Chapter Text
Through her own remarkable determination, Jolyne was able to pull herself up out of the boat and back up onto the docks. One foot in front of the other, she told herself. Just as Hermes had before, just like any human would be able to. It stung, as if her tail had been rubbed raw right before pressing it down onto the splintering wood. She didn't know how anybody could do this all the time.
Slowly, after yelping when her feet touched the hot sand, she shuffled her way up to the castle. Past the sand, into a strange green brush, she slowly walked up to the gates and stared at the enormous building in front of her. Craning her head and following its path up, it didn't seem to end. Somehow, it'd always looked smaller from her place in the sea.
Jolyne steeled herself, trying to talk herself through her actions. “Alright, Jolyne. All you've got to do is knock on the door and make your way inside. Puff out your chest, be confident . 'Hi, my name is Jolyne, I'm here to marry Hermes.' That's it, that's all you've got to say.” She took in a deep breath and held her fist up to the door, preparing to knock.
Right before her knuckles tapped the wood, the door started to creak and open up. Though the figure in front of her was turned away, Jolyne would recognize that hair, that tall stature anywhere.
“Hermes,” she breathed, smiling up at her beloved. “Hermes, it's you, I-I'm, I'm so glad to see you! Hermes, I did it!”
Hermes faced forward and looked at Jolyne, watching as Jolyne's face went from uncontainable excitement to bewilderment. “...I'm sorry? Miss, who are you? Why are you, ah...” Hermes asked, gesturing to Jolyne's body.
Jolyne blinked. “It's...it's me, Hermes. You don't...you don't remember, do you?” As soon as she spoke this, the sea witch's words echoed in her head.
I'll give you legs, but in return, I'll take Lady Costello's memories. Of you, and you alone.
“...” Jolyne raised a hand to her forehead, buckling her knees down below her. “O-Ohh...f-forgive me, Princess...I-I've been...uhh...swept up by the tides...and I'm so very weary. Sun-sick, y'know?” As she started to sway, Hermes wrapped her arms around Jolyne, holding her steady.
“By the tides? If that's the case, I'll get you inside. Please, miss, come with me,” Hermes said, turning around and leading Jolyne up through the castle. It was easier to walk with Hermes's support, though her feet still trudged rather unwillingly underneath her.
As Hermes led her up into a room, Jolyne glanced from side to side, noting a relative lack of staff throughout the castle. There were only two butlers and a maid – she assumed – who seemed to keep mostly to themselves. For such a large castle, Jolyne couldn't help but be impressed. She couldn't think of how many servants they had attending her home, even though they didn't really have to worry about the inconveniences that came with solid ground or air.
Hermes opened a door, stepping to the side to allow Jolyne into a large room, a bathtub and a folding screen illuminated by sun pouring through an enormous window. “I hope this is suitable, miss. I thought you might wish to wash the salt out of your hair. I can fetch you another set of clothes as well, if wearing this boat sail doesn't quite work for you.” She gave Jolyne a crooked grin. Jolyne felt like she was falling in love all over again.
Jolyne pulled the screen in front of the tub after Hermes brought a set of clothes for her to change into. She pulled out the ribbons and tied them around her wrist for safekeeping, draping the sail on the other side of the screen.
She settled into the tub and looked down at her strange human body for a moment before glancing out the window, leaning against the edge of the bath and sighing as the sun started to set. The witch had really done his job and she'd approached this situation with such confidence that he wouldn't, she wasn't sure what to do to make Hermes fall in love with her.
How had she fallen in love with Hermes? Everything about her, she figured. Her smile, her kindness, her strength, her beauty...of course, she was smitten at first sight. She assumed Hermes must have fallen for her the same way. But it hadn't been love at first sight all over again, since Hermes still had no idea who she was. What could she do this time around? Instead of a year, she had a week. Worse yet, she didn't even quite have a week, did she?
She squinted at the setting sun, like she was trying to glare at it, but something else in the corner of her eye was gleaming at her as well. She flicked her tail to brush it away, but the glint only grew stronger.
Wait, her tail? She looked down at where her nice new human legs should have been, finding her glittering beautiful tail splashing in the water instead. What in the world happened?
Jolyne held onto the edges of the tub and dunked her head over, lifting her tail up instead. Though the water wasn't heavy with salt like she was used to, she could breathe it in easily. Her tail flopped above her, her large tail fin fluttering around. Slowly, as her tail dried, it pulled apart and her scales turned back into skin. Under the water, however, Jolyne started to choke.
