Surprised By Joy, Impatient As the Wind

The Ball

Riding the creature became easier the further into the forest Mark and Jack traveled. A horse, it was called. Ugly, but useful, Jack supposed. He turned his attention to his surroundings, instead.

The trees were much more beautiful up close. The bark was rough and detailed, the roots curving, the leaves dappled in the summer sunlight. Birds twittered above them in little groups, flitting from branch to branch. The flowers grew from the healthy grass and waved at him in the slight breeze; several petals were lost to the wind and were swept away around Jack. The former merman couldn't help but smile at the beauty of the world outside the lake.

An orange plant swayed at the two; Jack recognized it as calendula. Matthias and Suzy used it for ointments and the like. They had shown him flowers, leaves, and herbs that grew around his lake that had healing properties, should he need them, and had tucked away a small stock of other helpful herbs that he could use to make salves and potions if the need should ever arise. He had taken it from its hiding place and put it in his satchel before the prince had arrived.

"The entire kingdom's invited to the ball after the marriage ceremony," Mark spoke up, interrupting the silence of the trip. "Will there be friends of yours there from the village?"

Jack bit his lip. "Er...no. I don't live in the village."

The prince laughed to himself. "Where, then? In the lake?" The former merman found himself laughing as well, just to prove that the notion put forward was ridiculous.

"No, of course not," Jack assured. "I live in a small mill in the woods, with a large garden on one side." He remembered the lines he had been given by Suzy and Matthias. "I'm an apothecary. I sell medicines at the market, but I doubt anyone would recognize me. It's...I...I don't own a horse, and walking is out of the question, so I have two villagers tend to my shop while I stay with my garden."

"Ah," the prince said. "Well, I give you all the luck of the mermaid that your garden flourishes for years to come, Jack."

If Jack had been walking, he would have stopped right in his tracks. "Mermaid?" he echoed. "Do you...have mermaids at the castle?" Maybe he wasn't the only one. Maybe...maybe there were more of his kind, in a lake or sluggish river at the castle, living together with the humans-

The prince chuckled. "No, no. There hasn't been a mermaid in these parts for years. It's been customary for centuries for the ruler of this kingdom to keep good relations with the mermaids. There used to be tons, living in the lakes, the rivers, the sea by the cliffs...they were close friends with the royalty and villagers."

Mark pursed his lips. "But the last one died out with my great-grandfather. My father used to tell me stories of young mermen splashing in the waters with him when he was young."

He reached down and took a small sack from his side, holding it up for his friend to see. The glitter of gold against a lovely dark turquoise etched out the image of a mermaid, her hair flowing about her like a halo. "Our sigil is a mermaid. It's said that they bring good luck, especially if a good deed is done towards one of them. So we hope that the image of one will help out just as well."

Jack found himself smiling despite himself. "I think...that the entire kingdom will have the luck of the merpeople as long as you're king, Mark."

The prince replaced the sack with a grin. He seemed more at ease now than he had been when talking about his wedding. "I...uh, thank you. I'm trying to keep my head on my shoulders. It's been difficult," he admitted,"but I've been more optimistic lately. My people need me, even if that means getting married to someone I don't know."

Jack thought for a moment before declaring,"It's noble." Mark turned his head to eye him, and the former merman continued. "Giving up some of your freedom in order to keep the kingdom stable. It's a noble cause, even if it doesn't seem like it."