A tribute for forgotten fairy tales; for happy endings; for happily ever after.

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Once upon a time, in a place far, far beneath the land we tread on, deep in the oceans where no human has ever ventured before, there was a kingdom named “Atlantica”.

In the kingdom, there lived a royal family, a mighty king and a beautiful queen, and their seven lovely daughters. “But no humans ever ventured there! Were they not humans?” you might wonder. Well, the answer would have to be ‘No”, for the royal family, unlike you and me, had no legs. Instead, where their torso ends, sprouts a tail like a fish, which they use to gracefully travel around the sea. In the kingdom, similar creatures stayed, and are referred to as merpeople.

Atlantica was a beautiful place, more so than the world we live in, with the surrounding water so clear it resembled liquid glass, and aquatic life so thriving that it is beyond our imagination.

And among the seven princesses in the kingdom, the youngest mermaid was the brightest, the most beautiful, and the most doted on. Even as a child, she held a striking resemblance to her mother, who was regarded as one of the most beautiful mermaid then, and hence, the princess was titled Cordelia, which meant “The Jewel of the Sea”.

She was the most precious gem the sea had ever possessed, with lustrous pink skin like fine pearl powder had been dusted on her skin, a head of red long hair that flowed to the small of her back, and an iridescent tail that shimmered different colours as light hits off it at various angles.

The lively princess was known for her mischievousness, her playful nature that attracted trouble, and stories of her shenanigans were passed down from generation to generation, as bedtime stories that left children giggling with delight.

But of all her stories, there was one that garnered the most attention, and that was her passionate love story, also known as “Cordelia’s Tale”.

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Trinkets trapped in clear mason jars. A rusted pocket watch. A tarnished candle stick. A faded photograph. A canvas etched with paintings depicting the embers of a crackling fire. A broken wine bottle, its once sharp edges worn smooth by unceasing touches of the gentle waves.

Cordelia smoothed her hands on a chunk of cold metal, lightly tracing out the engravings on it with her fingertips. 

This was all hers; her treasures from the land above the sea. This was a place she had only seen through other’s eyes, through their tales that painted a vivid picture in her mind, and through the objects that have sunk to the bottom of the sea; abandoned, lost, forgotten.

Cordelia sighed as she swished her tail and glided upwards to the top of the shipwreck, unsatisfied with the objects in her possession. The picture in her mind was simply just that, an image, and no matter how much she has heard of it from words of others, it was merely a figment of her imagination.

What she really wanted was to reach beyond the surface of the ocean, to take her first breath of air, and truly experience the magic of the land for herself.

-12 years ago-

“What lies above the seas, Mama? Is it really true, that there is a world out there with no water, and just dry ground?”

“Yes Delia,” her mother replied lovingly, as she tucked Cordelia into her bed. She was about to be six, the age where one had unlimited amount of energy, and was curious of everything and anything.

“Would you tell me a bedtime story about it please?” Cordelia begged, bottom lip sticking out to form a cute pout. All her sisters had begun to slumber, leaving only herself still unable to fall asleep.

“Alright,” her mother smiled, and begun her tales. She spoke of the animals that exist on land, birds which soared high above in the sky, and how the flowers bloomed and withered with the changing seasons, in a never-ending cycle of beginning and end, life and death.

 She coaxed Cordelia to sleep with her melodic voice, and told her about the creatures that lived on the world above, who had legs instead of tails, which they used to walk, to run.

---

Cordelia stared at the music box that was cupped in her hands, another forgotten treasure amidst the remains of the ship.

A figure of a ballerina twirled in the box, gracefully balancing on the toes of one leg, and her other leg stretched out behind her. Her skirt flowed in a circle around her waist, carried by invisible forces unseen by the eye.

The dulcet tunes of the object resonated around the waters around her, reminding her of the honeyed voice of her mother, the voice that she will never hear of again.

The queen has left her kingdom when Cordelia was at the tender age of 10, life taken away by a ship that had sailed too close to the rocky bays where her mother had sat on.

Cordelia kept these moments of her mother safely in her mind, because that was the only thing she had left of her mother. When mermaids die, they become part of the sea foam on the surface of the sea, with naught but memories left behind.

Mermaids are only allowed to visit the world above when they reach the age of 18. Cordelia still had a few days to wait before the opportunity to travel to the surface of the sea presented itself to her, and those few days passed by at a sea-snail’s pace, even though the royal court was full of hustle and bustle, every subject busy with the preparation of the youngest Princess’s upcoming birthday.

 

Finally the day of her 18^th birthday arrived. It was the day of much celebration and joy, after all, it wasn’t any day the youngest of the princesses became an adult.

Cordelia felt pretty.

Her hair was decorated with corals and pretty seashells, and her tail was adorned with pearls of various shades and sizes.

She laughed and smiled through the entire celebration, seeing even the most serious subjects start to loosen up as they goofed around with her, trying to entertain her. Her sisters danced around merrily, their flipping tails stirring the water to life, as other mer-folk clapped and whooped as they too joined in with the dancing and singing fest.

Just as the celebration was coming to an end, her father beckoned her over to his side.

The King gazed fondly at his youngest daughter, who he watched grow and flourish into a beautiful mermaid, the brightest in the seas.

“Cordelia, you have brought joy to wherever you are present, lifting the moods of everyone you meet. I have nothing but pride and joy for the mermaid you have become. For my gift for your 18^th birthday, I bestow on you my greatest treasure. May the seas look favourably on you, my jewel.”

With that, he revealed a tiara, perched delicately on a cushion. The silver tiara was set with rare gemstones, studded with intricate sea shells, with a centre of watery blue sapphire. It glinted in the light, dazzling the eyes of people around it.

Although it was beautiful, Cordelia knew that the cost of this tiara was not the reason why her father thought it to be his greatest treasure. Rather, it was because it belonged to her mother, a gift from her father for their wedding anniversary. This was a tiara laced with tender moments of pure love, heartfelt sincerity and unforgettable memories.

She held her breath when her father took the tiara from the cushion, and gently placed it on her head.

“Your mother would be so proud of you, my daughter,” her father said, heart constricting painfully when he saw how much Cordelia looked like his late wife.

Cordelia could only beam proudly, and though she felt like crying, she shed no tears, for mermaids were unable to cry.

“Now, my daughter. For your 18^th birthday, is there any special wish that you would like to make?” her father queried.

Cordelia pondered over her decisions. She had no other requests, because this celebration had already fulfilled all her dreams. Well, all but one.

“I have no wishes, my dear father. All I want now is permission to visit the world above. I’ve reached the age of 18, and can now freely venture above by myself.”

“Very well, my jewel,” her father nodded, “But please be careful, and don’t attract the attention of humans. They must not know of our world, do you understand?”

And with his words of consent, Cordelia thanked him, and immediately flicked her tail to swim upwards, hoping to see as much of the world as possible, before the day ends.

Limerence

(n)  lim·er·ence \ˈlɪmɪrəns\

The state of being infatuated with another person

∞

She stayed in her hiding spot, keeping her eyes on the boy on the beach, yet constantly making sure that she stayed out of his sight. He was breath-taking, and Cordelia forgot all her plans to venture to other parts of the shore, fixated on every movement of the boy.

It was only when the sun had begun to set, bleeding orange and yellow onto the darkening sky did the group of boys stop fooling around on the beach, and started making their way home.

Cordelia left only when the silhouette of the boy disappeared from her eyes, and by then, the sun had almost sunk completely, leaving behind pink-tinged clouds and a violet sky.

When she had swam back to her castle, her six sisters surrounded her, eagerly enquiring about her thoughts of the world above.

She simply replied with, “Gorgeous. I have never ever seen anything so beautiful,” before departing to her bed with a soft sigh, and love-struck eyes. That night, she dreamed of the human boy, of the way he had laughed with his friends, and the way he sent her heart into a frenzy.

 

Unbeknownst to the mermaid, somewhere out there, a creature was stirring a bubbling pot, grinning maniacally at the visions that formed in the steam.

 

From then on, Cordelia constantly paid visits to the beach where the boy frequented. On the days he arrived, Cordelia would gaze at him longingly; seeing, but not able to reach out. Her heart was yearning for him, and it clenched painfully, in a way which Cordelia mistook for love.

On the days he was not present, Cordelia would swim back to the ocean, mood sinking lower as she herself sank lower into the waters.

Her behaviour puzzled those around her, all of them questioning the sudden change in their beloved princess, who used to be bright and lively, now reduced to a melancholic and sorrowful mess.

The King had enough of his younger daughter moping around, over matters he knew nothing about.

“Speak, my daughter. Tell me what is it that troubles you. What caused my most precious jewel to grieve so dreadfully?” he spoke gravely yet tenderly, because when his daughter felt pain, he suffered too.

Cordelia had no choice but to confess. She did not want to see his reaction after hearing her words, but somehow, she still held onto a sliver of hope that her father would understand her, and would help alleviate her troubles.

“I met a boy,” she said, and watched with apprehension as her father rose an eyebrow. No father liked to hear that their daughter had been interacting with males.

She hurried along with her words before her father could say anything.

“I love him so, yet he knows not of my existence.”

“A mer-boy who has not heard of you? What nonsense. You are the most loved princess of the seas, and your beauty and liveliness turns all eyes on you. How could you have not caught his eyes?” the King asked. Although he was not pleased with the thought of Cordelia and boys, he tried to assure her, not wanting his beloved jewel to be upset.

“Well… the thing is… he is actually…” Cordelia stammered through her sentence, not knowing how to spell out the truth to her father. She really did not want to see his reaction.

“He is actually…?” her father prompted.

“A human! He is actually a human!” Cordelia finally completed her sentence, fear gnawing at her heart of her father’s possible reaction.

“A human?” her father questioned. “A human?” her father repeated, spitting out the last word in disgust.

He rose from his mighty throne, face taut with concealed rage.

“Cordelia you know this is unacceptable! Humans and mer-folk can never be together! You are from two different worlds!” her father bellowed out.

“Then I want to be part of his world! I know I love him, I really do!”

“No Cordelia! That will never happen! You are part of this world, and you can never fall in love with him!”

“Just because he is a human?” Cordelia retorted, refusing to yield.

“HUMANS KILLED YOUR MOTHER!” her father roared, slamming his trident into the sand.

Cordelia drew back at his reaction, her tail stiff, wide eyes staring at her father in disbelief. He had never yelled at her before, nor had he mentioned her mother’s death in such a crude manner.

He turned away, not meeting her eyes. He felt guilty, but he would not relent. “No means no, Cordelia. End of discussion.”

And with that, the King let out a long sigh and swam back to his room, dismissing Cordelia entirely.

 

The creature laughed again, the sound echoing hollowly throughout the cave. She plucked out jars from her shelf with ease, and emptied their contents into the pot she was stirring.

