Curate, connect, and discover
This ficlet was for a collaboration. This was loosely inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean world. My first kick at the can for doing an AU.
Also my OC's debut. I hope you love Arya as much as I love her.
A Familiar Melody
Rating- PG 13
Word Count- 5,374
TW- Mentions of death, implied grief, implied disappearance
Summary
A quiet night on the Maurader leads to a heartfelt reunion between Echo and a long-lost love.
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Despite all the chaos on the Marauder, Echo found solace at night on the deck listening to the rhythmic crashing of waves against the ship. The salty smell of the sea mingled with the humid air, the gentle breeze creating another calming layer to the night. His brothers were at the tavern this evening, their sister Omega sound asleep in the bunks below. The stars twinkled above him. Echo felt his eyes becoming heavy as he began to be pulled into the sound of the waves below.
He heard a voice that immediately pulled him out of the sleepiness, the voice was beautiful, alluring. Echo could recognise the melody from anywhere, it was a song from home when he was younger. He remembers the festivals Coruscant had at night and many of the children in the town trying to sneak out of their homes just to get a listen to the music in the square. He missed the music that the town had, it stopped the day that Arya went missing. Arya?… it couldn't be, he thought.
Her parents were very influential figureheads in the town. The one thing her family was known for was their music and their beautiful daughter. Arya captured the eye and hearts of many people in town, she always turned heads by her ethereal beauty and angelic voice. This included himself. She was only a year his senior. There were rumours in the town of Arya being found as an infant on the beach wrapped in a blanket of seaweed. She was believed to be a siren graced to walk the earth instead of the sea. Her long auburn hair shimmered in the sun, her eyes as blue as the sea she was rumoured to have been born from.
She was not just beautiful, she was someone with an unbelievably kind heart and bright mind. Arya would make visits to the Tapoica home for Orphans to spend time with the children and sing for them. Unfortunately, the older boys in the orphanage did the chores and oftentimes they were still out working while she visited. He remembers as a child catching glances at her, and admiring her from afar.
Echo remembers the first time their eyes met. Arya accidentally bumped into him that day, her basket full of ingredients. He felt his heart skip several beats as their hands brushed as they both knelt down to grab the contents that fell from her basket. She was apologetic, and her eyes soft, as she thanked him for his kindness. Echo found himself becoming lost in her gentle and kind gaze. After that day blossomed a beautiful unlikely friendship between the pair. They would walk side by side and would talk happily amongst themselves sharing a lot of laughs. It was not uncommon in the town for the rules of society to be looser than what they were on the mainland. So their friendship was not of concern to the others in the town, a young man and woman just enjoying the other’s company. They were teenagers at that point.
Echo remembers the last conversation they had together. Her words encouraged him to become a sailor. Her disappearance and the hole she left in his heart made that decision a lot more swift than it should have been. It was easy to admit to himself that he began to have feelings for her, but how could he not?
He remembers that day as if it happened not long ago. She was picking apples for her ailing neighbor. Her soft pink skirt paired with her embroidered corset and bodice she wore made his heart skip several beats. Her long hair flowing in the wind. She was struggling to grab one of the ripe fruits from the tree above her. Echo stood several heads taller than she was. He swiftly picked the fruit and handed it to her. Her gaze met his as she softly smiled placing the fruit in her basket. A soft ‘thank you’ fell from her lips as he feel deeper into her gaze. He was trying to igraine her face into his mind, he could not get over how lucky he was to be so close to her. Arya’s freckles were like if the stars had gently kissed her nose and cheeks, her lips were full and always wore a soft smile. He could not get over her beauty. He didn’t realize how long he had been staring.
“Echo, are you alright?” she asked softly cupping his cheek gently, her eyes beginning to fill with concern.
“Sorry, my mind was elsewhere,” he admitted rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed.
“That is more than okay, we are close to our spot anyways,” she paused, smiling at him. Arya gently grabbed his hand, “you can tell me what is on your mind and we can have a bite to eat,” she offered.
