Stem the Tide ✧ 1: Sink or Swim
Masterlist ● Prequel Drabble ● Next
This is the first chapter of my first ever whump series! Thank you to @sorry-not-sorry-whump and @alastairs-hell for beta reading chapter this for me!! I really wanted to start off this series on the right foot and y’all were very helpful :) Immediately follows my drabble “The Raid,” which serves as a prequel of sorts. I linked it above in case you want to read it first to gain some extra context. But this chapter still makes sense even if you haven’t read it, so don’t worry!
Word Count: ~2100
CW: long-term captivity, language barrier, just angst for now, mermaid whumpee, lady whumpee, rescue, not rly drowning but I'm gonna put it here just in case
This wouldn’t be the first time Kharis had taken prisoners on a raid. Not that the terrified mermaid in their arms really counted as one. By the looks of it, she had already been a prisoner for some time before they found her chained up in that tiny wooden tub in the Captain’s quarters.
The mermaid has clearly been abused to some degree, her pupils shrinking in fear as an unfamiliar stranger enters her prison. She’s completely out of it, trembling and covered in bruises, her pale blue skin spotted with green and purple fingerprints. Her unbound hands curl around her stomach, and Kharis can make out the faint red tinge of rope burns.
Kharis was expecting to find platinum doubloons, Tolescan jewelry, or even just some extra supplies. But all of their excitement dissipates upon seeing the mermaid’s helpless position.
They have no idea who this mermaid is or why she has been locked away, but some instinct within them wanted to help, to somehow relieve her of that weary, tear-filled expression. Kharis wonders if she’s even had a decent meal lately, or how far away from home she must be. She definitely couldn’t walk (duh, Kharis scoffs to themself), and something about the swelling on her fins tells them that she probably shouldn’t be swimming right now.
So, she’d have to come with them.
See, The Marauders have a policy, quick and effective. Board the ship, get rid of the crew, filch as much loot as possible, and dispose of the evidence. Sometimes they skip to that last part, cheering as the raided ship goes down in flames, singing shanties and toasting with freshly stolen ale. Kharis loved the constant hustle, the joy brought by each sinking vessel, and the resulting weight added to their coffers. It almost kept up with their fast-paced time in the War, before they felt the restlessness of peacetime and plunged headfirst into the dawning age of piracy.
But when Kharis or their crewmates took anyone, it was always a prisoner of battle. Some asshole who refused to step in line or had some kind of price on their head. Never had they encountered someone who was already the prisoner of another crew.
They could only be grateful that they actually took their time to look around, or else the mermaid may have gone down in flames with the ship.
When Kharis asks for her name, she lets out a weak, “Name…name is Nereia.” Her voice is laced with a thick Aquan accent, pausing as she tries to remember what to say. Nereia’s eyes dart towards the lifeless Captain behind them, then back towards the ground, so hesitant to make eye contact.
Kharis looks back towards the pirate he just killed, laying face down with a rapier through his chest. A puddle of blood seeps into the expensive-looking rug; it would have been a good find if it wasn’t stained. Kharis moves to block the mermaid’s view.
“Did…did he hurt you?”
She responds with a tearful nod, and Kharis’s heart shatters. Sure, they were pirates, but there was an unspoken code, implicit rules that every pirate followed out of respect. One of them was to not harm an innocent person, and the half-elf highly doubted that Nereia had done anything wrong. Kharis knew that they couldn’t leave her here.
The mermaid accepted their promise of healing back on their ship with a glazed over nod. And after a brief rendezvous with the rest of their crew on the top deck of the raided ship, Kharis returns to the mermaid. Wordlessly peels the single rusted shackle from her tail, where rows of scales had been rubbed raw from chafing metal, and slowly lifts her out of saltwater turned brown with what looks like mostly blood and dirt.
“I don’t think you’re in any shape to go back into the water right now…is your tail sprained? Or infected?” Not like she would know; that would be a question for a proper doctor. After a moment, the mermaid’s brows furrow, head tilting towards the side. Kharis begins to make his way above deck, the mermaid draped over his arms. “Do you speak Alman?”
“Not much,” she says simply, then seems to think for a moment. “Understand some. Sorry, I talk mostly Aquan.”
Their Captain, known amongst pirates as Three-legged-Sibyl, would be able to help her, then. She was a Hybrid, half mer-half human, so she was the only one of the crew who spoke Aquan. Kharis thinks on how to frame their words. “Alright, tell me if you don’t understand what I say, okay?”
She seems to understand that, at least. A nod, but her eyes are wide with uncertainty.
“I’m gonna get you some help for your tail…” he pauses, reading the mermaid’s expression to see if she’s following, “But we’re going to have to ride across to my ship. I know a person who speaks Aquan too. She can help.”
Her eyes light up and her fin twitches. “Speaks Aquan?”
Kharis realizes the implication; she probably hasn’t been able to speak her language in however long she’s been here. “Yes, she speaks Aquan.”
They make their way up to the top deck, and Nereia immediately hides her face into Kharis’s shoulder. “Too bright?” they ask, and feel the mermaid nod against their neck. They pull her closer, trying to shield her as best as they can from the bright, sunny day. “It’s okay, your eyes will adjust.”
The mermaid seems to be a bit better once they sit down in the lifeboat. She looks longingly at the ocean around them, like a starved prisoner who has finally been given a proper meal. Wordlessly, their crewmates begin to row back towards The Marauder; an uncomfortable silence looming as they refuse to address the elephant in the room. Kharis stays next to the mermaid, to both keep an eye on her and ensure that she stays on the lifeboat.
