Flotsam and Jetsam

A/N: I've been wanting to write a backstory for Flotsam and Jetsam, and I was looking on deviantart and I got an idea, then that idea built upon itself and I liked it, so let's see how this plays out.
This is just a kind of long oneshot.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Little Mermaid or any aspect if Disney.

Flotsam and Jetsam are human in this story, not eels. Yet.
This story is told in Flotsam's POV.



"Here!" I shouted to my brother, hiding under a dock and grabbing onto the supporting beams, trying to keep my head above the water. I motioned him urgently to come quicker.
Panting heavily as he ran, he glanced behind him to see if we were still being followed, then jumped into the water and reached for my hand. I pulled him closer to me, trying to conceal him from our pursuers.
There was shouting overhead, which slowly faded, then died out entirely.
My breathing and heart rate slowed. A narrow escape.
My brother clung to me for dear life, but knew we were out of danger.
I threw him off me, causing him to frantically reach for a wooden beam.
"You can't just steal something in plain sight! You know that!" I scolded quietly, but still sounding menacing as a viper.
"I know!" With how he had been acting like a child moments before, anyone would've thought that he was a completely different person now, but his guise of confidence was completely transparent to me.
I scoffed at him, then peeked up above the dock. Seeing that there was no one present, I grabbed onto the edge and pushed myself up onto it. "Come on," I commanded, reaching down a hand to my brother. He gripped my hand firmly and I pulled him up.
I shook some water out of my sandy-blond hair, and he did the same.
"That could've gone better," he mumbled.
"Oh, you suppose so?" I asked sarcastically. "Next time, would you please use some discretion before you act. This isn't the first time we've almost gotten caught." I stripped off my soaking shirt and wrung it out over the water. The dampness didn't help with the green shirt's already sorry appearance. I sighed and put it back on, the coolness making me shiver.
"Yes, Brother. I am sorry."
"... Don't worry about it," I sighed.
Regardless of the fact that we are twins, I've always felt the need to discipline and coddle him. I supposed that that was due to the fact that our parents never did. They had never cared about us, and I was actually happy when they were murdered. They deserved it, considering how they treated us.
But it's not that we had turned out much different than them. Using people to get what we want, not caring who we hurt. None of it phased me. I didn't care about the effect on other people, as long as the two of us were alright. We would wander the streets and take whatever we wanted from whomever happened to be in our way. Not a glamorous life, but actually a bit enjoyable at times.
To everyone else, we were just those terrible twins who caused constant mischief, but still were able to stay far enough away from the law to get by. There were high penalties for what we did on a daily basis. I couldn't imagine what kind of trouble we'd be in if we were caught. And I was surprised we hadn't already been caught, considering how many people probably knew our faces well. But no one knew our names. Or, our actual names, more like. We didn't go by the names given to us by our wretched excuse for parents. I called myself Flotsam, my brother Jetsam. The names were very synonymous to what we were, and what we were viewed as by society: useless, unwanted, discarded.
Very fitting, really.
I chuckled at the similarity.
"Where to now, Brother?" Jetsam asked, finishing wringing out his tattered shirt and tying up his tangled mess of hair.
I sighed and looked around. The sun was setting and we needed somewhere to sleep. We had slept in some shed the night before, but we had been chased out, so that wasn't an option. Perhaps our only option was...
"I suppose the beach would work," I said, making my way over to the sandy shores.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah," I answered. "It's concealed by rocks. No one should see us unless they're looking for us specifically." I ignored the fact that the beach was so close to the king's palace and that guards could possibly spot us. I was sure we would be okay for just the night.
--
We got to the beach and sat down close enough to the ocean where the waves were just barely lapping at our feet. I tried to relax a moment, exhaling and taking deep breaths.
"Flotsam?"
"Yeah?" I asked, sprawling out on the sand. It was still warm from the hot afternoon sun.
"What's gonna happen?"
I stared at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
He leaned back and was laying beside me. "... I don't know. Just... Are we just going to keep doing this for the rest of our lives?"
"Dunno," I sighed, unsure. I didn't mind this life, but if Jetsam did, I supposed I needed to find a way to give him a better way to live. And there went my coddling. If I kept this going, Jetsam would never grow up. "Go to sleep." Without a word, he did as we was told. Ever the obedient one.
But his question hung in my mind. What would happen to us?

-----

The next morning, we woke at the exact same time, as we always did. A twin thing, I supposed.
I sat up and stretched, staring out into the sea. I had always loved the water. It was just so...free. Jetsam felt the same way.
"Alright," I said, standing. "Let's go get breakfast."
Jetsam smiled and nodded, racing me to the marketplace.
We slowed down as we approached, as not to catch attention of the shopkeepers. I scanned the area, seeing who looked gullible or just absolutely oblivious altogether. There were quite a few people at fruit stands who seemed like they weren't all that focused on their work. It was easy enough for Jetsam and I to walk by and snatch up some food.
Once we had a decent haul, we ran back down to the beach and laid out what we'd gathered, then divided it between the two of us.
"You know you love doing this," I laughed. "Admit it."
Jetsam grinned. "Alright, maybe."
I flopped down on the sand and peeled an apple with my pocketknife. "This is who we are," I said a bit more solemnly. "Nothing's gonna change."
He sat down and looked at me with his piercing emerald eyes. "... Yeah."

