Beast Conquests

Chapter 8: Waves

       "I want to go home."

        'So I can't marry you because I'll be leaving. That's unfair to you.'

      When he heard her words, Azul immediately looked up. His expression cleared up although it didn't change much from his usual poker face.

       'I... feel so relieved.'

       After he perceived that the root of rejection was not him, he felt joy running through his veins. His gills for ears twitched, the way dog's ears did when happy.

       "There's going to be a problem there."

     Mira looked at him with a serious expression, her eyes urging him to tell her.

       "The chief won't let you go back to your land tribe easily. You already know that without a female our clans numbers can't grow. That makes us vulnerable.

       The population of other clans are already twice as much as were are. If it comes to tribal wars, we'll be outnumbered. And not just the chief, all my other brethren won't let you go back on land.

       It'll be especially harder since you don't recall where you come from."

     Mirabella pursed her lips and she continued his unsaid words.

       "The only way out is to marry. That way, even if I find my home I'll come back here for some time even if I don't stay."

      'Like Persephone going back and forth between her mother and her husband.'

      Mirabella felt guilty for even considering marrying Azul just to find a way out. The first step home is going on land and looking for clues there. There must be a way back. 'Because the home I'm going to is completely different from what he thinks.'

      "About that, the chief said the tribe will hold the choosing rites two nights from today." Azul stated, glancing out of the bubble to see a few hundred mermen casually swimming around.

       No doubt wanting to enter the cave, but they couldn't not unless Mirabella had given explicit permission.

      "Will you accept?"

      "Yes. I can't keep pushing it further. It's not like they can refuse my refusal."

       'I have two days left to figure things out.'

        Mirabella Louise was a lucky girl. From the outside looking in. She was the first daughter of one of the wealthiest and intriguingly influential families in the city.

       She was beautiful.

      Tall and slim. Fair skinned. A delicately carved face akin to the marble statues in ancient temples.

     Smart.

      She was a calm and rational person who was always organised. Who loved planning and reading and the simple joys of life. But,she was quite cold. Always distant.

       If only she had been brighter. Warmer, lovelier. She would have been perfect.

      For all the things she was praised for, beauty, wealth and intellect were also the things she had been envied for.

      Mirabella, in her highschool years was always the 'hottest' girl in school without even lifting a finger. And she paid the price for it.

      Her first boyfriend was Carl, at age sixteen. He was sweet and a gentleman, who also happened to he her seatmate.

      Dazzling blue eyes and golden blonde hair. With a smile that could light up a room, with a one sided dimple. He was cute and she had a crush on him.