⸻ ☼ THE EARLY MORNING SUN WAS BRIGHT & golden — as it served to highlight the aftermath of the recent storms wild handywork across auradons battered harbor. flotsam & jetsam debris lay scattered just about everywhere along the harbor & beach. from frayed bits of nets — twisted metal scraps — all kinds of trash — & an eerie — unnatural rust-colored tide that spreaded out like an living plague across what was once an pristine cerulean-hued surface. it was an heart-wrenching sight — but she knew with an little bit of effort.
she could help turn this grimness into something beautiful once more. though the second princess of corona appeared every inch an dedicated volunteer selflessly helping & aiding the clean up after the storm. collecting bits & pieces of the metal wreckage around her — first attempting to clear the shoreline while leaving the stones & shells intact. her actions were not true of heart — because something important was hidden beneath this flotsam & jetsam that her heart desired — iron ore.
as the storm dredged everything up that had been buried for years. & since maleficents banishment to the isle of the lost. the kingdom of auroria was the last known record to have iron deposits — as iron was now as rare as wishing stars across the realms. the fairy godmother — keeping her weakness an distant legend. but poseidon & amphitrite govern storms & ocean's depths — as the tides of time & enduring echoes of history submerged under the weight of water & sand. amidst auradon's ruined shoreline — was an metallic glint of hope – the promise of iron.
as each piece of metal was an potential key to heal what has been hurt. change the fates design & save what has been lost & bring back the citizens the kingdom of corona had lost to the isle. while her fingers closed around sandy trash & metallic promise. putting trash into plastic bags & tucking metal into her leather tube strapped behind her back. moving deeper into the harbor where the red-water lapped against more broken pilings. as the tide pools were deeper — darker — but filled with debris that had sunk & resurfaced.
but something shifted underneath the rust-waterline grazing her as she froze in place. as an bone-deep thrum of cold-alert burned into her spine. far more deliberate than flotsam & jetsam. she realized to late she was no longer alone in the water. then — impact. something lunged with an fury that left her paralyzed as outstretched claws like iron hooks sank into her & slammed her down instantly forcing her to lose her balance. it was dark — turbulent water swallowing her whole as she struggled & thrashed — panic settling in.
between the relentless grip of the current — the mermaid's grasp tightening around her ribs as pain shot through her. the mermaid was instantly on her — there movements fluid & violent. as the attack felt like an eternity. with the mermaid trying to pull her into deeper water. only the leather tube strapped to her back dragged along the sand. resisting the mermaids pulling. the released of there hands against her ribs. as blood mixed with the rust-colored water. as pain lanced through her body as she tried to push herself back up to the surface.
only to have the mermaids powerful tail lash out instead — striking her dead center in the chest with bone-crushing force. the impact drove all the air from her own lungs as she was forced into deeper waters — as water filled her lungs — only to frustrate the mermaid — as her leather tube dragged across the sand again making it harder to pull her in even deeper. as the mermaid resorted to an frenzy of clawing at her making deep burning gashes & leaving fiery trails of pain. as her vision blurred & desperation filled her lungs as this beautiful predator's unnatural strength & lack of mercy or hesitation left herself panicking.
her vision began to blur red as her lungs burned for air. as the mermaids clawing went down her arms — her sides — finding its way down her back — grazing an little on the side of her face & neck as they shredding her shirt & left trails of wounds that burned. but in an last resort amidst of panic-drowning. she reached for her braided hair as it was the only thing she could do. molten gold tightly braided like rope was wrapped around the mermaids throat — forcefully yanking it as it pulled herself even closer to the mermaid that tore at her.
making the mermaid begin thrashing wildly as its movements became more erratic & desperate between the two. & with her free hand she'd start to feel along the sand bed desperately trying to find anything! wrapping her fingers around something cold & metallic from the debris around them & drove it towards the mermaid as an last resort. the mermaid thrashed wildly as its movements became more erratic — desperate — & angered. the mermaids wail was soundless underwater & yet she felt it hauntingly-resonate through her bones.
an sound like shattering glass reverberating inside her veins & muscles — struggling to hold her grip on her braid around the mermaids neck & the metal object she kept driving towards the mermaid — as tingling-numbness spread like wildfire at an alarming speed. with the mermaid distracted clawing at the braided-noose she was able to squeeze her leg in-between them & forcefully kick the mermaid with all what remaining strength she had left in her. putting distance between them as her braided-noose around the mermaids neck gave an python squeeze that stunned the mermaid.
as instinct kicked in as she propelled herself toward the rusted-waterline. emerging breathlessly from the rusted-ocean. gasping — drawing in life-giving air spontaneously in seconds coughing up red-seawater. her lungs burned with each ragged breath she took. disoriented — breathless & shaken. struggling to gather her own thoughts as her body involuntarily trembled from the aftershocks of fear & adrenaline. her shirt in tears — as the salty air started to cling to her wounds & zing as she could feel the warm blood spilling down her spine as that water-logged leather-tube felt heavy & dug into her open wounds.
but she was very much alive. as everything crashed angerly & relentlessly as every step felt like an battle against gravity — the rough tide & pain as she was desperate to get back to shore. to safety. to her older-sibling. her parents. as her whole body shook with exhaustion & adrenaline. still holding the metal-piece in her bloodied hand as her heart raced inside her chest the closer she got to shore. as even in the face of death — poseidon & amphitrite must have had favored her in some way — as she held an iron-key that she was tightly clutching in her palm.
all it took was an mermaid attack that had been horrifying & life-threatening...
