Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1:

“Beep! Beep! Beep!” goes the alarm on Jim’s night stand. He reluctantly swings his hand to turn it off with a groan. Even after graduating from the Interstellar Academy where punctuality was a grade itself, he has never been a morning person. However, today he meets his employer for his first job as captain of his own ship; the R.L.S. Benbow.

Jim turns to his side, pulling the covers over his shoulder. He closes his eyes once more and reflects on the dream he had about a girl with long raven hair with a blue ribbon tying it into place. He couldn’t get a good glimpse of the figure and his memory is fuzzy, but the dream gave him a warm sense of belonging. He’s then jolted out of his trance from a cold, soft goo nuzzling his cheek while a cooing sound tickles his ear. Jim smiles and chuckles “Hi Morph… I’m awake.” He gives his little companion a loving pat on the head before sitting up in his bed. Morph smiles and spins midair echoing “I’m awake! I’m awake!”. One by one, Jim slides his legs over the side of his bed. He sits for a moment rubbing his eyes before hoisting himself up on two feet. He doesn’t give much thought to his strange dream. A dream is just a dream; nothing more and nothing less.

As he makes his way towards the washroom, he rubs the back of his neck and lets out a big yawn. Crossing the threshold of his room and entering the hallway, he crosses paths with Ben who greets him with enthusiasm. “Good morning, Jimbo!” he says while making his way down the hallway adjacent to Jim. He has empty plates in his arms and an apron around his metal body, headed for the Inn’s kitchen. “Big day today!” he adds before disappearing behind the kitchen doors. Morph, who was following Jim closely, quickly switches his sights to Ben, excitingly following the path to breakfast. 

Jim, still hunched from sleep, lifts a tired wave in Ben’s direction. “Yep…” he replies, still in motion to the washroom.

He closes the door behind him and glances in the mirror. He studies his hair that has been disheveled from sleep before shifting his gaze to his face and eyes. Six years have passed since his fateful adventure to Treasure Planet and a lot has changed since then. Not only through the years he spent at the academy, but in his physical features as well. Now at the ripe age of 21, his shoulders have become broader and muscles fuller and toned. His facial features have slightly become more defined with new stubble gracing his jawline. Throughout all these changes, however, his eyes remain the same. With the same shade of deep blue and ready to take on his next adventure. He looks down at his hands gripping the sides of the sink. He notices the slight difference in size and the calluses that have developed through the years of hard work that brought him to where he is today.

He turns on the sink and splashes his face with cold water to help wake himself up and begins his morning routine.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: 

The stairs creak as Jim makes his way to the Inn’s dining hall to prepare a meeting with his client. He’s greeted by his mother, Sarah, who has successfully cleared the area of guests in preparation for the scheduled meeting. Accompanying her is Doctor Delbert and Captain Amelia who had stopped by in curiosity for the job that awaits their protege. 

“Jim…” Sarah begins motioning towards him, “you’re really cutting it close. Don’t you think?” She exclaims while lovingly taking his arm and guiding him to the rest of the party. Even after all these years, and now an adult, his mother still treats him the same. This tickles Jim with endearment. 

“Mom, please. I’m not a kid anymore,” he says with a soft chuckle. “Unless you forgot the height difference,” he adds with a cheeky smile as they reach their destination. 

Sarah turns to face him and puts her finger to his chest, stopping him in his tracks. “Height difference or not, you’re still my son.” She remarks with a smile; engaging in his playful banter. 

The look on her face quickly changes as reality sinks in that her son has, indeed, grown up. Not just grown up, but now captain of his own ship. She shifts her hands and eyes to his shirt collar; adjusting and fidgeting with the fabric. “I know you’ve grown…” she begins. Her voice now soft with a hint of waver as if choking back words, “you’ll always be my little boy.” Shifting her eyes to his with a smile and fighting back tears, she moves your hands to his cheeks, “and I am so proud of you!” 

Jim is touched by his mother’s words and takes her hands from his cheeks and replies, “I’ll continue to make you proud. I promise.” 

They both exchange a heartfelt look before being interrupted. 

“Ahem!” 

Delbert clears his throat behind Sarah and snaps her out of the moment. She turns, wiping her eyes with her apron and laughs. “Oh look at me..” she says, “getting all puffy eyed before your guest arrives.” 

Jim wasn’t the only one touched by his mother’s words. Delbert and Amelia share a glance before Captain Amelia comments, “Indeed, Jim… I believe I speak for all of us when I say how proud we are of your accomplishments.” 

