The Little Mermaid (Faerie Tale Collection) by Jenni James Read Free Book Online

just a few minutes of him being gone, she had already proven the worst of his fears. How in the deep was he to survive the next month with her? Or at least, manage to keep her alive long enough to prove his point? There was nothing on land that would not harm or destroy her. Nothing.
    She was too unique, too beautiful, too exotic not to be considered a valuable prize. He sighed and willed himself to calm down. There was no need to become worked up all over again. Soon, she would have legs and be dressed as the humans were and have no need for any of his silly worries after all.
    However, it would not be long now until she discovered that the human species would mock her for her foreign language and treat her as a simpleton and make her miserable. As much as it would pain him to watch her discover this for herself, he knew it was necessary if she was ever to find the princess within.
    Unless, of course, he was wrong, and a human truly saw her beauty and fell in love with her. Gah. He quickly pushed that thought aside. No. They were barbaric. They could not help themselves—they had to destroy what intrigued them most.
    Pearl flinched and jerked in his arms, a great wail escaping from her lips. The final change must be near. He quickly set her into the water once more to allow her privacy. “It is almost time,” he said in a soothing voice. “It is almost over.”
    She covered her mouth with a hand. Those watery eyes met his and he wished to kiss every ounce of pain away for her. But he knew it would not be long now, and he had to fetch the clothing he had brought back for her to wear. “I will return quickly. In fact, if you look through this section here, under the rock, you will be able to watch me. I am only going on shore to collect the clothing I left when I saw that man with you. It is still there, wrapped in a white bundle upon that formation of small rocks. I will return very shortly. Breathe deeply, and do not allow yourself to sink.”
    With that, he half swam, half walked upon the shore and quickly clutched the bundle before returning to her. In the village, the shopkeeper had been more than happy to take a small portion of gold for this covering. She had motioned to several more similar clothing examples on display—he assumed to let him know that he was welcome to return anytime and purchase more. He had thanked the lady with a brief nod and smile before rushing back to Pearl.
    Now, as he swam toward her, he noticed that the tide had slowly risen a few more feet in the last hour or so. This was good. It meant that evening would be fast approaching, and she could hide more easily as he taught her how to walk. She would need as much practice as she could get.
    As he approached from behind, he could see her shoulders shaking violently. His heart lurched for the poor dear.
    “Pearl?” He touched her back, and she turned toward him.
    Her whole face was purple, twisted in pain, and tears were visible, and yet she was not wailing as she had been. She was masking as best as she could the excruciating torment she was going through.
    If he had not already fallen in love with her, he would have then. In the midst of such bravery and strength, he could do nothing less but love such a merwoman.
    He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I promise it is nearly over now. You have done wonderfully.”
    She muffled an answer, and so he thought it best to distract her with the clothing he had brought. Even though it would get wet, he knew it would be better if she came out of the ocean already dressed. “Would you like to see what I got for you to wear?”
    When he unfolded the white underclothing to reveal the beautiful aqua-colored covering wrapped inside, he knew she would be ecstatic.
    She was. This color had always been her favorite.
    “Well, my dear. I wish I could tell you that what I wear is similar to your clothing, but alas, the landfolk women have it much more difficult than men. The shopkeeper had to show