"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned," 

Ariane:

I watched through the small window in the carriage as the coast became further and further away until it disappeared completely from my sight. Without the smell of the salt in the air it made me feel odd, and even more uncertain. Turning back to the messenger I tried to collect my thoughts.

"Why did the prince want me of all people to be a part of his harem? I am not of noble decent, but that of a poor farmer."

"I can not answer that." He bluntly answered my question in almost a monotone voice before looking as if he was in a daze again.

Knowing that I would get no answer I waited for the city to come into view. Each passing minute suffocating me in fear of what would become of me in such a horrid place as the harem. It was rumored that the women in the harem were very competitive, and would kill any competition without blinking. The number or women that had their blood spilled behind the walls of the harem were so many that people would say the baths filled with the red liquid instead of water. Shivering in disgust my mind tried to find comfort in remembering the Sirens leaders words of friendship. Would I need their support? Lost in my mind I didnt notice that the road had gone from dirt to flatter and better taken care of road as the city started to come into view.

To say that I was amazed was an understatement. Not once in all of my years had I ventured to the city, but to only stay in the small fishing village. The road was now made of stone, and made a sharp noise as the wheel of the carriage went over them. The houses were made of a similar stone instead of the wood huts that I was used to, and there were fountains that sprayed fresh water out of the mouths of mythical creatures formed out of stone as well. By now people had recognized the carriage to be that of the Princes, and made people stop in their daily activities to see who was inside. The men that could look inside, and saw me would stare in a daze at my appearance while the women looked on in sympathy knowing what would be in store for me. Seeing the looks of sympathy only made me more sick with anxiety till I felt like I would really be sick any moment. It made me want to leap out, and run back into the comforting embrace of my mother.

Fighting the tears that wanted to escape I tried to school my expression to that of neutral as best I could before the gates of the castle appeared. Looking up at the castle the beauty and monstrous size of it made me look in a mix of fear and wonder as we stopped at the bottom of stairs that led to the doors of the monstrous castle. It was made of a white stone that almost whispered a sense of pureness, but with a hint of sinister intentions hiding inside. A guard opened the door of the carriage before offering me his hand to help me down. Right as my feet touched the ground the castle doors opened to reveal the Prince himself. 

The Prince:

I waited for the news that my new treasure had arrived, and just before my patience became thin a messenger ran to me gasping for breath to tell me that the treasure had been seen at the gates. Getting up from my throne I walked to the doors of the castle to see one of the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. She wasnt a beauty with makeup but one of a natural kind. Her long pitch black hair curled around her waist in soft waves as I stared into her sea blue eyes that made me feel as if I was on a boat staring into the depths of the ocean itself. Her lips were a soft pink that looked like they were made of satin, and promised an innocent kind of love. Not like the greedy and selfish type from the other women in my harem. This was truly a treasure worth the wait. I bowed before the girl, and offered my arm to lead her into the castle. Just as her hand touched my arm the feeling of her skin sent a shiver of warmth down my body. Trying to ignore the sensation I walked her to the Harems door before gathering the maids attention to look after the new girl before I turned to leave, but glanced back to get one more look at the unearthly beauty that now graced my Harem. What a great treasure piece she would become. One that would really put me above the other Princes and noblemen around the country. Smirking I left to take care of a few things.

Ariane:

The prince left me in the harem as the maids stared me down taking in my dirty appearance, and poor rags for clothes. They judged me trying to figure out what to do with me especially since I didnt have any maids of my own, They discussed it between themselves before a couple of them walked up to me to offer me their services as my new maids. Uncertain what to do or say I could only nod before the two girls led me to another room. The new room was the bathroom with a what seemed like a large tub filled with scented water to my pleasure that it was indeed water instead of blood like the rumors. I was thankful for my confidence in standing in front of others since the maids literally tore my old clothes off my body before throwing the rags in a corner for later destruction.

