Chapter Text
“I’ll be home soon Sofia, don't worry,” Birk told his daughter who didn’t want to let go of him at the port. After much deliberation, Miranda was finally able to separate the girl from her father to place on her hip when the girl asked,
“Can we go sailing when you come back dad?”
“Why of course!” Birk said, placing a gentle kiss on his daughter’s forehead. “You need all the practice you can get if you want to captain your own ship one day.” Sofia beamed at the reminder.
The mother and daughter waved as he boarded his ship which was all ready to set sail.
“I’ll see you both soon!” he called as the ship sailed off, leaving his family to deal with a fate none of them knew was coming.
–
“Do those clouds look okay to you?” Birk asked the captain. They were a ways off the coast of Nueva Vista and getting closer to their destination of Cordoba.
“No, I don't like the look of them either,” the captain replied while eyeing the sky. As they kept sailing the clouds got darker and darker, making the crew fear for a storm.
Just then, thunder clapped and lightning struck causing the whole sky to turn a bright white.
“Men, we're turning the boat around!” the captain called out. But it was too late to avoid the storm as it was just beginning to cross over them.
Strong winds and enormous waves caused the boat to rock violently, knocking the crew off their feet. The rain started pouring resulting in low vision, which would’ve been a problem if they were able to control their ship.
The crew watched helplessly as the waves caused the boat to crash into a nearby rock, tearing it in half. As the ship sank, Birk was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. Waves kept crashing onto the boat and into him and everytime he was able to collect his bearings another would hit him again.
Birk couldn’t see where he was and didn’t even realize that the waves dragged him off what was left of the boat until he hit his head on the hull of the ship before every thing faded to black.
–
When Birk woke up again he was underwater. With a mermaid tail.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” a creature who looked like it came right out of his daughter’s picture books said.
“Who are you and what in the world is going on?” Birk asked, utterly confused out of his mind. One moment he was trying not to drown and the next he was talking to a mermaid under the sea. Was he dead?
“I’m Adelmo, you were sailing over Coronda when your ship sank in a storm. I only found you and two others but your heart was the only one still beating so I brought you to the Milagras.”
“Milagras?” Birk asked.
“Magical kelp that can turn humans into sirenas,” Adelmo told him. “Our Queen also fell off a ship and the King saved her the same way. You were nearly dead, it was the only way I knew how to save you.”
“So what’s going to happen to me? My wife and daughter are waiting for me back in Enchancia to come back from my trip.”
“I’m really sorry,” the sirena told him sorrowfully. “The Milagras are permanent.”
“So you’re saying that I'm a sirena now? Forever?” Birk asked horrified.
“Again, I’m really really sorry. I didn’t know any other way to save you and I couldn’t just leave you there.”
“No no Adelmo, I’m…forever in your debt,” the man turned sirena told his new friend sadly but gratefully. “But is there no way I can possibly see my family again?” he asked.
Adelmo thought for a moment before responding, “Enchancia you said? It's too far to swim and that’s if you even had the proper directions there and favourable waters. Your best bet would be if they sailed over Coronado for any reason. But I must warn you, I’m sure you as a sailor have heard the stories of Sirenas sinking ships. We stopped many years ago but haven’t found any way to tell the humans that, so they still think we’re a threat. It’s too dangerous to go up near a ship because they’ll target you now too. They could shoot you with a crossbow or worse.”
“My daughter’s dream is to captain a ship. I’m sure one day she’ll sail over. And who knows, maybe my family will go on a trip and sail through these waters before that happens. I’ll just have to keep going up to the surface for every ship until I find them once more.”
“I commend you for that but first you must be tired. Let me bring you to my home. I’ve got plenty of food to share,” Adelmo told him with a smile.
–
Miranda and Sofia heard a knock on the door that made them both jump. It had been a month since Birk was supposed to return from his latest trip and every knock made them worry there was bad news to come. He had never taken this long to come home to his family before and they were scared the worst had happened.