She murmured a chant into the frothing liquid, watching as the potion bubbled and changed from brilliant blue to a molten gold hue.

She poured a small amount of it into a vial, and quickly shut it tight before any fumes could escape.

“Soon,” she crooned, her pets, “The little mermaid will present herself to me. Very soon indeed.”

Cordelia could not stop thinking of the boy. How could she, when he appeared in her dreams every night? She was obedient, yes, and loved her father dearly, but this time, she wanted to be the one to grasp her own happiness.

But what could she do? Even if she somehow manages to escape the watchful eyes of her father, no mermaid could ever survive on land. Besides, she highly doubted that any human would be able to fall in love with a creature like her, who had a tail instead of legs.

That’s it! All she needed was a pair of legs! With the legs, she would be able to live on land, and meet the boy on the shore, and let him fall in love with her. She was sure it would happen, and her heart beat at the thought of being with the boy.

But how? A mermaid like herself can never transform her tail into legs, no matter how much she wished for it.

Deep down in her heart, she knew that she was already aware of the answer, yet she refused to face it.

The Sea Witch.

Only she knew of the ways to change her, and had the power to make the transformation happen. But many tales and myths shroud the Sea Witch, but the most common ones were of unfulfilled deals and broken promises, of how the people who sought to strike a bargain with her never returned.

(adj.) ni-fair-ee-uh s \ nɪˈfɛːrɪəs\

Wicked, villainous, despicable

∞

The further she swam, the choppier the water became. It seemed as if the water was flowing against her, trying to stop her from traveling anymore. But at the same time, Cordelia felt a pull in her guts, as if a magnetic force was luring her to swim faster.

The sea water seemed darker here, and she knew that she was probably not in her father’s terrain anymore, where there was always light and warmth in the water.

Undeterred, she continued her search for the cave, where the Sea Witch was said to reside in.

The stench of it reached her before she had even caught sight of the cave. It was the putrid scent of rotting fish, their carcasses left in the open for too long, reminding potential visitors of the monstrosity that lived within it, who gorged on anything she could find, even her own species.

Cordelia gagged as the smell wafted towards her, already realizing the warning that rang out clearly behind it --- That the Sea Witch was not one who could be messed with, that she had done horrors that Cordelia could not even think of, and would not think twice before making Cordelia one of her many victims.

With great trepidation, she flicked her tail with much hesitation as she approached the cave.

The Sea Witch must have been anticipating her arrival, because she was standing right in the middle of the cave, arms crossed with a grin on her lips.

Cordelia took a look at her surroundings.

The interior of the cave was even more disgusting than what the exterior revealed. Bones littered the floor, some with bits and pieces of meat still stuck on them. Bottles filled with blinking eyes and severed tongues. Pots filled to the brim with a bubbling dark red substance that looked suspiciously like blood.

Even then, none of these revolting items were as nauseating as the Sea Witch herself. She was a Cecaelia, and like mer-folk, she too had an upper body of a human, but while mer-folk’s bodies ended with an opalescent fish tail, the Sea Witch had the creeping tentacles of an octopus instead.

The Sea Witch approached Cordelia, her black tentacles trailing over the ground in fluid motions, looking like a mass of black goo oozing across the sea floor. Her face was that of a delicate young maiden, only that her skin had a grey tinge to it, dead and pale.

But most horrific were her eyes. All mermaids had ocean-blue eyes, being daughters of the sea, but Cecaelias on the other hand, had completely black eyeballs, making their eye sockets seem like empty voids of nothingness.

The aforementioned eyes were now peering into Cordelia’s with delight. It was rare that a young mermaid would wander into the lair voluntarily, much like mermaid princesses. The thought was enough to set a smile on the Sea Witch’s face, stretching her lips in a way no ordinary human can.

“I know what you want Cordelia,” the Sea Witch murmured. The way her name rolled off the creature’s tongue made Cordelia shiver.

“You fell in love, with a human no less!” the Sea Witch grinned, “But you are from two different worlds, isn’t that so? Oh my, what a heart wrenching and tragic love story we have here!”

She sniffled, pretending to wipe a tear away from her eye.

 “But as you know, I am a very kind woman,” she laughed, as she turned to face Cordelia again, displaying her blood-stained teeth, “Very kind indeed.”

Cordelia had to force herself to swallow down the bile that was rising up in .

A hand reached out to lift her chin up, holding her head in place, long nails digging painfully into her skin.

Seeing as Cordelia showed no intention to move, the Sea Witch nodded, satisfied, before releasing her grip on her and clasping both hands together, holding them to her face, looking much like a love-struck maiden.

“And I simply adore love stories, and I decided to help you! I can change you, if that’s what you wish. If to be human is what you want, then I shall grant it. Let’s make a deal,” She paused, as she took her time to encircle Cordelia like a predator does a prey, and reached out a slimy circle to ensnare her in the spot.

“I will gift you a pair of legs, just like a human, and you can finally go and pursue your beloved man up in the world above! Simply wonderful, isn’t it?”

Cordelia, who had stayed silent until now, was prompted to speak. “The Sea Witch never gives so generously. What is it you want from me?”

“Straight to the point, I like it!” the Sea Witch cackled. “What a smart little mermaid, just like your dead mother!”

The Sea Witch was infamously known for her dark magick, the ability she had to manipulate her appearance and take the form of your loved ones. The sight before Cordelia proves these facts, as she saw the Sea Witch’s face slowly starting to morph into that of her mother.

She was tempted to reach out and touch the Sea Witch’s face, the one that looked so much like hers, until she focused on the eyes, and saw the dull, dark orbs staring back at her lifelessly.

“I’m just a simple little Sea Witch, I don’t crave wealth, and neither do I demand luxury. All I want from you, is your voice. What a small price to pay from true love, isn’t it so?” the Sea Witch cooed.

“My... my voice? But how will I be able to get him to fall in love with me if I can’t even speak?” Cordelia gasped.

“Oh, my dear Cordelia, you don’t need to speak to snag your hunk. You are a pretty little thing, and with your looks, the poor guy will be falling at your feet! And don’t underestimate the importance of body language!” the Sea Witch cackled, cocking her hips for emphasis.

“Being the kind soul I am, I would gift to you the skill of dancing. With your legs, you would be able to dance like no human can, and people would say that you are the best they have ever seen.”

Cordelia was torn between returning to her family and accepting the Sea Witch’s deal. Conflicting thoughts zipped through her mind, but the image of the boy laughing was on a constant loop in her head. How beautiful he looked, unlike anything else Cordelia had ever set her eyes upon.

Revitalize

(v) ree-vahyt-l-ahyz \riːˈvʌɪt(ə)lʌɪz\

Imbue (something) with new life and vitality.

∞

When Cordelia woke up, she found herself lying on the shore, where the sea met land. Waves were rushing over her tail, and her arms were digging into the sand painfully.  Heeding the instructions of the Sea Witch, she immediately downed the contents of the vial, which took effect immediately.

She had never experienced such pain before.

She felt as though shards of glass were passing through her stomach, and molten lava poured down . Her muscles were being pulled by an invisible force, and Cordelia thought that she heard them screaming in pain and protest.

But worse of it all, was her tail.

 It was as if she could feel her tail separating into two, and the scales were ripped off one by one. She felt the muscle in her tails shrink, and bones were forming inside of it, protruding out awkwardly.

She screamed, but no sound came out, and in her pain, that thought never occurred to her. was open in a silent scream, and if she had tears she would have cried, but she did not, so she suffered even more.

For the second time that day, she fainted again, unable to bear the pain, and collapsed on the beach.

When she woke up, a pair of eyes was staring into hers. She blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden flood of light. The pair of eyes blinked too, before realizing the predicament they were in.

With a small yelp, the owner of the pair of eyes suddenly jerked away, and Cordelia could only stare, confused, as the other started to frantically apologize.

“I’m so sorry! I… I didn’t mean to. You were just… just lying there… and you were na-… not wearing any clothes, so I just grabbed a random cloth on the beach and… and covered you with it. I hope you don’t mind?” he trailed off his stuttering explanation with a question, as if unsure of himself.

It was only then did Cordelia realize the she was still lying on the beach, and a huge cloth was covering the length of her body.

More alert now, Cordelia immediately peeked into the cloth, and quickly searched for her newly formed legs.

She let out a gasp when she saw them, her pair of legs like that of a human’s. She lifted them experimentally, lips parting in shock when she saw that they could move independently.

The human must have mistaken her gasp for a horrified one, because he immediately started to jump into another explanation.

“I didn’t do anything, I swear! I saw you there and I was afraid something had happened to you so I stayed to make sure you were alive and then you woke up and…”

He stopped his ramblings when he saw Cordelia lifting her head up to him, as if observing him.

Cordelia’s eyes were squinted from the glare of the sun, and she tried to survey the human in front of her.

His hair was black, and was pushed back neatly, and his eyes stared into her eyes earnestly. The tips of his ears were tinged red, as was his neck.

He looked familiar. Where had Cordelia seen him before?

A sudden epiphany struck Cordelia. He was friends with the boy on the shore, and she constantly saw him running along the stretch of the beach with the boy, laughter ringing in the air.

Cordelia had been focused on the boy, so she never paid much attention to those around him. But yes, she was sure, this was one of his friends.

That meant the boy on the shore was nearby, since she rarely saw them separated.

This was her chance! This human can lead her to the boy, she knew.

Eagerly, she wrapped the cloth, which probably used to be a mast of a ship, around her body. She tried to stand up, but when her feet landed on the ground, she felt the most excruciating pain shooting up her legs.

She immediately fell down, legs unsteady, but fortunately, before she could hit the ground, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, preventing her from doing so.

“Whoa careful there! I think you still need to rest a bit more.”

Cordelia shook her head stubbornly. The quicker she got to the boy, the more time she got to spend with him.

“Oh-kay…? Then would you like me to bring you to my home? Maybe I can find something for you to-”

Before the dark-haired boy could finish his sentence, Cordelia nodded eagerly, not thinking out the dangers that might be present when a stranger invites you back to his home.

She shot him a blinding smile out of gratefulness, and was puzzled when she saw that his ears were colored with an even more noticeable red, and some of it spread to his cheeks.

Coughing, the stranger took her hand, and slowly guided Cordelia to stand up properly.

“My place is not far from here. Are you able to walk? Or should I call someone to help?”

Call someone to help? Cordelia wondered. He must be quite an important figure to have somebody waiting on him.

She rejected his kind offer with a firm shake of her head, and gripped his hand tighter, so that he can lead the way to his home. The steps she took were extremely painful, but with her determination to reach the boy, she managed to endure the suffering.

She grew increasingly confused as she was reaching his home. When he stopped right in front of the castle she had seen when she first visited land, she was completely bewildered.

