Silverfin regarded his grotto, the glittering treasures he'd stolen away from the human world. Would that be enough to buy Hawk's love? He knew more about the ways of the bipeds than most of his kind, enough to know that many of the things that merfolk treasured would not hold as much value to the land-dwellers. His small collection of pearls, perhaps. The gold coinsscavenged from the wrecks of ships. But the other things - the pottery, the trinkets that decorated his home - those were plentiful, up above. He'd need more.
Like an entire ship full of treasure.
A ray of sunshine hit the waters and reflected back into the azure of Silverfin’s eyes. The placid waters unfolded before his gaze in a shimmering array of gold.
Yes! That was it! How foolish of him not to think of it sooner! An entire galleon, laden with gold: it wasn’t a thing of imagination. It traversed these waters fairly regularly, and Silverfin knew the route. It was theEstrela do Norte, and many was the time that he and his kin had discussed sinking in for the greater glory of Mami Wata.
All that gold, so much treasure to fill out the oceanic coffers. His mer-kin wanted that gold. But his Pirate King - Captain Hawk - heneededit. That gold could be the only thing that might yet keep him from the watery abyss.
But how was Silverfin supposed to give Hawk an entire ship?
Despite his sister's warnings, Silverfin knew he couldn't leave his Pirate King - Captain Hawk - alone. Whether the man had meant to or not, he'd almost been sacrificed to the deep. And in those few moments alone on the dock, it had been clear to Silverfin that the man's sorrow was too heavy for it not to tow him under again.
That, and...
Silverfin pressed his fingers to his lips, remembering that stolen kiss on the docks. Despite having just been in the ocean, Hawk's lips had been searingly hot against his own. It was so good to kiss him, and that ache it had awoken inside him - the need to press close, to feel him - had never gone away.
If he didn't do this, Silverfin knew it would continue to haunt him for the rest of his days.
He had to return to Hawk, despite Mara's warnings. He had to join the bipeds himself, on a pair of those weird "legs." But he wasn't so foolish as to assume his mere presence would win Captain Hawk over, despite the fact that he was arguably the most beautiful fish in the sea. But if he came on land with something else to offer, like information about a treasure ship so laden with gold that it could buy Captain Hawk's every dream...
Surely Hawk would never be able to resist him.
He couldn't bring the ship itself, of course. But the pirates could take it, if they knew where to find it and where it would be vulnerable. If they had enough men and enough guns. That would, of course, mean sharing the gold, but surely Hawk would get first pick and the lion’s share. Surely they could spirit away that which was most choice. And Hawk would be so grateful to him that they would rule Port Royal together....
No, it wasn’t going to turn out for him the way it had turned out for Mara. He had to try to get on land. He would get Hawk to trust him, and then he would lead him to theEstrela. And then, Silverfin would really make a king out of his red-haired captain.
The only question was, what would Mami Wata ask of him in exchange for a pair of those “legs” bitties?
“Not my hair!”
Silverfin clutched at his flowing locks protectively, trying to wrap them around his body like an undulating sea-cape.
Mami Wata’s gaze had been steady and cold. Her twin tails made calculated circles in the sand beneath her feet as she perched upon her throne of giant clams. Mami Wata could give herself legs at will. It was how she mated with her chosen bipeds, to whom she bestowed fortune and wealth in exchange for their undying fidelity. And woe betide a man who crossed her!
“That’s... that’s not fair!” Silverfin protested weakly. “You fuck bipeds whenever you like! Why do I have to give up my beautiful hair?”
“Your sister came to me, too,” Mami Wata hissed, her black eyes glowing like pearls in moonlight. “Full of hubris, full oflove,” she spat out like the word burned her lips. “There is a price to pay if you want to leave our home, Silverfin. If you are not ready to pay the price, then you do not know what it is to love.”
His heart beat with trepidation inside his chest. Mami’s words had stung him to the core. Of course, at first he did not know what it was to love. He had only wanted to be close to the captivating pirate, to touch him with gentle hands, to see what made him tick. Like one of the many trinkets he had hoarded in his grotto, so would Hawk be another jewel to hang upon his life. Even now, he couldn't say what it was that he felt. That aching need to see him, to be close to him, to make Hawk smile with joy at the gold and leave all his sorrow behind.
But if he didn't do this, he'd never know. Hawk would always be nothing more than a trinket. And that was not the MerSir he wanted to be.
“If I do this,” he began, “if I let you take my hair, how do I know I won’t become trapped up above and unable to come back here, like Mara?”
“It will grow back, you silly little fish,” Mami laughed. Her teeth, too, shone like pearls. Her breasts heaved, weighed down with jewels of the sea and their own pendulous heft. It must have been easy for her to lure her lovers into her web, Silverfin thought with a sigh. What would he have, once she took his hair? “And once it grows back, you will be free to return to the sea, regardless of how things shake out with your pirate.”
“But,” he sank defeated to the sand, “my hair is my best feature!”
The Mami laughed again, her twin tails beating with glee against the sand.
“Oh, my darling boy! How little you know of the world of the bipeds! Now go, and think about the deal that I offered you. If by sunrise tomorrow I do not receive a gift of your hair, I will have your answer.”
For the rest of the day and all of the night Silverfin swam restless loops around his grotto. Occasionally, he would stop in front of his prized possession and sigh. The grand, gilt-framed mirror had been the envy of many a Mer when he had taken it intact from the wreck of a grand passenger ship, and in its reflection he could see how his beautiful hair swirled around him.
He gathered it up in his hands, pushing it back from his face and flat against his skull. How ugly he would look without it! With nothing but bare skin on his head, baking in the heat of the sun! How repulsive! How could bipeds choose to shear their hair in such a way!
Perhaps a hat would soften the blow? He hunted through his grotto, opening a trunk to find what had once been a proud, three-sided hat of a ship's officer. It had grown soggy under the sea, but it would do. He pulled his hair back and settled it on his head, trying to imagine what it would look like above the waves. Perhaps he could almost look respectable. At least until his hair grew back.
