The White Mermaid

Long ago, in ancient times, great sea-faring kings ruled the earth. The seas, however, were ruled by sirens, merpeople whose songs enchanted sailors and drew them to their deaths. The deadliest of all sirens was the White Mermaid. She was the queen of the sirens, and she was known as the White Mermaid because her tail, body, and even hair were the color of the glistening snow of an Atlantean winter. Full of hatred for humans, she would take any chance to drown one.

The great kingdom of Atlantis had lost many ships to the White Mermaid and her siren hordes. The loss had become so great that trade could no longer be conducted with other nations. Yet, there was one person who was perhaps powerful enough to outmatch the sirens: the sorcerer prince of Atlantis. The king believed that his magic was greater than that of the White Mermaid. In hope of freeing the seas, he sent out one last voyage with his son at the helm. If the sorcerer prince could bring the ship through the waters safely, then Atlantis would be free. 
They set off, and the prince cast a protection spell over the ship to counteract siren songs. Coming upon their territory, the men caught sight of the sirens, who began to sing. Though afraid, the men were not ensnared by the song. Not drawn to drift toward the voices and follow them into the rocks, as the songs of sirens normally made men do, the sailors were able to stay their course. 

Just as they escaped the dangerous waters, the prince saw the White Mermaid turn leap from the sea. As she did, for only an instant, the two locked eyes. The prince saw the hate and anger in her eyes, but he also saw something else behind them: emptiness. The White Mermaid knew nothing of true love. As much rage as he felt for all she had done, the prince's heart ached that she did not even know what love was. She dove back into the sea, swimming away in defeat.

At the conclusion of the voyage setting anchor points for the prince’s magic, the ship returned safely to Atlantis. Celebration ensued and everyone praised the sorcerer prince, glad that travel and trade were once again possible. The prince reveled along with them, but he began to realize that he had somehow left a part of his heart with the White Mermaid. 

Several weeks later, he gathered his closest friends to reveal his feelings.

“I want to go to her,” he told them. “I love her; I don't know what manner of love this is or how it's all going to end, but I must go.”

His friends were unsure at first, wondering if perhaps her spell had taken hold of him. However, the others on the ship felt no such desire, and the protection spell would have been strongest at its source: the prince himself. So, in the end, they agreed to help him find and befriend the White Mermaid. 

Before he left, he had to be sure that all the ships were protected from the sirens. For the first voyage, it had been necessary that he go himself. With his anchor points in place, ships would be able to go on their own with only a talisman from him. The king’s chief metal worker crafted numerous charms, and the prince placed the protection spell in each, which was set to activate as soon as it came in contact with a ship. 

Once that was finished, the prince was free to go wherever he liked. One dark night, he and a small group of friends went down to the shore. His friends bidding farewell, he stepped into the pulsing tide. With a wave of his arm, he cast a spell to transform himself into a merman. Immediately he fell, no longer having feet to support himself standing upright. One of his friends jumped in and helped pull him to deeper waters. With a stroke of his now glistening tail, he set out into the surf in search of the White Mermaid. The ocean was even more beautiful below the surface, and he found he enjoyed the sensation of swimming with a tail.

 
After many leagues, he came to the place where sirens infested the waters. Diving into the depths, he finally saw them, harvesting and gathering fruits from the sea. There she was, the White Mermaid, laughing with one of her sisters. 

“Greetings your majesty,” he hailed her. “I'm told you are the queen of these waters.” 

“Indeed I am,” She answered. “You are not of my clan. From whence have you come?” 

“From distant waters,” he told her. “I would ask for a place among your people.”

Agreeing, she sent him to gather the same kind of fruit she held in her hand. When they had finished harvesting, the sirens entered their intricate cave system. The prince caught the White Mermaid before she went in and asked if she would be willing to show him around. She agreed, and as she began pointing out all the art, sea life, and stone work, her face lit up. It was clear how much she loved her kingdom. Seeing her excitement made the prince smile as well. 

When evening again fell on the world above and the waters grew dark and murky, she showed him to a cave where he could spend the night. 

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The next morning, a male siren the prince had not met the day before showed the prince how to shepherd a school of fish. It was strange work to him; he had never before thought of fish as something one might shepherd. Truth be told, the prince struggled with it, but none of the fish were lost when the end of the day came. While he didn't consider himself a proficient shepherd, it seemed he did well enough as they asked him to do it again the next day, and the day after that. Soon he began getting better, but he found that it could be boring to stare at a school of fish all day. Finding a knife, he began carving bits of loose coral and stone. Forming something so simple into a complex design always relaxed and excited him. 

One day, the White Mermaid happened upon the prince as he was herding the fish. Curious about his carving, she swam over to examine it. She was amazed at how intricate and perfect his cuts were. 
 

“Wow,” she praised, “that's beautiful!”
 

“Thanks.” He smiled, feeling a little shy.
 

