As Edweana, Adella, and I swam into the city, Edweana parted ways with us to find her father among the crowds of new arrivals. Edweana said that she and her parents live in another place like Nephnis, specifically for the offspring of sharks and mermen. It sounded terrific, as she explained. I had even asked if I could visit it one day, to which Edweana was more than happy to agree!
When we arrived at the castle, the guards didn't stop us; they bowed their heads to me, "Princess." They said in unison as I swam past them. This is going to take some getting used to, I thought. We found my mother on her throne, cupping her mouth as if trying to quiet her sobs.
"Mother," I say; she looks up and swims to me in a furry,
"Caspia!" She said, taking me into her arms, "I was so worried!" I hugged her back, finally being able to after twenty years of never being able to. We pulled away, and she took Adella's hand, "Thank you for bringing my daughter home to me safely." Adella bows her head,
"It was an honor, your majesty," Adella replies respectfully before taking my hand,
"Marina, my dear." Mother says, "You may call me Marina." Adella's face beamed with excitement, but it was short-lived when I asked,
"Mother, what's the emergency meeting about?" I asked. My mother stayed quiet for a moment, then turned to a guard,
"Please bring us the informer." She told him. He bows his head and swims away.
"Mother?" I say; she turns to us and says the thing I was terrified of,
"We may be going to war with the humans."
Adella, my mother, and I sat down together as we waited for the informer at my mother's behest. When the guard returned, he was followed by a mermaid that I recognized, "Lizzy?" I say. Lizzy waves to me,
"Hello, Princess." She says, "I'm happy to see you have been reunited with your mother at last." I raised a brow,
"Did you know who I was when we met?" She nods, "Why didn't you say anything?" I asked,
"I was terrified, my lady." She tells me, "My father forced me to say my betrothed was my mate to my sister; she was the one who told me about our mother because, much like you, my mother died giving birth to me, but sadly...."
"She wasn't buried at sea, so she wasn't able to transform and heal?" Lizzy nods,
"Maryanne was fortunate that her mate was human, but I wasn't able to find mine, and so when I reached marrying age, my father gave me to a man for some land." I pulled the poor girl into a hug and held her for a moment,
"I'm so sorry, Lizzy," I told her.
Sitting down, Lizzy begins to tell us everything that has happened since we left. Apparently, after I freed Adella, the town made flyers with the mention of a reward to anyone who could capture a mermaid. It has made a lot of mermaids in the town, which isn't many, uneasy, and some have even decided to come to the sea. Those who couldn't come to the city due to their children not being of age or not wanting to leave their human mates ventured off to other towns.
I looked to my mother, "What can we do?" I asked, "Should we leave?" This angered her,
"I am not leaving my home." She said, "Not again." I could feel her pain for leaving as if it were my own.
"Then we fight!" Adella tells us, but I take her hand,
"But what if something happens?" I ask, "I don't think I could stand the thought of losing you," I take my mother's hand as well, smiling at her, "Either of you."
"We need to do something." My mother said, "That's why I called the meeting; to figure out what other options we could have other than leaving or fighting." I sigh, wishing things hadn't happened the way they had.
"This is my fault." I say, "If I hadn't told you to meet me there that morning, this never would have happened." Adella wrapped her arms around me,
"That's not true, Caspia." She told me, but I didn't want to hear it. I got up and swam away, "Caspia!" Adella called, but I didn't turn back.
I need time to think...
I sat at the edge of the city, gazing up at the darkened cavern, trying to think of something to make the nightmare end. My mother is in my life now, after I spent twenty years thinking she was dead. I have someone I think I may truly love, someone I don't think I'd be able to survive without. And a kingdom that I never knew was here, a place that I will one day rule, a place where I can be who I am, no judgment, no criticism; a place where it doesn't matter who you are or who you love...
"Caspia," I turn, seeing my mother floating there, with a slight smile on her face, "may I?" She asked; I nodded. She sat beside me, "I'm sorry." She said, gaining my attention, "I should have told your father who I was, but even though we were mates, his love for money...it was deeper for money than for me." I turn to her, seeing tears float past her face.
It would be difficult to cry in the ocean, I thought to myself.
"I thought it best to hide who I was so he couldn't trade me for money." She said, "I wanted love and a family, and keeping who I was a secret gave me that. But, it didn't give me something important to all creatures."
"What?" I asked,
"Happiness." She replied, "As I watched you grow up from afar, that's something I've noticed you didn't have much of unless you were showing those men that you were the better pirate than all of them combined." I chuckled at her words, "But," she continued, "you have been happiest since you've met Adella." I smiled,
"I think I love her." I said, "I've never felt this for anyone. I thought something was wrong with me because I never liked any man I came in contact with." I told her, "I thought love would come in time, or perhaps I haven't met the right man, but now I understand it's because I was never supposed to be with a man. I was always meant to be with her. With Adella." My mother cupped my face and hugged me tightly,
"I think you should tell her that yourself." Mother suggested, but I sighed,
"What if she doesn't care for me as I care for her?" I asked, but she gave me a 'don't be ridiculous' look. She reached into the bag she had on her and pulled out a small clamshell, opening it to reveal a ring with three pearls on it, two smaller ones and one big one in the center,
"I'm certain she does." She tells me, "But you'll never know if you don't ask." I take a breath,
"Isn't it a bit sudden?" I ask, still unsure,
"Go." My mother tells me. I take another breath and swim away, searching for Adella.
YOU ARE READING
The Pirate Princess
FantasyA young pirate has been at sea her whole life. She grew up on her father's ship and knew the sea as well, if not better than her father. She is forced into marriage by her father because of a law so she can inherit her father's ship. On the night of...
