Fairy Tales: Another Ending

1.3

The feeling of someone nudging me awakens me. I came, to see it was Flounder. He looks at me with a worried stare. But upon seeing me acknowledge his existence, he beams. 

"Esther! You're awake! Oh goodness, I was worried. What has happened to you? Why are you missing a limb? And what's with the locket hanging from you?" He bombards me with questions. 

All I can do is stare at him. The constant pain keeps running through my very being. I writhe from it, curling into myself. Flounder quickly swims closer to me, trying to see what is wrong with me. He only becomes more worried when he doesn't understand what has happened. Suddenly, someone can be heard knocking outside the underwater cave.

Flounder reluctantly goes to answer it. "Please wait, I need to go see who it could be."  He nudges his face onto mine. The way fish would comfort others. I watch him leave, the many bubbles showing what path he's taking. I slump onto the moss-covered rock, shivering every time pain shoots up in me.

In the background, I can hear someone speaking. Flounder appears, and with him are two mermen dressed as guards. Their forsworn shoulder armor made of what appears to be isopods shined like gold. Their spears were made of sharpened bones until their tip was pointy enough to pierce through the skin. I can see Flounder looking on very nervously. Unsure of what has happened. I got a pretty good guess though...

"Esther, the King has summoned you to come to his palace. He has something he would like to speak to you about. Come, let's not keep his majesty waiting."

"W-wait! She is in no condition to go anywhere! Can't this wait until Esther is feeling a bit better?" Flounder asks. If fish could sweat, he'd be dripping with it by now.

"I'm sorry to say this, but it cannot wait. It is a matter of utmost importance." The guards refuse to listen. One approaches me and scoops me up. They both start to leave as Flounder swims behind them in worry. 

"Please! Take me along with you as well! I'll have to bring her back home when this summoning is done." He pleas. 

One of the guards seems to consider his suggestion, but the other shakes his head no. "King Triton has only summoned Esther. You cannot come with us."

As we leave towards the palace, I glance behind me, seeing Flounder's sad face. His eyes never leave me as he slowly starts to shrink away. I curl into myself, trying to numb myself of the constant pain that feels like eels gnawing my skin off. Seeing the palace come into view, I wonder what waits for me.

We enter the palace to greet the King. Standing in front of the door is that same attendant who was holding the oysters for Ariel's grandmother during her coronation. She looks up to see me and smiles.

"Allow me to take her inside," she demands to the guard holding me. I find myself being handed to her as the doors open. Sitting on the throne is the king, his five daughters, and Ariel's grandmother, the old queen dowager. He stares down at me with his everlasting blank look while his five daughters look on in worry.

Once the doors behind me close, the attendant and I move up. She places me down once we're close enough to converse with the king. Silence is what greets me as I await their questions. Each second that passes makes me worry about what is to come. When a good amount of time passes, the king finally speaks. His voice sounds so deep and intimidating that it makes one want to hide away.