Maribelle stirred. Something felt different. Was she dead? She waited in the darkness, hoping for an answer. The soft pulse of her heartbeat told her that she was somehow alive, that she hadn't drowned. That she had survived. So why did something feel different?

  She tried to open her eyes but the brightness stung them. She winced at the pain; another reminder that she was alive. Slowly, steadily, she tried to open them again. For a moment she thought that she was on the King's Call and everything had just been a horrible nightmare, but it quickly became obvious that she was not any ship.

  She was in a room, its roof and walls a soft red, their texture different to what she was used to. Maybe she had already arrived at the colony and they built homes out of this strange new material there? A circur stone was embedded into the roof, bathing the room in a soft glow. Various strange charms made of something she could not yet identify were scattered across the wall. A particurly rge one hung just above her.

  Sensation started to return to her. The good news was that she could feel her arms. The bad news: her body ached so much and strangely something felt different. How infuriating, though, that she couldn't conceive what it was.

  Gentle humming drew her attention. Maribelle carefully craned her neck and her eyes widened in shock. Right there, floating in the air, was a merfolk. A genuine, living merfolk! They existed, they were real. Deep down, a part of her felt ashamed for assuming they were a made up myth.

  What had happened? How did she end up here? The st thing she remembered was being thrown off the ship and drowning. She shivered as the memory haunted her. The pain, her lungs burning, herself sinking deeper and deeper.

  Was she still underwater? That would be impossible. She'd be dying if that was true. She groaned; her head hurt, and it was difficult to think straight. Something still felt different and fog clouded her mind. How infuriating.

  The merfolk must have heard her as they turned around, revealing bright red eyes and an even brighter smile. Oh my, she is pretty.

  The woman was unlike anything Maribelle had never seen. Her shiny bck hair was tied up in a long ponytail, her face was a light grey, and her skin looked quite soft. Her arms were a darker grey, and her hands, although slender, looked almost like cws. She wore a close fitting top that left her midriff uncovered, and a skirt that stopped above where the knees would have been. Both were made up of some kind of leather and coloured a deep blue. Lastly, she could not help but notice that she did not have legs; of course she wouldn’t, she was one of the Merfolk. Instead she had a fishtail. The side sides were deep grey while the front scales were light grey.

  “Oh thank goodness, you're awake,” the merfolk said as she drifted towards the bed. “I was so worried I hadn’t reached you in time.” Her smile glowed with relief.

  Maribelle strained to speak, “what? Where?” Everything ached, she had no idea what was going on and something felt odd, like a part of her had changed.

  The Merfolk’s smile faltered. “You fell into the sea, and I was barely able to save you. You're currently in the guest room of my home” Her luminous smile returned. “But you're safe now, and that's what matters.”

  It was now that Maribelle finally realised that she was tightly tucked into a wide bed, the bnket looked like it was made out of some green glossy material. She stroked the bnket, its sensation of its texture travelled up her arms. She tried stretching her legs but something felt different.

  She was just pulling herself out the bed when the Merfolk’s eyes widened in fear and she grabbed Maribelle's hands, her grip firm but not crushing. “Wait, hold on,” the Merfolk said with a panicked voice. Maribelle raised a concerned eyebrow. Seeing Maribelle's confusion, the Merfolk continued, “you were incredibly injured when you fell into the sea. Please stay where you are. You're not ready to leave bed yet.”

  That was concerning. Was she more broken than she originally thought? While the fog that was clouding her mind was slowly fading, her aches were as well. However, she could tell something was different. What was going on?

  The Merfolk gasped in shock. “Oh, how rude of me. I've yet to share my name with you. I'm Bryn.”

  So that's her name. “Mine is Maribelle.”

  “That's a beautiful name,” Bryn said with delight as she squeezed Maribelle's hand. “By the way, are you hungry?”

  As Maribelle became more aware of herself, there was little surprise to discover that she was indeed hungry. She must have been passed out for some time. “Yes I am.”

  “I thought you would be. Here, I prepared something for you. It may be different to what you're used to, but trust me, it is delicious,” Bryn said as she let go of Maribelle and handed over a leather pouch from her belt.

  Maribelle propped herself into a reclined position and took the pouch. She noticed that while she was still wearing her shirt, the sleeves had been cleanly cut off. Shaking her head and moving on, she opened the pouch and reached in.

  “I made you some sushi, it's made of sand rice, salmon and wrapped together with seaweed,” Bryn expined as she smiled.

  Maribelle's hand retracted from the pouch and beheld this ‘sushi’. She had never seen food like it before. But then again, she had never seen a Merfolk until now. Today was going to be a day for new discoveries. She hesitated, unsure, but her stomach growled, demanding sustenance. She gave in, popping the sushi in her mouth and chewed.