“Sofia! Could you see who’s at the door for me please!” Miranda called from their upstairs bedroom. They had both just woken up after deciding to start their day slowly. Sofia had risen earlier though, wanting to feed some of the animals that roamed outside their shop.
“Mom, it’s the harbour master!” Sofia called up to her mom, hopping off the step stool she used to check who their guest was from the front door window.
Her mother rushed down the stairs, assuming the worst about her husband who was still out at sea. Miranda opened the door for the man who was bearing a sorrowful expression.
“Good day Captain Swanson,” Miranda greeted the harbour master. “Is everything alright?” she asked, as he removed his hat from his head.
“Miranda, may I come in? I have some news,” he told her. Miranda stepped aside to let the man in while Sofia ran to pull up an extra chair for him. As the harbour master sat and motioned for Miranda to join him he sighed deeply as if upset about what news he was about to relay.
“Sweetheart, could you go get our guest some water please?” Miranda asked. As Sofia walked off Captain Swanson set his hat down on a nearby table and pulled one of Miranda’s hands into his own.
“I have some news on your husband, Miranda.”
“Where is he?” she asked, worried for his safety.
“Lost.”
“W-what do you mean?” she questioned with tears in her eyes. Her worst nightmares were coming true.
“A couple of weeks ago, the harbour master of Cordoba sent a letter. Birk’s ship never made it,” he said, drawing a shocked gasp out of the woman. He continued, “The harbour master sent out a letter to surrounding kingdoms. I did the same with our neighbours. We both wanted to make sure the ship didn’t get rerouted before we came to a conclusion. Today however, I received word of a response from Avalor’s Nueva Vista. There was a big storm that went as far into the water as the eye could see around the same time the ship was expected to pass by. The next day debris from a ship arrived on shore, including a torn up Enchancian flag. I’m really sorry Miranda.”
Sofia walked back in with a glass of water in her hand and a smile on her face, no idea that her world was about to change in a way she was too young to understand. She gave the harbour master his water and then asked,
“Mom, why are you crying?”
“Oh Sofia,” was all her mother could say. She got up to kneel in front of her daughter to pull her in for a proper hug.
“Do you want me to tell her?” the captain asked.
“No, I should be the one to do it, but thank you,” Miranda responded.
“I’ll leave you both to it then,” he said. Right before he closed the door behind him he added, “let me know if you need any help,” Miranda nodded in acknowledgement.
She sat her daughter in the newly vacant seat and held her hand the way Miranda’s was held a moment ago.
“Sofia sweetie, you know how we’ve been waiting for your father to come home?” Miranda asked.
The girl nodded. “Yeah! You said he was late. But when is he coming home mom? I miss him,” she said wide eyed to her mother.
Miranda took a deep breath before speaking, “You’re right. I did say he was running a bit late but something changed and he’s really sorry but he can’t come home right now. Okay?”
The little girl looked at her mother with tears in her eyes, not understanding the gravity of the situation. “Why?” she asked.
“Well, when he and his crew were sailing a big storm got in their way and confused everyone on the ship…so they got lost,” Miranda responded, choked up from her own emotions.
“He can’t find his way home?” Miranda nodded. “But he said we would go sailing when he came back!”
“I know Sofia. But you know, he’s just as upset he can’t sail with you as you are,” Miranda said, trying to console her distressed daughter.
“Really?” Sofia asked. Her mother nodded in response.
“Will he ever find his way home mom?”
“I don’t know Sofia but I sure hope so,” Miranda said knowing that that was one dream that would never come true.
–
As the years passed by, Birk swam up to the surface every time he saw a boat. Usually they were either Avaloran heading to Nueva Vista or shipping boats headed for Avalor. Never did he see an Enchancian ship and never did he find his daughter. But he kept trying with every boat, even getting targeted by sailors with their weapons. Everyday of those seven years he never lost hope of seeing his family once more.