Tides

Chapter 1- Mer

I sat there on the bed of silk in a room made of crystal. Fine jewels hanging off my ears and around me from various things. How dull, this existence of mine. How long had I even been here again?

The pool, filled with unnaturally clear water, lay out around me. It was deep, deeper than it need be considering I refused to go in it. The bed where I lay was on a kind of artificial island in the middle of it all. A small crystal bridge lead over the water to where the bars of my cage cut off the end of the room. It was for him, always for him.

He knew I hated it here. I’d tried to escape enough times and each time I’d been caught, brought back, and my spirit deflated a little more. The silver shackle’s adorned with jewels tied me down here. I could move, swim if I wanted. But with the silver around my neck, wrist’s and ankles it was hard.

I’d always had them there, but the chains were reasonably knew. I didn’t count my days here but I must have been here years. When I’d been brought here I must have been only eight. Yes, I remember. The village where I lived needed the money and the man, that horrible man who thought to call himself a king when he had no right the the thrown, had offered a huge reward for someone like me.

He called my his Siren.

It hurt, all the shakles and the chains and the horrible fake water. Even the food, though worth more than anything I’d tasted before my time here, seemed disgusting. I just wanted out of here, more than anything I just wanted to escape.

What would my mother think of me now? It was her friends after all, the ones who’d nursed her when she’d been sick, buried her when she’d died and taken me in, who’d sold me to this monster. She wouldn’t be proud though, not of me. Not now.

There was yelling outside the door. I knew that there was at least two guards posted out there if not more. I was valuable after all. Straining to hear I still couldn’t make out what was happening, what they were saying. But one thing I knew was that they were distracted.

One last chance, the voice in my head said. One last try.

The windows lead to a roof, a very high roof. There were guards posted out there but if they were sidetracked then maybe, just maybe…

I pulled the jade hair pin out of my hair and using slender fingers picked the locks so that the chains fell away. I couldn’t undo the shakles, they’d been literally made around me and had no locks but that wouldn’t stop me now. I gathered some silk and tour it to make some kind of clothes.

Now I had to break the windows. Walking over the bridge I used the inch of solid footing around the pool to avoid it. There was more yelling outside and the sound of running. I had to act now, I had to get free. I was weak but I didn’t need to be strong to break the windows, there was one trick, one last trick I’d been saving. Tapping the window next to me I gauged the pitch before opening my mouth and singing. My voice was dry, rusty from where it hadn’t been used for so long but if I could get it pitch perfect it would shatter. I sung and kept singing, trying as hard as I could until finally it burst.

The glass hadn’t even hit the floor before I was out of there. Cutting open my bare feet on the shards but I couldn’t care less. I would rather be ugly and scared than spend the rest of my life being some king’s pampered pet that he showed off to all his royal friends.

Guards were already on my tail as I ran across the roof. My plan had been to some how climb down it but I knew now that wouldn’t work. They’d catch me long before I was at the bottom or just be waiting for when I got down there. Reaching the far edge of the roof I stopped. At the bottom already coming from both directions along the path that lead between the castle and it’s outer walls were at least a dozen guards.

I wasn’t sure if they were coming for me or not but either way I was trapped. The outer wall was way to far to jump to and there was no way I’d beat one person in a fight let along that lot. Turning around I looked at the five guards in front of me.

“Grab him but don’t hurt him or the king will have your head,” one said the others.

“Why when he’s trying to escape? Surely he should just be grateful we caught him exspeshily at a time like this.” Another went.

“He’s a prized posettion this one, don’t under estimate it.” The one closest to me smirked and that’s when I knew.

Glancing behind me I saw that the solders going one way were down, obviously not my doing but it meant that the space below me was free, empty, perfect. I couldn’t stand it here, though I was treated what they thought was well I couldn’t stand it. I hated being some ones pet. Some ones plaything to pick up and put down when they please. I just couldn’t do it any more and if this was the only way out then fine.

Taking a step back I looked over at the guards, then giving them a last knowing wink I fell.