Pulling herself up above water, she placed her legs back under and watched them fuse together again into a tail. She was still spitting out water, splashing her tail down in the tub. “...That sea witch really wasn't kidding,” She mused aloud, leaning back against the rim of the bath. “I can't believe he gave me my tail back. Still, I figured he'd only do it when I was down in the sea again. What an ass!”
As long as she had her legs when she got out of the water, however, she didn't exactly care. Of course, the hard part would be to...get out of the water. She hadn't thought about how she'd get out of the tub without use of her legs, and she didn't fancy the idea of almost drowning again. She lifted herself up onto the rim and jumped up, rocking the tub around before she planted down on her front with a wet smack right on the floor.
With her face in the carpet, she flattened her tail in resignation, trying to curl her body to cover the scales on her torso as well. It didn't take Hermes long to come running up, just as Jolyne had expected.
“A-Are you alright, miss?” Hermes asked, to which Jolyne gave a shaky thumbs up. Once she'd dried off and her scales were gone, she lifted herself and brushed her hair back.
“I'm just fine,” she said. “You really worry too--”
Hermes's face was flushed, her hand held up as she turned away from Jolyne. “...M-Miss, can you please put on your clothes?”
Jolyne reached up to take the dress from the screen, stepping into it and pulling it over her shoulders. It was a lacy nightgown, a white one that went down to her knees. Once she was dressed, she untied a ribbon from her wrist and held it out to Hermes. “Can you help me do my hair? Having it down like this is driving me nuts.”
She settled down between Hermes’s legs, guiding the princess’s hands through the complicated hairstyle she usually wore. Hermes was gentle with her hair, her fingers threading through the pale locks to plait the bottom half while Jolyne tied the darker part up into a set of buns. Her bangs, usually a more radiant color, had settled into a rather fair tone that seemed more on the auburn side, instead of her unnatural green iridescence. She didn't look quite as inhuman as she had before, but Hermes still, if she were to be a bit vain, seemed to be rather taken with her.
When she was about to bring up their past relationship to the princess – and establish her own status as royalty– one of the butlers she saw earlier knocked on the door.
“My Lady Costello,” he said stiffly, his eyes fixed on Jolyne.
“Anasui,” Hermes greeted in return, watching as the man in question - Anasui - bowed to her.
“We have to do something with this visitor. As much as it would be kind to let her stay entirely free, there's too much to be done with the upcoming wedding to worry about her as well.”
As much as Jolyne wanted to just stick out her tongue at the butler, she realized he had a point. “What if I...joined you?” She asked, much to Hermes's and Anasui's surprise. “I could help with the wedding. It's the least I can do, since Princess Hermes was kind enough to take me in.” She clasped her hands together and batted her lashes at Hermes, even though the butler didn't exactly seem impressed with this.
“...My Lady Costello, I cannot simply employ a stranger as a lady-in-waiting for you--”
“And why not?” Hermes asked, placing a hand on Jolyne's shoulder. “I don't have one as of now, and I'd need a personal attendant with all of the running around the lot of you are having me do.”
“Well, you have Foo--”
Hermes held up a hand, prompting Anasui to close his mouth. He nodded – a little pathetically, Jolyne thought – and gave Hermes a bow.
“As my Lady wishes. I'll see about getting her a uniform.”
Jolyne frowned and lifted up the skirt of her nightgown, letting it flutter down. “That's great, but Princess Hermes picked this out for me, y'know?”
When Anasui opened his mouth to speak, Hermes simply held up her hand again before turning her attention to Jolyne. “Miss, it's just a nightgown. Isn't it a little, er...”
“Immodest?” The butler supplied.
“...Breezy.” Hermes countered, and Jolyne brushed her hand across the skirt again.
“Yeah, but I like it! It's really warm out here on the gulf, and I just don't want to wear that stuffy looking uniform. If the princess is on board with it, I don't see why you can't just start training me as soon as possible.”
With another look to Hermes, Anasui gave another defeated nod. “...Right. But before you start on anything, you need to wear a pair of shoes.”
