Lost in the Deep Blue Sea
15.

“It’s no use. I can’t learn to walk.” I sighed and sat down, giving up on my legs.

Felix rolled his eyes. “Wow, you are such a wimp. Has giving up ever gotten anyone anything? No. Did you learn to be the fastest swimmer by giving up? Giving up is for the weak. Get up.”

“But...my legs hurt.”

“They’re going to hurt some more, too. It’s part of life. Get up.” He gestured for me to stand.

I stood up, grabbing onto the dresser. We were inside Peter’s room.

Peter sat on the bed, watching us. “Felix knows what he’s doing. Trust him.”

I groaned and tried to take steps. We’d been practicing for a week now and I was getting tired of it. I wanted to rest. I just wanted to sleep.

Peter looked between the both of us. “Hey, can I ask you something? Have the mermaids ever walked? How can they come to get us if they are just as bad as you are?”

I stopped stumbling and looked at him. “Oh... They can’t I guess. I would say they’ve never had legs. At least, not that I know of. But either way, I am the Queen of the Sea and I have to go back and make them accept this.”

Peter nodded. “Okay, so we can worry about teaching you to walk later. What’s our plan to make the mermaids give up on threatening me?”

“Plan? I don’t have a plan. I honestly don’t know what I’m to do. I’m not fit to be a queen so much. I guess I just wanted things to be different but I’m stumped on how to get there.” I furrowed my brows as I tried to think of a plan.

Peter got up and came over. “We can’t go to war blind. We need to have some sort of plan.”

Felix looked at the both of us. “I think I may have an idea.”

Peter looked at him as did I.

We walked down to Mermaid Lagoon and Peter helped me as I wobbled the whole way there.

The mermaids were already waiting for me. “Well, look who decided to show up,” Viviane said. She held a bored look on her face and sighed to herself.

Cora stayed back, watching all of us.

Peter looked at me and then at Viviane. He stepped forward, taking me with him. “We know what you want and it’s not going to happen. Raina and I have already fallen in love and you can’t take that. She’s done great as a queen, trying to care about the rest of you and she hasn’t even hurt you. She hasn’t insulted you or called you names. She hasn’t threatened you. That is the heart of a true queen. You take her for granted.”

She laughed. “Are you done? You must know I don’t care. I will get what I want.”

Peter shook his head. “You can’t. You don’t have useful legs.”

“Then come in the water. Are you afraid?”

“We can’t have a war in the sea if mermaids are our enemies. We’d clearly lose. It’s not something we are skilled to fight in,” he told her.

She looked at me and pointed. “Then I’ll fight her. She can easily survive and match my skills in the water.”

Peter looked at me. “Can you take her out?”

“I can surely try.”

“Try all you will. I’m stronger,” Viviane gloated.

I kept my gaze on her, studying her movements. I had to figure her out before this fight.

I looked at Peter. “Take me to the water. I’ll do it. I’m going to fight her and win.”

Viviane smirked and rested her cheek against her hand. “What do I get if I win?”

“I’ll let you force me to eat a human. It can’t be Peter but it will be a human and I won’t fight. If I win, you must accept this and let me live my life. The laws will be changed so that queens no longer have to breed for the entire generation of mermaids. Every mermaid will be able to love if they choose to and have their own babies to keep the population going. Deal?”

She seemed intrigued by this offer. “Alright, Raina. Deal. Come on and fight me.” She waved me into the water.

I looked at Peter. “It’s okay. I have this.” I looked at Viviane and took off my sweater and crown. The boys began looking away and I knew it was awkward for them but it was the only way I could move into my mermaid form.

I took off the little socks, boots, and leggings. Peter told me what kind of clothing I wore so I wouldn’t keep calling them white foot warmers and black bottoms that perfectly matched the shape of my legs.

Peter had to help me walk back into the water and the second my feet got wet, my tail came back. I fell into the water and pulled myself deeper into the sea.

The mermaids moved aside to give us space and to cheer Viviane on from the sidelines.

We got out deep enough and I gently moved my tail back and forth as I kept my body afloat. “Alright, Viviane. The deal is on and we are going to sort this out.”

Viviane didn’t say a word before jumping at me. She grabbed my shoulders, pushing me under and to the sandy floor.

I struggled against, finally getting her grip off of me by slapping her with my fin. She ended up a few feet away and shook her head, trying to readjust her focus. She glared at me and came at me, but I was quick to move out of her way. She would have to catch me first. I was never a good fighter but I was a fast swimmer.

I moved my tail as I pushed through the water at high speeds, looking behind me every now and then. Viviane was determined to get a hold of me.