---

The day passed by quickly, and I decided we would sleep on the beach again. We weren't found out last night, so what was the harm of one more?
The full moon illuminated the beach and cast a sparkling reflection on the restless waves. The water was not as calm as the night before. Perhaps a storm was coming.
"G'night," Jetsam yawned, slipping into sleep quickly.
I grinned. For all sixteen years I'd been with him, I'd noticed that sleeping was his best skill.
I tried to follow suit and go to sleep, but I was woken not long after.
A noise came from above, near town, not too far away. It was odd for anyone to be around here that late at night. My curiosity got the better of me and I went to investigate, careful not to wake up Jetsam.
I crept in the shadows towards the source of the noise, but didn't find anything. I peeked around the walls of the buildings, only to see that there was nothing. I sighed, wondering if there had even been a noise, or maybe I was just paranoid. The latter certainly would've been logical, considering that I had my pocket knife gripped tightly in my hand.
I stayed still for a moment, seeing if the noise would come again. I stood in silence for a few minutes, then heard what seemed like two men having a conversation. When I tried to make out the direction the voices came from, I heard it in the direction that I had come from, near the beach. Swearing under my breath, I wondered how I would get back to Jetsam, and worried that he might be found.
The voices grew closer and closer, much to my delight and dismay. Frantically, I looked for a place to hide, then settled on a space between two shops, big enough for me to fit in.
The men were very close now.
What I had thought to be two men actually turned out to be a group of four soldiers, walking past me, making their rounds. My breath caught a moment and I pressed myself as flat to the wall as I could, trying to conceal myself from the soldiers passing by. The hand I held my knife in grew shaky. I steadied it with my other hand, taking a deep breath. I stayed in my position until I was sure that the soldiers had passed. Peeking out from behind the building I stepped back out onto the pathway, intent on heading back to the beach as soon as possible.
"What are you doing here?"
The voice sounded directly behind me, making my muscles tighten. Acting purely on instinct I spun around and lunged with my knife. It sunk into the stomach of the soldier who'd approached me, splattering my hand with blood.
He made a grunting noise, then fell to his knees, his hands trying to staunch the blood flow.
I gripped my bloodied knife tighter in my hand, my heart rate jumping up, as well as my breathing, which came in short, ragged huffs.
The three soldiers who had been accompanying this one before were now aware of my presence, and what I'd done. They all ran to catch me, but I was already putting distance between us as quickly as possible. I had the upper hand with my head start, and the fact that I was used to running from soldiers on a regular basis. Sadly, they had their own advantages as well. They were used to chasing people like me.
I glanced behind me as I ran, hoping that I was gaining ground, but it was a mistake. As soon as I looked back, not only did I see that they were getting closer, but I also lost my footing for a moment, which caused me to tumble to the ground. I scrambled to get up, but a soldier grabbed my arm before I could get away. He knocked the knife out of my hand and forced me on my knees. Another soldier grabbed my other arm, helping to hold me in my position. The third soldier stood in front of me, sneering.
"What do you want?" I snapped, knowing full well every reason they had to arrest me. My only hope was that Jetsam would know to leave town as soon as possible, before they caught him as well. But for now, I was stalling.
The soldier's face contorted with anger. He clenched his hand into a fist and hit me with as much force as he could across the jaw.
I winced and drew in a sharp breath between my clenched teeth. I spit blood onto the ground, then looked up at him with a challenging grin. A slight laugh erupted from deep inside of me. "Is that it?"
"Insolence!" he shouted, swinging his foot towards my chest. His boot cracked against my ribs, making me want to shout in pain.
"On what grounds are you doing this?"
"I believe I have full right to," he assured. "You've killed a royal guard, not to mention your countless charges of thievery. I'd say I could very well do whatever I please with your sorry life."
A cat-like grin crept onto my face. "Is that so?"
This only seemed to anger him more. He smacked the hilt of his sword across my face, more likely than not leaving me with a broken nose. "You will cooperate with us. Yes?"
"That depends..." Blood dripped from my nose into my mouth.
The soldier knelt down in front of me so we would be at the same eye level. "Tell us where your brother is." His voice held the slightest bit of amusement.
"Are you joking?" I scoffed. Did he honestly think I would rat out my brother like that?
"I assure you I am not," he boomed. "And if you will not cooperate, we will have to do it by force. Now tell me where he is."
I glared indignantly at him, saying nothing. I wasn't about to let them hurt Jetsam.
The soldier took a breath. "So be it." He stood and drew his sword again, gripping it tightly in his right hand, the tip of the blade facing me.
I took a deep breath and swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the worst.