Jolyne found out she absolutely hated wearing shoes. She was reminded of a really silly trend she'd seen growing up, where girls would clamp clam shells onto their tails to make themselves look pretty. She never understood why someone would do something so painful just for the sake of fashion. Just as Hermes's mother had an admittedly beautiful pair of shoes on, a set of pearly heels laced with gold and jewels that sparkled with the low lamplight, she could only look at the pearls and remember the yelps from the young girls in the courtyard. She couldn't imagine how much those shoes would hurt, but it didn’t stop her from being discontent with her own footwear. She much preferred her tail.
She saw the Queen's shoes a lot more than she would have thought as she scrubbed and swept the floors, her nightgown tied up to her waist so she didn't get it dirty. She had ladies-in-waiting, of course, and she didn't make them clean. However, since she really didn’t have any other way to prove she wasn’t trying to get close to Hermes for her own personal gain, she stayed down on her knees and scrubbed until the wood sparkled.
As the sun went down, she went off to the servant's quarters after wishing Hermes a good night, eating her dinner with Foo and Weather, the other two servants. While Weather was quiet, Foo seemed rather happy to chat with Jolyne, the maid's excitement overwhelming them so much, they occasionally spilled their rather large glass of water all over their own hand. They went to lap it up mid-sentence, all while still talking to Jolyne about whatever came to mind. The beauty of the coast and its waves, how exciting the upcoming wedding was going to be with Jolyne thrown into the mix, and Foo commending Jolyne for wearing the nightgown while they wore a maid's outfit with the butler's suit pants.
Jolyne was happy to find a friend in the middle of this mess, even if she wished she could eat dinner by Hermes's side. Still, Foo, Weather and Anasui were all good company, and she learned well under their watchful eyes.
As the next day and the day after it came by, Jolyne woke up early to help Hermes dress and do her hair, before Hermes would return the favor and braid Jolyne's. Jolyne tried to have Foo braid her hair again her first night in the castle, but the entire thing ended up as a knotted mess. It wasn't any fault of Foo's, but she decided to have Hermes work with her hair from then on. At the very least, her fellow princess knew what she was doing.
Jolyne sat between Hermes's legs in front of a full-length mirror while the princess dragged a brush through her hair, always careful not to tug on it or knot it up. While she did, she talked to Jolyne, just as she'd talked to the mermaid when they first met on the docks a year prior. Her uneasiness about the marriage was starting to show through more and more, but Jolyne tried to distract her from it by talking about literally anything else. She still loved Hermes as deeply as she did before, and she would do anything to make her feel comfortable.
When Hermes would go out for a run or out horse riding, Jolyne hurried to finish her chores and went back out to the beach to collect shells for Hermes. Occasionally, if she finished early, she'd go diving underwater and let her tail grow back, gathering up the best shells she could for Hermes. The princess always seemed happier with these, even if it was slight. Still, seeing Hermes smile brought a smile to her own face and she went off to do more work feeling lighter than she had before.
On the second night, Jolyne balanced dinner trays on her arms while she served the Costellos for the evening, her gown still tied up to her knees as she placed plates down. As she finished setting the table, Hermes looked up at her and smiled.
“Jolyne...do you want to sit at the table with me?”
She almost cried. It took all of her willpower not to snuggle up next to Hermes and hold onto her while she ate.
Granted, she had no idea how to use any of the utensils placed down in front of her; she only knew the order from Anasui's guide to table setting. She simply kept her eyes on Hermes's hands, watching as she picked up a fork and shoved it down into the food. Curiously, she followed suit, using both hands to ram her fork down into a piece of meat.
The plate shattered underneath her. She looked absolutely mortified as she stared down at the broken ceramic, looking up at Hermes. The one time she was invited to eat dinner with her fiancee, and she absolutely ruined it. In front of her parents too, no less. She was doomed, she was going to be thrown out to the wolves--
Hermes was laughing. Her parents were smiling too, watching as their daughter gathered up part of her dinner on her fork and held it in front of Jolyne.
“You've been 'sun-sick' for an awful long time, haven't you? Don't worry about the plate. You still need to get something to eat, though. Go on, open up.” The bite of food was touching Jolyne's lips.
Jolyne opened up, her face starting to turn red as Hermes fed her dinner. It wasn't as if there wasn't enough for both of them to be satisfied; Jolyne and the rest had laid out quite the spread. When they'd finished, Hermes looked at Jolyne for a while before wiping her face with a napkin.
“I wish you and I had more time together,” she murmured. “There's so much we could teach each other. You could show me how to get those beautiful shells, and I can show you how to...use a fork, I suppose.” Hermes smiled.
