Chapter 8: Adoration

After visiting the sea-witches, the rest of Alurel’s yesterday had been spent uneventfully.

It was morning of a new day, and she had promised Ethan she’d meet him at her special island to pick up the flowers. She wouldn’t dare disappoint him or herself by missing since an eventful encounter.

Almost every day, Alurel was expected to help Atlantis by surveying parts of the sea. Her ‘job’ gave her the perfect cover to do as she pleased, as it was assumed as a great mermaid that she could handle gathering information for miles all by herself.

That’s why Alurel was surprised when, on her way towards the surface, she ran into a mermaid. It was a normal, little mermaid. One the size of a human. She recognized them from their blonde hair and blue tail. It was Orabelle, one of the more skilled mermaid surveyors.

Alurel swam over towards the little mermaid as the blonde being waved to her giant self.

“Hey Alurel.”, she said.

Alurel waited till she was close to say anything, close enough that her head loomed near the little merwoman.

“Orabelle.”, said Alurel. “What are you doing out here? This is my territory for surveying.”

“I know.”, said the blue-tailed mermaid. “I wanted to tell you, but couldn’t find you. King Poseidon was worried about you, he thought you felt bad about the ship and the eels the other day: not knowing what happened to them, that is. So, he sent me to help you survey the area as your partner for today. You know, to help you out, and help keep you company!”

“Aww.”, said Alurel in her normal, sweet voice. “That’s a very sweet thought of him, and you too.”

“Thanks.”, said Orabelle.

“But, I can’t have that. It could mess with my plans.”

“Plans? Alurel, what are you talking about?”

Alurel lunged forward, mouth open. She took Orabelle into her gob, with only the littler mermaid’s tail sticking out between her lips. It wiggled frantically, causing Alurel to let out a muffled giggle as it felt almost ticklish

She slurped Orabelle fully in with ease, and tasted the mermaid briefly.

“Alurel, w-what are you doing?!?”

The great mermaid swallowed, sighed.

“Ah, well, that’s one problem nipped in the bud. Sorry my little friend, but I can’t have someone tattling on what I do and don’t do. Actually, this kind of takes care of two issues at once. With you gone, the King will also view my territory as too dangerous for anyone but a great mermaid to navigate. That means I have even more space to myself here.”

Alurel laughed, flapping her tail fin towards the surface. One problem Orabelle didn’t solve was Alurel’s overall hunger. The little mermaid was but a tiny morsel, really.

Thankfully, on her way up, Alurel spotted a school of squid, swimming in unison. She quickly gulped them all down. Her throat sent them down to her digestive gut, where they rained down all over Orabelle.

“Oooh, you’re really squirming in there.”, mused Alurel moments later.

At her size and speed, she reached the island fast. Though it was early in the morning, she was surprised to see Ethan already there waiting on the cliff. He had a basket on his shoulder with white cloth covering it. Otherwise, he had the same outfit as before: a blue shirt and white trousers with brown boots. Although, the clothes did seem cleaner and much dryer this time around.

She swam up to her, her massive form looming above the clifftop as she took up a floating-standing posture. She wasted no time in chatting with the prince.

“Ethan! It is good to see you. Did you bring the flowers?”

“Alurel! I did indeed, and it’s a joy to see you again. I must admit, since yesterday I couldn’t stop thinking about-Whoa!”

The great mermaid pinched up her princely companion, bringing him up to her wall-sized face.

“Let’s see it!”

“Haha, eager are you. Here you go.”

He held out a bunch of them, then spoke.

“I found quite a few of them. It took a bit of walking. Like you said, they were sheltered by tall trees.”

“Did you take all of them?”, she asked.

“Oh no, I left some near the trees I found them in. I wouldn’t want to uproot them all.”

Alurel frowned a moment, though quickly fixed her expression.

“Well, it looks like you got plenty. My thanks Ethan, you have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

“And I you. Do you wish to take them.?” He held out his arm, holding the flowers, but pointed the limb towards her other hand.

“Ah, no, place them on my tongue actually.”

“But, won’t they put you to sleep if eaten? I thought you were gonna use them on-”

She giggled.

