Chapter Text
Your legs dangled over the cliff face, hair whipped back in the strong wind. This was part of your nightly routine. Every single night you would run along the cliff side next to your colony to sit above the ocean. You ran your fingers along the small pebbles and rocks that adorned the side of the ledge, throwing the small rocks into the clear blue water below.
Wings fluttering behind you in the cold night air, your eyes searched the empty ocean. Looking for one minuscule break in the calm water. Then, just as the third rock broke the surface, a whirlpool appeared where it had sunk into the depths. A grin crept across your face uncontrollably as the water erupted up in a geyser.
“Took you long enough.” You chuckled.
Shaking the sea water from out of his hair, Levi leapt gracefully up onto the rock next to him. His dark hair shone in contrast to the midnight sky. His grin that you could barely see from your distance seemed to stick out beautifully in contrast to the scenery. “Is hard to come out at the right time when you’re always late.”
You laughed loudly, completely unable to hide a growing blush that threatened to overwhelm your face. “It’s hard to sneak away from the colony, okay? They never seem to go to bed!”
The air shifted a little, and you could tell even from your distance that Leviathan was frowning determinedly. “Then why can’t you just tell them that I’m here? Or that you come to see me every single day?”
You looked away. Your gaze naturally landed on the dark forest just behind your home, watching as if someone would burst out of the trees at any moment. “Levi.. you know they don’t like mermaids.”
“Merman.” He corrected, not attempting to soften his disapproving tone.
“Wel they don’t like merman either.”
Leviathan sighed loudly, hiking his luminescent tail up to tuck his hands underneath its scales. “I know, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” You breathed. “You don’t need to apologise. It’s not your choice to be a merman.”
He nodded ever so slightly. “I know. However, I wish your colony was a little less judgmental.”
You could see traces of tears in his eyes and in a desperate attempt to calm him, you leaned forwards. The height of the waves crashing below seemed to escape you.
“MC!” Leviathan shouted. You snapped out of your stupor and turned your attention back to the merman. He dove off the rock he sat upon, swimming closer to the cliff on which you dangled your legs off. “You can’t risk falling into the water!”
“I’m not even injured though!”
Leviathan looked up from the water, eyes solemn. “It’s too much of a risk anyway, especially for someone as lame as me..” Before you could snap at his self deprecation, he’d already moved past it.
“Besides, just because harpy’s only dissolve from water if their injured doesn’t mean healed injuries escape this fate.”
This got your attention.
“Healed injuries?” You repeated.
He didn’t answer you, tail flitting back and forward in the crystal clear water.
“It’s because of my wings, I knew it.” Your fingers traced the pebbles under your feet. “You look down on me because of it.”
His eyes widened, the yellow and orange mellow that coloured them lightening in the darkness of the night. “Of course not! You know that doesn’t matter at all to me!”
Leviathan swam back to the rock, once again jumping up onto it to where he could meet your eyesight. “You know I can’t even see your wings anyway..”
Your hand flew to cover your mouth. “Oh goodness! I’m so sorry!”
You had completely forgotten about the distance between the two of you. Someone mentioning your injured wings always annoyed you, your defensive side ready to protect yourself.
“I’ve completely ruined our night together.” You sighed.
Leviathan shook his head, an obvious flush lighting his face. “It’s completely fine. I'm glad you came either way.”
-
The harpy colony you were a part of wasn’t a great place to live. It had always been that way however. Your childhood wasn’t great, and nothing had improved when you came of age.
Sure, these harpies may be your family. Sure, they were the only people who ever talked to you. That didn’t mean you liked them.
If you were to look up the word ‘Harpies’ in the Kingdom’s library textbooks, you would find them under the category ‘evil’. A species classified as evil, it wasn’t hard to see why a lot of your family was spiteful and angry.
Whether it be nature or because of prejudice, the colony did everything to live up to this dire expectation.
Many of the village's harpies took the whole evil species thing straight to heart, acting with religious evil. This didn’t suit you however. While your ‘friends’ were raised with animosity resulting from their parents' own hardships, you didn’t have this burden.
You raised yourself. No one knew who your parents were. It was rumoured amongst the village gossips that your parents were criminals or even not of proper age.
This didn’t escape you. It was clear to you that your parents didn’t want you. Not that it really mattered. You didn’t need them in the end. Without the bias of a bad influence, you managed to grow by yourself.
