Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Re-adaptation of the “The Little Mermaid ❯ Re-adaptation of the “The Little Mermaid” ( Chapter 1 )

SailorStar9: My re-adaptation of the "The Little Mermaid". If you did not like the ending of the Hans Christian Andersen's version and/or if you are a sucker for happy endings, this is the story for you. I'm on a RW/SM streak lately, as this is a RW/SM crossover. I'm also adding a couple of my own ideas into this and changing some characters.

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Characters:

Sea creatures:

Trista: Eldest mermaid and the wisest.

Haruka: Second sister and very protective.

Michelle: Third sister and the most graceful.

Lita: Sister number four and very protective.

Mina: Fifth sister in line. She's also the flirt.

Raye: Sixth sister and the spiritual one.

Amy (Main character): I'm calling her Ameilynn in this. She has the best singing voice among the eight sisters.

Hotaru: the eighth sister and she is the youngest.

Sea witch: Who else, but Beryl?

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Land dwellers:

Cye (Main character): Prince

Kento: Cye's best friend and childhood playmate.

Sage: Cye's friend and sword-master.

Rowen: Cye's fellow study buddy. Being the genius that he is, Rowen is fluent in many languages, so he acts as an interpreter sometimes.

Ryo: Cye's confident and royal guardsman.

Serena: The Prime Minister's ambitious daughter. She is infuriated with the prince as she longs to be queen. She wants to marry him and will, literally, cling on to him whenever she has a chance.

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Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Pairing: Yeah, you guessed it, Cye/Amy.

Without further ado, on with the fic!

Whiteblaze growls at authoress as if to say aren't you forgetting something?

Authoress sweatdrops before remembering, "Oh yeah!"

Disclaimers: Sailor Pluto blasted it with her `Dead Scream'. Meaning, I don't own anything, except for some OCs. So, sit back, relax and enjoy.

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"Most stories of this kind start with `Once upon a time' or `A long time ago'. Mine is different." A kindly grandmother told her granddaughter.

"How is it different, grandmother?" the six-year-old girl asked.

The silvery-haired grandmother smiled at the inquisitive girl, "Because it's a story that is passed on from generation to generation." She answered, and she begun her tale.

"Two millennia ago…"

The readers were taken back to two milleniums ago.

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Far out in the ocean, the water was as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass. However, it is very deep as well, going down deeper than any anchor rope could go, and many, many steeples would have to be stacked one on top of another to reach from the bottom to the surface of the sea. It was down there that the sea folk live.

The grandmother paused for a while, allowing her granddaughter to visualize the scene in her mind.

And, now don't assume that there were only bare white sands at the bottom of the sea. No, indeed! The most marvelous trees and flowers flourished down there, with such plant stalks and leaves that the very least stir in the water would make them move about as though they were alive. All sorts of fish, large and small, darted among the branches, just as birds flit through the trees up here on the surface. From the deepest spot in the ocean rose the palace of the ancient sea queen. Its walls were made of coral and its high pointed windows of the clearest amber, but the roof was made of mussel shells that open and shut with the tides. This was a wonderful sight to see, for every shell held glistening pearls, any one of which would be the pride of a queen's crown.

The grandmother stopped for a moment, as she saw that her granddaughter's eyes had gazed over dreamily as she let her imagination grow wild.

The old sea queen was a clever woman, and extremely proud of her noble birth. Therefore, she flaunted twelve oysters on her tail while the other ladies of the court were only allowed to wear six an altogether, the queen was a praiseworthy person, particularly so because she was extremely fond of her granddaughters, the little sea princesses.

They were eight lovely girls, each with a fish tail of their own color coordination. All of them were exceptionally beautiful, especially the seventh. Her voice was the loveliest of all the eight princesses.

The whole day long, the princesses played in the palace, down in the great halls where live flowers grew on the walls. Whenever the high amber windows were thrown open, the fish would swim in, just as swallows dart into rooms when we open the windows. These fish would swim right up to the princesses to eat out of their hands and let themselves be petted.

All, except the seventh princess.

She would either be in her garden plot, digging and planting, or she would be in the library, reading.

It was one night, when she was in the library, when her sisters found her.

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"Reading in the library again?" Princess Lita asked, her arms akimbo.

Princess Ameilynn turned to face her fourth sister and nodded sheepishly.

"It never hurts to gain additional knowledge." Princess Michelle commented, raising her head from a book.

"Speak for yourself, Michelle." Princess Haruka huffed.

"Onee-chans." A small voice interrupted.

"What is it, Hotaru?" Princess Ameilynn asked her youngest sister.

"Grandmother requested our presence." She answered.

The four siblings looked at each other and with a flick of their tails, they swam off.

The book Princess Ameilynn left on the table was open with its cover facing up. It was entitled, "The Odyssey."

Moments later, the five mermaid princesses arrived in the main hall of the aquatic castle.

"I see my five wayward granddaughters have arrived." The old mermaid queen commented, earning her five embarrassed blushes.

"Girls, take your positions." The queen commanded. Seconds later, the five latecomers took their places. Minutes later, a heavenly melody was heard throughout the entire palace. Princess Ameilynn led the mermaid choir into the singing. Of the eight princesses, Princess Ameilynn's voice was considered the most euphonious.

Meanwhile, on the seashore, a young male was standing on the pebble beach, listening to the song of the ocean.

A teasing voice asked, "Connecting to the sea again, my prince?"

Prince Cye smiled in the darkness, "You know too well, Kento."

The bulky figure of the prince's childhood playmate stepped beside him. Silence reigned between the two as the ocean continued singing.

When the song ended, the two walked back to the castle.

"You know Kento?" Prince Cye begun.

"Yeah?" Kento voiced.

Prince Cye commented, "I'll love to meet with the one who sang that song."

Kento looked at him in disbelief. "You still believe what those sailor said about there being mermaids?" he exclaimed.

Prince Cye did not answer, instead, he carefully stepped over several mating crabs as he continued walking.

Once back in his room, Prince Cye opened a drawer and took out a female hair ornament. It had aged over the last seven years the pearl comb was the last memoir he had of the mermaid girl. Her mellifluous voice and blue eyes were etched in his memory from that fateful day he saw her.

