Author's Note: Last updates of the week! Then, at least three between each Thursday.
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“You don't belong there, you know,” Mathis murmured in the dark.
Youngest flinched. It was unnerving each time the sea witch spoke. The grotto echoed so that her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. She wasn't sure how to answer her mother. There was nothing to say.
Mathis persisted, however, “You will be unhappy.”
The little mermaid's eyes softened. “If I am with Peter, it will be enough. I will be happy.”
Her mother let out a harsh laugh that made the princess frown. “Yes. You will be. For a time.”
Then she was silent, leaving Youngest stunned, wondering what this could mean.
After several stretching minutes, she spoke, her small hands clutched in her lap.
“I...Will I remain human for long?”
“Forever,” Mathis said.
Startled, Youngest ceased wringing her hands. “Forever!”
Her delighted smile was tempered by a twinge of guilt. It was Esther's and Astra's idea to consult the sea witch. Hearing her tales of Peter and the world above, they had encouraged her with their customary cheerfulness, accepting her desire to be human as readily as they would have a received a wish for a new crown or a special food. It was their way. Youngest felt her heart ache for them momentarily, but was drawn out by the sea witch's rasp:
“Perhaps.”
“Perhaps?”
“All things being equal,” the witch replied. Even through the darkness Youngest could sense Mathis' grin.
“What do you mean?” Youngest resisted the urge to grasp the witch's tail as she went by. If only she could get her to stay still!
“Should the prince return your silly affections, you will remain human forever,” Mathis laughed. Vials clinked. “If not, I'm sure your heart will break as young hearts tend to do.” Unconcealed pleasure coated her voice.
“Then...I will return to the sea?”
“Not as you are now, but yes,” the sea witch chuckled. Youngest winced at the sudden sound of steam. It hissed for a few moments before cutting off, and the grotto was left unpleasantly warm. “When the prince chooses another, you will throw yourself into the sea in despair and be turned to foam.”
Youngest paled, shuddering, then turned her face aside. “I will not throw myself into the sea,” she said. “If Peter should love someone else, I...I will content myself to be his servant.”
The witch burst into peals of laughter. Youngest clapped her hands over her ears to block out the terrible sound that caused the grotto to tremble.
“The favored princess to become a servant to a human fool!” she gasped, dropping something that smashed to pieces on the floor in her mirth. “You have your father's sentimentality.”
The little mermaid clenched her fists at her side. “My father's sentimentality saved your life!” she said, the heat in her voice surprising her. “He loved you deeply, so much so that he didn't destroy you when you betrayed him to come” —she gestured— “here!”
Mathis swept up the pieces of whatever she had dropped. “His mistake.” She chuckled. “He ceased to amuse me. You, however, promise to be more tragically foolhardy than he.”
Youngest did not reply. She was moving along the sides of the cavern, her fingers lightly brushing the walls. She tried once more to get an idea of the shape of the grotto. For a short while the stone remained rough and dull, then slowly transitioned to something smooth and cold. The princess trailed her fingers to the floor where she found that the smooth stone dropped off sharply. A chill current issued from the open crevice. She scuttled against the wall with a shiver.
“This will take an hour yet, Youngest. The silence is dull. Sing for me.” Mathis' voice was unexpectedly pleasant, even curious. “I have heard that the kingdom takes pride in your voice.”
The princess flushed. “What shall I sing?”
Dismissive, the witch muttered, “Any banal tune shall do. Sing til I am finished.”
Youngest wrapped her arms about her curled-up tail and began with the “Fiddler's Green,” inventing words where she did not remember them. She kept her eyes fixed on where she believed her fins to be, her charming voice filling the cavern with a strange cheer.
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