Burning (Ursula gen)

[storypaint]

Title: Burning
Day/Theme: 31_days_exchnge: 4. with fire that is not brightness
Series: The Little Mermaid [if you're unfamiliar]
Character/Pairing: Ursula gen
Rating: G

Excerpt: There was always a bit of light, even in the darkest places under the sea.

There was always a bit of light, even in the darkest places under the sea. Any mermaid could tell you that. Even in places where the pressure burned in one's ears and the water near-boiled, there was light-- lantern fish with gleaming fangs, and others of their ilk.

But something most merfolk weren't familiar with was fire. They'd never felt its caress, a warning across the fingertips.

Ursula had. It took a certain kind of magic to create underwater flame, fires that burned without brightness, just a scarcely-surviving flicker in the dark.

It took another sort of person entirely to test their palm across the wet-heat-burn until they couldn't stand it any longer. Ursula hissed and pulled her hand away, studying the slightly-melted flesh with fascination.

After a moment, she sighed and tried the other hand.