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Selkie & the Beast: Part Three (rough draft)
🕑 Added 2021-09-07 20:01:01 +0000 UTCAt night the sad songs returned, floating all around the moon castle and filling the air with their melancholy. Kota would often wake in tears, as his dreams were filled with a deep, unending loneliness. He would see the rocky shore not far from the castle and the song would reach out from the ocean, beckoning for a return that could not be.
It became too much one evening and Kota got up from bed. The heavy book that Muireann had given him slipped from the blankets and onto the floor.
“Be careful with that!” Muireann rushed out from under the bed and threatened him with her pincers.
“Sorry,” Kota huffed. He placed the book on the bedside table and rubbed his eyes, removing the last of the tears.
Muireann came further out from under the bed. “Can’t sleep?”
“I feel lonely,” Kota admitted.
“And what am I?”
Kota sighed. “It’s not-” he took the walking stick and stood up from bed. “It’s that song coming from outside.”
Muireann grunted in disgust. “I know right, it’s obnoxious.”
“No,” Kota fussed. “It’s sad. It’s kind of beautiful, but it just sounds so sad and a little frightening. It goes into my dreams and I see things there.”
“That does sound creepy.”
Kota shook his head. “I’m going for a walk. I can’t sleep like this.” He left his room and went down the hall where the glow from the fireplace illuminated the hallway. Esperance was asleep in his nest, curled and tangled amongst the blankets and pillows there. Kota tried to be as quiet as possible, but as he walked through the room, Esperance stirred and began to sit up.
“What’s wrong?”
Kota was frozen in his tracks. Although he had gotten more used to Esperance’s presence, even talking to him a bit, he still wasn’t out of his awkward ways. “Can’t sleep.”
Esperance rubbed at his neck and stretched, and Kota noticed something different about him. Before, his back had seemed to be so much more bent over, but now, it almost appeared to be level with his shoulders. “I don’t like sleeping alone either,” he muttered sleepily. “I haven’t had a good night's sleep since I came here.”
“How long have you been here?” Kota approached him, taking a chair from the table to sit down.
“A while now, I’ve lost track of time. But I can remember it wasn’t long after the castle rose from the ocean.” Esperance sniffed then twisted his head to crack his neck.
It had been a question that Kota wanted to ask, but had no clue about how to go around it gently. Esperance was cursed, that much he knew. What Kota wanted to know was why and how. Usually it was those who had done a great wrong who were cursed, but Esperance didn’t seem like that kind of person. Maybe. After all, he barely knew him.
“Why are you here though?”
It was a question Esperance never wanted to answer. It meant admitting something he wanted to keep away, especially from someone who offered a chance at redemption for him. “It’s a long story.”
“You keep saying that, but we have nothing but time here.”
“Not really,” Esperance grumbled. “The lunar eclipse ends all of this.”
Kota was aware, after all, without his coat he had no chance of escape. And when the castle would vanish again, he’d surely perish in the ocean. “Then can’t you tell me? Won’t it help things?”
Esperance sat up more and crossed his legs, which to Kota seemed a bit longer than before. “I was cursed,” he stated simply.
“I know that already,” Kota leaned his cheek onto his palm. “But why were you cursed? Did you touch some artifact? Did you say a foul word in front of a temple?”
Turning his head away, Esperance looked towards the fireplace. The huge stone piece was hand carved, featuring pieces of mermaids and fish that tangled together and rose up, forming a hand that held up a moon shaped engraving near the ceiling. Esperance had stared long at the fireplace many times since he arrived here. To him it told a story of how the castle was formed, and how the stolen magic made this place a safe haven for seafolk until the eclipse. He had told this story to himself many times in order to escape his own.
When Esperance didn’t answer his question, Kota started to get a nagging itch at the base of his skull. “You’re not like...a killer, are you?”
Esperance’s eyes widened. “It was-”
Kota stood alert, but a cold breeze rippled through the castle, coming down the hallway where Kota’s room was. He turned in that direction, giving Esperance a thankful reprieve from the questioning. The mournful song from outside grew louder and Kota slipped his hands around his ears.
“Does it bother you?” Esperance asked.
“It frightens me. All that sadness,” Kota murmured. “It makes me feel so lonely.”
Esperance patted the nest beside him. “Come sit with me then, you can tell me more about your sister!”
“That seems almost worse,” Kota grumbled. But the air had become so bitter cold, the idea of sitting next to the fireplace did sound alluring. He pouted as he stood, sitting down near Esperance by the fireplace.
