I knew for sure they would find me now. My scream must have echoed across the entire island, all the way inside that damned palace.

Eileen had certainly noticed me, looking only mildly annoyed at this disturbance of her feast. Needless to say, the entire row of people looked terrified, and I am to this day inconsolable when I think of Mister Twiggins look of betrayal when he saw me.

I wondered what would happen to me now. Would they seize me? Would Agueda torture me? Would I ever see Verdi again?

Even that last question was nothing to me now, looking at the remains of the once promising little girl. After getting to know wonderfully complex people, like Asni, Verdi, Marcin and even captain Lionel, I had thought perhaps the world I had gotten into wasn’t so bad after all. Perhaps nuance and beauty could be found, even on an island designed to kill.

Asni, although smaller than I was, immediately took a protective stance in front of me when she noticed a guard moving towards me. Eileen didn’t bother looking at me again. The slaughter continued despite my presence. Heart-wrenching screams of terror were met by indifference.

“That woman is supposed to be locked inside the palace,” the guard said solemnly.

“And I was just taking her there, you see. She escaped from the palace, went in search of Verdi. You know how predictable a young girl in love can be,” Asni said, doing a very convincing impression of an annoyed caretaker. Or perhaps she was.

Now, I did find myself wishing Verdi would arrive soon, for the guard offered –or rather persisted – to escort me back to the castle himself. I didn’t know what would await me there, but I was very certain it would not be pleasant, considering what they did to other people.

Asni was shoved aside firmly. Her hand shot up, about to grab the guard. Although I was frightened by the tight grasp of the guard on my arm, I shook my head. She nodded in return. If I wanted to escape this, I would need her to be on the outside, instead of taken captive alongside me. At least then Marcin, Aro and Verdi would know what had happened. And the four of them surely would be able to device some plan that would get me out. I wasn’t so sure about Marcin’s readiness to help me. I must admit, I had been acting out of stupidity.

Walking alongside the guard, away from the poor prisoners, I found myself wishing I hadn’t followed them, I had brought me nothing but despair. Yet, I couldn’t bear the thought of not knowing what would have happened to them.

The island was getting darker, but torches lit the path through the forest. Tapestries were waving with the wind. I saw the flash of a large fishtail in the lake, was it Niobe? For some reason, I couldn’t imagine Niobe being as ferocious as Eileen and Agueda. After all, Verdi had been in love with her.

Verdi, would I ever see him again?

He had awoken something in me that had been sleeping for a long time. In a way, I had been trapped at home, in a very different way from the way I was taken captive now. Knowing very little about the world except what I had been taught, I hadn’t been able to experience much outside of the influence of my family. I never would have dreamt about travelling overseas, befriending a woman from the south, or dancing together with a pirate. Not to mention falling in love with one. These experiences had proven to me that I was so much more than a noble who loved jewellery. I was able to face horror, and despite witnessing it, I found myself having no desire to get back home.

You can see, I was very much convinced that all would end well.

Until I saw Niobe, sitting in the twilight at the edge of the lake. Her golden hair shimmered beautifully. She was no ferocious siren. She was like the little mermaid, desiring to live alongside humans. A lost princess of the sea. And she was kissing a pirate prince, his cloak red.

It was probably an act. He probably tried to not break the promise he had made her, or else he would die, unable to save me.

When he saw me, I could see a startled look in his eye, which confirmed my suspicions. I knew this.

It mattered not.

I loved the man, but would that save me, or us? He was bound to her for ever, no matter what he did. How would he survive after he left the island? She would not just break the promise, I was convinced of that. We had no real future together. I had to accept his help, and then let him go.

Realising this, I took a deep breath and walked along, pretending not to recognise the pirate in distress.

After leaving, the guard and I were all alone. I had never been this aware of a guard before, but looking sideways, the vague expression on his face scared me.

“Are we going to the cells of the palace?” I asked, in an attempt to end my fear of the unknown.

The guard frowned, and made a waving gesture with his right hand, as if trying to get rid of an annoying fly. This was very disheartening. But something else got my attention. We were definitely not heading towards the palace. Neither were we heading towards the shore. We were now at an unfamiliar side of the island. I could see the water in the distance, along with some grey rock-formations.

At least, I thought they were rock formations. Two statues of a male and female siren towered over us. They were extremely large, crossing each other’s tridents with algae circling around it. The female siren was wearing a crown of pearls, her long hair flowing in an imaginary wind. Her expression was peaceful, even friendly. The male one wore a crown of shells, looking proud. I wondered why these sirens looked so different from the ones on the island. I had never even noticed a male siren before. Did they exist, or were they just made-up?

“Why are we here?” I demanded, despite knowing the guard wouldn’t answer. A chilly wind rose, and for a moment it seemed like the hair of the statues was actually flowing. I shivered. We were getting closer and closer to the edge of the island. The sky was grey, and the water was deep and unfriendly.

“Your mother will not know you are dead.”

At that, he pushed me into the water.