All's fair in love and fishtails!

CHAPTER ONE - THE MESSENGER

I sigh and stretch.  I wonder for a moment what I’m going to do today.  That line of thought is quickly over as I really didn’t have anything I could do.  Ever since the attack on a village just outside the capitol I was under house arrest.  Or as my mother would say protected.  I scoffed at the notion.  As if they could catch me. 

I reach over and grab my brush.  It puzzled me that it was from the Wal-Mart of America but made in china was etched on the back.  I guess I should be too surprised we trade our goods.  I ran the brush through my long heavy white hair and braided it.  Hair – check!

I grabbed my sponge next.  It was getting ragged and I needed a new one. I started to clean my pearly whites.  Scales that is.  I raked it from my waist to the tip of my tail, getting rid of the small amount of slime accumulated on my tail as I slept. 

My urge to go outside and swim consumed me.  I subconsciously began of thinking how I could slip past the royal guard unnoticed.

“Aurania!”

I jumped at hearing my name, as if I was guilty just for thinking of escape.

A beautiful face popped inside the archway to my room.  Dark blue, almost black hair followed floating around her pale face with large blue eyes and full lips.  My sister Reena.  She was known as the most beautiful mermaid in the Atlantic kingdom.  And I could believe it.  She truly was beautiful; I’ve always admired how her dark blue tail sparkled, as if it were made of sapphire.

“Entertain me! I’m going crazy I can’t wait FIVE days!” she pouted, making herself comfortable in the middle of my room. I doubted she can for me to entertain her but rather someone to brag to, as she was already paying more attention to her hair. 

Reena was only 20 a mere three years older than me, which was unnaturally close for our kind.  Even though we were never close.  She’s very different from me, very focused on her looks and currently her upcoming dreesing. 

“I can’t wait!  I bet the boys will fall over on themselves to get to me!” she giggled.  “They will be so enraptured with me that they will never know they’re drowning.”

She turned to me suddenly.  “Does it kind of gross you out though? I mean, they have legs! And Jorlun said there hairy. Eww!”

The mention of my other surviving sister made me wish I were with her rather than listen to Reena brag about her hunt for a man to mate with. I still had year before I could even go near the humans. And I could wait; I wanted to know all about them.

“But then again, she said she liked it” I was so glad I didn’t have to participate in this conversation.

A horn saved me from further torture, and we listened as it rang out three times. A messenger!  Reena practically torpedoed out of the room. She loved new from other kingdoms. She was convinced one day they would all come to hear about her beauty and send her gifts. She already received them from the women and man of our city.

 Yes, we only had one man in the capitol. Male mermaids are exceedingly rare. Only about thirty percent of all of us are male.

I followed behind quickly catching up; the hallways were narrow but high. I passed her, but the hallways were not enough, I longed to speed though the water to go faster.

We stopped at the main hall and watched the messenger arrive.

“Where do you think she’s from?” Reena asked me.

“Somewhere a ways away.”  The woman was clearly exhausted. Her light blue hair was tangled in knots, and her matching tail was dull with not being sponged down.  Messengers often looked like this after a journey, it was too dangerous to stop and rest long in the open ocean alone.

More guards came in, announcing my mother’s arrival.  Queen Olensa floated in with power and regality surrounding her.  To me, she was the most beautiful mermaid ever. She had a rare metallic like coloring.  She had the shiniest gold hair and tail I had even seen.  You would never guess that she was 249 years old. As always, I smiled when she entered and as always she spotted me and smiled back.

“Queen Olensa.” The messenger said, binging her hands up to her head, palms out, I sign of respect for royalty. “I am from the Pacific Kingdom.  Queen Berna sent me.”

That news shocked me.  We weren’t exactly friends with the pacific. My mother didn’t like their views on humans.  They hated them.  At the old capitol, the previous queen order all humans the crossed the area be “disposed” of.  They moved capitols when human began to notice.  I was told they call it the Bermuda Circle.  Wait, that not right? The Bermuda square? Triangle?  Ugh, whatever.

“Would you like to rest before we speak?” my mother sweet voice carried.

“Yes, thank you, Queen. And hour should suffice.”

As the guards escorted her away I went up to my mother. “I wonder what that’s about.”

Her gold eyes flickered to me, catching my own pale blue ones. “I asked them for help”

“What why?”  The pacific was the last I expected my mother to turn to for help, the Indian king? Yes. The gulf republic or the Australian colonies? Maybe. But not the pacific.

“Wait! Help? Why do we need help?” I panicked. Was there something I didn’t know?

“Calm, my dear!” she smiled sadly. “Sometimes I forget just how young you are. Surely you know of recent attacks.” She said, referencing the Kertaun. A group of outlaws and nomads that wish to rid the oceans of monarchies.  They dominate the North Pole and recently expanded further south.  Setting up in the Laurentian Abyss, a mere 150 miles away from our capitol.  It was a dark cold and pressing place.  I feel as if it fit them.

“Can we attend the meeting?”  Reena spoke up.

The sharp “NO” from our mother shocked us she usually encouraged us to show interest in the kingdom.  We must be in more trouble than I thought.

My mother softened at our shocked faces. “Go, enjoy today, be young and carefree”