Promise Forever: Fairy Tales with a Modern Twist

by Pauline Creeden

  I narrowed my eyes at him. Of course, I'd never invite him. And because I didn't trust him, there was no way that I'd be fooled by his sweet talk. He was just telling me what he felt I wanted to hear.

  "Additionally, I won't tell others about you, and I'll be sure to perpetuate the rumor that this cave is both cursed and haunted, so that you can remain hidden in this space. But once you've grown tired of being alone... and once I've proven trustworthy to you by keeping my word... I hope that you'll come find me. I will wait for you on the docks of the castle at the mouth of the bay starting at twilight every evening for a full hour until you come. When you find me, I hope that we can become something more than strangers or enemies."

  He waited a moment to see if I'd acknowledge what he'd said, but I remained still. After taking a deep breath, he stood, dusted himself, and left the way he'd come. I sank beneath the waters the moment he'd gotten far enough away.

  As if I'd trust him. I left my cave, and it was a full year before I returned again. And in that year, I continued my studies among the creatures I could talk to from different parts of ocean-dwelling and amphibious societies. I traversed the seven seas before returning again to this cave.

  And when I returned, I was surprised to find everything exactly where I'd left them. All my things were neatly kept in the nooks and crannies of rock where I'd placed them over my years of self-imposed exile. Surprised, I left the cave and watched the setting of the sun in the west and I remembered the rest of this prince's promise. When I swam to the docks of the castle at the mouth of the bay I found him there, sitting and whittling on a stick. The rays of setting sun set the tips of his hair aflame with gold. His green eyes sparkled in the same playful way they had when I had seen him that first time. My heart fluttered when I looked at him. Though I thought him handsome the first time when I'd seen him, I discounted it. Because handsome men were often the most self-absorbed and deceitful. But a full year later, it seemed that Evan was truly a man of his word, and that part endeared him to me. He sparked my curiosity and interest. I wanted to know more about him, test him further. But I had time, and maybe it was just a coincidence he was here on this day.

  I was getting ahead of myself.

  But for a week, I remained in my cave, and found that the people stayed away just as he'd promised. Every evening I'd return to the dock, and find him sitting there, sometimes with a book and sometimes with his knife and a stick to whittle on. But always alone, and he always stayed one hour past the setting of the sun.

  He was constant.

  The wind picked up, and the sky grew dark on the seventh day. The full moon had been blocked by the dark clouds overhead. He pulled his coat around him, and though the rain started, he remained sitting.

  I frowned. The rain beat against my face as I watched him, keeping my head above the waves as they grew choppier. I should have left him and remained under the surface where the waters were less changed by the wind and rain. The prince should have left for his castle or at least sought shelter. But instead, he let the weather beat against him for the full hour. I waited impatiently, counting every minute, willing him to leave, but he remained. Why? Did he really need to keep his promise so badly? I found myself drawing closer to him as I watched.

  And when the hour was up, I felt relief slip through my shoulders. But the prince didn't draw to his feet the way that he usually did. He continued to sit.

  Frightened for a minute, I swam even closer. It had been nearly a quarter of an hour longer than he'd ever stayed before. And in this awful weather, why was he doing it? The wind blew harder, and his jacket came loose, flapping in the wind instead of being held tightly around him as it had been before. His body slumped. The wind caught his jacket and pushed him harder. The prince collapsed forward on the dock, and kept rolling, straight off the pier and into the water.

  I screamed, my voice ripped away by the wind.

  Chapter 2

  I dove after him, my heart seizing in my chest and my stomach turning cold. When I found him, I ripped his heavy cloak from his body, as it had become water-logged and weighed him down. Then I gripped him under his arms and swam him to the surface, breaking free of the ocean and hoping that he hadn't taken any water into his lungs. I swam him quickly toward the shore. Rain beat against my skin, and air burned inside my lungs as I gulped in deep breaths. The prince's eyes opened slightly, and he moaned.

