Happily Oumeno After! (Oumeno Fairytales)

The Mischievous Merboy (1)

    Princess Himiko sighed longingly as she stared out of her bedroom window at the sea. Though she still harbored her love for the ocean deep inside her, she developed a fear of it after nearly drowning in it ten years ago. She longed to feel the warm, calming waves caress her feet. She would often dream of the day that she would once again smell the salty sea air as she stood on the beach, gazing off into the sunset dipping below the sparkling, glittering sea. But no matter how much she pined for the ocean, she could not bring herself to go near it ever again. Though it seemed silly, the real reason she still loved the ocean was the because of the secrets hidden within its depths. Her mind reached back to the day she nearly died. She remembered seeing a boy's face, and hearing his voice. But most of all, after she had returned to the shore, she remembered the tail of a merboy diving back into the water right after being rescued. Was that just her imagination? Was that a hallucination due to almost having been near death? Or was that really a merboy who had come to Himiko's rescue? Himiko liked to believe he was real, and ever since then, she had convinced herself that he was, and tried to do the same to her stepsister and their friend, who, at that moment, burst into her room. 

   "Helloooo, Princess Himiko!" Angie chirped, skipping in through the doorway.

   "Nyeh...you don't have to call me 'princess,' Angie," Himiko sighed. "Just Himiko is fine."

   "Well, then, how are you doing this morning, 'Just Himiko? '" Angie teased with a wink. Himiko smiled and rolled her eyes at her. 

   "Are you staring out at the ocean again?" Tenko asked. 

   "Yeah," Himiko replied quietly. 

   "Thinking about mermaids again?" Angie asked with a playful smirk.

   "Ugh! Angie, quit teasing her!" Tenko scoffed. "Everyone knows mermaids don't exist!"

   "But they do!" Himiko said. "I told you, a little merboy saved me from drowning that day!" She sighed and hung her head. "I wish you guys would believe me."

    "Um...we want to, Himiko, but...if there were mermaids, someone probably would have seen one by now," Tenko said quietly. 

   "Nyeeeeh...someone did!" Himiko shouted in frustration. "Me! " The room suddenly became drenched in awkward silence. Himiko then sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter. Believe whatever you want." She hung her head and dragged her feet as she forlornly walked past Angie and Tenko, who stared at her with worry. Silently, all three of them left the castle and headed to Hope's Shores Academy, a school for talented students that stood near the coastline. To get to Hope's Shores, Himiko, Angie, and Tenko had to cross a bridge that led into a nearby village. The bridge hovered over an inlet that connected the Hope River to the ocean. Everytime they crossed the bridge, Himiko would turn her head away from the ocean. It was one thing seeing it from the safety of her bedroom, but being outside and so close to it sent shivers of fear up her spine. She shut her eyes tightly as Angie and Tenko helped her across.

   "Are we there, yet?" Himiko asked in a small voice.