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Flashback

Form the very night his late grandmother told him stories about marine creatures that were half-human-half-fish, the nine-year-old Prince Cye had been fascinated with these sea creatures. Every day, he would go down to the seashore, looking out into the vast ocean, hoping to catch a glimpse of one.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, but still the young prince had not caught sight of a mermaid.

Then, one fine day, a misguided merchant ship was heading towards the rocky shore. It was minutes from being smashed into pieces, when a euphonic voice steered the ship to safety.

The young prince rushed to the cliff that oversaw the harbor and there, right below him was a girl about his age, half-submerged in water. Her singing voice had guided the ship away from the treacherous rocks.

As if sensing someone was watching her, the blue-haired girl turned and looked up at the steep cliff. Prince Cye's sea-green eyes were met by the bluest of eyes he had ever seen. Startled, the girl immediately dived back into the ocean with a flicker of her tail. The sight of her tail fin was enough to convince Prince Cye that he had indeed seen a mermaid.

End of flashback

Holding the comb close to his chest, Prince Cye drifted to sleep.

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When the concert of the sea ended, Princess Ameilynn slipped back into the library and grabbed her book. If she were found reading books from the surface above, she would be severely punished.

In the past, she would not have dared to swim close to the shipwrecks that sunk into the sea, let alone touch anything from them. All that changed when she met a human boy who had a passion for the sea and its life.

Unlike the Sirens who dragged sailors to their doom with their song, the mermaids did the opposite with their voices. These half-fish creatures saved sailors and the ship form their impending deaths.

Princess Ameilynn was taught from young that humans were cruel beings who hunted marine life for sport. Therefore, Princess Ameilynn would immediately disappear once her job was done.

However, one particular incident changed her perspective.

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Flashback

She was only eight at that time when she met him in person: the human prince who had a love for the sea and its life.

She had long heard stories about him from the sea animals had had freed. The marine creatures, mainly fishes and crabs, related vividly to her how the young prince had carefully held them and placed them into the ocean for them to swim away. They all had a similar description about him: sea-green eyes with reddish-brown hair.

She did not believe them at first, for her grandmother's teachings were engrained deep in her.

However, the split second her eyes clashed with his, Princess Ameilynn knew the animals were not lying. His sea-green orbs had reflected a deep affection for the sea.

Embarrassed that he had caught her in her act, the eight-year-old mermaid princess dived back into the safety of the ocean depths.

Minutes later, having clamed her trumping heart, Princess Ameilynn resurfaced on impulse. Swimming towards the pebble shore as close as she dared, Princess Ameilynn did what she do best: she sang. Her voice had obviously attracted the young prince's attention as the pebbles squeaked with each step he took. As he drew near, Princess Ameilynn removed her pearl comb from her hair and left it on the shoreline. Then, she dived back into the ocean just as the footsteps stopped.

Prince Cye had stopped at the spot he had last heard her. The mermaid girl had vanished, leaving only her hair ornament. Picking it up, the boy returned to the castle

End of Flashback

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Upon returning to her room, Princess Ameilynn put the book back on the bookshelf. Over the eight years, due to her unquenched thirst for knowledge, she had taught herself the language of the land dwellers. "The Odyssey" had linked her heart to the humans had loved the sea. The blue-haired mermaid immediately blushed when a certain someone flashed past her mind at the last thought.

Letting out a dejected sigh, Princess Ameilynn banished that thought. Not only was romance between a human and a mermaid forbidden, it was also impossible. Mermaids cannot survive on land, just as human cannot live in water. Pulling the seaweed curtains shut, she turned in for the night.

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The following day, there was much rejoicing on land, as the prince's elder sister had returned to visit, along with her husband. The Queen Dowager was so pleased that she declared a holiday, in celebration of the princess's visit. The festivities lasted the entire day, and by night, the celebrations had died down.

Down below, it was a tradition that when a mermaid princess turned sixteen, she was allowed to "rise up out of the ocean and sit on the rocks in the moonlight, to watch the great ships sailing by." Her grandmother had said.

Incidentally, it was also Princess Ameilynn's sixteenth birthday on that day.

The sun had just gone down when her head rose above the surface, but the clouds still shone like gold and roses, and in the delicately tinted sky sparkled the clear gleam of the evening star. The air was mild and fresh and the sea unruffled. A great three-master laid in view with only one of all its sails set, for there was not even the whisper of a breeze, and the sailors idled about in the rigging and on the yards. There was music and singing on the ship, and as night came on they lighted hundreds of such brightly colored lanterns that one might have thought the flags of all nations were swinging in the air.

The princess watched in awe and astonishment as the ship gently rocked along the waves. A certain someone leaning against the ship's starboard caught her attention. Princess Ameilynn blinked in recognition. She gasped, "It can't be. It's too much of a coincidence." But it was Prince Cye, with his unmistakingly sea-green eyes and his brown hair that ruffled with the sea breeze.

Just then, Poseidon's anger struck as a thunderstorm roared in.

The tall ship pitched and rolled as it sped through the angry sea, The waves rose up like towering black mountains, as if they would break over the masthead, but the swan-like ship plunged into the valleys between such waves, and emerged to ride their lofty heights. The ship creaked and labored, thick timbers gave way under the heavy blows, waves broke over the ship, the mainmast snapped in two like a reed, the ship listed over on its side, and water burst into the hold.

Princess Ameilynn knew at once that the people on board were in peril and she herself must take care to avoid the beams and wreckage tossed about by the sea. One moment it would be black as pitch, and she couldn't see a thing. Next moment the lightning would flash so brightly that she could distinguish every soul on board. Everyone was looking out for himself as best he could.

Right before the ship split into two, Princess Ameilynn saw in horror as Prince Cye was thrown overboard. Without hesitation, she dived into the ocean depths, looking for him.

She swam in among all the floating planks and beams, completely forgetting that they might crush her. She dived through the waves and rode their crests, until at length she reached the young prince, who was no longer able to swim in that raging sea. His arms and legs were exhausted, his soulful sea-green eyes were closing, and he would have died if Princess Ameilynn had not rescued him. She held his head above water, and let the waves take them wherever the waves went.

Sighing in relief that the sun had not risen, Princess Ameilynn carefully placed the unconscious prince onto the sandy beach. Looking at his sleeping face fondly, Princess Ameilynn's hidden feelings for seven long years resurfaced. Acting on her heart's desire, she gently brushed her lips past him. Removing the necklace that contained her portrait, Princess Ameilynn pried open Prince Cye's hand and placed it in his open palm. Turning back into the ocean, Princess Ameilynn hid behind a rock and sang: her last gift to the human she had given her heart to. Tears in her eyes, she dived back once her song ended.

