"The kingdom is not the place for you."
That's what Cordelia's mother always said.
"The royals and the socialites will eat you alive."
This didn't scare Cordelia.
"A rich merman, much less a prince, will never marry someone like you. They hate us; you need to understand that."
This made Cordelia sad. She wanted to marry a prince. She wanted to live in a palace and have beautiful clothes and an abundance of jewelry, so much she could never decide on just one piece, so she would have to wear a necklace and earrings and a tiara and a ring all at the same time.
Cordelia didn't think she was greedy; she just wanted to know what it was like, and she didn't want to be poor and friendless, living away from civilization with no one to talk to but her mother. She didn't want to see the prince when he came to "feed the less fortunate merpeople," as they called it. She wanted to see the prince on their wedding day, standing at the altar as she glided down the aisle in a beautiful white lace corset, with pearls from the finest oysters around her neck and placed delicately in her long blonde hair. It didn't even have to be the prince smiling down at her. It could be any boy, as long as he loved her. She so desperately wanted love. Then she would be happy.
But Cordelia couldn't have that life and she knew it. Her mother was a sea witch, and therefore exiled from society. Even though she never had any intentions of harming others, normal mermaids were afraid of her, and others of her kind. Even Cordelia's father left her mother when he discovered the truth. So Cordelia and her mother had to keep their identities secret, lest they be sent to prison, or worse, executed. They lived in a small cottage far from any neighboring houses or businesses, and Cordelia's mother had no job in order to stay hidden. Because of this, they were very poor. Cordelia's mother's powers helped to fix some of their problems, but by no means did it rid them of all their insufficiencies. Cordelia was sent into town every week by her mother to beg for food and money from wealthier merpeople in the kingdom.
One day, when she was swimming back to her house with a basket holding a few cents, a loaf of bread, and some cloth, she heard a scream coming from the direction she was heading.
When she arrived home, her mother was not there.
The hours passed and her mother did not return. Hours turned into days, and still Cordelia was alone. After a week, Cordelia faced the fact that her mother was gone. She would be alone, forever. The only person who had ever loved her, the only person who had ever even talked to her, was gone.
Cordelia was on her own, and she knew exactly what she was going to do. She would forget the past and start a new life for herself. She would not meet the same fate as her mother.
Cordelia put on her best top, grabbed the trifling bit of coins they had saved in a drawer, took some kelp out of the cupboard, and although it was hard leaving the cottage where all the memories with her mother were made, she left.
She barely even knew how to get to the kingdom, but she managed. The great white palace so huge it was almost protruding from the ocean was a slight giveaway.
She didn't really know where to go when she arrived. There was an inn, but she figured she didn't have enough money. It was worth a shot, though.
The shot missed the target.
Cordelia didn't know what to do.
As she was debating between going back to what used to be her home or simply sleeping in the street, someone approached her. It was a boy.
He was probably two years older than her, around 17. The first thing she noticed about him was his tail. It was emerald in color, so green it made Cordelia want to go on land to see more of that color in the trees and the grass that she once heard about. The next thing she noticed were his eyes, almost the exact color of his tail. His hair was the same light blonde as hers, but that was about the only thing they had in common. He was somewhat tan and very strong, while Cordelia was pale, and her skin had an odd hint of grey, and her body was frail, and the first word that one thinks when seeing her is malnutrition. His features were soft, while hers were so sharp it seemed almost painful to touch her nose.
His voice was loud, and he spoke with an air of aristocracy. "I've had yet to see a tail of that color in the kingdom until this moment," he said.
"I'm not from around here," replied Cordelia with a shrug. Her voice was soft and weak like the rest of her.
"I'm aware. We've met before this occasion. I see you whenever I tag along with my parents to assist in feeding the less fortunate merpeople."
Cordelia knew he looked familiar.
"Oh..." she mumbled.
"I wish my tail was as unique as yours," he said.
"Your tail's wonderful, though," Cordelia told him.
"Eh," he shrugged. "Everyone in my family has one of the exact appearance. But yours..." He trailed off.
"Don't you think mine makes me look... evil or something?" questioned Cordelia.
"No," he answered simply. "I've never met anyone evil, but I picture them as having a red tail. Black just adds depth. Have you ever seen a painting that doesn't have shadows? It probably wouldn't be much of an interesting painting."
Cordelia had never looked at her black tail like this before. She liked his new perspective.
"Thanks...?" she said questioningly.
"It was my pleasure," he said as he began to walk away. He then stopped abruptly, turned around, and said, "I can't believe I was so impolite. I'm Prince Edward III, but feel free to call me by the name of Ed. And you are?"
"Cordelia," said the lonely girl as she tried to make the side of a building a somewhat bearable place to sleep.
"Do you need a place to stay, Cordelia?" asked the prince, realizing what she was doing.
Cordelia looked up at him with eyes full of gratefulness mixed with disbelief and a touch of longing, while he looked down at her with a look as if he were waiting to hear a "yes" right after a marriage proposal. They stared for a while, until Cordelia finally said, "Yes, that would be lovely."