The young captain scans the room, observing the familiar faces in front of him. A feeling of joy and pride bellowed up in his chest. “Thank you. Everyone.” he begins, “I couldn’t have gotten here without you guys.”

Just then a knock at the door echoes through the room. “Oh! He’s here!” Sarah says, frantically removing her apron and adjusting her skirt before answering the door. Jim rests his body against the table beside him while Ben and Morph emerge from the kitchen to take their places amongst the others. Sarah opens the door and greets their guest, “Hello! Please come in.” A tall figure enters the room with a dignified stature. He’s about half an inch taller than Jim and has shoulder length, dirty blonde hair that he wears tied back in a neat fashion. He’s cleanly shaven with high, prominent cheekbones and bright hazel eyes; a conventionally handsome man in a high-class societal standard. As Jim studies him, he notices he’s wearing a uniform from the galactic naval fleet with colors of gold, white, and blue. The gentleman is accompanied by a naval officer bot who follows him closely.

He greets Sarah with a smile and removes his hat from his head, “Thank you, ma’am.” He then turns his sights to Jim and the others. “Captain James Hawkins, I presume.” he says as he walks towards Jim and offers out a hand. 

“Yes, sir!” Jim replies while shaking the stranger's hand. “But please, just call me Jim.” 

The man smiles as if he’s humored by Jim’s modesty, “Very well, Jim.”

He leans back and begins. “My name is Admiral Sallow. I’ve heard you have quite the reputation from the Academy.” He glances in Amelia’s direction before continuing, “I’ve also heard about your adventure to Treasure Planet.” 

Jim shifts and smiles “That’s not necessarily news. Everyone knows about that,” he replies. 

“Even so, you’re now Captain of your own ship. The RLS Benbow I believe. The fastest and most maneuverable in its fleet - thanks to your ingenuity,” Sallow remarks.

“Do you have a point to this? Or did you come all this way to flatter me?” Jim replies. 

Sallow chuckles and crosses his arms, “I’ll cut to the chase. Have you heard of the Milky Way Galaxy?” 

Jim rubs the back of his neck, now slightly annoyed by the indirect approach his client is taking. “I can’t say I have…” he replies. 

“The Milky Way?” Delbert interrupts. “Forgive my interruption, but that Galaxy doesn’t exist. If it does, it’s not charted on any map I’ve studied.” 

Captain Amelia intervenes, “On the contrary, Doctor, the galaxy does exist,” she says. “However, it is a very treacherous journey and is restricted for travel.” She shifts her focus back to Admiral Sallow, “What is your motive, Admiral?”

Everyone’s eyes follow Sallow as he slowly paces the room. “I have business to attend to on a planet called Earth,” he explains. He stops and faces Jim, “Your ship, Mr. Hawkins, is the only ship with the highest probability of a successful voyage.” 

Jim feels excitement wellow up in his chest. ‘ A new planet? In a restricted galaxy…?’ he thought to himself. It’s been years since he had this level of adventure since Treasure Planet and he’d be lying to himself if he said the challenge doesn’t excite him. He clears his throat to bring himself back to the present. Excitement or not, he is now a businessman of his own craft and needs to show professionalism. “So you need an escort to this planet called Earth…” he begins. “From what I understand, it won’t be an easy journey for just any crew. What’s the pay?” 

Sallow chuckles with amusement, “I guarantee you will be compensated to your liking.” He pauses for a moment, then continues, “How ‘bout this… agree to the job and I’ll pay you half a million on departure. Once the voyage is completed, and we arrive home safely, you can name your remaining price…” Sallow extends a hand toward Jim, “Do we have a deal?”

Jim smiles deviously and shakes his client's hand. “Add an extra 50 and you've got yourself a captain.”

Sallow returns the smile and replies, “If you sail as well as you bargain, then there's no doubt I've hired the right man…” He places his hat back on his head and begins walking towards the door, “We will embark a week from today. I trust you can find a crew by then?”

Jim nods in agreement and replies, “I will need more details on what the job entails.” 

“I will send more information tomorrow and will hold a briefing before departure,” Sallow replies. “I look forward to working with you, Jim.” He says with a wink and a smile before taking his exit.

Jim tries to catch his thoughts with Sallow's exit and turns to face everyone else, whose expressions reflect their own processing of the Admiral’s visit. 

All except Delbert, who is already shaking with excitement. 

“Jim!” He yelps, throwing himself to Jim’s shoulders. “Do you know what you agreed to?” 