Prince Cye awoke to the sun shining in his eyes. The storm was over and not a trace of the ship was in view. He had vaguely felt that something had brushed past his lips. Touching his lower lip, he was snapped out of his daydream when a faint singing voice was heard. Racking his fingers through his salt-water drenched hair, he shut his eyes and focused. Too late, he realized, when the song ended and a quiet `splash' later, that the singing voice was the one he had longed to hear for the past eight years.

Looking down at the necklace in his palm, Prince Cye opened the pendent and saw the grown-up version of the mermaid he had seen eight years ago. Closing the pendent with a `click', Prince Cye stood up and swore towards the sea.

"I will find you, my mermaid, I promise."

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When Princess Ameilynn returned, Princess Raye and Princess Lita immediately surrounded her.

"Ameilynn, what happened?" Princess Raye inquired.

"Why were you so late?" Princess Lita pressed.

"Nothing happened." Princess Ameilynn answered curtly, swimming back to her room.

The two older sisters looked at her back, worriedly.

"Did you sense something different or is it just me?" Princess Raye asked.

Princess Lita sighed, "You're right, Raye. Ameilynn's necklace is missing."

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Upon returning to her room, Princess Ameilynn sat by her bedside, a heap of books belonging to the land dwellers by her side.

Fingering the stack of books, trailing her finger down the book spines, Princess Ameilynn pondered on her choices. One, she could just forget about it and marry the lord of the Eastern Waters, or two, she could turn into a human and seek out the prince herself. And the only person who could turn her into a human was…

"The sea witch." Princess Ameilynn gasped.

No one had dared, not even Princess Haruka or Princess Lita, enter the lair of the sea witch. Quickly banishing that thought, Princess Ameilynn returned to her books.

The days passed, and Princess Ameilynn grew quieter than usual, answering only in one or two words to her sisters' questions.

It was not until Princess Michelle pulled her away from the others, then Princess Ameilynn did tell her.

"But you might be punished!" the older princess exclaimed, when Princess Ameilynn finished.

"I know." Princess Ameilynn whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Follow what your heart says, Ameilynn." Princess Mina interrupted, having overheard what Princess Ameilynn said.

"But…" Princess Ameilynn was hesitant.

"We'll help you." The ever-protective Princess Lita added.

Both Princess Mina and Princess Raye nodded.

"We have friends in the ocean who might know who he is." Princess Raye said.

Princess Ameilynn's eyes brimmed with tears of gratitude. "Thank you, my sisters."

The older mermaids nodded in unison and took off in various directions. It was not long before Princess Raye came back with news that an orca was very close friends with the prince. He knew where he came from and where his castle was.

Princess Ameilynn followed the orca right in front of where the Prince's palace stood. It was built of pale, glistening, golden stone with great marble staircases, one of which led down to the sea. Magnificent gilt domes rose above the roof, and between the pillars all around the building were marble statues that looked most lifelike. Through the clear glass of the lofty windows one could see into the splendid halls, with their costly silk hangings and tapestries, and walls covered with paintings that were delightful to behold. In the center of the main hall a large fountain played its columns of spray up to the glass-domed roof, through which the sun shone down on the water and upon the lovely plants that grew in the big basin.

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Prince Cye was suddenly alerted with the orca's cry. Rushing to the shoreline, he was surprised to find that his orca friend had brought another with him.

Giving out a cry of triumph, the orca leaped into the air and disappeared under the sea, leaving both human prince and mermaid princess looking at the spot where he vanished.

Carefully tidying her hair, Princess Ameilynn toyed with the ends of her blue waterfall of hair as she nervously turned around.

Prince Cye silently gasped when he saw her face. She was the one in the pendent locket, he realized.

"You were the one who saved me the other night, weren't you?" he asked.

"Yes." Princess Ameilynn answered, swimming closer.

"Why?" Prince Cye continued to ask.

Stopping until she was only half-submerged, Princess Ameilynn replied softly, "I couldn't let you die."

"You were that mermaid girl from eight years ago, weren't you?" He pressed.

Princess Ameilynn nodded, "Yes."

"Then why did you only appear now? Do you have any idea how long I've waited for you?" He told her, his voice starting to crack, as he took a step into the ocean with each word.

Princess Ameilynn was stunned speechless. "I…"

Looking into his soulful eyes, Princess Ameilynn saw nothing but love, open, unabashed affection for her. Standing chest deep in the water and only inches away from her, Prince Cye choked with affection, "Don't leave me again." He pleaded.

"I… I can't." Princess Ameilynn stammered, turning away.

"Why?" Prince Cye demanded.

Increasing the distance between them, Princess Ameilynn showed him her fish fin. "That's why." She answered.

"You humans cannot live in water, just like us mermaids can't survive on land." She said sadly.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "That's why our love can never bear fruit."

Prince Cye was surprised, "Our?" he questioned.

Princess Ameilynn did not reply him as she had closed the distance between them. With tears threatening to fall, she planted a chaste kiss right on his lips. After a second or two, she was about to break off, when Prince Cye's arms tightened around her slim waist, pulling her closer and he only returned the kiss, he also deepened it. Princess Ameilynn moaned deep within her throat with passion.

Finally releasing her, Prince Cye whispered to her, "Mermaid or not, I still love you." As he pressed his forehead on hers.

Knowing for sure that her love was returned, Princess Ameilynn rested her head on his chest, "There may be a way," she told him.

"There is?" Prince Cye looked at her in surprise.

Princess Ameilynn nodded, " Yes, the sea witch might be able to turn me into a human."

"No, it's too much of a sacrifice for you." He protested.

Princess Ameilynn sealed his lips with her finger. "I've made up my mind. Come to the pebble beach tomorrow morning and go to the spot where I left my comb eight years ago. You'll probably find me there, without my tail." She told him, backing off.

"At least tell me your name!" he shouted.

"Ameilynn, seventh hime of the ocean." She answered and dived back into the sea.

Prince Cye smiled at the now silent ocean. Now not only did his mermaid have a name, she was also a princess to boot.

