Under The Sea

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Mom, I'm sorry." Two words that meant more than just an apology. The emotion behind those words said I love you and I missed you. I clutched my mother to my chest, shifting on the rock we sat on, away from anyone, just the two of us.

I had missed her hugs terribly, they were warm and comforting and motherly. My mother grasped my shoulders, "now, tell me what happened." And the words spilled out of me like beans from a bag. I told her why I left, where I went, and why I never came back afterwards. I told her how Jacin had swam to the shore to find me, and once he told me the state of the kingdom, I rushed back to do everything I could. But the words that held the most emotion, the most concern, were those about Aran, although I left out the fact that he was a werewolf. When I spoke of him, I found my mother smiling, a smile that was both comforting and eerie at the same time.

"You're in love." She said, excitement coating her voice like a white veil.

I shook my head, "how do you know when you're in love?" My head spun, could I be in love and not even know it? I had only spent some weeks with Aran, could someone fall in love that quickly?

"When that person is constantly on your mind, when they are all you can think about, and you want nothing more but to be with them, that's when you know you're in love., when all you care about I their happiness. Does he make you happy, Forest?" I nodded my head, throughout this whole trip, my thoughts of him have been the only thing keeping me sane.

"Does he make you nervous? Does he make you feel special? And loved?" The answer was yes to all of those, I nodded.

She nodded approvingly, "I'd like to meet the boy that has stolen my daughter's heart!" Her smile was bright and fervent, and her eyes twinkled.

I smiled back at her, "You should probably know that he's a . . . um," I stuttered, feeling utterly like the teenage girl that I was, but hadn't been for a while now. It felt good.

"Spit it out!" She reeled toward me as curiosity steamed off of her body.

"He's a werewolf!" I blurted out with wide eyes.

My mother looked surprised before she chuckled, "well, you two are an odd couple. A mermaid and a wolf. I wonder what kind of kids you would make." Her eyes twinkled with nothing but amusement, and the judgment I expected, was no where to be seen.

"Mom!" I laughed at her, "you don't think it's odd that I'm mated to a werewolf? I didn't even know creatures like that existed!"

"I must say, it is quite odd, and random . . . but, yes it's true creatures like werewolves do exist. There are also warlocks and the like." She waved her hand around, bored with the conversation, while I sat completely shocked at what she had said. Warlocks and the like? Gods above, what other secrets did this world hide?

"How did I not know about all these other beings?"

"You are a mermaid that lives under the sea, not to mention you're a princess kept under heavy care, not permitted to leave, and hardly permitted to learn about the land above." She had a good point.

"So how did you know about all this?"

She scoffed at me, "I'm much older than you, which means I've had plenty of time to explore."

A thought hit me, and I quickly expressed my theory to my mother. "Mom, what if a warlock is giving Hastings power? And that's why he keeps going to the shore because warlocks live on the dry land." The rush of solving a puzzle swarmed through me.

My mother's face turned grave, "Forest, that's what I wanted to tell you. It is a warlock that's been giving Hastings his power. I've actually gotten close enough to see him and his magic in action." I motioned for her to continue with wide eyes.

She sighed, "Every warlock specializes in a power, it could be anything, the elements, mind control, illusion making, and so on. But overall they have many powers, but there is always one power they are strongest in. This warlock specializes in controlling the wind, he has not yet mastered all of his magic but he is very good at creating storms with wind. That is why when Hastings attacks, it's with the elements of nature to create storms strong enough to hurt," she looked away, "but I fear there is more to the story, this Mason, he is much more powerful than Hastings and I fear he wants our kingdom for himself. Perhaps out of pure desire or sport, I'm not sure why, although I suspect it's to quell his lust for power."

I sucked in a breathe, completely shocked. the threat to the kingdom goes far beyond Hastings, all the way to a powerful warlock. Confusion crashed atop my head like glass, "what did you say his name was?"

"Mason." His name was Mason, he could control the wind. Aran's words echo through my head, stunning me to the core. Could this be the same . . .no, it must be a coincidence. I shook my head. Aran never said his brother died, just that he disappeared. And maybe now he was back.

What if Aran was in danger? What if Mason's return was some kind of revenge plan? Countless what-ifs ran through my head, new more dangerous theories flowed through my head. My hands started to shake under the water, and my face took on a scared expression.

"Sweetie, what's the-" but Mom was cut off by a frantic Jacin, rushing towards us.

"He's found us."

*****

My mother, Jacin and I rushed back to the throne room to see the advisors and Queen Carol in a heated discussion. When we came closer they all turned toward us.

"You three must leave at once! Hastings has been spotted at the border with a handful of guards at his back. The shore will be safest." The young Queen exclaimed hurriedly.

I looked to the advisors, "You must tell Hastings that the warlock he is working with, is dangerous and possibly taking advantage of him. Try to convince him that he is trying to take over our kingdom, and might succeed should Hastings continue to willingly gain support from him. I fear Hastings is not our biggest enemy." Chaplain opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand, "yes, I know how hard it will be to convince him, but at least try. I don't expect you to succeed. I understand the danger I am putting you in by leaving you here, but I trust that Queen Carol will keep you under her care, as long as she can." My eyes pleaded with him and after a few thoughtful seconds, he nodded.

I looked to Carol and she nodded, swimming forward. She wrapped her arms around me, surprisingly. "Good luck, young princess." She did the same to my mother, and then we were off.

Jacin and my mother linked their arms on either side of me, practically pulling me toward the shore. As we started to grow closer, the water became lighter and warmer from the sun. I prayed there were no humans on shore at the moment.

Our eyes peeked out of the water, scanning the shore for any sign of life. The beach was empty. We swam to the same spot Jacin and I had stripped our clothes and spotted both outfits folded, peeking from behind a bush that started the forest. Aran was so thoughtful, I smiled.

"I'll get out first, and grab some clothes, from somewhere for your mother," Jacin looked at me, then smiled at my mother, who returned the small gesture.

"Thank you, Jacin." He nodded in thanks at her words. Jacin flopped onto the sand and quickly took on his human form, before jumping up and sprinting to the pile of clothes. From the beach, Jacin motioned that it was safe for us to follow. We looked around before pulling our heavy bodies out of the water. I shifted, standing up, followed by my mother. She stumbled a bit, he legs heavy with disuse. I wrapped my arm around her waist and we staggered toward Jacin. I looked down at my clothes; tights, a dress and a long sweater. Just as Jacin was about to leave and find clothes for my mom, I grabbed his arm.

"No need for that, we can share this." I gestured to the pile. Jacin turned around politely as I handed my mom the dress and slipped on the tights and sweater. We discarded the bra and underwear. A cool breeze blew across our wet faces, and I was reminded of the first time I had set foot on this beach, oblivious to what I would find in the future.

But this time I knew, and this time I was ready. We started walking into the forest, towards Aran and his pack.

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New chapter and major plot twist! Hope you guys enjoyed it!
Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading,

Drew