Louie
I had lied about the necklace. It was my second official lie to Violet. I had managed to get around other questions with half-truths or avoiding them altogether, but I had lied about my home and why I was here to help out Esmeralda because she had ensured me half the kingdom, and had given me her powers. I wasn't completely sold on her truth-telling abilities, but once Violet had confirmed what the necklace was worth, well, now I was certain about two things:
I was going to be king and 2) I needed to get that necklace back, no matter the cost.
Violet had taken the necklace and left me in an explosion of sand. I had no idea where I stood with her now. Things would either be highly fragile, or she would have believed me and things would be okay. I needed to find out where we stood.
I found Violet in her semi-broken down shipwreck. It was her room and her safe haven, I had come to learn. She lay there on her bed, hovering over an orbuculum of water that held light above her. I quickly hid next to her open door. I hadn't seen anyone doing magic like that before, and I suspected that she didn't want anyone to know she had that ability either. I also suspected that she got that ability from the necklace. I took a beat to compose myself before entering. When I appeared at her door, her back was facing it. I cleared my throat so that she would know I was there. "There you are." I leaned against the open frame entryway that lacked a physical door, leaving it open to viewers. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable if this was my room. She quickly turned, startled. "Oh sorry." I stood straight, less comfortably now, and feeling more like an intruder.
"What is it?" there was an edge to her voice. She wanted to be alone. She had said so before. I could leave, though, that wouldn't be good enough in this situation because I needed that necklace, so I persisted. "I just wanted to see if you were okay, and to let you know that I'm here if you need anything." she barely acknowledged what I was saying. She obviously wanted to get back to whatever magic she was deciphering with her new found powers. I was on the outside. I was a few steps in before, she trusted me, but now I was losing her trust... I needed a big gesture to get back in. I was going to bite the bullet. Esmeralda was not going to be happy with this, but it was the only thing I could think of to get me back into the circle of trust for the long term. "Violet, there was actually something else." She turned that same uninterested gaze at me, "Louie, I really need some space. This necklace thing has really thrown me."
My anxiety was rising, she wasn't giving me time to speak... I was losing her. It was now or never, "Violet, will you marry me?" I blurted.
Her face drained of color and she was dead silent. I had spoken too soon. I had scared her away. My thoughts came in like tidal waves, crashing at my temples and making them ache. This was it. It was too much for her. I would be exiled back to where I came from. Esmeralda would murder me because I didn't have her necklace and if she didn't, I had no where else to go. I turned away, surrendering to my loss, when her voice interrupted my thoughts, "Yes. Yes I will marry you Louie."
I lied again.When Violet had asked me where to send my family's invite, I pretended I didn't have any. I did have siblings. I had eight to be exact. My mother wasn't dead. She was very much alive. My father was dead though; I hadn't lied about that. But my family would absolutely not be coming to the wedding. Why? Because I had nothing to do with them. They had cast me out when they had found out that I had lied about my fathers death. No, I didn't do it, but yes, I was there. I had witnessed the entire thing. I was just a child and had followed him out one day on one of his ventures. He would always go out and not tell anyone where he was going and I wanted to know why. When I saw him being beaten up by two very rough pirates that had come down to get him after he was tied up in some business with very bad humans. Yes, humans. I had witnessed it from my hidden spot in the seaweed, I rushed back home and hid in my room, leaving him for dead. I never told anyone, but when he didn't come home, I just let them assume the sharks had gotten him.
When the war erupted years later and all our homes were destroyed, many mer came through our parts. One had alerted my mother that they had found my father, but didn't know where he belonged. They had come to the conclusion that it was him when they were sharing details about their experiences. He had also mentioned that he knew a guy that witnessed the accident and had seen a baby mer onlooker.
My mother had put the pieces together and realized I had gone missing that day. That was it. I was kicked out and had to find a new home - Which is when I found Esmeralda.
I had to act confident, even though I felt like I was falling to pieces. I'm not sure why I was as upset as I was, since I knew it was going to happen one day. I couldn't hide a secret like that forever because while the ocean was the keeper of secrets, sometimes she liked to gossip.
When Violet was sleeping, I sneaked in and took the necklace from her neck. Prickles pinched at my skin at the risk of getting caught. I didn't feel bad though, because, again, you had to do what you had to do in order to survive.
I watched her torture herself over the missing necklace for days before I distanced myself. I couldn't feel bad for her. I needed to think of myself and what I needed to get out of this situation.
