Mermaid AU - illustration collection (part 1)

Inspired by a story written by the wonderful gabrielsangel (that I completed in a RPG with my sister XD)

So, story by and art by me.

The story that you will read on this post is uncomplete and fragmentary. Sometimes isn't even in order. 

To read the complete story, you have to know that there is a new chapter in every issue of the fanzine "Fannibals", that you can download HERE

One of my favorites Hannibal AU.
Part 1 of the collection (that's too long for only one post, yeah).

Beverly is a researcher. She studies about humankind.

In our "little mermaid-Hannibal" AU, inspired by a story written by gabrielsangel , the king of merman people is Jack XD
So, merman Jack. I like it, even if he make me laugh.

 

In our "little mermaid-Hannibal" AU, inspired by a story written by gabrielsangel , merman!Will have a statue of the princess Alana in his garden with red flowers (in the original story, the little mermaid had a statue of the prince, of course). Yeah!

He'd seen her fall as the ship was distorted, striking her head on a piece of plywood. Why hadn't she run? He'd watch her make sure everyone else was off the ship, even that creature that had greeted him, but if she'd only left a second sooner…

Will dove under the waves, searching violently, looking left and right before a large shadow caught his eye. He swam towards it, not stopping till he was at its side.

His princess.

Never, never in his life had he seen someone like her. There were beautiful mermaids under the sea, yes, but Will had never felt drawn to any of them. In truth, he'd never been sure why, but her…

He quickly grabbed hold of her, wrapping his arms around her as he swam as fast as he could to the surface, making sure to pull Alana up to the air first. He heard the smallest intake of breath, followed by a cough as she cleared the water from her throat, but her body was too exhausted to awaken fully.

Gently, Will pulled her through the water, taking great care not to allow her to slip from his arms or have anything hit her. He used one arm to support her head, making sure to keep her above the water at all times. Eventually, gratefully, Will could see the outline of the beach just up ahead draw near. Forcing himself into one of the waves, he pulled Alana to shore, placing her body upon the sand.

For a moment, he just stared at her, his eyes burning her image into his memory. Her chest rose ever so slightly, calming Will's fears and reassuring him that his princess was still alive. He reached up and pulled a damp strand of hair out of her eyes, watching her face glow in the rising sun. She was so lovely, Will couldn't even bring himself to speak. What would he say to her anyway?


Instead, he leaned up and planted a kiss upon her brow. He'd stay till someone came for her before returning to the sea. He wouldn't leave his princess's side, not till she was safe. 

"You are either very brave or very foolish to come to me for aid,” The silky voice startled Will as he passed into the cavern. But only slightly. He swallowed and pressed on.

"I think of myself both ways," Will said, looking towards his addressor

"Many of your kind have come to fear me," Hannibal said, watching the young merman enter his domain. "One wonders why you'd venture forth."

"I need your help. You're the only one with the ability."

"Indeed…" Hannibal moved closer. Such a handsome little fish, he thought. He knew the King’s sons were handsome, but something about this one. The sharpness of his eyes, the bright mind his tongue seemed to reflect, this man was far more than just a prince.

 So many came to his chambers begging, pleading for help on bended fin, only to end up his supper when they could not complete their part of the bargain. This one showed no fear. "What is it you wish for?"

"A human form." Will said.

Foolish, yes… but intriguing.

"Why take yourself from the ocean? What has dry land to offer you?" Hannibal asked him.

"Someone…" He said. "A human woman… I saved her from the storm three nights ago and she will not leave my mind."

"And you wish to follow your heart to dry land. All for a human?" He came closer, but the merman drew back.

"Mock me all you want, if you can't help me say so now and I'll never bother you again." He turned to leave, something soft, but strong coiled around his arm, keeping him from leaving. Will looked, one of the warlocks tentacles was holding him back.

"Forgive me," he said, bowing his head a little. "It is not my place to judge your heart."

In truth, it was. So many came to him begging for advice on love or even a way to woo their beloved… this merman, Will, he wasn't asking for advice or words to win the heart, he meant to find this human on his own. Devotion, a sharp tongue…

Hannibal liked this little merman. He was far too fascinating to be a simple meal.

"I'll give you what you wish. You'll bare human legs, but on land each step will be agony. You'll bare such pain for this woman? Do you even know her name?"

"Alana." Will said. "And yes, I will."

"In return you must give me something valuable to you… something she might wish for.” Hannibal thought for a moment. The price would have to be high, as always, but something special. Something to help aid his own victory. “Does she know you saved her?"

"No, she never saw me."

"I'll have your voice in exchange. Win her without revealing your identity. Finally, my spells are limited. You'll have one week to prove your love to her. In the end, if she has not given you her love in return, your legs will revert to a tail and you will return to the ocean."

