Twisted Fairy Tale. Under the sea. (Work in Progress)

This is the first "chapter" I am really working on this and hope to get more out of it, but this is all I have for now. Sorry.My prompt was to twist a fairy tale... I chose Ariel and The Little Mermaid. - Chelsey

The Storm:     
     She could see the ship coming. While not the best night for her plan, she would make the best of the situation at hand. Ariel could not choose when the ships would come and go from the harbor, but she could choose which sailor would meet his end this night.     
     Upon the boat, Prince Eric was thinking about the storm that was rolling in. In order to keep his future crown and keep the his father happy, he must leave tonight to go to the home of his future bride. The storm was a problem, it would slow the ship and cause his sailors to work through the night. 
     Ariel's voice must be perfect. It must be heard above the thunder, wind, and straining of the ropes. Her magic must not fail her. In order for her plan to work, she must have her sailor under her spell before the ship leaves the coast, for the rocks will do the dirty work.     
     From inside the cabin, Eric hears the first mate yell to the crew. "All hands! To your posts! The storm is upon us!" Knowing that the ship is short handed due to the quick nature of the trip, Eric jumps from his bed to find his place on deck. As his eyes adjust to the dark of the storm he can see the ropes that should be his lifeline this night. Only to take note that one of the pegs are missing from the mast. There is no time to find one as ship tips from the force of the wind. Eric grabs for the railing and sees the sailors all scrambling across the deck.     
Ariel looks across the deck, carefully choosing her prey. Healthy and young would be best, but she will take what she can get. A challenge would be nice, since the sailors tend to be compliant with her spells as of late. The magic flows through her as she floats out of the water and onto the deck. For once, she is happy that there is a storm as the darkness and rain give her cover to be able to choose her quarry without being noticed. As the ship is thrown to the side, a figure catches her eye. He is not like the others, he is strong, but not weathered by the sun. Young, but not childlike. Aware, but focused elsewhere. Upon closer inspection, his stance and build tell her that this specimen is of noble birth. This shall be her prey.     
     The ropes in Eric's hands begin to burn as he fights the wind and rain as well as the weight of the sail. There are 2 other men pulling on the rope with him, but each pull of the rope against his hands feels like his is alone in the storm. As the rain blasts him again, he loses sight of the sailor in front of him because of the sheer amount of water that is falling from the abyss that is the sky. As Eric pulls on the rope again, the wind howls across the deck and seems to crawl up his back, causing him to shiver. The wind seems to find a rhythm and becomes a music that Eric draws from as he pulls against the burning of his palms.
      Ariel begins to sing, letting her voice mix and hide among the wind. Floating closer to the young man, she can see the strain of muscles against his shirt and breeches. With the next gust, her voice rises in volume and she can feel the spell fall across her lips. Magic flows around her and light glows around her. She moves as such to catch the eye of the noble. For a fleeting moment, she feels bad for taking this young man to his death, but the thought soon leaves her as she feels the exhilaration of her spell reaching out across the deck. 
     Eric pulls the rope again, hoping that the sail has reached the the point where it can be tied off. His muscles burn and his hands feel as if they will begin to bleed. With a gust of wind his ears hear a melody that can't be passed off as a trick of the wind. A warm sensation travels across his face and his eyes search out the source of the sound. Looking up from the rope, Eric sees a beautiful lady walking across the deck at him. She is voluptuous, but still on the thin side, with wide eyes that begged for help. Eric releases the rope and steps toward the lady. She holds out her hands and sings to him. While the song has no words, Eric is drawn to listen for more. The song makes him feel safe and loved. Warm and dry. Sleepy, but full of life! Eric can feel the danger, and knows that he should turn back to the ropes. He can't seem to find a way to pull away, no matter how he feels.
     Ariel is surprised at the amount of power she is having to put into her spell. This noble almost seems to be immune to her song. This is the challenge that she has been looking for! Most men hear the song and begin to follow to their death. This man seems to actually be looking at her and choosing to hold back! Having to fight for a life, this is unheard of. She WILL have this life! It will be her pearl. It will be her crown! Nothing will keep her from this!
     Eric knows that he should not go to the girl. There were no females aboard the ship. While she is beautiful, a danger seems to surround her. While her voice is angelic, her eyes seem demonic. The combination is arousing and scary to say the least. While he knows it is wrong, Eric feels a need to protect this woman from the storm.     
     Ariel falters in her spell. What was that look in his eyes? Was it....... concern? Never before has that been a reaction to her spell! Pleasure, contentment, uforia. These were all reactions that she was used to. Concern? Was it concern for himself? No, that would be fear or panic. This new reaction had her interest peaked. What else was in this powerful mind that fought against her?     
     A gust of wind causes the ship to pitch to the side, both Ariel and Eric are momentarily torn from each other's gaze as they close their eyes against the pain they foresee. As they slide, the water sprays over the side of the deck and the rocks flash in the lightning of the storm. Eric opens his eyes just as Ariel hits the railing. Knowing that he will harm the lady if he slides into her, he braces himself with outstretched arms to grab the railing on either side of her and stop his slide. 
     As Ariel opens her eyes, the power of the spell has gone, replaced by panic from her fall. The pain that is radiating from her head and back is quickly forgotten as the noble's arms appear on either side of her head. Her breath is sucked from her lungs as his body recoils around her and the then begins to move away. As Ariel begins to focus on what is going on around her, the ship continues to tip. Water is all around her and the man has disappeared from sight!     
     Air is torn from Eric's lungs. He knows that he missed hitting the lady, but now, he must worry about himself. Water is all around him and there is no way to tell which way is up. With the storm in the sky, the water is pitch black. His chest burns for air and his head screams from the pain. Then....Eric's world goes dark. 
     Ariel can only hold on as the ship continues to flip. Losing sight of the noble is nothing if she dies because she bounced off the rocks! Being able to breathe underwater means that the ship turning over will not kill her, but it is still not fun to have no control over how you enter it! As soon as she can pull away from the quickly sinking ship, she begins her quick transformation back to her natural form since a tail works better for swimming.     
     As Ariel moves away from the ship, her eyes quickly adjust to the darkness of the water. She can see that there are many of the sailors who have been killed by the rocks and many more who are soon to join them since they are still tied to the ship due to the safety lines. More souls for her sisters. But where is the noble? The only man who has ever shown a resistance to her spells. The one who is different? Hoping he was still alive, Ariel began to sing the comfort song of death that would call her sisters to the ship for a speedy cleanup of the sailors.      
     After swimming almost all the way around the ship, Ariel sees movement heading out to open water. Her nobel! She takes off after his limp body, thinking there is no chance that this man is still alive. Saddened that she will never know how he was able to resist, Ariel gathers his body and heads for the surface. Beaching the water, the man's head tips back and his chest expands, shocking Ariel. Alive? He is still alive? Ariel makes the rash decision to swim to the beach and find a way to understand how this man can be winning against all the odds stacked against him.

