The Castle on the Water

3. The Prince

"We should punish her in front of everyone!" One of the angry men shouted as they tried to figure out what to do with the princess.

"That would need a royal's approval." The other guard said.

The leader was quiet, running his fingers across the bloody scales of the mermaid that were near his face as he carried her.

"We should descale her. Do you know how much these could be worth?" The leader says in a whisper. "We could do it quietly and get a good amount off of her parts."

Moani whimpered quietly, her tail flicked and her fins whipped the leader in his face. He growled out a groan and threw her down to the ground, directly on the dagger protruding from her tail, making her give another animalistic shriek.

Thankfully, Moani had alerted others of her presence. More guards came running, curious of the noise and where it might had come from, bringing relief to the mermaid because keeping quiet to make off with money from her scales is a plan that can no longer happen... she hoped.

Moani was surrounded by men who wore the same armor, the insignia on each chest plate was the last thing she was able to see clearly before her vision flickered in and out. She fought hard against the haze that was trying to cage her, the wound in her tail feeling as if it were only pulsing harder and harder as the time goes by.

Then, a voice came through the buzz in her ear drums.

"Are you guards gambling?" A deep voice shouted, the tone joking as they spoke, tone light and playful. Obviously oblivious to why they were all gathering around suddenly.

"Prince Elijah.." A guard faintly murmured, the men stepping away from Moani to bow, exposing the panting-bloody mermaid.

A new blurry figure came into Moani's line of sight, but the picture was fading fast, his features of glowing perfection a mystery as she stared up at him.

It was silent, aside from the sound of moving metal as the guards shifted in wonder, as the two royals looked at each other, both in wonder but for different reasons. Suddenly, a familiar large figure stood next to the prince and whispered something in his ear as Moani looked on, slipping into the depth of her conscience.

"Bring her inside." Prince Elijah's voice said next.

The tone of his voice was different now, even Moani could hear it. It was serious and authoritive. It made her body rise in goosebumps and her stubborn heart filled with worry before there was nothing else.

***

Moani woke up hours later, her head pressed against something cold and hard. When her eyes opened, the world was on it's side. The air was damp with moisture, yet it was too dry for Moani's adjusting lungs.

"What..?" Moani softly called out into the darkness that surrounded her, her voice strained and trying. There was a small sliver of light from the sun that lit up about an inch off the floor a few feet in front of her.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. The sound grew closer until boots stood in the pathway of the light.

"Our legends of you creatures seem to be true." The same deep voice of the Prince rang out.

Moani tried to speak, but the air caught in her throat, drying it up too quickly.

"I should have you punished and tortured, like you did to that poor man. Did you plan to eat him, as well?"

Moani whimpered and shook her head in confusion, hand flying up to touch her throat, indicating that it was too difficult for her to speak at the moment.