I swam under rocks that formed tunnels and through the plants that covered the floor. They all looked beautiful but I had no time to stop and smell the seaweed.

I stopped when I didn’t see her following me anymore. I swam back, keeping my senses on alert as I looked for Viviane. I swam up from the floor, careful to stay away from any area where she could come out of nowhere and attack me.

I looked down when movement caught my eye. Viviane was trapped in the seaweed and her struggling made it worse. The arms of the plant wrapped around her arms and fins, keeping a grip.

I swam down and looked at her but she saw me and began to fight harder against the green plant.

I slowly started to untangle the seaweed from her body. When she was close to freedom, I immediately swam away and she got the last bit off herself. She came after me again.

I swam into a sunken ship and came out the other end. I noticed that she wasn’t following me again. I slowly swam back into the broken ship and looked around. The ship moved as if it was being rocked and I noticed a large shark trying to get inside the hole.

I looked inside the ship and noticed the water that was stained red. I followed the source and saw Viviane’s body now attached to a broken pole. I widened my eyes and swam out of the ship as the shark got inside, going towards the smell of the blood.

I swam back to Mermaid Lagoon but stopped before I surfaced.

Viviane was dead. This couldn’t be true. I didn’t do anything. I simply swam away from her and she was too focused on harming me to watch out from harming herself.

I poked my head above the water, getting just a bit closer.

Everyone stood on the beach or sat in the water nearby. They watched me, waiting to hear the verdict of this battle.

I took some deep breaths to regain my focus. I needed to process this before I told anyone. I hadn’t done it to her. She did it to herself. I kept reminding myself that I wasn’t a killer.

“Viviane is dead.”

Everyone gasped and Cora cane over to me. “Raina, it’s not like you to kill someone.”

“I didn’t. I didn’t touch her. I was swimming away and I swam through a broken ship on the bottom of the sea and she stopped following me. I went back to replace her and...she’d been stabbed through the abdomen by a pole within the ship. It was too late.” I covered my mouth, remembering the image of her.

The ship had been dark and murky. The only light came in through the holes I swam through on both sides of the ship.

The water was getting murkier as the blood spread throughout. The pole was sticking up from the bottom of the ship, at an angle, with Viviane on the end.

Her face was horrifying. She had wide eyes and her hair floated around her like the seaweed that had once caught her. The blood seeped from her wound and got washed into the sea. Her body lost color and she was lifeless.

Cora didn’t know what she was supposed to say to that. She grabbed my hand and gently swam closer to the beach, taking me with her.

I sat in the sand and stared at the water. The mermaids came closer, realizing I’d won the fight. Things would be different.

I looked at them and sighed, realizing I had to fulfill the new laws and properly announce them. I would have to finish processing the death of Viviane later.

I pushed my hair back. “I want to announce that Viviane is no longer with us. Due to this, it’s an automatic win for me. As the Queen of the Sea and Queen of the Mermaids, I am pleased to announce that there will be a new way that society will be run. The queen is no longer the breeder for the entire population. Every mermaid has the choice to have their own children if they wish, with whatever method they choose. Every mermaid has the choice to love and choose their own path.”

The mermaids stayed silent and looked at each other, not sure how to feel. Cora smiled at me, patting my shoulder. “Thank you. I will hopefully replace the love I’m interested in someday.”

I gave her a small smile as I remembered something. Now was the time to do this.

I looked at Peter and waved him to sit next to me. He sat with me in the sand. “What is it?”

“I’m going to resign and give my position to Cora. I no longer desire to be queen.”

He gave me a kiss and smiled. “Whatever you want to do.”

I looked back at the mermaids and then at Cora.

I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the mermaids. “I also no longer wish to be your queen. I have picked out someone to take my place and I am choosing to ultimately live in Neverland with Peter Pan and his lost boys. I will always visit and be around Mermaid Lagoon but I will be moving here. I hereby resign as Queen of the Sea and appoint Cora to take my place.”

Cora gasped and looked at me while the mermaids whispered to each other. “Raina, are you really going to make me the new queen? But I’m not like you. I’m not fast or three-quarters fish. I’m...”

I put my hand on her arm and smiled. “Relax, Cora. You can easily do this. I know and trust you. You’re my best friend and you can’t forget it.”

“This is such an honor. Thank you.”

“I still get to keep my crown.” I laughed a bit and looked at Peter. He placed it back onto my head, smiling at me.

Cora smiled big. “Fair enough. Thank you so much.”

I looked at everyone and gestured to Cora. “Meet your new queen, Cora, Queen of the Sea.”