Maristella: Star of the Ocean

Sampooran

Mitchelle, one of the permanent members of my personal cabin crew came in to interrupt my reminiscence. "Your highness, the flight is about to land in the Oceanian airstrip, Osaka, please be ready", she says. "Mitchelle, how many times should I say this to you, you have been seeing me for the last 4 years and you can call me by my name when no one's around. 'Your highness' makes me feel somewhat alienated." Mitchelle bows her head respectfully and smiles, "Still your highness, you are no ordinary mermaid, moreover you are the reason we are alive and working, and I am absolutely grateful that you thought I was deserving enough to utter your name." I simply shake my head knowing that this conversation will reach no destination, ever.

The blue ocean is visible below and scene looks as if it has been wrenched out from a Studio Ghibli movie. We will land within 2 minutes.

I bid the crew goodbye and depart from the plane which I had named 'Snowball' as a kid to find my usual black tinted BMW waiting for me, complete with chauffeur uncle Himeji and driver uncle Kento. They had always been the ones to welcome me during my weekend trips to Japan. And I know that they love me like their own daughter even though the always keep an emotionless face around me. The only time I see some emotions in their eyes is when I give them their Newyear gifts. Each time they almost tear up and seeing two burly emotionless middle-aged men nearly cry is always funny.

We move towards the Osaka castle. Bhalo ma had remodeled a part of the Osaka castle to make it my home in Japan as my tenth birthday gift. She knew my obsession with the architecture of the summer castle since I first saw it. Bhalo ma and her silly little son both come to Osaka from their capital in Tokyo every weekend for our bonding time, which needless to say I enjoy.

Oh, and did I mention that her silly son happens to be my best friend? Adrian and I had been inseparable since the day we first met, which was when I turned 1 and he was 3. But we know that the world thinks of us as more than just best friends, the tabloids never shut up about the mysterious Indian princess with whom the eighteen-year-old crown prince of Japan has spent the latest ball night, and how this Indian princess is always seen with the Japanese royal family. Last day I saw a Japanese article's cover page say: "Prince Reiji seen with his mysterious future queen again! This time in the prestigious Cristenella Ball." We always laugh at these articles which portray me as his girlfriend together. But can we really deny that we are more than just best friends?

We know each other too well, so much so that he knows it beforehand when I will crave my favourite Nutella KitKat (even when I don't) and hands it over to me faster that I could utter buzzlebum. And I know when he wishes to go and watch the starlight from up on the hills, for I can identify every flair in his onyx eyes. I know that existing in this world will be meaningless and the feeling is mutual. But if scares me, I don't know what the future holds. What if it turns out that he is not my soulmate?

Unlike humans who are ignorant of the true nature of their existence, we mermaids know how to identify our soulmates. Once a mermaid turns eighteen, and sees their soulmate for the first time, he or she feels their soulmate's heartbeat in their heart, so it's like becoming whole finally when you get to listen to a heart that beats for you. The phenomenon is called 'Sampooran'.

Adrian turned eighteen last month, but he still hasn't had his sampooran. And honestly, I am scared, what if he gets his mate before I turn eighteen?

I get off the car and stride towards the palace's main interior hall and everyone standing in the hallway bows down to me. Just when I am about to enter the gurando hall, I am greeted by an enchanting smell. It smelled like fresh petrichor rising from the wet earth which has been kissed after a long period of draught. The scent made me somewhat dizzy. I subconsciously tried to follow it, slowly at first as I moved towards the familiar stairs which led towards the open balcony on the second floor, my pace became faster as I became more enamored by the fragrance that enveloped me.
I realized that I was now standing in the balcony garden of the castle, my eyes scanned the place for the source of the fragrance, I turn leftwards gradually and suddenly my eyes land on the pretty boy whom I call my best friend, our eyes lock, onyx vs amber, and I heard it, we both did. An erratic heartbeat invaded my senses matching my own.
I felt a tingling sensation on left upper arm, and saw a beautiful blue and violet design of a crowned mermaid carrying a dreamcatcher form on my caramel skin. And I knew that it was our sampooran symbol. Every pair of soulmates had one.

His lips part slightly and I feel a little wetness on my right cheek. We move towards each other, our pace in sync, just like our heartbeats. He raised his hands and cupped my cheeks, and removed that stray tear. And in the next second I felt his arms caging me in tightly. I have no idea about how long we stayed like that, our joys mingling in each other's arms, but when we broke the hug we had two stupid ear-stretching smiles plastered on our faces.

"So... you are my stupider half!"

___________________________________________

It's been 3 hours since we first heard each other's heartbeats, since we found out that we are soulmates, yet Adrian is still staring down at me with a dreamy look in his eyes and a stupid smile on his face. Not that I am complaining, because I will never get enough of his silly smiles. We are currently lying on a soft grass patch on a hill behind the palace and watching and moon. But I am still confused about how I experienced my Sampooran even though I am not ever eighteen yet.

Adrian voices out my thoughts and says, " I always knew that there's only one mermaid in this entire world who will be able to match my level of madness, but I thought that I would have to wait for the next two years to find my queen. How did this happen?"

"I- I don't know Adrian, I think I should ask my mother, give me five minutes." I said, referring to the Goddess of the Ocean, the Great Lady of Kindness.

While the world was barred from pronouncing her name, she had been my confidant and guide since the day I got to know of my identity as the Princess of Oceana, the Star of the Ocean.

Adrian reluctantly leaves my hand and starts to go down the hill. And I proceeded to close my eyes and silently chant the magical words taught to me by Irnus, my mother:

Irinia stella rosa pericua prakatam

And within seconds I feel her loving energy in the room. I gradually open my eyes only to get scared out of my wits! "Peekaboo" says she while hovering in the air right above my head, her ocean eyes aligned with mine. Her unearthly beauty lighting up the darkness of the night, a calming turquoise glow is erupting from her silver body.

"Irnus, when will you stop behaving like a child", my voice laced with a joyful tune of rebuke.

"Whom are you calling a child, young lady? I am older than time itself, don't you know that?" A dramatically amused Irnus says.

"Oh come on Irnus, you know why I called you, don't play these silly games, please tell me how was it possible..."

"Silly child, you always confuse yourself with every other mermaid, don't you? The natural rules that bind all others do not work for you my child, they will never be able to chain you. Your heart was waiting for your mate to reach his prime all this time. You were always ready. The Star of the Ocean always is".

And with that she kissed my forehead and vanished in thin air.