Hi, you would think being a mermaid would be all fun and games, huh? Well, it's not. Every event that we have has to be watched by the King, my father. There also has to be gaurds stationed everywhere as protection for the King, and to protect the citizens against sharks. I happen to be a member of the gaurd, unofficially since my father would never permit me join them. If he found out, he would most likely lock me in the castle forever. So, here I am next to the ocean fighting tournament. I'm wearing a different outfit, and tail cover. I have my hair down and with a knot in the back. The adornment on my waist where my tail meets skin is not the usual royal belt. Its wire with seashells and beads decorating it. My tail is typically a deep red with orange flames blazing across it. Now it is dark blue with electric silver lightening towards the end. I stayed at attention with a dagger pressed against my palm the cold metal bit into my skin but I ignored it. As the fight was closing towards the end, the announcer shouted, "A member of the gaurd may try to win the championship and take the medal from the winner thus far." 

 

   I glanced around and when I seen the other gaurds not hesitate to stay at their posts. It would be a great honor to be championed in the fighting tournament, it would bestow great prestige upon your family, why would no one take up this offer? I swished my tail around and finally swam over to the head gaurd. He seen my puzzled face and spoke, "We all agree that it should be you Crystal Water (that was the fake name I came up with), who should take up the challenge." My eyebrows shot up on their own accord, I sputtered, "Me?" He nodded, "Yes you." I gulped nervously, my thoughts were racing across my head when the announcer teased, "No gaurd is brave enough to take him on? That doesn't put much faith into the gaurds." My grip on my sword buckled just above my tail tightened as I heard those words. I swam forward without a thought and announced to the crowd, "Oh we're brave enough, but is he?" The challenger was a rather handsome merman, with brown hair with tawny highlights throughout it. However, when he opened his mouth all of my thoughts over how drool worthy he was - vanished. The words were, "Little girl, this is where the big boy's play." I grinned as I gritted my teeth mentally, "Oh really I don't see any big boys, just a pompous sea fish."

 

 Apparently that had been enough for him to accept my challenge because here I am putting on the fighting tournament outfit and making sure to hide my tattoo on my arm depicting a sea serpent, it is the tattoo all royal merfolk receive when they are born. My arm bands on both hands reached all the way up to my elbows and several bracelets decorated my right wrist. I painted the fighting tournament mark on my tail signafying I was entering the competition. The black eyeshadow sparkled across my eye lids with every movement I made, huh, maybe it will hypnotize him or something? Worth a shot. The thread of my one armed top without sleeves was very heavy. Its metal of course, if it was anything but chain link I would be dead as soon as I entered the ring. On the way out of the dressing room I grabbed my sword, it was beautifully handcrafted by the finest black smith in the undersea realm - my uncle. He was the only one who knew of me being in the gaurdship. The swords handle was black with a red gem decorating it and offering stability in the middle of my palm. The sword it self was a dark red almost black. I put my dolphin like tail out behind me to bend over and pick up my dagger still in its sheath and hooked it around my tail. The daggers handle had flames licking at it as if it was near a flaming sea serpents mouth. I also had a trident which you lean against the rope of the ring until you need it in which case you swim over and grab it. My trident was undecorated, it was all black. 

 

  I swam into the ring across from the so called champion. The guy just glared at me as if he hoped I would just melt into a pool of mermaid goo. So sorry to dissapoint but I intend to win. The bell chimed signalling the start of the one and only round. (See it goes like this, whoever can get their opponent into a killing posture first, wins. Theres only one round so no mistakes are possible.) He charged using his trident as his weapon of choice, I however am using my beloved sword. I blocked and parried his feeble attempts to knock the sword out of my hand. I shouted out at him as he swam back to charge again, "Thats the best you got?" He let out a gutrual snarl and charged. I torpedoed above him and then dived back around him and slashed his tail from his waist down to his fin. He let out a yowl half of anger and half of pain. My opponent flipped his trident around in his hand so it was facing downwards and tried to stab my fin with it. I flipped it out of the way twice as I made jabs with the tip of my sword on his wrist and arms and waist. He let out a yelp again and again as I did so. However when he managed to stab my tail, cutting through the fake cover up and down to my scales, no sound escaped my mouth. I simply grabbed his wrist, yanking upwards so the trident would come out of my tail, then I grabbed the hilt of the trident and shoved him backwards across the ring.

 

  I decided then that I should probably wrap this up as my tail was bleeding. As soon as he began to charge with his trident outstreched, I grabbed my dagger out of its sheath with my other hand not gripping the sword. I swerved to the right just before he stabbed me. I kept my left hand outstretched however before I swerved and twisted behind him. My swords blade was in front of him hooked in his trident. I was turned towards his back. I pulled my other hand up with the dagger still clutched in it and pressed it to his back. His tail began thrashing so I whipped my tail forwards and restrained his from flying up and getting him out of this near death experience. I leaned forward slightly my dagger probably pressing into his back and my sword almost shoving his trident through his chest and beating heart. I whispered in his ear, "Well looks like this ring accepts big girls and little boys, huh?" I heard his teeth being gritted and smirked. The announcer swam down and shouted, "Crystal Water wins the championship!!!!!!" I seperated my sword and dagger from the used to be champions weapon and his back. As soon as my hands were free, but still gripping my weapons. The announcer grabbed my wrist and thrust it up. The fans went crazy with their cheering. My father swam down from his throne with the victory belt in his hands. He smiled warmly and spoke, "It's an honor to have you in my gaurd Crystal." His warm eyes twinkled as he handed it to me. As I bent down my fake tail started to give away to show my true red flaming one. His eyes widened as my fake tail fell off showing my brilliant colored one, the one I was born with as his daughter.

 

-------------------epilogue-------------------

 

After that incident my father had yanked my wrist after we both said farewell to everyone and pulled me back to the castle, my sword, dagger, and champion belt still in hand. He had taken me to the nurse and gotten my tail wrapped then we went to my room where I spilled everything. My father actually understood after I told him my feelings. We both disscussed it with the head gaurd, and all three of us agreed I could remain in the gaurd, after all I had proved I was a very good fighter. And it turns out that my previous opponent is the boy my father arranged me to marry. He was actually really easy to get along with. So looks like their will be a prince of the merfolk soon.....