A Mermaids Tail

7.Civilisation

The procession had not stopped all night, moving with haste away from the pirates, and Narfi. Alicia was worried, she'd left him surrounded by murderous brigands, in a burning forest, alone. Her mind was full of all the horrific possibilities and her heart weighed heavy, since her rescuing she had become quite fond of her protector and was surprised at how much she cared for him.

The other people around her kept a cautious distance but had given her food and water. The filtered light if the forest was broken as they left it's cover and the first light of dawn broke through the window which she turned to gaze through. Out of it she looked down the hill they descended over farmland dotted with workers already tending the livestock and crops, she saw the road they traveled passed these farms and their mills, over smooth worn tracks to a city. High walls surrounded it and guards patrolled the parapets, two stood either side of the arched wooden doors that the road came to.

Unsure why, whether the absence of Narfi or the imposing sight of the city or both, but as they got closer and closer to it Alicia found herself short of breath. In the next half hour it took them to reach the city gates it did nothing but worsen, now gasping heavily she began to grasp at her chest as it tightened. They entered the city and made towards a square where a troop of guards stood to attention, as the people exited the first carriage she thought she saw them salute but was so dizzy and lightheaded she couldn't be sure. When the door to her carriage opened she flung herself for the door for the promise of open space but her legs wouldn't work and she tumbled from the carriage to a chorus of horrified screams that mingled and faded into silence as she blacked out.

Awaking slowly she thought herself still in a dream as the warped face leered at her. Although something brushed against her skin it was not her dress, so she went to cover herself, but screamed in shock only to see bubbles rise before her eyes. Waking fully and suddenly she looked down to see her tail fully restored, and her body in it's mermaid form. Tears welling in her eyes she thrashed in rage, her tail slamming hard into something. Swimming to it she realised it was glass, the people of the city had put her in a tank and now she sat within some huge stone chamber, lavishly decorated with gold and the expensive, and to her horror, pedestals and cages and jars containing a myriad of magical creatures captured or stuffed and displayed. An aristocratic group of flamboyantly dressed men stood before the tank now talking and observing her so she swam to the rear of the tank to be as far from their intrusive gaze as possible. After some time of banging on the tank to goad her the men left the chamber, and she was left to sob alone.

As the sun set over the city and the night watch took their posts none could make out the bulking shadow against the woods in the twilight, nor the shadow of a man sat on his haunches next to it.

So many years had passed since he'd left this place yet now he must return and finish what he should have back then to save his beloved Alicia, he smirked darkly to himself, funny how things turn out, he thought as he stood and mounted the beast at his heel. He knew that despite his abilities and skill even he couldn't attack the city and rescue Alicia, he needed help.

Turning his head so his words traveled the wind he whispered, "Jeg kommer brødre."