Before long, the prince decreed that she must remain with him always and accompany him wherever he traveled. On sundry occasions she would jauntily climb with him to the very tops of steep, jagged mountains. Although her tender feet bled so that even her steps were marked, she simply laughed and followed him.
When everyone was asleep, she would sit on the marble steps because it assuaged her raw feet to bathe them in the cold sea water. Then she thought of all those below in the boundless deep.
One time during the night, her sisters rose from the depths, singing plaintively. When she beckoned to them, they spoke of how she grieved them. After that, they showed up at the palace every night. Another time, the Sea King, her father, appeared in the distance stretching her arms toward her, yet he would not venture near the nocuous land.
As the days elapsed, she loved the prince more and more devoted. Fondly, he held affection for her like he would a young child; the thought never entered his head to make her his wife.
“Do you not love me the best of all?” the eyes of The Little Mermaid seemed to beseech.
The prince responded, “Yes. You’re dear to me for you have the best heart. Your loyalty bethinks me of a young maiden, who I once met, but shall never encounter again.”
“The unforgettable tale is briefly told. My ship wrecked. The turbulent waves cast me ashore near a convent, where a radiant maiden saved my life. Although I beheld her twice, she is the only one whom I could love. However, she will never be mine because she belongs to the convent.”
Comments