Fairy Tale Blank, Part 9

Indeed, early the next morning – too early, if you asked Charles – they stepped on to the good ship Goodman-Tobman. It wasn't made of lollipops, but it was as fine and sturdy of a vessel that ever floated on the Andersen Bay. The sun was barely over the clear blue waters as he somehow stumbled up the gangplank without ending up in the bay. Richard was so reluctant to leave his bed, Nipsey had to carry him up the flimsy wooden plank on his back.

The first half of the voyage was pleasant for Charles. He'd taken boats to singing jobs many times and never got the least bit seasick. Nipsey and Donald made friends with all the sailors and taught them ribald poems and jokes. Richard lent a hand to the Captain, helping him chart their course. The crew was wary of having a woman on board at first, but Brett soon charmed them by singing shanties in her foghorn voice and helping them with their chores. Bill and Gene spent the time leaning over the sides, heaving their lunches and regretting the entire journey.

One morning, when they were half-way across Andersen Bay, Charles was enjoying the salty sea air on the main deck when he saw Brett laughing with three sailors, who toasted her good name and slender legs. He made a face as she downed half a bottle of rum.

“How can you drink that stuff?” He complained when the sailors were called to swab the decks. “Your stomach must be made of cast-iron.”

“It might do you some good to lighten up a little, Charlie my boy.” She handed the rest of the bottle to a thirsty-looking swab with a silver beard as thick as his neck. “This is the most fun I've had since my sons and I stuck a firecracker down Ira's pants at Password Palace.”

His eyes went down to the clear blue waters, watching the boat glide past silvery fish and squawking seagulls. “Why didn't you tell me you're a princess?”

“I didn't want my stepmother to figure out where I was. She has a magic mirror that allows her to see everyone and everything everywhere. I can only avoid her for so long.” She sighed as two fish leaped over a wave, moving as one. “And maybe I was enjoying not being royalty for once. It was nice to be treated like one of the guys, instead of a Legendary Princess.”

He grinned. “Well, with that skinny figure, you'll always be one of the guys to me.”

“Thanks.” Her lips turned up in a smirk. “And I'll always think of you whenever I see a noble with a bad toupee in the palace.”

They continued to watch the fish leap around them in silence, with only the shanties the sailors sang and the wind whistling across the sails in the background. Charles was going to ask her more about Jack and her powers when they heard a splash. Brett's head shot up off her palm. “What in the hell was that?”

“Donald fell overboard!” Nipsey ran over with a coil of rope over his broad shoulders. “He wanted to see how the rigging worked and was climbing around when he slipped off.”

“He can't swim!” Richard hurried out of the Captain's cabin and grabbed a life preserver. “We need to toss this down, fast!”

Brett and Charles leaned over the side as Nipsey tied one side of the rope to the boat. “Where is he?” she demanded, her eyes scanning the glassy bay. “I don't think he went to the bottom.”

Charles pointed to a log as it floated towards the ship. “There he is!” A blur in ginger and blue pushed the log towards the ship, then dove back in the bay. Maybe he was imagining things, but he swore an azure fish tail glimmered against the sun for a few minutes before it vanished beneath the water.

“Donald!” Richard called down to him as he and Nipsey grabbed the line. “Hold on!”

“Are you all right?” Brett asked as she and Charles helped him over the rail. “You took a real dive there.”

Donald blinked for a few minutes, his face dazed and dreamy. “I was saved by a goddess. She had long beautiful hair, red like flame, and curves that just made you go crazy, and this glowing blue tail..”

“A goddess?” Richard raised an eyebrow. “With a fish tail?”

“Aye, lad,” one crusty silver-maned sailor insisted, “there's plenty of merfolk living deep under the waters of the bay. They don't usually come out long enough to give anyone a glimpse of them. You're a fortunate man.” He nearly fell over Donald, a bottle of rum cradled in his arm. “Very fortunate, if you know...hic!...what I mean.”