“What’s she like? You’ve told me things I can do, but you’ve not told me much about her personally.” Esperance laid on his belly and folded his arms under his chin.
“She’s tall,” Kota gave him.
“Taller than you? Is she as pretty as you?”
Kota’s frown was twisting further down. “Don’t make me answer something like that. It’s embarrassing. She’s taller than me, all my sisters are. They’re strong too, but Ivet is the strongest out of all of them.”
“I like that,” Esperance said with a grin.
“Good, because she deserves to be appreciated for that.” Kota pulled up his good leg and hugged his knee. “She’s always looked after me and taken care of me,” he murmured. “She’s fought people who’ve touched me and made me uncomfortable.”
Esperance lifted his head. “People do that to you?”
Kota sighed. “It’s happened more than I care for.”
“Because of how good looking you are?”
For some reason, Kota’s cheeks began to burn. “See, even you think so.” He placed his hand around his forehead.
“Well, you are.” Esperance sat up again. “I’ve never seen a beauty quite like you before. When I first saw you, you took my breath away. But then you started talking.”
A smile rose so quickly Kota couldn’t stop it. “Really?”
Esperance saw this smile and he couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Yeah. You yelled at me and it really ruined the moment.” He tilted his head down. “But your sister really fought people for you?”
“It’s not something either of us are proud of. She’s very protective, and I’m really bad at being around others. Sometimes, when I’m touched or something, I just freeze up.”
A sweet look came over Esperance’s face. “You’ve never been hurt though, right?”
Kota replied with silence.
“No,” Esperance murmured. “Well, that’s-” He was stopped, unable to come up with the right words to say. He turned to silence just as Kota had.
After a while, Kota moved to stand and Esperance offered his hand. Kota took it, balancing while holding Esperance’s palm. His hand felt warm, and his skin was soft. Kota felt his face warm again.
“Thank you,” he murmured as he took his walking stick.
“Is your leg okay, how does it feel?” Esperance asked.
“It’s okay I think. Not as bad as the first day, but it’s still hard to walk around. I think I’ll live.”
Esperance sighed. “Oh good. I mean, just getting better!”
Kota smirked. “I know, you want to meet my sister on good terms.” He made his way towards the hall. “I’m going to try and go back to bed. Good night.”
“Good night, Kota,” Esperance murmured behind him.
When Kota returned to his room, the book was open on the bed. He was sure he had left it closed on the bedside table. He picked it up, seeing the page it was turned to featured an illustration of an orca biting off the tail of a mermaid, which looked similar to the one at the start of the book.
“Good walk?” Muireann scuttled out from under the bed.
Kota jumped at her sudden appearance. “Stop that.” He closed the book back and sat down upon the bed.
“The song has stopped.”
Kota looked up, unaware of the change. “Oh, it did.” He laid back down in bed. “That’s good I suppose.”
“What did you do on this walk?” Muireann asked.
“I’m trying to sleep,” he huffed. He nuzzled into the pillow and put his arms around it. “It was a walk.”
Muireann hummed knowingly but didn’t push the issue further. Kota closed his eyes, trying to sleep but instead his mind turned to the size and warmth of Esperance’s palm. How did such a big thing work? He was obviously very strong, would holding his hand crush his own? Was he gentle? Did he have to remind himself to be gentle? He broke that cup so easily. Could he do that to him? Could he touch him like a feather and make his skin tingle?
Kota opened his eyes wide open. “What the fuck was that?” He thought to himself. Why did his brain think of such a provocative thing? He huffed and tried again, closing his eyes and counting fish like his mother taught him when he was small. The fishes turned to fingertips which were connected to Esperance’s big, giant arms.
“Stop!” Kota slammed his hands over his face. “What is going on in there?” He thought to himself. “I’m just stuck. I have to get my mind off that and onto something else. It’s normal. Okay. Think about those lemon wheel cookie things at the village.” He told himself this, but instead the cookie was offered to him from Esperance’s big fingers. So, Kota barely slept that night.
In the morning, Kota was afraid to go and eat because of all his out of control daydreaming. His mind had so locked onto that one thing he now felt ashamed and anxious to be around Esperance. But he was hungry and that won out over shame.
Kota went into the main hall, finding the fireplace was out and Esperance wasn’t there. He looked around, going towards the open doors and looking out. He saw Esperance going towards the shore. He stopped just short of it and stood there at the gray, rocky beach. He fell to his knees, kneeling there and holding his face in his hand.