“Oh silly, they don’t work if eaten. They need to be refined first. Besides, I’m not actually going to *eat* them, I’m just going to swallow them. We merfolk actually have a separate, special stomach just for safekeeping. I plan to bring them there. Now, be a treat and place them for me, won’t you. Aaaaah~”

She stuck out her tongue, and Ethan gently set the flowers on its surface. She quickly gulped them down, focusing to get them into the proper storage-stomach of hers. She trusted Ugsila wouldn’t dare mess with them in there. Even if that sea-witch didn’t care for her own life, Ugsila was smart enough to know that she wouldn’t be the only sea-witch punished for such an act. The entire coven would be wiped out by Alurel’s fury.

Ethan spoke once more.

“You know, speaking of treats. I brought something else for you.”

“You did? *Welllll* lemme see it silly!”

He chuckled, taking something else out of that cloth-covered wicker basket of his. The spherical thing fit square in his palm, and had a golden-brown color to it. Squinting, Alurel noticed swirls of red at the top of the teeny-tiny thing--like indents. It smelled very sweet, though the exact odor wasn’t anything Alurel had smelled before.

“What is it? It smells lovely?”, she said.

“It’s a human desert: a pastry. More specifically it’s a cherry tart.”

“A cheery? It’s made with those?”

“Yes, and some softer bread dough. Have you heard of cherries?”

“I’ve heard of them, but never tried it. I’m excited.”

“Great, yeah I thought we might share-”

“Aaaaaah~~~”

She stuck her tongue out again, awaiting the treat. With a shrug, Ethan threw it onto her tongue.

The pastry was but a crumb to Alurel really, but her senses were very keen. Once on her tongue, she squished the treat against the roof of her mouth. It flattened there, squeezing out the richly sweet cheery flavor over her taste-buds, which spread farther as it mixed with her saliva. She swallowed it down after, her eyes closed from focusing her senses.

“How was it?”, asked the prince.

“Oh Ethan, it was wonderful. Thank you~”

She brought him to her lips for a kiss, which made his body warmer and limper in her hands.

“Thank you so much for coming. You must’ve gotten up early to beat me here.”

“Yes, you said morning so I wanted to be thorough. I got up when the sky was still dark actually.”

“What?”, said Alurel. “Then, how did you navigate here?”

“Why, I used a compass of course. There was also a bit of sun by the time I reached the boat. With it, I could find my way to the island with ease.”

“And your sailboat?”

“It’s settled near the beach. I tied It to a boulder with some rope, and set some stones on the deck of it for good measure. I just hiked up here and waited.”

“Oh Ethan, that is so very sweet of you.”

She gave him another kiss, then another. Ethan very much felt the effort he put in for this day was worth while.

“Why, you’re sweeter than that pastry of yours.”, said Alurel.

She sighed.

“Better yet, the day will soon come that there can be cherries shared with all under the sea, perhaps. At the very least, our people will be closer than ever soon. Your world, a part of mine; I don’t think it’d be as easy without you Ethan. I really appreciate it.”

Ethan smiled as she adjusted her hold of him to set him in down her right palm.

“Well, it was worth it just to see you smile Alurel. Plus, I know you’ll help The Afflelands with our own problems once your queen of the seas.”

“Oh don’t worry Ethan.”, she smiled wider. “You won’t need to worry about those problems ever again soon after I become queen.”

He chuckled. “That’s the spirit!”

There was silence. She eyed him heavily, noticing his blush. Her palm moved him closer to her lips. She gave him another all-encompassing kiss. It was slower this time, lips lingering over his entire puny little body.

“I appreciate you too Ethan.”

Ethan was blushed silly.

“A-and I you, lady Alurel.”

“Come lay back with me on the water, and let’s appreciate each other a bit more. That sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

“V-very.”, replied Ethan.

She moved back from the cliff, gently lowering into the waters till a point where only her human upper-half stuck out. Than, she slowly laid on her back, floating. Her light-purple hair fanned out some in the sea waters. Her tail pointed straight out and gently, subtly moved up and down to keep herself afloat. Well, it wasn’t exactly subtle far as smaller beings were concerned, but it was subtle and quiet enough.

Ethan was moved to her lips, where she gave another tender kiss. She set him above her upper red-ish lip.

“Kiss me.”, she said.

“I-I wouldn’t know where to start.”, said Ethan.

“Anywhere.”, she said. “Let’s explore my body together. I mean, of course I know it well but, I’m sure it’ll still be exciting for us both.”

