Stolen Scales

Chapter 51

There is a curious flash of silvery light that Kyma knows only she can see, and the first memory unfolds itself before her. Kyma is standing in a forest full of mist, and she sees two people arguing with the mist swirling around their feet. Kyma moves to take a step through the mist, approaching the pair. She looks down briefly, only to see nothing. Not her hands, not her feet, nothing. She is hit by a brief pang of shock at not seeing herself, before understanding comes to her mind. She is in a memory, she's not really there, so she can't be seen.

Only the things that belong to the memory are visible. She takes another step towards the arguing pair, trying to get closer. The world blurs around her, and when it stops, she is standing beside the arguing pair. The man has auburn hair and slightly pointed ears, and he is wearing a silvery tunic embroidered with dark green vines. The woman has auburn hair as well, but it is so dark it almost appears to be a dark brown, like that of the western merrows.

Her hair shifts slightly, and Kyma can see that her ears are rounded like Kyma's and like human ears. Kyma stays quiet and just listens to the argument, trying to piece together where she is in history. Both people are speaking in Scottish Gaelic, causing Kyma to be glad for her lessons in the language.

"Father, I don't belong with the rest of the Aos Sí, you know that!"

"Why should I let you leave us, Mór, even knowing that? Why should I let my own daughter leave to explore the seas?"

"I have been drawn there all my life, father. Isn't it time to find where I fit in?"

Mór is fiddling with something clasped in her hands, and when she squints at it, she is able to discern what it is. A red cap, like those of the eastern merrows. A moment after Kyma sees the cap, Mór's father does as well.

"What is that, Mór."

Mór's hand clenches tighter around the cap for a moment before she releases her hold and opens her palms, revealing the cap to him. "It's a cap."

Her father shakes his head. "Don't lie to me, Mór. I can feel the magic in it, even if I can't tell what it does. In fact, how does it even have magic, you've never been able to imbue things with magic."

Mór sighs. "Fine, it's a magical cap that will allow me to explore the seas. I don't entirely know what it does yet, the magic just flowed into it. Please let me go father, I feel that it is the right thing to do. It will help me learn more about who I am."

Her father raises an eyebrow. "You aren't going to let this go, are you Mór?"

Mór gives him a grin. "No I'm not. I know what I am, but not the details."

"Oh? What are you then, Mór?"

"A maighdeann mhara, a maiden of the sea."

Her father smiles weakly. "Very well then Mór. I give you my blessing to go and explore who you are in the sea. Please don't forget your origins, your family."

Mór nods, beaming. "Of course, father."

With that, she places the cap on her head and darts off through the forest towards what must be the sea. The world blues around Kyma once more and when it clears, she is standing in a cave similar to the throne room of the Eastern Kingdom. There are three people standing in the center of this room. Kyma moves closer until she is standing beside them, just like she was with Mór and her father. Two of them are standing side by side, a woman with dark red hair, a lighter shade than Mór's, and a man with dark hair and pointed ears.

They are standing across from a young woman only a few years older than Kyma. Her hair is chestnut brown with flickers of red. When Kyma looks at the girl's face, she almost gasps. This girl is the spitting image of Mór, just with darker hair and blue eyes instead of green. However, when she looks closer, Kyma can almost see something of her own mother in this girl's crystal blue eyes. Both women are wearing a dress similar to the ones the merrows of the Western Kingdom wear, but these are a dark green, like kelp. There is a moment of silence form the small group until the older woman speaks.