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Logline
For the past 80 years, humanity has persecuted merfolk, banishing them to a distant corner of the sea. Ari is sick of it. In order to exact revenge, she strikes a deal with a warlock—legs for the human prince's head.
Blurb
There's one thing in the world that Arielle hates above all else.
Humans.
Eighty years ago, the human kingdom of Anjord destroyed the merfolk kingdom of Vandya and banished her people to a distant corner of the sea. Since then, the merfolk have become little more than a myth to the rest of the world.
But when the formidable Prince Eero crosses the border into her kingdom, Ari has reason to believe he's trying to start another war -- one her father won't engage in. Desperate to protect her people and get her own revenge, Ari makes a deal with her exiled uncle.
In exchange for legs and the opportunity to kill the crown prince of Anjord, Ari trades the warlock her seat on the throne. Now, she has one month to bury a dagger in the prince's back or lose her home and future.
In this dark retelling of The Little Mermaid, Arielle's alliances will be tested as she discovers a plot thicker than honey and romance in the most unexpected places.
First 1,000 Words
He came to me
Across the sea.
With drops of water in his hair
And all the world in his hands, bare.
He stood as one who knew no enemy
And someone who would never be more than me.
His sword aloft in one hand,
A man born of sky and land.
Even with the bite of an autumn chill in the air, the shallows of Vandya are heavenly. Water laps at us from below, covering the bases of our tails and the tips of our fingers as we stretch like lazy sea lions. The sun warms both our bodies and minds. Even Finn's gentle humming adds to the reverie.
It's a shame he has such terrible taste in music.
"Don't you know another song?" I whisper, not willing to open my eyes and break the spell I feel like I'm under.
In response to my clipped question, Finn sings even louder and continues into the deep timbre of the third verse.
Oddly enough, as much as I hate this song, I know all the lyrics. It's a traditional song and by far my least favorite of all the fairytales our parents used to tell us. "Between Two Souls," they call it. Disgusting and unforgivable, as far as I'm concerned. But as Finn goes on to romanticize the story of two heartbroken, forever-separated soulmates, I'm drawn in again. It's just because he has a melodic voice, I tell myself.
