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spacklefritz · 7 years

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Shifting Tides - Chapt Three

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but here’s chapter 3. Also, I know I said there would be three chapters but it looks like there’s going to be one more. Rating: T Previous: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, ff.net

Summary: No matter what she did, she always felt the pull of the land. Somewhere free from her father’s domain. It was an impossible dream, until it wasn’t. Mermaid AU

The world came back to her in muted voices, sounds blocked by a thick wall. The next, was something dry and scratchy against her skin. Fine lines of some strange material pressed against her skin, and... air. Light and whimsical, it fluttered against her skin. All around her was so impossibly lighter, and yet, she found her body was heavy, sinking down on whatever she laid upon. The buoyancy that was the natural state of the world around her disappeared and all she could feel was this dry, air.

Her eyes shot open. Blurry images was all she could see. Then, a moment later everything sharpened into focus.

A soft gasp escaped her as she looked around. She was most definitely not underwater. How? She sat up, tail rubbing against the structure she was on… only – she looked down, quickly brushing aside the material that was draped over her.

A moment passed.

And then another.

How was this possible? Her hands hovered over the area where her tail used to be. She almost dared not to touch them. Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe she'd spent the last of her life energy trying to warn the villagers and she was trapped in perpetual loop inside her mind. A fragment of hope before she faded away. But no, this felt too real.

A sense of reverence filled her as her fingers darted over the smooth skin of her newly formed legs. How?

'Our heritage was rich, little one. Once, long ago we weren’t trapped by the restrictions we put on ourselves. We were free to roam the land as we did the sea for we were one of Gaia's first children.’

Her mother’s words echoed in her ears as a tight ball formed in her throat.

'Don't spout gibberish in the child's ear Layla! It’s because of you that she has these fanciful thoughts.’

And she believed him, not then. But after her mother died, it was hard to believe the stories Layla once told her were anything more than that. She took in a shaky breath, her hand smoothed along the iridescent patterns on the side of her calves. A seafoam blue mixed and blended until it turned to a light amethyst. The colours and patterns reminiscent to that of her scales. She ran her fingers back and forth over them, acquainting herself to this new skin she now wore.

"It’s strange right?" A soft voice sounded, and brought the call of the sea with it. "I had that same reaction when I first came to the land."

The woman, Siren, -for no other held the voice of the tides- handed her a container with water. Suddenly, Lucy's throat felt very parched.

"You're going to need it, especially if this is your first turning." The Siren continued as she handed Lucy another glass of water. "Your body is readjusting to being on land and not having instant access to water."

After Lucy downed her second container of water, the Siren spoke again. "It mustn't have been easy for you. To travel the distance to warn us."

Lucy shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the Siren's gaze. Blue eyes scrutinized her face, for something Lucy couldn't decipher. She remembered the stories about the Sirens, distant cousins to the merpeople. They were two-tailed and it was said that they didn't have enough life-energy to sustain them. Because of this, they sang to the unsuspecting humans, feeding on their energy as they drew them to their watery kingdom. But this Siren was on land, and contrary to the stories, her skin did not hold the sickly pallor that spoke of death.

So many things were different from what she once thought.

"I had to." There wasn't any doubt in Lucy's mind that she would warn her village. She didn't, couldn't, see them fall under Crocus' clutches. Not the village that spoke of life and reminded her so much of the times with her mother.

The Siren smiled in return. "I'm Ju-"

"Juvia!" A voice shouted from the background. "We're going to need your help out here!"

The Siren's body sprang into alert and it was then Lucy caught the sounds of shouting and – Was that just a canon be shot? She swung her head to the sound. Had Crocus reached the village already? "Ah, Porlyuscia, should be here shortly." She said while making her way to the exit. "There's a pitcher of water, over there," She pointed to her left where more beds lay. Next to them was a shelf with various items. "If you're thirsty, please take some. Your body will tell you how much water it needs to adjust. Porlyusica or Wendy will be here to help you with anything."

She was almost near the exit, when she said. "You gave us a much-needed head start to prepare for Crocus." She then turned around fully, facing Lucy's direction, she gave a deep bow. "Thank you."

And just like that she was out the door.

Lucy blinked twice. Then attempted to move off the bed, only to crumple to the ground. Damnit! She tried to stand, but she could barely support herself, the muscles in her legs straining. She tried again, gripping the top of the bed for support, all the weight seemed to be focused on her upper body, while her legs trembled to do such a simple motion.

"What are you doing?" Firm hands helped from behind to pull herself up and back onto the bed. "You shouldn't be on your feet."

"I need to -" She looked up and into a weathered face with dark eyes, eyes that seemed to want to hear no excuses. This must've been the head healer here.

"Tch, I suppose you were going to say something foolhardy like, you need to go out there and help them." She gave Lucy a side glance while preparing some concoction of the sort. "Magnolia seems to attract that type."

She shot another glance a Lucy, this time, it was one that froze her in her tracks. She felt like she was a guppy again, who had her face stung by a pufferfish. "You shouldn't even be thinking of getting up."

"But-"

"I don't care. You're in no position to be on your feet. If Juvia, is anyone to go by, your body needs time to adapt. Yes, it has changed form," She continued, "but all the internal workings haven't been sorted out as yet. You need time."

She could still hear the sounds of the villagers protecting their land and people against Crocus. She didn't want them to be harmed.

"That means no pushing your body further than it can go, you can cause permanent damage if you do so." She heard screaming in the background. Did it belong to the villagers or was it from Crocus' people? "Drink this." The Healer either didn't notice Lucy's distraction or didn't care. The mermaid was apt to believe in the latter.

Seeing no other choice, she took the foul-smelling drink that was shoved in front of her face, and paused to examine the viscous liquid. Absently, she wondered if the healer had planned to poison her. But no, they wouldn't have saved her, only to kill her in the end. At least, she didn't think so.

She downed the glass in one go, hoping to bypass the horrid taste. Gods, what was it with healers and their bitter mixes.

"Everything, in the glass child."

Lucy shot her an incredulous look. "Well don't just sit there, drink."

Sighing scraped out the last of the mix. Her face almost certainly looked pinched. The urge to scrape her tongue and wipe away the taste was fierce in its demand. She was debating the prospect when her arms started feeling heavy.

The world around her became foggy and in the next moment, there was nothing.

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