"What becomes of me then?" Will asked.

"That's not for you to dwell on now," Hannibal said. When Will returned- and he would- Hannibal would make sure of it. No human would take this treasure from him. When will returned, he would remain with Hannibal forever. "But this is my deal. Human legs for your voice. Do we have a deal?" He reached forward, holding the man's head delicately.

Will could think of none but Alana. One week. He could do it.

"Yes," he said. Hannibal smiled.

Will could feel his stomach twist as he watched Hannibal at work, each ingredient being added to the vile mix seemed worse than the last. He tried to take his eyes away, keeping his attention on Hannibal, but the look on the Warlock's face made it seem even worse. His expertise, his knowledge of this spell, it seemed uncanny. The way he worked, it was as beautiful as it was barbaric. Will had to look away when he saw Hannibal add what had once been human limbs to the concoction.
"Be strong," he thought to himself. "Think of Alana…"
A sudden silence followed, forcing Will to open his eyes. Hannibal stood there, the last of the ingredients in his hand, an unopened blossom, perfectly preserved in glass. Will looked up at him. The Warlock set the tiny item on the edge of the cauldron.
"Forgive me," He said. "But before we continue, I must ask that you are certain. Is this what you desire?"
Will looked at the vile brew coming to simmer. Within it, if only for a moment, he could make out Alana's silhouette in the smoke. He nodded. "Yes." He said. "Yes, this is what I want."
The warlock held out his hand, a contract materializing out of thin water. "Then, we have a deal?"
Will regarded the contract. Through the convoluted dialogue, the deal was there. His voice for Hannibal's services. He glanced back up at the Warlock.
"Where do I sign?"
A fishbone quill appeared before Will. He knew this was wrong, he knew it was foolish to trust the Warlock, but what other choice did he have? There was no other way to see her again…
He signed his name at the bottom… only to feel a sharp pain in his throat a moment later.
The moment the scroll had vanished, Will felt himself being pulled close to the Warlock, one of the man's tentacles drawing him close as set of sharp teeth sank deep into his neck. Will struggled to free himself, but the warlock's grip held tight, the pain worsening every second.
Then, only a moment later, the pain was gone. The tight grip around Will's body vanished and Will pushed himself back. His hands went for his neck to cover the wound, but there was nothing. He pulled his hands back, nothing. Not even a drop of blood in the water. He looked at the Warlock, starting to ask him what the hell he had just done….
But he froze when he found there was not a single sound to be heard from his mouth.
Hannibal came forward, pulling something from his mouth to show to Will. A tiny blue gem. The physical manifestation of Will's voice. It soon vanished, being replaced by a small bottle.
"Go," Hannibal smiled, handing him the bottle. "Be with your princess… while you can."

The last thing Will remembered was the pain. Swallowing the last drop of the potion Hannibal had given him, and then a white hot pain shooting through his body. It was blinding, as though his tail was being ripped in two. He'd released a silent scream into the air, the bottle slipping from his fingers and floating out to sea as he collapsed on the sand.

*~*~*~*
Alana kicked a few pebbles out of her way as she walked along the beach, Applesauce trotting along beside her. Ever since that day, she'd been searching to find the man who saved her. The outline of his face was burned into her mind, but the sun had been so blinding, nothing had been clear to her. Every man who'd come forward calming to be the one had turned out to be a fake. She pushed her hair back. How was she going to find this man?

Suddenly, Applesauce stopped walking. Her nose went straight up into the air and she began to bark and whine excitedly, taking off straight ahead.

"Hey! Applesauce!" Alana called out, chasing after her. "Applesauce come back here!"
~*~*~*~*~*
 
The warmth of the sun awoke Will. Reaching up to cover his eyes, the caught sight of the clear blue sea and the soft sand beneath his body.

Sand?

Will pushed himself up, his eyes looking down to where his fin should have been. Instead…

His legs.

He stared down, beholding his new legs, carefully lifting one of them, moving his knee back and forth, squeezing and releasing his new toes… he.. he had human legs.

He was a human!

Amazement quickly turned to fright as he heard a strange noise in the distance. Panicking, he scrambled to push himself up, but having yet to master blanace on land, he toppled back over into the sea. Sitting up quickly and brushing the wet hair from his eyes, he saw the creature bound across the sand and into the sea, right next to him! Whining, it began licking and nuzzling him. Suddenly, Will remembered… the creature from before! On Alana's ship! And if it was here-

"Applesauce, No! Bad girl!" The voice made Will's heart stop as she appered, running over beside where he had fallen. She pulled the creature back.