It took a while for Cordelia to realize what was actually happening. It wasn't until the first week had passed that she realized she was staying in a palace and becoming friends with the prince.
She told him her life's story - how her father left her mother, and how she was born into poverty. She was afraid to tell him about her mother being a witch. Even though Ed was kind to her and seemed accepting, she didn't want him to become afraid of her.
After a few days, however, she had a compelling urge to tell him. She felt like she was lying to him by keeping him from such a major part of her life. She told him about her mother, and when she did, Ed's face fell and he looked frantic, but within seconds he put on a smile and told Cordelia that who her mother was is not who she is. It did not alter the way he talked to her or treated her one bit.
Cordelia had a theory that Ed was ashamed of her, though. The King and Queen did not know about her; she was kept hidden in one of the many palace guestrooms, and Ed snuck food to her every day.
She liked to think it wasn't shame that kept her hidden in that room, though. Ed was protecting her. That's what she told herself, anyway.
Ed and Cordelia talked every day.
It wasn't until the first month had passed that she realized she was staying in a palace and developing feelings for the prince.
"Remember the first day we met? Formally met, I mean," she asked him one day.
"Why, yes, I do," he answered.
"You told me that you picture evil mermaids with red tails," said Cordelia.
"Yes, I recall that."
"Why?"
"Red is just an angry color."
"Don't you think red can be more than angry?" asked Cordelia.
"Could you further explain?" questioned Ed.
"Well, I think that red represents passion. And love."
"And what leads you to believe that?" asked Ed.
Cordelia was hesitant. "Well," she said, "every time I look at you, or think of you, I see red. And it's not because I'm angry."
Ed looked at her and nodded. Without responding, he leaned over and kissed her.
From then on, Ed and Cordelia not only talked every day, but they kissed every day, too.
Ed made Cordelia laugh and feel happy and safe and wanted and loved. She was sure he loved her; she definitely loved him.
It was six months after Cordelia first met Ed that she decided to leave. It was time she start a life for herself, and maybe Ed would finally tell everyone about her.
Ed didn't want her to leave, though.
"It's for your own good that you stay," he said to Cordelia.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean... someone could find out about your true identity, and I can tell you from personal experience that most aren't as accepting as I. Sometimes things are just best kept hidden."
"I don't want to be hidden," Cordelia told him.
"Well it's not just you. There's things... information... that you shouldn't know. It would be for your own good."
"But-"
"Leave it alone, Cordelia," said Ed.
"Fine. But I will leave. You can't keep me locked up here forever. You have to let me go eventually."
"I know. I'm just afraid when you go, I'll never see you again."
"That will never happen," assured Cordelia.
After another week, Cordelia told him she had to go, that she couldn't spend her life locked up in a room. Finally, Ed gave in and said she could leave, but first, he needed to tell her something.
"Don't hate me," he had said.
"I could never hate you," Cordelia said confidently, but with worried curiosity.
"I'm getting married," he said.
Cordelia stifled a laugh and said, "I don't think that's the proper way to propose."
"Not... not to you."
Cordelia slowly turned her head toward Edward and narrowed her eyes.
"We can still be friends," stuttered Ed.
"Tell me about her," said Cordelia quietly, not sadly, but rather with an eerie calmness.
Ed looked confused, but said with his head down, "She's beautiful. She has a blue tail and blue eyes that resemble yours. She's very nice and caring. She likes to explore. She brings out the adventure in me. Her father is a friend of my father's. That's how we met. It was at a little soiree she hosted."
"She sounds lovely," said Cordelia with a smile.
"She is," said Ed. "I love her."
Cordelia nodded slowly.
"Cordelia..." started Ed, but then paused to think about what he was going to say. "You're welcome to stay here."
"Why on earth would I stay?" she asked, finally sounding angry. "I've wanted to leave this castle for weeks, and now I finally have a good reason to. Now it won't even hurt, leaving you."
It did hurt, though. In that moment, looking at Ed and realizing that all the time he spent with her was most likely time spent thinking of someone else hurt a lot. He didn't need to know that though.
"Cordelia... since you're already angry with me, I have to be honest about something else."
Cordelia didn't respond.
"Well I'll just tell you. Your mother... I'm fairly certain she was executed by the order of my parents. I remember, a few months back, my parents were conversing about a witch that they finally caught. I thought it best if you didn't know."
"Why? So that I would stay with you and fall in love with you only to be heartbroken?"
"I had no idea you felt that strongly, Cordelia. I just wanted the best for you and didn't want you to be hurt by the truth. And also, I must admit, I was somewhat afraid that you took after your mother in her witchy ways and I didn't want you to harm anyone."
"Sometimes, Ed, when we think that what we are doing is best and we're only keeping other from pain, it turns out to be the opposite. We end up hurting others, and they end up hurting us, and we realize that life is just a cycle of hurt."
"I don't understand," said Edward.
"You will."
And with that, Cordelia was gone.
Edward sat dumbfounded for a few minutes. And then he moved on with his life. He married his fiancé two months later. They lived happily ever after.
Cordelia did not.
She was back to her old life - homeless and friendless and practically lifeless. She loved Edward and he completely used her. And for that, she would get him back.