Ethan moved up to the lip flesh in sight, and planted his own kiss upon it, then again and again. He squeezed it, hugged it, did as much as he could to get her to feel. There was just so very much of her, and so little of him by comparison. When she even slightly moved her lip, this was made clear. Minor twitches from her shifted the very ground beneath him; many would’ve knocked him over if he didn’t grab at her flesh for steadying himself.

Her fingers neared him again, delicately closing in to pinch him up. Even the prints of her finger tips were as walls to him, able to clamp him from either side in a gentle yet immobilizing hold. Up he went to the tip of her nose as she laid back.

She giggled, seeing him balance himself there.

“Take off your shirt.”, she said. Her voice boomed around him, even speaking near her gentlest.

“As you wish, Alurel. Although, if you wish to get even more intimate, I wouldn’t mind removing more.”

“No.”, she said. “Just your shirt. I want to see your chest.”

She giggled.

“Don’t worry,”, continued Alurel. “I’ll show you mine again soon. You humans like that too, don’t you?~”

His face was red. Shirt off, he bent in a curved rest around his neck.

“I certainly would.”, he said, chuckling softly.

Alurel squinted, eyeing his reasonably toned abs and pectorals. Her two front teeth teased at her lower lip. She pinched him up again and brought him to her lips.

Ethan braced himself for another smooch. Alurel practically purred for this one with the force of her “mmmmm~”. He felt the very tip of her tongue poke out to lap at the fair-skin of his bared chest.

It felt quite nice, if a bit forceful.

“A-a-alurel...”, he stammered.

She very slightly pursed her lips. With a calculated, pursed-lips inhale she sucked the rolled-up blue-shirt off of his neck and into her mouth, swallowing.

“A-alurel, my shirt...”

She softly laughed, her own cheeks blushing a little red now too.

“Come now, I’m sure a ‘prince’ has a room full of shirts to replace it with.”

He laughed softly.

“Well, not quite a room. Did you take that to that treasure-stomach you were talking about?”

“Why would I?”, said Alurel. “I can treasure you right here and now. I ate it, so I’d feel something like a little part of you within me. Now, kiss me some more while I prepare~”

Ethan briefly wondered as to what she meant by that, since if his shirt was in that strange storage-stomach, wouldn’t that be inside her either way? She seemed flushed when it happened, was she enjoying the idea of digesting his upper-garment?

He thought it strange, but he didn’t think of it long. She moved him down to her neck. The skin there was thinner. He could feel the blood pump nearby if he set his hands to the right spot. The throat beneath him jostled him up with every swallow of saliva from his giant mermaid companion.

Still, he did as he was told. He bent forward into that flesh, peppering it with tender kisses. He spread his arms out in the area, both to get a better hold, but also to try and convey a sense of hugging. Even still, her every swallow, no matter how shallow, jostled him.

She was so incredibly powerful, so very overwhelming of his senses.

Meanwhile, Alurel’s back shifted with delight as he teased her neck. She moved her hands towards her shell-bra. She didn’t undo the straps, but rather gently pushed against her breast flesh to slide the cupping shells down. This let the bra itself wiggle below her breasts, near her tummy. This way, it wouldn’t flow or sink away, yet her perky bosom was still bared new to the pleasant morning sea air.

She picked him up again, moved him over towards her left nipple. Ethan somehow managed to get even more flush in his cheeks.

She set him there on that pink circle. It was wider than he was.

“Enjoy.”, she said.

He obeyed, moving over to the nipple and hugging it. It was already growing stiffer before she had even set him down, but it quickly reached a full erectness. As such, the height of her nipple came close to dwarfing him.

The prince had to stand in order to press his hands against the top. He massaged the area, wrapped his legs about it best her could for stability. That done, he started pelting that sensitive pink flesh with kisses.

Alurel let out a curt little coo.

“Good, help please me.”, she said.

Alurel lifted her arms. One moved to her right breast, while the left moved won towards her fish tail. She had bent that part of her body so it was completely under the water. The hand there stirred, clearly moving even though Ethan couldn’t see exactly what was going on there. Did part of her scales retract, as he had thought?

He looked, too, toward her other right hand. It massaged her right breast gently. Then, he looked up to her face, best her could. Her saw her eyes near-closed, her lips twitching in expressions of delight.

