A Pirate in Time (Completed)

19

The dark, depth of the cavern swallowed me whole as the mermaid pulled me inside. If I'd had any breath in my body in that moment, I would have lost it. My chest tightened and my ears strained to pick up what my eyes could no longer tell me. The only thing I could sense, however, was the gentle glide of ocean water streaming past my skin.

I figured by the way the darkness continued, that there was some sort of tunnel network within the cavern. Without my eyes however, I found it difficult to even figure out which way was up, let alone which way we were diving through the tunnels. In fact, the only indication I had of our progress was the icy chill of deeper water sinking into my bones.

I was shivering a bit, glad at least that this siren knew her way around down here. If she were to leave me at this very moment, I would probably never make it out alive. We'd made so many turns already, from what I could tell, and my current blindness only made it more difficult to orient myself.

My body was beginning to numb, but I could still feel the girl's iron grip on my wrist. Any tighter and she might break it. She probably knew that if we were separated, we'd never find each other again.

What I wouldn't give for the narrow hallway of that ship right now. Or even the galley and that insufferable cook!

My arm scraped against the rocky tunnel wall, and I recognized the shift of our swimming pattern. We were heading up, which filled me with relief. Perhaps the worst of it was over.

The higher we went, the more my joints began to thaw. The uncomfortable pressure in my ears even started to subside. When I finally gained the courage to look up, I nearly cried out in relief at the sight of a warm, glowing light. I refrained, however, too afraid to break the eerie silence of this darkness.

The blue tailed mermaid seemed to relax a bit as well, and I allowed myself to wonder how often they had to make this swim. Maybe I was a special case.

When our heads finally broke the surface of the water, I sputtered through the awkward transition between gills and lungs. I still wasn't quite used to this whole breathing underwater thing.

We were in a room. A large, circular room with lit sconces lining the rocky walls. A series of hallways were carved in every direction, a bluish green light glowing from within.

Cecilia was there, standing on her new legs and wringing out her hair and skirt. The skirt matched the color of her tail, as did the silk wrapping around her chest.

Blue Tail pulled herself out of the water, and I watched in awe as her scales disappeared to reveal perfectly tanned legs. A fluttering sky blue skirt danced down to her knees and it too matched the silk wrapped around her chest.

I followed her lead, hauling myself up onto solid ground. Water streamed off of me and onto the stone floor. I expected the transformation to take place immediately, but when nothing happened, I looked up to the others for help.

"Picture your legs," Cecelia offered, "the shape, length, and color. Picture your tail receding, splitting in two. Picture your gills softening and blending back into your skin. Let your lungs take over completely."

I closed my eyes and focused on my human body. I imagined myself walking with my legs and breathing with my lungs. After a few moments my legs and neck began to itch. I opened my eyes and watched as my lavender scales paled and spread into skin. My fins thickened and shrank into feet, and my tail began to split at the base.

I reached up to feel my neck, and was comforted by the smooth skin that greeted me. I was almost normal again.

The pants Jay had loaned me reappeared, and I was momentarily confused until I remembered I had slipped off my boots somewhere in the chaos before I had leapt into the water.

I shrugged it off, being as neither of the mermaids were wearing shoes either.

I stood on my reformed legs and wiggled my toes. I even stretched out one leg, reveling in the ability to move them separately again. I nearly giggled in relief.

Cecelia smiled, "Come. We must find you suitable clothes to meet the King."

I nodded, and followed the Princess down one of the glowing hallways. Once we were inside, I realized what had been giving off the bluish glow.

The entirety of the walls, and even the ceiling were covered in bioluminescent lifeforms. It looked like the an eerily beautiful galaxy with swirling nebulas of greens and blues and purples in some places. This time, the breath was sucked from my body, and I felt as though I'd be content to sit here for the rest of my life.

Cecelia kept moving, however, and I had no choice but to follow her. We passed massive oak doors with intricate metal inlays and flowing white curtains fluttering down the walls. Though beautiful, the bioluminescence was quite dim. I think the curtains were meant to brighten it up a bit.

"Ah here we are," Cecelia announced as she ducked through a door. I followed her into a room not quite any other I'd ever seen before. This one was fire lit, so we could see properly, and before us were rows and rows of multicolored ballroom dresses.

My eyes widened a bit before Cecelia disappeared between the racks.

"It's custom," her voice came from somewhere within, "to wear the color of your tail in the royal courts."

I followed the sound of her voice and ended up finding her in a row of beautiful lavender gowns.

"This should suit you," she held out a dress before I'd even had a chance to scan the racks. My eyes widened at what she had picked out.

"On, no, I really can't wear that."

"And why not."

"It's too expensive, and besides, it's not mine."

Cecelia rolled her eyes, "Mermaids can't carry clothes when they travel. None of the clothes you'll see tonight belong to the wearer. If you're concerned you'll ruin it, then I'll have it replaced."

I still wasn't convinced. I'd never worn anything this fancy in my life. Not even to Prom.

"Go change," Cecelia commanded. "There's a room over there."

I figured it was probably not wise to disobey a princess, so I gingerly took the dress from her and held it away from my soaked clothes.

My heart rate was accelerated at the mere thought of wearing this dress, but I bit down my anxiety and stepped into the changing room.

I peeled off my soggy clothes, careful of the stitches on my arm, and hung them on a hook to dry. A crate of undergarments lay at my feet, and I pulled out what I needed before slipping on the dress.

The fabric was light and airy. It caressed me like silk. I ran one hand down the front just to feel the material while the other held my wet hair in place.

The dress was a breathtaking shade of lavender, and they'd even somehow managed to capture the undertone of my tail. The lilac bled into a smokey greyish black at the edges, like a partially burnt piece of parchment. I couldn't stop staring.

The sleeves draped of my shoulders, leaving my collarbone bare and my wound partially covered. For that, at least, I was glad.

Steeling myself, I exited the room only to find Cecelia already dressed. A fine red silk draped down to the floor and her stomach was bare beneath a criss cross of fabric that connected the top and bottom of her piece. It was sleeveless, and an intricate pattern of jewels danced through both top and bottom, a miscellaneous mixture of purple added in amongst the rubies.

"Yes, that'll do," she said as she studied me. "Sit."

I sat in a vanity chair a few steps away, and watched in the mirror as the siren princess ran a comb through my hair. She made quick work of twirling the damp tangles into an elegant up do, and I noticed she had already finished hers as well.

With a quick swipe of what I could only assume was the equivalent of eyeliner, Cecelia deemed me ready to enter the Mer Court.

I wasn't so sure.