Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
AULANI
The sea was alive tonight, its motions and currents restless.
Or perhaps it was me. I couldn’t stop thinking about my father’s new rule. Word had spread throughout the Coral Realm of my betrothal to King Malinoakea and while everyone congratulated me, even they looked sorry.
They knew, as well as I, that he would imprison me there. In his dark abyss, surrounded by ghostly shipwrecks and mermaids with skin the color of ash.
I’ll never get to see the sun.
I tried to entertain the idea of exploring the shipwrecks, but…
It’d be so dark. Why didn’t the king of the Brine marry someone from his own kingdom, someone who could already see in the darkness?
I swallowed hard, tossing back and forth in my seaweed bed.
My sisters all slept soundly, but couldn’t they sense that the sea was moving? It was alive and raging… Or perhaps it was me.
I sat up.
If I go to the surface one last time, I will give myself closure, I decided. Yes. That was a good idea.
One. Last. Time. I moved past my sisters with a stealth that even an octopus would envy. But Mo stirred.
“Au? Is that you?”
“Yes, I’m just getting… something to drink.” I smiled sweetly, and she closed her eyes, waving her hand at me as if I disrupted her. When I reached the door, little Humu was there, like he’d been waiting for me.
“Humu?”
“There you are Aulani! I was wondering if you’d lost your connection with the sea,” he teased, his fishy lips always looking so silly when he spoke.
“Shh…” I looked back at my sisters, though they were still sleeping, then closed the door. Guards would be everywhere, but I knew just the places to get out.
“There’s something happening up there,” Humu said quietly. “Something’s wrong.”
“I can sense it.” I nodded, and we left the castle together.
The entire underworld kingdom was asleep, the lights all dimmed, the pods and clams closed up, and even the seaweed curled for the night.
As we passed through the dark veil, I couldn’t help but feel as if it was grabbing my body, trailing its darkness across every inch of my skin.
I will be imprisoned… No sun. No waves. No humans. I’d be stuck here forever if father found out I went to the surface again…
This will be the last time, I promised.
Before we reached the surface, I could see the waves breaking against the water, the entire world a swirling white chaos. The current pulled stronger than I’d ever felt it.
When I broke the surface, a storm surged above. Thunder clapped across the sky. Lightning ripped through.
A ship creaked and groaned as merciless waves pounded it. Its sails ripped like dry seaweed and the mast crumbled like brittle coral. Splintered wood sank into the deep. I could make out several dinghies full of men, and my heart relaxed a little. Yet, they were calling out for someone.
“Prince Ryker! Prince Ryker!”
A prince?
Oh no. My heart stammered. Where was their beloved prince? They sounded so sad as they called out for him.
Before I could even nose around for the prince, the ship exploded. It was so loud and frightening; I darted beneath the waves like a scared fish.
Humu screamed as he dodged the falling wreckage. I moved aside from a beam and swam through the debris like a maze, hoping I might help find their prince.
And that is when I saw him. The man was not much older than me, barely clinging to a broken beam. Fire and smoke filled the surrounding area, and I hesitated.
He’s human.
But I can’t just let him die! The dinghies were already heading towards the lighthouse shining in the distance. They still called out for their prince, but it became more and more distant.
He would die if I left him here on this beam. The beam could sink, or he would lose his grip, or… a million other things.
I made up my mind and ignored Humu, who screamed we should probably go. I grabbed the prince just as he slipped from the beam. With my hands under his arms, his weight suddenly dragged me down.
I broke through the surface, allowing the back of his head to rest on my shoulder as I kicked towards shore.
I avoided the dinghies because I wouldn’t be so reckless to reveal myself to them. Saving this man’s life was going to get me in enough trouble if anyone found out.
Dragging his heavy, muscular frame through the water labored my breaths and made my whole body ache by the time I reached shore. When I got him onto the sand, I took a moment to catch my breath, then rested my head on his chest to check for a heartbeat.
He’s alive! Rain continued to pour, and lightning lit up the scene: a lonely beach with a mermaid and human prince.
I looked down at his face, wiping dripping rainwater from it. He was handsome, with dark hair and tanned skin. His frame showed he was familiar with hard labor and physical work, an attribute that I admired.
The prince wore a jacket, but the ordeal had torn it up yet… something caught my eye. It poked out of his pocket, and I could barely make out the golden gleam in the darkness.