“Whew!” Brett waved the fumes from the big fellow out to the bay. “Why don't we all go have lunch, before Foster leaves us drunk on his breath?”

“Nahh.” Donald leaned on the railing. “I think I'll stay out here for a while. Maybe I'll see her again.”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He never did see his “goddess” again on the week-long journey, though he remained by the rail for almost the entire rest of the trip. Richard or Brett would have to drag him away for meals or to sleep. At least once a day, he'd excitedly claim he'd had a glimpse of her, only for it to turn out to be a leaping fish or floating piece of flotsam.

It was a bright and sunny morning when the boat spotted Hans-by-the-Sea. Donald was the first one to bounce down the gangplank the second they lowered it onto the pier. Brett and Charles followed Gene down next, with Bill nervously on their heels. Richard and Nipsey stayed behind to pay the Captain for their voyage and thank him for taking them.

“What now?” Charles asked as they made their way towards the sandy, quiet beach. “Ok, we're here. How are we going to find this Princess Patti?”

Bill shook the sand off his paws. “Maybe she'll find us.”

“If she's a mermaid,” Richard reminded them, “she can't exactly walk up to us and say 'hi, I'm a princess!' You said mermaids are shy folk. Not to mention, we have to be careful. Malade may still be watching us.”

“I can try to look into the water, see what magical beings in other parts of the kingdom are doing. Including Malade.” Gene made a face. “At least, I hope I still can.” He waved the wooden wand, which cast no more light. “Malade stole most of my magic before she trapped me in that darn tree. I'm not sure what I can do anymore.”

Donald ignored their arguing and wandered down the beach, calling for merfolk and checking under rocks. Bill nosed under what he thought were rocks, but ended up howling when a grumpy crab pinched the end of his muzzle. “I need you to do me a favor.” He asked after dislodging the crab from his nose. “I know you say you're human...but for now, let's say you can sniff things better than we can. Could you sniff up a mermaid?”

“I don't know. I don't know what a mermaid smells like.” Bill dug his long nose into the sandy shore. “I can sure give it a try, though. It's better than standing here all day, arguing about it.”

Donald followed Bill and his snuffling nose down the beach, past the piers and ships. Once in a while, he'd point at something, but it would only be a rock or a piece of driftwood. They'd gone a few minutes towards the pier when Bill stopped, pressing his nose harder to the ground.

“I smell...” He pushed towards a lump of sand, dried seaweed, and old sail fabric. “I smell fish. And something else. Something almost human, but not really...more like fish.” His paws threw sand all over, just as the lump started moving.

“Holy catfish, I think it's her!” Donald dropped down and dug around the other side. His frantic shoveling revealed a young woman with gingery red hair down her back, long bangs that hid eyes framed by thick dark lashes, and a curvy body that was barely hidden by the tarp. “It's my goddess! She's here!” He barely managed to get her into his arms. Her long legs nearly dragged the ground. “Guys!” His attempts to wave at the others and drag her over nearly landed him face-first in the sand. “I found her! I found the lady who rescued me! At least, I think it is!”

Nipsey jumped over first. “Need a hand there?” He easily swung the lady into his arms...then turned tomato-red when he realized she wasn't wearing anything under the tarp. “Maybe we ought to get her some clothes or somethin'. Poor lady's gonna be arrested for indecency.”

“Here.” Donald spread the tarp over her before giving her a quick kiss. “At least she won't be cold!”

“Let's get her out of here.” Gene nodded and headed towards the near-by street. “We might be able to find out more about where she comes from and who she is in town.”

They found an inn a few blocks from the wharf that seemed reasonably priced and with a minimum of bugs and rodents. Charles and Donald agreed to wash and look after the young woman, while the others went into town for supplies and to inquire after her.

Brett came into her room a few hours later with an armful of clothing. “I hope something out of this pile will fit her. I found stuff that should work for you, too.” Her tattered brown tunic had been replaced by a black top over a yellow blouse, with a red and yellow striped skirt and a red apron. A scarlet scarf held back her thick curls. “If we're going to continue to travel, we need to fit in better. Right now, we look like bandits and scullery maids.”

