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The Silent Dancer [1]Authors Comments: okay! so this story's going to be pretty short... i'm just posting this while i work on my other story (Desire)... but i really hope you like it! thanks so much for reading! also... school has officially started for me, so i won't have time to post things as frequently anymore... sorry!
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 Created on 8-26-08
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The Silent Dancer
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live in an underwater paradise?
Come, stay close, and I will tell you a story that has withstood the test of time. It is an ancient tale, and it is well worth listening to. You may have heard similar underwater tales many times before, but those tales are not completely true. Many don’t know the true story since the story has changed with every passing generation. But still the core of the story remains the same. So now, if you wish, read on, and read the tale of the mystical Silent Dancer…
Many, many miles under the sea, on the floor of the ocean, in clear blue water stands a city, a kingdom; a kingdom so large that it covers nearly the entire ocean. It is an underwater dreamland that is known to its inhabitants as Maraqua. Maraqua is a cheerful, peaceful place, a place where war and rebellion was unknown. No one had dared to challenge the authority for centuries. And it had worked perfectly. In this wonderful period of harmony, the artistic culture of Maraqua had flourished. All over the vast empire, buildings and monuments were covered with beautiful golden engravings and plaques commemorating the many great kings and queens who had ruled in the past. And the most beautiful artistic spectacle in the entire kingdom was, of course, the palace.
The palace was a stunning, tall building, supported by ivory pillars with golden vines twisting up the sides. The domed roof was made of pure silver, and it was dappled with many sapphires, emeralds, opals, moonstones, aquamarines, rubies, and pearls. The palace itself was made of milky white marble, with carvings glorifying all of the greatest rulers in Maraquan history. Tall sculptures of great heroes and revered elders stood in many of the long hallways. Over time, with every passing monarch, the palace had become more exquisite and more magnificent.
The current king of Maraqua had very recently added a beautiful sculpture to the palace’s garden of his seven lovely daughters. They were his pride and joy, and he loved them all very dearly. They were, from eldest to youngest, Sapphira, Esmeralda, Opaline, Luna, Aqua, Ruby, and Pearl, each only a year older than the next. These seven sisters were known throughout the kingdom as the most beautiful mermaids in the entire ocean. But not only that, for all their beauty they were not vain, they were not even the slightest big conceited. The seven girls, instead, were among the kindest, most generous beings of the sea.
These girls, like most children, were also very curious. And the one thing they were most curious about was the world above the waves; the world of big blue skies and fluffy white clouds. They dreamed of a world filled with gorgeous red-purple sunsets, about the bright white sun whose light filtered down through the water in prisms of colors, and, most of all, of strange beings who walked about on grassy hills and sandy beaches on two legs.
This was all because of their grandmother. Grandmother Naida was the most wonderful of storytellers in Maraqua. She told many glorious tales of her numerous adventures in human territory. She told her granddaughters tales of her journey to the North and the beautiful blazing Aurora she had witnessed, with streams of colorful light weaving itself into the sky. She spoke of her trips to sandy beaches overflowing with humans running in and out of the chilly costal water. These stories had intrigued the mermaids, and by the time the eldest, Sapphira, reached the appropriate age of eighteen, the girls were about to burst with excitement.
On the midnight of her birthday, Sapphira impatiently dressed herself in the ceremonial robes and jewels. As soon as she was allowed to go, Sapphira quickly swam up towards the world above. When she came back, many hours later, she told her sisters of what she saw. It was winter, and she saw chunks of gleaming white ice floating on the water’s surface. Everything had been cool, crisp, and quiet.
The following year, it was Esmeralda’s turn to rise above the surface. Just like her sister, she donned the ceremonial robes and jewels, and at the stroke of midnight she swam up to the waves. She came back carrying a fluffy white feather. She described the sight she saw to her sisters. She had seen many beautiful, snowy white geese flying south for the winter.
And, so, year after year, each girl swam to see as much as she could of the human world. By the time the youngest mermaid, Pearl, was old enough to make her journey, she was barely able to wait any longer. In the hours before twelve o’clock, there was such a bustle that Pearl could hardly believe it. Grandmother Naida decked her with dozens of jewels, silver chains, and shells, hanging long necklaces around her neck, slipping many bracelets on her thin wrists, and putting small rings on her slender, graceful fingers. Grandmother Naida looped a silver chain around Pearl’s slim waist and pinned her long, blonde hair back with a beautiful pink seashell. Her mother made her wear an elegant halter top that was made of the finest fabric in the kingdom. It had been passed down from generation to generation, and had always been used when the royal daughters were ready to make their trip to the surface. Her mother then slipped a small, silver tiara into Pearl’s hair, finishing the look. Pearl waited anxiously as this happened, wishing she could throw all of it off and just swim up to the surface, and she would have if her mother hadn’t insisted that she wear it.
Finally, when she was allowed to swim up to the surface, Pearl swam as quickly as her tail would allow her. When her head rose above the blue-black waves, she saw a clouded night sky, flashing with lightning and grumbling with thunder. She saw many mountain-sized, foam-capped waves, one of which held a large ship filled with festive decorations. Bright lights lit up the deck and illuminated the darkness so Pearl could see. When she saw were strange creatures dancing and celebrating. They walked about on two legs and their movements weren’t graceful. Pearl smiled. These must be the humans that Grandmother Naida always talked about. Pearl cautiously swam closer to the ship so she could have a better look. She peered onto the deck and she saw one man who must have been the prince, for he was wearing a golden crown. She thought of him as very handsome and immediately fell in love with him. She sighed wistfully. She knew that merpeople and humans never belonged together, and that every time they did fall in love, horrible things happened. Pearl squeezed her eyes shut. She could not let this senseless love cloud her thoughts.
All of a sudden, with a loud clap of thunder and a bright flash of lightning, the ship was suddenly in pieces. Many of the men were flailing in the choppy ocean water to stay afloat, grabbing onto stray pieces of wood, struggling to swim towards shore, and yet the prince wasn’t. He was unconscious and slowly sinking down to the depths of the sea. Pearl gasped and quickly swam to catch him in her arms. She cradled him carefully and flicked her tail, swimming north, towards land. She sang a calming tune to him and beckoned for the waves to follow her to shore, bringing the other men safely with her. Within minutes, she had swum as far as she could, so she let the sea carry him gently back to shore. She looked around with wide eyes, searching for some sign of civilization. She spotted a temple not too far away and waited impatiently for people to come out and find the now unconscious men, who had all fallen asleep from exhaustion. When people finally spotted the men, many long hours later, Pearl felt relieved, but uneasy. She felt salty tears rising in her eyes, and before she knew it, she was crying. She ducked her head underwater, and swam home in tears. She knew – though it was forbidden in the kingdom – that she wanted, more than anything, to be with the prince.
[[okay! so if you want to be kept posted on this story, please subscribe because i don't keep people posted anymore! thanks for reading!]]
Comments
Please Login to post comments| On August 27th 2008 SasobiUchiha Said : | |
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I read it, and I do like it, but I'm getting huge Little Mermaid vibes off of it. To an extent that's all right, and I know you said it was sort of a retelling, just...yeah. And some parts are choppy and quick where they should be more drawn out, and a few spots are vice versa. Just something to think about. ^^ |
| On August 26th 2008 Aegle Said : | |
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It's cute. i like it. |