“Alurel, if you trusted me to, and if you wished, I could help you... down there. I’m sure there is an even more sensitive area I could be.”

A curt little, cutesy coo escaped her mouth again.

“Oh Ethan, my darling prince, how sweet of you to offer. I appreciate it but, mmf.” She shuddered with pleasure.

“-But, it is not a matter of trust or want. My genitals would crush you without mercy. It is too dangerous for someone small as you.”

She had known this from experience.

Ethan cocked his eyebrows. That didn’t sound entirely pleasant.

“You are where I want you.”, she continued. “Treat me as your queen, please me to the best of your abilities. That is what I desire.”

“I will.”, said Ethan. “I love you Alurel.”

“And I adore you, Ethan.”, replied Alurel. “Now, please me. Hug me. Rub your chest against my nipple. I want to feel you more.”

Ethan did as he was asked. With as best a hug around the nipple as he could manage, he shimmied his body up and down, grinding his toned front against the erogenous region. Though it was extra effortful on his part, he tensed those muscles best he could to try and provide a rigid texture punctuated by the slight indents of his anterior musculature.

He thought she must’ve enjoyed that, as her coos grew louder, more frequent. There were splashing noises from where her left hand was beneath the surface. As she ‘rubbed herself’ faster and faster, churning the water near, she also rubbed her right breast with an increasing vigor to match.

Her eyes were shut, her voice roaring out coos and moans of delight. Ethan could hear the beat of her heart as her arousal increased. He felt as though he might even be feeling its vibrations too, but it was hard to tell as her entire body moved from her own efforts and pleasures.

Ethan turned towards that other breast of hers. He saw how effortlessly she moved that entire, perky mound. With little effort she made those small hills knead and move to her touch. He, on the other hand, couldn’t even push her erect nipple all that much, let alone the breast on which he worked.

Still, he did his best. He loved her. He poured his energy into the nipple.

His eyes closed and his imagination came to life. He imagined a future together, with him sailing over to this island on a royal visit. She’d be queen then, both their kingdoms at peace. She’d set him on her lips, and they’d kiss each other best they could. They’d chat for hours about the excitements in their domains. They’d trade gifts from the sea and the land, much as he imagined everyone would once Alurel and he had their respective reforms.

His imagined future was a good one, and appealing too, with meetings like this abounding. He felt her nipple against his body now, and imagined feeling it more in the future, only getting better at pleasing his tender beloved, no matter how big she was in comparison to him.

Alurel was imagining things too, her eyes closed. She saw herself as queen at last. The kingdoms were united as she wished, and she imagined men just as handsome as Ethan crawling over her, alongside some beautiful women. They pampered every inch of her body best as their little hands and mouths could. They’d grind their bodies all over her, offering their efforts to her whims.

“We live for you, my queen.”, they’d say.

“We love you, my queen.”

Ethan was there too of course, in her fantasy, right at her nipple. He and the others would offer to throw themselves into her mouth or sex, if only it’d bring her a moment’s joy. The devotion excited her, thrilled her.

“Yes.”, she cried out aloud. “Yes.”

Her rubbings intensified. Her body was getting warmer. Her tail-fin started to splash faster. Her left hand pleased herself so fast, it practically worked up bubbles near the surface from the vigor of it.

“Yes, yes~ Aa~” She cooed, moaned, her ecstasy rising, waiting to burst.

“Y-yes.”, called out Ethan as well. He felt his own warmth rising. He had never achieved bliss without his hands in his own ‘area’ before, but it seemed it would come soon.

It was hard to hold on to her nipple with her body bucking as it did. Her moans rose in volume to the point they rocked his ears.

“Yes, yes. I-, mnnf, I am quee-nnf, Ah!”

Alurel suddenly sunk her body down below the surface at the moment of her orgasm. She wanted to feel the water all around her, the contact of the sea against as much of her skin as possible. Only her head poked out, and from a wide open maw she unleashed a blaring, powerful roar of a moan.

Pleasure wracked her entire form, which flailed just below the depths. Her tail-fin curled and her hands froze for a moment in a pleasurable spasm, before she quickly rubbed herself some more, summoning out every bit of orgasmic delight she could from the moment.

Ethan, meanwhile, found himself in more than a bit of a shock. Before his own delight was reached, he had suddenly been plunged underwater. Alurel had the good sense to to move her right hand to her left breast, holding him steady against her nipple in a press. Still, even if that kept him safe from her wild, disorienting movements, he still felt those bucks of her body shaking his own.