The one thing you longed for more than anything else however, was friends. Even if it was only one person, you longed for companionship. It didn’t matter who it was. You wanted anyone.
When you stumbled upon Levi one day, the bond was instantaneous. Your friendship with him however, seemed to slowly slide into something different. Maybe you giggled more when he spoke to you. Maybe your face heated up.
It was definitely something else.
“You look nice today, MC.”
Stood in line for the daily rations, you didn’t think you looked particularly pretty. A blush threatened your cheeks at the friendly harpies compliment. “I got a good night's sleep.” You dismissed.
He raised an eyebrow as he served your rations. It wasn’t a lot. The only way to receive extra rations was with gold pieces, gold pieces that you didn’t have.
Jun almost always served you your rations. He was a member of the harpy council, the youngest on the board. His kindness towards you never failed to surprise you.
“I thought you would've been more excited about something else. Something a little more.. out of the ordinary.” Jun passed over a small water satchel, which you gladly received.
“Oh?” You paused when you realised what he said. Something else? Did he mean Levi? He couldn’t possibly mean him. You felt your heartbeat drop. “Like what?”
“The colony trip of course!” Jun smiled widely.
You signed with relief. Your secret was safe. “Oh, right, of course! Well, I’m not sure if I’ll even be chosen to go on the trip, you know how exclusive it is.”
“I know.” Jun nodded. “This year however the council added an extra ten availability slots. I wish you luck.”
You grabbed your now filled plate and gave him your brightest smile. “Good luck to you too.”
Skipping out of the courtyard, you went back to your regular routine, racing along the cliff side. The sun set as a backdrop behind you as you ran. Finally, you sat down, legs swinging with a nervous energy as you gazed across the water. Beginning your rations, only measly bread and soup, you threw the small white stones into the water.
The whirlpool appeared, Levi launching himself from its middle onto his rock. “You’re actually early today.” Leviathan wiped salt water from his forehead, eyebrows raised directly at you. “Too early. It’s still two passings till sunset.”
You couldn’t help but smile. “That’s a good thing. You can watch the sunset with me.”
“You’re in a very good mood.”
Laughing, you threw a pebble into the water just by him. “Jun said that too, you know. It’s because the council expanded the colony trip to 50 harpies, and I really want to go.”
Leviathan ran his fingers along his tail, smooth fingers tracing the pastel lavender scales to the violet ones, then up to the pendant that hung around his neck. The tiger orange gem lit up in the fading sunlight.
“I don’t want you to go.”
“What?” You breathed. The look in Leviathan's eyes told you he was dead serious.
“It’s not safe.”
You looked at him, completely confused. He wasn’t joking. “What do you mean? The Royal Kingdom is the safest part of the world. It’s got to be safer than the harpy colony at the very least!”
“You’ll be alone.”
Standing up from the cliff face, your claws scratching in your haste and desperation. “I’m always alone! It doesn’t matter if I’m either here or there!”
Leviathan frowned. “Alone?” His eyes seemed to dull at your words. “I’m here.”
“But what if you’re not enough for me?”
Leviathan’s eyes lost all emotion, the usual swimming tangerine colour completely greyed. His blank look did nothing to reflect the extent of his heartbreak.
For all the time you had known Levi, you came to know his self esteem was little to none and he was more sensitive than others. It had never occurred to you that you may be the one to finally break him.
“Wait!”
It was too late.
Leviathan dove under the water, fins creating a geyser of water that splashed up as he hit the water.
“Levi!” You yelled into the water, unable to make him hear you. He was already gone. “Levi..”
You cried his name into the night until daylight broke. He hadn’t come back to you. It seemed he may never come back at all. It was obvious how much you had hurt him. Sniffing tears from your eyes, you staggered to your feet. The journey back to the colony felt a lot longer that night.
Your merman friend's heartbroken face that radiated betrayal stayed present in your mind all night.
A loud crash interrupted your dreams, snapping you awake instantaneously. Immediately you jumped out of bed, throwing your curtains open. The view outside your window froze you.
The entire village was on fire. Everything you could see was engulfed in flames, your entire world on fire.
Before you could manage to run out your door, an arrow whistled through the air, striking your wooden window frame right next to your head. The sound it made was entirely deafening. Goosebumps shot up your arms. Blood splattered the floor in front of you, making you desperately grasp for your head.
Something was wrong.