War of the Ocean

Epilogue

Sunlight filtered through the salty ocean water, lighting up the deep blue depths. The water was warm and calm, just as it had been for most of the past eight years since the most fearsome monster of the sea had been challenged and defeated once and for all.

A mermaid swam up to the surface, hoping to escape for a while. Her silver tail shone like a beacon but not as brightly as her golden hair did. Her entire being was a jewel for not only was she gifted with silver and gold features but she also had a set of sapphire eyes. She poked her head up above the waves and gazed up at the clear blue sky. A flock of birds flew overhead, their white feathers gleaming in the sunlight. She smiled up at them and then turned to look at the horizon. There was a ship approaching from the west, a grand one most likely to be accommodating someone of nobility. It was close enough for her to see the faces of those aboard as it sailed past and she watched the sailors go about their business.

It wasn't until her eyes glanced at the bow of the ship that she saw something that made her freeze. Or rather, it was someone. He was evidently a royal, one she knew to be a king since his father had been killed by pirates some time ago. It wasn't the handsomeness of his face that caused her to act in such a way but rather the fact that she recognised his face. Although he was not facing her, she could still see his face structure, his brown eyes and sandy hair. Even from where she was she could feel his arrogance radiating off him. In all the years that had passed since they last met, he had obviously not changed one bit.

And then his head turned towards her.

Since she was close enough to see him properly, he could see her too. She saw his eyes widen as he spotted her and his jaw drop slightly in surprise. The expression only lasted for a second before his eyes returned to normal and his jaw closed but she had still seen it. He gave her a simple nod in acknowledgement and she returned the gesture. They remained staring at one another until his ship carried him out of view.

Arelena watched his ship leave, still feeling a little surprised; she had never expected to see Reidan again. But now she had and even more surprisingly, he had acted civilly. Didn't he blame her for his death? She would have in his position. Perhaps he had changed after all or perhaps it was just because he recognised that she was a queen now, just as she recognised he was a king. Although she had known of his father's death, she would have been able to tell even if she hadn't because there had been subtle changes in the way he held himself. Thinking about it, there has been a touch less arrogance coming from him and there had been a weariness in his eyes, as though something was weighing him down.

Shaking her head, she turned her head the direction the ship had sailed from, the direction of the land which Reidan had lived in. The one she had visited all those years ago.

Closing her eyes, she remembered a time when she had traded her tail for a pair of legs and gone up to the human world. Her time there had been filled with excitement but it had almost cost her her life. But it had also given her the opportunity for life because once she had returned home, he had brought a fleet to help her rid the ocean of a monster; her own brother. Still, where there was the opportunity to thrive, there was death. Arelena remembered the moment Tristien had murdered her little star and vanquished his light as though it had happened only yesterday. Her poor little star, her sweet Kaiser, brother to Reidan had been slain. Despite this, the rebellion which had risen up to back her because of him had been successful and in the end, Kaiser's death hadn't been for nothing. Tristien had been killed that night too, defeated by Soren and leading the way to a new era.

From the blood and destruction she had risen and repaired her broken kingdom. In those years since, the ocean had been restored to its former glory and almost all signs of those times had been erased. Of course, its memory could never be truly forgotten but at least the creatures of the ocean no longer cowered in fear.

She reopened her eyes, bringing herself out of her memories. With a final glance towards land, she ducked beneath the waves and began to swim. Only she wasn't returning to her palace, she still had one last place to stop.

The graveyard hadn't changed since she'd last visited it. The broken ships still lay on the sand, tombs of a sort. The hundreds of markings for each ship remained untouched, although the shifting sands had probably buried a few of them and sea plants were beginning to grow around them. She drifted through each row, remembering the dark times in which she'd been forced to sink every one of these ships. It had been years since she'd last come here, since she'd last reminded herself of the terrible things she'd done. At last, she came upon the final marker: the statue. Looking at it now, she realised that it was a carving of Reidan. She lowered her gaze, if only it was a stature of Kaiser instead. She turned away, deciding that she couldn't stay any longer. Besides, Soren would be looking for her.

In the eight years she'd been queen, he had constantly been there for her, always prepared to give advice when she needed it. They'd grown closer too, Soren feeling more and more like a brother with every passing day, filling the whole that had been left by Tristien. The only downside was that he was so protective of her, wanting to know where she was at every moment despite her being capable of taking care of herself but she still loved him.

Taking one last sweep around the reef graveyard, she began to drift away from the statue. Somewhere deep down, Arelena knew that she would never again to return to this place. She had let go of everything else weighing her down and now it was time to let go of the horrible things she'd done.

So Arelena swam away from the reef and back to her palace without looking back.

Good ending/bad ending? I'm not quite sure myself but I had nothing else to write. Anyway, this book is finally finished! As much as I liked writing it, I found it pretty hard to write towards the end. Now to that little surprise I was talking about...

I've decided to write a couple of short stories on things I couldn't include in this book for a few different reasons (mainly because of the focus around Arelena). At the moment I've decided to write three but I may change my mind later. As to what the short stories are about, I'll leave it as a another surprise ;)

Until later :)