  Maribelle made an excited noise, one that made Bryn’s smile even brighter. The sushi was tasty, really tasty. After weeks of salty meat and pickled vegetables, this was the change in palette that she’d craved. “Delicious,” was all she could say.

  “Oh how delightful. I'm so happy you like it. There's more in the pouch for you,” Bryn said beaming.

  Maribelle gorged herself on another and marvelled at the taste. “So, so tasty,” she excimed.

  She was about to eat another when she noticed something. A crumb of rice floating in the water. She remembered Bryn floating earlier. What was going on?

  “Bryn?” Maribelle asked hesitantly. “Where am I? Not just this room.” Something was different.

  “We are in my home city, Coraltide,” she said, her smile faltering.

  “Are we still underwater?” How could she have been so foolish that she did not notice she was still underwater?

  “Yes.”

  Maribelle's instincts took over as her hands shot to her neck, as if at any moment she would start drowning.

  “Oh no, don't worry. I used my magic so you can breathe,” Bryn said, gently holding Maribelle's hands and pulling them away from her neck.

  She breathed a sigh of relief, but it sted only a second before more worries started blooming in her mind. Something felt different. She could see her arms, they were the same as before. she stroked her cheeks, nothing had changed there.

  Her legs however, felt different. She could easily let go of Bryn's hands but something felt different when she tried to move her legs. Her legs that were hidden beneath the bnket. What was going on?

  Her heart raced, and her stomach churned. She couldn't shake the fear that Bryn, the merfolk that saved her, had done something to her. She felt different; something had changed. She put a hand on the bnket and gripped tightly.

  Maribelle stared into Bryn's eyes as they widened with dread. Something had happened! Bryn had done something to her. She had to find out exactly what was going on. With one fierce pull she yanked off the bnket.

  Maribelle screamed. Her legs were gone.

  Well they were still there, but they had changed. No longer did she have two legs covered in soft pale skin; now she had a long fishtail covered in deep purple scales. Her tail ended in a light purple, translucent fin, which waved softly in the water. She reached out a shaking hand and sharply pinched it. She stifled a yelp, it was real and it was hers.

  She had not just met a merfolk, she had been transformed into one.

  “W-what?” She stammered. She gred at Bryn, anger swelling within her. “What the fuck did you do to me?”

  Bryn's eyes glistened, beads of tears floating away. “I am so, so sorry Maribelle,” she sobbed. “It was the only way I could save your life. You were seconds away from death; I couldn't let you die, so I did the one thing I could.”

  Maribelle's emotions spiralled further out of control. “How? Why? Were you following us the whole time?” she snapped, oblivious to Bryn's tears.

  “I'm sorry, I just couldn't let you die,” Bryn repeated, reaching out a hand. Maribelle ignored it

  Maribelle's head hit the pillow. Her thoughts were a wild maelstrom, more and more questions swarming her mind. Everything had changed and she didn't know what to do. She liked to think she always had a pn, but right now she had nothing.

  “Maribelle?” Bryn called out, worried. “I didn't mean to hurt you. Everythings going to be okay.

  “How?” Maribelle said, not hiding her anger. “How will it be okay when you have done this-” she gestured to her new tail, “to me? How can I return to my family?” Tears floated away from her face. Her family surely must think she was dead. Her heart ached to think of them mourning her. She had to get back to them so she could tell them she was alive. But how could she in this form? Would they even accept her like this?

  Bryn had reached out to comfort her, but her hand recoiled back before it made contact with Maribelle. “I can undo this,” Bryn said. “My magic is not permanent. I can return you back to being human as easily as I turned you into a merfolk. I promise you this: I will get you home to your family.”

  Relief washed over Maribelle; returning home to her family was possible. She did not respond immediately. Instead she y there, processing everything. So much had happened, and she had been shaken to her core.

  Maribelle sighed. Bryn had been nothing but kind to her, and more importantly, she had saved her life. She was wrong to have shed out at her. “I'm sorry for snapping at you, Bryn.”

  “There's nothing to apologise for. I understand that this is difficult to process. I just wish I could have given you that choice.” Bryn sat down besides Maribelle, her eyes were slightly puffy.

  “Well I suppose things could be worse, I could have died or you could have turned me into a fish.”

  Bryn's face twisted in disgust. “I would never do such a thing. On my honour as a sea witch I refuse to let such a horrid thing happen. Only the most foul, bck hearted monster would consider doing such a thing,” she said with enough venom to poison an entire town

  Maribelle was shocked at her anger. All this time, Bryn had been kind and gentle, even when she snapped at her. It was strange to see so much anger on her face. She was also surprised to see how sharp Bryn's fangs were when she snarled. Out of curiosity she ran her tongue over her teeth. They had not changed.

  “So, what happens now?” Maribelle asked. She was in an unfamiliar pce and in an unfamiliar body. What could she do?

