They Were Supposed To Be Fiction

Chapter One

"Mother," I heard a soft voice in the depths of the darkness surrounding it. "Mother," the voice said again; a mere grunt left my lips as I laid there on there, an arm tossed lazily over my eyes. Can't a woman just sleep for five more minutes... I thought as I shifted, turning my back to the voice. "It's time to wake up." The voice continued this time giving me a nudge as it spoke. I didn't want to wake up today, unfortunately for the source of the sound. Today just.. Today was just a day for rest. No work, no boats, no men screaming as they plummet from the safety of their ships. Nothing. Just rest.

The voice seemed to disappear as I began to drift off again, feeling the gentle current running through my room and lulling me to sleep once more.

"Ayodele," The voice was like a gentle rumble, somewhat akin to the purr of the lion that I raised as a child. Something warm touched my collarbone, trailing up to my check ever so gently. I know this touch. I thought sleepily to myself as I smiled lightly. "My dear," I grumbled chuckling softly. "I just want to sleep." I pushed him away, adjusting as best as I could with my pregnant belly.

My hand slid down over my large bump, a smile still on my lips as I felt our child inside me. "Dele," I merely hummed. "Time to wake up my sweet," I hummed again as the morning sun begin to grace us with its' warmth. "But my love, the baby wants to sleep in today." I heard a light chuckle before the being left my side and I slowly sank back into the sleep I had wanted. But it didn't last long.

The aroma of something delicious pulled me from my sleep, and groggily I sat up from under the blanket, groaning softly as I stretched. Food had to wait though, the need to relieve myself was stronger than normal. I could see Ayo, my husband, as I made my way over to him where he was cooking what looked like some type of meat and veggies. My stomach growled as the delicious aroma wafted over me. "The baby and I are say that it smells delicious," I said to him gently as I hugged him from behind. The tall male just smiled as he cooked, soon handing me a bowl of the stew he made.

The shift in the current made me grumble and made it hard to stay asleep. Today was the twentieth anniversary of our kidnapping and transformation. It was meant to be a celebration for our transformation allowed us to wreck havoc on the land walkers that continued to steal people from their homes and force them to work as slaves in a new, unfamiliar land. However, that wasn't the case for me. My husband wasn't amongst us. He was still on the ship that day, unable to do anything to help. I only hope he's doing okay.

"You're awake," I turned to see my daughter's long dark hair pass by as she came to greet me. "The others are preparing for the celebration. It's expected of us to be there." She was right of course, but I didn't want to go. I never do this time of year. It was a hard day for me. My daughter didn't understand. She was so young when things happened, I didn't expect her to understand. Though I had a job to do though. As the queen of this troupe I needed to be there as a sign of confidence and moral. My daughter would be next to rule when I pass away, but that wasn't coming anytime soon.

I sighed as I let her braid my hair back and I adjusted the clams I used to cover my breasts. "I know today is going be hard for you Mother," The twenty-five year old hummed as she worked. I merely smiled at her through the mirror. "You know me so well." I commented gently. She gave a playful tug of my hair as she tied it off, patting me on the head when she was done for me to do her hair next. "I miss Father too." She added just as soft and I gave her a kiss on the head before getting to work. "He's doing good, I just know it." He wouldn't recognize us if he saw us again, but there was no way I was going to tell her that. Besides, she shouldn't worry about what she can't control. I suppose I should take my own advice.

I could feel the buzz of electricity in the water as my daughter and I made our way from my bedchambers to the Great Hall of the Castle we'd built years ago. The streets outside my castle would be filled with merfolk selling food and festival trinkets, I knew my beloved daughter would want to go and sample the food offered at the festive below our halls. Much of the preparation had been handled by Amara this year, I felt she deserved some responsibility now that she was older. I still oversaw when ships passed through our waters, fearful I'd lose her to a brave sailor that would try and fight. "You did a fantastic job with the preparations, sweetheart." I muttered to my daughter beside me, our arms linked together as we made our way through the halls, escorted by our chosen guards.

"Thank you, Mama. I just hope the citizens of the city enjoy the festival this year." Amara's voice was kind and soft, akin to a mouse if we were on the land. I knew one day she'd make a fine Queen, ruling with a gentle heart and firm hand. "We celebrate some new ones into the Kingdom, too. There were a few births and newly shifted that have arrived, so we have them to welcome into the family." Amara was always thinking about the citizens, it was something I noticed about her at a young age. "We will go into the city to celebrate, after we've done what we needed to here." I told my daughter, grinning at her as we entered the lavish Great Hall of my castle.

There were long tables running parallel with the columned walls with stained glass they'd made in the underwater caves not too far from the Castle and City. "Minthra will have another year of prosperity." I remarked my daughter as we walked towards the middle table before our Thrones, there were three for whenever I decided to take another husband. So far, I wasn't even trying. Though, there was an interest in marrying my heir off to another and securing our reign through her, but being undecided was why I'd not told such things to Amara.

Amara hadn't said anything else as she busied herself with getting the final preparations ready while I instructed the guards to let the guests in. Soon, our Hall was filled with those we'd known for years and those we met only recently, I smiled at the joyous giggles from the toddlers that were present with their parents. There were gasps of awe at the provided feast, different fish and seafood dishes, special pudding like desserts and sweet cake like sponge cakes. With a silent wave of my hand, the band that was off to the side began to play.

Amara had my fair skin, but her Father's dark eyes and hair. Her tail that formed years ago was a dark blue, mimicking the dark blue eyes she had. My own green eyes meant my tail was green, I noticed long ago that the eye color of a person determined or was mirrored in the color of their scales. As I sat there watching the dance goers, I was mesmerized by the different scale colors, the difference in my people as they mingled about together. The sounds of laughter and joy around me told me this celebration would be a grand time.