He rapped his knuckles on the gates, and seeing the expression on her face, he chuckled awkwardly and admitted, “Actually, I am a…”

But before he could finish, the gates opened, and several people immediately started to fuss over him, all of them curious of the maiden he was linking arms with.

“Prince Junmyeon, you’re back! Who is this girl you have beside you?” One servant enquired.

Cordelia stared at the boy beside her in disbelief. Prince Junmyeon? The clothes he wore were so simple, completely unbefitting of royalty. But he did possess an aura of importance, thinking back at it. He was completely well-mannered, showing his good upbringing.

“The lady here was found on the shore. Do you think you can find her some clothes for her to cover up?” the Prince requested, tone polite.

The servants hurried to obey his commands immediately, and tried to lead Cordelia to somewhere else. Seeing all of this unfamiliar people trying to pull her to another foreign place, her eyes widened in fear, lips parted to form a silent protest.

The Prince was attentive of the maiden, and immediately noticed how frightened she looked.

“Hey, don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen when I’m here, I promise. I will be outside the dressing room waiting for you,” he promised.

With his words of assurance, Cordelia let herself be taken into one of the dressing rooms, and dropped to see the amount of clothing it held.

Rows of dresses were inside the room, all in various colours and designs. Bemused with her reaction, the servant next to her giggled. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

Cordelia nodded, eyes still fixed on the lacy skirts and tight corsets.

The servant picked a dress out, making sure it was her size. She then assisted Cordelia with putting them on, and gasped to see the result. The blue dress on Cordelia looked as if it was tailored for her, the corset fitting snugly on her waist, and the bottom of the dress flowed to her legs, exposing her dainty feet.

She brushed and combed through Cordelia’s hair gently, and attached a blue bow tie to the top of her head. After she was satisfied with the outcome, she nodded her head.

“You really are a pretty thing. Come on now, the Prince will love to see you. Let’s not keep him waiting, alright?”

And so the pair walked out of the room, with the servant standing behind Cordelia with a small smile, anticipating the Prince’s reaction.

He certainly did not disappoint. His eyes widened, and a shy smile was forming on his lips.

“Wow… You look beautiful … I mean pretty! Pretty and beautiful!” he corrected, words coming out his mouth in a jumble.

Cordelia smiled at that, finding that her cheeks were surprisingly warm.

“Do you want to take a tour of the palace? With me?” the Prince enquired.

Cordelia opened to voice out her affirmation, but remembered that her voice was gone, so she clamped shut and nodded her head.

And so they began their trip around the castle, with the Prince introducing her to the various parts of the castle, and Cordelia marveling at every object she saw.

“As I was saying, I am actually a Prince, as you may know. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier on, I thought that you were aware of that fact. Are you perhaps not part of our kingdom?”

Cordelia nodded in confirmation.

“Where are you from then?”

Cordelia thought about her response. She couldn’t probably say the truth, can she? So she just shook her head, and the Prince did not pry any further, much to her relief.

“May I know your name then?”

She did not know how she could tell him, without her voice. So, she resorted to pronouncing her name slowly, hoping that Junmyeon could read her lips and figure out her name.

But the Prince did not figure out how to get her name, and only stared at her, confused.

Frustrated, Cordelia could only gesture to her lips, trying to enunciate her words the best she could without her voice. Junmyeon eyes drifted down to where she was pointing to involuntarily, and could only stare at the petal- shaped lips, seemingly awestruck.

A cough shook him out of his trance, and only then did he notice that the maiden had halted, and was now staring up at him with a brow raised.

Utterly mortified, Junmyeon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, before actually concentrating on the way she shaped the syllables of her name with .

“Cory… no… Cori… Cordela… Cordelia?” Junmyeon tried, before getting it right.

Cordelia nodded happily, even clapping her hands together to show her delight.

Junmyeon, overjoyed at getting Cordelia’s name, repeated the word a few times to familiarize himself with it. He liked the way it felt on his lips, but he would never tell her that. (Cordelia, too, liked the way Junmyeon pronounced her name, but she could never tell him that.)

So they continued their tour, and the Prince constantly stole glances at Cordelia, adoring all the reactions she made throughout the journey, showing awe at even the most simple of items.

He patiently explained what everything was, even the simplest things that every person should have known about. Junmyeon was perplexed at why Cordelia seemed to have never seen such things before, even though they were common household items. But sensing that she would be uncomfortable when he voiced out these thoughts, he said nothing, and just watched affectionately as she fiddled with the various items she found around the palace.

When the tour was almost finished, they descended, hands linked, from the flight of spiral staircase that led to the main doors of the palace.

A chorus of boyish laughter caused Cordelia to turn her head to the doors. The servants were rushing to open the gates, and at this, Prince Junmyeon made a grimace.

“That would be my cousin, Baekhyun, and his friend, Chanyeol. They usually stay with me in the palace when their parents are away in other countries. They get a bit… wild, sometimes.”

Cordelia let out a gasp when the aforementioned pair strolled into the palace. That was him! The boy on the shore! She had finally found him; the reason why she became human.

As if on cue, the boy met her eyes, and then his gaze flickered to Junmyeon, whose hand was still interlaced with hers.

“Hey there Junmyeon! Who do you have there? Did you finally manage to get yourself a lover? I must say, I would really pity her if that was true,” he drawled, though his voice held no malice.

Junmyeon let out a groan as the boy from the shore started to approach the pair, the other boy trailing behind him.

“That’s Baekhyun. Don’t mind him, he spews rubbish like that all the time.”

But Cordelia could only focus on the name he had uttered. Baekhyun? Was that his name? It certainly was a lovely name fitting of such an angel. Cordelia did not breathe when he approached her, sunny grin lighting up his face.

“What’s your name, pretty one?” he asked, face dangerously close to her.

Junmyeon shoved him away lightly, already feeling protective of the naïve and innocent Cordelia.

“Her name is Cordelia, and she is my guest, so you better treat her respectfully.”

“Why cousin dearest, you hurt me so. I am nothing but polite when it comes to pretty ladies like her.” And with that, he held one of Cordelia’s hand, and leaned his head down to kiss it gently.

Cordelia gasped when she felt his lips brushing her skin, and the simple feather-like touch was enough for her blood to rush to her cheeks.

Her face continued to burn crimson, even after Baekhyun had released her hand, and she stared at him, hands lying limply by her side.

Baekhyun shot her a wink, and made his way out of the room, before Cordelia could do anything to express her thoughts, he disappeared, and the other boy, Chanyeol, shot her a toothy grin before following Baekhyun out.

“You okay? Do you need me chase him to make him apologize? That Baekhyun really needs to learn his manners!” the prince huffed, Cordelia’s sudden stiffness worrying him.

Cordelia only shook her head, eyes still on the place where Baekhyun had left from, as if hoping he would turn back to meet her again.

Junmyeon was not an idiot. He had seen the obvious look on Cordelia’s face, and he knew of her love for Baekhyun.

Is this what heartache felt like? Like your heart being ripped from your chest, then smashed into smithereens?

He wanted to stop her love from blooming further, yet he did not know how.

Elysian

(adj.) ih-lee-zhuh n \ ɪˈlɪzɪən\

Relating to or characteristic of heaven or paradise.

∞

Junmyeon had told Cordelia that they were having a ball that evening, and invited her to be his date.

Cordelia had blushed and agreed; even though she thought she loved Baekhyun, the Prince’s charming smile and curved up eyes made her heart beat in her chest wildly.

Hence, before the ball, the royal servants brought her into the dressing rooms again, and made her try dress after dress, to see which was the most suited for her. Finally, just when Cordelia could almost take it no more, they brought out a dress that Cordelia felt was dazzling.

The dusky rose dress had an underskirt that flowed across the floor, and when she spun in it, the lace moved as though it was alive. The bodice wrapped around her slender waist comfortably, and her shoulders were completely exposed.

The royal servants cooed at her once they were done, never seeing such beauty before. They quickly sent her out to the ballroom, where the party had not started yet. The Prince was waiting for her there, accompanied by Baekhyun and Chanyeol, all of them dressed up in neat suits.

When Cordelia walked into the ballroom, all three heads turned to her. Their reactions were… amusing, to say the least. Junmyeon’s mouth was slightly parted, Baekhyun’s eyebrows were raised, and even Chanyeol’s lips were rounded, a barely audible ‘wow’ escaping his mouth.

Baekhyun was quick to respond however, and immediately strode forward, confident steps reaching Cordelia.

“You look beautiful Cordelia,” he complimented, mouth upturned in a cheeky grin.

Cordelia could only blush, her head ducked down to hide her embarrassment. Because of that, she missed the look of annoyance Junmyeon had sent to Baekhyun, brows slightly furrowed.

People started streaming in, and music begun to play softly. Cordelia was not unfamiliar to this kind of scenes. Back in the ocean, balls like these were often held, and Cordelia loved them, often spending her night away dancing with her sisters.

But now, knowing that Baekhyun was beside her, enhanced the magical experience of the night. The chandelier hanging above the dance floor illuminated her surroundings, the faces of the people twirling around to the rhythm of the music and laughing happily.

However, what puzzled her was that even when Baekhyun was conversing with her, smoothly leading the conversation that had her smiling in delight, her eyes constantly glanced over to where Junmyeon was standing, deep in conversation with other people.

She felt a pang in her heart when she saw that one of the people he was speaking to was a beautiful lady, with perfectly coiffed hair and a pretty laugh. She felt envious that the lady was able to speak to him, while she herself had no voice to express her thoughts.

She tried to focus on what Baekhyun was saying, not wanting to seem rude, but her eyes kept straying to Junmyeon.

It seemed as if the Prince was unable to stay focused too, seeing how he also looked over to where Cordelia was sitting with Baekhyun.

Their eyes met, and both wanted to look away out of embarrassment, but neither did.

Junmyeon made the first move. He excused himself from the conversation he was having, and made his way to Cordelia.

Cordelia felt her breath catch in when she saw Junmyeon in front of her, slightly bowing, with one hand outstretched.

A smile played on his lips.

“May I have the honor to dance with the most beautiful lady in the room?”

And so Cordelia reached her hand out, lightly linking their hands together, lacing their fingers close. The pair made their way to the center of the ball room, a space left empty for the Prince and his date, and started to dance.

They swayed under the lights, accompanied by music playing in the background.

Cordelia felt pain shooting up her legs as she danced, like sharp blades were stabbing mercilessly into the bottom of her feet, but all of this was ignored when she locked her eyes with Junmyeon’s.

All she felt was the touch of Junmyeon’s hands on her waist, warmth seeping through the thin fabric of her dress. She smiled shyly when he reached out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ears, hands lingering a little too long beside her temple. She liked the way his eyes crinkled as she stared up at him, lips curved into a smile filled with adoration.

Snap out of it, Cordelia. She scolded herself. Have you forgotten? Baekhyun is the one you are supposed to love.

