2 Mara the Ondine #2
He couldn't bring the ship itself, of course. But the pirates could take it, if they knew where to find it and where it would be vulnerable. If they had enough men and enough guns. That would, of course, mean sharing the gold, but surely Hawk would get first pick and the lion’s share.
Surely they could spirit away that which was most choice.
And Hawk would be so grateful to him that they would rule Port Royal together....
No, it wasn’t going to turn out for him the way it had turned out for Mara. He had to try to get on land. He would get Hawk to trust him, and then he would lead him to the Estrela. And then, Silverfin would really make a king out of his red-haired captain.
The only question was, what would Mami Wata ask of him in exchange for a pair of those “legs” bitties?
“Not my hair!”
Silverfin clutched at his flowing locks protectively, trying to wrap them around his body like an undulating sea-cape.
Mami Wata’s gaze had been steady and cold.
Her twin tails made calculated circles in the sand beneath her feet as she perched upon her throne of giant clams. Mami Wata could give herself legs at will.
It was how she mated with her chosen bipeds, to whom she bestowed fortune and wealth in exchange for their undying fidelity. And woe betide a man who crossed her!
“That’s... that’s not fair!” Silverfin protested weakly. “You fuck bipeds whenever you like! Why do I have to give up my beautiful hair?”
“Your sister came to me, too,” Mami Wata hissed, her black eyes glowing like pearls in moonlight.
“Full of hubris, full of love,” she spat out like the word burned her lips.
“There is a price to pay if you want to leave our home, Silverfin. If you are not ready to pay the price, then you do not know what it is to love.”
His heart beat with trepidation inside his chest. Mami’s words had stung him to the core.
Of course, at first he did not know what it was to love.
He had only wanted to be close to the captivating pirate, to touch him with gentle hands, to see what made him tick.
Like one of the many trinkets he had hoarded in his grotto, so would Hawk be another jewel to hang upon his life.
Even now, he couldn't say what it was that he felt.
That aching need to see him, to be close to him, to make Hawk smile with joy at the gold and leave all his sorrow behind.
But if he didn't do this, he'd never know. Hawk would always be nothing more than a trinket. And that was not the MerSir he wanted to be.
“If I do this,” he began, “if I let you take my hair, how do I know I won’t become trapped up above and unable to come back here, like Mara?”
“It will grow back, you silly little fish,” Mami laughed.
Her teeth, too, shone like pearls. Her breasts heaved, weighed down with jewels of the sea and their own pendulous heft.
It must have been easy for her to lure her lovers into her web, Silverfin thought with a sigh.
What would he have, once she took his hair?
“And once it grows back, you will be free to return to the sea, regardless of how things shake out with your pirate.”
“But,” he sank defeated to the sand, “my hair is my best feature!”
The Mami laughed again, her twin tails beating with glee against the sand.
“Oh, my darling boy! How little you know of the world of the bipeds! Now go, and think about the deal that I offered you. If by sunrise tomorrow I do not receive a gift of your hair, I will have your answer.”
For the rest of the day and all of the night Silverfin swam restless loops around his grotto.
Occasionally, he would stop in front of his prized possession and sigh.
The grand, gilt-framed mirror had been the envy of many a Mer when he had taken it intact from the wreck of a grand passenger ship, and in its reflection he could see how his beautiful hair swirled around him.
He gathered it up in his hands, pushing it back from his face and flat against his skull. How ugly he would look without it! With nothing but bare skin on his head, baking in the heat of the sun! How repulsive! How could bipeds choose to shear their hair in such a way!
Perhaps a hat would soften the blow? He hunted through his grotto, opening a trunk to find what had once been a proud, three-sided hat of a ship's officer.
It had grown soggy under the sea, but it would do.
He pulled his hair back and settled it on his head, trying to imagine what it would look like above the waves.
Perhaps he could almost look respectable. At least until his hair grew back.
Suddenly, as he admired his reflection and the swirling clouds of his hair, an idea came. There was so much of his beautiful hair, how would Mami Wata know if he left a small amount still attached?
He gathered his hair up in his hands again, closing his fists around his tresses at the level of his chin and admiring his reflection again. Still quite respectable, he decided. Still beautiful enough for Hawk to love.
With his mind made up, Silverfin swam out of his grotto. Cutting his own beautiful hair was out of the question, of course. He could never bear to take a blade to his pride and joy. Thankfully it didn't take long to find what he was looking for.
"Lord Scarletclaw. I require your attendance."
After a moment's pause, the great red sea crab scuttled out from under his rock.
“Does my Prince require my services?” There was always a note of sarcasm in the crab's voice, today even more so. Silverfin let it slide, though the crab really ought to have felt blessed to be asked to aid him. It was an honor and a privilege to be selected to serve someone of Silverfin’s rank and station.
"I do," Silverfin replied. "I need you to shear off my hair and take it to Mami Wata. Just here, and no shorter. And - this is very important - when she asks, you must tell her that's all of it. Every hair of my delectable head."
The crustacean attendant gave Silverfin the stinkeye, he was pretty sure. Not that crab eyes were particularly expressive, but they sure could roll!
“Is that a ‘Yes, Sir, I understand, Sir’ that you mean to say, Scarletclaw?”
“If I may be so impertinent, Sir, but why?”
“I’m getting ‘legs,’ Scarletclaw,” Silverfin beamed with satisfaction.
“Oh dear, sweet idiot,” the crab muttered, though loud enough for Silverfin to still hear. “You’ll also need to change your name, you know. Something suitably biped.”
“Thanks for the unsolicited advice, you big-mouthed hard-head!” Silverfin sneered. “Now are you going to cut my hair off before I change my mind, or what?”
“Just to below your gills, Sir.”
“Excellent, Scarletclaw,” Silverfin tapped the top of his attendant’s crimson shell. And then he closed his eyes, just in case, and thought of the magnificent pirate in Port Royal, who needed him to come to his rescue one more time.
He may not know much of love, but he was willing to give it a solid go.
With his locks shorn and the crab on his way to Mami Wata with his precious cargo, Silverfin hurried back to his grotto, faintly vibrating with excitement. He didn't have much time, and he wanted to be certain he had everything he needed.
The small collection of pearls and coins were first, carefully tied up in a leather pouch that wasn't too water-damaged. Then, he ruffled through his trunks of biped-trinkets. A few of the pieces of cloth were from recent wrecks. They would complete his biped disguise.
A fine blue coat with silver buttons and a white shirt - yes, that would do the trick.
He nearly forgot trousers - but the pesky things would be necessary, to cover his horrid, knobby knees and dangly bits.
And boots. He would need those to cover up those disgusting toe things that Mara kept going on about.
With the shirt and coat on his body and the trousers over one arm, he admired himself in the mirror again.
The remains of his hair floated around his face, briefly obscuring his vision.
The damn crab had cut it shorter than he'd wanted, he noted with a frown, but it would do. At least he wasn't hideous.
Hawk would have no choice but to love him - especially after he brought him news of the treasure ship.