To be continued.....

Flow

This one is written on a whim by Chelsey. Please enjoy

That is they way it always starts. A baby. This story starts there too. He is so sweet. Those round, chubby cheeks. Ever so slightly pink as he sucks on his tongue while dreaming whatever dreams babies have. His world is simple. He is loved and cared for. He is fed and kept warm. What worries are there for one so young?

I draw the blanket up over the child's stomach. I have checked on him so many times over the last hour. I won't see him again after tonight. At least, not usually. You see, this babe is not mine to care for.

That is why this hurts.

For the mother, the pain is labor. She is justly rewarded with a babe at the end of her fight. The time is long and takes strength. Her pain is her burden. She is the life giver. At times, she calls for warriors to aid her in her battle. That is why I am here. I help fight the battles and walk away with no reward. I will never have my reward.

I think I am getting ahead of myself. My name is Ebony. I am a midwife. That is what I choose to be. I didn't choose to be born a beast. I didn’t choose to have talons, or fire in my belly. That is just what fate decided I would be. Destiny has let me forge my own path. So here I am. Using my magic to have human hands, to have a human face. To look as little like my true self as possible. Tucking in a child that is not my own. Re-lighting the fire in a home that I may or may not ever return too. Keeping my secret from another mother who almost took her last breath as her child took their first. Midwives are not clerics. Most rely only on herbs to save the mother and child. That is why I am called. They do not know of my dragon self. They do not know of my ability to use spells. They do not know that as I help, I heal. That is a secret known to only one other person. Ivory.

Ivory is my partner in crime, as it were. She is the only one not of my kind who knows what I am. She fits the name well. Ivory is a woman that is able to catch the eye of many a man. Thin as a wisp and light on her feet, she flutters around almost fairy-like. One would almost swear wings were going to sprout from her back. She is always happy and sings while she works. Her flaming red, waist length hair is a stark contrast to her pale complexion. Her wide green eyes draw in many men who think her innocent and unworldly.