  Bryn hesitated for a moment before saying, “as much as I want to help you return to your family, now is not the time. I'm sorry, but it will be a long journey and I need to make sure you're physically recovered.”

  “Fair.”

  “You can stay here as long as you need and maybe-” Bryn suddenly stopped talking and began to fidget.

  “Maybe what?” Maribelle tilted her head.

  “Maybe I could show you around Coraltide, let you see what life is like here, help you get used to things? Would you like that? Until you have recovered enough to make the journey home, of course. I won’t make you stay any longer than necessary”

  There were two options for Maribelle: she could either stay and sulk in the room, or she could take Bryn's offer and try to make the best of things.

  “Alright, that sounds nicer than just lying in bed, doing nothing. You can lead the way,” she said, with what enthusiasm she could muster.

  With one push she left the confines of her bed. It was a strange sensation, to be floating in the water. How infuriating; this was going to take a lot of getting used to, given that she usually walked on the ground instead of swimming in the sea.

  At least her skirt was not getting in the way of her new tail. She hadn’t noticed it in her earlier panic, but Bryn must have cut some off when saving Maribelle. At least there was more than enough to keep her decent.

  Bryn noticed her staring at what remained of her skirt. “Sorry, it was getting in the way of your tail.” She coughed before continuing. “Here,” Bryn held out a hand, “I'll help you along. It can be difficult to swim as one of us for the first time.”

  Maribelle took her hand. It felt nice feeling her fingers intertwined with Bryn’s. It gave her hope that things would be okay.

  Just before they left the room something caught Maribelle's attention. Something she had to investigate. “Wait a moment please,” she said in a hushed tone. Before her was a mirror; within it was her reflection. She knew she had changed, but seeing it in the mirror would make it feel more real.

  She gently flicked her tail and propelled herself forwards to the mirror. Reaching out, she pressed her hand against her reflections. She watched her reflection’s tail swishing in the water, her purple scales sparkling in the light, her tears drifting away. A tiny part of her wanted to deny what she was seeing, but now matter how hard she tried, this was her.

  Her heart fluttered as she stared at Maribelle the merfolk. A thought crossed her mind: she looked good. Purple was her favourite colour, and her tail had a certain elegance to it. A part of her liked what she saw. She looked closer and pulled back some of her hair. “Oh,” she whispered.

  Her ears had changed too. The back of her ears had elongated, turning fin-like and purple at the ends. When she had seen enough she pulled her hand back and turned to Bryn. “I'm ready.”

  Swimming through the rooms was a whole new experience. She had lived innd all her life and so never had the chance to learn how to swim let alone dive deep underwater. Each gentle flick of her tail propelled her through the water, and she wondered how fast she could go if she kicked with all her might. Right now, however, Bryn did most of the work, leaving Maribelle to drift alongside her.

  They entered another room, which was rger than the bedroom, and had more glowing stones embedded in the walls and roof. Wooden chests and drawers y by the walls, and a modest circur table with stools sat in the centre. Sitting on one stool, enjoying some sushi, was another merfolk but she looked different to herself and Bryn.

  The merfolk had messy chestnut brown hair, clothes in a simir style to Bryn, and plenty of jewels. Her neckce stood out – it sat close to her neck and had three beautiful pearls nestled in it: one pink, one white and one light blue. The other aspect of this merfolk that caught Maribelle’s attention was their tail. It was far longer than Bryn’s or her own, bck with yellow fins running all the way down it. If she had to guess the tail was at least twice as long as she was, and it was coiled around the stools and table.

  The merfolk woman looked up from her pte and upon noticing Maribelle, smiled mischievously. “So?” she asked.

  “Excuse me?” Maribelle replied, unsure what the Merfolk was getting at.

  “So, how was it?” She paused. “The whole experience of waking up as a merfolk, I mean.” The merfolks smile grew as she gestured to Maribelle.

  “I - err,” Maribelle struggled to find the words. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell the truth of what had happened.

  “Joyce, please don't tease her. This hasn't been easy for her, you know,” Bryn pleaded.

  “I know, I heard her.” Joyce began uncoiling her tail. “Cssic response. You're certainly not the first to scream at discovering her tail and you won’t be the st. It does not happen often, but Bryn brings back those she bravely rescues and they tend to scream. Though sometimes they do respond with etion, something I find quite understandable.”

  “I can't let people from the surface drown and I have to take responsibility for their wellbeing,” Bryn said with a slight blush.

  “Of course. You have a kind heart, and we all love you for it.” Joyce swam towards them both, though she was looking directly at Maribelle. “So what's your name then?” She leaned closer. “Oh and by the way you have a beautiful tail.”

  Maribelle blushed. Wait, why am I blushing? Swiftly she recomposed herself. “My name is Maribelle Fairfields.”

  Joyce snorted in amusement. “Fairfields? Oh that is an ironic name.” She ughed merrily. “So, how did it happen? Bryn said she saved you around midnight. Were you having a te night rendezvous with a certain someone?” she asked in a teasing tone.

