Free Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch by Serena Valentino Page B

ship asunder, sending him deep within the ocean into Triton’s domain. Thank the sea gods Ariel fell in love with Eric in that moment. Ursula’s minions had told her when it happened. It was all too perfect: the gods granting the little mermaid the strength to save the prince and take him safely to shore! It was as if they were working toward Ursula’s aims.
    And as far as Ursula could surmise, the prince had begun to fall in love with the gorgeous young redhead who had saved him, and he’d been pining for this dream girl ever since. Thank goodness she’d thought to take Ariel’s voice or they probably would have married the moment she opened her stupid little mouth. The poor prince thought he’d conjured that songstress in his drowning delirium, the girl with the beautiful voice.
    Now Ursula was in possession of that voice and she intended to use it; she intended to snare herself the little mermaid’s prince and make him hers. Her musings were interrupted by the whistling sound of a human instrument—a flute—flying through the air and splashing into the waves.
    He’s here,
she thought.
Perfect.
With Ariel’s voice Vanessa sang the tune that had enchanted the prince on the day Ariel saved his life. She felt like one of her sirens: calling forth her prey, bewitching a human man with her song. Ariel’s song. Drawing him to the shore and to his utter destruction. Then a thought came to her.
    If she were to possess Triton’s power and at the same time rule in Eric’s kingdom, she would dominate both land
and
sea!
    It was too brilliant, too perfect, and utterly divine. She would just need to keep Prince Eric enchanted as long as it served her aims. Then she’d get rid of him once he was no longer of use.
    Eric wandered to the shore, drawn by the sound of Ariel’s voice within Vanessa and bewitched by her magic. To say he had any thoughts or feelings of his own would be a great exaggeration. Or better, purely inaccurate.
    It was a little unfair bewitching him like that, but Ursula didn’t want to leave anything to chance. She could have simply lured him by employing Ariel’s voice alone, without witchery, and he would have thought it was Vanessa who had saved his life, but time was running thin and she needed to be sure Eric wouldn’t fall in love with Ariel. She needed Ariel’s soul.
    Had she any empathy left in her, she would have felt sorry for the poor prince, dizzy-eyed and befogged as he was. He seemed like a decent fellow: quiet, sweet, humble. Rather moral…and far too handsome. When he approached Ursula in the fog, his eyes dazed by her magic, she sighed.
    He finds this human shell beautiful. Not Ursula—he finds
Vanessa
beautiful.
    She had never been loved for herself by anyone but the human who had adopted her. Her father. He had loved her even when she had transformed into something monstrous, ugly, and foul, as her brother had called her.
    Never mind the past!
she thought.
None of that will matter. Not when both the land and sea are mine.

D
earest Princess Tulip Morningstar,
    It is with deepest regret to you and your family that I write you this missive. That I should behave so dastardly is an utter mystery to me and leaves me feeling quite ashamed. My only defense—a poor one—is that I was quite unlike myself when performing those actions. Indeed it felt as if I was possessed by another and unable to enforce my own will. I must assure you, madam, that actions such as those are entirely out of my nature, all except for my proclamations of love for you. (Though I might have chosen a more suitable fashion to declare them.)
    I must confess that I have loved you for some time. Ever since I saw you on the shores of your father’s lands, coming forth from the sea like a silent mourning goddess, I have loved you, and I have watched you since as you’ve flourished into a strong, intelligent young woman. I had intended to present myself to your father’s court in the proper manner, to be