Chapter 76 - Little Mermaid (Part 3)

As dawn came, a man was washed up on the shore, unmoving and not breathing.

Another one also came beside him, but it was no ordinary man. Its lower half was of a fish. This one was still breathing with his black hair covering his face.

Leron sputtered out the water that got stuck in his mouth. It's usually not a problem for him but he choked on too much because of the pressure from the whirlpool.

He turned to Vladstin with much worry on his face. He had just met this man that made his heart feel strange things, he cannot die!

Another one floated near them, and was brought by the waves to the rocks. A large piece of wood impaled his stomach. Soon, more debris and ruins came after him.

The ship was not able to avoid the tornado, and got destroyed. The casualties were unknown, but it is likely not much survived.

Leron remembered the last image before he went unconscious. The mast has broken and was about to pierce him. But someone pushed him away, causing him to knock his head on a piece of rock and blacking out.

The one who saved him was Sangfroid, the loyal guard.

He edged closer to him. "Sangfroid!"

Blood continued to flow on the wound. Sangfroid's breathing was erratic, and instead of sputtering water, bright red leaked from the corners of his mouth to his chin.

"Your Highness..... Go back before the human becomes awake. Save yourself....."

Leron held his hand, and somehow felt the same strange feeling in his heart again, just slightly different but the same intensity. Now he does not know what it meant anymore. Can you love two people at once?

"Sangfroid.... It's all my fault...." He wept. "It's all my fault, I should have listened to you."

"Just go, Your Highness." Sangfroid weekly wiped the tear flowing down his cheek away. "It was an honor to serve you."

"No! Please don't die, Sangfroid!" Leron cried. "I.... I will sing for you! I never passed the test for the gift of Melodious Healing, but I will try!"

Leron began to hum a tune but he instead started to cough and it went off tune. His vocal cords were strained and no matter how much he tried he could not get it right.

"I can't.... Why can't I!? Father was right, I'm useless! I only know how to be a burden to everyone else!" He buried his face with his hands.

Sangfroid heaved a sigh and patted his shoulder. "Your Highness, it's alright. Hearing your beautiful voice is enough to heal my anguish towards death. It reminded me of you holding my hand and singing to me when I was young while we watched the jellyfishes."

"We knew each other when we were young?" Leron stopped crying.

"Yes. It was a long time ago, I don't blame you for not recalling it. I am just a peasant after all." Sangfroid smiled. "Knowing you is already my greatest joy in this life."

"No. You're not just a peasant, Sangfroid. You saved me." Leron held both his hands. "And I will be the reason for your death."

Sangfroid was quiet, just letting the Prince hold him. He reached out to him. "Your head.... It is hurt."

Sangfroid then hummed the same tune that Leron attempted, but he did so perfectly. His deep voice resonated deep within his chest and Leron could almost feel it physically flowing through the air and to him. He felt warmth touch his injured forehead, and his turbulent emotions calming down.

Sangfroid has the gift, and was quite skilled at it, yet he never told anyone. This made Leron feel even more hopeless.

Because Melodious Healing could not heal the merfolk who's singing. They could only heal others, but not themselves.

The same tune flowed past Leron and into the unbeating heart of a white-haired man laying face down in the sand, slowly giving him life.

By the time Sangfroid was finished, the wound on Leron's forehead closed up. Satisfied, he smiled and closed his eyes.

For the last time.

The rip current came to retrieve his body, and Leron just let it take it dejectedly.

He let out a devastating scream.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This had woken up the now alive Vladstin, who slowly blinked at the merman in front of him.

He tried to recall his name. "L-Leron.....?"

Leron turned around in fright and scurried away.

Vladstin slowly stood up and stretched his limbs. He noticed that the wound where the arrow used to be was gone. He also felt that he was reborn like a phoenix, rising back again with full energy.

"Did... Did you save me? Did you save me from death?" Vladstin moved closer. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I've heard that mermaids can cure people with their voice."

Leron's eyes flitted back from the ocean, and to him, then back to the ocean, completely unsure. He still felt that strange sensation in his heart with Vladstin, and despite all reason, he wanted to trust him. He wanted to believe in his goodness and get to know every single thing about him.

"Well.... Did you?" Vladstin gave him a reassuring smile, offering his hand.

He did not. It was Sangfroid. The merman he loved, who perished before his eyes. But Sangfroid probably did not expect to save Vladstin, nor would have wanted to.

Sangfroid wouldn't mind if all humans shrivel up and die at all.

Leron was in a dilemma here. He also wanted to have an assurance of safety from Vladstin, and if he claim to be the one who saved him, Vladstin would be indebted to him. He would less likely to harm him, maybe even protect him from his fellow humans. So would it be right to lie?