  Maribelle tensed up, Joyce’s guess was close, but for all the wrong reasons. “No, no it was nothing like that at all.” Her heart hammered as the memory of hands crushing her neck came back. In her fear she put her hands to her neck trying to free herself. “A soldier, Edward, wanted my hand in marriage. I was not interested at all so I said no. In his anger he… threw me off the ship.” A few tears drifted away from Maribelle's eyes.

  Joyce's smile vanished, her expression switching from horror to disgust. “Those bastards! Oh Maribelle, I am so sorry, that was very thoughtless of me.” Joyce embraced Maribelle.

  More tears flowed from Maribelle. “My family must surely think I'm dead, and I'm so scared for them. Will I ever see them again?” She returned the embrace. “I'm scared for myself, too. I just don't know what to make of any of this. Should I be excited or disgusted? I just don't know. It's all too much.” Her sobbing increased.

  Bryn joined the embrace. “I know it is difficult but you're going to be okay. We are here for you,” Bryn said, and Maribelle really wanted to believe her.

  “I just want to go home,” Maribelle cried.

  ********

  Maribelle didn't know how long she cried for, but eventually the tears stopped. All three of them then sat around the table, eating the sushi Bryn had kindly made for them. Maribelle's tail swayed gently from side to side, and she could feel it cut through the water as if it wasn't there. In spite of her misgivings and worries, she was starting to get used to being a merfolk; it wasn't awful, but she would still need more time. At least it would not be forever.

  She gnced at Bryn and Joyce, and a question came to mind. “Sorry if this sounds rude, but if we’re all merfolk then why are we so different?”

  Joyce ughed. “I get it. It's quite simple really. There are plenty of different races on the surface right?”

  “Yes, there are elves and dwarves and demis.”

  “Exactly. It's like that here. merfolk, like Surface-dweller, is an umbrel term. Bryn here is a mershark as you can tell by her skin and fangs. I'm an eelin, my tail is very long just like an eel.” Joyce pointed her finger at Maribelle. “And you, my friend, are a mermaid.”

  “I see… I'm a mermaid now,” Maribelle whispered, stroking the side of her tail. Her scales were smooth and her fingers glided over them.

  “I did not decide that, if you were wondering,” Bryn chimed in. “The spell that transformed you into a merfolk affects everyone differently. You could have easily become a sea mia or a Selkie.”

  “Or a merwhal,” Joyce added with a smirk.

  “Merwhal?” Maribelle asked.

  “Narwhals are rge fish with a horn so a merwhal is like a mermaid but they have a horn.”

  “Like a unicorn?”

  Joyce's eyes lit up. “Exactly, just like a unicorn.”

  “I see. Well it would have been much more awkward if I woke up with a new horn.” Maribelle chuckled lightly with the others joining in.

  She was starting to feel a lot calmer now. The horror of her discovery had thankfully started to fade away, and if she was going to be honest, being a mermaid wasn't terrible. However, she was not used to it yet. Sometimes she would look down and expect to see her legs, but instead was caught off guard by her tail.

  At least she had a pn. She would stay here until she fully recovered, make the journey to her new home, return to being human and reunite with her family. A fairly simple pn. What would be more complex would be how she expined what happened to her. That was not a simple answer she would have to consider what truths to share and what lies to tell. Would her parents still accept her if she had been a mermaid? Very like of course, what sort of parent would prefer a dead child to a mermaid?

  She clenched her hands. Did she dare tell her family about Edward and his attempted murder? An attempt that would have killed her if not for Bryn's rescue.

  “Maribelle?” Bryn called out.

  “Yes? What's the matter?” Maribelle asked.

  “You seem worried,” Bryn said, looking quite concerned.

  “I'm okay, though there's something that worries me. Oh, before you start worrying, it's not about being a Mermaid.”

  “I understand. I’ve been thinking. Rather than leave today, let's stay here tonight instead and tomorrow I'll show you around?”

  “Are you concerned for me?” Maribelle asked.

  “Yes, of course I am. Today has been stressful to say the least and I don't want you to be pushed too hard,” Bryn said. Looking at her it was clear guilt was weighing her down.

  Maribelle considered her options. “Okay, let's do that.”

  Bryn csped her hands together. “Wonderful. I have an idea, how about me and Joyce teach you some Merfolk games?”

  Joyce joined in, “and I'll go get some food and show you Merfolk cuisine that isn't just sushi.”

  “But you said you liked my sushi, right?” Bryn whined as her smile told another story.

  “Yes I did, but Maribelle deserves to discover what else we have to offer.” Joyce turned to Maribelle. “What do you say?”

  “That sounds nice. I am up for that,” Maribelle replied, curling her tail around her stool. Maybe things were going to be okay.