Junmyeon could not believe that he had the chance to dance with Cordelia. He wasn’t lying when he said that she was the most beautiful lady in the room. Although she seemed to be mute, he felt that he could understand her perfectly, no words needed. Just her lively eyes alone were able to convey all her thoughts to him, and he found that he could read them clearly, even when they were unspoken.

Get a grip, Junmyeon. He chided himself. Don’t you remember? Baekhyun is the one she loves.

The pair continued to twirl around the ballroom, both wishing to close the distance between them, but neither did.

The music slowly came to an end, and everyone started to make their way off the dance floor, giving way to the dancers who were going to put up a performance for them. Junmyeon led her away gently, with her still in his arms.

Cordelia was transfixed by the dancers who had begun their performance on the dance floor, their movements soft yet firm; bold yet gentle. She knew she could dance too, even better so, if what the Sea Witch had promised was true.

Junmyeon’s eyes never wandered away from her face, so he saw the yearning etched on her face.

“Would you like to join them?”

Cordelia hesitated.

“I would love to see you dance.”

Those were the words that pushed her towards the dance floor, hands raised delicately, toes pointed, and she started dancing.

The Sea Witch was right. All eyes were now on the maiden in the pink dress, who danced like nothing they had seen before. Her body moved with fluidity, limbs flowing with the waves of the music, delicately poised. Elegance and gracefulness was radiating off her, and the mesmerized audience could only stare, completely captivated by Cordelia, who looked like a tender flower bending with the gusts of the wind.

But the most enthralled of all was the Prince. He was blind to anything else but the dancing figure in pink, who outshined all the others on the dance floor. Her smile alone had him spellbound, like a cupid arrow that soared through the air and lodged into his heart, a piece of her that he will never let go of.

When the last notes of the music trickled out, Cordelia ended her dance is perfect form, with one leg outstretched, just like the figure of the ballerina in the music box she found.

She made her way to Junmyeon’s side amidst the cheers and claps of the audience, and up close, Junmyeon could see a light dusting of pink on her cheeks, as she flushed with pride.

Junmyeon felt that she looked the prettiest then, when she was assured and confident in her steps, chin lifted to meet his eyes. She looked like a princess then, regal yet innocent, and Junmyeon realized that he wanted her to be his. His princess. 

The words in his mind made him shiver.  He made sure to keep those thoughts in the back of his mind, secured under lock and key, so that they would not appear again. Baekhyun, he reminded himself yet again, Baekhyun is the one she loves.

Nevertheless, he smiled at her when she stood in front of him.

“Hello.” He said.

Hello, her expressive eyes seemed to reply, dancing with mirth.

“That was incredible. There isn’t a word that can be used to describe you when you were dancing,” he confessed, before lowering his gaze, as if embarrassed by the cheesy line he had uttered.

Cordelia used one hand to cover her smile when she threw her head back in silent laughter.

Junmyeon felt his heart beat faster than what he thought was possible, knowing that he was responsible for making her smile.

He could see the love that shone in her eyes, yet his heart clenched, knowing that the love she felt was for another, not him.

Memento mori

(n) me·men·to mo·ri \mə-ˈmen-tō-ˈmȯr-ē\

Reminder of death

∞

The prince made sure his guest had a room prepared for her, which wasn’t really a hard task, seeing as the huge palace had so many rooms.

Unsurprisingly, the princess of the sea fell asleep under the duvet covers immediately, after experiencing such a long and excitement filled day.

But that did not last for long. An unwelcome figure crashed into her dreams that night, and Cordelia was jolted awake roughly. Even then, the words in her dream haunted her as she stared blankly at the walls, till the darkness of the night was chased away by the first rays of sunlight streaming through her window.

“Two more days, Cordelia. Don’t forget about our deal.”

“Two more days, Cordelia. Don’t forget about our deal.”

““Two more days, Cordelia. Don’t forget.”

““Two. More. Days.”

She forgot. She completely forgot about the deal. All she remembered was Junmyeon’s smile, the gentle way he assisted her, and the way it felt when he held her hands in his. She spent an entire day stealing glances at him, laughing at the way he turned red so easily, while covering her own red-tipped ears with her long hair.

She only had two more days to complete her end of the deal, before she will be turned into sea foam.

How could she make Baekhyun fall in love with her, when all her heart yearned for was Junmyeon?

But she had no choice did she? All she could do was to try and make Baekhyun fall for her, or she will never get to see Junmyeon again.

So these two days, she will try her best to capture Baekhyun’s heart.

-

White lie

(n) A harmless or trivial lie, esp. one told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings

∞

The prince was already in the royal hall when Cordelia arrived.

“Good morning!” the prince greeted cheerfully. “Slept well?”

Cordelia nodded her head.

That was a lie.

“Great!” the prince said, and at her questioning gaze, he answered, “Just settling some kingdom affairs.”

That was a lie.

But she did not need to know he had been waiting for her.

When he saw a look of hesitation pass her face, he quickly added on, “Don’t worry, I’m done with it. You’re not bothering me at all.”

Cordelia nodded, satisfied. Junmyeon saw how her eyes trailed over her surroundings, as if looking for something; someone.

“Looking for Baekhyun?”

How did he know? Cordelia wondered.

“I guessed so,” the Prince laughed, trying to hide the jealousy in his voice, “You two seemed very close yesterday at the ball.”

Cordelia nodded slowly. She felt guilty for lying to Junmyeon, who must have thought she liked Baekhyun.

The Prince forced a laugh, one that sounded so empty to his ears. “He is not here, unfortunately. He probably went out with Chanyeol to the kingdom.”

Seeing how defeated Cordelia looked, he tried to salvage the situation. “You must be bored, there isn’t much in the palace to entertain you. Would you like to visit the Kingdom too? With me?”

Junmyeon thought he had crossed the line. You idiot. You are pushing it too far. She obviously wants Baekhyun, not you. Why did I even make that off-

Cordelia was smiling at him, showing her agreement.

“Awesome!” Junmyeon exclaimed immediately, before wondering if he sounded too eager. “I mean… That’s good!” he coughed out.

 The kingdom was filled with sounds and sights that Cordelia has never seen before. Filled with laughter, it reminded Cordelia of her home back in the sea, only it was livelier, brighter and more colourful.

Houses were lined beside wide streets, each with their own unique touches. There were flower boxes balanced on windowsills, and wooden wind chimes hanging from door frames. Irregularly-shaped stone tiles paved pathways in a neat fashion, and ammonite-shaped lamp posts lined the street.

Little children ran recklessly through the streets, narrowly avoiding the horse-led carriages that were barrelling down the lanes. Shouts from people trying to sell their goods were mixed with the voices of customers haggling over the prices of the items they held in their hands.

People started to crowd around them, seeing the Prince had brought a girl to the kingdom.

The people didn’t seem shocked to see the Prince, but rather, they were more curious of the pretty maiden beside him.

“Who is she, Prince Junmyeon?” A lot of voices rang out, asking similar questions. The people weren’t shy to voice out, and it occurred to Cordelia that it probably was not his first visit. In fact, he had probably came here constantly, seeing how comfortable the people were in the presence of royalty.

“This is Cordelia,” the Prince began warmly, “She isn’t from here so be sure to make her feel at home.”

Cordelia, who was hidden partially behind Junmyeon due to her shyness, stepped out of the shadows. She bowed politely to the people, and gave them a sweet smile.

This caused a lot of people to coo over her, and loud chatter emerged once more as they started to fawn over her.

“Is she your Princess?” a small boy asked innocently.

This question caused the crowd to go silent, before they started laughing and hooting.

The pair being questioned started blushing furiously. I wish, the Prince wanted to answer. Instead, he just smiled, and replied with a simple, “No she is not.”

Cordelia felt disappointment creeping up her heart when she heard the answer, and internally chided herself for that.

A young girl, no more than six, stepped out from the crowd. She tugged on the end Cordelia’s skirt, demanding her attention. Cordelia looked down and smiled at the little girl. She was adorable, chubby cheeks painted red, short brown hair tied in two neat braids. Her smile exposed a missing front tooth.

“Are you sure you are not a Princess? ‘Cause you are pretty enough to be one!”

Cordelia blushed at that, and knelt down in front of the girl. She touched her heart, and subsequently, the girl’s face to express her thanks for her kind words. The little girl beamed at that, and gave her a huge hug, which Cordelia returned.

Seeing this, even more kids emerged from the crowd, and begun surrounding Cordelia.

“We want hugs too!”

“Yeah! We want hugs from the Princess too!”

Cordelia felt partly shocked, and partly flattered. She looked up at Junmyeon, who was watching her with amusement and fondness in his eyes.

Cordelia gave all the kids a warm hug, which pleased them immensely, which can be shown from the way they started cheering and jumping around.

She smiled with genuine joy. She had always loved kids, and enjoyed being around them.

Junmyeon stared at this scene, feeling his heart warming up. How could she be so amazing? She was perfect with kids, charming them with her kind and affectionate nature. He wished that she really was his Princess, the one who will stand by his side forever.

The crowd started to dwindle as the children slowly left, and so the pair began their journey. They jumped from stall to stall, and Cordelia tried to take in all the foreign sights.

Confections. Stationery. Pottery. Flowers. Each and every item was magical to Cordelia’s eyes, and the Prince was ready to indulge her. He bought her items along the way, loving the way her eyes lit up at simple treats.

Cordelia was nibbling on a cupcake that Junmyeon bought as they were walking, and some icing unknowingly got onto her cheek. Laughing at how she made a mess out of herself, the prince wiped away the sugary stain with his fingers, which made Cordelia smile up at him for his help.

Adorable, he thought. He ruffled her hair, and smiled as her nose scrunched up when he did so.

Even though no words fell from her lips, he felt that he could understand her perfectly, just by watching her reactions alone.

When they passed by a flower shop, Cordelia took Junmyeon’s and lightly pulled him inside. The shop was filled with different fragrance, and every area was filled with different colours. Some flowers were sold as stalks, and some as bouquets. She smiled at the flowers of blooming red, muted yellow and soft blue. While she was focusing on the flowers, Junmyeon chose one and quickly paid for it, without Cordelia noticing.

As they were walking out of the shop, he made Cordelia stop walking for a while. He nervously revealed the stalk of flower that he was hiding behind his back.

It was a Gardenia.

“It symbolises purity and innocence,” he said. “Can I put it in your hair?”

Cordelia nodded, shy.

He pushed back a lock of her hair, and tucked in the white flower on top of her ear. It looked beautiful. Cordelia put up a hand to gently touch the fragrant flower, taking extra care to not spoil it.

Junmyeon smiled. There was one thing he did not reveal to Cordelia.

Gardenias also represented secret love.

Looking at her, his heart was constricting painfully in his chest, and he could bear it no more. He had to ask, unwilling to hide the questions in his heart.

