Surfacing of the Siren

After clearing it with Ursula, Arista had been granted her wish to once again travel to the top lands to expand their hunting area. So far she had done well, drowning vasts amount of men who were careless enough to follow her back to the coast, but the numbers were lessening. This worried Arista, a heartless demon who seemed to become weaker with emotion everytime she stepped upon land but nevertheless, it drew her in. It was addictive. The feel of sand against her toes as she walked amongst the humans. Like a drug.

Arista's ruby red tail swam her upwards to the point where the sea met the land and from there she shifted into her human form. Her blonde hair loosened from its ponytail into soft locks down her back as water submerged around her to reveal legs in place of her ususal tail. A silvery dress morphed onto her figure as she walked barefoot towards the centre of town. She still preferred it to wearing shoes, she liked to feel the ground beneath her flesh.

Ariel moved through the city streets. She kept her head covered with her cape. She was going through the market stalls, buying food for herself. She wondered if Cinderella and Kida were safe. Cinderella was probably hungry. Ariel spotted a wanted poster of herself, turning the other way, making sure her hood was on. Suddenly her eyes fell on a female very familiar to her. She almost dropped her basket. She was left frozen in her place. Arista?! What was she doing here? Ariel could hear the blood pump in her veins. Her feet taking her to her sister. She grabbed Arista, dragging her to the alley. Pressing her hand on her sisters mouth. "Arista? What are you doing here?" She asked her eyes flaring. Her heart ached, was her sister still under the spell? Did her sister take Erics life?

Arista hissed and yanked herself back from her sister, blocking Ariel's exit from the alley. This was the first time she had encountered her after the happy ever afters had been destroyed and despite knowing it would happen eventually, she wasn't quite ready for it yet. Even with weaker emotions on land, her distrust and dislike was still in the forefront of her mind.

"Ariel, I stopped answering your questions when you left Atlantis." Arista's voice was hard and stubborn, her violet eyes swirled with deep sea current as she watched her sister fearlessly. "I no longer answer to you."

Ariel felt anger flare in her. She stepped closer to Arista violently slapping her cheek. "You killed my husband!! I have every right for answers!!" She hissed to her sister. She grabbed her sister again, slamming her harshly against the wall. "Start talking Arist a or I swear in the memory of our father.... I shall not think of you as my sister ever again...." Those words broke her heart even more. She had loved her father, hearing he was ded had been a blow in her face. To lose her sisters to a spell like this would be just as devastating. But she had turned to use her thirst for vnegance as a fuel. She could do it again. Though she had no idea what would she do after her thirst had been quenched.

"I have already disowned you as my sister Ariel so stop with the threats, I am not obliged to tell you anything," Arista retorted and pushed her sister violently backward into the opposing wall. "I am less likely if you keep hitting me," She hissed. "Besides, I didn't so much kill Eric as it was that he just decided that I was the better sister." She smirked at the thought, after Ursula's spell, it hadn't take much convincing and was part of the reason she had been granted legs to walk on land.

Ariels eyes narrowed fast as she drew her knife, slamming Arista back against the wall. She placed the knife on her sisters throath. "What did you do to Eric you little skank!!?? Tell me now or I will slit your throath!!"

"Slit my throat and Ursula will make sure you die, we have been quite close since you left little sister and I'd drop the knife if I were you," Arista's eyes narrowed as she watched Ariel carefully, Ursula had made her able to walk on land but not without protective spells, she had magic and she would use it if Ariel pushed her further. For some reason, she hadn't already, maybe it was the weak emotions that were getting to her. She should withdraw into the sea soon before she got more emotional than she'd like.

Ariel tightened her hold on Aristas shoulder. "Let her come sis. Or are you actually concerned of my life once. Now answer my question. What did you do to Eric?!" She was articulating the question clear so Arista would finally answer it. She was trying Ariels patience, and emotions right now.

"I drowned him," Arista took a deep breath as her hands tingled with the limited magic Ursula had granted her with. She wouldn't harm her sister but she could do enough to distract her whilst she ran, then once she was in the sea, there would be no contest. She could drown her with one note of her voice, and without her emotions, she wouldn't hesitate. She wondered why she hadn't acted already, what did she want from Ariel? Forgiveness? She wasn't stupid enough to think that her sister would provide her such an easy escape from the guilt that was easing into her consciousness everytime she stepped on land.

"I lured him with my voice into the sea and killed him with a kiss." It was a blunt description, but Arista was weary with emotion and she couldn't hold the strength to give her anymore details. She shrugged herself away from Ariel and turned to face her, fingers twitching with eagerness to tap into her water magic. Yet, she wasn't that stupid, she knew using it would drain her when she had no source of water, except from that inside her body.

Ariels eyes watered up. She had been sure Eric was dead. But that was the confirmation. Her eyes blurred from the tears as the anger took over. She let out a scream charging at her sister with the knife. Now she didn't care where she hit her. Not that she could see much from the tears either. She just wanted Arista to feel the pain she was in.

The sister inside her longed to let her stab her, to let her find any form of comfort she could. The siren inside her twisted for revenge and to kill her. Arista was torn between the inner battle within and could only think enough for one moment to dodge the attack, before the siren won out. She hadn't been onland long enough to feel anything but dislike for her sister yet, she would fight back with every ounce she had.

Arista pulled up her dress and yanked the daggers she kept in her suspenders around her legs. Pulling them both out, one in each hand, she briefly admired the mermaid tail hilt. They were the only thing she had of her mothers, she had told her to use them to protect herself if she ever needed to. Who would've thought she would be protecting herself from her own sister? Her heart twinged before she armed herself.

Rushing towards Ariel, she threw one towards her, catching her clothes and pinning her to the wall. The other remained in her own hand as she knocked her sister's weapon away to the ground. On her neck, she used the weapon to mark a small "A". A reminder not to cross her. The sister inside her winced as Arista did so, but emotions had no control now, the siren's spell had taken hold and her eyes were a deep crimson red. Her emotions fought wildly inside her but for the moment, it was no use. Only the glance at the hilt of her mother's daggers piercing her sisters skin brought out flecks of blue, once the letter was drawn, she withdrew. Her breathing came heavy as she stared at the blood red indentation in Ariel's skin, and her blue eyes began to emanate through the red.

Before Ariel could realise she had been disarmed and pinned against the wall. She was frozen for a second before she tried to struggle against the hold of her sister. The blade cutting into her neck hurt, making her whimper. She bit her lip looking into Aristas eyes with anger. She had taken her husband from him, she was not her sister anymore, and the blood red eyes proved it. Ariel used her leg to kick her sister to the knee, hoping to throw her off balance, or something to fight back. Ariel would kill Ursula for doing this to her and her family... and Eric...

Arista flinched as Ariel lashed out and kicked her knee, her back slammed into the wall in the alley and her eyes shone back red. Anger rushed through her veins as she threw her other weapon at her sister, slashing her side slightly as it richocheted off the wall. Weaponless, she drew power from her magic. Her powers were fuelled by the presence of the siren within her as she slowly began to drain the water from Ariel's body, pushing it into places it shouldn't be. Her lungs were filling up. Slowly but surely, like she was drowning from the inside. Yet, the extent she was pushing her power made her weak and her head was becoming dizzy. Stopping, she released her and hoped she had done enough to knock her unconscious, she wasn't finished with her yet.

Ariel let out a small yelp feeling the blade slash her side. She grabbed her side, applying pressure on it to stop the bleeding. She looked up at Arista, feeling her lungs fill with water. HEr eyes filled with tears again as she was desperately gasping for air. She slowly lost her conciousness, dropping to the ground. This couldn't be her ending. Couldn't it?