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That night, down below, the old sea queen held a court ball.

This was a much more glorious affair than is ever to be seen on earth. The walls and the ceiling of the great ballroom were made of massive but transparent glass. Many hundreds of huge rose-red and grass-green shells stood on each side in rows, with the blue flames that burned in each shell illuminating the whole room and shining through the walls so clearly that it was quite bright in the sea outside. You could see the countless fish, great and small, swimming toward the glass walls. On some of them the scales gleamed purplish-red, while others were silver and gold. Across the floor of the hall ran a wide stream of water, and upon this the mermaids and mermen danced to their own entrancing songs. Such beautiful voices were not to be heard among the people who live on land.

Princess Ameilynn sang more sweetly than anyone else, and everyone applauded her. For a moment, her heart was happy, because she knew she had the loveliest voice of all, in the sea or on the land. But her thoughts soon strayed to the world up above, and her promise.

At the climax of the court ball, she sneaked out of the castle and into her garden plot. Plucking out seven roses of her sisters' color coordination, she swum to their rooms, leaving each rose on each of her sisters' side-table.

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That done, she took up her courage headed towards the whirlpools that raged in front of the witch's dwelling. She had never gone that way before. No flowers grew there, nor any seaweed. Bare and gray, the sands extended to the whirlpools, where like roaring mill wheels the waters whirled and snatched everything within their reach down to the bottom of the sea. Between these tumultuous whirlpools she had to thread her way to reach the witch's waters, and then for a long stretch the only trail lay through a hot seething mire, which the witch called her peat marsh. Beyond it her house lay in the middle of a weird forest, where all the trees and shrubs were polyps, half animal and half plant. They looked like hundred-headed snakes growing out of the soil. All their branches were long, slimy arms, with fingers like wriggling worms. They squirmed, joint by joint, from their roots to their outermost tentacles, and whatever they could lay hold of they twined around and never let go.

Princess Ameilynn was terrified, and stopped at the edge of the forest. Her heart thumped with fear and she nearly turned back, but then she remembered her promise she summoned her courage. She bound her long flowing locks closely about her head so that the polyps could not catch hold of them, folded her arms across the shell bra that covered her breasts and darted through the water like a fish, in among the slimy polyps that stretched out their writhing arms and fingers to seize her. She saw that every one of them held something that it had caught with its hundreds of little tentacles, and to which it clung as with strong hoops of steel. The white bones of men who had perished at sea and sunk to these depths could be seen in the polyps' arms. Ships' rudders, and seamen's chests, and the skeletons of land animals had also fallen into their clutches, but the most ghastly sight of all was a little mermaid whom they had caught and strangled.

She reached a large muddy clearing in the forest, where big fat water snakes slithered about, showing their foul yellowish bellies. In the middle of this clearing was a house built of the bones of shipwrecked men, and there sat the sea witch, letting a toad eat out of her mouth just as we might feed sugar to a little canary bird. She called the ugly fat water snakes her little chickabiddies, and let them crawl and sprawl about on her spongy bosom.

"I know exactly what you want," said the sea witch. "It is very foolish of you, but just the same you shall have your way, for it will bring you to grief, my proud princess. You want to get rid of your fish tail and have two props instead, so that you can walk about like a human creature, and have the young prince fall in love with you, and win him and an immortal soul besides." At this, the witch gave such a loud cackling laugh that the toad and the snakes were shaken to the ground, where they lay writhing.

"I shall compound you a draught, and before sunrise you must swim to the shore with it, seat yourself on dry land, and drink the draught down. Then your tail will divide and shrink until it becomes what the people on earth call a pair of shapely legs. But it will hurt; it will feel as if a sharp sword slashed through you. Everyone who sees you will say that you are the most graceful human being they have ever laid eyes on, for you will keep your gliding movement and no dancer will be able to tread as lightly as you. I am willing to help you, but are you willing to suffer all this?" the sea witch said.

"Yes," Princess Ameilynn said in a trembling voice, as she remembered her promise.

"Remember!" said the witch. "Once you have taken a human form, you can never be a mermaid again. You can never come back through the waters to your sisters, or to your grandmother's palace. And if you do not win the love of the prince so completely that for your sake he forgets his father and mother, cleaves to you with his every thought and his whole heart, and lets the priest join your hands in marriage, then you will win no immortal soul. If he marries someone else, your heart will break on the very next morning, and you will become foam of the sea."

"I shall take that risk," said Princess Ameilynn, but she turned as pale as death.

"Also, you will have to pay me, " said the witch, "and it is no trifling price that I'm asking. You have the sweetest voice of anyone down here at the bottom of the sea, and while I don t doubt that you would like to captivate the Prince with it, you must give this voice to me. I will take the very best thing that you have, in return for my sovereign draught. I must pour my own blood in it to make the drink as sharp as a two-edged sword."

"But if you take my voice" said Princess Ameilynn, "what will be left to me?"

"Your lovely form," the witch told her, "your gliding, movements, and your eloquent eyes. With these you can easily enchant a human heart. Well, have you lost your courage? Now, sing. I'll have my price, and you shall have the potent draught."

Princess Ameilynn had no choice but to sing. Her song was like the song of a dying swan. It was so sorrowful that water snakes, which were once thought to be heartless, wept. Her song grew fainter as her voice floated out of her throat and landed into the eager palm of the sea witch.

The witch hung her caldron over the flames, to brew the draught. "Cleanliness is a good thing," she said, as she tied her snakes in a knot and scoured out the pot with them. Then she pricked herself in the chest and let her black blood splash into the caldron. Steam swirled up from it, in such ghastly shapes they would have terrified that anyone. The witch constantly threw new ingredients into the caldron, and it started to boil with a sound like that of a crocodile shedding tears. When the draught was ready at last, it looked as clear as the purest water.

"There's your draught," said the witch.

"If the polyps should pounce on you when you walk back through my wood," the witch said, "just spill a drop of this brew upon them and their tentacles will break in a thousand pieces." But there was no need of that, for the polyps curled up in terror as soon as they saw the bright draught. It glittered in the Princess Ameilynn's hand as if it were a shining star.

So she soon traversed the forest, the marsh, and the place of raging whirlpools. She could see the palace. The lights had been snuffed out in the great ballroom, and doubtless everyone in the palace was asleep, but she dared not go near them, now that she was stricken dumb and was leaving her home forever. Her heart felt as if it would break with grief. She blew a thousand kisses toward the palace, and then mounted up through the dark blue sea.

