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"The human world above is the most fun place!" Marina said excitedly, throwing out her arms as she swam upriver. "Fritz and I swim up here all the time to watch the humans. They wear so many different clothes, and do different things all day. They are so fascinating, aren't they, Fritz?"

"Yeah, yeah, like watching a school of fish all day," the dolphin joked.

"This is the Fijold River." Marina led the way, swimming underneath a bridge, and pointing to the red-bricked and green-roofed castle excitedly. "And there's the Summer Palace! Also called Rosenborg."

Fritz flipped out of the water at the sight, clicking happily, and landing with a splash. "The castle is all lit up with those strange floating lights from up in the night sky!"

"Those are the stars, Fritz. But those are lights in the windows, I'm not really sure what they are."

Marina could hear the orchestral music from here, the closest thing she'd heard to whale-song. She glanced over to Naida as they swam like their own school of fish or a dolphin pod together. "The humans dance so differently, like fish swimming around each other in circles. I've seen through the windows!" She gestured with her hand for the other mermaid to follow closer. "But I don't know how to get into the palace except dragged into the kitchens in a fishing net, I'm afraid. Perhaps if we swim up the moat and the gutter. Maybe they have a fish tank inside!"

❝  I  think  I  know  a  way  to  get  inside  the  human  place.  But  you  both  must  trust  me  AND  not  question  anything...  Marina...  the  mermaid  of  your  waters...  what  happens  when  they  dry?  ❞

That  question  it  was  the  beginning  of  her  plan,  the  subspecies  of  her  mermaids,  when  they  dry,  they  win  legs,  but  in  the  other?  That's  the  thing.  They  can  go  two  different  ways,  she  has  seen  humans  with  weird  chairs  that  move,  if  she  could  steal  one  that  didn't  have  nobody...  she  could  get  the  other  inside  if  she  didn't  get  legs...

❝  You  see...  from  where  I'm  from.  my  mermaid's  subspecies  can  grow  legs  when  dry.  I  found  that  out  by  accident  when  I  fell  asleep  on  a  beach,  a  private  one  that  no  humans  come  unless  is  the  summer  solstice.  ❞

Not  a  lie...  she  can  swim  to  the  shore,  dry  and  get  human  things  like  clothes...  the  shoes...  she  might  pass...

❝  Okay  wait  here.  I'll  bring  all  that  we  need  to  disguise  as  humans...  Fritz,  I'm  afraid  that  you  must  stay  here,  I  can't  take  a  dolphin  to  the  surface,  besides  that  you  won't  survive.  ❞

expalined  Naida  as  she  moves  to  the  surface,  waiting  to  have  no  humans  near  to  approach  to  a  forgotten  bag  that  was  on  the  beach,  they  have  clothes  now!.  They  are  not  the  same  type  that  the  humans  are  wearing  but...  they  won't  stick  out  so  much...

Fritz looped back to the two mermaids swimming behind him. "It's a pleasure to make another mermaid friend!" the dolphin said, imitating high court manners.

"I'm actually from the Merman Palace but my father has charged me and my sisters with watching over different seas, me with watching over the North Sea," Marina explained. "The Summer Palace is by a port city not far from here called Copenhagen. And where are your swimming waters? Which waters are you and your colony from?"

"Let's go, girls! We can talk while we swim!" said Fritz, zipping ahead again.

"Okay, let's keep going. You are old enough to swim to the surface, aren't you? I wasn't allowed to swim up until I turned fifteen, but now swimming the coast and watching the humans is my favorite thing in the world." Marina broke the surface, seeing the moon hung above them in the sky like a pearl chandelier. Fritz jumped in parabolic arches across the water, clicking in happiness.

So  the  merman  palace...  and  in  what  waters  are  they  from?  Oh,  who  cares  right  now,  the  important  thing  is  that  she  can  sneak  out  from  the  colony  and  she  is  not  alone...  but  the  question  if  she  was  old  enough  to  go  to  the  surface...  there  was  an  age  for  that?  Well  if  the  age  was  fifteen  then  she  was  above  that  age  for  sure!

❝  Oh  I  am  more  than  fifteen.  I  am  26.  But  Copenhagen  I  have  never  heard  of  that  place  before...  I  come  from  the  southen  seas,  the  Mediterranean  sea.  ❞

When  the  other  said  that  watch  humans  was  her  favorite  thing  in  the  world,  the  older  mermaid  just  looked  at  the  blue  tailed  one...  then  she  has  been  in  the  surface  before  near  humans?

❝  And  how  are  the  human  things?  if  you  have  seen  them,  then  you  might  know  how  are  they...  you  and  Fritz,  right?  ❞

Says  the  adult  as  she  takes  her  head  to  the  surface,  looking  at  the  direction  that  the  other  were  swimming,  to  follow  them,  it  was  true  that  the  human  music  was  very  different.  but  it  was  still  hypnotic  with  the  percussions,  the  chord  and  air  instruments,  they  truly  created  all  those  things...

❝  How  do  we  go  inside  the  palace?  Aren't  you  curious  of  how  they  move  and  dance  to  the  music?  I  sure  am...  ❞

💛 * immediate friends and entirely platonic.  They’re supportive of each other and would never do anything to betray each other.   As close as if they were siblings.  