Overwhelmed with the doctor’s excitement, Jim carefully peels himself away from Delbert’s grip and jokingly replies, “A great reference and a shit ton of money?” 

Delbert ignores Jim’s humorous reply. “The adventure that has been laid out for you is immense! You’ll be charting an unknown galaxy to a planet astronomers - like myself - could only dream to explore,” he exclaims, flinging his arms wide with his exuberance. 

Jim takes a moment to reflect on the job he just so eagerly accepted. Delbert’s Astronomer expertise would prove to be useful and there’s only so much time to find an efficient crew... 

“Delbert,” Jim begins as he strides to grab his coat, “I’m going to need you to do as much research on the planet Earth as possible. I want to be prepared for any elements we might face.”

“Aye-Aye, Captain!” Delbert replies with an excited salute and begins frantically gathering his own coat and making his way towards the door alongside Jim. Before the men are able to step a foot over the threshold, a voice interrupts them. 

“ Woah! Woah! Woah! Time out!” Sarah interjects. “You still don’t know what you agreed to.” 

Both Jim and Delbert turn to face the rest of the party as if they were deer in headlights.

 “Yes, you’ll be transporting this Sallow character through a dangerous galaxy to a planet very few people have even heard of - but for what ?” Sarah continues, stepping forward.

Jim takes his mother’s hand and looks her in her eyes. “I know you’re worried and I understand this is moving very fast for you..” he begins. “You and I both know I can’t stay here forever. This is my chance to start a life of my own and build a reputation,” Jim says with earnest sincerity.

Sarah’s eyes start to soften. She understands her son is grown up now and beginning his own life, but it’s a tough pill to swallow as a mother. Especially when she’s had feelings of abandonment before. 

“Jim, you’re my only son and I want nothing but the best for you. “ Her voice waivers, “But if something were to happen to you and with your father leaving --”

“Hey!” Jim snaps her back to the present, “I’m not going anywhere. I promise I will be back,” he affirms with a heartfelt smile. 

Sarah wipes back tears and nods, “I’ll hold you to that.”

Jim squeezes her hand in affection before letting go. 

He had a mission to prepare for and a crew to build.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3:

The sound of busy chatter fills the Atlantica marketplace as Melody makes her way back to the palace. She's on her way to meet with her aunt Attina after spending the day with some mer-friends. Attina had promised Melody a gift before her departure back to land.

As she passes the guards and enters the corridor to Attina's study, she is greeted by Sebastian who was pacing circles in the hall.

"You're late!" Sebastian yelps.

"By five minutes - tops," Melody shrugs good-naturedly, swimming past her escort.

"That's five minutes too late, young lady!" he scolds as he scurries behind her, trying to keep up with his little crab legs.

As she reaches the door to Attina's study, she lightly knocks and slowly opens the door before calling out to her, "Aunt Attina?"

"Come in, Melody. There's no need to lurk, this is your home too," Attina replies as she measures potions in beakers.

Attina has been practicing and studying magic since before Melody was born and has grown knowledgeable in her craft. The young mermaid loves all her aunts, but Attina the most. She's always been mature and nurturing towards Melody and because of this, she confides in her. She shares parts of herself with her aunt that she can't with others.

Melody swims to the cauldron that rests in the center of the room. Her aunt's study is filled with books and scrolls full of knowledge of magic from land and sea - some of which both Melody and Ariel helped to provide her. As Attina continues to tinker with the task in front of her, Melody studies the cauldron before her.

"Attina," Melody starts, "what made you decide to study magic?"

Attina glances in Melody's direction with a faint smile before returning to the task in front of her. "Well, unlike a few of your other aunts who have married and moved on -" she begins, "I wanted to better myself to help your mother and your grandfather."

Melody's puzzled face caught the attention of her aunt. Attina pauses before explaining further. "Magic runs in our family. Your great aunt Ursula is an example."

Now, even more puzzled, she replies "But Ursula -"

"- was a wicked and nasty woman and so was Morgana," Attina interrupts. "I know, but I figured if I could tap into that power and use it for good, I could help the people I care about - our family as well as the people of Atlantica."

Melody studies her Aunt's earnest expression. The more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Attina is the eldest of the sisters and with that comes a feeling of responsibility.

'It must be difficult to be told your family's in danger and feeling powerless. Especially with everything our family has been through…' Melody muses. She shifts her gaze back to the cauldron and begins tracing her finger along the grooves of the decorative markings.

"You know…your grandfather is getting older," Attina starts, eyes studying Melody like she can see where her thoughts are headed. "He can't perform ordinary tasks like he used to."

