Ursula and Morgana stared in wonder. The creature had the most beautiful voice they had ever heard. It was soft enough to lull someone to sleep, yet so perfectly hollow and haunted, it sent chills up their spines and down their tentacles. Ursula felt tears rise up to her eyes and stream down her cheeks. She smiled, overwhelmed by unexpected bittersweet happiness. She remembered a time when Mother had been proud of her. She had entered into a competition. She had won, and Ursula would never forget the look of pride her mother gave her. Ursula was smiling so hard, her cheeks had begun to ache.
Morgana was a different story. A rush of anticipated sadness sped through her, making her overflowing tears dry, and her heart harden.
Ursula and Morgana had entered into a competition where they had to devise the best potions and magic spells. Ursula had gotten first place, while Morgana scored so low on the entrance test, She didn't even qualify to compete. She remembered that burning rage of jealousy. That strong feeling of anger and shame, of self hatred and uselessness. The look of pride Ursula had received, and that Morgana had lacked. Anger pierced her skull like a dagger, cutting out any positive thought she had.
Morgana's hands found themselves holding the dagger Mother had always taught them to hide in case needed. Her knuckle was white, and her fingers nearly purple, the dagger seemingly about to break in her tight grip.
An arrow sliced through the creature's head, and both Ursula and Morgana snapped out of their haze. Blood spurted from it's head and fogged the glass. A piercing scream echoed in their heads. Guards burst in through the door, and escorted both girls to the throne room at once. Ursula had whipped out her dagger and held it in a throwing position, like Morgana. They had guards at their backs, pikes ready to throw and kill at first sight.
" What was that? " Ursula asked a guard who was behind her.
" I'm not sure I'm allowed to discuss this. All I will say is we are lucky both of you survived. ". The guard bowed his head for a moment.
His features were visible only for a moment, but Ursula had spotted jet black hair and a straight nose.
He raised his head again.
" I think it was a siren, I read about them in a book a while ago. They- ". Morgana was cut off by her aunt Atlantia, who signaled for the guards to lower their weapons and leave.
After the guards left, Atlantia swam up to them and explained with a serious look on her face,
" Those were sirens. They are the most dangerous creatures to have ever existed throughout our history. Their voice makes you remember a memory, which then twists any emotion you had felt into something more dramatic and intense. Depending on what the memory was and what was felt, one could go into a coma, and be unable to get out of it. If whoever got into a coma does not come out of it in 3 days, they are very unlikely to get out of it. They die in their sleep. "
" Actions are unpredictable, some could be violent and dangerous, while others could be unexpected, like someone who is normally cruel could suddenly be positive. How these creatures came into existence, we do not know. Some say they are deceased souls of any living thing who was at one point driven to madness and death. Others say they are slaves of Hades who escaped up here to be free, or that they are just ghosts who are really not here. They are known to kill humans, drawing them in with their song and nonexistent beauty, which only is visible to the weak human eye. They drag them down to the depths of what we believe are perhaps their homes, and prey on them or take them down to Hades. Both our Empire and the Atlantic Kingdom agreed on instructing our guards to eliminate them on sight. This is the first time in decades that a siren is spotted. What did they sing? "
Ursula and Morgana stared at their aunt for a moment, dumbfounded and shocked that they could have possibly been killed. Morgana remembered the feeling of rage and anger, how she nearly self-consciously considered killing her sister.
But she couldn't recall any words or any particular melody.
" I don't remember it saying anything. It just kind of sang just one thing, like aaaaaaaaaaa. " Ursula shuddered, remembering the cold chill on her back.
Morgana nodded.
Atlantia stared at both of them hard, searching their faces. She finally said,
" That's very unusual. What did you remember? What did you feel and do? "
" I remembered the competition I won, and Mother being proud of me. I was smiling a lot. " Ursula casually left out the part of her crying.
" I remembered Mother being disappointed in me in the competition, and I was mad and I was holding my dagger very tightly. " Morgana muttered hastily.
" Very well. I will let your mother know about this. You are both to stay in the building and away from windows for the the next three days. You will each have a guard assigned to you. You may now do as you wish. "
" Are we going to wear maybe ear cloggers or something? " Morgana wondered out loud.
" It doesn't matter what you wear, nothing could block it out, its more like a sound that enters your head that can't be silenced. "
" Oh. "
Ursula and Morgana went to their room and closed all the windows. They both sat at the opposite ends of the room on their beds in silence.
After a while, Morgana announced that she was going to bed. Ursula decided she was too, after a while. It was a stormy night, they could hear the lightning and thrashing of waves, even though the Empire was at the bottom of the ocean. They wrapped the covers around themselves and hugged their arms. The tapping of glass rang in their ears, and the high-pitched scream echoed in their heads.
Morgana and Ursula both stood up and pushed their beds together, plopping downs on both ends and curling their arms on each other, forming a tight warm ball. Only then did both girls fall asleep.