The Little Water Elf

7- The Little Mermaid

「 We are tied to the ocean,
and when we go back to the sea—
whether to sail or to watch—
we are returning from whence we came. 」

The halls were deafeningly silent as the two made their way through the palace. Every so often Rayla would stop, either to look at something she'd never seen before or because the pain had grown too great.

By the time they reached the dining hall, however, the pain had all but disappeared from her mind.

Everything was so new and exciting, and every turn seemed to hold something she'd never seen before. At one point they'd passed a servant who was placing a strange orange light into a small ornament on the wall. When Rayla excitedly pointed and gestures as if to say "What is it?" Viren simply sighed.

"It's fire, created from a large amount of heat in a single space. It gives us light and warmth, something I presume is foreign to you?"

Rayla was quickly distracted by a painting on the far side of the hall. She walked past Viren, looking up at the image. There was the figure of a girl, her long blonde hair stretching down her back as she peered out to the shore from a distant rock. The girl had the tail of a fish, but other than that held the appearance of a human.

"It's an old children's tale," Viren explained, having seen the wonder in Rayla's eyes, "Back before the days of war, there had been creatures called mermaids, who were quite similar to Ocean Elves, although they were much more like humans."

Rayla looked at him, urging the mage to continue.

"They lived in the deepest parts of the ocean, and the story goes that once, a mermaid fell in love with a human. Mermaids had no soul, and so she traded her tail for legs and ventured onto the land in hopes of the human returning her love, and granting her a soul. He ended up marrying another, and with her broken heart she fled back into the sea, drowning in the waters that were once her home."

Viren moved on, though it took Rayla several seconds to tear her eyes away from the painting.

Something about it was eerily familiar, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know why.

Viren led her down the hall turning a corner to a hall lined with tall windows, all opened to let in light from the setting sun. She turned to peer out one, met with the receding shoreline and ocean that stretched far out. It appeared that high tide would reach all the way to the steps leading down to the beach.

She averted her gaze and continued down the passageway.

They stopped before two tall double doors, of which Viren pushed open easily.

"Your highness," Viren greeted, and Rayla glanced over to see whom he was referring to.

There was an older man, with dark skin and hair that appeared to be braided into a million tiny ropes, all tied together on the back of his head. She assumed this was the king, and that it was customary on land to bow, so she did just that.

Two of the other occupants of the table were the princes she so often saw on the shore, as well as Claudia and a boy she didn't recognize.

"Come now, don't be shy," Viren said, gently coaxing her forward, "King Harrow is a kind man."

Callum, only just seeming to be aware of her presence, quickly shuffled to hide what appeared to be a book underneath the table.

He pulled himself up.

"You— you look beautiful," he said awkwardly, standing still for a second before quickly moving to pull out the chair next to him for her.

She gratefully sat down, fighting back a sigh of relief when the pain faded to its constant ache, and he returned to his seat.

They sat there looking at each other for a long, awkward moment.

"So, you're the one Callum and Claudia have been telling me about," the king suddenly said, startling the two out of their trance.

"Oh, um, yes — your highness," Callum quickly spoke, suddenly very interested in the table cloth, his face turning a subtle shade of pink.

"The poor girl was unconscious on the beach when we found her," Claudia piped in, "the poor girl was washed up from a shipwreck."

The boy who sat next to her spoke for the first time, "I wouldn't be surprised if it were those damn sirens thinking the ship was too close to the border."

The king laughed, "If that was the case, then we're lucky that her washing up on shore was all that happened."

Rayla forced a smile. Right, elves were evil here. They didn't know that it was forbidden for her people to go anywhere near the border.

"Oh, before I forget, do you perhaps know any sign language?" Harrow asked, and it took Rayla a few moments to realize he was talking to her.

She shook her head, biting her lip.

"Well then, Callum should teach you. Then you'll be able to communicate more easily," he suggested.

"Well, what do you think? Would you be willing for me to teach you what I know?" Callum asked.

Rayla nodded excitedly, a smile spreading across her face.

She was already given opportunities to spend time with the prince! This was going to be easier than she thought.

• • •

When she returned to her room, a bath had been drawn in the small wash room across the room from her bed, and a nightgown was lain out on the covers.

The sun had set during dinner, and a candle had been lit by her bedside. She made her way to the bathroom, where a gas lamp was switched on and illuminating the room. She quickly rid herself of the heavy gown and let herself sink into the warm water, sinking underneath and relishing in the feeling of her skin once again becoming hydrated and clear.

She finally felt as if she were in her own skin once more, temporarily forgetting the pain that plagued her and the bargain she made.

Rayla. was going to spend time with the prince, going to get him to fall in love with her.

All she needed was time.