If it wasn't for this damn wedding, Jolyne almost said, but she bit her tongue. “I mean, you're a good enough runner,” she said instead. “Are you a decent diver?”
“I'm not a great swimmer. You'd have to teach me that too. You must be halfway decent if you get the ones that are down at the bottom of the gulf, the ones that shine the brightest.”
“I get by,” Jolyne responded, as Hermes laughed.
On the third day, as Jolyne helped Hermes get ready for the day, she looked out the window and saw a carriage pull up to the castle. The carriage was followed by multiple others, and as a man in the first stepped out, she saw Hermes stiffen in front of her. At her urging, Jolyne handed Hermes her sword and followed her down to the ground floor.
Hermes opened the front door, revealing a rather slimy looking man in a patterned purple suit, his own incredibly thin sword at his hip. He bowed down and reached out for Hermes's hand, taking it in gloved fingers and pressing his lips to her knuckles. Jolyne felt like she was going to puke, and by the look on Hermes's face, she felt the same way.
“My gorgeous Lady Costello,” the man said, standing up straight to face Hermes head on. “It's my honor and my pleasure to see you once again. We haven't seen one another since last year's Equinox Festival, right? How have you been?”
Hermes took her hand back, discreetly wiping it on her pants. “I've been fine,” she said curtly.
“Now, my Lady, you know you don't have to be shy. You and I are to be married in only three days' time.”
“I'm well aware, Max. All of the preparations have been made; all that's left is for the day to arrive.”
“And what a marvelous day it will be,” Max said as his attendants made their way to the door as well, carrying Max's luggage up with them. “I only wish that Lady Gloria would be in attendance. I miss her dearly.”
Hermes held her breath and didn't say a word, instead walking out past Max and storming out the coast of the gulf. Instinctively, Jolyne followed behind her, discarding her shoes and running barefoot across the sand. It hurt, almost as much as wearing the shoes themselves, but nothing hurt worse than seeing Hermes upset.
The princess sat up at the dock as Jolyne followed her, kneeling down at Hermes's side. “...Princess Hermes,” she said softly, placing a hand on Hermes's shoulder. Hermes didn't seem surprised that Jolyne followed her out to the dock, but her head still hung low.
“...Jolyne. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be like this. I just...miss my sister. My older sister Gloria was supposed to marry Max, but we lost her out at sea around five years ago.”
Of course, Jolyne already knew this. She moved her hand to Hermes's back, rubbing in gentle circles as she told Jolyne what happened to her sister.
“She was supposed to marry Max, but since she's...it's my responsibility. I can't do it; I know I'm supposed to, but something about him just...sets me off.”
“I don't blame you there,” Jolyne muttered. “He's a creepy guy. And to bring up your sister like that right off the bat...”
“...I just wish I had something to set my mind at ease. Anything from Gloria to let me know that she's at peace. Maybe then I'd be able to marry Max a little easier, even if I don't love him.”
Jolyne's nose wrinkled. “I wish you didn't have to marry him at all. I can't see you happy with someone like that. His nasty smile made me want to take off for the hills!”
Hermes laughed, turning to look at Jolyne over her shoulder. “Why didn't you? Whatever 'debt' Anasui thinks there was between us, I'd say it's been paid time and time again.”
“Isn't it obvious?” Jolyne responded. “It's because of you. I--” She started, before she closed her eyes and tried to speak again. “I care about you, Princess Hermes. And I want to see the rest of this week out as your lady-in-waiting. If I can see you off after your marriage with a smile, that's enough for me, I think.”
Jolyne found herself tugged into a warm hug, buried in the princess's shoulder. She clutched onto Hermes's back, closing her eyes and trying to stop herself from crying.
“Thank you,” said Hermes.
“Yeah.” Jolyne whispered, trying to cover the sound of her voice breaking. “Don't mention it.”
When Hermes went off to sleep for the night, Jolyne stepped out of the servants' quarters with a step as light as a feather. She made her way down the hall, passing by a door just slightly ajar. Lamp light poured through, and Max's shadow was cast on the wall, along with that of one of his personal attendants.
“...that part was easy enough. She loved to go out to sea anyway; drowning was suitable. Nobody asked any questions. I don't think anyone's looked for her.” His voice was low, but Jolyne kept herself pressed up against the wall, peeking at the crack in the door. She leaned closer, trying to listen in further.
