Little Mermaid (The Fairytaler)

The Little Mermaid is the heroine of The Fairytaler's version of the tale of the same name.
== About Little Mermaid ==
The Little Mermaid and her four sisters toss around a planispiral shell like a frisbee to one another when she talks about how much she yearns going up from the ocean to the surface. She's jealous that her sisters already got to see it before she does while she still attends school. Little Mermaid also falls for a young prince and longs to be with him. With the mermaid sisters' father and grandmother watching them from afar, the grandmother remarks on how much Little Mermaid is in such a rush to grow up and do the same thing her sisters did. Little Mermaid then decides to quit the game and swims off to talk to a statue of the prince. She talks to the statue as if he were the real prince, saying how much she desires to be his, wishing that she were human complete with two legs so that she'd then have a better chance. After having a talk with her grandmother, who links some starfish as headwear and decorates her granddaughter's head with it, the former decides that it's time she goes see just what's above the surface. Excited, that's just what Little Mermaid does, as her family watches her swim upward and away. As she comes up, she sees the bottom of a ship and when she sticks her head above water, it is sunset. A slender sailor asks a portly sailor where the prince is and the portly sailor tells him he's in the ship's cabin, preparing for a fireworks lighting ceremony. It's not long before he exits the cabin and Little Mermaid comments that it's him. At nightfall, the prince uses a cannon to light the fireworks, setting them off into the sky. Little Mermaid watches in awe, marveling at the spectacle. But the fireworks are interrupted when a storm moves in, as the captain tells the prince. He tells the prince to get to safety, but the prince would rather help the crew. After lightning strikes a mast, breaking it in half and part of it falls over on one crew member, pinning his legs, the prince tries to lift it off of him. There is a squall that causes the ship to get turned over and everyone on board ends up falling in the sea. Most of the crew members hang onto floating debris, but the prince is no longer with the others. When Little Mermaid sees them in trouble, she goes off to help, especially to save the prince. She dives underwater, finds him sinking with some rope wrapped around his foot, removes the rope, grabs him, and brings him back to the surface. At daybreak, she is on a beach with the unconscious prince and wishes he would open his eyes to have a look at her. She leaves when she sees a blonde princess and a priest coming and hides behind a boulder. They find the prince, who wakes up and thinking that it was her who saved him, he mentions that. Disappointed, Little Mermaid quietly says that she is the real rescuer. As the princess has to take leave, she tells the priest to look after him and the priest agrees to it. Little Mermaid says to herself that at least she got her wish for the prince to open his eyes before she dives back underwater. 
Later, she returns to her sisters, showing them the prince's shoe she took. They happen to know where the prince lives and take her there to see him again. They arrive at a temple on the beach and Little Mermaid happily gives them her gratitude before going near it. That night, as a swan and her cygnets swim by, the cygnets make noise and Little Mermaid shushes them not to attract attention. She finds the prince seated on a balcony. He wishes he could see the princess again. The next day, he, the captain, and the two sailors are sailing along by boat. When Little Mermaid swims by them, the portly sailor thinks he sees her at first, but she disappears as quickly as she appears. The prince sighs with dejection. The next night, he's on the balcony again, picking off petals from a flower as he says of the princess, "She loves me, she loves me not". The petals fall into the water, Little Mermaid grabs one, putting it in her hair. As she grabs another, the swans swim by her again. As she looks at the moon, Little Mermaid still yearns to be human in order to meet with the prince, saying she'd give up her lifespan of 300 years if it meant she could be with him and dives again. After asking her grandmother if mermaids can be with humans, she tells her no, as humans find merfolk's fish tails ugly and they prefer those who are like them, as in having a pair of legs, as she puts pearls in her granddaughter's hair. She says she should be less concerned with that. Little Mermaid then sings a song for her family, who applaud at this. Desperate, Little Mermaid then decides to go see the sea witch for help. When Little Mermaid arrives at the sea witch's place, the sea witch tells her she knows what brings her there. That Little Mermaid wishes to become human before meeting the prince again. The sea witch tells her that when she becomes human, the soles of her feet will feel as if she were walking on broken glass, she won't be able to revert to a mermaid, and if she were to suffer from a broken heart, she'd turn into sea foam at sunrise, and die. Little Mermaid asks her just what she wants in exchange. The sea witch says her voice. Little Mermaid is reluctant to sacrifice it and asks how will she be able to communicate with the prince that she loves him. The sea witch suggests that she just flutter her eyes at him or something and tells her to take the deal or leave it. She accepts and she loses her voice once the sea witch takes out her tongue, and eats it. The sea witch speaks with Little Mermaid's voice briefly and returns her end of the bargain. She gives Little Mermaid a special potion to drink in order to replace her fish tail with human legs and feet at sunrise. The sea witch tells her to leave, as she feels a song coming on and Little Mermaid departs. Little Mermaid returns to her family and as they sleep, she silently tells each of them goodbye. At daylight, Little Mermaid visits the outside of the temple again and drinks the potion. A couple of guards find her unconscious, lying on the stairs, now having her fish tail replaced by legs and half-nude. 