So much has changed over the years and even Melody with her hectic schedule has noticed these changes in both her worlds. Now, at the age of eighteen, the veils of childhood are slowly lifting and forcing her attention to reality. She would visit Atlantica once a year as a means of escape as a child. However, now that she is older, what once was a place to get away has slowly become more of a diplomatic attendance.

She's snapped out of her daze when Attina swims up beside her with a pair of tweezers. "Don't move…" she says and quickly plucks a scale from Melody's fin.

"Ouch!" Melody yelps while rubbing the spot where she was plucked and Attina drops the specimen in the cauldron along with the brew she had finished. A puff of smoke explodes in front of the young mermaid's face which makes her drift back. Once cleared, Attina scoops a drop into a vile and wraps it in decorative seaweed and sets it aside.

"Your locket, please," she says, holding a hand out to Melody.

Melody unhooks the locket from her neck and hands over her treasure in compliance. Attina dips the locket in the simmering brew within the cauldron and after a quick flash of light, hands it back to Melody.

"You will no longer need father's triton to shift between mermaid and human," she says and with a wink continues, "happy belated birthday."

Melody feels excitement well up inside her, "No way! Seriously?"

She quickly begins hooking it around her neck when Attina starts to explain the mechanics of the charmed necklace, "Only when you wear your locket and come into contact with water, will you turn into a mermaid," she explains as her very curious, high strung, niece examines the locket in awe. "Magic is so cool…" she says under her breath.

"Melody!" Attina snaps her back to the moment.

"This is important," she begins, "With this ability, it means you will need to store your locket in a safe place and only wear it when necessary." she says, holding a stern finger. "No more wearing it 24-7, unless you wanna risk turning into a fish on land."

"And to turn back into a human?" Melody asks.

"Simply remove the locket and touch land." Attina replies.

Melody glances at the wrapped vile behind Attina. "What about that?" she asks.

"This is for your mother," Attina replies while reaching behind her and handing the wrapped gift to her niece. "She can drop this on any accessory she chooses and have the same opportunity as you," She explains.

Melody's expression slowly switches to an unnerving kind. Attina notices this and says, "I know she's a busy woman, but if she ever finds the time, we would really like to see her."

Melody forces a smile after hearing her aunt's words and gives her a hug in gratitude, "I'll make sure to give it to her, thank you!"

Attina smiles and returns the embrace, "you're very welcome."

"Oh!" Melody snaps, breaking the hug, "I almost forgot…" she opens her locket to show Attina what looks like a glitch in the magical hologram. "This has been happening recently and I don't know what it could be."

Attina retrieves the locket and examines it, "Interesting…" she says.

"Is it broken?" Melody asks.

"It is strange-" Attina replies with a puzzled look. "When your locket was given to you as a baby, daddy made it so it reflected part of you," she explains.

"So, back then when Morgana told me it held my destiny in it…" Melody remarks while processing her aunt's words and trying to connect the dots.

Attina begins to elaborate, "I guess if you think of it that way, in some cases it's true," she begins, "you have to remember, your destiny is what you make it. If you're having conflicting emotions or desires, it would make sense your locket would reflect that."

She closes the locket and hands it back to Melody, "however, that's only a theory. I would study it more, but unfortunately we're out of time."

The tides had gotten low and it was time for Melody's return to land. Attina swims Melody to the door. "I'll take you to say goodbye to daddy," she says as they pass through the door into the hall.

Sebastian, who was impatiently waiting outside the door, calls out as they swim past, "it's not nice to make an old crab wait so long!"

Both girls chuckle at their old mentor. "You could've joined us, Sebastian," Attina remarks.

"I don't like that magic stuff, mon," Sebastian replies to himself, "it gives me the heebie jeebies.." he says with a shiver, then quickly follows.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4:

The faint hum of solar jets gently rattle the floor beneath Jim’s feet as he carefully logs the RLS Benbow’s travel progress. As he nears completion of the paperwork in front of him, he turns to face the windows behind him and basks in the faint glow the distant stars emit. It’s been about three days since the ship and crew embarked to Earth and travel has been relatively easy thus far. 

‘Must be ‘the calm before the storm’, he thought. 

He closes his eyes and begins to reflect on what Captain Amelia had told him before departing Crescentia:

“I want to inform you of some rumors I’ve received about Mr. Sallow,” says Amelia as she pulls Jim aside before he boards his ship. Jim, eager to set sail, half-listens to what his mentor has to say.