“If I'd married Gloria and she died out of nowhere, that'd look terrible for me. I know Hermes is adept with a sword – she'd have my head if I laid a finger on Gloria. But with one out of the way, all I have to do is marry Hermes, keep up appearances for long enough that nobody suspects anything, and collect on the Costello fortune when she dies.”
“Wouldn't that take a while, sir?” The attendant asked in a whisper, before Max's soft laugh came through.
“Not if she meets the same fate as her sister.”
Jolyne had enough. Going in and fighting Max unarmed would be a death sentence, but she knew what she had to do.
She ran out to the shore once she made it out the door, rushing out to the dock and diving into the gulf after shedding her nightgown, trying to remember what Hermes told her. Gloria's body was likely at the bottom of the sea, trapped somewhere it couldn't move. Otherwise, her personal effects would have washed ashore, right?
As her tail grew back, she swam as far down as she could, looking around the sea floor for the boat. However, even as the sun started to rise up, she couldn't find it. She surfaced again and hurried back out to shore, hurriedly waiting for her tail to dry and turn back into a pair of legs. She slid the gown back over her head and padded up the stairs to meet Hermes for the morning.
After helping dress her, as Hermes combed through her hair, she pointed out, “You smell like the sea this morning. There's also quite a bit of salt in your hair; did you go for a swim this morning?”
“Something like that,” Jolyne responded in a joking tone, though even Hermes's laugh didn't entirely put her at ease.
Jolyne had to stand watch as Max and Hermes practiced dancing together after breakfast, Foo and Weather standing in the corner clapping out the beat. Max didn't seem to have much sense of rhythm while Hermes seemed too worried about her fiance to really get into the dance together. Jolyne was mapping out the area around the dock in her head, trying to figure out how far Gloria could have gotten in a sinking boat where nobody could find her.
She was so lost in thought, she didn't notice when Foo waved her down and pointed to Hermes. The princess was in a bow toward Jolyne, offering her hand to dance while Max stared at her with a glare that made her blood run cold.
“...What's all this?” Jolyne asked, turning toward Foo.
“Lady Costello has requested you as a dancing partner,” Max responded instead, a sneer in his tone. “Since you likely have better dancing prowess than myself. So she says, anyway. Really, it would do you better to pay attention. How can you attend to Lady Costello like this?”
With her cheeks flushed, Jolyne took hold of Hermes's hand and laced their fingers together.
“Do you mind if I lead?” She asked as Hermes shook her head.
“So long as I don't have to touch him for a moment longer,” Hermes responded.
Jolyne led Hermes along the ballroom floor, stepping a little clumsily. She clung to Hermes tightly and leaned up against her, speaking softly.
“I'm trying to find Gloria's boat,” she said, just before Hermes guided her away, the two of them arm's length apart. She caught Hermes's shocked expression, twirling the princess around before dipping her down awkwardly. Thankfully, Hermes was able to support her weight, her eyes locked on Jolyne's while she clung to the other woman.
“Why would you....how in the world are you able to?” As Jolyne pulled her back up, she gave Hermes a little smile.
“That's not important. I just wanted you to get the closure you deserve before you start a new chapter of your life, y'know?
“Jolyne...please, don't hurt yourself. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you.”
Nothing happened. Jolyne expected something, some magical sparks, her tail magically growing back...anything to show that Hermes had fallen in love with her again. But there was nothing. Jolyne didn't know what else she could do to make Hermes fall for her. She'd lost, most likely, but she still was determined to bring Gloria's things back for her. At the very least, she needed to see Hermes off with a smile, didn't she?
“I'll be fine! Now c'mon, don't make that serious face. Let me twirl you around a bit more, that'll really lift your spirits!”
Later that night, Jolyne tiptoed as quickly as she could out to the front door again, running out to shore and draping her gown on the edge of the dock. As she looked out at the gulf, she realized she knew where to look before she dove right into the sea, swimming as far down as she could go as her tail formed once again.
She approached the sea witch's domain, watching as the light around her darkened. The further down she went, the closer to the sea witch, the more unease she felt. As she neared his dwelling, the sea witch himself swam over toward her, stopping her in her tracks.
“Have you already given up, Princess?” He asked, his chilling voice causing her brow to furrow in frustration.
“No, I haven't given up. This whole time, we never heard about Gloria Costello's drowning because she sank over here, didn't she? Why didn't you say anything?”