“Oh goddess, is he crying again?”
Kota nearly jumped out of his skin. “Muireann, stop!”
“Get over it.” Muireann was pulling in a dead fish from outside.
Kota looked back out at Esperance on the beach. “Is he really crying?”
“Does it all the time. I appreciate a man who can cry, but when it starts ruining breakfast, that’s when I draw the line.” She slapped the fish back and forth on the floor.
Kota stepped outside the door and onto the stones. He watched Esperance for a while until he noticed what looked like hands coming out of the water. They rose up with the soft waves, reaching towards Esperance. Some throw things onto the beach which look like fishes and shells. He came closer and the hands began to vanish, he stood behind Esperance and gently placed his hand upon his broad back.
Esperance turned, gasping from the surprise. He looked at Kota with such a sad expression that Kota understood right away.
“It’s okay,” Kota murmured.
Esperance bowed his head down low again. A few sobs escaped, but Kota could tell he was holding back. Esperance reached up, placing his hand over Kota’s on his shoulder. Kota’s body started to warm from the touch, and he felt ashamed again, but he didn’t move.
“It’s all my fault,” Esperance muttered.
Kota didn’t know what to say, so he remained quiet. A song then rose from the water, similar to the tune that haunted him every night. It rose almost hopeful, calling out to Esperance on shore.
“What makes that sound?” Kota asked.
“My family,” Esperance answered.
Kota looked back out towards the water, seeing the surface looked almost black. The bodies that moved just below the surface were large, almost as big as Esperance. He then saw further out against a large stone, there was someone singing.
“They can’t come too close to the island. But they come as close as possible because of me. I’ve told them to go but they just won’t-” Esperance bent over onto the ground, banging his fists into the stone before him.
Kota knelt beside him. “Why would you want them to leave?”
“Because it’s my fault! I should be the only one to pay for this,” he sobbed.
Kota rubbed his arm gently. “Even if that’s true, they still love you.”
Esperance sobbed harder.
“I wish my family was this close by.” Kota’s eyes began to sting as tears rose to them. “I wish I could hear them, just so I could know I’m not here by myself-” His voice choked and he rubbed furiously at his eyes.
Esperance rose. “Can I hug you, Kota?”
Kota’s heart leapt into his throat. “What?”
Esperance sniffled. “I need a hug, but I thought it’d hurt you if I just did it.”
With some hesitation, Kota opened his arms. Esperance dove in, taking the hug happily but gently. Kota leaned into it, squeezing his arms around Esperance’s neck. He was really gentle, Kota thought. His body is so warm and strong, but he’s so delicate with me.
“Thank you,” Esperance whispered. “I need this so much.”
“Me too.” The words escaped Kota before he could hide them. He waited for a remark, but Esperance continued the hug.
“I owe you an honest answer,” Esperance then sniffled. “You’re helping me, and I would like to call you my friend when this is over.” He pulled back and looked sadly at Kota. “Especially after what you said last night.”
“It’s okay,” Kota murmured. “Tell me.”
Esperance rubbed his eyes and continued to cry. “I’m here because I hurt someone. I hurt them badly.”
Kota’s shoulders tensed up and he slowly moved his hands away. “What did you do?” He looked up, seeing that Esperance’s hunch was almost gone, his neck seemed longer, and his eyes looked bigger. His appearance was changing, that he was certain of now. “And if you say it’s a long story again, I will throw a rock at you.”
A laugh trembled from his lips and Esperance sputtered. “You told me you had been hurt, and I got so scared. You are the first person I’ve been able to talk to in so long, and that’s become so important to me. I didn’t know what to do. But it made me realize how what I did hurt more than just one person.”
Kota grabbed his arm and shook it hard. “What did you do?”
“I was out hunting,” Esperance murmured. “I had so much food to take home, more than I needed. This mermaid approached me and asked for some. I told her no.”
This wasn’t all, Kota thought. He tightened his grip on Esperance’s arm.
“She asked again, and again, I told her no each time. She became annoying with her begging. And I-” Esperance forced Kota’s hand off his arm. “I bit off her hand.”
Kota pulled his hands away and tucked them behind his back. “Why?”
“Because I could!” Esperance snapped. “Because I was bigger and meaner. Because she annoyed me! She just wanted food! She needed it! I didn’t and I-” He hung his head and held it between his hands. “The next thing I knew, I woke up in this castle looking like-” He went quiet and sank down. “The mermaid was no mere mermaid,” he muttered weakly.
Kota took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m just confused why you need to kiss someone.”
