She felt small. So small, tiny, the smallest and most insignificant of all. What made it worse was realizing that she was small—compared to everyone else on the ship she encountered. Only the cook's toddler was smaller than her, but it was just beginning to learn its first words. That’s why Nita preferred to hide away, with the hood of her cloak pulled deep over her head. No one ever looked for her; only Glen came each morning to wake her up so she could collect her food ration, but beyond that, he didn’t care. Since the first day he had taken her to her cabin and warned her to stay out of the sailors’ way and not cause trouble, she hadn’t really spoken to him. Not that she wanted to — she was a bit afraid of him. And he smelled bad. Actually, everyone she met on the ship seemed to smell bad — to her horror, she realized after a few days at sea that she smelled just like them.

So many times she regretted her decision! No one spoke to her except for the few people in the kitchen, and even they didn’t have time to chat. When she asked if there were any books on board, they laughed at her. Many nights she cried herself to sleep, thinking about what could have been... If only she hadn’t gone to the village that day. If only she had chosen differently. If only she had stayed with Rem. If only... Then she would comfort herself with the thought that Rem must be sitting contentedly in the garden, gazing at the starry sky. That he was happy because he hadn’t had to give up his little house and his life among the other goblins. That he was happy because no one was bothering him with questions anymore... And at this thought, she would burst into tears again.

The days on board dragged on monotonously to the sound of water sloshing, wood creaking, and shouts in the common tongue. Most of the crew was human. Humans of all shapes and sizes — fat and thin, tall and short, bald and bearded. And then there was HER.

Nita saw her for the first time on the fourth day at sea. The sun was setting, casting the last glimmers of orange and gold across the sea while the clouds darkened into shades of purple and blue-gray. Nita was moving from her favorite spot on the deck toward the cabins when she noticed a lone figure standing at the prow.

It was a woman with long, wavy hair that gleamed in the sun’s final rays, and a gentle breeze played with it so that it looked like swirling strands of water. To Nita, it seemed as if water was really dripping from it.

She’s beautiful! Nita thought.

The woman turned and looked straight at Nita. In an instant, Nita was overwhelmed by a wave of unfamiliar emotions — she suddenly wanted to run to the stranger and hug her. She longed for her, for her company. She wanted to hear her voice, touch her water-like hair, dive with her beneath the waves...

Nita’s eyes widened, and she shook her head to clear away the strange thoughts. She watched in shock as the woman smiled at her and began walking toward her. She wanted to run to her cabin quickly, but her legs wouldn’t obey.

The woman moved like water itself; every step she took on the deck was like a wave gently caressing the shore. Nita couldn’t take her eyes off her.

"Hello, little one."

Her voice was melodic and alluring, and Nita instantly realized who stood before her— an undine.

Nita tried to speak, but her voice stuck in her throat. The undine laughed, and her laughter sounded like bubbling brooks.

"You’re the little lost soul nobody notices. I can feel it in you, you know? Your loneliness, your despair, your fear... and I sense something else-" The being circled around her like a predator circling its prey. Then she flicked Nita’s forehead with a finger and laughed again.

The touch snapped Nita out of it enough to finally find her voice, though it trembled. "What... what are you doing here?"

"On this ship? I’m paid to be here," the undine answered lightly, as if talking about something completely mundane.

"Paid?"

"Humans give me gold to protect their ship so the sea doesn’t claim it. Isn’t it lovely? How silly human fears are."

"But why? You’re one of the Elders-"

The undine looked at her with a peculiar smile, like a glimmer of light on a rippled water surface that catches the eye but disappears immediately. "Because it’s fun," she finally replied. "They think they control me with their money, but in reality, I control them. If I wanted to, I could destroy them all with a wave of my hand. For now, they bow and crawl before me — and that amuses me."

A chill ran down Nita’s spine. "What will happen when you get bored?"

"Who knows? Maybe I’ll return to the sea. Maybe I’ll take the whole ship with me. Maybe I’ll just take you-" she giggled, and Nita’s knees shook at the sound of her laughter.