“You know I won’t say no to that,” he said, chuckling to himself. She began to chuckle softly slowly matching his pace as they continued to walk down the path.
She set down a blanket in the grasses at the high point of the island. The salty breeze filling your nose as the sound of the grass swayed in the wind with the gentle rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the rock below. The scene was truly beautiful. He looked over to Arya, who was completely relaxed with her hand gently on top of his as they ate together. Once the pair finished they often would talk until the sun began to set. As they sat on the blanket, Echo noticed how close to him she was getting
“It is truly beautiful isn’t it?” She murmured, moving to gently rest her head on his shoulder.
“It is very beautiful, but I am afraid to admit my eyes have seen something more beautiful than this Arya,” he whispered, leaning his head on top of hers.
“Really?! What could be more beautiful than this?” She asked a little confused, looking at him smiling gently waiting for his answer.
“I can think of one thing,” he murmured, just right above a whisper. As he tucked a blossom behind her ear. His touch lingered longer than what was acceptable between friends. His fingers settled on her chin. Echo was afraid he was overstepping, but she would say something, right? He had seen her turn down advancements from other men in town. Echo felt himself become very nervous as he felt his heart skip several beats. He began to try to gather the right words to say. His eyes fell to her lips, which were slightly parted. His eyes quickly moved to her gaze. He was locked in her trance.
“What would that be?” She whispered, their noses gently brushing, he did not realize how close they became. His hand cupped her jaw, he felt her breath fan against his lips. His eyes met hers, there was something different about this look in her eyes
“That would be you Arya,” he whispered, her eyes widened at this confession. Echo did not know what came over him as he closed the remaining distance pressing his lips against hers.
He shocked himself with his forwardness, he knew there would only be two ways this could end. The one ending scared him, he didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t want to ruin the best thing to happen in his life.
He started to pull away as an apology began to form on his lips. Something happened that he didn't expect. He felt her lips chase his as she chased his lips. He dreamed about what kissing her would feel like but it was far better than anything he could have imagined. Her lips were soft as they moved carefully against his. She sighed contently as his arm slid around her waist pulling her closer. The kiss was one full of nervousness yet full of love due to the feelings the pair shared for the other. They were smitten with each other.
“Echo?” she murmured against his lips.
“Yes?” he responded, chasing her lips, pressing his lips to hers again.
“There was something on your mind, I can tell,” she murmured, their lips touching still. Neither of them wanted to move away from the other.
“The only thing on my mind is you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. His gaze was intense on her. There was a look in her eyes that he had never seen before in the three years they had been friends. The look was soft and raw, when he looked into her eyes he felt that same feeling he got when he kissed her moments ago.
He felt her lips again on his, all hesitancy was gone between the pair. Their lips moving in sync with one another. His arms tightly around her waist as her arms found their way around her shoulders. Both drawing breathy sighs from each other. Echo knew he was addicted to her, but her kiss added another layer to this addiction.
They both knew the amount of possible trouble they could get in but neither of them seemed to care. If there was scandal, it would just push what the two of them really wanted deep down sooner. That was to spend the rest of their lives together, married.
He remembers the last moments with her before they went back home the night she disappeared.
The sun began to get lower and lower as the two still talked, Echo’s head found the comfort of her lap as she gently massaged his scalp. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her.
“I am going to sail the world one day, and there is no one else that I want to take with me,” Echo whispered.
“I'd love to travel the world with you too,” she said giggling. She looked up to the horizon to see the sun begin to fall just below the rock formation in their vision. Echo noticed her panic.
“The sun is setting, we should get going back,” she murmured. A pang of disappointment coursed through him. He didn’t want this moment to end.
They both stood up, and before Arya began to walk down the hill, his hand found her waist and pulled her into another kiss. He just could not get enough of her. Little did he know that it would be the last time he kissed her. She broke the kiss as she began to laugh. It was something he did not want to forget. Her laugh was beautiful and perfect.