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The moon glistened its cool light on the pebble beach.

Reaching the spot where they promised, Princess Ameilynn swallowed the bitter, fiery draught, and it was as if a two-edged sword struck through her frail body. She swooned away, and lay there as if she were dead. The bottle fell from her hand and smashed on the hard pebbles.

When the sun rose over the sea, Prince Cye went to the pebble beach in search for his mermaid princess.

"Or rather, former mermaid princess." He mused, when he finally spotted her, lying unconscious on the shoreline, exactly where she said she would be.

Drawing closer, he noted that her tail was indeed gone, replaced by the loveliest pair of white legs any young maid could hope to have. But she was naked, clothed only in her own long hair.

Prince Cye quickly removed his cape and wrapped her with it, hiding his blush.

"My foolish, but brave mermaid." He whispered, as he carried her back to his castle.

Upon reaching his home, Prince Cye immediately placed her in one of the richly furnished rooms. Ordering maids to clothe her, the prince backed out of the room.

Once she was clad in the rich silk and muslin garments, the maids retreated and told the prince that their task was done. The brown-haired prince nodded in acknowledgement and stepped in once more. There, lying on the cushion pillow, was his mermaid princess who had turned human. Sitting by her side, he carcassed her sleeping face, smiling fondly at her peaceful expression.

At this point, Ameilynn stirred, waking up. Blinking, she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Then, she felt a flash of pain on the lower half of her body.

Wincing, she flung the covers aside, and looked down. She noticed that her tail was gone, replaced by the legs she had longed so long for.

"Ameilynn." Prince Cye's tender voice sounded beside her.

Turning, Ameilynn saw him beside her, worry in his eyes. Giving him a gentle smile, she reassured him that she was all right.

Drawing her body close to him, Prince Cye cradled her head on his shoulder. Gently stroking her hair, he chided her, "My foolish, but brave love."

Ameilynn shook her head. Raising it from his shoulder, she opened her mouth to speak, only to remember that she had traded her voice for legs.

Prince Cye saw her open her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Ameilynn, what happened?" he asked hurriedly.

Looking around, Ameilynn spotted writing utensils on the side-table. Brightening up as a brainwave came to her, she slid off the bed. Taking up the quail pen, she wrote down her answer.

"I traded my voice for legs." She wrote.

"Oh god, Ameilynn. How could you?" Prince Cye looked at her.

Ameilynn did not answer, instead she continued to write, "That was the price I had to pay."

"My foolish love." He told her.

"My prince, its time for your studies." Rowen came into the room.

"Understood, Rowen." Prince Cye acknowledged.

Looking at the compromising position he was in, Rowen could not help but notice a maiden on the bed. Her blue hair and blue eyes could rival his.

"I think an introduction is in order." He suggested.

Prince Cye nodded, "Rowen, this is Ameilynn."

Turning to Ameilynn, he said, "Ameilynn, this is Rowen, one of my best friends."

Ameilynn nodded. Rising to her feet, she curtsied.

Rowen blinked and bowed in greeting.

"My prince." Rowen hurried him.

Prince Cye nodded and exited the room after bidding Ameilynn farewell.

Ameilynn stood at her doorstep, looking at the retreating backs of the two males.

############################################################### ##########################################

Along the way to class, Rowen teased the prince about the fair maiden, causing a blush to creep up Prince Cye's pale cheeks.

"MY PRINCE!" a high pitched voice sounded from below, as footsteps ran up the stairs.

Both Prince Cye and Rowen winced.

"Oh no, not Miss Screechcrap!" Rowen exclaimed dramatically. (A/N: Anti-Relena fandom rubbing off me. Sorry.)

A blonde blur shot past the blue-haired boy and someone attached herself possessively on Prince Cye's arm.

"Lady Serena, please refrain yourself." Prince Cye warned, trying hard not to lose his temper.

"But, but…" Lady Serena protested.

"I'm already late for class, Lady Serena." He told her, empathizing on the last two words.

Lady Serena huffed and backed off.

"I'm surprised that the windows didn't break under that high pitched screech." Rowen joked, earning him a dry laughter from the brown-haired prince.

############################################################### ##########################################

Ameilynn returned to her room and begun exploring.

Much to her relief, she found loads of books and a chess set. That added up to two of her favorite past times: reading and playing chess.

Picking out a book, she sat down by the window and started to read.

So engrossed she was in her book, that she did not realize that three wholes hours had passed. It was not until Prince Cye entered her room. He could not help but stare at her silent form. She looked so… so goddesslike just sitting there.

This went on for about twenty minutes, before Ameilynn placed a bookmark in her book and shut it. Turning around to face her entranced prince, she scribbled something on a paper and held it out to him, a teasing expression in her eyes.

"See anything you like?" he read. He promptly blushed at being caught.

"Yeah, you." He answered.

Ameilynn quickly turned into a blob of red.

Taking a look at the chess board she had on the table beside, he smiled and said, "How about a game?"

Ameilynn needed no prompting as she sat down on one side of the chessboard.

Forty-five minutes and five games later…

Prince Cye let out a low whistle as he was beaten yet again by Ameilynn, five times in a row.

"You're good." He complimented.

Ameilynn blushed and she wrote something on paper.

"I've been playing ever since I could swim." He read.

"No wonder." He told her.

"You're not bad either." She wrote.

Prince Cye had to smile at that, "Rowen taught me." He explained.

Ameilynn's expression told him, "Oh, I see."

"I have a feeling you might be here." Rowen said behind the embracing couple, causing them to jump apart, blushing.

"Rowen!" Prince Cye protested.

Sage took a good look at the maiden beside the prince and let out a catcall, "Man, Rowen wasn't kidding when he said Lady Ameilynn was pretty."

"She isn't just pretty, Sage." Prince Cye replied, looking down at his goddess. "She's the light in my life."

Lady Ameilynn turned a deeper red.

"Lady Serena isn't going to be pleased about this." Kento commented.

Prince Cye had to frown at this, "I never said I liked her. Lady Serena is being wilful."

"I think introductions are in order, my prince." Lady Ameilynn wrote.

"Thanks, Ameilynn." Prince Cye nodded.