None of them realize that she is battle hardened and baptized in blood and pain. Ivory was once a knight who was sent to slay me. Seems funny now to see her in an apron. Ivory is so different from me. Not to say I can’t catch the eye of any human male I want. Dragons in human form have a hard time keeping it a secret due to looking like nobility. Most dragons would play that to their advantage. They live like nobility. I feel that if I did that, no one would call me to attend to them. So Ivory is the one who plays the noble. She works as a dragon rider mercenary. This is enough to be able to have the home that we love without questions being asked. I allow her to ride and fight as long as she attends me when there is a birth in the village. Our home is spacious enough that I can take my true form and relax as I wish. Because of Ivory’s work, no one bats an eye when they show up to speak with her and her “dragon” is asleep in the grand glass observatory. I told her to just call me “Dragon” when she has company over.

The village knows that she houses the midwife in the small cottage that is attached to the main house. There are many women who have given birth there because they feel more comfortable there. On the plus side, all of my equipment is there, so they feel that if anything goes wrong there is no reason to have to call the doctor or cleric into attendance. Ivory is good about keeping the father’s comfortable in the main hall.

As I begin to lose myself in thought, the babe stirs in his crib. Bringing me back to the present and the healing that is still needed on this night.

"Ivory, I am in need of some more raspberry leaf and camomile. She is doing better, but the womb still needs some help" I would rather use herbs if I can instead of magic. Magic causes questions and I am not prepared this night to give answers.

"Yes, I can see that she is still bleeding. Is it bad? Or will it be alright?" Ivory asks with concern causing her to quickly lower her voice.

"Her heart is strong and Bahamut is smiling on the lady this night. The bleeding should stop soon and she should wake" I reply.

I feel the lady's hand yet again and feel the steady b-bump of her heartbeat. It is much stronger that it was an hour ago when it almost stopped. This was the woman's sixth child and with her slight frame, the odds where not in her favor for another child. Her heart is full of love. What it was lacking was the amount of blood it needed to keep pumping.

As the woman's eye beginning to flutter open, I turn away. It is hard to disguise my worry. Humans are just so fragile!  I am always worried. Humans are just so fragile! Then, they make others of themselves that have no defense against anything. The babe will grow and die it what seems like a day to me.

I pack up the last of the things that I need and I toss the blood soaked sheets on the fire. Since the woman is still sleeping, I breathe a little on the fire to help speed along the burning of the sheets. Ivory hands me the herbs and gives a quick glance to the woman who is starting to wake and turns to me as a warning.

“I will go get the horse ready to head home. You good in here?”

I nod as I turn to pick up the bucket of dirty water. The cleanup is my distraction from the thought that the babe is not mine. I file away the thoughts until I can face them, away from this new mother. I turn to the babe as a tear rolls down my cheek.
“Is it a boy? Or another girl? Madam Ebony, is it healthy and alive?” The mother wispers as I walk across the small room to the bundle of blankets that she can’t reach because of her lack of strength.
“You finally have your boy, love. Your husband will be happy. His name will live on. He is strong and already a fighter. This one almost took you out as he came Earthside my child. You lost a lot of blood and the darkness overtook you on the last push. We are glad to see your eyes again.”
I pick up the little boy so that I can hand him to his mother. He is still sleeping and the way his face looks of complete contentment amazes me once again.
“We held him to your breast for his first feeding while you were still in the darkness, but he should be ready to eat soon” I tell the mother who is just now recognising that she has not been there for her child yet. She reaches out with all her strength for the boy child that she has wanted since the birth of her first child, 5 children ago.
“Thank you Madam Ebony. There is no one I trust more than you.” As she stares down at her child for the first time, I can see the love flow from her into this small being. “He is amazing, don’t you think?”

“I will go tell the father and the children of the good news. You are well versed in the rest of all this, so send for me if you need anything. It is time I took my leave.” I lower my head in respect as I turn to leave the room. I can see Ivory standing outside speaking with the father. They finish talking as I walk up.
“We expect the fee to be paid as soon as you can, so please just keep in connection about when you can get it to us. Blessings be to you now. Both of them are looking better now and you can see them as you wish” Ivory says.
“Are we packed and ready to head home now?” I ask.
“Yes. Will you be riding with me? Or are you headed to the market from here?” Ivory questions, fully knowing that I won’t ride the horse.
“I need more herbs and I am thinking some stew for supper and we are out of carrots. So, to the market I go. Hopefully the shopkeep is still awake.” I reply.

I never intended to go to the market. Ivory will go once we have left. She knows that right now is the time I need to get out and stretch my wings. The villagers call it ‘the dragon’s blessing.’ For, each time that the dragon rider attends a birth, her dragon will take to the sky and spout flames in a celebration of life. They believe this is a sign that the dragon knows that the child is born and that the child is healthy and strong, showing that the village will continue to prosper.

