Crown Prince Delmore of Atlantis turned and faced Lorelei. For a second, he stared intently at the true princess. "You're Nixie, Princess Lorelei's Tailmaiden, right...?"
"Yes...". Lorelei lied, her turquoise mermaid tail twitching like an unlucky fish caught on a human fisherman's baited hook. Her heart sank to the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean. She had been dreading this inevitable moment.
"Have we met before...?" asked Delmore in a low voice. "There's something strangely familiar about you...".
Lorelei's mother, Queen Alda of Baltica, had once told her than some mermen could always sense their true love, no matter what. She couldn't help but wonder if the Crown Prince of Atlantis happened to be one of them. Delmore's facial expression was unreadable, but his green eyes seemed to hold a hint of curiosity, and maybe even a spark of recognition, although they had never even met in person before. Lorelei's heart raced faster, and she felt like she was drowning in the devastatingly handsome Atlantean prince's gaze.
"I...I get that a lot..." stammered Lorelei.
Delmore nodded slowly. "I see...well, in any case, it's nice to meet you, Nixie". It was plainly obvious from the annoyed look on the real Nixie's beautiful face that she hadn't expected Delmore to be so attentive to her so-called "Tailmaiden".
"I'm sure you both must be exhausted from your long journey" Queen Delphine of Atlantis said. "Marie, our head royal housekeeper, will show you to your rooms in the palace".
The Queen wore a big, specially designed, bioluminescent pearl on a silver chain around her neck. When she touched the pearl, a soft, pearlescent glow emanated from within. With a practiced flick of her finger, Delphine traced a specific sequence of glowing lines across the pearl's surface. The lines shimmered and pulsed in shades of blue, green, and violet, a silent command weaving its way through the bioluminescent network that pulsed beneath the foundation of the Atlantean royal palace. That was how she summoned Marie, who wore an identical pendant.
A few minutes later, Marie, a plump, elderly mermaid, floated into the throne room. "Yes, Your Grace?"
"Marie, our esteemed head royal housekeeper" said Queen Delphine. "I'd like you to meet Princess Lorelei, the youngest daughter of Queen Alda of Baltica, and her Tailmaiden, Nixie".
Marie's hazel eyes widened as she took in the sight of the two young mermaids. "Of course, Your Grace. It's an honor to meet you both".
"Show them to their rooms, Marie. Make sure our Baltican guests have everything they need" Delphine instructed.
The head housekeeper bowed to the Atlantean royal family, and then gestured for Lorelei and Nixie to follow her. "This way, young mer-ladies. Your rooms are ready".
In spite of their differences in social status, Lorelei and Nixie stayed in identical guest bedrooms at the Atlantean palace. Huge windows offered breathtaking views of Atlantis, and all of the furniture was carved out of luminous coral. A seashell-shaped hydroelectric lamp was placed on top of a glossy nightstand, and a pastel pink and lavender SeaSatin quilt covered the queen-sized bed. SeaSatin was a lustrous material derived from a secretion in the shells of a certain species of clam.
After sleeping in the Sea-Carriage for three straight nights, it certainly did feel nice to lay down in such a comfortable bed. But unfortunately, Princess Lorelei did not have sweet dreams, despite her luxurious accommodations. All night long, she was plagued by a series of truly horrible nightmares.
Lorelei's dreams were a twisted reflection of her deepest, darkest fears. She saw Nixie and Crown Prince Delmore getting married in a lavish royal wedding ceremony, and then they rode off into the undersea sunset on Felipe, Lorelei's beloved, copper-colored giant seahorse. The prince's bright green eyes gleamed with a possessive light, and Nixie's smile was a cold, calculating smirk. Lorelei tried to scream, but her voice was trapped in her throat like a fish in a net.
The scene abruptly shifted, and Lorelei found herself bound to a driftwood chair with kelp ropes, completely helpless and unable to move a muscle. Nixie loomed over her, a cruel glint in her blue eyes. "You'll never be a princess again, Lorelei", Nixie taunted in a singsong tone. "You'll always just be my little Tailmaiden, and you'll wait on me hand and fin, forever and ever!".
Shortly after low tide, the real princess woke up in a cold sweat. Feeling like a heavy lead weight was attached to her delicate fins, Lorelei sluggishly swam out of bed. She couldn't resist letting out an unladylike yawn.
Marie, the head royal housekeeper, floated into Lorelei's room. "Good morning, dear" she said gently. "After you eat breakfast, it'll be time to help your mistress get ready for the day".
Lorelei rubbed her eyes. "Good morning, Marie".
The old mermaid set down a small tray on Princess Lorelei's nightstand. On the tray was a freshly made SeaPro Scramble, an omelette-like breakfast dish that was one of her favorite foods.
Once she had finished quickly gobbling down the delicious SeaPro Scramble, Lorelei went into Nixie's room, which was right next door to hers. Will it really be my fate to wait on Nixie hand and fin, for the rest of my life?, the true princess thought to herself, sighing audibly. She couldn't get her haunting dreams out of her mind.
YOU ARE READING
A Tail of Two Mermaids
خيال (فانتازيا)Lorelei is a timid, passive mermaid princess of Baltica, a tiny merfolk kingdom in the cool, brackish Northeastern Ocean. Nixie, her beautiful Tailmaiden(or in human terms, handmaiden), hides a humiliating secret. This is the tale(tail?) of two very...