"Why me?"

"Because you’re interesting, little one. You’re not quite human, are you?"

The undine touched her forehead again, but this time she didn’t pull her finger back. Suddenly, Nita couldn’t breathe; she gasped for air and clutched her throat with her hands. Black spots danced before her eyes, and in the dimming light, she saw a cruel smile on the undine’s beautiful face. Suddenly, the undine pulled back, and Nita collapsed to her knees, desperately gulping in air with her aching lungs.

"I thought so. You almost belonged to the water once, didn’t you?"

Tears streamed down Nita's face.

"Don’t cry, little one. Your time has not yet come today."

Even though the undine’s voice was soothing, it filled Nita with even greater dread. She tried to stand and convince her legs to stop trembling. She wanted to get away from the undine, hide in her cabin, and never look at her again, but the undine leaned down, grabbed her hand, and pulled her close. Her face was so near that Nita could feel her cold, damp breath.

"A warning for you, little one. Power is like the sea — beautiful, treacherous, and if you’re not careful, you’ll drown."

With those words, she released Nita, who, sobbing, ran away.

Nita couldn’t sleep that entire night; every splash of the waves jolted her awake with the thought that the undine was bored and letting the ship sink. She would have stayed shut in her cabin the next day, but hunger drove her out — there was no trace of the undine on deck. Since that encounter, she avoided the ship’s prow and made sure to be hidden in her cabin with the first sign of dusk.

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A few days later, she stepped onto the deck in the morning and rushed to the railing in surprise — land! After days of seeing nothing but the vast ocean, the sight of land brought her joy. She hurried among the sailors to find Glen.

"Are we in Rovisk now?"

The blond man frowned at her. "Not yet. We’re just in Limen. We need to restock supplies; it’s another three weeks journey along the coast to Rovisk."

Nita stood there, stunned. Another three weeks on board, where no one spoke to her and where she feared being drowned on a whim?

Despite Nita’s fears, the journey along the coast passed quickly. The ever-changing scenery of coastal villages and towns helped her forget the looming threat of the undine somewhere on the ship.

From time to time, the ship would dock at one of the larger ports. Most of these stops were similar—the captain shouted orders to the crew until the ship docked at the pier, then merchants in colorful clothes appeared, some cargo was unloaded, and new cargo loaded. Some passengers disembarked, and others came aboard. The undine never appeared during these stops, so Nita watched the hustle and bustle of people curiously and without fear. One stop, however, was different from the others.

Nita sensed something was off just from observing the coast — instead of the usual proudly flying flags, smoke hung over the town.

When they docked, she realized how quiet the city was. There were people standing in the port, but they looked strange, something about them was wrong... Then she noticed their clothes weren’t colorful but dirty and tattered. No passengers were rushing from the ship to the pier; only a few sailors headed towards the shabby people.

"We don’t have enough space; we can’t take them all!"

Nita flinched. Not far from her, the ship’s captain stood at the railing, shouting at the sailors on the pier. His words caused chaos among the people on the shore. One after another, they began to argue loudly; some begged with clasped hands, others threatened with clenched fists.

Nita watched in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

"Only take those who can pay!"

A wave of desperate crying swept through the group of people. Some sailors looked serious; others sneered mockingly. Nita felt sick — anxiety gripped her stomach as she watched their rough behavior. Humiliating, Nita thought. Rem had taught her that word and explained what it meant, but she had never used it. Not until now, when she saw the sailors mocking an old woman who struggled to climb aboard. When she fell, no one tried to help her. Nita looked away, her cheeks burning with heat. She wished they would just set sail already so this spectacle would end...and someone would explain why she felt so awful.

Eventually, only the most ragged people with empty stares remained on the shore, staggering back into the quiet city’s streets, and the ship sailed again. The new passengers didn’t get cabins — the sailors allocated them a space on the deck away from everyone else, where they would stay for the rest of the journey. Nita hid among the cargo crates so she could watch them. Something kept her from looking away — they all had the same blank, tired look. They leaned on each other, speaking barely a few words throughout the day.