“Cordelia… Do you mind me asking you something…?”

Cordelia stared up at him, cocking her head to a side, wondering what it was that he wanted to know.

“Are you… are you in love with… Baekhyun?” The words were painful to say, but Junmyeon had to know.

Cordelia stared at him, shocked that he would ask this. On one hand, she wanted to answer with the truth- ‘No’. But she was trying to get Baekhyun to fall in love with her, in order to stay human and be with Junmyeon. On the other hand, she wanted to lie. If Junmyeon thought that she loved Baekhyun, he may help her get him, and she can then explain it to him later on, once she is permanently a human.

So she went with the latter, and nodded her head.

Guilt immediately filled her when she saw his face fell, and he emitted a sigh.

“Please…” he said, still staring into her eyes, and the amount of sadness in them overwhelmed her. “Please don’t fall in love with Baekhyun.”

Cordelia looked away, feeling as if a sword had passed through her heart. She couldn’t explain to Junmyeon, that she had to have Baekhyun fall in love with her, so that she could stay by his side.

Junmyeon let out a heavy sigh and ran his hand over his face.

“I’m sorry I said that, let’s pretend I never did.”

He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand. She had to tell him, she had to, she had t-

Cordelia nodded, eyes not meeting his, so that he couldn’t see the guilt that swam in her eyes.

They continued their journey, and made their way to the centre of the village, where the town square was. A band was playing at the side, violins, horns and flutes forming a beautiful melody.

Suddenly feeling bold, Cordelia grabbed Junmyeon’s hands and pulled him to the middle of the town square. A mischievous look glinted in her eyes, and she started dancing, attracting the attention of the people around her. A crowd gathered around the pair, with Cordelia still dancing freely, and Junmyeon standing awkwardly. He had never danced outside of the ballroom, and all he knew was how to waltz. He did not know how to dance freely to the music, and the crowd staring at him, wanting to see their Prince dancing, and it embarrassed him.

Cordelia looked at him, prompting him to start dancing.

So Junmyeon did.

He started rolling his shoulders, and moving his hands in wave- like motions. He even started to tap his feet to the beat of the music and nodded his head to the rhythm, completely immersing himself into the music.

He was doing great!

At least… that’s what it seemed like to him.

Cordelia hid a smile. She thought he looked funny, with the uncoordinated movements and jerky motions. Not wanting to embarrass him, but still wanting to help him out, she gently encased his hands in hers. She gently guided his hands to move, and showed him how to tread lightly on the ground, so that the actions were smooth and gentle, not rough. She maneuvered his body so that it flowed with the beat, not against it.

But was Junmyeon listening?

Of course he wasn’t.

How could he, when Cordelia was in such close proximity to him? He could feel her light puffs of breaths on his neck when she was trying to angle his hands to the correct position, and he could only concentrate on how warm her skin felt pressed against his. The amount of physical contact between them was driving him crazy.

Did she not know how tempting she was?

The crowd was cheering at the sight of their prince dancing with the girl. They had never since the prince smiling so happily before, and it excited them. Prince Junmyeon, although friendly, had always been reserved, obeying all the social rules imposed on him with him being a Prince. So it wasn’t any day that they got to see the sight of the Prince being so free, loosely dancing to music.

Cordelia seemed to notice the crowd only then, and she smiled at them. She walked to the front of the club, where a young village girl was standing. She pulled her to the middle of the town square, which made her giggle. The maiden began dancing along with Cordelia, who left again to pull in more people. The people she led brought even more people along with them, and soon, the crowd around them were all in the town square, dancing along merrily to the tunes of the band.

Junmyeon found himself separated from Cordelia, and tried to reach her, but she was whizzed away by another man, and he by another girl. So they kept on dancing along, as the song continued playing in the background. Children, adults, elderly. All of them were dancing in the town square, filling it with laughter and cheers.

Junmyeon wondered if he would ever get a chance to dance with Cordelia again. The opportunity came to him at last, just as the song was coming to an end. When the band blasted the crescendo out, Cordelia was twirled to the middle of the crowd, and Junmyeon found himself being pushed towards her. Junmyeon caught her as she crashed into his chest, and the music ended, with Cordelia in his arms, and he froze in that position.

Junmyeon felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him. This was exactly how it felt last night, at the ball, when they were dancing together. He did not hear the crowd behind them, and could only focus on the sight before him. Cordelia stared into his eyes, and he into hers.  She still had on the Gardenia flower that he bought for her, their white petals contrasting prettily with her red hair.

They were pressed so close, faces only inches apart. He feel himself drowning in the emotions in her eyes, the ones that reflected the ocean. If he just leaned forward a bit, their lips would be touching.

Seeing the thoughts in her expressive eyes, he could almost delude himself into thinking that Cordelia actually liked hi-

No. He couldn’t. She already stated clearly that she loved Baekhyun, what was he thinking!

He broke their gaze, and awkwardly stared at the ground, missing the disappointment that flickered through Cordelia’s eyes.

The sun was setting slowly, and it was getting darker. They made a mutual agreement to go back to the palace before the sun sets completely. The journey back home was silent. The air around them was heavy, filled with unspoken words and secret longing.

It wasn’t long before they reached the gates. Cordelia pushed against them, and it seemed that Junmyeon was planning to do the same, because both hands landed on the gates, pressed on each other.

Junmyeon froze. His heart was thudding so loudly in his chest that he was afraid that Cordelia may hear it. He quickly retracted his hand, and coughed, still not meeting her eyes. He did not want to fall any further, but he thought that it would be impossible, since he had already fallen to the deepest part of the hole that he dug up.

The pair made their way inside, but Cordelia suddenly heard something, a pair of voices, muffled between some walls.

“Not here, people can see us.”

“Whatever, just let them find out. I want to stop hiding, Baek.”

At the sound of the vaguely familiar name, Cordelia’s ears perked up. Curious, she tried to peek behind the walls to see who was hidden there.

Junmyeon seemed to recognise the voices, because he quickly exclaimed, “Wait Cordelia stop!”, and tried to grab her hand.

Too late.

His fingers missed her wrist, his palm closed on air and formed a fist. He dug his nails into the soft flesh of his hand, waiting… waiting… waiting…

Cordelia drew back with a gasp, and turned her rapidly paling face to Junmyeon, who was trying his best to focus his eyes on anything else but her. Her heart was sinking heavily, dragging her entire body with it. She felt like she was drowning, being submerged in this sudden revelation that occurred. She struggled to breathe, and tried to emerge out of the churning waters, but it was as if she was tied to a huge rock, and she could do nothing about it.

A daughter of the sea? Drowning?

Ha.

What a joke.

“Please don’t fall in love with Baekhyun.”

“Please don’t fall in love with Baekhyun.”

“Please don’t fall in love with Baekhyun.”

He knew. He had known all along. He warned her to not fall in love, because he knew that there was no chance of Baekhyun loving her back.

Because Baekhyun will never fall for a woman.

The shadows of the wall partially shielded their faces, but there was no mistaking the two figures. Chanyeol was pressing Baekhyun to the wall, their hands entangled and lips pressed together.

Cordelia ran.

She ran up to the guest room, not looking back even when Junmyeon chased after her, frantically calling out her name.

She bolted the door shut, before sliding to the floor, legs giving out.

She felt her heart slowly breaking in her heart, just like the Sea Witch had predicted. Only thing was, her heart was breaking for a completely different person. The pain she felt in her heart was not because of knowing that Baekhyun can never love her, but the fact that because of this, she would dissolve into sea foam, and can never be with Junmyeon again.

Junmyeon… His face was invading her mind, and he made it hard to breathe. The way he first helped her when she was stranded on the beach, the way he smiled at her when he swayed with her in his arms, the way he gently tucked that Gardenia in her hair.

That reminded her. The Gardenia that was still in her hair.

She carefully removed the flower and brought it to her eyes.

The soft white petals of the flower were unfurled in a delicate display. The scent of it was intoxicating.

Cordelia did not even notice that she was biting her tongue until a coppery taste filled .

She lowered her head.

I’m sorry.

She closed her eyes and cradled the flower to her chest.

 

Ephemeral

(adj) ih-fem-er-uh l \ ɪˈfɛm(ə)r(ə)l,-ˈfiːm- \

Lasting for a very short time.

∞

Cordelia fell asleep, both mentally and physically exhausted. She was still in an awkward position, knees curled up in front of her, back leaning against the door frame. But she wasn’t unconscious for long. The Sea Witch plagued her dreams again that night. Only this time, it was a message.

Come meet me, little mermaid. Where your home was.

Cordelia woke up with a start. She was shaking, her small frame quivering violently, her skin sticky with sweat.

Where your home was.

The sea. Cordelia realised at once. She quickly stood up, and sprinted out of the castle. Her feet was still hurting, but she was accustomed to the pain already.

The Gardenia that was in her hands now laid on the carpeted ground, forgotten. Its petals were slightly droopy, and it was wilting away slowly, just as Cordelia was.

She ran across the beach, feet sinking into the sand with the amount of force she exerted on them. She reached the coast, where the sea met sand. The water that reached her feet cooled them down, numbing the pain that had been terrorizing her since she got her pair of legs.

All she could hear was the sound of waves crashing against the beach, and the harsh exhales of her breath as she panted, trying to regain the energy lost through running to the beach.

There was no one there.

Had she mistaken?

Cordelia wondered if she should head back now, chastising herself for coming to the beach. The cold wind that bit her skin made her shudder.

But she realised. The wind alone wasn’t responsible for this. An ominous air hung around the area she was standing at. It was familiar, yet unwelcomed.

Her suspicions were proven when the ocean started to ripple, and a huge figure rose above the rough waters, laughing in triumph. Cordelia fell backwards when she came up, hands reaching the ground first. She hissed when they landed on a piece of glass, the sharp edge piercing through her skin. The waves that seemed to have grown stronger now washed over her, salt water reaching her hands, stinging the wound that had formed.

The Sea Witch can be seen much clearer now, after the dark air that surrounded her dissipated into nothing. She had taken the form of a middle aged lady, black hair matching her dark, soulless eyes. Kohl was smudged around her eyes, staining her grey corpse-like skin. Her lower torso was still that of an octopus.

She was smiling at Cordelia, eyes widened in a way that was probably supposed to look innocent, but instead, just made her look scarier.

“My little mermaid, Cordelia! Just who I wanted to see! It has been two days already, no? Tomorrow marks your last day as a human, I hope you didn’t forget. Unless, you somehow can get your precious ‘boy from the shore’ to fall in love with you tomorrow, but we both know that that would be impossible, of course.” She simpered, her mocking tone making Cordelia’s blood boil.

“Oh dear, Cordelia. Don’t look at me like that! How would I have known that he will never fall in love with you? Such a shame, isn’t it? A pretty girl like you, reduced to sea foam.”

