The floorboards were cool under Fidencia’s skin. It was a relief, but it was about time to go about her morning. She tried getting up, but failed and slumped back down. She clenched her teeth in pain, stifling a gasp. The feeling foreign, she knew better than to make rash decisions, so she calmed down and scanned the area.

No longer was she at the Isle de Fuego begging the Fire Dragon for a sample of its’ scales. She was home, sailing the seas.

She laid in the center of her ship. The sun shone brightly under her, keeping her warm from the winter’s touch. She made the attempt to move her arm over her eyes to shield them, but the pain returned and decided against the act..

“S-stop moving,” the voice spoke up, laced with concern. She did just that. She knew who called to her, but the voice sounded terrified.

Fidencia had grown up to become a leader in a ship filled of rebels who sought adventure. She was the one given the task to keep them in line.

But, these women didn’t recognize their leader.

As she looked around. she locked eyes with familiar black ones -- multiple dark gazes were looking at her. All resembled through eye color.They were standing in a circle, surrounding the perimeter from all sides. She was enclosed by them. It felt like a ritual, but her people weren’t into that kind of stuff. The Merwoman had honor. The dirty Mermaids did those things in order to turn into one of them. They were a desperate bunch, always desiring for more when they couldn’t obtain it with their own power.  A low rumble sprouted in her chest. She was laughing, but the sounds weren't escaping her lips.

Some held disturbing faces, others were tear-stained. She couldn’t believe the kinds of facial expressions these beautiful women were making. Her eyebrows scrunched together, but it seemed it hurt to make that motion, too. She wondered why they were looking at her like she was pathetic.

An older woman stepped up from the crowd.

“Zarra,” she croaked. Fidencia didn’t recognize the voice that escaped her lips. It surprised her, but she disregarded it as a scratchy throat.

“Fi…” she would look at Fidencia, but not really meeting her all the way.

Although, the Merwoman were known to have black irises, Zarra’s were white. It wasn’t uncommon, but it meant she was aging. Her hair and skin were healthy and didn’t show signs of age as a humans would. Merwomen were more complex. The greater the age, the greater the gifts they received in their lifetime.

“What’s going on?” Fidencia was so confused. Usually, they wouldn’t worry over something petty as a morning nap. Though, her aching everywhere seemed like something to worry about.

“Well, we got away, but you took most of the damage.” Zarra looked away from her, shame etching on her features.

Grey was all Fidencia could muster. Whatever had happened to her it wasn’t good if her memory wasn’t all there. The last thing she saw was red after she had managed to survive the fiery breath of the dragon, then she passed out.

“Any casualties?” She was furious. Furious at that fact that she put them all in danger. Her hard eyes softened as Zarra’s finally met hers full on.

They reminded her of home back in depths of the ocean. The part of the vast sea that no human would venture.

Zarra held up five fingers. “Tania, Griselda, Maite, Mya, and Karin.”

Fidencia’s breath hitched. She could feel the tears welling, but thought against letting them go.

“How did we get away? Why am I still alive? Why are you all looking at me like that?” The questions kept coming and there wasn’t a stop to them.

Zarra kneeled next to her, raising her arms, moving them with grace.

The wind picked up and shifted Fidencia from her spot on the ship. A cloud of air surfaced itself, causing everyone to squint as it got stronger as it approached her. It slowly levitated her from the floor to an upright position. Zarra made sure her feet dangled to prevent the pressure of her soles hitting the cold ground.

One of her women brought a circular object towards her. This time, Fidencia didn’t wait to control her tears. They fell freely.

She was burnt to a crisp, she realized. Her memory may be foggy, but as she put all the puzzle pieces together she knew something drastic had upset the Fire Dragon and it decided to ruin her body. What was left of her was to be a symbol of triumph over one of the sacred beasts.

Her wounds had yet to heal from the Fire Dragon. She thought about the final cries of terror it made and the tears of anger that came out of its golden eyes. The magnificent animal put up a fight, but it wasn’t enough to stop her. However, it did put a stop on her fellow Merwoman.

Fidencia howled in sadness, muttering the names of each fallen sister. She thought about how young they were and what kind of woman they could have grown up to become. The faces of children pounded her head and made her cry out more.

She reached out for the mirror, ignoring the fresh pain running through her arms. Her eyes were a dark red, and claw marks were running along her cheeks. The winds keeping her upright would have moved her hair around her face, but it perished by the dragon’s breath.

That damn Fire Dragon, she thought. Every Merwoman was envied because of their long and beautiful hair.

She turned and met Zarra’s eyes. Zarra tried to look away from her bloody gaze, but she was too late. Fidencia finally understood why her sisters wouldn’t look at her.

Her body was changing.

“Zarra. What happened to the beast?”

“It died right after you delivered the final blow.”