“We make quite the pair don’t we?” She chuckled, as she placed her head on his chest, as she hugged him tightly.
“That we do,” he whispered gently, kissing her forehead. He looked into her eyes not knowing that it would be the final time. He wanted to hell her how he felt right then and there. He should have told her how he felt.
“I will see you tomorrow,” she whispered.
The last thing he remembers was her skirt and her hair blowing in the wind as she smiled at him one more time. Her figure disappeared into the night. He felt what he wanted to say all this time.
“Arya?” He called. His heart doing somersaults in his chest.
“Yeah?” She yelled back. Her voice was distant.
“I love you,” he yelled into the trees, waiting fiercely in anticipation for her to say it back but she never did. He just thought she was too far for his voice to carry. He would just tell her the next day. He never got that chance.
The next several days were a blur as the news of her disappearance rattled the town to its core. Echo felt his heart shatter into tiny pieces as each day passed with no sign of her. Echo and her family searched for many exhausting days and nights, fishermen went out on their boats to try and find her, but as many of the residents of the island knew that sometimes the ocean called someone home, they weren’t coming back.
Echo could not get over how quickly the island went back to normal after she vanished. He started to spend a lot of the time just walking along the shore hoping to find some sign of her. In that time Echo became very close to the old fisherman on the island. They would sit and enjoy his company, but often the fisherman would share the legends of mermaids.
Echo learned that in these legends often mermaids would leave their young on the shore to be found by humans and walk among humans only for the ocean to call them home under the full moon. The fisherman mentioned the characteristics of a mermaid to Echo and it partly made sense to him. It was a possibility that his dear friend and love of his life could have been a mermaid. There were times he would just sit at the docks just looking out into the ocean.
He remembers the stormy day he went to sit out on the docks but noticed the unmistakable colour of auburn out of the corner of his eye in the water. Echo felt that hope within him burned a little brighter. He didn't think that the old fisherman would mind if he went out like he had done several times before.
Outside the bay of the island, the wake was very dangerous especially in stormy weather. The waves were powerful, enough to capsize a large ship. The trek many sailors had to make to take refuge in the bay was close to the wall of rock, closed in my shallow reefs.
Echo had the sail’s rope in one hand while controlling the rudder with the other as another wave came over the bow of the boat. It was a stupid idea for him to be out in the bay with this kind of weather. Echo knew that it would be a losing battle trying to navigate the waters now. If he capsized it would be disastrous but he didn’t care. He did not have much to live for. Arya was gone, her family turned their backs on him. Maybe death was the easy way for him to be with her again. He just needed to know that she wasn’t out there. He felt the boat begin to tip as it was swallowed by a large wave, taking him under water.
Panic overcame him as he tried to break the surface of the water just be pulled down by the current. The bruning in his lungs became to much to bear as his throat burned as the salty taste of the water overcame his taste buds. He felt his body sink to the bottom. The ocean around him was dark but he saw flecks of gold with an intense shimmer.
He recognized the auburn hair from anywhere. She found him. He reached out to her. The one thing he wasn’t expecting to feel a hand grabbing back. Echo began to panic as instead of seeing legs he saw a long and beautiful tail. Intense bursts of red on the tips of her fins moving into a soft blue and gold. It was beautiful. He felt the mermaid cup his cheek.
“Oh Echo” Arya whispered, cupping his cheek gently.
“You can breathe my love, take a breath,” she whispered, encouraging him to take a breath. He felt a sense of panic wash through him as he began to breathe underwater.
“How is this even possible?” He asked panicked, completely overrun by the fact she is here, alive, but a mermaid.
“We kissed the day I disappeared, remember?” She said blushing remembering back to that day.
“I don’t exactly remember that day, could you maybe jog my memory?” he asked, smirking. She chuckled at the antics she missed so much.
“Of course my love,” Arya whispered against his lips. This feeling was completely foreign to the pair. Arya’s long hair moving so beautifully around the pair. Her long yet powerful tail shimmered in the sun.
