Ever since she was a child, Ecaterina aspired to lead a life of nautical adventure. To ride the raging seas and discover new lands and people, as the books in her parents' library taught her that others had done.

From the fictional pirate queen who amassed riches beyond belief in her quest to find the Fountain of Youth, to the autobiography of a sailor who sailed around the world to find the meaning in his life. But as a young woman in the 1600s living in Russia, it was almost unheard of. Women who derided the societal shackles that held them down to be good and perfect daughters, socialites, and later wives were shunned and brought disappointment and dismay to their families, no matter how later they were successful.

Ecaterina didn't want this, not at all! She loved her parents deeply and kept her voice quiet about her aspirations, at least until the eve of her eighteenth birthday. She had been betrothed for about a year, to a young man of wealth and high social standing, not to mention a dear childhood friend, Dimitri.

After spending the day at the docks upon her request with her parents, her dreams that night had been filled with dread and anxiety of never fulfilling her life's dream, which she had been determined to carry out once she was old enough, but the door was closing fast as her wedding day approached, the day that she would be bound to stay in Russia and have a family.

She didn't entirely abhor this idea, she loved Dimitri, she loved the idea of raising children with him, she knew he'd be a great father. But... she also felt trapped and stifled, like her life was ending before she started it. So, when she woke up the next morning she pulled out her rainy day fund and counted every single bit she had collected over the years and with an excited intake of breath - realized she could buy passage for a round trip to England on a ship! What luck there was a ship in the docks right now taking passengers!.

Going along with her impulsive decision, she packed bags full of dresses, toiletries, and books, then hurried down the stairs, taking them two at a time, calling for her parents. Hurriedly and excitedly, she told them her plans and as she stared at them with her eyes big and shining with hopefulness, they acquiesced to her pleas and sent her off with their blessing, promising to tell Dimitri she would be back in two weeks' time.
Soon after, she had bought a ticket and was waving goodbye from the deck of "The Reverent Queen" to her parents and betrothed, blowing them a kiss as the boat pulled away from the dock to sail away on the ocean.

xxx

As the ship crossed the horizon and Russia faded into the distance for its embarkment to England, her eyes stared with wide delight at the waters as the rest of the male crew did their work around her, paying no mind to the mutterings between them and completely missing their gazes upon her as when she turned to face them, all conspiratory whispers and studying gazes stopped until she left for her cabin.
It wasn't until a couple of months into her trip that she noticed something was off about the crew, shouting that there was a curse aboard their ship every time something went even the slightest bit wrong. This, of course, confused her, but she knew that sailors were a superstitious lot, and sometimes this paranoia helped them live longer than government sanctioned privateers. So as she stood on the deck, watching everyone run around to prepare for an oncoming storm, the last thing she expect was the captain to round on her, finger pointed accusingly at the woman. "I KNEW I shouldn't have taken your father's bribe! Having you onboard was nothing but trouble, Miss Ecaterina!" He then turned his head away from her shocked face to call a couple of his crew. "Jacobs! Collins! Take care of her."

"B-but wait, captain! I don't- I can't be the cause of this storm! I-" Ecaterina let out a cry of pain when she was slapped across the face by the captain, holding her cheek. Before she could make a move to retaliate, the summoned sailors grabbed her arms and dragged her to the railing of the ship, chucking her into the water, walking away as she screamed all the way down.
As Ecaterina sank beneath the waves, the shock of the icy water paralyzing her muscles, mouth agape and lungs filling with water, her brain became fuzzy and her body relaxed as her now lax body rose to the surface, the seafoam clinging to her body, peeling away her clothes and everything that made her human, and as her last moments of consciousness slipped, she could have sworn she heard a chorus of females singing to her.

Moments later, she snapped awake, screaming as the feeling of being thrown from the ship was still very real to her, only calming down a bit when a cool hand was placed on her shoulder, followed by soft hushing. "Who...? Where am- what language am I speaking? This isn't Russian! I thought I was dead, what the Hell is going on?!"