"Amusing, isn’t it?" a voice like bubbling stream echoed above her head.

Nita was startled and looked up — on the crates sat the undine. The sun had begun to set, but Nita hadn’t noticed because of those people.

The undine didn’t look at her. She kept her eyes on the group of people, and something other than the rays of the setting sun gleamed in them.

"Unfortunate souls. Perhaps it would be kinder to let them drift away with the water and end their suffering."

"No!" Nita blurted out, without even knowing why.

"No? You want them to keep suffocating within themselves? Water is more merciful."

"Who are they?"

"Refugees."

Nita thought of Rem. "I’ve never seen refugees look like this."

The undine laughed. "You haven’t seen much yet, little one."

"What are they fleeing from? I thought humans-"

But the undine had already lost interest in her, smoothly jumping off the crates and walking away, leaving Nita alone with her questions.

The next day, when Nita left the kitchen with her food ration, she noticed the old woman the sailors had mocked earlier sitting apart from the others wrapped in several layers of scarves. She was leaning against the wooden railing, her hands folded in her empty lap, gazing up at the sky. Nita gathered her courage and took a few steps closer to her. The deep wrinkles on the woman’s face reminded her of Rem. She didn’t know how to address her, so she just reached out her hand, offering her a piece of bread. The woman looked at her sadly. "You’re kind, but keep it for yourself."

Nita shifted awkwardly. "I’ve already eaten."

A fleeting smile appeared on the woman’s face. "Then share it with your family."

"I’m here alone."

A mild curiosity appeared on the woman’s face. "So small and alone? How is that possible?"

"I’m sailing to-" she hesitated. Somehow she felt she shouldn’t mention her final destination. "-to Rovisk."

"So are we, girl. So are we," the old woman nodded resignedly. "The king is said to offer a roof over the head of anyone who has lost theirs because of the war."

"War? What war?" Nita’s eyes widened, and she sat down next to the woman.

The old woman stroked her hair with a wrinkled hand. Nita was taken aback by the gesture; deep inside, she felt a sharp sting of pity and a kind memory of the only person who had ever petted her like that — her mother. Suddenly, she felt an urge to hug the woman, curl up in her lap, and let her stroke her hair.

"You’re still too young for such things."

Nita frowned. "That’s not true!"

The old woman stroked her hair again, gazing at her absently with a gentle smile.

"Tell me about it. Please?"

The woman sighed but eventually spoke. "The Elders are fighting among themselves and dragging us, humans, into it. And war-" she sighed again. "-war changes the human heart. It makes you forget who you are. Our city fell victim to that."

"Why are they fighting each other? I thought the Elders made peace long ago."

"Those are just fairy tales," the old woman waved a hand. "How could those beasts want peace?"

Nita moved away a bit, but the woman didn’t notice. She was lost in her memories, speaking more to herself than to Nita.

"I had a son, you know. The Elders took him from me and turned him into a monster that didn’t even recognize me. An entire army of these monsters, who were once loved by someone, passed through the city, leaving nothing behind..." She fell silent, burying her face in her hands.

"Why didn’t anyone defend you?"

"And who? The Elders? They laughed at us."

Nita wanted to say that humans should protect humans — then she remembered yesterday’s behavior and the sailors’ mockery. A wave of heat washed over her.

"Desire is the greatest enemy, girl. Hunger, fear, and desire."

The woman saw her confused expression and continued.

"The Elders fear us because there are more of us than there are of them. If the Elders didn’t desire to get rid of us, didn’t desire our extermination, that hungry army would never have marched over us. They sent them against us. They are murderers."

"The Elders aren’t like that!"

The woman closed her eyes sadly. "The Elders were supposed to protect us by agreement. Instead, they let the soldiers ravage our lands. What else but a desire to hurt us could it be?"

Nita didn’t want to listen to any more of it. She stood up and ran away from the woman, feeling as if she heard the undine’s malicious laughter echoing in her mind.

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