“It wasn't my place to,” he said, before pointing back behind his home. There was an area covered with wooden debris, the royal insignia painted on the side of the broken boat. Inside of the boat was a human figure – or something that used to be one, a glittering golden locket clasped around its neck.
Carefully, Jolyne undid the binds to the locket around the skeleton's collar, taking that and ripping a chunk of wood with the paint on it. “Pucci,” she said, with a bit of a sigh. “You made all of this so hard for me on purpose, but I don't even think I'll make it in time. I don't think she'll fall in love with me before she has to marry Max.”
“Then you'll just come right back down here, won't you? You and Lady Costello will part ways as if the past year never happened. Maybe you won't feel as compelled to run away from your responsibilities. After all, you are the Sea King's only daughter.”
“Did you set this up for me to fail, Pucci?” She asked, weariness set in her tone instead of her usual bite.
“Of course not, Princess. However, I believe that if you really want this, you'll be able to make it work.”
Jolyne was silent for a moment, looking down at the items in her hands before closing her eyes. “I can't make her fall in love with me.”
“Perhaps not,” Pucci agreed. “That takes time.”
“Love takes time, and you did this to me anyway?”
“You're already so close, Princess. Go back to Lady Costello and give her what you've found. At the very least, she'll be happy knowing you've found what remains of her sister.”
The mermaid stared at Pucci, knowing full well that Hermes would be killed if this marriage went through...and she couldn't bring herself to lash out at him. She'd lashed out at her father many times before, yelling at him for paying more attention to his kingdom than her, yelling at him for always being away, leaving her by herself for years, but she couldn't yell at Pucci. At least, not in this moment. As upset as she was, Hermes was more important to her. She could blow up and get angry later; if none of this worked out, she would kick Pucci's teeth in herself.
“...If I do all of this right, will she at least remember me?”
“What good would that do? Do you only want to make her more miserable?” Pucci responded as Jolyne shook her head. “If it doesn't work, maybe I'll take your memories too. I'd hate to see you upset over this, Princess.”
“Don't. At the very least, let me have this.”
“...Good luck, Princess.”
Jolyne made it back up to shore, placing the chunk of wood down on the dock and setting Gloria's locket down beside it. She felt like crying more than anything, but she swallowed it down as she opened up the locket and glanced at the inside.
There were two pictures of Gloria and Hermes. One side had them both as children, while the other had them standing next to each other as young adults – Hermes with her sword at her hip while Gloria sat in an ornate chair delicately. As she opened it, however, a small piece of paper fell into her lap, one folded up to be as tiny as possible to fit into the locket.
Jolyne unfolded the paper and read the inside, noting the elegant handwriting covering the page.
I don't trust Max. I never have. He stares at my jewelry instead of my face and he always keeps his hand curled around his sword. I know his family has fallen on difficult times as of late, and I'm more than happy to marry him for both of our families' sake, but he speaks ill of my younger sister and how protective she is of me. If, for some reason, I should come to an unnatural end, it's due to this man's scheming. He has no conscious, no remorse, and he would gladly kill me to better manipulate Hermes. I know this much. If you've found this, my fears are either unfounded or I'm no longer of this earth. Should it be the latter, please take care of my sister. - Gloria Costello
Her hands were shaking. As she folded up the sheet of paper, she slipped into her nightgown again, knocking into the slab of wood. As she did, the light from the rising sun peeked underneath the dock, glimmering up through a series of tiny yet deliberate holes in the wood. She remembered the sword at his hip, the tip the width of a needle, and she carried the items into the house.
She burst through the door just as Max took Hermes by the hand, both of their attentions shifting over to the door. Jolyne ran up to Hermes and passed the locket with the note into her hand, swatting Max's hands away from her.
“You insolent little--” Max started before Jolyne held a finger up to silence him.
“You're going to want to keep your fucking mouth shut before I slap you quiet,” she snarled, turning back to Hermes. “Hermes, I found your sister's things. You cannot, and I repeat, you cannot marry this man. I overheard him talking about how this would be easy, how he could get you out of the way and claim your fortune after you were married.”
Max was seething, a cold anger settling into his features. “And how can you get by slandering a noble like this as a commoner?” He asked simply before Hermes looked up from the sheet of paper.
“I don't think this is slander, Max.” She responded, folding the sheet back up and clutching the locket. “This is my sister's own hand – I don't think Jolyne could have fabricated this. The salt in her hair too; she found this at the bottom of the sea. Where my sister is.”
