A long time ago, in a land far from this one, there lived a beautiful mermaid named Aaralyn. She was daughter to a sea king, who ruled their land with prosperity and a merciful hand. She was his firstborn child and only heir, as her mother had died many years before. On warm, sunny days, she would gaze through the beams of light scattering shimmer through the ripples, and she could swear that her mother was casting the warmth over her. But she felt no loss. She grew into a young woman with admiration for her father and his guidance of all creatures of the sea, and longed to follow in his footsteps as monarch.

Aaralyn had been gifted with a beautiful voice, and all of the merpeople swore that it was a gift from Poseidon himself. Her father would coax her to sing her melodies to all of the members of their kingdom, and they would cheer as her tunes carried out around them. As her voice grew tired, they would beg her to keep going. And it bothered her...but only a little, for it was her greatest gift.

On the eve of Aaralyn's fourteenth birthday, her father took a new wife. She was much younger than Aaralyn's mother, but she was to bear her father's new child, a merman to be named Samundra. He came into the world to a lavish party in his honor, and Aaralyn whispered the song of the sea into his ear as she held him in her arms for the first time. She promised to teach him of all the things she had learned from her father of their kingdom, and together they would rule the ocean as temperate leaders.

As Samundra grew in size, he would swim by his sister’s side as she showed him all the wonders of their land, from the smallest kelp fields to the biggest whales. He would giggle as she hummed her tunes, and twist his tiny fingers into her hair. And Aaralyn loved him. But the tides were changing in their empire, and her father paid her little attention as he doted on his new bride and tiny son. He neglected their lessons, and took to only spending time with her when he wanted her to sing the song of the sea.

When Aaralyn turned seventeen, she approached her father, who was sitting regally on his throne, speaking candidly with a swordfish about the state of their military. She floated in his eye line but waited until he had concluded his business, as she had been taught since she was very young.

“Father, why do you no longer teach me the lessons of monarchy?” she asked quizzically when she had his attention.

“Dear child,” he replied, “You are no longer the heir to the throne. This burden is no longer thrust upon you.”

“What do you mean, Father?”

“Samundra will take my place as ruler of this kingdom. It is his birthright as my only son.”

Aaralyn floated closer, trying to soak in his words and make sense of their meaning.

“But it has always been my dream to follow your legacy,” she pleaded, “Why can I not take your place?”

Her father laughed. “You need not worry yourself with the tidings of men. Just sing us your melodies. That is your gift, given to you by Poseidon himself.”

“But I can do more for this kingdom than entertain them with my voice. Please, give me the chance to prove myself.”

“Enough of this,” her father said firmly, “I acquired you a new hair piece of fine shell and pearl. Wear it tonight when you sing for us.”

He reached behind him and pulled out a beautiful headdress, and then sent a bewildered Aaralyn on her way without another word.

The months turned to years, and Aaralyn grew tired of the song of the sea. She grew weary of her father telling her to choose a mate, and of the young merman commenting on her shells and her hair. She grew lackluster and boring, and no longer gazed into the rays of the sun as they surrounded her. The merfolks started to whisper about her, but she paid them no mind. She took to keeping to herself, and playing only with young Samundra, for she harbored him no ill will.

“Oh Poseidon,” she cried out into the night, “Is there nothing more in the ocean for me than my voice? Do I serve no other purpose?”

The sound of Poseidon’s voice rang in her ears.

“I have given you a gift, child,” the voice spoke, “It is yours to do with what you wish. Dare you ask me for more?”

On Samundra’s coronation day as future heir to the throne, Aaralyn’s father turned to her with cold eyes and demanded her to sing the song of the sea. He was disappointed in her, and grew bored with trying to coax her into being a proper mermaid. Aaralyn stared into his eyes, her turquoise irises hard on his, and then fled. She swam until her fins ached, and then she climbed to the surface to catch the rays of the sun on a barnacle-covered rock.

Some sailors happened to be traveling nearby, and began shouting loudly to Aaralyn, trying to coax her to sing to them, to hold them and to love them. So she cried out with her breathtaking voice, and as she lured the ship closer and closer, she grinned a wicked smile as the hull broke on the rock she inhabited. It shot both passengers and loot into the depths of the ocean that was formerly her home, and she smiled.

To this day, legend tells of a siren named Aaralyn, whose voice led sailors to their doom. She is painted as a violent monster, a devilish temptress. But if you happen to spot her, she is always smiling. For now, her voice is finally her own.