Esperance lifted his head to look at Kota in surprise. “That's what you’re taking from this?”
“I’m a bit shocked, don’t get me wrong. What you did was cruel and selfish. You deserve this punishment, but I don’t think you deserve to die here,” Kota murmured. “You know what you did was wrong.”
“I do,” Esperance nodded. “I do! At first, when I came here, I was so angry. I blamed the world. I blamed my family. But being alone for so long-” His voice cracked.
Kota touched him, placing his hand gently upon Esperance’s arm. “You’ll be okay, you’ll be better than that once you’re able to leave here again.”
Esperance smiled softly at Kota and he took hold of his hand. “Thanks. I hope you’ll still be my friend in the end. I really like you.”
Kota’s heart skipped a beat and his stomach went into knots. “I like you too,” his voice trembled. He then cleared his throat. “Come on, let's get back inside.” Still holding onto Esperance’s hand, he stood. “It’s getting cold out here.”
“Is it bad without your coat?” Esperance asked.
“A little.” Kota replied.
After eating, Esperance fell asleep in his nest. Kota wandered away, his head filled with too many thoughts to be left alone with them. He thought a walk could help clear his mind. He walked past his room, going down that hallway full of too many doors.
He looked over the nameplates, seeing so many with different things he didn’t know what they all could mean or even do. He came to the door labeled ‘future’ and when he opened it, inside he saw the moon, which glowed bright orange and burnt dark red around the edges. It shone over the water, making it look like a pool of blood. In it, Kota could see the castle sinking into the water.
Kota closed the door and huffed. He turned down the hallway, coming upon the door with Ivet upon it. He opened it, peering inside. He saw through the two windows that Ivet was under water swimming. She came to the surface where there was nothing stretched out before her for miles. She was somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Kota’s stomach turned into knots and he closed the door back. He traveled all the way down to the end of the hallway where the doors became windows. The final door had been blank before, but now there was a name upon it. It was Esperance’s.
Curious, Kota opened the door and peeked inside. There were no windows, everything was just black. Which, if he was asleep, would make sense. The ground was liquid, swirling and sloshing with something swimming just under the surface. Kota leaned further inside.
“Don’t open those doors!” Muireann snapped.
Once again surprised, Kota slipped and fell into the liquid floor. He sank under water and he saw sunlight from up above. As he tried to swim closer to the surface, a huge shadow came barreling towards him. Kota couldn't evade and it had him in an instant. Strong arms held him tight.
“He’s so cute,” the words flowed around him as part of the water. “But he’s a guy too. And yet, I like him so much.”
Kota looked up, seeing that whatever held him was big and dark.
“He makes me happy. I love seeing him smile.” The voice continued to ripple through the water. “Could I really have those feelings for Kota?” Kota saw eyes looking into his own, they looked familiar but so different. A finger swept across his bottom lip. “I would really like to kiss him. But is that okay?”
Kota recognized the soft skin and the delicate touch. He kissed the thumb softly then tilted his chin as if expecting the kiss.
“I want to. But I shouldn’t. I want to. It would be so nice. He’s so sweet.”
Kota was thrown through the door which slammed shut behind him. He floundered there on the ground, picking himself up and catching his breath.
“Don’t use the doors!” Muireann pointed her pincher at him.
“What was that?” Kota snapped. “I saw...it was…” he tried to gather his thoughts, but there really wasn’t enough to put something coherent together.
“Stolen magic isn’t for the faint of heart,” Muireann huffed. “Now get.” She chased him, threatening to snap him until he was outside.
Kota stood there upon the beach taking deep breaths. He sighed and hobbled across the rocky shore until he came to the front door. He stood there, looking up at the moon castle before turning and looking back out over the sea. He touched his lips, still feeling Esperance’s fingertips there. “He’s so sweet.” Those words repeated softly in the back of his mind.
“That’s just a dream,” Kota muttered as he placed his hands upon the door. “If it were possible at all, I would help him.” He opened the doors and stepped inside where Esperance was slowly rising from his nest.
“What are you doing there? You’re so far away.” Esperance was still on the edge of sleep, so when he saw Kota he wanted to embrace him.
Kota closed the door and pressed his back against it. “I went for a walk.” He took a step forward. “Esperance, I-”
Suddenly outside there was a great cacophony of sound. Esperance rose with a speed Kota had never seen before. He rushed past Kota, nearly knocking him over with his tail as he went outside. The sound came from the sea, and from it, so did Ivet.
