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Description
The day had started like any other- the tide lapping up against the beach, the seagulls already crying as they searched for their daily meal, and the morning sun peeking over the horizon, shining its light on the fishing town below. Cogsworth had woken up in his bunk on the same ship as always, tied up to the dock where they had landed the previous evening. As he made his way up to the deck, he squinted in the light of the morning sun. Something was missing, but in his sleep-addled mind, it took a moment for him to realise it- Lumiere, his mermaid friend- or more than a friend, as most people would affirm. Normally, the marine dweller would have flopped aboard the ship already, and would have greeted Cogsworth as he had stumbled on deck. Perhaps he's sleeping? Cogsworth tried to reason with himself.After all, he's rather lazy. Even as he thought that, he knew it was untrue. Although the mermaid was lazy, he never missed a moment to bother Cogsworth while the ship was docked.

"Have you seen Lumiere?" he asked Mrs Potts, the ship's cook. Both she and her son, Chip, shook their heads. Cogsworth began to fret, though he attempted to smile at the two while ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Thank you."

"Is he missing?" Mrs Potts asked. "How long has it been since you saw him last?" Cogsworth looked away, trying to keep his worry from showing on his face.

"Only since last evening," he replied, struggling to keep his voice even. "Everything was normal. I don't know what would be keeping him away today." Mrs Potts began to think, humming as she did so. Before she could speak, though, a cry from a nearby fishing boat distracted them. As they both turned to face the source of the noise, Cogsworth saw a yellow tail, glinting gold against the morning sunlight.

"Lumi-" he gasped in shock, the last half of his cry cut off as he nearly flew to the side of the boat. He could faintly hear the shouts of the fishermen, attempting to pull a net over the side of the boat. The splashing and flailing of the sun-colored tail (though Cogsworth could see the color paling from the stress) sickened him, and he forced himself to tear his eyes away. As quick as the cries and terrible splashing had begun, they silenced. Cogsworth dared to peek over the side of the boat. His friend was nowhere to be seen for several moments, but suddenly, Lumiere's pale, almost blue face broke the surface of the water with a dreadful gasp, dragging several feet of net along with him.

"Cogsworth-" he gasped, reaching a shaking, webbed hand up towards the sailor on the boat. Cogsworth scrambled down the net draped over the side of the boat faster than he ever had before, wrapping his arm around the mermaid and pulling him on board.

"Hold on for just a moment, Lumiere," he murmured into the sea-dweller's ear, before trying to pull the net away from his neck. Cogsworth could feel shaking, but whether it was from the choking mermaid or his own nerves, even he didn't know. "You're going to be okay." The net bent under his pulling, and was no longer cutting into his friend's neck, but the damage had already been done. Lumiere's neck was torn, and already dripping blood onto the wood of the ship. The mermaid laughed feebly. The sound tore at the sailor's heart.

"Mon ami.." he wheezed, each word a strain.

"Save your breath, Lumiere," Cogsworth fretted. "You're going to be okay." The mermaid's eyes were beginning to glaze over and flicker shut, but his gaze remained focused on Cogsworth's face.

"Cogsworth-" Lumiere spluttered again. His voice was fading rapidly. "Je- je- I-" he squeaked out, clutching at his throat. He couldn't finish his sentence before his eyes closed and his head rolled back.

"Lumiere-" Cogsworth choked out in disbelief. "You- you can't-" Quickly, the sailor shoved his friend into the water, praying that it would revive him. Instead, the mermaid's body bobbed back upward, perfectly still except for where the water moved him. Cogsworth felt tears pricking his eyes. "You- can't be dead-" he told the mermaid. Not surprisingly, the mermaid didn't reply. Cogsworth scooped the body of his friend back up and hugged him tightly, tighter than he ever would if he had still been alive. The mermaid's tail, already pale from the stress, was now nearly white with death. Already, his fellow mermaids were surrounding the boat. One flopped aboard, and began to examine Cogsworth, whose tears had spilled over and were now pouring down his cheeks. Cogsworth looked up at her, his lip trembling.

"I suppose you shouldn't have fallen for a mermaid, foolish human," she stated simply, her soft French accent accenting her words. "After all, it always ends in heartbreak." Cogsworth's breath broke in a sob. If it had been any other person, on any other day, he'd have had something to say to them. Instead, he began to sob more. His grip loosened on his friend's body, and Lumiere rolled onto the deck and was still. Cogsworth had blood on his uniform and didn't care. He didn't care about anything. Why would he? His friend was dead and nothing else mattered. A scale had come off in Cogsworth's hand as he had gripped his friend's body. He held it up to the sun and saw its sparkle, just as Lumiere's tail had in light, before clutching it to his chest like it was the French merman. The body would start to smell shortly, after all, but he could keep the scale with him for as long as he needed. However, the other mermaid didn't seem to see it that way. She took the scale into her hand, and tried to pull it away from the sailor.

"What belongs to the sea must return to the sea," she purred, venom in her snarl. Before Cogsworth could muster up enough breath to reply, Mrs Potts shooed the mermaid off the boat.

"He's suffered enough for one day," she scolded. "I'm sure Lumiere wouldn't have minded Cogsworth having one of his scales." The mermaid scoffed, but swam away, leaving both the scale and Lumiere's pale body on the boat. Mrs Potts bent down next to Cogsworth.

"How about you go and lie down and I'll make you some tea?" she offered. "Chip is bringing up a new supply of it soon." Cogsworth nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "And later, when you feel up to it, we'll give Lumiere a proper sailor's funeral." Once more, Cogsworth nodded, though he'd have longed to hear the loud French sea-dweller a final time, for just as the sea had called for his heart, so had his heart for the sea-dweller.