"I'm Kento." Kento said, taking a bow.

"My best friend." Prince Cye told her.

"Sage Date, milady." Sage said, kissing her hand, causing the former mermaid to blush.

"Sage, hands off!" Prince Cye exclaimed, slipping a possessive arm around her.

"Touchy." The blonde swordsman whistled, causing the other two to laugh.

"Aren't we a little possessive, my prince?" Kento teased.

"Come on, you two." Rowen chided between his laughter.

"Interesting friends you have." Lady Ameilynn wrote, with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Prince Cye sighed at that, "That's how they are."

"Who's Lady Serena?" she continued writing.

"The Prime Minister's daughter. She's obsessed with me." Prince Cye answered, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Lady Ameilynn looked at him in sympathy and she rubbed his forearm comfortingly.

"But, it doesn't' matter anymore, not while you're here." Prince Cye smiled down at her.

Lady Ameilynn looked down and blushed in embarrassment.

Pushing a long lock of hair that had fallen out of place, Prince Cye tilted her head up with a finger and kissed Lady Ameilynn tenderly. Lady Ameilynn's eyes grew wide open at the unexpected gesture. Fluttering her eyes close, she gladly responded. It was not long before that kiss grew deeper and hungrier, as the enamored couple toppled on the soft bed.

Finally letting her go, Prince Cye rose from his previous position, breathing hard. Dropping his arms on either side of his tenshi's head, he whispered hoarsely, "You have no idea how much you affect me, my angel."

Lady Ameilynn carefully slid off the bed and scribbled on a blank piece of paper, "I could say the same for you, my prince."

Prince Cye had to smile at that, "I'm not being too forward, am I?" he asked.

Lady Ameilynn shook her head.

"My prince, your mother requests your presence." Kento said, through the open door.

"I understand." Prince Cye nodded and got up.

"I'll right back, Ameilynn." He promised, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

############################################################### ##########################################

"I see you've been quite busy with Lady Ameilynn." Kento teased walking alongside with Prince Cye.

"Kento." Prince Cye warned with a deep growl.

Kento put his hands in mock surrender, "At peace."

"MY PRINCE!" a high pitched voice sounded from below, as footsteps ran towards the two.

"Great." Kento sighed in exasperation. "Not the leech."

A blonde blur shot past the ebony-haired boy and someone attached herself possessively on Prince Cye's arm, yet again.

"Lady Serena, get off." Prince Cye warned dangerously.

"I don't wanna." She whined, nuzzling her blonde head against his arm.

Eventually, Prince Cye was frustrated as he shoved Lady Serena aside. Letting out a silent `huff', he strolled off with an amused Kento.

"I swear she could break glass windows with that screech of hers." Kento joked.

############################################################### ##########################################

"Lady Ameilynn?" Rowen asked curiously at her door.

She gave him a questioning look.

"May I come in?" he inquired.

"You're already in." she wrote, showing him the paper.

Rowen grinned, "True. Then may I come the rest of the way in?"

Lady Ameilynn nodded.

"Prince Cye wanted me to keep you company." He said.

Lady Ameilynn's eyes told him, "Oh, I see."

"A game of chess?" he suggested.

Lady Ameilynn gave him a gentle smile and sat back to her previous seat.

Forty-five minutes later…

Rowen whistled as the game came to a standstill.

"No wonder you beat the prince." He commented.

Lady Ameilynn let out a small smile and wrote something down.

Rowen rose his eyebrow as he read what she wrote. "No wonder you're so good."

Lady Ameilynn could only blushed in embarrassment.

Getting up, Rowen said, "I must be going to perform my duties, Lady Ameilynn. We really should do this more often." He winked at her, before exiting.

Left alone again, Lady Ameilynn sighed as she went back to her book.

############################################################### ##########################################

In the afternoon, Prince Cye returned to Lady Ameilynn's side just he promised. The maids had already re-dressed her in a fresh set of clothes so that she was much more presentable during lunch. Offering his hand to her, Prince Cye led the delicate Lady Ameilynn to the dining hall.

Upon arrival, everyone gasped in astonishment at the new girl. She was the loveliest person in the entire palace. She moved as lightly as a bubble as she walked beside Prince Cye. Everyone, with the exception of the three who had met her, marveled at the grace of her gliding walk.

Lady Serena growled in envy and jealously at this new lady. Not only did she surpass her in beauty and grace, she was also in the position she longed to be: beside the prince.

The Empress Dowager gave the girl a glance-over and looked at her son. The prince blushed at the intense stare his mother was sending him and stammered out who she was.

Lady Ameilynn let go of Prince Cye's arm and curtsied politely to the Empress Dowager.

"Why doesn't she speak, my son?" the Empress Dowager demanded.

"She's mute, mother." Prince Cye answered.

"A mute?" the Empress Dowager inquired. Mutterings were heard all over.

Lady Serena smirked at this new knowledge, she could use it to her advantage.

"Yes, mother." Prince Cye admitted.

"Hrmm." The Empress Dowager was in deep consideration.

"Then, I'll like to see why this mute fascinates you so much, my son." She finally said.

"Willingly, mother." The prince bowed to his mother and led Lady Ameilynn to the table.

When lunch was served, the Empress Dowager finally saw what the girl had that fascinated her son so much. The way she ate and her gestures showed that not only was she well brought-up, she was also most probably of royal blood.

When the music came on, the Empress Dowager was more impressed when Lady Ameilynn stepped onto the dance floor. Then, she lifted her shapely white arms, rose up on the tips of her toes, and skimmed over the floor. No one had ever danced so well. Each movement set off her beauty to better and better advantage. After she was done, Lady Ameilynn composed herself and curtsied to the Empress Dowager, before retreating back to where she sat.

At this point, Lady Serena was struggling to keep her jealousy under control. Her father looked at her in worry.

The Empress Dowager nodded her approval, she was certain that this Lady Ameilynn would be the best match for her son, despite her handicap.

############################################################### ##########################################

After lunch, Lady Ameilynn was escorted back to her room with the accompaniment of the two maids she was assigned to.

"So, think she passed?" Ryo asked, looking at the back of this amazing girl that had captured the prince's heart.

"From what I observed, she did pass, and with flying colors too." Rowen said.

"From my opinion, she obtained full marks." Kento commented.