“He has a powerful standing as an Admiral, no doubt, but I hear his methods as of late have been…” she begins hesitantly, trying to find the right word, “unconventional.”

“How so?” Jim’s full attention is drawn completely to Amelia, now intrigued.

“I don’t have details,” Amelia responds. “All I know is, he’s had an ongoing obsession to find this planet…nearly to the point of desperation.” She hesitates, her expression darkening, “for reasons no one could say.”

She pauses for a moment while Jim processes her words before continuing, “Keep your head on you, Mr Hawkins, and follow your instincts. Don’t fall victim to charismatic charm.”

After Amelia had explained her concerns, Jim has been studying the Admiral since and there is an aura of mystery to the man. They’ve been on the ship for three moon cycles now and Jim still has no idea what this journey is for. 

‘What ‘business’ does the Admiral have on a planet that’s been out of reach for centuries?’ He muses. 

With a deep sigh and stretch, he shakes off the mystery whirling in his head and leans back into his chair. It’s no concern to him what business Sallow has. So long as he gets paid, that’s all that matters. And with that thought, he slowly drifts into sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5:

“Hello?” Jim calls out to a figure in front of him. A girl with long, raven black hair stands in the distance with her back towards him. She has a blue ribbon in her hair and is staring out to the horizon.

He begins to walk closer to get a better look, “Are you lost?” 

“Can you swim?” she says with a soft voice.

“Swim? What’s that?” Jim replies, puzzled and confused.

“It’s time to wake up,” she replies.

“Huh?” his face is even more confused and puzzled.

 She slowly begins to turn to face him, but before he could see her face, a loud voice interrupts.

“Wake up!” 

Jim is jolted awake to find his quarters in disarray and shaking about. With disoriented adrenaline, he tries to catch his footing as someone frantically bangs on his door. 

“Jim!” Delbert calls out. 

Jim rushes to the door while trying to keep his balance and dodging obstacles in his way. Morph, whose sleep was also interrupted by the sudden madness, rushes to Jim’s side.

“Jim-!” Delbert calls out once more before the door is swung open by the young captain.

“What the hell is going on?!” Jim yells out over the wind and chaos in front of him. The crew is frantically finding their posts and fighting to keep the ship steady. Ben, who had taken the wheel to relieve Jim to retire to his quarters, is struggling to keep the ship from succumbing to the storm that is engulfing them. Jim struggles to make his way to the deck. 

“We’ve been caught in a geomagnetic solar flare,” Delbert informs him with panic in his voice. 

As they reach the deck, Jim fastens himself to the mast of the ship while checking the other safety ropes connected to the beam. He motions to Delbert who is holding on to the beam with a death grip, “Stay here and don’t let go.”

“Wasn’t planning on it!” Delbert replies half sarcastically with his eyes sealed shut.

Jim struggles to find his footing as the deck floor had become slippery from flying shards of ice and fragmented water from the storm pelting the ship. He makes his way to Ben, who has been fighting to keep the ship steady. 

“Ben! Status report!” Jim commands. 

“All jets are at maximum capacity, Captain!” Ben replies while trying to keep his grip on the wheel. Jim notices Admiral Sallow on the opposite side of Ben gripping to the side beam for safety.   

“Report to navigation,” Jim commands Ben as he takes the wheel and his robot companion rushes to the navigation post. A burst of solar energy ripples through the storm and shakes the ship, knocking some of the crew back. After a few moments one last ripple hits the ship with greater force than the first wave, forcing Jim to grip the wheel tighter. After a few more bursts, the ship is released from the grip of the storm.

Everyone on the ship collapses in relief before continuing their tasks. Delbert especially succumbs to his relief and falls to his shaken knees. “I’m getting too old for this…,” he heaves, fighting back a sick stomach. 

“Ben, what are our coordinates?” Jim calls out in hopes they haven't veered off course. 

“We’re 1.7 parsecs shy of the triple star system HIP 24428,” Ben replies while measuring his calculations. 

Delbert slowly stands up and wipes moisture from the storm off his glasses. “If that’s correct, we should be entering the outskirts of the Milky Way,” he says.  “Which would mean our fun adventure is far from over…,” he continues with a weary voice.

Jim keeps the ship steady while the crew grows quiet. There is a stillness that surrounds the vessel which makes the hair on Jim's arms stand up. The debris on top of the wheel begins to lift and vibrate. As he looks in the distance in front of him he notices a slight distortion ahead.

“Wormhole ahead!” a crew member calls from the lookout. Jim grips the wheel preparing for the next impending venture.