If only they knew that as my fire lights up the sky, my tears will fill the streams and cool my face. As the wind crosses my wings, my eyes will close and I will be lost in my own thoughts and none of them are for the village. My memory relieves that horrible night of my laying of my one…….. and only one, egg. The egg that proved that I will never be a mother. I can see it’s misshapen form. I can feel the soft shell against my claw. My body won’t make the shell that a little one needs. It won’t survive the fire needed to incubate. I have mated many times and only once has my body let me have hope. I will never stoke the fire around the clock. I will never watch the cracks as they splay out across the shell of gold. I will never know that longing look of my baby as it seeks it’s protector. As is crawls from the flames that have kept its egg warm. I will never know that magic.

I am not meant to be a mother. I am the last of my bloodline.

I Saw You

I saw you today.
I did.
It wasn't the first time and it won't be the last. No matter how much I hate you, You are always there. Always watching. Always with that..... face. That nose that seems to big for your face. That double chin. God, you sicken me. I hate when I see you. It ruins my day every time. Why do you look back at me? You disgust me. Your clothes don't fit right, yet you wear them anyway. You fat jiggles and it makes me hate jello. You need to just.... go away. Leave my sight. No one here wants to look at you. No one likes you. No one cares about you. Go Away. If I turn away from you now, maybe I won't see you again today and my day will get better. Hopefully.

Today you caught me off guard at the coffee shop.
I told you I didn't want to see you. Yet there you were. Under the bright lights of that shop. It was too early for me to see you, but the dark brought you out. It made me almost spit up the coffee that was supposed to start the day off right. Why in the world would you ever think you could pull off that hair-do? It pulls all the hair away from your face. It makes you more able to be seen. No one could drink their coffee or eat their scones because they were to busy running away from the monstrosity that was there in that room. The rain outside the shop only seemed to highlight how you made us all feel. And the way that the wet made the shirt stick to you made your horrible rolls stand out. Put down the doughnut fatty. Learn the word "diet" and save us all before you eat a small country.

Really? Again you are here?
You never cease to amaze me. You just seem to always be where I want you the least. Today you were staring at me in the bathroom! Those eyes that are surrounded by face fat. You have no place to try. You are a horrible beast to look at. Why would you even come out into public? Go hide away and don't darken my life any longer!

Why are you HERE?
You surprised me today. I never thought that I would see you in that doorway. Are you seriously thinking about going inside? You must just need the bathroom. Cause that jiggle gets to moving on a treadmill at that gym and the WORLD is gonna shake from the force! I can just see it. You are gonna try to step on the belt and it is gonna groan and pop off. You are going to step on that scale and it is going to tell you "One at a time please"

Again you are here at the coffee shop.
I am so done looking at you. I mean, now you are wearing a tight shirt on PURPOSE? Why does anyone wanna see you in that? You need some self respect and stop trying to be something you are not. Yoga pants are NOT for you. See that jelly doughnut? You just take that and hide in a corner. You'll feel better, trust me. No? Fine, but I am telling you, what you are trying to do, isn't gonna work.

STOP LOOKING AT ME.
I am done seeing that double chin! You keep staring at me! Don't pretend to be mad. You know I am just telling you the truth! that treadmill you keep climbing on? It isn't going to help anything. You are not getting anywhere! That bar you keep pushing? It isn't gonna do you any good if you don't learn to push away from the table fatty! If you are gonna stare at me anyway, how about we go for pizza when you stop fooling yourself with this gym thing.

Stop putting on the tight shirts!
Seeing your arms, no. Just no. I am getting sick just watching that fat move... Hey, isn't that the shirt you started at the gym in? Didn't the arms of that cut off circulation at that time? When did it start having a gap? Why does it take you so long to workout? You used to be in and out in 15 minutes, now I don't see you for a good 30 minutes.

Hey, there you are. It has been a few days.
I still hate you. I really do. The way you shake when you walk, It used to make me giggle. It is silly to keep trying. It's hard and you don't wanna keep going. Just saying. You need my truth. You need to know that you are still not attractive. You never will be. This isn't worth the pain.

I saw you today.
Something was different. Did you get a new haircut? No, that's not it. Did you change your hair color? No..... Are you..... Are you wearing MAKEUP? Do you think that will HELP? Cause... Polish a turd, it's still a turd darling. I will say though, I had never noticed the gold ring in your eyes. So, you got that going for you.

God. Just stop.
I am done looking at you again. I tried. I really tried to look at you. All I could see was the skin flapping at your armpits! Wait... flapping? It was hanging there... Not... Not fat. It was skin... Which seriously, you looked like you are melting. You need to go. My lunch is trying to make a re-appearance. Just stay away. I just can't deal with you today. Or any day for that matter.

