The Cursed Mermaid

Chapter 4: mamma mia | Arya

I repressed the urge to sink to the ground in relief as we stopped in front of the palace gates. Hamish, the boy who manipulated the earth, gave me another of his curious glances before leading us through. However, I trailed behind, not being able to keep up with his long strides. Seeing this, Nam allowed me to climb onto his back again, since we'd seemed to somehow come to the agreement that it was the most convenient option for us - or me, really.

Call me stupid, but even though I was pretty much in the middle of an unfamiliar land, and vulnerable to everyone and anyone because I couldn't walk and I didn't have a voice, I wasn't scared. Maybe it was because the adrenaline fueling my body kept me from breaking down in fear, or maybe it was simply because of Nam's silent support. I didn't know.

"Hey," Nam murmured to me as he followed the others up the palace steps, me marvelling at the intricate patterns on the walls and steps as he did so, "if you want, I can try heal your voice, so that you'd be able to talk to the Queen when you see her."

My focus slipped from the castle and to him. I would be lying if I said I didn't want him to try, yet I started to doubt. He was a stranger, I reminded myself. A kind stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. I couldn't trust anyone in this foreign land.

So I shook my head and gave him a half smile. No, it's okay.

Even inside, the sunlight shone through the glass windows, giving off a pale rainbow light on the cream coloured carpet. It gave the castle a sort of...majestic feel.

Who knew that light would make things so different?

Perhaps I was too used to living in the dark. But it had never bothered me until now. My family would never see the sparkling colours, we'd never hear the strange but joyful sounds that I saw had come from the small winged creatures that flapped past.

We passed guards and servants who were laughing amongst themselves; it was a sight that I thought wouldn't exist in a household like this. People who lived on land were so happy compared to where I had come from.

Then again, these people clearly were not suffering from a terror that would freeze any man's heart.

"We're going to go see Linny, if that's okay," Penny called to Hamish. "Can you show us where she is?"

"Unfortunately, not right now," Hamish replied. "I must be present for when she -" He pointed at me. "- has her audience with Kameron." I noted that he didn't address her as Queen, which led me to ponder. How laid back was this kingdom, exactly?

"I know my way around," Kim volunteered. I felt Nam tense. "I can take them." Hamish, seeing that it was the best option, consented, and the three began to make their way further down the corridor.

"You might want to put Arya down now, Nam," Hamish said then as he crossed the hallway to a set of large golden doors. "She's through here."

Nam let me down, and I did my best to straighten and keep my legs from shaking as Hamish pushed open the doors, striding through.

"Kam, I've brought someone to see you," his voice echoed around the hall.

He'd nicknamed the Queen, too?

But when I saw the Queen for the first time, I could see why they were so comfortable with her.

She was young - really young - for a ruler of a kingdom. In fact, with the soft shape of her face and her cute auburn fringe, she couldn't be any older than me. There was no way that she would be fully prepared to rule a kingdom at this age, was she?

The Queen rose from her throne, and it was then that I realised she wasn't wearing a fancy gown like I would have expected her to. Instead, she appeared to be wearing a small aqua blue dress with a matching coloured bow in her hair. If I saw her outside of the castle, just casually walking down the road, I would never have thought of her as the Queen.