Chapter 7 - The Real World

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Sunlight streamed into the bedroom. El huffed at the sunlight, far too bright for her liking. The sound of wings fluttering was very loud, almost as if it was right outside her window. El stood with a groan and peered outside. What she saw shook her to her core. It was a winged mermaid. The top half of a girl maybe a couple of years younger than her. Light teal wings that matched her tail, gleamed in the sun. El wanted to say something as the mermaid sat on the balcony, the guest's balcony.

"Have you kissed him yet?" Erica asked. Nancy awoke with a start. She blinked a few times and looked at Erica with a shake of her head. "Damn." she muttered. "That's right." El said out of her window. Erica looked her way shocked and flew away without a word.

Nancy was fiddling with her corset as El barged in. "I knew it!" she whispered. "You were the mermaid on the boat!" Nancy clamped her hand over El's mouth and nodded. "So, you're a mute mermaid?" she asked. Nancy shook her head, wondering how she could even explain it. Even with her words would've been difficult. "Did you lose it when you became human then?" Nancy nodded her head and tied the corset. Nancy pulled a white top with a pink and blue skirt from the closet as she let El pace the room. Nancy inspected herself in the mirror as El noticed the pink mermaid figure that Eddie gave Nancy the night before. Then all the pieces clicked. "You did it for Eddie. You saved him and my friend Max, didn't you?" Nancy stopped in her tracks. She finally nodded. "For love?" Nancy shrugged at this. "Sounds like love to me." Nancy put on a gray bodice over the top and skirt. She pushed the younger girl out of her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Nancy then put a finger to her lips. El nodded, she couldn't tell Eddie, and in extension her parents and the king. Nancy patted her shoulder and moved past her, leaving El upstairs.

...

"Did you sleep well?" Robin asked her as Nancy made her way into the hall. She nodded. El accepted Nancy. "Would Robin accept me as well?" Nancy wondered. "Seems like you forgot something." Robin replied, pointing at Nancy's bare feet. "I'm sure the king or prince won't mind." Robin shrugged. "I think they would." Steve said at Robin's other side. "Shut up dingus. Didn't you hear what Hopper and Joyce said." Nancy looked at them with interest.

"We talk amongst ourselves as servants." Steve explained. Nancy looked at him quizzically. "Not too much though, don't worry." Robin added. Nancy rolled her eyes as they entered another grand room with a long table towards the end of the room. The king and prince stood, seeing her enter. The Byers-Hopper family remained in their seats. El didn't look her in the eye.

"Nice to meet you dear. I'm King Wayne, ruler of this land, you know of my nephew." he introduced. Nancy nodded and shook his hand. She grinned at Eddie. "I was informed of your condition by Joyce, sorry to hear." They sat back down as Eddie pulled out the chair beside him for her. Nancy sat and looked at the empty plate and the silvery objects beside it. One was very familiar, a dinglehopper was there. She picked it up, admiring the glints in it, she could even see herself in the reflection. Nancy then ran the fork through the ends of her hair, twisting and twirling it. Then she felt all their eyes on her.

"What are you doing?" Will asked. Joyce elbowed her son. "Will, she's a guest, don't say that. Maybe she was..." Joyce glanced at Nancy again. "Cleaning it?" Nancy shrugged and sat it down. The hair covered fork was immediately replaced with a new one as their food was brought out. Delicious smells of fresh bacon and eggs filled the air along with some biscuits. Nancy ate the biscuits and bacon but was unsure how to eat the egg. After observing everyone else, she ate it carefully with her dinglehopper, which she now knew was an eating utensil.

"Are you going to do your duties or take it easy today, Eddie?" King Wayne asked. Nancy noticed Hopper look up. "Probably take it easy. I may stay in my room all day to not be disturbed." Eddie lied. He gave a subtle grin to Nancy as she bit her lip. Wayne seemed shocked before turning back to Nancy. "How long do you plan to stay dear?" Nancy shrugged.

"Perhaps a while." El interjected. "It's a shame you can't tell us your name." "Maybe you can write it down." Jonathan suggested. "Don't overwhelm her guys, come on." Joyce urged. "She was just in a shipwreck yesterday." The others murmured in agreement. Wayne was the first to stand. "I am off to my first meeting of the day." Wayne said courtly. "Nice meeting you. No off searching for mystery girls."

...

Nancy was the first to arrive at the stables after stopping to grab her uncomfortable boots and had her hair pinned back by Joyce. She was guided to a carriage by Hopper. "All of them are being used today in a search for Eddie's mystery girl." Nancy gave him a small, sad nod and got in. Dustin and Jonathan were at his side.

"Sorry if I scared you a few days ago. I wanted to see if you were deaf or not." Dustin said. Nancy gave him a tight-lipped smile in an attempted apology. "I still can't believe you did that." Jonathan added. "It's not my fault you and Steve are trying too hard to get with her." Dustin complained. Her eyes widened. Nancy never noticed either one of their attempts with flirting.

"Maybe you shouldn't assume dingus." Robin added walking in with Eddie at her side. "Really Henderson?" Eddie questioned with a laugh. He settled into the seat beside her in a light gray shirt, blue and black vest, and his usual black pants and boots. "Are you ready? I can drive like a maniac." Nancy just gave him a nod and raised a brow. Hopper and Jonathan opened the gate door, and they rode off. Steve walked up to Hopper after seeing them leave. "Who's that riding off with Eddie? Is it the pretty mute girl?" Steve asked. "I suppose." Hopper said. "But I thought the king said he was to stay inside the palace?" Steve asked. "That he did." Hopper answered. "But aren't you going to get in trouble for a carriage missing?" Steve asked. "Dude you are so behind." Dustin muttered. "Totally." Robin added. "What carriage?" Hopper simply answered. 

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