- The daughter of King Neptune determines to avenge the death of her sister, who was caught in a fishing net laid by the king of a country above the waves. However, she soon falls in love with the king upon whom she planned to take her revenge.—frankfob2@yahoo.com
- The story deals with two kings, King William of the mortal world, and King Neptune of the immortal world. The former gives to his people free fishing rights in his private waters, which are unfortunately in close proximity to Neptune's kingdom. The monarch of the sea has two daughters, Annette and Angela. While playing with other mermaids one evening, Annette is caught in a fishing net. She frees herself and hastens to Neptune's cave to apprise her father of the great danger that threatens them. Meanwhile little Angela, but five years old, tries to swim her way home alone. She too is caught in a net, but too weak to free herself, is dragged to shore by the fishermen. The little mermaid is, however, concealed by an abundance of seaweed and the fishermen, happy at the first day's catch under King William's decree, wend their way homeward rejoicing and praising their king. Little Angela, unable to extricate herself from the seaweed, dies. And so her sister, Annette, finds her. She bears the little body to Neptune and there swears an oath of vengeance against those that she feels are her sister's assassins. The old Witch of the Sea gives her a charm in the shape of a shell, which transforms her from mermaid to mortal maiden. She is warned, however, should she lose it, never can she be immortal again. Neptune bids his daughter farewell and she comes to the land. There she meets a kindly woman who takes her in. The old lady is the mother of the keeper of the city prison. Meanwhile King William has found that the Princess Olga, whom he loves, is unfaithful. She and the Duke Horis are plotting against his throne. Tired of intrigue and court functions the king decides to pass the day incognito and dressed as an ordinary citizen, he wanders in the forest. There he meets Annette garbed as a wood nymph. Love creeps into both of their hearts. She, of course, does not know him as king, the man who is indirectly responsible for her little sister's death. The king sees her dance and realizing that he must sooner or later tell her who he is, sends her an invitation to the state ball. Annette now knowing from whom the invitation comes, sees in the acceptance an opportunity to assassinate the king. The hour of the ball is here, Annette is dancing before the king. He hides his face behind his hand; she draws her dagger from her hair and is about to plunge it into his breast when she is seized from behind by the drunken Duke Boris, who admiring her grace and beauty, kisses her. The king steps from the throne and orders all from the room. Then comes the recognition. She realizes that she cannot fulfill her oath and rushes away to the sea. She finds her charm and again becomes a mermaid. Time passes. The king is now the center of a conspiracy. The people have risen up against him for imaginary wrongs and he is hurled into prison. Duke Boris becomes the power and it is now that Annette feels she wishes to see the man she loves again. Back to the mortal world she comes and again is transformed and now learns of the king's imprisonment. She arranges to take the place of her friend, the city jailer. She cuts her hair short, dresses as a boy and smothers with a sack the man that stands between her and the king's liberty. She is about to unlock manacles when they are caught by Duke Boris and his followers. Quickly Annette is thrown into prison herself, and overhears a plot to assassinate the king under the guise of a fair duel. Two men are to creep up from behind and plunge their swords into the king's body as he fights with Duke Boris for the throne. Annette is now taken from prison and thrown hand and foot from a sixty-foot cliff. There, owing to her great powers of endurance in the water, she frees herself, swims ashore, only to be caught again by the man who has been hired to murder her. Now comes the fight on the top of a cliff and together into the water below they fall. Down into the depths below Annette drags the man who would kill her. Then the fight under the water, as nearby preparations are made to assassinate the king. Annette succeeds in killing her antagonist and reaches the dueling ground in time to save her lover. The king's subject learning of the injustice they have done their monarch, beg forgiveness, which is freely granted. Olga has now sought refuge at the water edge, where she comes across the old Witch's charm which changes mortal to immortal. As she passes her hand over the odd-shaped shell, she is transformed into a mermaid. Some unseen power draws her to the cave of the Sea Witch, and the latter, seeing the sacred charm broken in her hand, curses her and transforms her into a loathsome octopus, and so Olga is punished. Annette seeing that the king is not fatally wounded, rushes away to return to her father, knowing that her love is conquering her. Her shell is gone. The one link which binds her to the sea is no more. When she realizes that she can never see her father again, she falls to her knees and sobs and so the king finds her, takes her in his arms and offers to make her his queen. It is the only way. She loves and is loved, and as the story closes, we see the king and queen in all their regal glory happy, peaceful and contented.
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