Echo felt her lips touch his in a soft and gentle kiss. He couldn’t believe this was happening again, she was alive. Their lips moving in a soft and gentle rhythm. He felt her hand move his arms around her waist as her hands made their way around his shoulders pulling him closer. The feeling of her kiss felt like coming home. He missed her so much, to have the opportunity to hold her in his arms again, in this moment he was the happiest man alive.
She broke the kiss and pressed her forehead to his. Her eyes were gentle, he missed her eyes. She smiled softly, “I love you Echo.”
“I guess the rumours were true then,” he said chuckling. She let out a laugh, he missed the sound of her voice.
“Arya, I have so many questions, What happened?” he asked, feeling himself become very emotional.
“I wish I could answer all of your questions my love. They will all be answered in time. I promise,” she whispered. “I love you so much Echo.”
Echo felt the sun on his face as his eyes snapped open. He doesn’t know how he got onto the beach. He began to cough and sputter trying to regain his breath. He felt something cold between his fingers and when he layed eyes on it, he knew exactly what it was. It was Arya’s silver locket she always had on. The locket weighed heavy in his hands as he opened it to find a drawing of his tucked into it. He felt his eyes water as he started at the locket more and more. All of the hope that once filled his heart became empty with sadness. He knew it was foolish to think that Arya was alive somewhere.
Echo began his walk back to the fisherman’s hut to apologize for ruining his one boat. As he heard a commotion coming from the dock. His feet began to pick up speed as he got closer to the dock. The moment he layed eyes on the fisherman, he knew he was gone. Echo’s eyes welled up with tears as he called for someone to get a doctor, he carried the man back to his home. The fisherman’s weight feeling heavier, he was still warm but there was truly no sign of life left.
It has been four years since that day on the docks. He joined a group of sailors that call themselves the bad batch a few weeks after that incident. He followed his dream of sailing the world but he spent many nights unable to sleep. The boys encouraged him to try and move on but Echo just couldn’t do it.
He feels himself getting closer and closer to the voice. Echo’s eyes fell to a figure sitting at the end of the docks, the voice became more clear than it was before. His heart skipped several beats, it was her voice. He felt the weight of her necklace weigh heavier on his neck. In that moment, Echo couldn’t control the words that fell from his lips.
“Arya? Is that you?” He asked, kicking himself for asking such a thing to a stranger. She has been missing for 4 years.
He watched the figure slowly turn their head as they slowly got up from their spot on the dock. It was a woman based off of the long hair blowing in the wind. The speckles of moonlight being sparse as two ships remained docked there in that moment.
“Echo?” The figure whispered. Echo recognized her voice almost immediately.
She slowly came closer. The light of the moon shone perfectly as it confirmed to him that it was her. The flash of her auburn hair and piercing blue eyes gave it away. Tears began to prick his vision, as his knees buckled, completely overcome with emotion. She is alive. After all this time she is alive.
He watched as she began running towards him. The distance between them diminishing at each step she took. Her skirt moving with each move. Echo finally found the strength to move again. He waited for her with his arms outstretched. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as she jumped into his arms wrapping her arms around his neck. This was really happening. His arms found their spot around her waist, hugging her tightly. Echo let out a relived sob, as she held on to him tighter. He felt her tears touch his skin. They held eachother for what seemed like an eternity but neither of them wanted to let go.
His hands gently cupped her face as he brushed away her tears with his thumbs. He just wanted to take in her beauty in this moment. Echo couldn’t truly believe it. There was one thing he wanted to do more than anything. He didn’t hesitate as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
The feeling of kissing her again was something truly magical. Her lips were as soft as he always remembered them to be. It was a desperate kiss, the kind that says how much they have missed each other, how scared they were of never seeing the other again. It was the first kiss they shared in years, and to him it was the best one yet.
His lips were pressed hard to hers as she returns the pressure and intensity of the kiss. She held him close as his arms slipped around her waist.