My heart skipped a beat as I examined it.
A telescope. I’d seen the sailors hold this up to their eyes, and I could only imagine what they saw because of it. I’d also seen some people on top of the castle using it to study the stars. Exhilaration pulsed through me.
I have to see the stars through the telescope. I decided to take a look, but the prince’s breathing slowed, and I sensed he was fading away.
No… Raising my voice, I sang.
E hiamoe, e hiamoe,
The tide has found you, soft and slow.
The stars above still know your name,
Even when you’ve lost your way.
E ho’omālie, no need to fear,
The sea carries you home from here.
I’ll sing until breath returns to stay,
And all your sorrow drifts away.
The melody rippled through the water, as if telling it to calm down. I’d always been aware of the way my song could calm the world around me.
As if in response, the storm ended. Songbirds tweeted from the nearby forest. The melody echoed in the wind and it ignited a frequency. The prince’s breathing steadied.
I smiled softly, and that is when his eyes opened. It was so unexpected, so sudden, I gasped, dropped the telescope, and splashed into the water without a word. Humu dashed after me. When we were a safe distance, we watched.
The sea-washed prince rubbed his head and looked around.
Prince Ryker. I said his name in my mind, thinking about the telescope, and conjuring up a plan…
I have to walk on land, I thought. There was no other way. No other escape from my impending marriage. I would do whatever it took.
With that, I swam straight to the sea witch’s lair.
Before I reached the deepest part of the cave, my aunt appeared, a glowing jellyfish lighting the lair.
“The answer is no,” she said, her arms folded.
“You’ve felt it though, haven’t you?” I asked. “The ache. The pull. I don’t belong down here. I must learn. I have more to give up there.”
“Curiosity is not the same as calling, child.”
“But what if it is? What if Akua gave me this curiosity on purpose? What if I’m meant to be up there?”
Silence.
My aunt looked at me, her eyes full of sorrow I could not explain. My heart squeezed in my chest. What if she said no? Where would I go? Would I have to run away, far, far from here in order to escape? Was there another sea witch or sorcerer who might help me?
But Aunt Lorelei was all I knew, and I sometimes wondered if her use of magic–something no other mermaids used besides my father–was underestimated.
The woman stared into my eyes, and I silently pleaded, hoping she would understand.
“There is a potion,” she finally said. “It won’t last forever. You will need to win the right prince’s heart to stay.”
“I don’t want a prince,” I said, but then I immediately regretted it. I had to take any options.
The sea witch began turning her back and I quickly shot back. “Wait! I mean…” I thought about Ryker. What if… What if I got him to fall in love with me? I could be a princess in their world, and, as princess, learn and travel and do everything I could ever want!
Yes! This solution was more perfect than a dolphin catching a wave.
“I will win the right prince’s heart,” I said. “I just met him tonight.”
She raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “These things are risky, Aulani,” she said.
“But this is how the potion works.” She motioned for me to follow her deeper in her lair, her green-tinted hair floating behind her.
“The potion gives you legs for one month. If, within that month you win the heart of the right prince for you, you will stay a human forever.”
The thought thrilled me, and I gasped. “Yes–”
“Wait.” She moved towards her driftwood shelves and began picking out items. “There is a price.”
“What is it? I’ll pay for it.”
“Your voice or your past.”
I frowned. My past? No. I couldn’t give up everything I learned, loved, and all the memories with my family. No. I couldn’t do that.
But my voice? How would I communicate with the prince? What about singing to the birds and life of the land and sea? I would deeply miss being able to communicate with them!
I can do it though. Through actions, especially because I could not read or write, I was sure I could get the prince to fall in love with me!
I hesitated, then nodded. “My voice. I can live without it.” Then I quickly added. “Will I get it back if I win the prince’s heart?”
My aunt nodded solemnly, then retrieved a small glowing vial of blue. My heart raced. Was the answer to walking on land here all along?
“I love you, Aulani.” She gently touched my cheek, and I could see she was crying.
“I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” And it was then I realized…
I would never see my aunt again. Because if I succeeded, I wouldn’t swim all the way to this underwater world.
And because my aunt was imprisoned down here, she could not come to the surface to see me.
The tears flowed from my own eyes as I hugged her goodbye. I wished she could feel my deep gratitude for all she’d done for me and been to me.