"Sir, I am so sorry, she's never-" Alana stopped talking, looking down at Will as he sat in the sea, the waves still coming in around him. Her hands released the creature called "Applesauce", who then returned and started licking Will again.

"Do… Do I know you?" She asked, staring at Will's face.

Will swallowed, unsure of what to do. Alana leaned closer.

"You look familiar to me."

Will moved a bit closer, a wave of emotion surging up in his chest to speak… when he realized… without his tail.. but human definition he was…

Naked. Naked and right in front of Alana!

He scrambled back again, only to sink under the waves. He suddenly felt a hand grab his wrist and pull him forward. He sat up, coughing from the water. Was that what choking felt like?

"Hey, are you okay?" Alana asked, she was beside him now, not caring if her clothes got wet. "What happened to you?"

Will opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, glancing out to the sea. Alana followed his line of sight before looking down at his body, her eyes glancing away when she realized what he had been trying to hide.

"A shipwreck?" She asked. Will took the moment and nodded. What else could he do? Would she openly believe he came from the sea? No, not someone like her.

Her lips formed a soft smile. "Here," she helped him up, leading him from the water. Taking off her coat, she wrapped it around his waist to cover him. The furry creature was now sitting at his side.

"That's odd," Alana mused, looking down at the creature. "She's normally a lot shyer around strangers…" She looked back up at Will. "There must be something good about you."

Will swallowed again, looking down at the creature. He pet her head once and she licked his hand. Alana smiled.

"Do you have a name?"

Will nodded, but he reached up and touched his neck, shaking his head.

"You can't talk," Alana said. She glanced back out at the sea before looking back at Will.

"You must have gone through hell out there," she said. Will gave a little nod. Alana held out her hand.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out."

After a moment, Will placed his hand in Alana's, feeling the softness and warmth radiate from it. He managed to walk a few steps on his own before stumbling. Alana reached up and helped brace him as they walked, Applesauce staying close beside them.


Will knew it was deadly to make a deal with Hannibal… but he'd never have given up this moment for the world. 

 

Living in the sea, Will had no need to ever "bathe" as the humans called it and while he found it odd that humans added strange scents and oils to heated water to make it bubble, it was soothing and relieved some of the tension in his new legs. One man even washed his hair while another laid out fine clothes for him. All this treatment? Just for a meal? Well, he supposed he was dining with royalty.

The servants helped him dry and dress, for which Will was grateful as he had still to master balancing in both legs though he found himself getting better at it. Finally, he was brought before a mirror to see the results.

"What do you think, sir?" One man asked.

The suit was made of a fine green material, lined with fine embroidery… he looked like human royalty himself. He couldn't help but stare for a few moments before turning back to the man and nodding in thanks.

"Her highness seems to have taken a liking to you!" He said kindly. "You had better be kind in return!" Though there was a playfulness in the voice, the threat was clear.

He needn't worry, Will thought. He'd rather be eaten by a shark than lay a hand upon Alana.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and another young man entered.

"Her highness awaits your presence in the dining hall." He said.

Hannibal flipped the last page of the newspaper, glancing at each article. It was talentless filth, by his standards, lacking in all sensible research, but it was, for what it was worth, entertaining. He'd only been a "guest" in Alana's palace a few days, but already he was finding himself quite comfortable. Rather than the hideous and tacky decor Hannibal had come to expect- at least of what he knew from human life- Alana's palace shimmered with taste and style, much like its owner. How curious it was that Hannibal had come to see in Alana what Will had. Beauty, yes, but a fine, sharp mind, a careful, if quick tongue and a great elegance. Humans were little more than an easy source of food, but there was always a chance to find a gem among trash. While her shimmer was not that of his Will's, it came close. He knew soon enough her heart would beg him to take her to Will and if he knew his enemies well, which he did, Jack would soon close in on him. 

The crown, this precious human princess… and Will.


They would all belong to him in the end.

 

Freddie is a princess' friend and a counselor. But also an artist and a journalist.

The smugness on his face and the way he is seated says everything, he is BOUND to win this confrontation, but at the same time, you can see his fascination of this woman starting to grow. He's beginning to see in her what Will sees in her and he likes it. Alana is clearly not pleased, but Hannibal is loving every moment of this game of cat and mouse. Human dinners are easy to find, but an intelligent human he might wish to keep… that is something new entirely! 

- Gabrielsangel

Maybe an happy ending?

Or maybe a darker ending?

Back in the past!

 Princess Alana, merman Will and the Sea Warlock, Hannibal... when they was children XD

I wanted to draw something cute.

Here is an adult merman Will!  When Will encounter Alana, in this AU, is not fully grown: a merman reach his "imago", his ultimate form, when is about thirtytwo-thirtyfive years old.