She met Cordelia’s accusing glare, and laughed lightly.

“Just kidding, of course I knew. Why else would I make that deal with you?” she paused, as if deliberating whether or not to continue. “Your family is looking for you, did you know? In fact, the whole is in havoc, everyone searching for their precious princess. Which is perfect for me, of course! Because I can take this opportunity, while the palace is vulnerable, and…”

She leaned closer to Cordelia, her breath that stank of rotten fish wafting towards Cordelia’s nose.

“Attack.”

Cordelia gasped when she delivered the news, which hit her head like a train. Attack? She had to, she needed to get back to her family, and warn them of the upcoming attack. But how?

The Sea Witch barked out a laugh, as if sensing Cordelia’s thoughts. “Don’t bother. There will be no way you can get to them as a human. You are no longer a mermaid, don’t you remember? You can never get to them before you drown in the waters that your own father controls.”

She laughed again, string of laughter suddenly turning even more menacing.

“But don’t worry, mermaid. Soon, I will be the one to control the sea! After all, my magick is not just used for creating legs, you know? What you should worry about, is your dear Prince Charming. How would you say your goodbyes, I wonder? But you do not need to trouble with your explanations, since I already helped you with that.”

She gestured for Cordelia to turn back, and so Cordelia did.

Her heart stopped. Her stomach was turning in shock, and she felt like vomiting.

Junmyeon was standing there.

He had heard it all, judging by the expression on his face, looking at them in horror. At the position she was, Cordelia could not see if Junmyeon was directing that look to her or the Sea Witch.

“I’m such a kind soul, aren’t I?” The Sea Witch disappeared with a cackle, slowly sinking into the waters below.

No… no… please… let this be a nightmare…

Thoughts ran through Cordelia’s head. This was not how she wanted it to be. She never intended to let Junmyeon know her secret. She had planned to just disappear from his life after tomorrow, but now… She imagined the things that Junmyeon must be thinking of her.

She was a freak. An abnormality in his world where people were born with two legs. She did not want to see him look at her in disgust. She did not think she would be able to bear it.  She dropped her gaze, curling into herself, as if that would hide her away from Junmyeon’s eyes.

Two hands pulled her gently to her feet.

Her head shot up.

Junmyeon…

His eyes was on her, and although his face was pale with shock, his eyes were filled with tender care for her.

I don’t deserve this...

“Let’s fix that wound first, okay?” Junmyeon said softly.

Wound? What woun-

He held up her hand gently, and Cordelia suddenly remembered the injury caused by the shard of glass. The blood that flowed from it had dried up, forming reddish brown stains on her palm.

Cordelia drew a gasp of disbelief. After what he had witnessed, he was still more concerned over the pain she had suffered.

I don’t deserve him…

He slowly led her to his room, arms wrapped around her as if she was something fragile, and Cordelia followed through, still in a daze. He made her sit down on his bed, and brought out a first-aid kit.

Not saying a word, he gently removed the blood stain on her hands with a wet washcloth, taking care not to apply too much pressure, so as to not cause further pain to her

“This may sting a little,” he muttered under his breath, before dabbing some anti-biotic cream on the wound, spreading it into a thin layer. He then took out an adhesive bandage, removed it from its package, and pasted it on her palm, making sure that it covered the wound fully.

All the while, Cordelia stared at him as he concentrated on her injury, not daring to think about what may happen after he was done.

He let out a long sigh when he was done patching up her injuries, and set her hand down. He was kneeling on the floor, so his eyes looked up to meet hers. Confusion was swirling inside his irises.

“So… You are a… mermaid?”

Cordelia nodded, biting the insides of her cheeks.

Junmyeon needed her confirmation to make sure he was not dreaming.

“And you were supposed to make Baekhyun fall in love with you?”

He continued when Cordelia showed her affirmation. “And what will happen if you don’t?”

Just the look in Cordelia’s eyes was enough to tell him what exactly will happen.

“You will die. Tomorrow. Right.” Junmyeon laughed, standing up, but he felt as if someone had dropped a brick on his head.

“Tomorrow.” He repeated, pacing around the room. He almost could not believe this, it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of, but he could not doubt it after seeing that creature on the beach.

He had been waiting outside Cordelia’s room, unable to fall asleep, worried that something might happen to her, when she suddenly dashed out of her room, not even noticing that he was there. He chased after her immediately, not knowing where she was heading to in the middle of the night. He was about to run to her when she stopped at the beach, thinking that she might be contemplating to drown herself in the sea, but before he could, a creature emerged from the sea.

Although he was far behind, and could not make out the exact features of the creature, he definitely noticed that it was not human. Multiple legs that sprouted from its hips, resembling the tentacles of an octopus, yet it had a human torso. What exactly was it? Junmyeon thought that it was going to attack her, but his legs were rooted to the ground, unable to move. Surprisingly, the creature started speaking to Cordelia, who he realised did not look very shocked, but instead, showed more hostility.

He heard the words that the creature was saying, but he wish he had not. It clearly knew Cordelia, seeing how it addressed her by her name. At first, all he felt was confusion. Why did the creature call her a mermaid? Mermaids were simply fairy tales, fictional characters from storybooks he read as a child. Weren’t they? And what did it mean, ‘last day as a human’? Was Cordelia not a human?

He ignored the nagging feeling in his gut that told him that Cordelia was not one.

When it talked about the “boy from the shore”, he thought that the words were referring to him, until he heard that the boy they were speaking of would never fall in love with Cordelia.

Baekhyun. He realised then. Baekhyun was the boy from the shore, the one who would never fall in love with her.

He slowly started to think that all of its words might be true. Now Cordelia had confirmed it all.

He did not know why he was not feeling even more shock after hearing it. Maybe it was because he felt that he should have realised earlier. Cordelia was found on the beach, alone, and yet no one seemed to be looking for her. She avoided all questions that had to do with her background, and viewed every item as if it was something foreign, as if it was something she had never seen before.  She probably never did.

And now she only had one more day to live. Right. Simply fantastic. He will only have one day left to spend with her.

Why did his heart so much? Did he still love her, even after knowing the truth about her?

His answer was extremely obvious: Of course he did.

His love for her was not because of the way she looked, but because of her personality. He loved her for who she was, not because she had a pair of legs. He loved her for everything she did. He loved her for her endearing reactions, her expressive eyes, and childlike curiosity.

He loved her so much it hurt. He needed her to survive. This ephemeral love was not enough for him. That thought filled him up with stubborn determination. No one, absolutely no one will be taking Cordelia away from him.

He grabbed her by her shoulders, and lifted her head up so she met his eyes. “We will get through this, okay? We will find a way to defeat that monster, I promise.”

Cordelia felt warmth flood her. How could someone by so amazing? Why did Junmyeon still cared for her so much, even after her true colours were revealed?”

“Cordelia, I love you. And I will keep you safe forever. Cross my heart and hope to die.” Junmyeon said these words with utmost sincerity, and Cordelia could feel it.

Cross my heart and hope to die. That promise meant a lot to her.

She jumped forward into his arms, hugging him tightly.

 

Clinomania

(n) /klin-O-‘mAn-E-a/ klin-oh-MAYN-ee-ah

An excessive desire to remain in bed

∞

Cordelia woke up still enveloped in Junmyeon’s arms, and she could feel his soft snores vibrating through her entire body.

He was sleeping soundly, and he looked so peaceful, as if there was nothing troubling him at all. She gently combed her fingers through the strands of his black hair, then lightly trailed her hands over the contours of his face. She ran her hands along the slope of his nose, then traced his soft lips with the tips of her fingers.

Junmyeon suddenly jolted awake and grabbed hold of her wrist.

Cordelia choked back a gasp, surprised. He looked far too alert for somebody who just woke up. Had he been awake this entire time?

Junmyeon had to hold back a laugh at the expression on her face. He had been awake even before she woke up, and was only pretending to be asleep. He did not expect that she would do this, and was trying hard to not let out a smile while she was ‘exploring’ his face. She was adorable. He wished that this could be them in the future, waking up next to each other, in each other’s embrace. He wanted to be the one who got to see her smile the first thing in the morning, and the last one to be with her at night.

Cordelia’s cheeks grew hot when Junmyeon’s lips pulled up into a smirk. He never showed this expression before, and he looked so different from the previous times he showed only sugar sweet smiles. As if knowing the effect he had on her, he poked out his tongue from his mouth slightly and ran it over his lips, moistening them.

What was this? Her heart was beating faster in her chest, and she felt faint. How could someone look so good?

She must have looked star struck then, because Junmyeon stopped teasing her, and broke into his usual wide smile.

“Get out of bed, sleepyhead. But I won’t mind if you want to stay here all day.” He ended his sentence with an inviting wink, and laughed loudly when Cordelia immediately scrambled out of the bed, flustered.

After that interesting episode, the pair ate their breakfast together, prepared by the royal cook.

As they dug into their huge breakfast platter, they had a conversation. It was not exactly a one-sided one, since the Prince could understand Cordelia through her colourful expressions and small gestures, so he responded to them.

“We have to find a way to stop that creature. There must be one!” Junmyeon exclaimed.

Cordelia’s eyes were filled with sadness, as if knowing that it was a virtually hopeless situation.

“We still have to try! I can’t just let you slip through my fingers after giving you the promise that I would protect you.”

Cordelia nodded. Her eyes were now filled with renewed hope and determination. The flickering fires of belief were kindled in both their hearts.

“Great! I know there is one place we can search—The Library. It holds a lot of ancient books, and who knows? One might just contain the solution we are seeking for.”

He reached across the table to where Cordelia’s hand was resting on, and laced their fingers together.

 

Vellichor

(n) \ˈvɛlɪkə\

The strange wistfulness of used bookstores

∞

The Library was a magnificent place. Rows and rows of shelves spread through the entire room, each shelf filled to the brim with books from different eras that were categorized to their genre. Every kind of book was there, of whichever topic you wanted. It was a book lover’s dream to step foot into that place.

The musty smell of books lingered in the library, and Cordelia loved it. Sure, she had seen books before, deep down in the oceans where the shipwrecks were, but the ink in them had faded off to nothing, some pages torn out by the destructive force of the wreck.

Cordelia brushed her fingers along the spines of the book, loving how the engravings of the titles felt under her fingertips. The books here were kept in mint condition.

“Here,” the Prince said, taking her hand to lead her to a certain section of the library. “This is where all the fantasy books are kept, so maybe we can find something here.” He is very familiar with this library, Cordelia noted. He must come here very often.

Without further ado, they pulled the books off their shelves, and started scouring through to find more information. Hours must have passed in there, with them flipping through numerous books, hoping to find more information, but as more and more time flew past, they felt the burning hope in their chests slowly dwindling.