  Good. He was still alive. He didn't drown.

  His gaze brushed across mine before he closed his eyes again. His body fell limp, and he lay unconscious in my arms. When my tentacles reached the sand, I pulled us both up onto the shore.

  Lightning struck.

  And I saw her in the momentary light of day.

  Aria, Triton's daughter, pinned me with a menacing glare. My heart skipped a beat as she pulled herself ashore. "What are you doing? Don't touch him."

  I sat, motionless on the sand, staring at the young princess. Her shock of red hair stuck out in every direction and the loathing in her wide-eyed gaze demanded I cower. But I couldn't let her family abuse me again. I swallowed and returned her glare. "What does it matter to you? He is a land-dweller. He's not part of your rule."

  She rushed forward and touched the prince's face lovingly. "Thank Heavens, he's okay."

  I shivered in the cool breeze, suddenly feeling naked outside the water. Did she know him? My stomach twisted.

  Her maniacal glare returned to me once again. "What are you doing here, witch? How dare you touch my prince?"

  I blinked at her. "Your prince?"

  "I have been watching him for nine moons. He comes every day at twilight to sit on the pier overlooking the ocean. He is handsome, is he not? I love him but have been waiting for the right time to come to him."

  I backed away, my heart sinking toward my stomach. This was too much. Even if I had been developing feelings for the prince's kindness and constancy, I didn't want to compete with the mermaid for him. It was a battle that a kraken sea witch, like myself, could never win. I retreated toward the waves.

  When the waves lapped at my tentacles, Aria turned on me. "Where do you think you're going?"

  I stopped. "What?"

  The wind continued to blow, but the rain that had been pouring down over top of us a moment before had become little more than a mist. Overhead, the clouds roiled past, moving faster than my mind could process what the mermaid wanted from me.

  "Can't you see this is providence?" Aria pointed at the pale shadow of a moon, still hidden by clouds. "The moon is full. Prince Evan was in danger, and I saved him. And you are here to traverse land with me, so that I do not have to do it alone."

  My throat became suddenly dry, and I was unable to swallow.

  "What?" I asked again. She saved him? I shook my head, that wasn't even the important part. Surely this little mermaid couldn't possibly be crazy enough to believe that I would even consider what she was thinking?

  I slipped back into the waves another few inches before her hand lashed out and she grabbed hold of one of my tentacles and squeezed it hard, embedding her claws into the soft tissue. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. She sneered, baring her eye-teeth. "You will help me. You will do as I command, or I will bring down hell upon you. My father has been searching for you..."

  My heart sank deeper, and bile rose in my throat.

  "He doesn't take it well when a woman plays too hard to get. If you help me, I will do what I can to draw his attentions elsewhere. Refuse, and my father will rain his fury upon you, full force."

  A chill ran down my spine. I shivered. I knew it had been a more than luck that had kept Triton from finding me all this time. I had hoped that he'd moved on and found something pretty to draw his attention. Something shiny and new. I had been wrong, if Aria was to be believed, he still pined for me. I frowned. "What do you want from me?"

  Her grip on my tentacle—all but forgotten—relaxed. A small smile spread across her lips. "I saved him, right?"

  I blinked.
She was crazy.

  She glared at me harder. "Right?"

  Wide-eyed, I nodded slowly.

  She nodded firmly. "Right. I'm going to need you to make us both some human looking clothes. You can do that, can't you, sea witch?"

  My eyes darted around the area, but all I could see was driftwood, seaweed, and netting. If I thinly sliced the wood, broke down the seaweed... I could make it work. I nodded again.

  "Then do it. And come out of the waters. We need to dry under the light of the full moon. Once we gain our legs, we need to cover ourselves the way that the humans do. And I don't want him looking at you. I need to be the center of his attention. So, make yourself one of those veils, the way the humans near the Arabian sea wear." Her voice turned giddy.

