Aqua Blue Headband

Boom --

Accompanied by a loud noise, a shell across the blue sky, a rock blast shattered, originally entrenched on the reef mermaid hurried into the sea, however, red blood still dyed the sea.

"Fire! Fire!"

The general stood on a splint, jumping furiously and waving his saber wildly.

Under his command, the shells fell like a meteor shower on the sea.

"Your Excellency General! We have no more shells!"

The general kept growling as his adjutant tried to send him a message.

"What? You're a bunch of worthless pigs! Go back to the dock and get some more!"

The sound of gunfire gradually subsided, and the beautiful mermaids began to emerge gradually from the sea.

A sweet but chilling song began to sound.

"Those damned sirens! The general pooh-poohed. "Go ahead and put wax in your ears! Retreat!"

"Yes! Your Excellency!"

The adjutant hastily took the wax he had prepared from his pocket and put it in his ear, signalling to the other ships by bright coloured flags.

Soon the fleet retreated.

"Leader Heppel, they're going back!

On a rock that was still intact, the chief mermaid's adjutant began to report.

"Andromeda, what is the condition of the wounded?"

"The wounded are probably... More than 60 percent?" Andromeda closed her eyes and her lips tightened. "Helena and Minina... They... Dead..."

Heppel's eyes closed. For the first time since the war between man and mermaid was declared, she was defeated.

We haven't even done them a little damage

"They used new weapons," Andromeda reported. "Those floating barrels... They're filled with gunpowder, and they've destroyed our crossbow troops."

"I see."

"Ah, and..."

Andromeda's voice trailed off.

"What is it, Andromeda?

"The mermaids are beginning to wonder if there's any point in us fighting humans like this..."

"Shut up! Heppel thundered, "Do you have a mentality worthy of our dead people?"

"Yes..." Andromeda bowed her head, the spray wet the ends of her hair.

"I will follow you to the death, leader Heppel."

The foam had drenched Heppel's hair, too, and the flaxen strands of hair tied to an aqua blue silk headband hung down her face, the water dripping slowly, shining like pearls in the sun.

Andromeda looked at Heppel's headband, lost in thought.

Heppel stroked the headband in the mirror every day.

And this headband is undoubtedly a human artifact.

Heppel is said to have loved humans...

Andromeda noticed that Heppel looked at the bright bloody red waves and unconsciously touched the headband with her hand.

Heppel's eyes grew more and more desolate.

"I will go to help the wounded."

Andromeda dived into the sea to examine the wounded. Heppel watched her without saying a word.

Does it really make sense?

Heppel didn't ask because she knew that whatever the answer was, it wouldn't be what she wanted.

Delaconia is a coastal country, with ports and sea transport as the main means of trade, economic exchanges with other countries.

The adjacent sea called Melolania is the national province of mermaids, and mermaids of peace live and work here in Melolania.

However, mermaids’ tradition dictates that they hold a celebration on the night of the full moon, and their singing disturbs the sailors of the merchant ships, causing them to run aground, causing damage.

Although most mermaids were happy to pull people out of the water, some were attracted by the novelty of food and beautiful clothes and jewelry on land, and some of the extremists began to set up shipwrecks on purpose so that they could take advantage of them.

On the other hand, the people of the land had a somewhat prejudiced view of mermaids as "an inferior race with tails," and there were also some ill-minded people who took advantage of their beautiful faces and beautiful singing voices, as well as their kind and simple hearts, and it became profitable to catch them and sell them in the black market. Many mermaids who travel alone are never back.

In fact, the leaders of other landlocked countries coveted mermaids for their beauty and talent, and they were willing to pay a high price for a mermaid slave.

The king of Draconia therefore legalized mermaid-fishing, for the royal merchant ships were often sunk by mermaids, and he did not much like his fish-tailed neighbors.

As time went by, war broke out.

After months of war, both the people and the mermaids suffered great losses. Finally, the mermaids leader reached an agreement with the king of the land, and the king decided to help the mermaids to fight the mermaids fishing industry. The mermaids also agreed to stop any singing activities on the sea.

However, once something happens, it's hard to end it completely.