A voice in his head said, 'Do it. Sangfroid would have wanted you to keep yourself safe anyway.'

And so, he nodded.

Vladstin's face light up, and he hugged him. "Thank you! I owe you my life!"

"Yo...ur...wel...come..." Leron said slowly and patted his back.

"I will not let anyone harm you in return." Vladstin bowed his head deeply. "In Crescentia, this is what we call a blood debt. Until I return the favor with my own life, you are entitled to ask me anything and I shall follow your orders."

"Then.... Help me clear up this debris so I can go home." Leron said.

"Oh." Vladstin seemed to be disappointed that he's leaving so soon, but did as he was told.

Leron watched him as he lifted up large wooden planks that floated up on the waters and placed them in a pile on the shore. He doesn't really need it to be cleared up to be able to go home. This was a test to see if Vladstin would fulfill his own word.

Yet the more he saw how hard Vladstin was working for his sake, the more he does not want to abandon him on this unknown island.

He caught sight of a figure walking towards them, and immediately hid behind the rocks and jumped on the waters. This also alarmed Prince Vladstin, who took a piece of wood with him and was ready to defend them both. The figure, however, did not care for the hostile reaction of these two and kept moving towards them at a snail's pace.

They soon found out that it was a grandma walking along the sand wrapped in a huge green shawl and sluggishly moving with a cane.

"Hello, children." She greeted in a slow, dragging voice. 

Only Leron's upper half is visible from the waters so there's no danger of being found out as a merman, but Vladstin still covered him defensively. "Hello, granny. May we ask where we are?"

"You're not from here?" She looked around at the pile of ruins and those floating nearby. "Poor dears, you must have been shipwrecked. Come, go find shelter at the temple nearby, I'm sure the priestess will be willing to help you dry up and get some food and rest."

Vladstin's stomach churned from hunger, and fatigue was catching up to him even with the healing he received earlier. Still, he gave one look at Leron and shook his head. "We will be fine for now. We'll find our way there later. Can you point us the direction to this temple?"

"It's just a little over there, the one with three spires. Is your friend not feeling cold from staying in the water too long?" She turned to Leron.

"I'm alright, just bathing." Leron reasoned.

"I see, I see." The grandma turned to continue in her journey and waved at them. "Well, good luck on finding help, dears. I hope you'll be able to return to your homes safely. I have to go to mine myself, my granddaughter is waiting."

They awkwardly waved back, and spoke once the grandma is out of sight.

"That was close." Vladstin put a hand over his chest.

"Human sir....." Leron fidgeted his fingers. "You should go to that temple. If you do not tell anyone about me and spare my life, that is enough to repay your blood debt. I will be going back to my home now..."

"Wait!" Vladstin held his wrist before he could go. "I can't let that be my payment to you. I need to serve you with my whole life. And I also..."

"Wanted to see you more." Vladstin turned his head to the side, his cheeks bright red.

Leron felt some sort of electric shock when he saw that, like something had just clicked. Could it be that this human he fell in love with at first sight..... also had fallen for him fast too?

Vladstin continued to beg, his golden eyes forlorn. "Please, I just lost everything. I don't know if there was anyone else who survived besides us. Stay with me for a while."

Leron was still unsure. His father must be looking for him. And he had still not found Sangfroid's body and gave him the burial he deserves..... 

"How about this? Go to the temple first, and at nighttime, when there are not much humans walking around, return here and you will find me." Leron said.

"Do you promise that you will be here when I return?"

"I promise." 

Vladstin was still unwilling to let him go, but he eventually did. "Nighttime. Alright. I'll be back by then, and you should be too."

Leron watched him go, feeling guilty to break the promise. But this is the right thing. Even if Vladstin did fall for him, it was simply not meant to be.

If only they were both from the same kind.....

"Why, that is easily possible, my child."

Leron's heart leaped up when he heard the old woman's voice behind him again.

"W-What are you...?" Leron asked. 

"What an interesting question." The old woman took off the shawl and turned into a dashing young man, with pearls strewn in his long flowing hair that seem to float underwater even when they were on land. His lower half was a green fishtail longer than Leron's, going around in spirals.

"Even I do not know what I am." He said.

"Lord T-Triton....." Leron recognized him from the illustrations. "You are our god...."

"Yes. And do you know what gods do?"

Leron was rendered dumb by disbelief, and only shook his head.

"We perform things that you do not think is possible." He smiled at Leron. "Like turning a mermaid into a human."

"You could do that?" Leron's eyes brightened as he swam closer to him. "Please, my lord! I will do anything to be human!"

"I will, I will." Triton patted his head. 

"On one condition."