Charles wrinkled his nose. “I hope they have something better in that pile than what you're wearing. You look like a walking circus tent.”

“Thanks. You look like a bird's nest today.” She ruffled his toupee. “I wouldn't go near trees. The birds might decide to make you their new home.”

“Hey!” He tried to smooth down his wig. “I just fixed that!”

Even as they spoke, the redhead under the quilt on the bed was beginning to stir. “Guys, shush!” Donald waved his cigar at them. “She's finally up! I can't wait to hear her!”

She stretched and yawned...but oddly, the yawn didn't make any sound. Nor did she gasp or yell when she noticed two men and an older woman staring at her. She scrunched down under the blanket and wrapped herself into a lump again.

“Whoa!” Brett shoved Donald off the bed and sat in his place. “Don't scare the poor girl! She washed up on the beach, for heaven's sake.” Tugging at the blanket only produced a bit of movement. “Honey, it's all right. You can come out. I promise, these jokers won't stare at your bosoms any longer than they ought to.”

“Aw miss.” Charles settled on her other side as she slowly emerged from her knitted cocoon. “We didn't mean to frighten you. Well, except for Brett. She probably scares most people, with that puss.” Brett swiped at the back of his head, almost taking off his toupee.

Donald ignored them, grabbing her hand over Brett's head. “You have to tell me all about yourself. Do you like jokes? I got a million jokes. Why did you rescue me? You have to be her. You look exactly the way she would look if she were on land and laying in this bed and giving me the big puppy dog eyes.”

The lady gave his hand a hesitant squeeze...but when she opened her mouth to reply, nothing came out. “I'd say 'cat got your tongue,' but maybe 'catfish' would be more likely, given where we found you.” Brett admitted with a sigh. “I guess you can't tell us how you ended up on that beach.”

“Well, judging by the length her legs and the way she was hiding under the sand,” Donald grinned, “I'd say she swam up there, then decided she needed a nap. Sand is hot stuff, if you walk on it barefoot in the middle of the day.” Her only response was to shrug. She lifted a long, pale leg and tried to pull it back. “Yeah, you got nice gams.” Donald patted her shapely white limb. “You shouldn't mess around with them that way, though. They almost look like a fish tail.”

“A fish tail?” Charles exclaimed. “You don't look like a fish to me. I mean, I've never seen a mermaid outside of books...”

“If you're her,” Donald started, “why do you have legs? The lady who rescued me had a tail that was kind of greenish-blue-purple.”

Brett put an arm around the frightened young woman. “Why don't you boys go annoy Gene for a while? I need to get her dressed. Find out when we're leaving, and if they've made any progress asking about the merfolk yet.” The woman pointed to herself when she mentioned merfolk.

“I think she's it.” Her eyes widened as Donald very nearly tackled her. “Brett can get you dressed, and we can explore the marketplace together. Have a nice seafood lunch. What do you say?” She gave him a wide, goofy grin, the most enthusiasm she'd showed since awakening.

The second she pressed her foot onto the floor, the smile vanished. “Are you all right?” Donald grabbed her arm when her face screwed up in pain. “Let me help you.” She waved him off and managed to get to her feet, clutching the night stand for support.

Brett finally shooed the two men outside before they could get even more of an eyeful of her naked and voluptuous body. “And stay out! I'll bring her around when she's ready.”

It seemed to take hours for them to finish, but it was really only twenty minutes later when Brett and the woman emerged into the hall. “Oh wow.” Donald nearly swallowed his cigar. “You're...pretty. No, more than that. You're...really...cute. And beautiful. And...very...very...blue.”

She nearly turned as red as her hair at the compliment. Brett found her a sea blue skirt and blouse, with a black velvet bodice and a blue bow for her flaming red tresses. Donald kissed her hand as best he could, which meant mashing his lips into her knuckle and accidentally blowing smoke in her face. She didn't seem to mind waving the smoke away.