"Full marks huh, Kento?" Sage looked at him suspiciously.

"Sage, why did you ask?" Kento inquired, somewhat nervous.

"How are we do know that you wouldn't try to hook up with her?" the swordsmaster asked accusingly.

"Hey, hey, hey, timeout, Sage." Kento put up his hands in mock-surrender.

Sage continued to glare at him.

"Two reasons." Kento replied, showing two fingers. "One, The prince's my best friend, and I wouldn't think of hitting on my best friend's girl, ever. And two, seeing how protective our prince is of her, I seriously doubt I have a chance."

"He does have a point." Ryo agreed.

"The baka finally talks sense." Rowen smirked.

"Hey! I resent that!" Kento protested.

The entire group burst out laughing. Prince Cye only let out a smile.

Meanwhile, Lady Serena was back in her room, formulating a plan.

############################################################### ##########################################

That night, there was a court ball. Everyone was dressed in their finest. Lady Serena was dressed in her favorite golden dress. It was very sexy, revealing her shoulders. She felt for sure that the prince would be entranced by her appearance and forget about that useless mute.

The musicians had been playing their music even before the ball started.

Then, all was silent when Lady Ameilynn appeared.

If she was lovely in the afternoon, she was gorgeous now.

Dressed in a simple nightgown of baby blue, she was simply the most wondrous lady in the entire ballroom. Everyone watched in astonishment at this new girl the prince brought back. She must be a goddess that had came down from the heavens to bless them with her beauty and grace.

Lady Serena faintly growled in anger when she realized that Lady Ameilynn had outshone her again.

Prince Cye, however, was staring at his mermaid goddess in awe. He only snapped out of his trance when Sage gave him a nudge with his elbow. Smiling sheepishly at the blonde swordsman, he stepped forward to meet his lady.

The music came on again, just as Prince Cye approached Lady Ameilynn, his Lady Ameilynn, he mused.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" he asked, offering his hand.

Lady Ameilynn gave her prince a shy nod and took his hand. The pair glided along the floor in a waltz.

"They will make such a perfect couple, Empress Dowager." A serving maid commented to the Empress Dowager as she served her wine.

"Indeed, they will, Sakura." The Empress Dowager agreed.

On the floor, everyone was muttering on how the newest pair would make such a perfect couple.

At this point, Lady Serena was biting her handkerchief in jealousy.

"You sweep me off my feet tonight, Ameilynn." Prince Cye breathed into her ear.

Lady Ameilynn blushed and turned her head to the floor.

Tilting her head with his finger, he lifted her head and looked intently into her expressive eyes. At this instant, time seemed to stop. Silence reigned between the pair as they were in a world of their own, completely oblivious to the outside world.

Not caring who saw them, Prince Cye bent down and captured Lady Ameilynn's lips in a sweet and tender kiss.

This caused Rowen and Kento to go `Aw, isn't that cute?'.

Sage started smirking and gave Ryo a look to say `I won.'

Ryo sighed as he handed some money into Sage's open palm.

The pair was so engrossed with each other that they did not notice an extremely jealous Lady Serena sneaking up on them.

"Uh oh, leech alert." Kento whispered.

"She just had to ruin everything, doesn't she?" Ryo growled lowly.

"Come on guys, we can't let her destroy the prince's happiness." Rowen urged.

The other three nodded in agreement as they proceeded towards the dance floor.

Lady Ameilynn's eyes snapped open when she felt someone touch her bottom.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the person she was dancing with was not Prince Cye, but Duke Zoisite. She struggled against his tight grip, only to have him hold her tighter. The duke smirked as he licked his lips lustily at the mute beauty in front of him. Knowing full well that she could not scream, he forcefully clamped his mouth over hers.

Tears streamed from her eyes, as Duke Zoisite claimed a kiss from her by force. When his tongue forced open her lips, she bit down as hard as she could. Taken by surprise, Duke Zoisite let out a `yelp' in pain and released her.

Taking a step away, Lady Ameilynn gave the duke a hateful glare and a tight slap across the face. (A/N: Serves him right!)

The entire room was immediately hushed into silence.

Then, she ran out of the ballroom, tears streaming afresh from her eyes.

Lady Serena, who was dancing with an unwilling Prince Cye, smirked at her success.

Just then, Prince Cye dropped his arms and stopped dancing. Giving Lady Serena one last cold glare that sent fear down her body, he took off after Lady Ameilynn.

Abandoned by the prince, Lady Serena sulked and stormed off.

############################################################### ##########################################

Still crying, Lady Ameilynn ran out of the ballroom, down the stairs and onto the sandy beach.

The waves crashed against the shore softly, causing the mermaid-turned-human girl to remember those happy days she had under the ocean.

Without thinking, she stepped into the water.

`Splash', the waves came around her ankles as she walked deeper.

"Ameilynn!" Prince Cye yelled her name.

The said girl turned to look at her prince, pure sorrow in her eyes. Turning to face the ocean, she proceeded to walk deeper.

Prince Cye went in after her, knowing what she was about to do.

Finally catching up with her, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ameilynn, don't. Don't leave me, again." he pleaded.

Lady Ameilynn turned to face her prince, her eyes telling him that it was not his fault. The person she was angry with was herself, not him.

"Ameilynn..." Prince Cye told her tenderly.

"Dance with me." He requested softly.

The blue-haired princess gave him a look that said, `There isn't any music to dance to, is there?'

Prince Cye smiled, "Dance to the melody of the ocean, my love." He told her.

Lady Ameilynn nodded, as she understood what he meant. Leaning her head on his shoulder, the couple swayed their bodies in the rhythm of the ocean.

############################################################### ##########################################

The next morning, Lady Ameilynn awoke to find herself on bed, Prince Cye beside her.

"Oh no." she thought. "We didn't…"

Flinging off the covers, she sighed in relief to find herself still in the gown she wore last night.

"Ameilynn?" Prince Cye asked groggily as he woke up.

The girl smiled down at him and handed him a piece of paper.

"Good morning, my prince." He read.

Pushing himself up, he leaned forward and gave her a good morning kiss. "Good morning to you too."

Then, his smiling face turned into a frown, "Ameilynn, last night, we didn't…"

Lady Ameilynn shook her head as she revealed her gown she was still wearing.

Prince Cye sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

"My prince, are you in there?" Ryo's voice came from outside.