The maids helped me into the warm water as the set right away to wash my body sometimes in very private areas that would leave me blushing at the intrusion. After what seemed like hours the maids had scrubbed my skin of any dirt, and washed my till it felt soft, before adding oils that they massaged into my skin. After the maids finished dressing me they stepped back to look at their finished product only to gaze in admiration. They girls new that the new girl was a natural beauty but now she shined like a goddess in front of them. They didnt need any fancy jewels like the other women in the harem for the new girl herself was a true shining gem. 

As the maids finished up they would tell me what I should avoid, and what I should do in certain situations. There was a concubine from the land of Turnthia that acted like she was Queen of the harem, and any that crossed her would live a miserable existence. She was the reason why the harem was such a horrible place. She would frame girls till they were kicked out, or somehow give the girls horrible rashes that would cause horrible scars that would later force them to leave the harem since the prince only wanted the most beautiful and talented not girls that were scarred. Hearing this only confirmed my fears, and now that I was being led to the main room where the concubines would practice their gifts made me want to shrink into myself or suddenly become invisible. Finally I entered the room as all the concubines turned to judge and scrutinize the new girl. 

I watched as the women sized me up before a beautiful woman adorned with jewels appeared before me. She had the lightest blonde hair that seemed the complete opposite of my own black hair, and her eyes were a light blue where as mine were a dark shade of blue with a hint of green. She smiled at me, but spending those years with the sirens I knew the danger that lurked behind the smile. If she saw a hint of weakness she would eat me. Smiling back at the woman I bowed as politely as I could in hopes that she would leave me alone. Indeed she did just that. After welcoming me to the palace she left with a couple other concubines. Sighing in relief as she left I noticed other concubines had gotten close to me. They introduced themselves to me, and helped me around till I got a feel for the place. There was a room for sewing, and making clothes and even making beautiful designs on tapestries. There was also a garden with so many new flowers that it was almost overwhelming with all the colors yet it had a sense or serene calmness about it. I would definitely spend some time there. 

As the night got closer the maids asked me to follow them to my new room. As I walked to my room I noticed the smell of the ocean and realized that I could see the ocean from the castle since it was so high up. This made me happy since now I wouldnt feel too unsure of the new environment with the sight of something that was a big part of me. Blowing out the candles of my room I fell asleep to the sound of the sirens song making my heart hurt knowing I couldnt play with them as I drifter into sleep. 

The next few months went by without any problems, but one day my peaceful days came crashing around me. A prince form a far country to the west had appeared boasting about how his people had the best music, and that our county was barbaric without the grace of music. This angered the Prince who remembered his new treasure, and with a smirk sent for me. This didnt go over well with the head concubine since she was the one that had always been the one to be summoned. She felt like she had been replaced, and by a commoner at that. She gritted her teeth waiting for the perfect moment for revenge for hurting her pride. I wasnt aware of her plans, and I had more to be focused on than petty jealousy.

I walked into the thrown room before the two princes, and the visiting Princes entourage. The visiting princes mouth dropped at the sight of the girl that entered for it was as if there was a real muse in front of him. Trying not to let the other prince gain the upper hand he scoffed and joked that a tiny girl like me couldnt sing but probably whisper. He kept making jokes, and even though I didnt like the Prince I still loved the country I was born in, and hearing this stranger belittle my home made me angry and more than ready to prove him wrong. Given the ok by the Prince a breeze came into the room bringing the smell of the ocean with it. The memories of the sirens helped me find my voice. The room was filled with my singing, and everyone stopped talking to hear me as their attention was all on me. Even the kitchen staff walked in to witness the voice of a siren in human form. The concubines of course were there to also witness the bewitching moment. As the song ended so did the spell as everyone came back to reality. The visiting prince was in awe as if he had just witnessed a true muse singing in front of him. He was mesmerized to say the least, and when he left the next day our prince felt that he had won over the other prince.