But neither of them were giving up.

The thought of being with Cordelia forever was Junmyeon’s driving force, and that was enough motivation to keep him searching. He was never going to back down—not without a fight.

He picked up a huge book that had the words “Guide to Ancient Mythical Creatures” imprinted on it. Maybe this one will have what we need, he thought, just as he did before picking up other books. He flipped through the thin pages of the book, taking care not to tear its crisp pages, each one dense with foreign terms and phrases.

Suddenly, the Prince landed on a page that had the word “Cecaelias” inscribed on it. On it depicted a drawing of one, and it looked extremely similar to the creature he sighted last night. This drawing was clearer, showing the tentacles more clearly, and Junmyeon had to suppress a shudder of revolt. Seeing it as fiction was one thing, but knowing that the thing actually exists in real life is another. Junmyeon could imagine the creature lurking in some dark corner in the sea, tentacles ready to reach out and snag its prey.

“Cecaelias, more commonly known as ‘Witches of the Sea’, are half human hybrids, with the upper torso of a human, and the lower torso of an octopus. Cecaelias are widely famous for their skills in Dark Magick, which they often use to make deals with other sea creatures.

Claims of sightings of these creatures have been made by multiple accounts since the last centuries, yet it would be interesting to note that every individual who reported their findings have found themselves in unfortunate circumstances, often resulting in death.

Cecaelias can only be killed by…”

Junmyeon rapidly scanned his eyes over the huge mass of text, skimming over some parts that were not as important, and quickly focused on the last paragraph on the page. He read through the last paragraph repeatedly, face turning paler and paler as he read on.

He had found the solution.

But…

He glanced at Cordelia who was near him, sprawled messily on the floor with books surrounding her, all opened to various pages. Her nose was practically buried in the book she was reading, and her red hair formed a curtain, framing her face.

He was serious when he said that he would keep her safe.

He quickly tore out the page he was reading surreptitiously, making sure that Cordelia did not see him. He crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket. He cannot risk Cordelia finding out about this.

Fate really wanted to tear them apart, didn’t it? But if that was the price of keeping Cordelia safe…

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, feeling as if his jaw might dislocate if he put any more pressure on them. Junmyeon felt his heart fill with grim determination, resolve taking the form of an iron hand that wrapped around him.

 

Hiraeth

(n) hi-raeth\ hɨraɪ̯θ\

A homesickness for a home you cannot return to

∞

Cordelia was sure they had already looked through all of the books in this section. Her eyes were tired from staring at so many words, strained. She looked up to see the Prince staring at her, and she did the same, resignation in her eyes. She could sense a shift in Junmyeon’s confident demeanour, and she knew it was probably sadness.

She berated herself for her wishful thinking. Of course there was no hope. It was impossible to even attempt to defeat her, and now her foolish hope just led her to even more disappointment.

“Do you want to go somewhere else? We can go to the beach, if you like,” he offered quietly.

Cordelia nodded. If she had only so little time left with the Prince, she wanted to be able to cherish every moment, every minute, every second. She would treasure it all.

They made their way to the beach, at the area where he first met her. They walked along the stretch of the beach, hand in hand. The sky above was of a muted grey, wispy dark clouds pulling a blanket over them.  Various shades of grey overlaid each other, shrouding the sky in their monochromatic colours. The weather was fitting of the melancholic moods they were trapped in.

The waters were cold and angry, waves hurling themselves roughly onto the rocks that have been eroded over the years, a result of constant attrition. Cordelia knew it was because of her—the kingdom was mourning over the loss of their youngest princess, their most precious jewel.

The howling wind whipped her hair around messily, and carried the swash of the sea to their legs. The salty sea foam splashed onto her feet, a grim reminder of Cordelia’s fate a few hours later.

She turned her head to the horizon, where the endless ocean blended in with the dark sky, and watched as the sun slowly started to sink into it, its fading rays painting the grey sky around it in orange and red hues, which slowly dripped into a gentle salmon pink.

She was about to separate from Junmyeon soon.

The pain that she was feeling now was indescribable. It felt as if her heart had already broken into fragments, and the shards of it tore her insides as if it were pieces of sharp glass.

She never thought Junmyeon would be such a great part of her life, leaving such a lasting impact on her. When she first saw him, she thought him as a kind friend, her key to making ‘the boy from the shore’, Baekhyun, fall in love with her. But he was the one who was always by her side, helping her, being with her, and she started falling in love, bit by bit, until she found herself completely immersed in her affection for him.

To her, he was home. He was her home here, in this unfamiliar place filled with strange foreign items, with people in fancy gowns who danced away the night, chandelier lights brightening up the dark.

Only with him did she realise how juvenile her supposed ‘love’ for Baekhyun was. Love was more than just the butterflies in her stomach and the nervous thundering of her heart. Love was more than a superficial “I love him”.

Love ran deeper than that.

Love is when you didn’t even find the need to question the feelings inside of you, since your heart is already sure that what you were feeling then is true. Love is when you are absolutely comfortable being around them, and you face no hesitation when you think of a future with them. She could picture it so clearly, the vision of still being with Junmyeon in the future, and it pained her to know that it can remain only a vision forever.

This is it then, she thought. This is truly the end. She had never expected this, for her life to end so soon. She had always dreamed of falling in love, having her significant other love her back, and shower her in love and affection as they grew old together. She had always dreamed of the day when her flaming red hair will fade to a silvery gray, with her partner right alongside her, hand in hand, as they reminisced about how they met, about how they fell in love, but now, all of these were to be destroyed, and there was no one to blame except herself.

Junmyeon and Cordelia were sitting down on the sand now, silently counting down the last moments they had with each other. The sun had set fully now, and the moon and stars took its place. The sky was completely dark now, and the twinkling lights in the sky resembled tiny moth holes made in a huge piece of satin, shining light into the world they were in.

Cordelia thought that she will never get to experience this again as a human. Maybe when she turns into sea foam, she will get to travel along with the sea, but she will always remember to look up at night, and be reminded of this scene that she experienced with Junmyeon by her side.

She heard Junmyeon standing up, the bottom of his feet scraping across the sand, and she looked up. He had a hand outstretched, and the other tucked behind his back, just like he did the night at the ball.

“May I have this dance, my lady?”

He was smiling, but Cordelia could see that his eyes were rimmed red.

Cordelia pushed herself up with her hands, and brushed off the sand on them. She placed her hand on Junmyeon’s, and settled the other on his shoulder. Junmyeon’s hand that was behind his back was now on her waist, and they began dancing.

There was no music, but the stars sang a melody that could only be heard by their hearts. They waltzed under the moonlight, steps perfectly coordinated.

Sand was gathered under their feet, getting between their toes, but they continued dancing.

They were attuned to each other’s actions and emotions, and no words were needed to create the perfect harmony.

Junmyeon felt a lump rise into his throat, and blinked furiously to remove the tears that threatened to fall out of his eyes. She looked ethereal. The moonlight that shone on her basked her in a white glow, making her look angelic.

He suddenly halted in his steps, as did Cordelia. She looked at him questioningly, wondering why he suddenly stopped. Junmyeon hesitantly pulled out a thin, chain-shaped object from the pocket of his shirt.

It was a necklace.

His mother had given it to him, to present to someone that he was sure will be his partner in the future. He now knew that it was Cordelia. They were separating soon, but he still regarded her as his Princess, his lover. This belongs to her.

Cordelia let out a small gasp when she caught sight of the necklace. It was stunning. The pendant that hung from it was a Blue Tanzanite, shaped as a water drop. It was in a brilliant blue, its shade the colour of the sea to one’s eye on a sunny day. It glittered like a drop of water would, and reminded Cordelia of her home back in the sea.

“For you,” Junmyeon said.

Cordelia shook her head. What use would this precious jewel be on her, when she was about to dissolve into sea foam? It would be a waste for her to wear it.

“Take it. It will serve as a reminder of me, for you to remember the times we spent together.” He insisted.

So Cordelia agreed, and pushed her hair to one side of her shoulder so that Junmyeon could put the necklace on for her.

He did so with trembling hands, fumbling to put on the clasp properly. When he finally did, he removed his hands and stepped back to see her.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed out, making rosiness bloom on Cordelia’s cheeks. The gemstone shone against her pale skin, and it matched the ocean blue colour of her eyes.

He gazed at her with an unreadable expression in her eyes, but Cordelia could detect hints of a silent apology masked behind it.

“Can I kiss you, Cordelia?” he seemed to have pondered over his words for a while.

The brazen way he asked made Cordelia’s blush intensify, and she nodded, consenting. They leaned forward, breaths mingling with the salty sea air. He brushed his hand gently across her cheek, palm warm, and subsequently curled it around the nape of her neck. He was cradling her as if she was a porcelain doll, about to break if he applied any more pressure on her.

Cordelia relaxed into his comfortable touch, and closed her eyes. Their lips brushed tentatively, and pressed together. Her heart was racing, and she felt light.

She was kissing Junmyeon. She was actually kissing Junmyeon.

Her mind was blank, and she could think of nothing except how he felt. His lips were warm and smooth against hers, and she craved the warmth. His tongue traced along the seam of her tongue, and she unconsciously let him in. His tongue ventured into the cave of , seeking hers and intertwining their tongues together.

He tasted of crushed peppermint leaves and warm autumn nights, like reading a book under the covers of a thick blanket, and the amount of safety Cordelia felt when she was with him soothed and warmed her.

The kiss was gentle and slow, but Cordelia felt traces of desperation lacing it, as if he was afraid that if he just let go for a moment, she would disappear completely away from him. This was a kiss they both wished could last forever, so that they need not face the harsh reality of their world.

Cordelia’s eyes fluttered open when she tasted the tang of salt on her tongue. Sure enough, beads of tears were rolling down Junmyeon’s eyes, and they trailed down to the bow of his lips and into the kiss that they were sharing. His eyes were still squeezed shut, unwilling to open up and face the oncoming truth that was looming over them, teetering off the edge, threatening to fall on them.

His lips were mumbling words against hers, mouthing repeated phrases of “I love you”, “I’m sorry”, and “please don’t forget me”. His skin was wet and sticky with tears, and Cordelia would have cried if she could. Her heart was aching, her whole body in pain.

Junmyeon was no better. He was a wreck, just the thought of having to leave her made the tears leak out of his eyes. His breathing was shallow, and he tried his best to cherish this moment they were having right now, imprinting it into his mind. His cheeks felt cold, the wind cooling down the tear stains on them.

Their relationship was doomed to fail from the start, cursed by a deal made with a Sea Witch. Their stars were crossed, but Junmyeon felt that he should be grateful that they met at all.

The sudden rise of the waves immediately snapped him out of his trance. This was not just the usual rise and fall of the sea. The Sea Witch was coming to secure the end of her deal.