Draconia's prince Dragan is engaged to the general's daughter Olivia, who is a spoiled daughter who always wants a mermaid slave to show off to her friends.

Prince Dragan was a gentle and kind man, and he always objected to his betrothed's behavior.

He prefers mermaids to humans, but no one knows why.

In this country, marriage between man and mermaid was absolutely forbidden, so the king, in order to prevent his son from having any unrealistic dreams, arranged for him to marry the general's daughter.

Even though Dragan doesn't like Olivia very much.

Dragan was a master of art. He would go to the coast at sunrise every day and paint an oil painting to record the beautiful scenery of the sea.

Olivia sees this, she steals away Dragan's ship, with her men, to catch herself a mermaid slave.

However, in order to protect their compatriots, the mermaids sank her boat.

She captured the mermaid slave, an old mermaid, think should maintain good mermaid relations, so Olivia and her men sent to the shore, at this time just met to paint Dragan.

The mermaid complimented Dragan on his painting skills, and told him that she had a daughter who was very fond of human art, and that she could introduce him to her.

She didn't know Olivia was engaged to Dragan, and Olivia felt threatened because of it.

Dragan did not think twice. He agreed.

Then one day the mermaid came to the shore with her daughters, because she had received word that Dragan had invited them to look at the paintings.

And waiting for them on the shore was Olivia and the general's own guard.

And the merciless blade and rope.

In the dispute, mermaid mother-in-law in order to protect her daughter was stabbed into serious injury, and her daughter also with self-defense with coral dagger stabbed Olivia's abdomen.

The Family Guard takes Olivia back to the royal capital, where Olivia's general father asks her what happened, and she tells him.

But not all the truth.

She told her father that she had been attacked by mermaids who wanted to kidnap her and use her as leverage to make a deal with the kingdom.

Olivia died of her wounds, and the general was devastated.

At the same time, mermaid mother-in-law also died because of the trauma caused by Olivia's men, her daughter also vowed to avenge her mother.

Her daughter was none other than Heppel, the leader.

Not knowing that Olivia was also dead, she swore revenge on her and attacked the king's fleet, whose flag bore the same symbol as the soldiers who were with Olivia at the time.

This became the trigger for a new war.

The general had permission to attack the mermaids, for in the king's eyes this was a dispute between the mermaids and a provocation against mankind.

He didn't know that part of Olivia's truth, but to him, it didn't matter.

It's time to conquer the mermaid kingdom once and for all.

On the other hand, the mermaid-fishing industry sanctioned by the king also made mermaids hate the people on land, and many of their beloved mothers and sisters are missing.

The leader's mother was killed. That's the bottom line.

The mermaids, led by Heppel, fought another protracted war against humanity.

But for Heppel, it's not exactly what she wants, as her mother is dedicated to maintaining a peaceful relationship between mermaids and the human kingdom.

But the desire for revenge is even stronger.

This sometimes left her deeply conflicted.

What about Dragan? He knew his fiancee's character, vanity and frivolous, since childhood, she knew that lying can get benefits from parents and elders, from her mouth can not hear a few words of truth.

He preferred to trust the mermaids, for he believed that they were good.

No one knows why.

Olivia's dead. A mermaid killed her.

He doubted it, because he knew it must have been self-defense.

In fact, he felt relieved because he had more time to paint.

The general and the king did not tell him of all-out war, only that there was a gang of mermaid-pirates to be put down. Because they believed that the prince's love for mermaids might be bad for humans.

For this they arranged for the prince to go to the palace, far away from the main battle, which had a better view than the battle.

But there are no mermaids here.

The prince looked for a place near the palace where he could see the sea, and there was a longing in his heart.

At last he found a lonely bay and painted a picture there.

But he accidentally fell into the ocean. At this time a passing mermaid saved him, not because he was attracted by his handsome appearance, because he fell into the sea is mermaid farmland, prohibited by human body pollution.

The mermaid is Heppel.

"Can't you fall into the water in the waters of human?"

"But who else can save me?"

Dragan replied with a smile.

He's not from the army.

There's no need to kill him anyway.

Heppel thinks so. Essentially, she doesn't want to hurt innocent people.

She returned Dragan to shore and found the canvas on the ground.