Echo pulled away just for a moment as he kissed her again, softer this time. Gentler. It was slow and deliberate as he felt her fingers move to the nape of his neck pulling him closer.
He did not know how long he had been kissing her, or how long she had been kissing him, but it didn’t matter. It was not enough, it could never be enough. He needed more of her. After four years of not having her by his side, he finally had her and he did not want to let go. He wanted to feel every part of her close to him, so close that he could feel her heartbeat.
She sighed contently as the kiss deepend. His hands drifted sliding down the curve of her spine until his hands were pressed to the small of her back pulling her even closer.
He knew if someone caught them it would cause quite the scandal, they were no longer at home. Neither of them seemed to care. Arya finally broke the kiss as she pressed her forehead to his. Echo felt his eyes flutter open after several moments of being a part. He missed her. He openned his eyes to see her, smiling softly at him. Her lips a little kiss swollen but he knew his would be as well.
“Y-You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you,” he whispered looking intensely into her eyes. Echo knew that he never would really belong anywhere but there was a feeling he had whenever he was with her, she felt like home. He watched as tears continued do fall from her cheeks. They stayed there for a while just finding comfort in thne other’s embrace. After four years, they were finally together again.
“Echo,” she whispered. He felt his heart flip as he forgot how good it felt to hear his name fall from her lips. “You are just as handsome as I remember,” she murmured as she pressed her lips to his cheek.
“Why don’t we sit because we have a lot of catching up to do,” she murmured against his shoulder, holding him tightly.
“That we do,” Echo said chuckling as he offered a hand to her. She accepted it as they walked back to the ship together.
The pair sat out on the deck of the ship where they spent hours catching up on everything that happened. Echo came to understand that Arya became enchanted by the moon that night she disappeared, and discovered that she was a mermaid, but she couldn’t return to land. That was until she found her pod, which he learned were a big group of mermaid families together. She met her mother, and father. Along the way she met a friend Neytine, who was enjoying her time at the tavern with one of Echo’s shipmates Crosshair. Arya admitted that she watched him from the sea days after they were looking for her. She wanted to return so badly, but she couldn’t. She also told him of the things she learned while at sea, how she followed the marauder everywhere to make sure he was safe.
“Echo is this her? The girl that you always talk about,” Omega asks. The couple snapped out of their conversation.
“Omega, you are supposed to be asleep,” Echo softly scolded her as he scooped her up in his arms.
“I was but I had a nightmare,” the little girl said sheepishly, looking down at her feet.
“Oh Echo, she is beautiful, when were you going to tell me about her?” Arya said completely taken aback by the little girl. Echo watched as a big smile came over Arya’s lips and her eyes became even brighter.
“What is your name sweetheart,” Arya asked softly, crouching to meet her height as she tucked a strand of hair behind Omega’s ear.
Omega looked up at Echo, searching for any sign of danger. Instead she found a look of pure happiness. Omega has never seen Echo this happy.
“My name is Omega, what is yours? You are very beautiful, you must be the girl he always talks about,” Omega asks as she stepped closer to Arya reaching to touch her hair.
“Is that so?” Arya asks, shooting a glance over to Echo who now stood very rigid. Arya’s smile making his heart race.
“My name is Arya, it is lovely to meet you Omega. Echo and I go way back,” she said smiling at the little girl in her arms.
“You are very pretty,” Omega said smiling.
Arya chuckled as she blushed.
“I am not as pretty as you are Omega,” Arya whispered, beaming at the child in her arms.
“That is not true, you are very beautiful. When I grow up I hope to be as pretty as you are,” she admitted.
Echo watched as the two interected with eachother. Echo couldn’t help but smile watching the love of his life interact with someone he became very protective over. Omega became like a daughter to all of the boys on the Maurauder.
Echo watched as Omega’s curiosity wore her out asking Arya all the questions she could think of. Omega slowly fell asleep on Arya’s shoulder, completely comfortable with her.
Arya was always that way. Echo remembers the day they went to the market and running into a mother who’s baby was fussing. He remembers Arya offering to help, and when Arya began gently rocking the child, she immediately soothed the infant for the mother.