******************************************************

Fidencia’s eyebrows scrunched up. No longer could she feel the pain of her burnt flesh, but she was digging deep in her memories. There was no way a beast that lived for many centuries could be taken down by a mere rebel leader.

She did think highly of herself, but she knew her limits and killing a Fire Dragon was way out her league.

“Put me down. I can stand.”

Zarra motioned her hands to the floor, the winds died down setting Fidencia on her feet.

She staggered past Zarra and the women who were circling her. They would watch her with caution, debating if she was a threat to them or not.

“Ladies, I will not bite. I’m fine. I’m just going to rest for a bit. As you can see, I’m not myself.” A sad smile etched its way onto her face. They couldn’t see the gesture, but she wanted to reassure them that everything was going to be okay.

Even though she was growing scales by the minute. The dragon must have bit her before blacking out. The thought dawned on her and she had to do something before she killed the women on the ship.

The Sea. That was the only way to get out of transforming.

Fidencia looked to the sides of her ship, then back at the circle that had yet to disband. It was odd. They usually would go back to their stations.

Curious, she focused on the voices with her sensitive hearing. It was one of the perks of the gifts she had received. Whoever said age was nothing but a number?

“We must kill her. You saw what the Captain did to the thing. What makes you think she won’t turn on us?”

“Mari is right, Zarra. She may be our trusted friend, but we have families back home. I don’t want my children to grow up without a mother.”

“Besides, didn’t Captain grow up without one? No wonder she has control issues.”

A screech filled the whole ship. Zarra clenched her fists, then closed her mouth to stop the agonizing melody. “Listen you ungrateful bitches. Who do you think raised you when you were on the Wanted Lists of the Seven Seas? Who do you think makes sure your partners don’t go crazy and eat your children? Who allows you to go to your families every weekend and takes on your duties?”

All of them wore guilt on their faces. Zarra was right. Fidencia did more things than any regular MerCaptain would do.

Pride swelled in her chest. Her old friend always had her back. She wouldn’t second guess that it was Zarra who got her out in time before the Fire Dragon could end them. But, there was more to the story. Fidencia killed the sacred beast.

She shook her head. This was no time to feel emotion. She had to act fast before they realized she was transforming into a deadly beast. She brought up her finger to a canine. She gasped. It was elongated and growing.

She didn’t hesitate and ran to the side of the ship, jumping into the deep blue sea, a screech told her she didn’t go without being noticed.

*************************************************

Fidencia was deep in the ocean. She didn’t stop swimming for seven days straight. She kept going, ignoring the painful cracks her body would make whenever a limb decided it needed to finish the transformation process. The black scales spread all over.

She froze her muscles, hoping it would slow the process down, but it was wishful thinking on her part. Not even the temperature dropping under the water helped. The fire inside her kept her warm.

She felt his presence near. A dragon could sense other dragons, she realized. Maybe he could help her out into returning into her Merwoman state. She missed her fins, now they were replaced with claws.

Fidencia felt movement. She had been careful, avoiding unnecessary confrontation with other sea creatures. She didn’t want to encounter a mermaid and her sorry attempt of a fight. She would burn that bitch to a crisp.

Angering the inner beast wasn’t helping. The more she angered herself, the more her Merwoman would feel distant. She had to keep her head in the game or she would turn back and slaughter anything in its sight.

She entered a cave of some sorts. The crystal indicating it was a lair of another sacred beast. If she were to be her normal self then she would have asked this dragon for help instead of it’s red brother.

She crawled to the space of open air. There in its glory stood the Water Dragon. It was huge and beautiful. However, it was also crystallized.

What could have cause this, thought Fidencia.

There was writing on some of its scales.

“She who come to the lair, look up,” she read the message out loud.

Chills spread down her spine. Her head moved backwards, her eyes focused on the ceiling.

The Water Dragon didn’t crystallize itself on purpose, it was afraid of something more terrifying than itself.

A pair of white eyes glared at Fidencia.

She opened her mouth to screech, but the creature stuffed itself inside her throat to silence her song. She croaked, swallowing to breathe air. She fell to the ground, her hands were around her neck. One arm stretched towards the crystallized dragon, silently pleading for mercy.

It felt like one of her hearts were in her throat. Endless red tears pooled from her eyes. The last thing she saw was a wisp of air flying past her and landing on the Water Dragon, breaking the statue into hundreds of pieces.

*********************************************************

Crack!

Fidencia woke up screaming.

Another crack met her joints. Her screams wouldn’t stop.

She could see a figure through her tears. Someone was stoning her with rocks. An arm lifted itself, then brought it’s hand down to her shoulder.

“Stop! Please!” She begged. As much as she wanted to protect herself, she couldn’t. She didn’t feel anything from her neck down. It was as if her body gave up on itself.