When they see her longing eyes, Kharis offers, “Go ahead, you can put your fin in the water. If it makes you feel better.” They gesture towards the water. She shifts, holding his arm for balance as her fin touches the surface. Soft waves lap around the boat, and Nereia flaps her fins a few times, splashing salt water onto herself.
The look in her eyes, the immediate relief, makes Kharis smile. They may not speak the mermaid’s language, but at least they did something to make her feel a little bit better.
- 🐚 -
This is Nereia’s first chance at escape in months. And maybe…maybe this time nobody else would be punished for it. The Captain was dead after all…he couldn’t punish her or the person who gestured towards the water, encouraging her to put her tail overboard. But what if these raiders…this new Captain did? What if The Captain survived and came to take her back? Could she bear another however-long in captivity?
She weighs her options. Nereia has no idea how far away from home she is, or if it still exists. The attack had been years ago, and most of her circle went missing afterwards. Even if the kelp forests of her home were still there…she didn’t know which direction, or how far away she had traveled. For all she knew, she could end up stuck near the ports of Tolesca, far from any Aquatic civilization.
But if she stays here, she’s staying with more pirates. More pirates who see her as nothing more than a pretty token to put on display, to hang on the mast like a pretty ornament for all their crew-mates to gawk at. The half-elven raider who unlocked her chain claimed that their Captain spoke Aquan, but could she take the risk? What if their captain is cruel, even crueler than the last one, and this is the last time she’ll ever get to see the ocean? That thought is even more terrifying than getting lost at sea.
So, when the half-elf isn’t looking, she pushes herself over the edge of the boat. And with a splash, she’s home.
Her heart flutters as water envelops her form, tears of joy mixing in with the salty ocean. She breathes clean water through her gills, a shaky sigh of relief forming bubbles above the surface.
Then, she freezes. Literally. Nereia hasn’t swam in years, and her muscle memory has definitely gotten weaker over the years. Her tail cramps up and pain shoots up her side. She pedals her frail arms in an attempt to maintain traction, but it isn’t enough. Her tail moves unnaturally from side to side and she’s not getting anywhere. Who would have thought that a mermaid could forget how to swim?
Nereia is sinking. Which is fine, she guesses, as she inhales deeply through her gills and closes her eyes. At least she’s finally in the ocean. She floats straight down, stiff as a board and unmoving, and revels in the feeling of water against her skin--of being fully submerged underwater. Without chains holding her under the bottom of The Captain’s ship and without the shallowness of the muddy tub.
If she can’t swim, how is she supposed to get back home? Her eyes widen and she begins pedaling once more, but unless her tail starts working again, it’s fruitless. The mermaid’s arms tire once more and she keeps sinking, deeper and deeper.
Nereia hears a splash from above the surface and makes no attempt to swim away. Her escape attempt failed. She can’t move her tail, and the diving person, the same half-elf who gestured for her to put her tail in the water, seems to notice. They swim towards her and gently wrap an arm around her torso. The half-elf begins swimming back up to the surface.
She was going to be in so much trouble.
- 🐚 -
“Are you okay?!” Kharis asks as soon as they resurface, breathing heavily as the mermaid appears unaffected. Their crewmates had stopped rowing the moment the mermaid fell overboard, and began to help the two back onto the boat.
“S-sorry, sorry,” The mermaid mutters Alman apologies as she is guided back to her previous seat. Her tail is resting on the bench in front of her, as far away from the water as possible. “Sorry--”
Why was she apologizing? Kharis shakes their head, “Hey, Nereia, it’s alright. You’re fine, you’re safe. Looks like your tail cramped up, that’s all.”
Kharis knew that the mermaid had been trying to get away, and felt a pang of guilt upon bringing her back to the boat. But her tail had definitely frozen, like she had altogether forgotten how to swim. Was that even possible for mermaids? They thought it was some natural biological ability, like how half-elves are born with darkvision and some gnomes have natural magic. He soothes, “There’s no need to be sorry. You just need a bit of rest and we’ll get you swimming again in no time.”
The mermaid shook her head and raised her arms weakly in defense, “Sorry, should not have tried escape. Please…please don’t hurt.”
Kharis was about to explain that they didn’t get hurt, but the expression on the mermaid’s face made it clear that they had misunderstood. “I promise…I promise I won’t ever hurt you.”
Nereia seems unsure if he’s telling the truth. “You’re free. I swear, as soon as we get you healed up, we can take you home.” Her eyes seem to droop at the thought of home, and Kharis is afraid they’re making it worse. “No more hurt.”
It looks like you’ve already experienced far too much hurt, they wanted to say, but it would likely come off the wrong way, especially from a stranger. Instead, they sit there in silence as Nereia calms down, her arms wrapped around her torso and staring back at the ocean again. This time, at least, she makes no move to jump in.
The mermaid sniffles, not quite trusting yet, but at least she isn’t apologizing anymore. Nereia takes a moment to formulate the right words, “Y-your name, please?”
“You can call me Kharis.”
“Kharis?” she tests the words on her tongue, still avoiding eye contact. Tears well up in her eyes and she quickly rubs them away. “Thank you, Kharis.”
Kharis squeezes her hand gently, a soft nonverbal “you’re welcome” that they hope she can understand. She has a thousand-yard-stare, but they suppose that’s natural in situations like this. For now, they’ll leave her to her thoughts.
For the first time since diving after Nereia, Kharis turns back to their crew-mates. They all greet him with the same bewildered expression.
Do you realize what you have just gotten yourself into?
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