Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Crimson Knights ❯ The Mermaid's Tale - Prologue 02 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Still my own characters. Nothing has changed. I made them all up, so they're mine! (Again, I'm sorry if this isn't original as I thought - but I haven't read anything like it yet, here tis!)

Prologue 2

January 1995

The sun baked down on the crowded beach, as three young people made their way down to a prime spot on the sand. They weaved their way in and out of various groups of people until they found an area large enough for them to spread their towels on the ground, then stopped.

"Ahhh, this is good..." Simon lay back on his towel, squinting up at the sun. His view was suddenly blocked by a small, pig-tailed head peering down at him. Simon closed his eyes and pretended to fall alseep.

"Simon! Simon!! SIMON!!!" Two small hands grabbed his shoulers, and started to shake him.

"Get up, Simon, you big meanie! You promised you'd teach me to swim backstroke today! Simon!!" The shoulder shaking turned into cheek pinching, but still Simon refused to open his eyes. Suddenly, two larger hands encased her own, pulling her away from her foe.

"Sometimes even Simon needs a rest, Mac. You're not the easiest kid to look after, you know..." Mac peered up into the clear blue eyes of her older brother, Christopher.

"Chris... Am I really that horrible to look after?" Mac's eyes began to fill with tears. Chris started to panic slightly.

"Awww, come on, Mac! You're not all bad..." Mac's tears spilled over, and she started sobbing loudly.

"I'm a horrible kid, and you both wish I wasn't here!" Chris's arms started to flail wildly as he tried to think up a way to placate his little sister.

"Uh, listen Mac - how about we get some ice-cream cones, then I'll teach you how to swim backstroke. Does that sound okay?" Mac's tears disappeared in an instant.

"Icecream! Yay!" Mac threw her arms around her big brother's neck and swung around onto his back.

"Hey, hey, what's this? Aren't you turning six in a couple of months?" Mac pouted into the back of his neck, and shook her head.

"I'm still little enough to do this. The sand's hot, and it hurts my feet." Chris sighed, and reached his arms around to grip her legs.

"Very well then, Lady Kingsley! To the ice-cream vendor!" Mac punched the air vigorously, grinning.

"Yeah! The ice-cream bender!" Chris galloped off, with Mac clinging tightly to his back. Simon cracked one eyelid open, and watched them disappear.

"Ah, the vigour of youth..." He dozed off again.

Out in the waves, two young girls bobbed, watching the people on the sand. Their long hair swirled in the water, never tangling with each others, one black and one blonde. Suddenly the blonde girl grabbed the other girl's arm and started pointing at the beach.

"That's him! Celeste, that's him! That's the boy I was telling you about!" The black haired girl, Celeste, perused the beach, trying to see which boy her sister meant.

"Which one? The sleeping one?" The blonde girl, Caterina, shook her head, and grabbed her younger sister's face, turning it to look in the right direction.

"The one carrying the girl! See! Isn't he cute?" Celeste grimaced, and pulled her face away.

"He looks just the same as all the other guys here. What's so good about him?" Caterina blushed, and turned her head to show Celeste the pearl hairpin in her curls.

"He gave me this." Celeste blew her cheeks out and rolled her eyes.

"Lots of boys give you things, big sister. Why is he any different from them?" Caterina blushed even more deeply.

"He also told me that he liked me a lot." Celeste looked at her sister, still nonplussed. Caterina leaned forward and whispered something into her ear, and her eyes widened.

"He knows? How did he find out? Did you tell him?" Caterina pressed her finger against Celeste's mouth and shushed her.

"He's not just any normal boy. He's special too. He figured it out for himself, and he asked me about it the night he gave me the pin. He told me... He said he really wanted to know the real me." Celeste's eyes narrowed.

"So what is he, then? A hunter? Some sort of weirdo?" Caterina grinned, cupped her hand around Celeste's ear, and told her what she had promised to Christopher never to reveal.

"A knight? What, with swords and such?" Caterina continued to grin, and nodded.

"He told me to meet him here tommorrow night for another date. He said he's got another present for me too. I think, if he asked me, I'd stay together with him forever." Celeste sighed,and turned away.

"Sounds like you're in love, sis. I think... I'm going to tell Dad!" Celeste dived under the water, and swam down, back out toward the open sea. Caterina's mouth gaped open for a few seconds before she realized what had happened.

"Hey! Get back here, you! Don't tell Dad! Please!!" Caterina dived down also, her silver tail reflecting the sunlight as it shone down on the calm waters.

January 2005

The moon reflected on the still ocean water as the tall, blonde haired girl walked down towards the shore. She grimaced with every step she took, as if in great pain. She gazed out over the dark blue expanse, tears rolling down her cheeks. She silently lifted her arms, holding them out as if to hug the sea, then stumbled to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. She reached into her pocket, and drew out a small jewelled knife, which she pressed to her lips briefly before flinging it into the sea. Where the knife landed, the ocean began to churn. Further out, a small floating object appeared. The object came closer to the shore, and became recognisable as a person.

"Caterina! Caterina, is that you? Big sis?" Black hair surrounded the girl in the water, as the ocean became rougher around her. The girl on the shore stood once more, peering into the waves.

"Big sis? Is it really you?" The waves around her grew higher and higher, and began to make their way toward the shore. The girl on the shore mouthed something in amazement.

Celeste...

"You disappeared for ten years, Caterina! Where did you go? Where is your knight? Shouldn't he be here with you?" Caterina's eyes filled with tears, and she sank to her knees again. She held her arms up and looked up to the sky.

I don't know where he is... He never came... I've looked for him for so long... And I'm so tired...

Celeste looked at the worsening waves around her, and suddenly realized what was going on.

"Don't do this, Caterina. Just come home. Nobody's mad, in fact they'll be happy to see you. Please just come home!"

Caterina dragged herself to her feet and shook her head.

It's too late, Celeste... This is the end for me...

One giant wave built up behind Celeste, nearly overwhelming her, before heading to the shore. Just before her view was completely obliterated, she glimpsed her sister one last time. Caterina stood proudly with her eyes closed, smiling slightly, arms out to embrace the ocean as it came to engulf her.

Celeste... I Love you, little sis...

"Big Sis!!" Celeste dived, and swam to the shore as quickly as she could. She pulled herself up on the sand, the moonlight glinting on the green scales of her tail. When she arrived, all that was left of Caterina were a few traces of sea-foam, and the pearl hairpin standing where it had fallen in the wet sand. Celeste pulled the hairpin gently from the sand, and caressed it before placing it in her own hair.

"It didn't have to end this way, Caterina. If he'd come as he'd promised, you'd still be alive..." Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell, mixing in with the seawater and foam near her hands.

"This is all his fault. I'll find him, and I'll make him pay." Celeste's hands fisted in the sand, and her tears subsided as an angry glint entered her eyes.

"Christopher Kingsley, Order of the Crimson Knights - In exchange for my dear sister's life... You shall die by my hand!"

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End of prologue 2, hehehe :)

Reviews always appreciated! Celeste rocks IMHO, and I'm going to look forward to developing her character. Mini-Mac is just the cutest thing (Ice-cream benders!) and it's a pity what going to have to happen to Christopher (I can't change the storyline though!). Hopefully I'll update quickly this time! Fingers crossed!

Foxfire out! :)