A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter 25

Arthur wasn't exactly sure what had brought on his unusually good mood from three days earlier. He had been contemplating it as the Queen Lady sailed closer and closer to Berd, but the Captain was no closer to an answer than he was in Zenos. The only thing he could possibly think of that perhaps had the slightest bit to do with it was the conversation he had had with Kiku. For whatever reason, it had made him feel good about his situation. Lucky almost. The way the dark haired man had picked up on the relationship between Arthur and the mermaid made the whole thing seem just a little more real to Arthur.

It's not that he doubted its legitimacy per se, but it was nice to know he wasn't the only one who saw it. Well, he and his crew. The Captain still couldn't quite put his finger on what it was that made him so happy, but there was no doubt it had something to do with the mermaid.

"Hey, how much further?" The mermaid seemed to appear beside the Captain by magic. He had been too preoccupied to notice her walk up the stairs to join him at the helm.

"If my calculations are correct, we should be there soon," he replied.

"Oh good." She smiled brightly.

Yes, his happiness was definitely her doing. Part of the reason Arthur had become a pirate was to escape his horrible father, but also because he loved the sea. It was everything he wished he could be. Strong. Free. Untamable. Wild. He saw a lot of those traits in the mermaid too. That's probably why he was so inexplicably drawn to her. On the other hand, she was almost the exact opposite of those things as well. She could be gentle, caring, and so very fragile. The Captain almost liked those things about her more than the others.

"It's getting cold out here, isn't it." She shivered and began to briskly rub her arms.

Arthur inwardly kicked himself. Her borrowed outfit was not very warm, and he hadn't bought her anything warmer in Xerux or Zenos. She was wearing her usual white button down shirt with brown trousers. The whole outfit was actually very masculine with its long white stockings and thick leather belt, but somehow she made it look very appealing. Almost too appealing in Arthur's opinion. He remembered running his fingers over her flat stomach when they kissed in the ruins, and he wondered how she'd react if he did that now.

"Here." He let to of the wheel long enough to shrug off his coat and hand it to her.

"Won't you get cold?" she asked as she accepted the heavy garment.

"No. Besides, I have more coats than that one."

"Okay, then I guess it's alright." Arthur watched her slip her arms through the coat, which was rather big on her, before she snuggled up beside him. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, princess. Just don't lose what I've got in the pockets," he answered with a hint of a smirk. "Now, if only this blasted fog would disappear. I can't see a bloody thing."

"Maybe I can help with that."

The mermaid took a few steps away from Arthur and raised her arms. It wasn't particularly cold, but he already missed her presence beside him. However, his thoughts were momentarily forgotten as he tried to figure out what she was up to. Her face shifted into one of concentration, and the very air seemed to go still in anticipation. That's when Arthur realized the air had gone still. The fog had stopped swirling around like it usually did as if frozen, suspended in place.

It was a very surreal experience, and the Captain almost wondered if he was dreaming. Murmurs of surprise could be heard from the deck below as the men posted around the ship to watch for hidden obstacles in the mist noticed its sudden lack of movement. The mermaid slowly lowered her arms and exhaled, and at the same time the fog began to fall toward the ocean. It was as if the ocean were drawing all of the moisture back into itself. Within a matter of seconds, the entire area was completely free of fog.