History of Fictitious: Volume One

Chapter 4

It was a bright new day and the sun shined through the lovely windows. Bree felt as if she still hadn't woken up from her dreams. A maid came in and closed the curtain. Bree wanted to moan at her. She wanted to see the rising sun, not block it out.

"The Prince would like to have breakfast with you. I picked out some nice pressed-clean clothes. You're lucky."

Bree got out of bed and balanced herself. She didn't want to fall and the muscles in her legs ached. The maid pulled out a dress from the closet and set it on the bed to air it out. The maid then ushered Bree to get dressed for the day as quickly as she could. The maid didn't want to be the cause of Bree appearing late.

When the preparation was done, the maid took Bree to the room where they ate last night. In the room were Daniel and Topsie.

Daniel stood from his chair and helped Bree get seated next to Topsie. They ate their breakfast without speaking. Bree was carefully being watched by Topsie and Daniel, which she noticed. She tried not to scowl at them, but it was hard when they were staring so intently. She still had trouble figuring out the silverware.

Once they were all fed for the beautiful morning, Daniel stood and said, "I've heard you know lots about mermaids and know little about everyday things like um, well, forks for example. I was just thinking we could trade some knowledge. I'd show you around and explain things, then you could tell me about mermaids."

Bree stared at Topsie, wondering if Topsie shared with Daniel about Bree being a mermaid. However, Bree could tell that wasn't the case. Topsie didn't tell him that Bree was a mermaid. It was clear that Topsie instead came up with some crazy story.

"So, would that be okay with you?" Daniel asked when he didn't get a nod from her.

Bree smiled and nodded. She personally would love to find out the secrets to humans. And in the process, she could just save humans and mermaids. Her risky plan was falling right into place.

Daniel grinned and held an arm out to her, and she took it happily. They then made their way out of the room. Topsie didn't follow, which told Bree it was just going to be the two of them for the day. It made her worry because she didn't know what story Topsie told Daniel.

Topsie melted those fears when she shouted to Bree, "Take care of my brother, Island Girl!"

Bree waved to Topsie in thanks before the door shut on her. Now it would just be her and Daniel. She knew she was finally where she wanted to be in her adventure. This man would be king soon and if they could establish some sort of agreement, no one would have to live in fear. And maybe Bree would earn the respect she had always wanted from her people.

They explored all day, something both of them enjoyed. It seemed more complete with the other by their side. Bree never had someone encourage her to try new things, and Daniel had never met someone so full of life who found joy in everything she did. Throughout the day, they both felt there were times when one of them was hiding something.

Together, as evening approached, they sat watching couples dance along the shore of the beach. Bree traced her fingers across the sand. She had been doing it all day so she was able to talk to Daniel. This time, she was just drawing pictures in the sand instead of words.

Daniel smiled thoughtfully as he watched her draw a small island surrounded by water. Under the water, she drew her home, Baldwin. To Daniel, however, he thought the island was her home and she had connections with mermaids.

He pointed to the castle of Baldwin, "Is that the merfolk kingdom? You've seen it?"

Bree wrote in the sand that she only got to see a little and that it was indeed supposed to be one of the kingdoms under the deep water. The first part wasn't true, but she couldn't say that she saw the whole thing when humans couldn't breathe underwater. There were, however, some plants that allowed them to, but that was a secret Bree's father would never forgive her for telling.

"So, we've talked all day about merfolk and such, what about you? What do you like to do for fun?" Daniel asked.

Bree thought about it, then she wrote down dancing, writing in the sand, and shark hunting. She almost wrote singing but reminded herself that it wouldn't make sense if she couldn't speak.

"Shark hunting? Wow, you must be quite adventurous. Where did you learn that from?" Daniel asked. He read what Bree wrote in response, "From the merpeople. Hey, at least they don't go human hunting. Sad to say that we humans are one snap away from starting to make mermaid hunting a thing of sport."

Hearing this made Bree's stomach twist. It was extremely hard to keep quiet when she was used to being vocal about her opinions. She wrote down an honest reply, though it pained her:

They are a snap away as well. And all they have to do is sing. I don't want there to be a war though, there are good ones on both sides.

Daniel saw Bree's expression of dread. He took her hand and laid it flat against his palm. Then he grabbed some dirt and sand and mixed them together on her hand. Finally, he sprinkled some water on top until the mixture was mushy.

"Land and water will one day come together," Daniel said looking into Bree's eyes.

She smiled, then spontaneously she asked him with her words in the sand if he believed in love. It didn't take him long to read it. He didn't speak his mind this time, he just wrote it right under her question. It was the word yes.

After that, they sat there with their feet digging down in the sand as they stared at the words written between them. They both wondered how they could convince their fathers of what they believed to be true about the enemy. They also worried about what they were stepping into. Bree had told herself love was impossible, but Daniel seemed to enjoy her company for all the reasons others despised her. She had let hope creep in, but she knew the spell Elsa cast was not forever. Whether she succeeded or not, after the week was over, she wouldn't remain a human.

A wave came and washed the words away. It splashed on their feet and brought them back to the world. The wave also washed up an old human object.

Bree picked it up and pointed to it. Daniel looked at it, then took it from her to pop it open. She was mainly curious about what was inside.

"I'm surprised you don't even know what this is. It's a simple bottle. People like putting messages inside them. Looks like there's one in here too." Daniel pulled out the piece of parchment and read it aloud to Bree, "Their voices are ringing with beauty. They always were, but times will change when their power will dim and shall be cast into a prison once the water rages. I fear that the peace shall end once one is given a form of this power again in the shape of a mermaid jewel, and they will seek the rest of it. This will not be avoided. The first signs of the last days. I.M."

Nothing was said as Daniel put the parchment back in the bottle. It seemed to be speaking of the mermaid's voices, but they didn't know what to think of the rest of it. The probability of it being nonsense was likely, so they tried to not let it bother them.

Bree put the cork back on top of the bottle. It was only nonsense now, but maybe in time, it will be of some use for someone else. She walked in the water until she was at a good place to throw it.

Daniel stood beside her. He knew what she was thinking, and he agreed with her. He placed his hand on top of hers. Together, they threw the bottle back out into the sea.

They stayed for a few more minutes on the beach. Neither wrote nor spoke a word to the other. It was one of those silent moments, a silent talk on the beach. It never bothered them. And when they knew it was time to head back to the castle, they didn't have to say or do anything to get the other's attention. They just knew it was time to go.