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♫ I'll stay where songs still carry… ♫
Perhaps her song, born of water, was only meant to remain in that midst. But if it was, why did the winds also carry her notes? Why did they caress her strings and cruelly trap them in a wall of indifference when they reached foreign ears? Such a cruel fate never seemed to stray from her path. No matter how much she sang, no one seemed to call her back. Like a pearl, trapped inside its shell, destined to remain in the depths of the ocean. Bright, beautiful; but no one could truly appreciate her. Helektra might one day open up like the rest of her sisters, but it was not yet time.
For now, she only had herself. Free and graceful like little fishes and other sea creatures swimming in the wide waters.
One more day, she raised her notes into the air. From time to time, she heard the sailors succumbing to the songs of fellow mermaids in the distance.
♫ Look, on that bright and bustling ship, how happy the humans must be. ♫
♫ You long for the one you saved, as her voice still echoes in your soul. ♫
♫ Noble princess, carefree Helektra, where will you go? To the frigid northern sea, or the boundless world of men? ♫
Uncertain reminders as the waves crashed against the resting shore. There, her tail remained in the water, sinking into the wet sand. The other half lay in the darkness of the night. The moon could be glimpsed on the horizon, but Helektra could not see herself. The home she had always lived in faded into the darkness.
But was that really where she belonged?
The wind dancing across her skin and swaying her wet hair along with her notes told her otherwise. So did the clarity with which her notes resonated across the coast. Scales glistened brighter than thousands of jewels with each movement.
Once again, just her, her song, and…
Footprints in the sand that gave her away. A blade at her throat. Her widened eyes and racing pulse had little to do with her sudden death sentence. Standing over her was a young woman with albino hair and clothing that Helektra had seen on other sailors, only hers was as blue as the sky glimpsed when emerging from the waters. Stars sparkled on her appearance and were also sealed above her straight bangs.
“What are you doing to me, mermaid? Your whispering song should not affect me.”
The scallop shell opened wide, the pearl finally shining after all these years.
Could it be…?
Could it be that her voice…?
“Can you… hear me?”
This human was far from the charms that her companions brought from the hunt. Without a corpulent body, nor excessive height, she still managed to bring more strength than a thousand men together.
“Foolish questions.” She withdrew her gray blade, but did not put it away. Impassive, icy eyes scanned her from head to tail. “But you do not appear to fear me. Anyone would say that, at this moment, you are the one beguiled by me.”
Now that he said it, was this how those beguiled by siren songs felt?
“I fear I am. My melody has never been able to reach human ears. This is the first time that…”
Once again, the blade pressed against her neck.
“I also know the charms and sweet words with which my men foolishly fall like flies.”
“It is not my intention to follow in my sisters' footsteps. But you said it yourself; it is men who are weak to our song and whom we consume to the bottom of the ocean. I cannot recall a woman ever occupying that place. You, however, are the exception, little jellyfish.”
“Jellyfish?”
“White as pure snow, dancing on the waters, but lethal once you encounter her.”
“You are bold, little mermaid—But I admit that this is not the protocol of your kind.” The woman finally put away the blade. “I have a name, Cerydra, conqueror of the seven seas.”
“Helektra, daughter of the sea.” She paused considerately at Cerydra's title. “Will you conquer me, then?”
“Thought that was your job.” Cerydra smiled crookedly, narrowing her eyes. “I suppose you haven't been a typical mermaid from the beginning. All words lie in your songs, as well as your charms.”
“They’re our words. My sisters use them as a means to an end. I remain in endless means.”
“Endless?”
“As I told you, you are the first who can hear my song. Music has been a world unto itself for me, a bubble from which to see through the events around me as I moved through the waters. With your silver edge, little jellyfish, you have finally managed to pierce it; bursting into hundreds of drops like incessant rain lashing your ships. I wonder what you have for me in your hands.”
“If you consider me your end, I actually have a proposal to make.”
“Just as you listened to me, I am all ears.”
“As you know, no one knows the seas better than a mermaid. I will let you come and go freely. My expectancy is commitment to being my guide when I ask you. Do not let me lose my way. Draw me to wherever I must go. Your song will be our pact. In exchange for your help, I will listen to each of your tunes until I am intoxicated by the voice of your sweet strings.”
“Where will you go?”
“Only fate will tell.”
Hysilens was now more than just a shining pearl. She had been taken in by a human to give her the brilliance she deserved. On her own terms, but with the commitment to remain by her side. Now, with an audience for her sea songs.
♫ Don't forget, my friends, we'll swim toward the distant place. ♫
♫ Onward, my friends, vibrant hope is stirring the air. ♫
Since then, Hysilens, formerly Elektra, followed her to the end of the world.