The trout was fighting with all it’s might to stay below the surface of the stream, splashing around and pulling on the hook with every ounce of strength it had.

“Pull, Aela, pull!” shouted Vilem, tightening his grip on the rope and digging into his heels. “Pull this damn fish out of the water!”

“I am pulling!” shouted the girl behind him, his half-sister. “But he’s begging for his life, don’t you know? Can’t we just eat something else?!”

“You said that last time, idiot! Pull! Pull or go hungry!”

The fish was violently swimming in circles, throwing itself against the hook in its mouth and throwing water all over the sand.

“Vilem, I’m going to get wet! It’s splashing too much!”

“Then get further away! But don’t stop pulling!”

“I’m already holding the end of the rope!”

Vilem hunched over and pulled the line like his life depended on it. His palms were already seared where the thin string was digging into his skin. The fish was being forced closer to the edge of the stream. He pulled harder than ever before.

“I’m sorry!” Aela shouted to the fish. “I haven’t eaten in days, I have to do this!”

“Shut up and pull!”

“I don’t have a choice!”

The fish couldn’t swim in circles anymore. Back and forth were its only options, as it was trying to stay as far away as possible from the pebbles that made up land inches away from it. Half its body was already sticking out of the water now, it was tossing its head around in a mad frenzy.

“Get it on land, the little monster!” shouted Vilem.

“I’m sorry!” cried Aela.

The trout, dragged near the bank, furiously strained even harder against the line and managed to dive halfway back under the water. Vilem dug his boots further into the ground and pulled.

“Pull, Aela… We’re going to eat this… We’re going to cook it… on a fire… and –”

…

Unfortunately, Vilem told a lie that day. The fish wouldn’t be cooked for another week, and that would be done by someone else. Because at that moment the struggling trout flung enough water into the air for it to get to Aela, and as soon as it touched her skin, she flopped down on the ground with the line slipping through her fingers. Consequently, it escaped Vilem as well.

“Damn it!” he yelled after it. “You stupid fish! I hope you get burned alive before you’re eaten!”

Aela started sobbing from the grass behind him. For all he knew, it may have been out of relief.

Vilem turned around and eyed the massive, golden-scaled tail that had suddenly replaced her legs.

“I wish I could eat you, you half-fish.”

Aela stared at him in disbelief.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Never mind. I’ll get a towel. Where did we leave the horse?”

Luckily, it wasn’t far.

As the little mermaid was drying herself off, he rummaged through his bags for the umpteenth time to see if he might have missed a morsel of food that was hiding inside. He hadn’t.

“You’re completely useless, Aela. Didn’t you live in the ocean for a week back there? How exactly did you manage to do that? Did you always talk to your food before you ate it?”

“Well, usually, I sing to it so it calms down before I try to yank its guts out!”

“Oh! Of course! That was the issue! It was my mistake, for trying to actually get it out of the water!”

“Yes, it was! You rushed into it! And it wouldn’t have even come to the line if I hadn’t asked it to!”

“Absolutely, you dumb fish! You’re completely right! I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! I should have waited for you to sing to your damn cousin!”

Aela slapped his leg with her tail from the ground. She still hadn’t managed to get rid of it, even after minutes of using the towel. “Shut up, brother, or I’ll sing to you. Until you become a mindless, stupefied –”

“Well, go ahead! Sing on, sister! Sing and make me forget what a useless little sea monster you are!”

Aela instantly started hissing an angry tune, lacing her voice with magic.

“LA, LA, LA! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

“Stop covering your ears, coward!”

“DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?! OH, MY, ITS ALMOST LIKE YOUR ONE MAGIC POWER IS COMPLETELY USELESS!”

At that, the mermaid raised her hand and a torrent of water from the nearby stream shot up into the air, levitating unnaturally above the ground and then suddenly violently spraying Vilem in the face.

Just like that, he was dripping wet. And starting to get cold.

“My “one” power, you were saying?” asked Aela. “And who was it that got us this horse from the merchant?”

Vilem grimaced. He’d had enough of the buffoonery. Finally Aela had managed to dry herself completely, and her tail quickly separated into two human legs. She got to her feet.

“Whatever. Let’s go. If we’re not going to eat anything, then we might as well get a little closer to Oakharbor. We can still walk another hour or two before it gets dark.”

Aela got up. “Vilem, wait!”

“What? Any more of your cousins swimming around?”

“Shut up. No. I just need you to listen to me for a moment.”

He frowned. “What is it?”

“You’re going to let me sleep on the horse while we go,” she sang, smiling, with an enchantingly beautiful voice.

“You truly are a hideously evil little creature, you know that?” he asked while the fog begun to spread across his brain, and his body move without his instruction.

2

The sun had long since risen the next day when they reached the town they were so familiar with.

Oakharbor was a settlement of the smaller variety, though its residents liked to claim that it was a full-fledged city. It stood on the edge of a lake a couple square miles in size and surrounded by an endless forest in all other directions.

For Vilem and Aela, the tavern was their first destination in it. As soon as they made it past the old, small and crumbling walls of the little town, they were there, by the Shirel.

With his free will finally restored, Vilem could finally take out his anger on his half-sister, so he woke her up by pushing her off their horse.

“Ouch! Aw, what’s going on?! My butt hurts… Oh, we’re here. Good morning.”

Aela yawned, picking herself up from the ground and stretching.

After a brief moment in which he considered disowning and abandoning her, Vilem took the reins again and tied the horse to a pole next to the Shirel. Together they made their way inside.

It was the kid and the cat that noticed them first. Little Berick, one of the old barkeeps’ sons, was sitting down by the furnace playing with a couple of rocks and making a mess when he saw them and started to stare unblinkingly without making a move. Shedder, the cat lying on the windowsill, jumped out of the sunlight and ran towards them with its tail held high.

Aela shuddered and took a step back while Vilem made his way past her, trying to make his way unimpeded towards the bar. As usual, the place was crowded.

“Vilem,” greeted the young man behind the bar. “You’re back. And with company – hi, Aela!”

“Good to see you again, Lorrin! You’re working the bar now? What’s up with your dad? Is he sleeping in a ditch again?” Vilem asked.

“Actually, my dad… Well…”

“Ouch! Damn it, this cat hates me! Stop biting!” Aela suddenly shouted right beside Vilem’s ear. “Why, after all this time?! And always me! Bite Vilem, for once in your life! Urgh, my poor leg. That’s going to leave a mark…”

“It knows you’re a fish,” Vilem muttered under his breath. Then, to the barkeep: “Hey, got any food for us? We haven’t eaten in days.”

“Yes, of course.”