The figure had no mercy. It dawned on her that begging it was an impossible feat. It wouldn’t listen to her anyway.

She could hear another crack. The rock met her knee, drawing blood. She whimpered.

He stopped. He brought his hand to caress her face. It was a warm gesture, but she glared daggers to this psychotic man. She wanted to run her claws along his face like the Fire Dragon did to her. Though, his face mirrored her own. His eyes were also the same shade as hers and his scales covering his body was as black as his soul.

“You think you killed me, huh?” He stoned her on her pinky.

She cried out, not hearing him. She was confused. The beast should have been dead and not in the form of a man, torturing her to death.

“You think begging was the only way to get my scale? You’re sadly mistaken, my dear mermaid.”

Fidencia clenched her teeth. Foam came out of her mouth. She was angry and scared. She didn’t know which to feel.

He chuckled. “Well, now that I know you didn’t die, you will live to serve me.”

She shook her head and spit at him. “I-I would rather die, than to serve you.”

He smiled. “Oh? And, do you think you have a choice in the matter? I own you now, mermaid and you will do as I say whenever I wish it.”

His smile turned into a frown.

She struggled to free herself of him. She was hurting herself and she knew it, but she had her women to protect. It was her duty as their leader.

An unfamiliar sound escaped her lips. It was feral. The Fire Dragon flinched and took a few steps back.

Thankfully, that was the only thing she needed. She got up, her wings spreading themselves out. She jumped as high as she could and took off, breaking the cave open overhead.

The water was gushing in, but she didn’t mind it. The bastard would die in there. She would come later to retrieve the scales she was promised a long time ago. He lied to her and her people, only seeking to play with them by methods of torture. They had managed to get away because of the bite he left on Fidencia. It would make her as the next successor to become the Fire Dragon. He wanted to kill her before she could regain her memories and set things right.

She smirked. Boy, was that bastard fooling himself into thinking he could ever her. She thanked Poseidon that she got her memories back in time.

If not, she didn’t even want to guess her chances.

She swam with the speed of light, making her way to her sisters, hoping nothing else would stop her along the way.

***********************************************

“Fidencia!”

She could hear Zarra calling out for her. She sounded so worried.

“Fidencia!”

She could see the surface of the water. She twirled as the air hit her, then flew onto the ship, landing on her feet with no problem.  

The Merwomen screeched in disapproval, not recognizing Fidencia as their leader. Her blood mixed with that of a dragon. She was unrecognizable now.  

She brought a hand to her wrists, exposing the mark that made them into their proud species. It was fading, but it was there.

“Wait!” Zarra spoke up and ran towards her. Her back faced towards Fidencia, protecting her like a mother would her child. Though, they weren’t related by blood, their relationship was tender and they would do anything for the other person.

“This is Fidencia. Don’t sing any longer, sisters. She means no harm.”

Mari snapped, “How can you be so sure? She left us for a week with nothing and she waltzes in here like everything is fine.”

Zarra tried to reason with her, but she wasn’t having it. She wanted to kill her.

“No! I’m done. That thing must be killed even if that is Fi. She’s no longer a Merwoman. Even her mark is fading and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. She will die and that’s the end of that. Are you with me, ladies?” She looked around the ship, registering every woman on deck.

Their facial expressions were mixed. Some looked outraged, ready for the kill. Others, looked unsure and sad for Fidencia. Some didn’t care. It hurt Fidencia, but if she were in their shoes, then she’d do whatever it took to protect herself, too.

Zarra came up to the girl and squeezed her fingers into a fist. Mari fell to the floor clutching her chest. Her face turned purple in a matter of seconds. Her heart was heavy and failing.

Zarra was killing the girl.

Fidencia went on high alert. She never wanted sisters to spill blood. She wouldn’t let it happen.  “Zarra! Stop! Don’t kill her!” She flew in between them, her back to Mari.

She knew if she didn’t stop them, then they both wouldn’t stop until the other was dead. She always felt Mari wanted the power of MerCaptain, but she was too young for the power that and responsibility that came with it. The girl came to them in rags, pleading for Fidencia and Zarra to take her in.

Mari took it as a chance to piece Fidencia’s chest, her claws went through bone and muscle.

Fidencia slumped to the ground. She coughed up blood. She didn’t want to die, just yet, but she was close.

Zarra watched her in horror, but turned her attention towards the traitorous woman. She finished what she started and crushed both of Mari’s heart without hesitation.

Zarra leaned near Fidencia. She brought her lips upon hers, hoping some of her life energy could be transferred to her. Fidencia’s lips were cold. She didn’t get a response. She screeched in sadness.

She stood up from where she was. She knew what she had to do. Her Merwomen were seeing what she would do next, but all she could do was say the words.

“Call me Captain.”