  I pulled myself from the water. She was right. According to the laws of nature, we could become human during the full moon if we went ashore and allowed ourselves to dry. But we'd be stuck in that form until the next full moon if we wanted to abide by its laws. There were repercussions to breaking nature’s laws.

  I'd studied human culture and felt that we could survive on land, but being part of a royal family, most likely Aria had access to some sort of wealth on land with keepers. I could learn even more about the humans and their magic by traversing the land myself.

  Who was I trying to kid?

  This was blackmail. Aria, supposedly the prettiest and most kind of Triton's daughters, was showing her true colors. Her heart competed with her father’s in a contest for the darkest. Black-hearted, that's what they were. This prized daughter of the king planned to enslave me for at least a month because she'd grown infatuated with a human. It took everything I had not to roll my eyes as I watched my tentacles form into a pair of human legs.

  The painless process took very little time, as I used my magic to help us both dry quicker. I even used some to help Prince Evan dry faster as well. Then I offered Aria the garment I had woven.

  She eyed it and then shook her head. "It's ugly. You wear that. Make me something prettier, something that shows my collarbone."

  I blinked and took a deep breath. For the sake of survival, I would endure this test of patience. I slipped on the garment I had made and started another. She stood over my shoulder and dictated the process.

  Once finished, we were both dressed and our feet shod with sandals, and then she eyed me again. "Don't forget your veil."

  She had been serious about that? I rolled my eyes and then used the netting to make a silken veil like I'd seen on my trip to the Arabian Peninsula.

  Prince Evan stirred.

  Aria collapsed to her knees, sitting in the sand next to the prince, holding his hand in both of hers. His eye lids fluttered, emerald green eyes shining in the moonlight. His gaze slipped across mine for a moment before Aria positioned herself to block me from him. He blinked and took a deep breath. "What happened?"

  Aria opened her mouth and closed it, her cheeks filling with red. She blushed hard and looked away.

  His brow furrowed, and he searched her face again. "Who are you?"

  Her eyes met his for a moment, and she opened her mouth to speak, but squeaked instead. She released his hand and slapped her palms over her lips, her eyes looking at him with wide terror.

  What on Earth was going on? The spoiled brat had no problem ordering me around a moment ago, but now in the face of the man who was the subject of her infatuation, she couldn't speak?

  I knelt down on the other side of him. "Sir, you fell into the water during the storm. My lady rescued you."

  His eyes met mine when I spoke, and then he gazed at Aria. His brow still furrowed. "Is that true?"

  She pulled her hands from her mouth and nodded.

  "Who are you?" he asked her.

  She stared at him, opened her mouth, and then shook her head and darted a glance toward me.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and accepting my enslavement. "Her name is Aria. She is an Arabian princess and I am her servant, Ursa."

  Chapter 3

  Walking was not as hard as I thought it would be, but I continuously wiggled my toes, as though trying to find the control of balance that my missing limbs would have helped. The moonlight shined overhead as Prince Evan led us toward his castle. He continued to look at both Aria and myself strangely, and Aria had become as silent as a mouse, clinging to my arm as she, too, learned to walk with her newly-acquired limbs.

  “Did you come to my kingdom by land or sea?” he asked as he waited for us to catch up on the rocky road.

  I looked up at him. “By sea.”

  He nodded. “Is your ship in the port?”

  Aria squeezed my arm and nodded when I looked her direction.

  “Yes, apparently so.”

  He quirked an eyebrow at me. Then he turned about and led us on the rocky path. The driftwood sandals on our feet barely helped keep the rocks from piercing my sensitive soles. Aria weighed heavily on my arm forcing me to carry the weight she burdened me with as well as my own.

  When we reached the wall about the castle yard, Evan spoke to the guards. “These ladies of the court will be staying in the castle tonight. Allow them passage.”

  The guard nodded. “Yes, milord.”

