The Little Water Elf

21- Luminescent

「 The sea looked quite green,
and large icebergs were floating
about, each like a pearl, she said,
but larger and loftier than the
churches built by men. 」

Rayla was surrounded by darkness.

Everything hurt, and the water around her wasn't comforting or warm. It lacked any bit of familiarity it might've had at some point. Her chest felt as if it were about to burst, and she was reminded then that she wasn't made to hold her breath. There was never any need to avoid breathing in water. Her lungs had little to no capacity.

The thought entered her mind then that this is must be what it felt like to die.

She felt herself sinking, and was aware of how her dress soaked up the water around her and made every movement sluggish, and Rayla knew that the potion to control her human appearance was all but gone, she no longer felt the vial in her pocket. She shut her eyes, blocking out the bright, orange light that bit against her blurred vision. The sound of screams faded away slowly, and a simple pain at the corner of her eyes informed her that she was, in fact, crying.

She supposed that this wasn't such a bad way to leave the world, however ironic it might be.

Rayla had grown used to the thought of death.

Her lungs involuntarily contacted, forcing small bits of air out and reminding Rayla of the fact that she had no idea how to swim in this form.

She was going to die.

Oh stars she was going to die.

There was a sudden splash from far above her, and she managed to make out the distant form of a human, desperately swimming downwards, a hand reaching out to her. The last thing she could remember was desperately reaching upwards, her vision fading into a clear, faded white.

Everything was quiet.

• • •

Viren cursed as he watched the idiot step-prince dive into the rough water after the elf.

The ship was burning, life boats were being quickly sent off, and as soon as the main mast had fallen the sirens had disappeared.

And then the elf girl had fallen in. It would've made his life so much easier if she'd just had drowned and been gone, but no, the step-prince just had to be heroic and dive in after her.

No matter, he could will do quite useful things with every part of a ocean elf's body. Her lungs and gills could be used to craft potions to breath in water, her scales could be used in at least five hundred different spells, and her hair was a common ingredient in pretty much any ocean-related dark magic.

When Callum didn't rise to the surface in the next minute, he began to grow worried.

The mage sighed, it would appear he wouldn't be obtaining his ingredients after all.

There was a shout behind him, before a large crash, followed by the wood below his feet splintering and shooting up. The boat rocked, knocking the dark mage over the railing and into the water.

When he surfaced a small life boat had come to retrieve him from where he was in the water, Harrow calling to the mage, and everything came crashing down around him.

He could hear a muffled song, concealed by the endless waves of restless waters. Viren ignored the hand that reached out to help him into the boat and dove back under the water.

No, oh god no, this couldn't be happening.

He forced his eyes open, ignoring the salty sting and the burn of his lungs.

A glowing light was slowly falling through the water, fading into nothingness as Viren desperately swam downwards, only to be pulled up and away by the riptide.

He surfaced, a flaming rage filling his being. Looking out over the water, he could see two small figures emerging from the sea foam.

It was Callum and the elf girl, who's body was slowly but surely growing to be covered in several small, luminescent scales.

He gripped the side of the boat, dragging himself into it and going to the far side. Her voice may be gone, but he would still have a use for the elf.

"It's her fault—" he managed to spit out, rising to stand in the boat despite Harrow's protests as the canoe rocked dangerously, "You— you elf!"

Callum helped Ezran pull the now unconscious girl into their life boat, both of them looking at the girl with a newfound shock at her quickly changing appearance.

The spell was fading, and Viren found no room in his heart to care.

He watched as Rayla's hair faded to a bright white, her skin becoming covered in dry, cracking blue scales that reflected the dim light in a million ways. Her hands faded from having five fingers each to only four, and if he looked closely he could see the vague outline of horns protruding from her head.

"Viren, what is happening?" Harrow asked, placing a hand on the shoulder of the dark mage, who simply glared at the stupid, naive elf in front of them.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, "This elf summoned her people here to kill us, just like they did all those years ago!"

Callum's eyes widened, and Viren knew that Rayla was never going to get her kiss.

• • •

Upon arriving back at shore, Viren ordered Soren to take the elf down to the dungeon, and Soren obliged.

When he lifted the unconscious elf, he was surprised at how incredibly light she was, and how her skin felt so dry at his touch. He didn't question what his father told him though, this was an elf, a killer, an enchantress meant to tempt and sway humans to do their bidding.

He studied her face as her brought her down the long stairwell. He hated this part of the castle, and tended to avoid it as much as possible. After all, there wasn't much need to be in the creepy abandoned dungeon where prisoners were never even kept there.

Rayla looked different, yet the same. If you took away the pointed ears, white hair, horns, and scales that were slowly spreading across her body, she looked just like the Rayla he'd seen around the palace for the past summer.

No, Soren, stop being distracted.

He bit his lip, reaching the foot of the stairs and heading down the hallway that led to the cells. He pulled the metal door of one with nicer and less eroded walls open and set her on the stone floor. He could hear the ocean from the small window that ran along the ceiling of the cell. Soren briefly wondered if she would be able to escape from it, but quickly dismissed the thought.

In her state he wondered if she would even live to see the next sunrise.

He left the dungeon as quickly as possible.

Whatever happened to the elf wasn't his business, his father had to have a good reason for keeping her.

He just needed to trust him.

__________________________

So this story is slowly yet surely drawing to a close, I've tried extending it as much as possible, but there aren't very many chapters left after this.

If anyone has any ideas for almost-kiss moments of date/scenario ideas please comment them!! I'd love to add in a few chapters in earlier parts of the book and add more content to it!!