A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter 16

I huffed loudly in irritation as I watched the Southern Continent grow closer and closer. The village of Okonfo was already visible, and I could just make out people moving along the shore. All I had to do now was pick who to accompany me and Arthur when we land. Peter was already coming, so that left only a few other people I wanted coming along.

"Hey, James," I called to the older man as he was shuffling past me. "Want to come ashore with me?"

"R-really? Ya want me t' go wit ya?" he asked in surprise. He turned to look at me with wide eyes. "Are ya sure?"

"Of course I am. You've been a good friend to me since I got here. I want you to come."

"Well, thank ya very much, Miz."

"Please, just call me (y/n)," I said with a laugh.

"Er, right. Sorry 'bout that." He blushed faintly.

"Oh, and tell Squeaker he can come too!"

"Will do. Thank ya again, Mi...er...(y/n)."

"Don't mention it."

The man excitedly shuffled away while holding up his pants. He was always losing his belt, and I hoped he would find it before we got to shore. I looked toward Okonfo again and noted how much closer it was. We would be landing soon. That reminded me of the last person I had to talk to yet. My heart skipped nervously at the thought.

It wasn't that I was afraid of talking to Alfred. In actuality, I wasn't sure what I felt. He had been so nice to me, but I couldn't keep the memory of him kissing my forehead from popping back up whenever I thought about him. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, especially when I added Arthur to the picture.

Oh tides, this was a mess. I leaned my elbows against the ship's railing and buried my face in my hands. There was no way this situation could get any weirder than it already was. I sighed and shook my head. Saying that would probably give fate some funny ideas, and that was the last thing I needed.

"Prepare t' raise the sails, ye filthy sea dogs!" someone shouted from behind me.

I turned to watch the crew roll up the large white canvases as the Queen Lady pulled into a harbor. It slowed to a stop next to a barnacle encrusted dock, and there was a loud splash as the anchor was dropped. A plank was lowered for the men to get off the ship, which they did with plenty of eagerness. Only the few men that had to stay behind didn't disembark, but instead sulked as they played cards or whittled on some driftwood.

"Alright! I'm so sick of being cooped up on this ship!"

I recognized the voice as Alfred's. "Alfred?"

His head poked up from the stairs leading below deck. "'Sup?" he asked with a grin.

"I was...erm..." I but my lip. Why was I hesitating? "I just wanted to know if you want to go with me ashore."

"Of course!" His blue eyes lit up happily.

"Alfred's coming? Yes!" Peter appeared out of nowhere and jumped on the young man's back.

"Hey, hey! Settle down, kid!" The two of them laughed as they horsed around next to me.

"Ah! Good, ya haven' left witout us!" Squeaker exclaimed as he and James appeared from the stairs.

"Looks like we're all here," I observed. "Now we just need to wait for-"

"I take it this is your group." Arthur came out of his room and looked over us quickly. "Let's get moving. I don't want to stay here long."

I pursed my lips. Again he hardly paid me any attention. Why did this bother me so much? I didn't know, but I didn't care. My group followed Arthur off the ship and down the dock toward the village. Okonfo appeared to be some kind of trading hub that dealt primarily with fish. In between the crude wooden huts of the village, there were many stalls selling freshly caught fish and other ocean delicacies.

"Wow," Peter breathed. His eyes widened excitedly. "Can we go over there?"

"Later," Arthur replied. "I need to visit an old friend first."

"Aww, please!"

The pirate's huge brows twitched. "Fine," he said finally. "But not for long."

"Yay!"

Peter, James, and Squeaker hurried away toward a vendor selling sweets and colorful trinkets. I watched them go with a twinge of jealousy. It was the first time I had been allowed to look around a human settlement, and I was curious. A quick peek at Arthur revealed him standing with his arms crossed, and a rather impatient expression adorned his face.

"Can I look to?" I asked as confidently as I could.

"Doesn't matter to me," he answered without even bothering to look.

I don't know why, but that made me angry. My fists clenched as I turned to face Alfred. "Let's go."

He followed me silently until we were far enough from Arthur that he wouldn't hear. "What's that all about?"

"Haven't a clue."

"Did you tell him about...you know."

I sighed. "No, not yet." He had been avoiding me, and I didn't know what to say after our last encounter. Thoughts of his lips on mine brought heat to my face.

"Hey, your face is all red. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah...I'm fine," I lied.

Different scents filled the air as we approached some stalls. I feigned interest in some stewed squid to avoid talking about it any more. The squid actually looked pretty good, and I considered getting some. A dark skinned man glanced my way and grinned. He was stirring a large pot over a small fire, which made the sweat on his skin glisten.

"It's one gold piece per squid," he said with a thick accent. I noticed a lot of different languages being spoken here that I've never heard before, and I guessed he spoke one of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't have any gold," I apologized.

"You don't have any? That's so sad!" I looked up in surprise to see a young man with reddish brown hair watching. A single, long curl bounced as he snapped his fingers. "I know! I'll buy you some! No one should go hungry, especially a pretty girl like you."

"Oh no, you don't have to-"

"Feliciano! What do you think you're doing! You better not be chasing girls again!"

"Wahhh! It's Ludwig!"

The young man hid behind me and Alfred just as a tall blonde man appeared carrying two bags. He looked around until he spotted the two of us standing awkwardly with the hair curl guy behind us.

"Feliciano!!!"

"Wahhhhh! I'm sorry! I just wanted to help this pretty girl!" the young man screamed from behind me.

The blonde man sighed. "We're here to spread truth and light, not give handouts. We barely have enough gold to feed ourselves."

"Sorry, Ludwig..."

"Are you missionaries?" Alfred asked them.

"Yup!" Feliciano replied happily. His mood had changed drastically from before. "We're here to spread the truth of our great Lord Doitsu!"

"Lord Doitsu?" I repeated.

"Yes. His great Potatoness has brought us many great practices such as our daily potato worship and sparkle parties," Ludwig added.

"You wanna join?" Feliciano asked.

"Um...I think we have to go," I said quickly. The last thing I wanted was to get roped into some freaky religion. "It was nice meeting you!"

I grabbed Alfred's arm and hurried away before the two missionaries could object.

~000~

The Captain found Peter and the two other men eating candied bananas next to a vendor selling paper pinwheels. Their hands and faces were covered in sticky sugar, but they didn't seem to mind at all. Arthur wasn't sure whether to be upset or amused. He made them clean up before asking them where the mermaid was.

"Dunno," Squeaker answered. "We was too busy eatin' candies t' notice." He patted his full stomach.

"We're here!" The mermaid ran into view clutching Alfred's arm. They were both flushed and out of breath.

Arthur's eyes narrowed. He didn't like how close they were, but he kept that to himself. "Let's get moving then. We've wasted enough time as it is." The pirate didn't even glance at the mermaid.

"Who's your friend, Uncle Arthur?" Peter asked as he held a pinwheel up to catch the sea breeze.

"You'll see in a bit." Despite his previous cold attitude, the Captain reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.

The group walked silently toward the edge of the village as the sounds of the busy stalls died down. A single hut with a palm leaf roof stood by itself in a small cluster of trees. Arthur lead the group toward the small hut without hesitation. He had been here plenty of times before and was completely comfortable strolling down the dirt path.

The door to the hut was closed, and red curtains kept anyone from looking through the open holes used as windows. Arthur pounded on the door, and then waited. Nothing happened. He knocked again, but still nothing.

"Come on, Vladimir. Open up or I'll knock your door down."

Everything was quiet at first, but then there was a click before the door swung open with a creak.