The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Chapter 20

Recap:

"Do you have everything yet?" he asks as he tugs on her arm in excitement.

"Indeed I do. Gather the boys around the campfire," she instructs. Then she leans in to whisper to him, "I'll let you be the first, though." Excited, he runs off to get the others. Over the next few hours, Sirena draws whatever the boys want for their tattoos. By the end of the night, she has been hugged more times than she can count. She sits by the fire, happily massaging her sore hand as she listens to the excited chatter of the boys, admiring their new marks.

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After a few days of enjoying a peaceful life with the Lost Boys, Sirena went back to her secret haven to contact Hook. She floats in the pool for a few minutes, relishing the feeling of being one with the water again. To her surprise, she hears Hook's voice through the shell as she lies there.

"Sirena, are you there?"

She uses magic to pull the shell to her so she can stay in the water. "Yes, captain? I was actually just about to call for you!" she expresses her surprise.

"They do say great minds think alike."

"Ah, but they also say fools rarely differ, captain. Which one are we?"

"I would say great minds, but I can't speak for you," he laughs. "I have someone here who wishes to talk with you."

"Where's the Wench of the Water?" she hears a familiar voice inquire.

"Off with the Lady of the Lake!" Sirena cheers. "Viviane, how are you? The captain isn't bothering you too much, is he?"

"I am offended you would think such a thing, lass!" he interjects.

"It's rude to interrupt, good sir. And he has been fine, Sirena. He can't be too bad while he's bonded to you."

"True, I am quite 'pure of heart' as you always said," she replies, teasing.

"As much as I love our banter, we have news: we got to the council."

"That's wonderful! What did they say?"

There's a moment of silence, then Viviane replies with a hesitant voice. "I'm afraid that was all the good news I have. They said there is no way to cure you. The only way you can remain a mermaid and receive your full magic is if the captain is, in fact, your true love."

"No! That can't be! What if we can sever the bond-"

"If you do that, you will both die. That is what the council said. I'm so sorry, Sirena, but there's nothing anyone can do."

Silent tears trail down her face in shock and pain. "So what do I do now? Hook cannot return to Neverland, but if I leave permanently, I will have so little time."

"What are you suggesting, Sirena?"

"It's my only chance to stay a mermaid. If I lose that, I lose who I am."

"Wait, lass. Am I understanding this right? You want to try true love's kiss. With me?"

"I'm desperate, captain. We know so little about the nature of the curses. No one has ever failed their second curse and experienced their third. This is a chance and I'm willing to see if it works. If it doesn't, I can go to the land without magic. I can avoid being shunned if I do. I won't be able to use my magic, but I won't lose it and I'll stay a mermaid. It's my only option now."

"But what about Pan? Can't he help you? You said the council knows so little about the curses," Hook questions.

"Pan has promised to stay away from me and I'm not going to encourage him. Anyway, no other mermaid has failed their second curse, but many have failed their third. Several have failed because they accidentally are bound to someone other than their soulmate after the second curse ends. The council would know how to cure those mermaids if there was any way to do so. What I meant is they don't know anything about what happened with my case."

"It's true. The council wouldn't hide the cure if there was one. They only shun the mermaids who truly fail the third curse because of how the second curse works. It finds you your soulmate, but true love is something very different. You are a stranger to your soulmate at the start of the curse. By the end, they should become your one true love. There are those who fail to complete the transition from soulmate to true love, though. They are shunned because it means they don't have a pure enough heart or they cannot love."

"Viviane, can you ask the council if there are any other ways to determine if someone is your soulmate?"

"Of course. I'll let you and the captain... Discuss everything. It was good to hear from you."

"I was happy to hear from you as well." There is a long moment of awkward silence as they both wonder what to say next.

"So are we just going to pretend this is a normal situation, then?" Hook questions, exasperated.

"I'm not any happier about this than you are! But I am sorry you were pulled into this."

He sighs, "I'm sorry, lass. It is neither one of our faults, so I shouldn't be mad at you. We are both simply two souls with some unfortunate luck."

"How true, captain." She smiles, then groans as her thoughts travel. "Oh no! I'm going to have to say goodbye to the Lost Boys again. I don't know how I'll be able to do it. I care for all of those boys, they need me. And just when they thought I would be there to stay, I have to leave again. And I might not be able to ever return." New tears form at the thought.

"What if you gave them a shell like the ones we use? They could still talk to you then."

"I'm not sure if it will work if I'm in the Land Without Magic, but it couldn't hurt to try. It could give the boys some hope at the very least."

"It's worth a go then," he encourages. Then a question pops into his mind. "How are you going to explain why you're leaving? With the story you told the boys, there's no way they'd let you go if you tell them the truth."

"I'll figure that on my own. I'll come back soon to see what Viviane finds out. I want to make a few more memories with the boys before I do anything else."

"Until then, lass. Have some fun, okay? You deserve it," he urges her.

"I will, captain. Give my best to Viviane."

"Will do. Goodbye, Sirena."

"Goodbye, Hook."