Kameron began writing in her diary, voicing points that she'd come to realise and jotting down new ones that came to her through the Royal Council's opinions.
Sitting at the Royal Council's meeting table were Kameron, Evan, Hamish, Justina, Arya and I. Justina was the only representative available to attend, due to the other representatives Gloria (Hamish's younger sister and the Dorlae representative), Rin (the witch representative) and Sarah (the siren representative) were currently not present in the castle. Evan was technically not a member, but he'd been allowed to attend anyway.
Arya and I were allowed to be there since the purpose of the meeting did concern the former, and she'd - surprisingly - wanted me to come along. Ever since the dinner the night before, she'd opted to stay by my side, and Kim had been kind enough to share her room with Arya since Arya hadn't wanted to go back in the room she'd been sleeping in before.
When I asked her why, she'd written out on a scroll: According to Hamish, it used to be a dead Queen's bedroom.
"Oh. Queen Jennifer's," I acknowledged, instantly feeling bad for the mermaid. No sane person would want to remain in there. Even Kameron hadn't ever stepped in her sister's bedroom, preferring to leave it untouched.
The day after, Kameron had made plans to hold a Royal Council meeting. Hamish had offered to spread the word to Gloria, Rin and Sarah, but Kameron disagreed, saying that it would take up too much time to locate them and bring them back to the palace.
"But there is an issue," Evan spoke up. He'd been the one most against going since the beginning. I didn't really blame him for not wanting to assist Arya - Evan was just looking out for Kameron's safety, and everyone else's. And if I were to be blunt, Arya was a stranger. "Even if we do agree to go, how are we going to? The Princess' kingdom is underwater. We can't breathe underwater."
Arya tugged at my sleeve. "Guys," I interrupted. "I think Arya wants to say something."
The others turned towards the mermaid, who revealed a tiny bottle in her palm, with dark liquid inside. Arya wrote furiously on a scroll, her hand whizzing across the parchment in a frenzy. This is the potion that my brother concocted for me. With this, you will be able to breathe underwater.
"This potion gave you legs too, however," Hamish pointed out.
You will be affected the same way. You will gain a tail, Arya wrote. The potion works like so: if you want a tail, you'll have to give something up in return.
"That," Evan instantly replied, "does not sound good." Kameron shot him a warning look, and he quieted, his cheeks colouring.
"Will it affect us negatively at all?" Kameron asked Arya, her voice gentle.
Arya shook her head. It shouldn't. It didn't for me. The only uncomfortable thing will be the existence of a tail. And giving something up? It's not too bad. It's like me, having to give up my voice. It will return when I return to the water.
"If we could stand against Jen, we can deal with a tail," Kameron stated firmly, her ruby eyes daring anyone to challenge her. No one did. "And giving something up shouldn't be too bad."
Evan was shaking his head. "Kam, giving even one of your senses will put you at a disadvantage."
"Who said it would be a sense? It can be anything. In Arya's case, it just happened to be her voice," Kameron shot back. Evan's expression was pained, and she softened. "Sorry. I really don't want to argue with you, but I really think I should help Arya's kingdom."
The said mermaid avoided glancing at any of us, leaning forward so that her ginger coloured hair covered her eyes.
"Say we do go. Who would want to come?" Evan leaned back in his chair.
YOU ARE READING
The Cursed Mermaid
Fantasy[Fairytale Series, Book 4] The underwater kingdom of Narmia had been left alone for millennia. It was forgotten from history books, and never appeared in maps. Princess Arya, fourth in line to the throne, had grown up with the knowledge that Narmia...
