A Mermaid's Cry

Chapter 19-The Annoyance of Recovery

🌼I'd like to apologize for how long it takes me to put up knew chapters.

Just got off for Spring Break from college and I've been picking up slack in my house.

I also tend to get burned out, and I also get distracted. I also make it a priority to have somewhat of a social life. So if there is no updates sometimes, I'm probably playing d&d or doing whatever comes to mind.🍃

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I wake to my mother hovering next to me, as I open my eyes. The smell of brewing tea and cooking food rushes up my nose as I breathe in.

"What happened Momma?" I ask, my memories hazy as I shield my eyes from the sun shining through the window beside my bed.

"You went on a walk to cool down," she says, helping me up to a seated position and fixing the pillows behind my back. "You had been gone for just a little bit, and then Ares showed up with you passed out in his arms."

"What?" I sputter, turning to her smiling face in horrified shock.

"Isn't it wonderful dear?" Mother says, standing up and fetching a bowl of steaming stew and placing it in my now boneless hands. "Ares said he found you with your head bashed by a branch. He was so kind to get you out of that dangerous place and bring you back here. So Elder Isolde could bandage your wound dear."

I quickly stand, placing down the bowl throwing aside the blankets piled on me. The warm humid air, quickly clings to my body that I find covered in a new clean shift. The color of blooming red trumpet flowers, and upon my inspection soft as a petal.

"Wh-Where did this come from?" I murmur, just as the front door of our hut opens for Grandmother to shadow the entrance.

"A gift from Chief Ikar's mate," Grandmother says, strolling over to the small looking glass in the mirror to fix a few stray hairs. "She saw your poor dress and fetched it so the sheets would live another day."

I swallow the lump forming in my throat. The woman it seemed pitied me, and must have only given it to me cause it was her son that carried me back. I wouldn't put it past Grandmother to already be planning something to tie my future to Ares. While I lay unconscious and deaf to the world. It wouldn't surprise me if she hinted at his parents about the possibility of a match between us. The very thought makes my stomach ache and twist in on itself.

I rush out the open door, quickly falling to my knees and retching onto the grass. The burning in my stomach travels up my throat and past my lips. I vomit, spit, and cough till there is nothing left in my belly.

"Corintha, are you okay?" Mother calls, and I hear run out of the hut and kneel down next to me. "Come on dear, let's get you back inside. Isolde will be here soon to check your head."

I nod, and let her take me back into the house. As we head back in, I feel as I'm being watched. While mother grabs a cloth to clean my face, I glance out the window and find the source of my discomfort.

Just on the very edge of jungle scrub near the walking path. I see him, Ares watching me with a hunting spear balanced across his shoulders. A glint of bared interest in his eyes, that makes my stomach tighten even more. But of course Mother comes to my rescue and ushers me back to bed.
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I stay in bed for almost a week, grateful that no one has asked about the bite on my neck. Elder Isolde comes over every day to check my head and apply a fresh dressing. Of course Grandmother and Mother, hover over me like excited birds. Always asking if I'm better, and growing sad when I say I'm not. Though Mother's concern is real, while Grandmother just wants an excuse to take me over to her friend Elder Drizella. So she can concoct a scheme to have me put in the running to be a prospective bride for Ares.

The only things that do break the long quiet of being stuck inside, are my friends and brother always finding away to make me smile. Octavia and Adila tell me how Nox has been lately. How for some reason he's always skittering round like some animal is after him. They both share my dislike of him, but something shocked me when they told me something strange on my seventh day of recovery.

"Ares has been moping around all week," Octavia says, while helping me stick up my working dress.

"Hmm," I respond, not listening at first until Adila kicks my ankle with her bare foot.

"Ow!" I shout, rubbing my ankle and glaring at my evil grinning friend. "What was that for?"

"Didn't you hear her, Ares has been grouchy lately," Adila replies, lowering her voice to a whisper lest my relations hear. "Everyone one's noticed it. He ignores all the brainless girls vying for his attention, all he does is bring back basket after basket of fish. He's even taken to helping Morzan sharpen the spears and fishing hooks."

"And?" I reply, going back to patching another endless hole in my old dress. "Isn't that what the chief's son should be doing? Helping and providing for the pod."

"Well yes," Octavia cuts in, flushing slightly when I pin my growing annoyed gaze on her. "But he's the only unmated male doing stuff like that. All the other males his age are sniffing around for mates."

"Unfortunately so," Adila chimes in, scraping her hunting knife with the sharpening stone. "I've got at least two who think they can handle me. While Octavia over there has only the one, but lucky for him he's scrawny enough that we won't have to worry about anything for a while."

Octavia turns bright red, and quickly starts nibbling on her already worn down nails.

"Oh don't tell me," Adila teases, showing off a toothy grin. "You like him don't you?"

Octavia huffs and rolls her eyes. Choosing to ignore Adila as she starts to fire of dozens of questions about this potential suitor. I listen as they begin to bicker back and forth, with Octavia defending the male and Adila teasing about testing him to see if he's worthy or not.

I just hope that the next few weeks fly bye. Hopefully, Ares will have lost interest by then. But, I somehow doubt that would ever happen. Anything that I've wished for, always seems to end up bringing bad news for me. But for right now, I need to get better. I've had enough of listening to matters of the heart, cause it doesn't matter much to Grandmother. She'll have me wed before I'm dead if she has anything to say about it.