He also couldn’t quite breath in the water, and a part of him began to worry. She kept her body beneath for a good few seconds. It wasn’t just during that orgasm of hers itself, but she floated her form beneath the surface for a little of her post-climax relaxation as well.

Thankfully, Alurel resumed her float once more soon enough. She was once more laying on her back. Her left hand came up to rest on her tummy, and the seawater cleaned it of any fluids she may have expunged in her bliss. Her fish-half also seemed entirely its usual self, without any visible slit or sliding of scales.

She moved her right palm off of her left nipple and took a quick look at the prince.

Ethan was panting to catch his breath. His entire body was soaked with the cool waters. The sudden bodily shock of what occurred had took him out of his own pleasure: cut him off from any sort of climax of his own.

She smiled down at him, and the slight sting of that faded away from his mind.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I got carried away I suppose.”

“I-it’s alright.”, he said. “I am happy you were able to enjoy yourself.”

Her cheeks were blushed, and her body was very warm. Her heart beat more gentle now, though if he focused he felt as though he could still hear it.

“Thank you Ethan.”, she said. “This day will be very important to me, and I’m happy to have met you.”

“And I you, Alurel. Although, if you’d be so kind to help me, well, I... wasn’t able to quite finish my own pleasu-”

The great mermaid reached over to pinch him up with her left hand now. She set him atop her taut fair-skinned tummy, above her navel. The region of her body gently rose and fell beneath his feet in tune with her breaths. She spoke while shimmying her shell-bra back into place.

“Would you be so sweet as to rub my tummy a bit, I think I’d enjoy feeling your touch a bit more.”

“I-, yes of course.”, he said. “Making you happy makes me happy.”

She laid back, letting the sun treat her skin to its warm. Her after-glow was only slowly beginning to fade.

Ethan massaged his hands into the supple flesh of her taut and flat abdomen. Her stomach made noises now and then, grumbles, gurgles. They were cute in a way. He also heard a bit of a scuttling sound there.

“Oh, you ate before coming here I can see.”

Alurel giggled.

“I had some squid, yes.”

He heard something else though. It sounded almost human, female. It sounded like a scream, muffled by flesh so as to seem distant.

‘Help! Heeeeelp!’, he thought he had heard.

“Alurel, did you eat anyone.”

“What? What makes you say that?”, she asked.

“I just thought I heard a scream is all.”

Alurel laughed it off.

“Oh, well, I also managed to catch some birds believe it or not. They can be a bit noisy.”

“Birds? Really? That’s impressive that you caught some.”

“Well, I can reach rather high I suppose, both snatching them out of the sky or just jumping out of the water.”

“You jumping out of the water like a dolphin or something? I bet that is quite the sight to see, and quite the splash.”, said Ethan, chuckling.

He had known, of course, that Alurel had eaten people before. He witnessed her devour at least a dozen pirates. Still, he didn’t think her the type to eat what sounded like some poor woman. Her explanation make sense to him, as a large part of him wanted that to be the truth.

Yes, he believed her explanation thoroughly, and had no idea her stomach had been digesting a normal mermaid this whole time. He had no clue that a living, sapient person thrashed around against hundreds of squid with every buck of Alurel’s body, every movement of Alurel’s pleasure. He had no idea that the litter mermaid was burning, near death, in the acids of the gigantic mermaid he loved.

Alurel picked him up again, figuring she had spent enough time playing around. She still had much to take care of.

“Ah, you are going so soon?”, said Ethan.

She lifted him up to her lips, gave him one more kiss, then set him back atop the cliff. He would have preferred being brought to the beach, so he wouldn’t have to walk to his boat, but he felt it’d be a bit forward or rude to request as much. Besides, her kiss had such practical thoughts of logistics in the back of his mind.

“Yes, silly~.”, she replied. “I have to claim the Trident today. There’s much to be done. But, tomorrow morning, let’s meet again. You can be the first human to see me then, once I’m queen.”

Ethan chuckled, smiling. “I can’t wait to see it. Queen Alurel. Things will be much better for both our kingdoms once you take your throne.”

“Yes.”, said Alurel. She moved away from the cliff, sinking back into the waters.

“Much better.”, she said.