Above is a picture of man and mermaids living in harmony.

"I was saved by a mermaid as a child," Dragan said. "Ever since then, I have believed that humans and mermaids can coexist in harmony."

Heppel looked at him.

Mom thinks so, too.

Heppel went back, her thoughts racing.

When she was a little girl, her mother took her for a walk and came across a shipwreck. She and her mother saved a woman and a half-unconscious child. The woman thanked them by giving her a blue silk headband belonging to the child.

She remembered this for a long time. She loved mankind in her heart.

She touches the headband every day because it has been her spiritual support for a long time.

But when she woke up today, she found that the headband was missing.

It kept her uncomfortable all day.

Her frantic search led her to this part of the ocean.

So Dragan was saved.

Somehow, the man's paintings and words made her start to have hope in humanity again.

At this time Dragan returned to the palace, lying on the bed, remembering the memories of childhood.

He was sailing with his mother when the boat sank in a typhoon.

Though his memory was vague, he knew that the mermaids had saved them.

My mother gave my headband to one of the mermaids.

It was a young mermaid, and though I do not remember what she looked like, I must have known her if she had worn the headband.

My mother died of illness a few years ago, and her last words were for me to be a king who could preserve the relationship between people and mermaids.

Today's experience has reinforced that idea.

Back home, Heppel put aside her search for the headband and sought a messenger to write a letter of peace to the human king.

It's time for the war to end.

The king and the general received the letter, which they interpreted as a letter of surrender from the mermaids.

But they weren't going to let Heppel off the hook.

At this time Dragan also sneaked back to the king's city, he heard about this, decided to follow his father's ship, he thought he could suddenly appear at the peace talks, to express his opinion, but his father certainly would not agree, so he decided to sneak on board.

And then, the day of the peace talks.

The general and the king captured Heppel in a fake goodwill gesture.

'Heppel the chief! We're here to help!"

Andromeda then arrived with the mermaids' army, and attacked the king's and the general's ships.

In the chaos of the battle, Heppel stabbed the king in the heart, which was seen by Dragan, who was hiding nearby.

"You... Why are you here?"

"It was my father you killed."

"Muttered Dragan, his eyes glazed over.

Mermaids did not find Dragan, because they focus on the general and his soldiers .At this time Andromeda will push the general into the sea, the other mermaids follow her, will still be alive soldiers dragged down.

Only Heppel and Dragan were left on the ship.

"I thought we could work it out peacefully." "Muttered Dragan.

"That's what I thought，too." Heppel's hands were covered with blood sprayed from the king's chest.

But that's not going to happen now.

"You saved my life once." "Dragan said.

Heppel said nothing.

"Now that you know I'm a prince, what are you going to do? Kill me?"

Heppel looked at him with mixed eyes.

Heppel did not strike. Instead, she jumped off the deck.

Dragan watched her go away and raised the sails.

I'm sorry, Mom, but it looks like your dream was just an illusory one.

Dragan headed for shore, while Heppel swam out into the deep.

The king and the general are dead, and the war will be over for the time being.

But the dispute between mermaids and humans is not over.

Neither Dragan nor Heppel looked back for a second glance, and now they both had a devastated country to lead.

'Heppel the leader?

It was Andromeda, clutching Herpel's headband.

Dragan's mother gave her the headband.

"Why do you have it?" "Heppel asked.

"I... Because I was afraid you would waver..." Andromeda lowered her head.

She wanted to help Heppel make up her mind for the sake of the mermaids' future, that’s why she took the headband even though she knew Heppel would be furious and possibly kill her.

"Because every day you look at this headband... I was afraid you would..."

"It's all right, Andromeda." Heppel stroked her cheek. "This war is over. We won."

I'm not gonna waver anymore.

We have shown those despicable humans how mighty they have been.

And how naive I was.

"What shall we do, King Dragan?

A few days later Dragan succeeded to the throne without surprise.

"Keep training new sailors and soldiers," said Dragan, "and new fleets."

Until we kill all the mermaids.

As for the headband, the mermaid who had saved his life when he was a boy, the mermaid who had saved his life recently.

It doesn't matter anymore.