Jolyne held up the piece of wood, showing the way the light passed through the board. “These perfect little pinpricks couldn't come from anyone else, I don't think. The gulf didn't eat this away, and there's a bit of metal tarnish around the edges of the circle too.”
Max's mouth opened and closed, the man looking almost like a fish. He instead drew for the sword at his side, but Hermes followed up with the same. She rushed toward him as he held up his blade in self-defense.
“You're not going to duel me?” He asked, barely managing to block Hermes's swing.
“No,” she spat back. “No, absolutely not! You killed my sister, you murdered her like a coward! I ought to have your head on a pike for what you've done!”
Before Max could speak, Hermes ran her sword through him, looking him right in the eye as he held his hand over his wound. “This is for Gloria,” she said, dragging her sword back out and kicking him down onto the ground.
While Jolyne stared in awe, Hermes turned toward Jolyne with a smile. “Thank you, Jolyne. If it weren't for you, I would have been married to my sister's murderer. I don't know how I can ever repay--”
In an instant, something in Hermes's eyes changed. They widened as she looked at Jolyne, and she dropped her sword and pulled the mermaid in for a tight hug. Covering her face with kisses, Hermes broke down into sobs while she lifted Jolyne up.
“H-Hermes! You remember me now?” Jolyne asked, wrapping her arms around Hermes as the princess nodded.
“Everything, I remember you leaving and me forgetting you...I knew I trusted you, but I didn't know who you were. I-I don't know how, but I remember everything that's happened this past week, and...Jolyne, I love you! I love you so, so much!”
That was all it took for Jolyne to start crying too, her lips pressing against the top of Hermes's head. “I love you too, Hermes! I'm glad, I'm so happy you remember me!”
After Jolyne explained to Hermes what had happened – occasionally gesturing down to her new pair of long legs, lifting up the hem of her nightgown to show them off – she showed Hermes's parents her own royal insignia when they offered to grant her a boon for all she'd done. Of course, the only thing Jolyne wanted was to marry Hermes, and that's exactly what she got.
Their wedding was on the beach, with Hermes's family and Jolyne's family both in attendance. Of course, Jolyne had to introduce her fiancee to her father, but it didn't seem like he minded too much. If anything, he was pleased she found someone she could consider close to her.
When the wedding was all said and done, Jolyne swam down to the bottom of the gulf and entered the sea witch's domain, swimming through the entryway to find Pucci sitting in a chair, reading a stone tablet.
“Was finding Gloria what I needed to do to get Hermes to fall in love with me?” She asked the witch, who lifted his head to speak to her properly.
“Ah, there you go again with the 'falling in love' business. I told you, all she had to do was love you. I'm sure her gratitude toward you qualified enough as love to give her back her memories. You really need to clean out your ears before you come to see me, Princess.”
Jolyne stared at Pucci in wonder, letting out a laugh. “You know, if I wasn't so damn happy, I'd beat the shit out of you. You know that, right?”
“Of course. But you don't have the time right now, do you? Your new wife is waiting for you at the dock, isn't she?”
He was right, of course. As Jolyne swam up to shore, she jumped up out of the water. Hermes caught her, even though she'd soaked the both of them, and pulled her in for a kiss. Jolyne held onto Hermes's cheek, watching as Hermes raised her hand to touch Jolyne's, their rings clinking against each other.
“C'mon, Hermes, can you take me back up to the castle? I want to eat dinner with you and all the others again.”
“You can't walk yourself?” Hermes asked, a playful smile on her face as she held onto Jolyne a little tighter.
“I mean, I can, but I'd rather have you carry me! Don't we look like newlyweds a bit more properly like this?” Even as her tail changed into a pair of legs, Hermes didn't let her down. Instead, the princess kissed the mermaid's forehead.
“Then I'll take my beloved princess back to our castle. Just hold on tight, alright? I don't want to drop you, especially since you're still all slippery from being underwater.”
“Aw, you do care about me! Don't worry, I'll hold on tight, okay? I'll never let you go, after all.”
Hermes kissed Jolyne quickly, her cheeks starting to flush with color. “You're such a sap, Jolyne. But I wouldn't let you go either. Come on.”
Jolyne laughed as Hermes carried her back up to the castle, the two of them happy as could be for the rest of the lives together.