“Everyone, brace yourself!” he calls out as the ship begins to be sucked through the warped portal. 

Flashes of light and bright colors ripple through the wormhole as the ship is vigorously sucked through. Jim slowly opens his eyes while fighting to hold the wheel steady and quickly finds himself in awe of the view; it was unlike anything he had ever seen before-both beautiful and terrifying all at once. He looks over his shoulder to find Sallow gripped to the railing with almost the same expression as him, but with a devious look, entranced with the view. He mouths the word “magic” which catches Jim off guard. 

Before he is able to think more of it, the ship is soon engulfed in a white light and comes to a swift halt in the stillness of space. 

“Is everyone accounted for?” Jim calls out with a calming sigh. All crew members groan in accordance and take time to gather themselves before continuing their posts.

“Planet ho!” The lookout calls out to the crew. Sure enough, a blue planet slowly becomes visible as the RLS Benbow drifts in the vast depths of space. 

“My heavens… there she is - Earth,” Delbert exhales in awe as he adjusts his glasses.

“Everyone, prepare for contact with Earth in t-minus 10 minutes. I want back-up boosters on standby,” Jim commands as the crew start rushing about once more.

“Uh Jim...” Ben begins, “looks like our fun is not over,” he says with worry in his voice. 

Jim looks ahead to find a cluster of rocks and large asteroids moving in fast to interject their path to Earth. He smiles and says, “It wouldn’t be an adventure without a little fun, right?” 

He grips the wheel and shifts his feet for stability.

“Bring it.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6:

“Do you have everything you need before you head home?” King Triton asks his granddaughter. 

“I do grandfather, thank you,” she smiles, pulling away from their hug. She motions to her aunt Attina, “And thank you, Aunt Attina, for the gifts. I’ll be sure to give mother hers and update her on my time here.”

“You’re very welcome,” Attina replies with a nod. “And please let her know we miss her,” she begins, “we would like to visit with her again as a family.” Attina smiles at Melody while she rests her hands on her fathers shoulders. They both look at Melody with loving and hopeful eyes. 

Melody smiles back with more skepticism. Talking to her mother is one thing, but getting her to listen is a different story. However, she doesn’t want to worry her relatives, so she keeps this to herself.

After she says her goodbyes, she and Sebastian take their leave back towards land. As they begin their swim, Melody reflects on her time in Atlantica and feels a tinge of pain swell up in her chest. 

Now that she is older, she sees the world in a different light. What used to be a refuge from palace life on land, has become just another diplomatic affair that she dreads. She believes it’s karma from trying to escape her responsibilities in her youth. 

No, Atlantica isn’t the safe space she dreamed of as a child anymore. It comes with its own set of rules as well as the same societal pressures she feels on land. 

She knows of the words and looks she’s received from some of the merpeople of Atlantica. 

“Look, it’s the half-blood princess,” someone had snarked in passing. “Poor King Triton to have human kin. It’s not natural.”

And as hurtful as the remarks are, Melody has grown used to hearing them. She’s faced prejudice on both land and sea growing up and has learned to shut them out. There are few merpeople and humans that have not been able to accept the changes both kingdoms have faced and, unfortunately, she’s learning that’s just how the world is. Although, as the years have passed, she’s begun to feel misplaced in that world; a longing for a new sense of belonging.

“We’re halfway ‘dere child,” Sebastian says as he swims beside her. 

Melody smiles and replies, “It’s getting cold down here Sebastian. I wanna swim to the surface.”

“Well, okay. But just a small break,” he replies while following behind her. “I don’t wannna hear your mudder complain’n about you arriving late,” he lectures as they reach the surface.

Melody looks up at the stars above her and feels a sense of ease wash over her. “The sky is so beautiful tonight…” she says in observation.

“Aww yes… you know your mudder used to love watching the sky as well,” Sebastian begins in reminiscence, “although, getting her back in the water was anudder story,” he says with a shift in tone.

“Oh! Sebastian, look!” Melody calls out, pointing to a meteor shower in the distance with one star brighter than the others, gliding nearer to the horizon. She closes her eyes and places her hands over her locket and heart.

“What are you doin’, child?” Sebastian asks. 

Melody opens her eyes and looks at her escort, “I was wishing on a star.”

“Whatever for?” He replies.

“If I tell you, it won’t come true,” she retorts with a wink and a cheeky grin. 

Sebastian shakes his head in response to his playful protege, “C’mon now, we best be on our way before it gets too late.”