questions running on his mind as he had just watched his lover be kissed by another man and be confessed to. "Is this Triton the same god as the one on the temple? Why didn't my kiss work? And what was all that Sangfroid said earlier I am so confused!"The two former mermen just looked at each other with an awkward pause, waiting for the other to explain.Leron gave in. "I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, Vladstin. You see..... Triton is the one who turned into a human. And you recall that he makes deals, correct?""Yeah....? So.... I'm guessing it has to do with the kiss?"Leron nodded. "In five months' time since I was turned, I needed to get a kiss of loyal and undying love. If not, I would become a merman, and you wouldn't remember me, unable to cross paths again.""This knife..... It is an alternative if the kiss does not work." Leron threw the knife down, sending it scattering to the floor. "I would have to..... Get your heart out and let the blood flow on my feet to stay human.""But I will never do that! I would rather die than do that!" Leron immediately added."..... I see. Then..... About the kiss. I truly don't understand why mine didn't..... I love you, with all my heart and soul as well. It was you who saved me from certain death, and the reason why I still breathe until now." Vladstin held his hand. "I do not believe that this meant I did not really love you, or that Sangfroid's love is higher than mine. There has to have been a mistake."Leron was moved, but now it dawned upon him why the kiss was ineffective. It is in Vladstin's words itself."Vladstin..... If it was not me who saved you, would you still love me then?"Vladstin was baffled and caught off guard by this question. He doesn't know how to answer. "Why would you ask that... It is you who saved me, there could be no one else"Sangfroid started humming a familiar tune, very quietly and discreetly, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, but Vladstin managed to hear it. Sangfroid noticed a gash on Leron's wrist from where Vladstin grabbed onto him while he was being pulled by the wind, and it closed once he finished humming.Vladstin then turned to Sangfroid, whose eyes only rested on Leron. He recognized him now, as he had forgotten because it was so long past and his attention was fully on Leron. But he can now recall a certain arrow hitting his shoulder, and purple eyes."It was you." Vladstin said."I don't know what you are talking about." Sangfroid showed no signs of being alarmed that he was caught humming.Vladstin turned to Leron. "It was him, isn't it? Leron, be honest."Leron bit his lip, and sadly nodded."This... This is too much..... I..... I need time to think." Vladstin grabbed on his hair, like he was slowly going insane.It was all a lie. Leron, though he does feel like he loved him, lied to him all this time. That explains everything.Leron was in tears. "Don't leave me, Vladstin! I am so sorry that I lied to you, I got carried away by the thought that you would feel indebted to me. I wanted to make you love me since then, and I thought Sangfroid had died, so I thought it would be alright to""Claim something that you didn't do? Make a fool out of me?" Vladstin gripped his hair. "Leron, you could have told me! Since the start, you should have told me!""I know, I....." Leron clung to him, embracing him tightly. "I just love you so much that I couldn't bear you leaving me behind once you know the truth. I don't want anything to come between us."Sangfroid felt even more hurt with this, knowing that the man he loves believes he is just an obstacle to his own personal relationship. He stood up and bowed his head."I don't mean to come between you two, I can see that you love each other very much. I just wanted to help Prince Leron with what I could, but I don't need him to reciprocate my love for him. I will be taking my leave. I wish you both the best."He went to the door, but Vladstin stopped him."Wait! Don't go!" Vladstin pleaded. "There's still so much to talk about, so much I don't understand. What about your own transformation? How did you....."Sangfroid felt his clothes getting wet, and looked down to see bright red spreading on it. He collapsed to the floor and Vladstin caught him."Sangfroid!" Leron also stood from the divan and rushed to him."It has begun... My punishment for not fulfilling the deal." Sangfroid said calmly, even with his painful injury. "My life in this form is just a borrowed one. It is also not the life I wanted, I never yearned to become human.""I belong to the sea, and must die in the sea. Yet I was foolish to think I could cheat death....." Sangfroid smiled at Leron. "But at the very least, I am just happy to see His Highness one last time again, and bring him the ending he wanted.""Why can't you sing to heal yourself!?" Vladstin cried at his dying savior."He cannot..... Oh, Sangfroid, what should I do to save you? What was your deal?"Sangfroid shook his head. "There is no use. Fulfilling my deal would negate yours. Be happy with Vladstin, enjoy your days as a human. I heard that humans have souls, and that they can have what is called an afterlife. ""Meanwhile, we merfolk just turn into sea foam, and nothing else." He turned to the Crescentian prince. "So, in this life and all the next, take care of Prince Leron for me.""You need me to join you back to the sea to continue living." Leron had inferred, sobbing as he held Sangfroid's hand. "That was your deal, isn't it? To convince me to turn back?"Sangfroid weakly nodded. "But I knew since the start that it is impossible. You do belong on land, it has always been where your heart is calling you.""And I'm glad to be the one to give that to you."Leron wiped his tears, shaking his head. "There must be another way! Triton, there should be another way!"Green mist swirled beside them and turned into the merman with a crown of pearls. "Yes, there is."Vladstin was not even surprised with the sea god appearing out of thin air, and just begged. "Tell us!""Leron must die. "The dying Sangfroid immediately shouted. "No! Anything but that!""It is only fair, my children. A life for a life. Sangfroid may choose to continue living as human or a merman. But if you want to save him....."Lord Triton turned to Leron and pointed at the broken window overlooking the cliffs with the waters below. "You must sacrifice yourself."Leron was left with another choice, and he looked at Sangfroid and Vladstin. Two men he had grown to love dearly. One who would give his life twice for him, and one who's mere presence give life to his dull world.He cannot have either of them die.So would he sacrifice himself?A voice suddenly gave him the right answer.