"Ryo?" Prince Cye asked, uncertain.

"Yes, my prince." He answered. "May I enter?"

"Yes, you may." Prince Cye answered, getting out of Lady Ameilynn's bed. The door creaked open and the royal guardsman entered.

"My prince... Oh my." Ryo gasped.

"Your highness, you didn't…" Ryo looked at the prince.

"No, Ryo. We didn't do anything of that sort." Prince Cye told him firmly.

"He's right, Ryo. We're still clothed." Lady Ameilynn passed the royal guardsman a piece paper with writings.

"Lady Ameilynn." Ryo looked at the mute girl in silence. He received a nod from her.

"Ryo, we have to leave." Prince Cye urged the royal guardsman out of Lady Ameilynn's room, earning him a smile of gratitude from his water goddess.

Lady Ameilynn got up from her bed and got dressed into more comfortable clothes.

"Lady Ameilynn, may I enter?" a soft voice asked from her door.

Lady Ameilynn went to her door and opened it, allowing the two maids to enter her room.

"Katherine, Reiko, it's good to see you." Lady Ameilynn wrote on paper.

"My lady, there is trouble." Reiko told her hurriedly. Katherine nodded in agreement.

"What?" Lady Ameilynn continued writing. "What trouble?"

"There have been rumors flying around this morning." Reiko said.

"Rumors?" Lady Ameilynn wrote, a questioning look on her face.

"Yes, my lady, rumors about you and the prince." Katherine answered.

"About what?" Lady Ameilynn pressed, her writing growing more rapid.

"About you bedding the prince." Reiko said in a hushed whisper.

"What!?" Lady Ameilynn wrote in anger. "We did nothing of that sort!" she wrote furiously.

"We believe you, my lady. But not the Empress Dowager, she's furious." Katherine said sadly.

"Who spread that rumor?" Lady Ameilynn wrote down, tears of anger threatening to fall.

"Lady Serena." The two maids answered in unison.

"Kuso! I knew it was her!" Lady Ameilynn mentally swore.

At this point, her dams burst as Lady Ameilynn started to cry in despair.

"MY LADY!" Both Reiko and Katherine shouted at their distressed mistress.

The two maids allowed their mistress to cry on their shoulders.

############################################################### ##########################################

"My prince." Ryo started, not knowing how to continue.

"Ryo, spill." Prince Cye demanded.

Taking a deep breath, the royal guardsman continued, "There have been rumors flying around this morning, about you and Lady Ameilynn."

"About what?" Prince Cye asked with a stormy expression.

"About you bedding Lady Ameilynn." Ryo said softly.

"What?" Prince Cye exclaimed. "We did nothing of that sort!" he shouted.

"The four of us believe you didn't, my prince, but not your mother. The Empress Dowager is furious." Ryo informed the prince.

"Who started this rumor?" the prince asked in fury.

"Lady Serena." Rowen answered for Ryo.

"That leech would do anything to get rid of Lady Ameilynn." Kento hissed.

"That… that's gone way too far!" Prince Cye shouted, letting out his anger.

"We all know, Your Highness." Sage sighed.

"Talk to your mother, my prince." Ryo rested a hand on the exasperated prince's shoulder. "She'll understand."

The other three nodded in agreement.

############################################################### ##########################################

The two maids had long left the room, shaking their heads in sadness as their mistress cried her heart out. The two had grown pretty attached to the mute girl after since they were instructed to attend to her.

"Lady Ameilynn, you're requested to be in the presence of the Empress Dowager." A messenger announced outside the door.

Lady Ameilynn wiped her tears off and stood up. Shutting the door behind her, she followed the messenger to the throne room.

############################################################### ##########################################

Upon arriving in the throne room, Lady Ameilynn noted that a upset Prince Cye, a triumph-looking Lady Serena and an outraged Empress Dowager looking at her.

"Lady Ameilynn, can you explain yourself?" the Empress Dowager questioned the mute girl, trying very hard to keep her voice clam.

"Mother, you know she's mute!" Prince Cye protested.

The Empress Dowager looked at her son, "Then let her be tested to prove her virginity!" she ordered.

The doctors nodded and proceeded to drag Lady Ameilynn away.

Lady Serena smirked, "After the tests, Your Majesty, I can show that Lady Ameilynn isn't pure." She said.

"We shall see." The Empress Dowager answered.

About two hours later, the head doctor went up to the Empress Dowager and whispered something into her ear. The Empress Dowager nodded and waved the doctor off.

"Well, Lady Serena, it seems that your allegations are false." The Empress Dowager announced, much to the relief of Prince Cye and the disdain of Lady Serena.

Just then, Lady Ameilynn entered the throne room, still very shaken-up. Prince Cye rushed beside her, supporting Lady Ameilynn when she almost collapsed.

"And as for your request, my son." The Empress Dowager smiled motherly at Prince Cye. "It has been granted."

"Mother, thank you." Prince Cye replied, tears of happiness beaming from his eyes.

############################################################### ##########################################

Two weeks later…

"Do you, Prince Cye, take this woman to be our lawfully wedded wife and to love her in regardless of life or death, riches or poverty, in sickness or in health?" the minister begun.

"I do." Prince Cye answered, looking at his blushing bride.

"And do you, Lady Ameilynn, take this man to be our lawfully wedded husband and to love him in regardless of life or death, riches or poverty, in sickness or in health?"

Lady Ameilynn handed the minister a piece of paper. He nodded at the mute girl.

"Then you may…" the minister smiled at the kissing couple. "Continue kissing the bride." He finished.

The moment they broke off, something amazing happened.

The sea started to bubble in rainbow colors as a beam of light shot into the sky. Afterwards, the light beam disappeared leaving a ball of light-blue behind.

The ball floated in front of the bride and entered her mouth.

Lady Ameilynn was astonished, then she opened her mouth, "My prince." She said softly.

"Ameilynn, your voice." Prince Cye gasped in double happiness. "Its back."

Lady Ameilynn nodded and the newly wedded couple kissed again.

############################################################### ##########################################

"So grandmother, what happened next?" the six-year-old girl asked.

The elderly grandmother smiled at the girl, "Like all happy endings, my child. They lived happily ever after."

############################################################### ##########################################

SailorStar9: Phew, 31 pages one shot. R&R. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows. Thank you.