The sea was churning and swirling violently, and the previously dark blue of the waves turned completely black, the thick mucky liquid resembling an oil spill, the viscous fluid coating the shore, staining the yellow sand black.

The Sea Witch looked worse up close. She slithered out of the ocean, her tentacles raised above the sea. The grey skin on her body was flaking, dry and peeling off, and her tentacles bulged out of her wide hips, slimy and flailing around, agitating the rough waters even further.

Her black eyes were pulled to slits, looking like a snake who was about to attack. Her hair was a messy mass of curls all over her face, mouth twisted in a snarl, making her look even more deranged.

Cordelia felt Junmyeon tighten his arms around her, as if he could protect her from all the danger that was barrelling down on her. He was, of course, no match for the Sea Witch.

The Sea Witch merely flicked her index finger towards them, as if beckoning Cordelia over, and a force immediately tore her away from Junmyeon’s side, wrenching the pair apart, and even Junmyeon’s cocoon could not keep her safe.

A growl sprung from Junmyeon’s open mouth, and although it was a fierce and angry one, it held a kind of rawness to it that made it seem as if he was the one in pain, suffering.

The Sea Witch yanked Cordelia to her side once she was within reach, and started laughing, the high pitched tone echoing around the vicinity.

“Lovebirds, lovebirds. I really hope you enjoyed your time together. I do apologise for having to separate you, really, but what can I say? A deal is a deal, am I right?” Her voice was soft, as if concerned, but it was easy to tell from her facial expression that she was not apologetic at all. In fact, she was gleeful, gloating over their unfortunate fate.

“What do you want in exchange of her life? What do I have to do to have her back?” the Prince demanded. His voice was surprisingly steady, taut like an elastic band being pulled to its extreme, about to snap if he lost his control. Cordelia noticed that his knuckles were ghastly white, fingers clenched into fists, and his arms were quivering mildly.

“How sweet. Prince Charming, on his white horse, trying to save his damsel in distress, his Princess. But I have to teach you kid, that life isn’t all rainbows and Happily Ever After’s. Life is not so much of a fairy-tale. All I want is this mermaid dead under my tentacles, and after that, you lovers won’t be of much use to me. After all, you all are just pawns in the games of chess which I’m bound to win. ”

The Sea Witch twirled a finger around a tendril of Cordelia’s hair and tugged roughly on it, causing her to let out a whimper of pain. “Say goodbye to your Prince, mermaid. I’ve heard that lovebirds often die when they are separated from their partners. Just a friendly reminder.” The threat was thinly veiled behind her cruel words, and Cordelia struggled in her hold, trying to warn Junmyeon to escape.

Suddenly, a blood stained knife was plunged into the bosom of the Sea Witch, and she froze. Her vice-like grip on Cordelia slackened, who quickly used this opportunity to escape, looking for Junmyeon.

Just in time too, for the Sea Witch let out a piercing wail that would have deafened her ears. It was the most horrific sound ever heard of, as if all the evils of the world were clawing out of her very soul.

A thick black liquid spurted out of her heart, resembling the ink of a squid. Cordelia could only watch as the body of the Sea Witch started shrinking; no, melting before her eyes. It was disgusting, the way her eyes bulged out and she started gurgling, choking on the black ink that was coughing out.

Cordelia felt as if air was being slammed into , flowing with the smoothness of water. For a moment, Cordelia’s vision turned blinding white, overwhelmed with this strange, yet not unpleasant feeling. She blinked rapidly, and her vision came back to her, dark spots dancing at the back of her eyes.

Her voice! Her voice was back! She could feel it again, this familiar sensation of having the ability to speak. She frantically looked in front of her, wondering if the Sea Witch was still a threat.

She was definitely not. She had already dissolved until all was left of her was a puddle of black goo on the ground, and a jewel encrusted dagger laid in the middle of it, tainted with black ink and crimson blood.

Crimson blood?

Horrified, Cordelia looked forward. There, Junmyeon laid, his clothes drenched with red, and his breathing shallow.

Cordelia rushed forward till she reached the Prince. She stumbled, which resulted in her kneeling by his side. She tried to stop the blood flow with her hands, although she knew it was a futile attempt. He had lost too much blood, and there was no way he could live.

“Junmyeon…” Cordelia croaked out.

“Your voice is even more beautiful than I had imagined it to be.” He reached out and gently pressed his hand to her cheek. His eyes were fighting to stay open.

“Junmyeon what did you do! Don’t you dare close your eyes, you idiot!”

“I read that the only way you… you could kill a Sea Witch is to taint her heart with the blood of a hu… human. But…” He stopped, coughing out blood, which trailed over his chin and down his neck.

“Stop talking! Stop, stop, stop!” Cordelia tried. One of her hands was still pressed on the wound of his chest, while the other was trying wiping the blood away from his jaw. It only succeeded in smearing the blood even more.

He ignored her, and continued. “But the blood had to be from the hea… heart only, and had to be done so willingly.”

“Why did you do that for me, Junmyeon? How could you leave me here alone, without warning me? You know can’t live without you, so don’t you dare die on me.” Her words were angry, yet it was obvious that she wasn’t. Her lips were quivering, and loud sobs were torn out of , though no tears fell from her eyes.

The prince chuckled, though his feigned nonchalance was ruined when more blood spurted out of his mouth. “Don’t worry about me, Princess. Sacrificing my heart is nothing, since you had it from the start. I was captivated by you since I found you on the beach. Cross my heart and hope to die, remember?”

“Junmyeon I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that you had met me, because all I brought you was misfortune.

 I’m sorry that you died for me, even though it was supposed to be me lying dead, not you.

I’m sorry that I caused you to suffer so much.” Cordelia babbled, hoping that Junmyeon could sense her heartfelt sincerity and apology pouring through her words.

“Cordelia, look into my eyes.” So she did. She locked her sight with the eyes in front of her, the eyes that she will never get to see again. He held Cordelia’s hands in his, and it frightened Cordelia by how cold his hands were.

“I will never regret meeting you, do you hear me? If I had the chance, I would fall in love with you again and again, even if it means I have to die a thousand deaths.”

His voice grew fainter, and his breathing ragged. It hurt just to take another breath.

“The only thing I regret is not saying I love you enough. I love you, my Princess.”

“I love you too, my Prince. I love you so much. So, so much.”

A smile spread on Junmyeon’s face when he heard Cordelia’s reply, although his lips were caked with blood. His eyes closed. Cordelia knew they would never open again.

She threw herself on his body, as if trying to shield him from the world. She felt the blood on his chest stain her front, but she ignored it. Her hands were still holding on to his, even after his hands loosened. She wiped away the blood from his mouth. He looked as if he was still alive, merely sleeping peacefully.

Mermaids had no tears, and so she could never weep, and even as a human, her soul was that of a mermaid, so no tears ever fell from her eyes, even when she felt her heart breaking in her chest, the two halves split by the thought of her dying prince.

But as the prince was dying, he had gripped her hands tightly, and through their intertwined hands, his fading soul reached out and trickled into Cordelia, traveling to her heart where her soul was kept, and the two pure souls unknowingly coalesced into one, and flowed through her veins, causing a shift in the forces of nature.

In that split second of the merging, a tear formed and fell from her eye, and trailed down the curve of her cheek before falling into Junmyeon‘s wound on his chest. Shocked, Cordelia let out a choked gasp at this unfamiliar sensation, her hand reaching out to touch the tear track that was left on her cheek, trying to confirm that she did manage to cry, which was a feat that was unachievable by any mermaid.

But what she did not know, was that the tear she let out was no ordinary one. It encompassed the souls of a mermaid and a human, bound by sacrificial love, a kind of magick so ancient that was unheard of even by the Sea Witch. The magick in her tear took effect immediately, taking up the form of golden threads, weaving together the split halves of Junmyeon‘s torn up heart.

Cordelia watched with widened eyes and amazement as a golden glow formed around her prince, bathing him in brightness, illuminating their surroundings. His skin slowly started to regain its usual warmth as his chest began to rise and fall, the previous wound completely sealed up, gone. Still in disbelief, she could only stare at the sight before her. A thought lingered at the back of her mind, of the possibility that perhaps this was simply an illusion, a result of too much sorrow in her heart and too much hope in her mind.

With her fears of the possibility of imminent disappointment, Cordelia gently caressed his face, heart thudding, b with suppressed hope. Her fears immediately dissolved into nothing when Junmyeon‘s eyelids fluttered open, as a groan escaped his lips.

“Junmyeon. Junmyeon!” she frantically repeated his name, trying to get him to react. More tears had fallen out of her eyes, all the emotions she was feeling crashing out in the form of the salty liquid. Her vision was blurred by the tears that rained from her eyes, but she could still see Junmyeon’s face. He was now sitting up, and staring at her, eyes sharp.

Did he not recognise her? Questions swarmed through Cordelia’s mind. Did he forget about her?

“Cordelia?” his voice was wavering, disbelieve etched across his face.

Hearing her name out of his lips made Cordelia sob harder, but she managed to nod her head vigorously. “Junmyeon… You are really here. I thought I had lost you, forever.”

“Am I dead? Am I in heaven?” he was still confused. How could he be alive, when he clearly ran the dagger through his heart?

Hearing his response, Cordelia could not help but burst into a fit of wet giggles. Her tears had stopped, and she was hiccupping slightly, shoulders still shaking. “No, you’re not dead. Junmyeon, you are actually alive!”

“Ho… How?” he was still suspended in shock.

“That’s not important. What matters is you are here, with me.” With that, Cordelia pulled him into her arms, burying her head into the crook of his neck. Junmyeon returned the hug just as tightly, relishing this familiar sensation that he thought he will never get to experience again.

As usual, the world around them faded into nothing as they were in each other’s embrace. All that they could feel was a pounding in their hearts, and the comfort of being with each other, loving each other.

Junmyeon stood up, and so did Cordelia. Their eyes were meeting, and every thought they had was laid out clearly, nothing to hide, no secrets to keep. They saw each other for their true self, for who they were, all the fears and insecurities, all the happiness and love.

He pressed his hands on both sides of her face, thumb gently caressing her cheek. He let out a sweet smile.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

No other words were needed. They leaned forward together and their lips touched again, but this time, all they felt was pure joy. There was no trouble waiting for them, no deaths to worry about.

It was a soft kiss, completely chaste and innocent, but through it, they felt the love that was sweeping over them like a tidal wave, a love that was completely returned in full.

They had stopped kissing, but their foreheads were still pressed together, their noses bumping lightly.

“I love you.”

Cordelia knew that already, but she still replied.

“I love you too.”

Junmyeon knew that already, but he still grinned.

Their love was like that of a fairy tale, and after what they’ve been through, they deserved an ending of one too. And so their love lasted forever and always, and they lived happily ever after, their story remembered for generations to come.

 

∞THE END∞