Page 7 of Tangled Sails

The wet, wooden planks beneath my hands testified to the fact that this truly was a ship, and I truly was surrounded by men, one of whom had just saved me from certain death.

Chapter three

LYRIELLE

The ship dipped and bobbed as the men stared down at me.

“She’s a mermaid, she has to be,” one whispered.

“She’s a beauty. A gift from the sea gods?” another hissed.

I curled in on myself, trying to hide, to be small.

Then a pair of bare feet landed on the deck. “Give her some room, men. She’s had enough fright for a lifetime, I’m sure.”

They shuffled back, immediately deferring to his authority. A prince, indeed. I looked up at him as he stood there, dripping wet, his blue trousers and loose white shirt clinging to his body.

“Maybe she’ll sing for us,” said an old man with a weathered face.

My muscles tensed, terrified that they somehow knew of my gift and would insist on using it.

But then—I glanced down at my cut hair, which barely brushed my elbow—I didn’t have my gift anymore. I blinked heavily as that fact sank in.

A man with a neat beard and dignified bearing shook his head. “She’s got legs, lads. She’s not a mermaid.”

My eyes darted to my legs, hoping they were not too exposed. Thankfully, the hem of my dress clung just below my knees. Not quite respectable, but considering I’d been fished from the sea, I wasn’t going to quibble over the modesty of my calves.

“But her hair!” the old sailor protested. “I’ve never seen such a thing.”

“Miss,” the prince said, ignoring the comments of the crowd of men and crouching in front of me. His dark, dripping hair clung to his forehead and his clothing was finer than the other sailors. “Miss, are you all right?” His brow furrowed in grim concern.

“I…I don’t know.” My voice shook. All of me shook.

“I’m sorry about your hair, but there really was no other option.”

I nodded mutely. Yes, I’d planned to cut my hair once I got away from my tower, but the actual loss of my hair was more than a little frightening. However, on the heels of that feeling, a huge, coursing surge of joy washed through me. Looking down at my remaining hair, seeing the choppy, uneven cuts, was such a…relief. Without my hair, I no longer had the ability to heal, and without that ability, I wouldn’t be obligated to help everyone around me. I wouldn’t be sapped of my energy day in and day out. It was what I’d longed for, the ability to decide what I wanted, what I needed. I would have the opportunity—finally—to have some say in the course of my life. I’d be able to move—unencumbered by my hair.

Startled tears rushed down my cheeks as I breathed freely in a way that had been impossible for too many years.

The man’s eyes traced my face, concern etching the corners of his eyes. “Are you hurt, miss?”

I gave a tiny shake of my head. “No, sir. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Then why are you crying, little mermaid?”

The silly nickname made me chuckle just a bit. “Um…relief? I think?”

He studied me for a moment and then nodded. “I suppose that’s as good as can be expected. I don’t know how you could have lived your life with the burden of all that hair weighing you down.”

“It was a challenge,” I whispered, the words completely inadequate.

“How did you end up out here?” he asked.

His question brought back all my confusion, and I searched for any sort of logical answer I could give. “I don’t know.”

He paused and narrowed his eyes at me, almost suspicious. “You don’t know?”

My eyes swept my surroundings once more, but beyond the ship’s deck, I could only see the dark night and hear the splash of water. “I…I shouldn’t be here. It shouldn’t be possible for me to be here.”