There you are again.
I don't know why I keep seeing you go through this door. I swear, there are days I think I see you here twice or even three times! The gym is not your social hour. No matter how many men are coming over to help you load the weights on the bar. No matter how many of them are smiling at you when you walk in. They just see the funny movements on the machines that are comical to say the least. They feel sorry for you. So they teach you. They only wanna make themselves look good for helping out the uneducated.

Who was that? I KNOW it wasn't you.
How do I know? Because those are toned arms. Something you don't have. There are muscles that you can see in those arms. That isn't you. You. You have "bat wings" You have skin hanging off of you at this point. Even with loosing all that weight. You still look like the devils bubble gum. Strung out and used. Go home and climb in your chip bag.

Okay. While I still hate you, I gotta admit something.
You still look horrible, but the combination of the hair up in that cute messy bun, mixed with that purple sundress... You may yet pass for human. You have never worn sleeveless before. What made you do that? Are you SURE you wanna be out here in that? Well, okay then. Make a fool of yourself.

Can we talk about that lipstick?
I didn't know that you had such pouty lips. I guess they always hid behind that double chin that you used to have. I never noticed them before. I am not sure when you lost the extra chin, but you did. You can lift your head a little higher with that. Just make sure next time to dumb down the eyeshadow if you are gonna wear that lipstick. There is just too much going on.

Okay, I admit it, I wanted to see what you were doing today.
I wanted to be sure that you were not headed to a costume party. I mean, I have never thought I would see you dressed up AND with makeup on. You hair is even done! Where are you going? Who is he? No. Go home. This is a joke and you are gonna get hurt. Don't look at me like that! This was YOUR choice. Why you would choose yellow. Black is slimming! He is just humoring you. There is no way he could be interested in a beast like you. Just go home.

No. I don't wanna see it.
I don't. You are gross. I hate that gold ring that comes out of no where. I hate that lipstick that plumps your lips. You look overdone and clownish. See, even in this living room light... Wait.. Do that turn again. Are your calves really that tight? Like, is there muscle definition there? With those heels, they are starting to look halfway human! Don't fall today.... without a camera recording so I can watch.

Wait. Come back.
I wanna see those eyes again. I know the gold ring... but I like that purple shadow. It brings out the green overall. It is kinda turning into a nice balance as you get it figured out what is to much and what isn't when it comes to that paste that you slather on your face. There may be hope for you yet! Rock that pony as you head out for coffee. There may be people out there that might not throw up today!

When did you start standing so tall?
You seem to hold yourself a little better anymore. I almost don't recognize you. You are slimmer than you used to be. You seem to want to take care of yourself. You are wearing clothes that fit but don't squeeze you. Does this have something to do with that gym you keep going to? Why are you still going? The changes are getting really noticeable and those guys that talk to you are going to stop soon. They know that you don't need their help anymore.

I see you.
Push that bar. I know it is hard, but look at those muscles flex! Look at that POWER. You are rocking that power pony, kicking it with those killer quads, and pumping out those awesome abs! You are womanhood personified! When did you start taking out the blubber? Girl, you are looking like a human!

Come on! Look again!
Please? I know you wanna look. Your eyes are sparkling today. They seem to catch the light really well. Your hair is looking better than ever as well. Who knew that workouts and eating right would give you luscious locks? Makeup is all done and you are set for taking on the world. You may have some of this figured out. Maybe the world will look back today. Maybe.

Okay, I see you.
I have started to see you everywhere. I see you at the mall. I see you at the store. I see you in the parking lot. Maybe it is time to admit that you are looking for me as well. No? I think you are, but if you wanna live a lie, I will sit back and wait for your next glace my way.

Goodness you are pretty today.
The sun is hitting your silky hair and making it shine. You are walking with confidence and standing tall. Your eyelashes are playing tricks and seeming to almost brush your cheekbones. The small blush that you get when you have been laughing is better than any makeup that you could apply. You should smile more. It makes your eyes sparkle.

You did it.
You admit that you want to see me as well. It's about time. I was tired of sitting there. Tired of hiding. It's okay to check me out. I know I sure check you out. Every time I see you. I give you the once over. I see the color change in your eyes. I see you flex to see your progress at the gym. I see you straiten your shirt. I see it all. Between you and me. I am starting to like it. I like that you are searching me out once in a while. Just don't get caught up in looking for me. I'll be there. I will always be there. Just look up. When you brush your teeth. When you choose your shoes. When you try on that dress at the mall. I'll be there. I may not have always been a friend, but as long as you keep this self love, I will be there
Because we are beautiful.

-Love: Your reflection

-written by Chelsey