Then, having been put in a night dress, Little Mermaid rests in bed. The prince checks on her, she's startled, but he tells her not to be alarmed. She's very pleased to see him again. He realizes that she can't seem to speak back when he talks to her. But she's a good listener. She attempts to get out of bed, but as she loses her balance and begins to fall, he catches her and puts her back in bed. He then goes off to get her something. Over time, Little Mermaid struggles to walk and learn how to adjust to her legs and feet, as she thinks about what the sea witch said about her feeling pain with each step. Gradually, she's getting the hang of it. She and the prince go outside to look at the ocean. She winces in pain and when he notices, she puts on a front to grin and bear it literally. One night, she and the prince are at a party. They step outside and go to the beach so they can be alone for him to tell her something. He tells her about his parents having planned an arranged marriage for him but says there is someone else he had in mind to marry. Little Mermaid mistakenly looks as if she believes he's talking about her, but it's actually the blonde princess who found her earlier. Little Mermaid is saddened by this news. He tells Little Mermaid that he and the princess have to take a trip and asks if she'll accompany them. Nodding yes, she relents and this satisfies him. When the day comes, the guards send them and a few others off as they set sail. At night, two of Little Mermaid's sisters show up and they wave to each other. The prince asks her just who she's waving at, but they swim off before he could get a good look at them long enough. He thinks what he thought he saw was just an illusion caused by a reflection of the moonlight on the ocean's surface and doubts mermaids are real after all. Little Mermaid is heartbroken that she's helpless to tell him anything. The next day, they reach their destination and a crowd is out to greet them and cheer. The ship travelers wave back and the prince kisses Little Mermaid, she is content at this, looking like she may still have a chance with him after all. After entering a room in the palace, the blonde princess enters it. The prince takes a look at her for a moment and tells her he recognizes her. She recognizes him as well, as each had found the other on the beach. With this realization being too much for Little Mermaid, she faints in response at this and the prince, and captain, come to her aid. The prince and princess have their wedding and marry, he takes a gold ring off of a pillow, places it on her finger, and they kiss. Little Mermaid is behind the princess, holding her train, and can't bear to watch this. Back on the ship, later that night, Little Mermaid is seated in a fetal position, face down on her knees at the thought that she'll never be with the prince. She looks up briefly, watching silhouettes of the couple dancing shone through two curtains, and she puts her face back down on her knees again. She thinks about the sea witch mentioning that she'll turn into sea foam the next summer. Then, her sisters come back to see Little Mermaid. They explain the sea witch told them what happened, they cut their hair and gave pieces of it to the sea witch in exchange for a dagger, which one of the sisters tosses up to Little Mermaid to use to stab and kill the prince. Little Mermaid is told she'll regress to a mermaid if she does this and that she must hurry and do it at dawn. Little Mermaid finds the prince and princess asleep together. She begins to go for the kill, but just doesn't have the heart. Instead, she chooses to sacrifice herself and dives into the sea. With the dagger sinking, her sisters try to help her, but by daybreak, she dissolves into sea foam. The prince, princess, captain, and the two sailors discover that she has seemingly disappeared. The prince is the most saddened by this and can't understand just what could have happened to her. Little Mermaid emerges from the water as a spirit and she regains her speech. Two other, female spirits come to tell her that she is now a daughter of the air. She cries with tears of happiness at this. When asked if she'll join them, she says she will, but tells them there's one thing she has to do first. She heads back to the ship. A rainbow descends from the heavens behind the prince and princess. She gives a kiss to each of them. Although they feel it, they have no idea where it came from nor who could be where they are, yet they don't notice who it is. The prince says that somehow, he has a feeling that wherever Little Mermaid is, she is just fine. Little Mermaid's sisters gather on a large rock and are melancholic at the loss of her. Little Mermaid flies toward them, telling them that now she must join the other spirits, but tells her sisters she'll visit them. And with that, the sisters watch the spirits as they ascend into the sky.
== Physical Appearance ==
The Little Mermaid is a slender half-human, half-fish hybrid with fair skin for the upper body, has blue eyes, and blond hair that's usually in a braided tail that reaches her rear. She wears a red starfish on each side of her head and a harlequin green, asymmetric top that shows off her midriff with a piece of it missing on the neckline. Her lower body is a Tiffany blue fish tail.
As a human, her hair is unbraided and straight. She wears a shin-length, baby blue night dress with lace on the collar, short sleeves, and hemline. She also wears a white blouse with long, puffy sleeves; a turquoise vest with a split at the waist and a scoop neckline; a mostly Prussian blue, shin-length skirt with a teal stripe beneath it; white socks; and black flat shoes.
== Personality ==
The Little Mermaid is a hopeful, optimistic romantic. She is also selfless, loyal, righteous, and altruistic.
Category:Cartoon Heroes
Category:Female
Category:Merfolk
Category:Fantasy Heroes
Category:Loyal
Category:Teenagers
Category:In Love
Category:Humanoid
Category:Honorable
Category:Heroes of Folklore
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Tragic
Category:Mutated
Category:Harmonizers
Category:Hybrids
Category:Optimists
Category:Deal Makers
Category:Rescuers
Category:Deceased
Category:Elementals
Category:Siblings
Category:Anthropomorphic