The Little Water Elf

5- The World Above

「 He fixed his coal-black eyes
upon her so earnestly that she cast
down her own, and then became
aware that her fish's tail was gone,
and that she had as pretty a pair
of white legs and tiny feet as any
little maiden could have. 」

The last thing Rayla could remember was her voice. She sung an old sailor's song, letting the melody drift throughout the small tower before she realized that it was no longer her singing.

Then, there was pain. The feeling of her very soul being ripped from her body, as if everything she'd ever known was being stolen in that moment. She felt her tail suddenly split in two, and she felt herself scream, though there was no sound.

And then, silence.

•  •  •

The castle hallway was filled with rays of morning light, the sunrise illuminating the air around Callum as he wandered around aimlessly. Ezran had decided, as soon as breakfast ended, that he was going to explore the unseen passageways of the old castle.

He supposed that he could always go down to the beach, like he and his brother have been doing each day since they arrived.

There wasn't much else to do. It was too close to the rift, so they weren't allowed to swim too far from shore, weren't allowed to explore past the rocks bordering their small beach, and weren't allowed to go exploring the forest behind the castle.

Callum sighed, turning to peer out one of the many open windows facing the ocean. The sun filtered down onto the beach, warming the sands as the tide retreated, leaving pools of water settling in between the crevices in rocks. In one of the pools was the outline of a small, pale girl.

Wait, a girl?!

Callum's eyes widened as he leaned out the window, checking twice to make sure he wasn't hallucinating from boredom — or sleep deprivation, that was also a possibility. But no, he could clearly see the shape of a small girl, partly buried in the sand and the waves acting as her blanket as she slept.

Hesitating for only a second, he sprinted down the hallway towards the staircase that led to the beach.

"Claudia," Callum called as he passed the older girl — who was walking by with a book in hand, "there's a girl — get help."

Not waiting to make sure Claudia complied to the strange order — though Callum wouldn't blame the girl if she didn't — the prince made his way outside, ignoring the bite of salty wind that cut through his thin, white shirt (it was much too warm in this climate to wear a doublet).

The sand sunk under his steps, filling his shoes, which he promptly pulled off and threw to the side. Callum ignored the way the hems of his pants were soaked with ocean water. He found the girl quite easily. He quickly pulled off his thin blouse and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders, desperately, checking for a pulse on her neck. Wait, that was where a pulse was, right?

She shifted, wincing as if she were in pain. He watched her carefully, as if she might break at any second.

"H-hey, are you okay?"

The girl opened her eyes. They were a light violet, an unusual color.

"Callum," he heard a voice call. Claudia stopped running as she came to their side. "Oh wow, you weren't kidding. There's really a girl."