Enid Hastings was once a mere mortal woman, who lived among the high society of Port Royal with her father, who had been a blacksmith. Nowhere near as talented or popular as the infamous blacksmith, Will Turner, but the Royal Army had taken a liking to her father's work.
When a brave soldier of the army had approached her father with the intention to marry Enid, the father made haste to have his daughter betrothed. She was promised a lavish life, with riches beyond her wildest dreams and a level of respect and honour that no other man or woman in her family could ever achieve.
At first she refused, for she did not know who the man she would marry, or if she would entertain the notion of being a wife at all. But after numerous nights and long days of pleading from her father, Enid had no choice but to surrender.
"The money I make from my work will not last you long, my dear. I would like to know that someone would be there to take care of you when I am gone," he had reasoned. Enid did not have it in herself to argue with him any further, and so she accepted the soldier's proposal.
What she did not expect, however, was to be tossed into the sea while sailing with her soon-to-be husband and his crew. She did not know of the beasts and monsters that lived far beneath the waves, waiting for a ship to pass so that they could strike.
She did not know the ocean could be so dangerous to a simple woman such as herself. Nor did she expect her adoring husband to throw her to a monster when faced with danger, and Enid found herself dragged to the depths of the ocean.
Air was no longer breathed into her lungs, life was no longer held in her eyes, and her heart no longer maintained its steady beat. Enid had been lost to the sea when an enormous, squid-like beast had devoured her fiancé and his ship - had the soldier not attempted to sacrifice her to the beast, she would have been gobbled up along with the rest of the crew.
But Enid knew that she would not survive past this day, for she could not free herself of the restraining corset and heavy dress so she may swim. Her eyes had slipped closed when she felt her lungs tighten and beg for air, and she instinctively opened her mouth, but all she swallowed was water.
Her eyes stung painfully, and her ears felt blocked and ready to burst from the ever-growing pressure as she slowly sank lower to the ocean floor. When her back thudded against the ground it made her gasp in pain, which allowed more water to fill her lungs.
Her body felt as though it was lit on fire, an unrelenting and agonizing fire that was determined to burn her from the inside out. Shadows moved slowly above Enid's head, but her blurred vision and stinging eyes could not detect any sort of danger that may have been approaching her.
She had given up, and she was prepared to meet her end at the hands of the ocean and its creatures. Her body was then lifted from the ocean floor, and what felt like hands began to roam her figure. She didn't resist, nor did she feel any fear, and she felt her consciousness slip from her grasp.
~~~~
A voice. Enid could not see where the voice was coming from, for her eyes were sealed shut. She could not feel her body, or feel anything for that matter, except for the numbing cold that seemed to surround her.
The voice was humming loud enough for the weakened girl to hear, and her stiff body relaxed. The biting cold was replaced with a blazing warmth as the humming grew louder, but Enid was not afraid. What a pleasant tune, she thought to herself. A comfort song to die to...
~~~~
Enid did not expect to open her eyes ever again, or to feel the air enter her body and fill her lungs. Her eyes slowly blinked open when she felt her hands and arms begin to twitch as she woke up. She could see the flickering light from way above her head as the ocean waves dragged on.
Animals and fish from all sizes and species swam by, and finally she had a thought enter her mind. Where in the world am I? A gasp made Enid gasp in shock herself, and she shot up straight from her lying position in the cold sand.
A figure was hidden in the corner of what looked to be a cave, and Enid quickly curled up in a tight, fearful ball. The figure quickly vanished from sight, leaving Enid alone in the cold, wet cave. She glanced around, holding herself tightly as she trembled faintly in fear.
There were hanging vines scattered all along the cave ceiling, with glowing orbs hanging at the end of each vine. Seashells of varying colours and shapes littered the ceiling and walls of the cave as well, and the light from the vines made colourful lights reflect off of the shells.
She did not notice the new figure entering the cave while she was admiring the scenery, and Enid jumped in fright when the newcomer approached. "Hello, child." The figure held a deep but feminine voice, guttural but soft-spoken at the same time, but Enid still trembled in terror as the woman approached.
"Do not be afraid, my dear," the woman said. A scream was ripped from Enid's lungs when a long, dark-coloured tail emerged from the shadows and reached for her. She dragged herself away from the scaly tail that attempted to curl around her, and another scream erupted from her.