As a thanks for my help he bought me new and more glamorous dresses and jewels. I was happy for the prince was treating me kindly. He would even join me in the gardens to have tea with me, and chat. It made me feel warm that I was getting such kind treatment, and what once was fear was now a sense of shyness for I could feel myself starting to fall for the man. This did not go unnoticed by the concubines as soon my life that was once peaceful started to become difficult. I would find a dead snake in front of my door to one time there was a scorpion in my bed that stung me. Thankfully it wasnt poisonous, but it still left me sick for a couple days. The girls were told to not talk to me including the maids until I was completely by myself. At first I thought it would be tolerable since the prince would keep my company, but even that didnt last as the political power of the lead concubine helped the prince gain more power which led to me being forgotten in the harem once again.  

This went on, and so did the torment and bullying. My body was covered in bruises, and my eyes had dark shadows underneath for the fear of someone trying to kill me while I slept. As i felt myself lose hope the sound of sirens woke me from my daze. How could I forget the sirens?! I was not alone. Throwing my windows open I began to sing a song filled with so much pain and sorrow that the sirens stopped their singing to listen.

Sirens:

We missed our lovely doll, but since we hadnt heard her voice we knew she was okay and that made us happy. That was until one night we finally heard her. Not once had her song been filled with so much longing and pain that we paused singing to listen to our dolls heart breaking voice. We knew this day would come but we had hoped that it wouldnt deep down in our hearts. That she would stay happy. After a while our own grief joined Arianes in a hair raising song that made everyone hear it feel uncomfortable due to how raw the emotions were. After the song finished we knew our doll was gone.

Ariane:

I could feel their grief for me as we joined our voices in a song that would be memorable through the years. What I didnt realize was that someone had been watching. The next morning I awoke to the sound of my doors being flung open and be in the presence of the concubines. Their eyes were full of disgust and fear. Confused at the sudden looks the head concubine said that she had seen me singing with the sirens and accused me of being a witch. The girls insulted me and threw every horrible word and name as they began to physically harm me. Nails sunk into my flesh as hair was ripped from my scalp. I could taste the blood in my mouth as their kicks became unbearable only to finally stop at the call that the Prince was in the harem. He stood at my door after hearing the commotion to stare at my battered figure. Looking at the poor sight he only grimaced saying that how could there be such an unpleasant sight in his harem, and he didnt mean the acts the girls did to me but my appearance itself. 

This broke my heart even more knowing the prince really didnt care about me, and the times we spent in the garden meant nothing to him. The tears I had fought to keep at bay suddenly started to flow down my face as the bedroom door closed to leave me by myself. The pain and lonelyness had become to much as I finally passed out from the pain. I was woken by the sound of scuffling before the feeling of something covering my mouth made me panic. I tried to fight back but my injuries still hurt and there were too many people holding me. There was a pain in the back of my head as I began to pass out once again. 

Waking up to the feeling of ice cold water made me open my eyes to realize that I was no longer in the castle but back at the coast near my village. Looking around I saw that some of the concubines were surrounding me. One of them was none other than the head concubine herself. She smiled at me just like the first time we met, and now I knew just how dangerous that smile was as she nodded to one of the concubines. The concubine hit me till i fell back into the water as another girl held me under. Every once in a while I was able to fight free long enough to breath but i was getting weaker from the pain and the cold of the oceans water. Soon my vision faded as I felt myself finally sinking deeper into the depths of the ocean as the waves carried me further out. Was this how I was to die? A sudden anger flared in my chest to consume me and take over my body and mind. I had hatred for the prince for letting this happen, and for messing with my emotions making me fall for such a horrid man. I hated him... I hated man ... but I also hated women...

Sirens:

There was a noise near the coast that led us to an awful sight. There, out beloved doll was being drowned by other females. We watched as the girl was finally clamed by the sea, and once the other humans left we swam to the girls body to hold her one last time until we noticed something. Her body was changing. We had seen it before but it was rare since to human had to be filled with so much rage and hatred that it consumed her. Before us our dolls once raven black hair turned silver as legs began to turn into a tail. We waited till the newly born siren opened her eyes. Our Doll had become one of us... a siren...

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It didnt feel too rushed did it?

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and please upvote please? <3 

My first upvote!!! Thank you Yongguksgirl20!