Chapter Text
1
What the legends said about meeting humans was not at all like what Nat was experiencing.
To begin with, a disaster would have to be involved, such a shipwreck or a storm that made it impossible to sail, and that would cause the crew to lose control and then, the beautiful mermaid could make an entrance act and save the prince or princess and thus begin a story that would unite their otherwise divergent worlds across the sea. Definitely no legend involved a net that reeked of dead fish and a ship that carried a black flag with a skull drawn on it. It wasn't the experience he was supposed to live!
“You're not the experience I wanted to live either” Nat's tirade was interrupted by the man responsible for capturing him (in a stinking net, he had to accentuate). “And you've been complaining for half an hour, I've never met a creature that could complain so much.”
Nat raised his head and folded his arms, trying to look dignified despite being tangled in the blissful net on the wooden ship floor and with seaweed hanging from his short black hair. That guy was not a prince, if not visible by the flag and because the ship had no insignia of any kind, it would be obvious just by looking at the plain clothes he was wearing, including, the red cloth covering his hair.
“After ruining my day in such a way, the least you can do is put up with my complaints” he argued “And when do you plan to let go of me?”
For some reason, the man laughed at his words and Nat felt the scales on his tail bristle. Humans were a reasonable species, or should be. He should be safe. Of course he had heard rumors of mermaids disappearing to meet terrible fates at the hands of humans, but he always thought those were tales the elders used to stop them from wandering away from the underwater cities they lived in.
"Why would I let you go? You must have something of value, and if I can't sell you, I could at least eat you."
Nat opened his mouth, refusing to believe what he had just heard. A shiver ran down his back and he was about to turn and try to escape when one of the men listening nearby reached over and hit the other one over the head.
“Stop scaring him, Saran” he immediately flashed a gentle smile at Nat, who calmed down half-heartedly.
“That's not my name anymore” replied the first man. Nat moved a little closer to the edge of the boat, assuming that even with the net on his tail, he would be safe if he managed to jump. The other man might have seemed friendly, but he wasn't so innocent to trust right away. “It's Kornthas now.”
“I still can't get used to it,” the man approached Nat and knelt nearby, raising his hands in what Nat knew was a gesture to indicate that he shouldn't be afraid of him. "Don't listen to the stupid captain. We're not going to sell you or eat you, we just need your help for a while, can you do it?"
Nat looked at them both. He had left the safety of his family and home in search of adventure, even though his friends insisted he was too young, he had always been independent. And although it wasn't the way he had hoped, he already had met humans and perhaps, if he stuck with them, he might find the romantic adventure he had hoped for.
“Why did you change your name?” he asked. If he was going to work with them, at least he wanted to be considered part of the group. And answering his questions was the first step.
“I don't think you care...” the man named Kornthas started to say, but the other interrupted him.
"A fortune teller told him he should. With the name change, doors of good fortune should open, he could be a better person, he might even meet his true love..."
“But maybe she was lying, all I've found so far is a fish that complains too much” Kornthas added.
“I don't think I could cooperate with a person like him” replied Nat, ignoring the smirk Kornthas directed at him.
“Max, come and apologize” demanded the other man and Nat frowned. What was his real name? Humans, from what he could see, were very complicated. However, the man, Saran or Kornthas or whatever he was, came over and held out his hand.
“I promise I'll let you go when I find what I'm looking for,” he said, and for once, there was no mockery in his look or his voice and Nat considered it. "My name is Kornthas, but you can call me Max, and this is Poppy. No one here will hurt you, and we won't sell you either. And the eating you thing was a joke. Do you have a name?"
“I'm Nat" he replied and watched the hand for a moment, before stretching out his own. Max nodded and shook his hand and Nat, who was still curious about humans, princes or not, stared at it. That hand was much warmer than his own, was the first thing he noticed. “Can you let go of me now?”
Max watched the net and shook his head.
“I will, just one more thing...”
And with those words. Nat suddenly found himself lifted up in the air and placed over Max's right shoulder, his tail wagging frantically as he struggled to be put down again. Without ceremony, he was carried inside the ship and Max dropped him into a tank and before he could escape, the tank was shut down.
“I gave you my word!” claimed Nat, after he let go of the net and lifted his head up to the part of the tank that wasn't covered in water. Max shrugged his shoulders.
"I can't trust you to follow us swimming, you know? And if anyone else sees you, they'll really want to sell you. It's just for your safety. Get some rest, little fish."
Outraged, Nat, he thumped the glass with his tail, uselessly. The fish tank he was in wasn't big enough to swim freely and he puffed out his cheeks in frustration. What kind of adventure was this?