“Where does she normally sleep Echo?” Arya asked snapping him out of his thoughts.
Echo showed her the bunk room as she put Omega back in her bunk, tucking her in. He watched as she kissed her forehead. The pair began to slowly leave Omega’s room.
“Arya?” Omega called quietly.
“Yes?” Arya responded quickly sitting on Omega’s bunk gently brushing some hair out of Omega’s face.
“Can you tell me a story?” she asks, her eyes tired but did not want the night to end with her new friend.
“I can think of one,” Arya responds, smiling softly at Echo.
Arya began to tell the story that Echo immediately recognized as their own. She told the story of a girl and a boy becoming close friends, how they fell in love. Before they could enjoy their life together, the girl was called back home to the sea. How the couple spent an eternity to be reunited again. He listens as she began telling of a romantic reunion between the pair. Arya’s eyes trailed over to Echo who was listening intently to her.
“Arya, is that the end?” Omega asks sleepily.
“Omega, it is only just the beginning of this story. Now, I will hopefully be able to finish this story tomorrow night.” She said winking.
“Goodnight Echo, Goodnight Arya,” Omega murmured.
“Goodnight sweetheart,” Arya whispered as she again pressed a gentle kiss to the childs forehead.
Echo did not understand why all of a sudden he was getting emotional watching as the love of his life interacted with Omega. His thoughts immediately went to the ring he still had in his trunk that he was going to propose with. Was it because he planned to meet with Arya’s father to ask for his blessing for her hand in marriage? Was it because this kind of life with her was something that he would never thought he would get to experience with her? He just knew how happy he was that she was back in his life even if it was not permanent.
The pair walked back out onto the deck as they sat back down side by side.
“What happened that day?” Echo asked nervously. He saw the discomfort rise in her body language as she began to fiddle with the sleeve of her bodice. The large amount of silence filled the deck with the water moving hitting the sides of the ship. Arya looked down to her feet, her eyes began to fill with tears. Echo reached out to hold her hand as they sat down side by side again on the deck.
“I wish I could tell you everything Echo, but I honestly do not fully understand what happened the night I disappeared,” she paused. Looking up at him through her lashes, ashamed.
“The pod calls what happened to me, the call home, basically when a mermaid is on land and has reached her maturity she gets called home to the ocean by the moon,” she said, her hair perfectly blowing in the wind. Echo continued to listen intently, as he reassuringly brushed his thumb over the top of her hand.
“As mermaids, similar to how the moon affects the tides, the moon can affect us as well. During a full moon, young mermaids can be caught in something called the moon spell,” she continued.” I remember returning home and sitting down to talk to my mom about what happened between us, I got a glimpse of the moon through the curtains,” she paused, trying to keep her composure, “and the next thing I know I’m in the water and all of a sudden a tail appears, I sat on the docks until I heard the men going fishing the next morning. The tail didn’t go away,” Arya admits, her voice cracking as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Echo’s heart broke hearing the hurt and pain she held in her voice. Hearing how scared she was, she knew how many people were hurting with her disappearance.
“It’s a full moon tonight, how is not it affecting you?” Echo asked curiously.
“It took a long time and a lot of training under the guidance of the older mermaids in our pod, I can harness the moons power through me, and the best part is. I can go between land and the water whenever I please,” she said smiling, her eyes locked with his.
“I am sorry that I have been gone for so long, I wish I could have returned sooner,” she whispered pressing her forehead to his.
“It’s okay, you’re back now and that is all that matters Arya,” he murmured looking into her eyes lovingly.
“I love you,” Arya whispered smiling against his lips.
“I love you too,” Echo murmured, softly pressing his lips to hers.
After a long-awaited four years, the pair finally reunited. When the batch returned, they finally got to meet the woman that Echo talked about so much. She and her sister Neytine became well-respected members of the crew. All to think that Echo was finally reunited with Arya all because of a familiar melody.