The Siren’s Orchard: The Secret After Ariel’s Wedding
Happily ever after ended in salt and silence.
The wedding feast lasted three days. The bride smiled, the prince adored her — but when the sea breeze touched her veil, she trembled.
Each night, she woke to the sound of crashing waves, though the palace sat miles inland. Servants reported trails of water leading to her chamber — and small scales on her pillow.
By autumn, she could no longer speak. The physicians blamed exhaustion. The queen mother blamed witchcraft.
On the first frost, the orchard behind the castle froze solid. Beneath the ice were hundreds of eels, arranged in the shape of a crown.
When the thaw came, the trees bore no fruit — only small, glassy pearls hanging from their branches. Those who touched them heard singing.
One pearl was dissected at the royal academy in 1821. Inside, they found a human tooth.
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