Ocean's Temptation ✔️

Chapter Two

"She's quite the strumpet, if only she would let us get a better look at her."

"Cap'n why not let the crew have 'er for a spell? We be at sea for a mighty long time. Is it only right to appreciate the gifts the gods have given us, aye?" a different crewman asked, and the others agreed with a resounding "Aye." I pulled my legs tighter to my body, concealing as much of my naked self as I could. My captor stared at me for a few moments before speaking.

"Gents. This is not some ordinary sea wench for you to spend a few guineas on. This right here is our ticket to riches! No one has seen a mermaid in thousands of years, and now we have one. Can you speak, darlin'?" he asked, getting eye level with me. I looked down at the floor but felt myself shaking from the coldness.

"Hand me that blanket there," he said, and soon he wrapped it around my shoulders despite the groans from the others. "What's your name?"

"I don't think she understands, Cap'n. I read that mermaids speak some type of fish language..."

"Fish language? That right there don't exist!"

"Yes, it does! I read it!"

"You can't even read..."

"Bloody buggering hell, I can't!" the two men continued to argue but a loud groan from my captor silenced them.

"Enough! Shut it, the two of you. All of you back to work before I throw you overboard and leave you to deal with whatever else is out there," the captain commanded.

"Yes, Captain!" The group responded and fled.

"Now, I am going to ask you again. What's your name?" he asked. I turned to look at his face. The way he looked at me at that moment reminded me of when Iaira had viewed my tiara for the first time on the night of my wedding, only it sickened me. My face darkened, and I turned away. He let out a little laugh.

"Right, well. I don't believe that you can't understand me, and I know you can talk by that reaction you gave when I took this," he held up my necklace, and my eyes widened as I looked at it, "so maybe a few nights in the brig will loosen your lips a bit. Mr. Gibbs, escort our guest, will you? I have a feeling that she doesn't know how to use those things yet."

The man next to him nodded and then leaned over to pick me up. I fought him, swinging both arms and...legs, as the men laughed at the scene. But I was too exhausted and weak to break away from him. Soon, we were inside, and my eyes took in the ship—descending past the wooden walls and the many steps leading deep down to its base. I had never seen anything like this, only ghostly ruins from wrecks. It was so massive and terrifying. He opened the door, and on both sides were prison-holding cells. He opened one and dropped me inside. I fell hard to the floor, still wrapped in the blanket, and did my best to scamper over to the corner.

"Nighty night, little mermaid," he taunted and then locked the door as he exited the room.

It smelled horrid. The room smelled so pungent it made me feel sick, and looking around did nothing to help fix that. Only the ship's rocking back and forth gave me some comfort. As I tried to swallow it felt like a lump was lodged in my throat, and then water started falling from my eyes, down my cheeks. I touched it, saturating my fingers, and brought it to my nose to smell.

What was happening? Why was this water falling from my eyes? Was this an aftereffect of having the water that fell from the sky touching my face? It all terrified me, and all I wanted was to be back in the sea with my tail. I missed home, I missed my parents, and I would have done anything to get back and help my people. The more I thought these thoughts, the more water fell from my eyes. Slowly the exhaustion that had been building from the last however many days of swimming to the Southern Kingdom began to take over, and soon, despite my wants, my eyes shut.