  Evan nodded our direction and guided us through the narrow, cobblestone streets. Lamps lit the way, hanging from the entryway of each building. Few people milled about in the city, and they had to walk gingerly to avoid puddles. The going was slick. A new feeling I had to conquer to maintain my balance. Aria nearly fell several times. I imagined pulling my arm free when she did and letting her fall, but I refrained.

  Although I had rebelled by refusing to marry King Triton, I wasn’t the rebellious or quarrelsome sort. I wanted to keep peace, even with my enemy. Who knew what she could accomplish in this month-long servitude? The last thing I needed was to anger her and make my life harder.

  I sighed and helped lift her up as she slipped again.

  The stone steps on the way to the castle provided another obstacle, though easily figured out after watching him a moment. I lifted my skirt to keep from stepping upon the hem, but Aria did not need to. Her gown had been made knee-length at her request. It made her look younger and fresher while my dress was more modest and matronly. When we reached the top of the steps, we entered the main hall. Evan called a female servant and ordered her to guide us to our quarters.

  “I will ask the chef to prepare a meal for us. Would you join me?” Evan asked us both. He’d quickly figured out that I spoke for both of us, and as such, addressed us both even though I’d taken the role of servant and it wasn’t the usual decorum.

  Aria nodded to me.

  I closed my eyes and let out a long breath before reopening them. “The princess would enjoy that immensely. Thank you, sire.”

  Prince Evan bowed to us both, and we followed the female servant to the quarters Evan had commanded her to take us to. Once there, Aria closed the door. Her high-pitched voice grated on my nerves. “This is perfect. Much better than I imagined. I was right to let you come with me.”

  I blinked at her. Let me come? As if I had wanted to do this. There was no limit to this girl’s insanity. She was as daft as her father.

  “You are not to leave my side, understood? I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of my prince.”

  A huff escaped me before I could stop it. I clamped my lips shut as she glared at me.

  “I have one month to make this prince fall in love with me or we will have to go back to the sea. You will need to help me. If we go back to the sea without reaching my goal, I’ll tell my father where you are hiding.”

  I shook my head. “You’re changing the arrangement. You said—”

  She stepped forward and slapped me across the cheek. My hands fisted and warmed with magic. I could kill her. I could destroy her utterly and make it so that no one would ever find a single trace of her body. I could rip her to shreds and scatter the smallest fragments to the winds. This chil
d forgot herself.

  “The pact we made on the shore was unfinished. I commanded you help me, but I didn’t describe how. I’m doing that now. I am no liar or oath-breaker.”

  My back teeth hurt from me clenching them so hard. My nails dug into the palms of my hands. I could kill her, but doing so would change me. Her blood would change my magic from light to dark. I would no longer have the power over creation but destruction instead. And her soul would cling to me—haunt me for the rest of my days. I couldn’t let her have that hold over me. What was a month in the face of eternity?

  I let out a deep breath and forced my hands to relax. Then I listened to her prattle. She railed on and on about what she might do and what I might do to help her. Over and over she changed her mind. Somewhere along the way, her words blended together, and I could no longer make them out.

  “Are you listening to me?”

  I mentally kicked myself. I must have let my boredom show on my face. The prince was lucky that the girl found herself tongue-tied around him. If this princess wanted to win the prince’s love, she’d have an easier time doing so without talking. I bowed slightly. “Of course, my princess.”

  She eyed me incredulously. “Then call a messenger.”

  I blinked at her, trying to remember some of what she had said, and then nodded. I concentrated on my need and a raven cawed. It lighted upon the window sill, answering my call. Nearby were parchment and pen, and Princess Aria scribbled a quick message. She handed the message to me. I tied it with a ribbon to the bird’s leg. “Where do you want this delivered?”

  “My keeper is on the Salt Maiden, moored at the eastern docks.”

  I nodded and concentrated, giving the bird the message. When it had received it, the bird cawed again and lifted into the air, flying westward.

  Then a soft knock rapped on the door, and the servant girl entered. “I am to lead you to the dining hall now. The prince awaits.”