Description
The day had started like any other- the tide lapping up against the beach, the seagulls already crying as they searched for their daily meal, and the morning sun peeking over the horizon, shining its light on the fishing town below. Cogsworth had woken up in his bunk on the same ship as always, tied up to the dock where they had landed the previous evening. As he made his way up to the deck, he squinted in the light of the morning sun. Something was missing, but in his sleep-addled mind, it took a moment for him to realise it- Lumiere, his mermaid friend- or more than a friend, as most people would affirm. Normally, the marine dweller would have flopped aboard the ship already, and would have greeted Cogsworth as he had stumbled on deck. Perhaps he's sleeping? Cogsworth tried to reason with himself.After all, he's rather lazy. Even as he thought that, he knew it was untrue. Although the mermaid was lazy, he never missed a moment to bother Cogsworth while the ship was docked.

"Have you seen Lumiere?" he asked Mrs Potts, the ship's cook. Both she and her son, Chip, shook their heads. Cogsworth began to fret, though he attempted to smile at the two while ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. "Thank you."

"Is he missing?" Mrs Potts asked. "How long has it been since you saw him last?" Cogsworth looked away, trying to keep his worry from showing on his face.

"Only since last evening," he replied, struggling to keep his voice even. "Everything was normal. I don't know what would be keeping him away today." Mrs Potts began to think, humming as she did so. Before she could speak, though, a cry from a nearby fishing boat distracted them. As they both turned to face the source of the noise, Cogsworth saw a yellow tail, glinting gold against the morning sunlight.

"Lumi-" he gasped in shock, the last half of his cry cut off as he nearly flew to the side of the boat. He could faintly hear the shouts of the fishermen, attempting to pull a net over the side of the boat. The splashing and flailing of the sun-colored tail (though Cogsworth could see the color paling from the stress) sickened him, and he forced himself to tear his eyes away. As quick as the cries and terrible splashing had begun, they silenced. Cogsworth dared to peek over the side of the boat. His friend was nowhere to be seen for several moments, but suddenly, Lumiere's pale, almost blue face broke the surface of the water with a dreadful gasp, dragging several feet of net along with him.

"Cogsworth-" he gasped, reaching a shaking, webbed hand up towards the sailor on the boat. Cogsworth scrambled down the net draped over the side of the boat faster than he ever had before, wrapping his arm around the mermaid and pulling him on board.

"Hold on for just a moment, Lumiere," he murmured into the sea-dweller's ear, before trying to pull the net away from his neck. Cogsworth could feel shaking, but whether it was from the choking mermaid or his own nerves, even he didn't know. "You're going to be okay." The net bent under his pulling, and was no longer cutting into his friend's neck, but the damage had already been done. Lumiere's neck was torn, and already dripping blood onto the wood of the ship. The mermaid laughed feebly. The sound tore at the sailor's heart.

"Mon ami.." he wheezed, each word a strain.

"Save your breath, Lumiere," Cogsworth fretted. "You're going to be okay." The mermaid's eyes were beginning to glaze over and flicker shut, but his gaze remained focused on Cogsworth's face.

"Cogsworth-" Lumiere spluttered again. His voice was fading rapidly. "Je- je- I-" he squeaked out, clutching at his throat. He couldn't finish his sentence before his eyes closed and his head rolled back.

"Lumiere-" Cogsworth choked out in disbelief. "You- you can't-" Quickly, the sailor shoved his friend into the water, praying that it would revive him. Instead, the mermaid's body bobbed back upward, perfectly still except for where the water moved him. Cogsworth felt tears pricking his eyes. "You- can't be dead-" he told the mermaid. Not surprisingly, the mermaid didn't reply. Cogsworth scooped the body of his friend back up and hugged him tightly, tighter than he ever would if he had still been alive. The mermaid's tail, already pale from the stress, was now nearly white with death. Already, his fellow mermaids were surrounding the boat. One flopped aboard, and began to examine Cogsworth, whose tears had spilled over and were now pouring down his cheeks. Cogsworth looked up at her, his lip trembling.

"I suppose you shouldn't have fallen for a mermaid, foolish human," she stated simply, her soft French accent accenting her words. "After all, it always ends in heartbreak." Cogsworth's breath broke in a sob. If it had been any other person, on any other day, he'd have had something to say to them. Instead, he began to sob more. His grip loosened on his friend's body, and Lumiere rolled onto the deck and was still. Cogsworth had blood on his uniform and didn't care. He didn't care about anything. Why would he? His friend was dead and nothing else mattered. A scale had come off in Cogsworth's hand as he had gripped his friend's body. He held it up to the sun and saw its sparkle, just as Lumiere's tail had in light, before clutching it to his chest like it was the French merman. The body would start to smell shortly, after all, but he could keep the scale with him for as long as he needed. However, the other mermaid didn't seem to see it that way. She took the scale into her hand, and tried to pull it away from the sailor.

"What belongs to the sea must return to the sea," she purred, venom in her snarl. Before Cogsworth could muster up enough breath to reply, Mrs Potts shooed the mermaid off the boat.

"He's suffered enough for one day," she scolded. "I'm sure Lumiere wouldn't have minded Cogsworth having one of his scales." The mermaid scoffed, but swam away, leaving both the scale and Lumiere's pale body on the boat. Mrs Potts bent down next to Cogsworth.

"How about you go and lie down and I'll make you some tea?" she offered. "Chip is bringing up a new supply of it soon." Cogsworth nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "And later, when you feel up to it, we'll give Lumiere a proper sailor's funeral." Once more, Cogsworth nodded, though he'd have longed to hear the loud French sea-dweller a final time, for just as the sea had called for his heart, so had his heart for the sea-dweller.