The blade dug into my left shoulder, then twisted, bringing on a whole new level of pain. I involuntarily let out a scream of pure agony, then went silent as I realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to lure Jetsam, and I was the bait. He knew Jetsam had to be close, and my shout would draw him in.
I bit my tongue, trying to distract myself from the pain, then looked up at the soldier through cloudy vision. He was grinning, having gotten just what he wanted.
It wouldn't take Jetsam long to get here. We weren't very far from the beach.
No, no, no... Jetsam... Stay away...! Run!
My head went light, my vision getting fuzzier and my thoughts getting muddled. I hadn't even noticed that the soldiers had released my arms, leaving me lying on the ground, the pool of blood around me growing by the second. The soldiers still stood beside me, though, waiting for Jetsam, whom I faintly heard shouting for me before everything went black.
--
"...ther? Brother?"
I forced my eyes open and took in what I could tell about my surroundings. I was lying on a cold stone floor, chains around my wrists. I blinked and attempted to sit up, which I realized wasn't going to work. My shoulder hurt like nothing I'd ever felt, making it hard to even breathe. I turned my head to face Jetsam, who was chained to the wall opposite me.
"Brother!" he cried happily.
"What happened...?" I asked groggily, then remembered. I hit the floor with my fist as hard as I could, a gutteral noise escaping from my throat.
"I'm so glad you're okay...!" Jetsam whispered.
"Do we look like we're okay?" I growled. "We've been caught... There's nothing we can do about it..." They're going to kill us...
Jetsam sighed, not continuing the conversation. He knew our fate as well as I did. He knew we couldn't escape, he knew we were going to die.
We sat in silence, the truth seeming to make the dank cell even darker. Jetsam had his knees drawn in to his chest, where he laid his chin, looking down at the floor. I could see the despair in his eyes. But there was also the miniscule spark of hope that never went away, no matter how grim the situation. I told him it was foolish to have hope, time and time again, but now I knew I was right. It was foolish.
Sleep came with difficulty, even though I was so exhausted after the events of the night. Not even Jetsam slept. He sat wordlessly, staring at the floor. I stared up at the cieling, knowing it was my fault that Jetsam was in this situation. If I hadn't been caught, if I hadn't played right into their plan...
As morning came, the wooden door creaked open. Five guards stood on the other side, smirks playing on their lips. One walked in and unfettered us from the wall, then pushed us out into the corridor. They tied our hands behind our backs with rope, and tied our ankles loose enough just so we could walk. Jetsam walked with his head hung, but with obedience, I with defiance. When I would hesitate, they would shove me, sending a jolt of pain through my shoulder. I glared at all of them, burning hatred clearly visible.
We exited the building, which had turned out to be in a part of the kingdom I wasn't familiar with. It sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The water was choppy, waves crashing against the wall of the cliff. I realized how we were going to die when the guards shoved us over to the edge and attached a chain to our ankles with a weight attached to the other end.
Jetsam started breathing quicker, panicking. I tried to appear calm, wanting to possibly give him some comfort. I exchanged a sad glance with him. He gave a little nod and I nodded back.
"I'm sorry..." I whipsered as softly as I could, so the guards wouldn't hear.
"Don't be," he whipsered back, then conjured up a grin to give me.
I looked back down to the raging water, taking a deep breath. This is it...
We were shoved over the edge falling for only a few seconds before slamming into the water's surface.
My little bit of oxygen in my lungs sustained me for a while. In that time, I opened my eyes, ignoring the stinging of salt. I vaguely saw Jetsam, who was floating limply.
This is all my fault... I thought.
"Then do something."
I whipped my head back and forth, attempting to see where the voice had come from. In the distance there was a vague movement. Black with a glint of silver. Who are you...?
"Poor, sweet child... I am someone who can help you." It was a woman's voice. Dark and sultry.
What do you mean?
"You'd like another chance for you and your dear brother, wouldn't you?"
... How do you plan to help?
"Do you want help or not?"
What was she even offering? And how could she read my thoughts? Was I imagining everything?
I looked back at Jetsam, who might have been dead by now. I wondered how I was still alive.
"Five, four, three, two--" the voice counted rapidly.
I supposed I had nothing to lose by asking for help, whatever kind of help that may have been. Fine.
She giggled with delight. "There is one more thing... My fee. You can't get something for nothing, you know."
Wasn't she the one who had offered to help? Like what?
"Oh, I'm not asking for much... Just...suppose you were to become my loyal servant..."
Alright. I replied without hesitation. Doing this was a small price to pay for getting Jetsam involved in this. He deserved to live much more than I did.
"Excellent..." I could hear the smile in her voice before a flash of light and smoke swirled around Jetsam and I, engulfing us.

A/N: And there you have it. The rest is history. I'm sorry if it seemed a little choppy and fast paced, but I didn't really spend much time thinking about it before hand. I just kind of wrote what would work. And I mostly wrote late at night.
Thank you for reading! I LOVE YOU!!! Feel free to leave a comment. Please?



-Demy