“Could you do that to the walls in my cave?” she asked, getting excited.
 

“Sure,” he told her, “I'd love to.”
 

“Tomorrow,” she suggested. “I'll find someone else to watch the fish and you can do your artwork. I've wanted more beauty in our cave system for a long time.”
 

The prince was thrilled at the chance to use his talent. When the next morning came, the White Mermaid showed him to her personal cave. She didn't care what he carved into her walls as long as it was beautiful. At first, he just started carving, not thinking about what he was making. Soon, he realized that he was forming the cityscape of his beloved Atlantis. That night when she came back in, he had made considerable progress. By the end of the week, he had finished carving his city into her walls.
 

“Oh my goodness!” The White Mermaid was amazed. “That's gorgeous!” Her deep eyes were full of longing. “I wish I could live in a place like that.”
 

The prince smiled, realizing that he too would love for her to live there. As he told her about the mural, the two became friends. She began to tell him the longings of her heart: for beauty, for adventure, even for a mate. In turn, he told her about his love for his home city, leaving out that it was above the surface. He spoke of his love of art, working with his hands, and helping those in need. The White Mermaid was surprised to hear he cared so much about those who, to her, seemed weak. She was even more surprised when she saw his passion in action a few days later when they came across an older siren with a withered arm.
 

“We keep her around because she can still teach the sirens to sing and hunt,” the White Mermaid told him, “but she really is a burden.”
 

The White Mermaid saw that the prince was bothered by her description and concerned about the woman. 
 

“How does she swim?” he asked.
 

“She's very slow,” the White Mermaid shook her head. “It's very frustrating.”
 

“I'd guess it's very frustrating for her that she isn't able to swim the way she once did,” the prince commented. He moved closer to the older mermaid and introduced himself.
 

“Hello son,” she greeted.
 

“Ma'am,” he said, “I couldn't help but notice that you have some difficulty swimming.”
 

“It's this old arm of mine,” she said, gesturing toward it. “I lost the use of it a few years back when I was injured in a shark attack.”
 

He listened attentively to her story of the encounter. “It sounds like you were very brave,” he told her as she came to the end.
 

“I think you flatter me too much,” she replied. “Now I'm broken and weak.”
 

The prince shook his head. “I don't believe that you're weak. However, I do believe that my magic can heal your arm.” 
 

“Many siren sorceresses have tried,” she said with a frown. “But I see you're eager, so what does it hurt for you to try?”
 

The prince closed his eyes, summoning his power. Moving his hand in a circle over her arm, he whispered under his breath. Then he looked back up to the siren’s eyes, which were opened wide in astonishment. 
 

“I . . . I,” she stuttered, then looked down. Her arm was whole. “Thank you!” She stretched it out and pulled herself forward with a deep, powerful stroke. Then she laughed, full of warmth and joy, and twirled in the water. “I must show the council,” she said as she swam away.
 

“Wow,” the White Mermaid said, “I'm impressed.” She was, in more than one way: both by his power and by his heart.
 

As they continued spending time together, the White Mermaid began to realize that she was falling for him. He was falling for her as well. It was more than that, though; he knew he wanted to marry her. So one day, they planned to go away on a picnic, just the two of them. At the end, he finally confessed his feelings for her. 
“I love you,” he told her, “and I want to be with you forever. But there is one thing: you must stop killing humans.” 
 

The White Mermaid was indignant. “Why should I stop killing humans? Why should you care?”
He took a deep breath to gather his patience, “Because I am one. I turned myself into a merman to meet you. But the people you've killed were my people. Most of them were good, innocent people, but you didn't stop to think about them, or that they had family or friends or people who loved them. I loved them, and lost them and grieved for them because you hated them without even knowing them!”
 

The White Mermaid saw that he was almost in tears and shaking with anger. Yet, instead of killing her or getting revenge, which he'd certainly had the opportunity to do a hundred times, he loved her and would even marry her if she would stop killing humans. 
 

As much as she wanted to be angry, wanted to defend herself, there was nothing she could say. Never before had she thought of humans as real people, only as enemies. Yet here was a human who was good and kind and she loved him. She loved him and she had hurt him because of her own callousness and hatred! All she could do was bow her head in shame. How could he love her after what she had done to so many others he loved? How could he even look at her?
“I'm so, so sorry.” It felt so hollow to say.
 

The prince put his hand on her arm. “You're forgiven. Only promise never to do it again.”
 

Nodding, she tried to believe that he could really love her. As she shivered, hating herself, the prince pulled her in and held her tightly, burying her head in his shoulder. Pressing his face into her white hair, he whispered, “I love you.” 
 

“Why would you love me?” she started to pull away.
 

“I don't think love can be explained like that,” he said, smiling and shaking his head. “I just love you because I love you.” 
She felt as if her heart would burst and she snuggled back into his shoulder. When they finally let go, she looked up at him. “I never want to harm another human again. If I can help it, none of my people ever will anymore."