I swim carefully into the cove I was ejected from and sit near where she was put ashore. She is sleeping like the dead, almost as if she were bled. Good, maybe she'll learn some respect for the sea as she recovers. Maybe not, but who cares. I don't give her deadly firearms or how to start them either, so hopefully she won't harm herself or others either. She won't even be able to open bottles or cans or even doors for that matter unless someone helps her.
still asleep, twitching slightly Hmmm...
Man oh man, I'm going to miss my harpoon gun. Gonna have to find another way to fish. I'm actually feeling pretty damn hungry right now. Well, guess I'll just wait until this one wakes up. Either she can help me or I'll make a deal with her. This one will need friends if she wants to survive out here and she doesn't seem competent enough to do it alone... unless she has an underwater lair like her brother... my eyes widen at the thought of finding Triton's lair and maybe even becoming it's new caretaker after all Triton took from me.
slowly wakes up, groaning Ugh... What happened? Where am I?
I kneel beside her with a bow.
sits up, rubbing her head Who are you? And why are you bowing to me?
My apologies. It was programmed into me by Triton and also part of my hierarchy towards kings, queens and princes. I know you're not any of those but as I said, it's also a deeply ingrained thing for me to do as a sign of respect. Anyway, if you listen closely, I don't think the merfolk may have heard the news yet, so here's the deal... Sebastian lied to you, Flounder lied to you, Scuttle lied to you and your father lied to you about humans. We're not mud-dwellers who torture and kill mermaids. Mostly we're a pretty peaceful lot, especially those who don't have horrible mythologies attached to them like the ones surrounding us.
furrows her brow Wait, what? But... all those stories... they can't be false! What are you talking about?
The stories about us harming you or your species are false myths created by either jealous or misinformed merfolk. Unfortunately those lies spread throughout your kingdom faster than we could correct them, and by then you had already judged us based on those lies. Your kingdom attempted to hunt down and kill every mermaid and merman because of those lies which made us go into hiding. Once the only way left to defend ourselves was to create mounds on the seafloor to hide our young and vulnerable like young girls and elderly. Unfortunately, we also lost our queen when she went up to investigate why all the mounds were failing. She jumped into a volcano trying to save her people and now her spirit lives within it along with the last few members of our royal court. As of now, there isn't any female mermaid older enough to take her place and us males have lost all family since every male was either killed or sent away from our kingdom, so I was hoping you could...
interrupts, wide-eyed You're saying all those stories were lies? But... but my father, he believed they were true! He... he told me that it was my duty to help put an end to the horrors the humans were inflicting on our kind! voice trembling How could he be so... so wrong?
Well, for starters, your father is a king without any control over his people or army. Even if he wanted to fix things, he'd never get the chance. Besides, your people live in isolation with little interaction with the outside world so of course they're going to believe something they've been taught from birth. And honestly, I couldn't even begin to say how many different mythologies surround us that aren't even close to the truth.
stands up, determined So... if these stories were lies, then why did my father... pauses, tears welling up Why did my father hate humans so much?
Your father hated humans because he knew no better. Everyone around him lied to him about us and those lies were reinforced time and time again by the generations that followed. If only he knew the truth, or if he were here to see the truth. This is why I'm here. To try to prevent more bloodshed between us. My intention is to approach the rest of the merfolk with the truth. After that... I don't really know. Your father was a great merman king and I wish I could tell him how sorry I am that his people continue to suffer from misinformation. I hope that maybe he can hear this message through me and forgive me. I didn't mean to disobey him. I would have given up my position as caretaker to protect Triton's lair if I'd known this day would come. But now... now I have no choice. No choice but to work for change and stop the slaughter. I hope that you'll join me.
grabs Hilticile's arm, urgency in her voice Yes! Yes, of course I'll join you! We have to tell them the truth, we have to stop this madness!
I suppose we can take care of the humans first. I know we tried approaching them, I remember that part clearly. Maybe if we brought gifts the humans will realize how stupid their ways of thinking are? Maybe bring something unique like pearls or coral that only we can obtain? What's everyone else doing anyway? Are they still avoiding all human contact?
excitedly Yes, yes! That's a great idea! We can gather some beautiful pearls and coral and use them as a symbol of peace!
Do you know how many people are in each mer community? Do you think the others are taking the same approach or just hiding?
wide-eyed and animated Each mer community usually has around 50-75 individuals, but some larger ones can have up to 100!
How long do you think we'll be traveling to reach the first group of merfolk?
clapping her hands together Oh, we won't have to travel far! The closest mer community is just a few miles away!
Then let's go. I don't want to waste any more time.
grabs her bag and starts rummaging through it I have some bags ready with supplies for the journey. Let's grab them and head out!
Okay then. I'll guard you with my life, and we should be able to present the truth before too long. Still, until that time I will need your assistance.
smiling excitedly Of course, I'll do whatever it takes to help you! Together, we can make a difference! Let's go, Hilticile!
Ariel, watch the currents and stay close.
<As Ariel and Hilticile venture out to the first mer community, they encounter a group of aggressive humans who attempt to harm them.>