💚 * immediate friends but there’s potential for one or both muses to have crushes on each other they are just too afraid to admit it.  

💕 * Our muses have feelings for each other but take one million years to figure it out.  Try to convince themselves that their feelings are only platonic but they always end up getting blushy and shy around them.    Debatable if they’ll ever be together.  

❤ * our muses are in a relationship.   Healthy and supportive. They are so in love that it’s awkward for others to be in the room when they’re together.   Everyone says they have the ‘perfect relationship”  

❤ 🔪*    our muses are in love but it might not be ‘entirely’ healthy. One muse may be possessive of  or obsessed with the other.   They still try to make it work.   

💔 *   our muses are in a secret relationship and have difficulty  keeping silent about it.   Many challenges await them.    

💜 *  our muses are in an arranged marriage. They have no say in it whatsoever.  

💙 *   Enemies to friends to lovers.  A classic.  

🗡️*   our muses are enemies. That’s it no friendship, no romance. Just hate.  

⚔️ *  enemies become strictly platonic friends.  Adventure awaits them.  

"Fritz and I are headed to the surface!" Marina called back to the other mermaid over her shoulder. "What do you say, are you coming too?"

"Try to keep up with me, Marina!" the bottlenose dolphin said, swimming past her as she had come to a halt.

"My fish friends Snapper and Puffer told me that they're throwing a ball at the Summer Palace tonight," the blonde mermaid said excitedly, clasping her hands together over the pink-hued scales of her sky-blue tail and then placing her intertwined hands over her heart. "I just love listening to the music! What if we sit on a rock together and listen and watch for a while? Oh, you won't tell anyone that we got that close to humans, will you?" she asked anxiously.

"Come on, girls! The surface is waiting!" Fritz the dolphin called from up ahead, closer to the shimmery blue underside of the water. "I can see the moon from here!"

❝  Yes,  I'm  going!  I  will  not  miss  that  for  anything  in  the  world!  ❞

Of  course  not,  she  wanted  to  see  how  the  land  walkers  really  are,  besudes,  she  sometimes  go  to  sunbathing  on  rocks,  where  humans  couldn't  stop  the  ships  there.  But  she  has  never  been  close  to  a  human  before.  At  the  question  of  she  would  tell,  the  mermaid  shook  her  head,  of  course  not!  She  wouldn't  tell  at  all...  as  she  would  be  in  danger  to  be  kicked  out  by  her  colony.

❝  Of  course  not!  I  don't  want  to  be  kicked  out  from  my  colony,  I  also  have  that  curiosity.  What  do  we  do  to  ❞

the  voice  of  the  dolphin  ringed  again  on  Naida's  eardrums  and  she  swam  faster  if  only  a  bit,  her  being  able  to  see  the  celestial  bod  abody  above  them.  Her  eyes  squinted  a  bit  at  the  drastic  change  of  lighting  before  they  adjusted  perfectly  to  that  listening  to  the  blonde  again.

❝  My  name  is  Naida.  These  waters  are  somewhat  new.  You  are  from  these  waters  aren't  you?  ❞

Asked  the  violet  tailed  mermaid  to  the  other  one.

You think you're so much better than me, don't you?

Stop looking at me like that.

We're on the same side now, whether you like it or not.

I'd rather die than work with you.

You're the last person I wanted to see today.

Don't you dare act like you care about me now.

I know what you did. I know everything.

You've always been my enemy, but you've never been my equal.

Why does it feel like you're the only one who actually sees me?

I don't trust you. I'll never trust you.

You're insufferable, you know that?

We can't keep doing this—pretending we don't feel it.

I've spent half my life trying to destroy you.

God, I want to hate you so badly right now.

You make me want to scream.

I didn't save you because I like you. I saved you because I had to.

We're not friends. We'll never be friends.

You don't get to be vulnerable with me now, not after everything.

I've imagined killing you a thousand different ways.

Why do you always have to be right?

I hate how much space you take up in my head.

You're my rival, not my—whatever the hell this is.

Don't touch me. Don't you fucking dare.

I know you better than anyone, and that's the worst part.

You've ruined me for anyone else, and I hate you for it.

I'd burn the world down before I let you win.

You look at me like I'm the villain, but you're no hero either.

I can't do this. I can't want you and hate you at the same time.

You're the only person who's ever challenged me.

Stop pretending you don't feel this too.

I've never wanted to throttle someone and hold them this badly before.

We're going to regret this in the morning.

You think you know me? You don't know anything.

I didn't mean to fall for you. This is a mistake.

You make me feel like I'm losing a battle I didn't even know I was fighting.

I swore I'd never let you get close to me.

Why does fighting with you feel better than being happy with anyone else?

You're dangerous. To me. To everything I've built.

I hate that you're the only one who makes me feel alive.

This thing between us—it's toxic. We're toxic.

You've always been the thorn in my side. Now you're under my skin.

You betrayed me once. How do I know you won't do it again?

I've spent years building walls to keep you out.

We're playing with fire here, and we both know it.

You're my competition, my nemesis, my—fuck, I don't even know anymore.

Princess Peach blog @peachypessa

Mermaid oc blog @sircina

Rayman Game and Captain Laserhawk @limblcss