Violet
It had been ten long days since my father had passed and I had assumed the throne- alone. I had always thought that if I was going to rule, my father would be there by my side to guide me, or that in the unfortunate instance of his death, I would be married, and have someone to rule with. The kingdom had taken a turn for the worst and everyone was a bit scrambled - not knowing where they belonged in the kingdom and what titles they still held, or didn't. Our kingdom, physically, had taken a beating as well, with most of the kingdom (covered with) put under sand by all the underwater turmoil from the war. We had dead sea creatures sprawled all over our city and had spent the last weeks just trying to tidy up our home and bring it to a somewhat recognisable state.
I sat back on my throne, exhausted, watching my people as they collapsed all over the palace in exhaustion, equally as tiresome from all the work they had completed over the past few days. We had lost over half of our Mer. It would be a mission to rebuild our army, so people had better start having babies. I chuckled to myself at my realisation, looking to Isla, the only Mer to have been pregnant since I had been born. "You may be our only hope of bringing some life back into the kingdom." I laughed, leaning back into my throne, my hands falling onto the armrests, fingers tapping away nervously.
"I hope all the responsibility doesn't fall on me." She chuckled, running a hand over her belly instinctively, though she laughed, her tone was just as nervous as my fingers. I looked at my tail, picking at the dry scales that caressed it. My once shimmering scales had taken a beating with all of the work that I wasn't used to doing, and the lack of time to groom, had me feeling a little self conscious. "I don't know how you do it." I raised a brow at her, without actually making eye contact. Something had half of my attention off to the side.
"Do what?" her tone was curious, yet only half caring. She was drained. Anyone could see that. I suspected it wasn't due to the work that she was doing, but rather, carrying a squirming mer in her belly. I recoiled every time I saw it move.
"Being pregnant... It looks utterly exhausting and kind of disgusting." I huffed, "Sorry, but it's true."
"Ha!" Her laugh was instinctive, rather than forced.
A sudden stir in the stillness of the water caused everyone to become alert - forgetting entirely that they were beyond any capability of more physical exertion. "Or maybe not..." Her tune changed. I looked to see a Merman, swimming toward our kingdom. He looked young - about my age, had light brown hair, an emerald blue tail and kind eyes. His skin was darker than mine, darker than Bears. I hadn't yet come to see skin darker than that, until today. He was breathtaking to say the least. Be calm Violet. I gave myself an inward pep talk- I had learnt from my mistakes. When men appeared that way, it usually meant trouble, followed by heartbreak - Bear, Jameson... One had taught me to not judge by appearances and the other had taught me not to trust your feelings. You needed to question them, because just in case you thought you were in love, it didn't mean the other person felt the same or would take the same leaps and bounds for love as you would.
"Can I help you?" I stepped from my throne, moving toward him but keeping my distance.
"I hope so." His voice was sweet, soothing, and gentle. His eyes darted around the kingdom, "I haven't been able to find my home since the war mixed up the ocean." He continued. His eyes finally ceased looking around and fell on me. They were green with a hint of brown - the perfect mix to complement his skin tone.
"You must be from one of the neighbouring cities. What is the name of your home?" I asked earnestly, trying not to let myself become distracted by his appearance.
"Yes. One of the neighbouring cities... It goes by the name of... Oglier." It seemed he had to think a while to remember.
Oglier? I had never heard of it. "Oh sure. Oglier, of course. I think that is probably pretty far from here. You are in Islanda." I paused to see his reaction. It was unchanging, "You are welcome to stay here with us until the sand settles, if you like." I offered, sending a look toward Isla as she raised her eyebrows - a smirk played on her lips. Despite our lack of involvement in the war, we still felt the effect of it and needed all the help we could get to get back to normal.
"You are so kind. How could I ever repay you?" He idled, still looking quite distracted. What, or who was he looking for?
My insides danced at his beauty. "I am the queen of Islanda. It's my duty to help those in need."
Suddenly his eyes snapped back to me. "The queen?" He searched my face. He was looking at me as if he either knew me or thought he knew me. He only spared a few moments before bowing hastily. "I am so sorry, I didn't know I was making the queen's acquaintance."
I blushed. No one had called me that before and the title hadn't fully settled in my mind. After all, it had only been one month since I had gained it and I hadn't yet done anything other than order people around in cleaning duties.
"No need to apologise. I am new to the title." I extended my hand to shake his.
He pulled back instinctively, searching my face for something. "I couldn't." He continued to look over my face, as if he recognised me or was trying to place me.
"Oh come on. I'm not that kind of queen."
"What kind is that?" He furrowed his brows.
"The kind that thinks I'm better than anyone else. A month ago, I was just a girl."
"Well you're more than just a girl, now." he moved closer, extending a hand toward me to meet mine. I met his hand with mine and it warmed slowly. I wanted to take his hand and place it on my cheek but I moved back, breaking the intensity of the moment and taking myself just out of reach. It was too soon to be thinking this way. I felt my cheeks burn as I imagined his delicate fingers making contact with them. I looked down, "What is your name?"
"Louie." He offered sweetly.
"Louie." I repeated, letting the sound of it play on my lips. "Well Louie, we should get back to cleaning. We were just taking a much needed break. Would you help us? If you do, there is a bed for you tonight."
"Of course." He smiled a large white toothed grin that set my belly on fire. Why did this stranger have such an effect on me? Why was I even asking myself this? Every foreign male seemed to.
Maybe it was just ingrained in me that I was to get married and needed to find a husband. I offered a smile before turning on my tail to hide my crimson cheeks. "Come on crew, let's get back to work."
All day, I tried to direct everyone but Louie kept stealing my focus. He was just so beautiful. I swept away the built up sand slowly, keeping close to him. I let my eyes wander... just peeking through a curtain of hair that had fallen across my shoulder like a cloud cast by the silvery moon. It shielded my cheek just enough to get a good peek. Each time he would feel my gaze and look up, I felt giddy. I needed to stay guarded... I was the queen after all, and needed to protect my people. What did I really know about this stranger? Nothing.
But that didn't mean I couldn't think about him... or look at him... so that's exactly what I did. Every time I got the chance, I would make eyes with him.
Seven turns of the moon later, he was still with us.
I would watch him when I was in meetings, I would watch him as I worked, as I ruled, and he would watch me back. There was an unspoken bond that we were forming. Maybe it was dangerous, but at least we weren't acting on anything - that much I could control.
That was until he touched my hand. Sparks flew wildly and I fought every urge to hold his hand and squeeze it, I fought every urge to kiss him madly. I fantasised about rubbing my hands through his soft brown hair which was lighter than his skin - a dangerous combination. And his eyes... his eyes were fierce and pierced through my soul. Everytime he looked at me, I wondered what was going on behind those eyes. They were soulful and hid lots of mysteries... I could tell he was hiding things and I longed for him to reveal it all to me.
