Sleeping Nightmare

Chapter 3: the merfolk of Narmia | Tyler

The usual everyday morning was interrupted by the ringing of the enormous, pearl white bell that hung above Varielie - the mansion-like building that had been abandoned for years, due to the lack of a leader. However, the interior had been cleaned up in recent days, in preparation for the arrival of foreign royals - the Queen and Prince of Narmia.

Narmia was a kingdom located deep beneath the sea. Due to lack of trade and communication between Narmia and any other neighbouring kingdom, it had quickly become forgotten from all history, until a young Princess had rediscovered Jendilya, begging the Queen of Hearts for aid. Narmia had been plagued with demons, and the merfolk - especially due to their inability to wield magic - were almost hopelessly outnumbered. However, Queen Kameron and a few of her allies had journeyed to Narmia to assist the merfolk, and had succeeded in defeating the demons.

However, celebrations were quenched - for Queen Cassidy and Crown Princess Victoria had both perished in the battle. How they had died, I didn't know, but the entire kingdom had mourned. King Rohan had then selected his remaining daughter, Princess Arya, to be the next Queen.

Princess Arya had recently been crowned, or so I'd heard. My main source of information was Kye-Ann (other sirens were just as ignorant as I), so I wasn't sure if what I was hearing was true, but I had little choice but to believe it.

It had taken quite a few days, with some heated debating from Delmitii's part, but eventually a trade agreement was settled, and the Narmian royals were visiting the siren island to oversee the proceedings, as well as strengthening their relationship with Delmitii.

It was no secret that the Queens of Jendilya and Narmia were close friends - hence their willingness to trade just about anything back and forth between the two kingdoms - so Kye-Ann, the garnet eyed siren who had been placed in charge of the trade agreement, had insisted on multiple face-to-face meetings in order to eventually come to a proposal that both parties accepted. Thankfully, Queen Arya had agreed to Kye-Ann's terms, and was arriving at the island's port this very minute.

"Tyler, straighten your collar," Kye-Ann hissed from where she stood beside me, her hair pulled up into an elegant bun, with a necklace of gleaming pearls hanging from her neck. Delmitii was famous for their pearl markets, and so pretty much every siren was adorned with pearls of some kind, to represent themselves and their island.

I fiddled with my collar, puzzled. "It is straight."

"No, it's not," she insisted, before prising my fingers away impatiently and fixing my collar herself. I glanced downwards. My collar did not look any different than before.

If Kye-Ann had begun to make unnecessary comments, it meant she was stressed, or anxious. She was usually very composed (and sometimes she found entertainment in ordering me around). I had worked for her long enough to know her well - perhaps better than anyone else. My mother also resided upon Delmitii, yet she was distant and I barely saw her around. As for my father...I didn't even know him. He'd had a fling with my mother, and then he was gone like the wind.

Because it was just my mother and I, we had always struggled financially. It had been a stroke of luck that I'd come across Kye-Ann one day, three years ago, as I wandered aimlessly along the roads. She'd taken one look at me and approached me instantly. There had been no fear in her eyes. I admired that about Kye-Ann - she never allowed herself to feel fear. "Hey," she'd said, eyeing me. I'd only blinked back at her, and she continued, "It's odd seeing you. There aren't many guys living on Delmitii, you know?" I hadn't known what to say to that. Before an awkward silence could fall, Kye-Ann plowed on. "Hey, I'm kind of looking for a maid of sorts to help me out with day-to-day life things, because my last maid quit. I've never employed a guy before...do you want to try?"