The Theft
-ARA-
Father was going to murder me— no, that was impossible. Not when I now had the very weapon he would choose to kill me with.
His rage had always been a palpable thing. Something that made the ocean itself boil. A curse of being the sole wielder of her— the ocean's domain. And that power was now mine, to wield or be destroyed by. Because all magic came with a price. And mine had come at the price of my father's love. He would never love me again after he found out what I had done.
My fin burned, bending at awkward angles as the scales peeled away, revealing foreign raw skin underneath. The human change was already happening and I was too far from the surface to breathe. I had to move faster before I drowned, my desire to be free from the depths dying with me.
It wasn't that I didn't enjoy being a daughter of the sea. I had enjoyed aspects of that life. But I did not want to spend my days watching my brothers fight for a birthright that was supposed to be mine. No ruler had ever been a girl. And instead of letting me prove that I could rule next, the crown would be passed to one of my younger brothers, who didn't question my father's decision.
I had kept my heart hidden. Letting them believe that I was satisfied with the pleasures of the court with none of the responsibilities. After all, who wouldn't want to be a princess without having to make all the decisions that would affect the entire sea? Not me. I wanted more, and after begging my father to turn me human, knowing full well it would drain him of his magic for a time, I snatched his crown and ran.
I will rule.
But I would do more than just control the sea below. I would take full advantage of being human and learn the ways of the world above, before ruling that world too. Until then, however, I was a rogue princess turned human with no home and no concrete plan.
My lungs began to burn as I forced my warped fin to push me toward the surface. The feeling of being a foreign entity in a place that used to be home was jarring. The moon filtered through the water, stretching towards me, a glittering call towards the world that was now mine to explore.
Spots fought across my vision, threatening to blotch out the fragile moonlight. And before the darkness could destroy my sight, and fire could rip apart my lungs, I burst through the invisible barrier that divided sea from air and took my first full breath as a human. It was glorious and very undignified, leaving my chest heaving until my heart stopped trying to burst into pieces.
My skin was now free from all signs of my past life, replaced by two magnificently human legs that waddled awkwardly below the surface, tattooed in patches of bruises from past scales that had fought the hardest to stay.
I wiggled my toes and giggled, forcing myself to stop when the sound grew loud and wild, threatening to rear into a panic attack.
You can't just float naked in the moonlight laughing like a dolphin, Ara. You needed to find clothes, learn to control your newly stolen powers, and find a way to blend in before father picks up your trail.
The dark surf ahead left me momentarily paralyzed. And not for the first time, I chastised myself for acting first and thinking second. I really should have made a plan. This is going to be a disaster. The idea left me smirking. I enjoyed a little chaos.
Better this than letting your brothers rule, a voice in my mind whispered, reminding me of why I had run. The image of the chaos that either of my brothers was capable of sprung me back into motion. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let that happen. I would take the chaos. The hate. The betrayal.
I will rule.
I began to swim for shore, spotting glistening manmade lights in the distance. Roars of laughter wafted across the sea from a nearby tavern, promising an adventure, far from my father's wrath.
Now if only this future queen could find some clothes...
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