"Quiet down, sirenling... I'll explain."

Ecaterina then finally looked up at the woman that was addressing her, fine and strong Roman features, and the other women around her, different nationalities, but all one race, that she's read about many times - sirens.

"You were tossed from a ship, and thankfully my sisters and I found you before you were lost completely to Davy Jones. We made you a siren and welcomed you into our fold, because your soul glowed brightly of the desire for revenge, and to continue your life in happiness. My name is Amathea and you are in my queendom... may I ask your name?"

Ecaterina stared at the queen as she tried to process everthing that was said to her, biting at her bottom lip. "...E... Ecaterina..." She smiled a bit, which caused Amathea to smile in return.

"Welcome, young Ecaterina... welcome." The queen leaned forward and kissed her new sister's forehead with a promise to teach her everything about being one of them.

xxx

As Ecaterina lived among her sisters, she grew into a stronger and more desirable siren with their love and encouragement. She never found herself missing her old life or her family, because even though it wasn't how she'd prefer it, she was now living a life of adventure, but a new emotion began to rise anew on her heart - the desire for revenge on her lost life. The life she could have had with Dimitri, the children, the happiness. All of that was stolen from her.
As she began to learn the songs of sailors from her sisters, she took careful notes of the music, learning the power in each word, the spells of ensnare, lure, and devour. She wanted to ensure that the deaths of the crew would become into her hands and the hands of the other sirens, keeping a watchful eye everyday for when "The Reverent Queen" would appear on the horizon once again.

Weeks, months, and years passed, Ecaterina began to give up all hope of putting her plan into action until a cry from above the waves alerted her. She joined her Japanese siren sister, Michiko and the two of them let out excited sounds at the sight of "The Reverant Queen" bouying over the waves. Quickly, she dove down and told her sisters to get in their places, going to a rock high above the waves to sing her song.

"My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,
There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold,

Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be,
Who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea,

My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,
There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold,

My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,
There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold..."

At the last, resounding note, she was delighted to find that the ship had changed course for her, her tail now flipping and flopping with exictement as it came closer and closer. What she didn't expect, however, was that Dimitri happened to be aboard the ship and her eyes went wide with shock and dismay. There was no turning back, once the spell took ahold, there was nothing to stop it and as she screamed, the boat broken its hull upon the jagged rocks Ecaterina was stationed upon and quickly, she dove off and down, telling the nearest sirens that her betrothed was aboard, watching the ship sink with frightened eyes and the sailors abandoning, either being snapped up by sirens or sharks.

As quick as the speed of her tail would take her, she caught sight of Dimitri falling below the waves, taking him into her arms and swimming to the rocks once again, pulling him above and pulling him onto the rocks, stroking his cheek. "D-Dimitri...?" she whispered, biting her bottom lip. She had been speaking siren for so long, her native Russian tongue sounded strange in her voice.
Coughing up water, Dimitri opened his brown eyes to look up at Ecaterina's face, smiling slowly. "Cat...? Cat, sweetheart, is that you...?"

Her eyes welling with tears, she covered her mouth to sob a little as she nodded. "Y-yes! It's me! ...How did...?"

"I didn't... but thank God I did," he said softly, cupping her cheek with his hand and pressing his forehead to hers. "You're... so cold, Cat... Baby, why ar-" He stopped speaking when he saw her tail before staring at her face. "You're-?!"

"I died... they threw me... But my sisters helped me." Ecaterina whispered, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

Frowning, brow furrowing, Dimitri tried to make sense of the situation. He'd known Cat since they were children, he knew she'd never lie to him, so he slowly smiled and looked at her. "All right then. Is there an island nearby?"

Leaning back to stare at Dimitri with shock and disbelief, Ecaterina nodded her head. "Y-yes but I... why?"

He began laughing and gently grabbed the back of her head to pull her in for a kiss. "I'm staying, of course."

Siren Image © Disney
Ocean Image © FreeImages.com