"Please, you do not need to be afraid. All is well and all will be explained, but you must remain calm," the woman soothed, her deep voice not wavering or raising any higher. Enid breathed heavily as she stared up at the woman, who finally stepped into the light.
The long tail was part of the lower half of the woman's body, a range of indigo and purple scales that glowed in the dim cave light. The upper half of her body, however, was that of a human woman, with pale white skin and long black hair that floated all around her.
Her eyes were a blood red that seemed to stare directly into Enid's soul, and the girl could not help the tears that stung at her eyes. "Wh-what are you...? Where am I?" she asked shakily, hugging herself tightly in an attempt to comfort herself.
The woman slithered closer to Enid but remained a safe distance away before settling comfortably on the ground and curling her long tail around herself. "You are safe, little one. You were on death's doorstep when the others had found you, lifeless on the ocean floor," she explained slowly.
Enid furrowed her brows in confusion - who else was as deep down as the ocean floor? She peered behind the large woman at the entrance to the cave, but what she saw made her gasp in shock once again, but also in awe.
Seeing the fish from earlier swimming overhead suddenly made sense, for she recognized the ocean depths just outside the cave. "Are we underwater?!" she asked, sitting up a little straighter. "Yes, child. Had it not been for my healing abilities, you would not be here in this cave. It took quite a lot of energy to save you," the woman told her.
Enid nervously swallowed the lump in her throat as she took in the mysterious sea woman's appearance. "What..are you?" she asked again quietly. The woman smiled down at her, shifting as she got even more comfortable, and she took a deep breath.
"Have you heard of legends, my dear? Mythical creatures and tall tales of sea dwellers?" she asked Enid. The girl shook her head, hugging her knees to her chest once more and feeling her heart pounding in anxiety. "Then allow me to tell you a story now..."
"The siren, my child, is one of the earth's most beautiful creations, with a singing voice that can soothe and lull even the cruelest of pirates to sleep. Our voice, though, does more than just comfort troubled souls - it is what lures sailors and pirates alike to their doom while at sea. If not, then my kind will starve, and we will die. It is the delicate circle of life that we must live, and the good sailors of this world must pay a price if they choose to sail the seas. That is what I am...and that is what you are now, so that you may live."
Enid felt her eyes widen more and more as the siren continued to speak, and she felt her heart pound painfully in her chest as the woman's words registered in her brain. She then glanced down at herself, expecting to see a matching, scaly tail, but her legs were still hugged to her chest.
"B...b-but...I look...?" she said, but she could not find the words to speak. The siren merely smiled once more, smirking at the girl's obvious confusion. "If I did not heal you, and if I did not perform the ritual to convert you...well, it would have been a shame for a beauty such as yourself to be lost to the sea," the siren told Enid.
She then stood up from the rocky ground and held out one hand for Enid to take. The girl noticed that each fingertip was tinged gray and faded to the milky white skin tone, and each finger was tipped with a sharp claw. "Come with me, my child," the siren asked gently.
With no other choice Enid timidly took the siren's hand, but she was shocked at how warm the woman's touch was. She was pulled up onto wobbly legs and led forward towards the entrance of the cave. There were other shadowed figures along the wall of the cave, making Enid press herself closer to the woman's side as each siren whispered excitedly about the timid girl.
The siren's tail then slowly curled around Enid's slim body protectively as they stood at the entrance and stared out into the sea. Dozens of other mermaid-like creatures, both men and women, swam through the water, some in small clusters or large groups or traveling alone.
Enid's jaw dropped in awe as she took in the scenery around her - the cave was situated in the middle of a great coral reef. There were hues of red and pink and blue all around her, and there were hundreds of fish swimming in and out of the reef.
Above her, the sound of a whale's call made her glance up and watch as the creature slowly swam on by. "This...this is beautiful," she whispered oh so softly, joyful tears stinging at her eyes. She glanced up at the siren with a curious gaze, which was met by the siren's soft eyes.
"But what of my family? My home? What will become of them?" she asked her. The siren sighed quietly and pursed her lips, her hand stretching across Enid's shoulders. "There is more to being one of us than possessing a rare beauty. All will be explained in time, my child. But this...is your new home."