Elements of Vidania

Chapter 5: Seana's Lament

 "Seana!" I hear my mother call me from down the corridor and I jump out of bed. I pull open my large, previously cracked open door, and run out into the hallway to see my mother leaning on her door frame in her nightgown. She grabs my arms to steady herself and I help her back into her bed.

"Mother, what possessed you to leave your bed this late at night? You could have just called a maid or a servant!" I lightly scold her for putting her life in danger.

"I had a dream dear."

"Oh, a dream, that really is enough to make anyone want to endanger their life!"

"My grandmother had a dream for my mother, and my mother had a vision for me, and now it is your turn. It is a gift from the sea to the royal family of the water, and it is best that you do not mock its severity. There's something important I must tell you, now come sit."

"What is it mother?" I take a seat on the bed directly next to my mother and she grabs my hand.

"You are special my dear, I know that you know it too," she sweetly smiles at me. "When it's dreadfully hot you're the only one comfortable, whatever you hold has the habit of heating up with great speed, and extreme heat never seems to bother you. Some fear you, some love you, others just question your existence, but this is all for good reason. There is a truth you must find that lies within you," I shake my head at the clearly delirious woman.

"Mama, I think you're a bit tired. You should get some rest," I say to brush her off.

"Listen to me dear, I am not tired nor am I joking around." My mother looks at me with a stone cold expression on her face, and that is enough to get me to listen.

"Alright," I lift my hands to surrender, "I'm all ears."

"Good. There is not much to be said except that tomorrow, I will not be here." I gasp and shake my head at her assumption, "you are strong my love, and you will make it. However, you must know that when I am gone, you must prepare yourself for something else much more serious to take place."

"What do you mean?"

"It was in the dream, not even I can tell you what it all means. Just do not let yourself fall in any way, no matter what anyone tells you or shows you. That is advice from me to you, my love." Just then my mother begins to cough very intensely, with a few droplets of water landing on her hand. We both look down and examine the liquid, and it shocks me to see the signs of her end. "What a shame this life was, and here I was hoping that you would meet her before I died."

"What do you mean, something much more serious? And mama please don't talk like that!" I pick up the blanket and wipe the water away and the moisture in her hand is absorbed into the fabric. "No, no, no!"

"Honey it's alright, it is only my time to go. I've told you what you needed to know, and right now I just need my little girl." She takes my hand and grips my fingers lightly.

"Mommy no, let me call the nurse," a cold hand on the side of my face stops my pleas.

"No, leave her be, there is nothing she could do for me now! Come here please dear." My mother pulls me in and rests the side of my head on her chest while I shake. I sit and freeze, not knowing what else to do. Tears fall from my eyes as she rubs circles into the cloth on my shoulder. "The ocean wants her water back, and who am I to tell her no? Everything is alright my dear, just breathe."

"We didn't have enough time mama, what about my future..." a lump in my throat prevents me from saying anything else.

"Your future does not lie here in this bed, only your present and past. Your future hardly even lies in the kingdom."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do me a favor, if you get the honor of meeting my sweet Nady, tell her I love her." She speaks in a dreamy voice as she utters an unfamiliar name.

"Nady?" I quietly question.

"Im bonedlerzed novedkud fedillef." Her native language rolls off of her tongue and I attempt to piece together a messy translation.

"Love something? What, mama, I can't understand you. Speak english, or even latin, you barely taught me any waqueran!"

Silence meets me in response.

"Mama."

The truth behind the silence almost tears me apart.

"Mommy!" It took me a second too long to realize that all of my clothes were soaking wet with my mother's soul. Tomorrow morning her soul will have traveled to the ocean, and her body left for the sea to claim. So tonight I wait and sob in the memory of a woman that I loved with all of my heart.

The very next morning we held a service for my mother. The entire kingdom would have liked to attend, but only the queen's council is allowed to crowd the area. First we place the body in a boat of water, then we say our grace, and lastly we let her go. We do not wait for the body to dry out any more than it automatically does, only if we're lucky and able to reach them in time. My night was restless, but that's the price I had to pay to preserve her moisture.

For funerals, my dark blue hair sits in a bun and I have to wear a dark blue gown with a petticoat underneath. The sleeves travel to my forearms with another layer of loose fabric traveling down to my wrists. It buttons in the front, all the way up to my neck, to dark blue fabric that bunches at the top. The dress hides just about every piece of me, other than the tears that cloud my face. I stand in front of my mother's boat and stare at her lifeless face. Eyes closed, pale skin, wordless lips. The ceremony goes quickly and I stare at her the entire time, hoping she'll move once more. Right before the end they release her into the water around the castle, and her bony figure turns to seafoam. Without thinking I walk into the water, allowing it to submerge my legs while slightly lifting the skirt of my dress.

"Princess!" I hear someone call out from behind me and I turn around to face them. It is a man with a familiar face in an outfit that is unique to our military. He has very pale blue eyes and light blue hair that has been slicked back with a hearty amount of hair gel. However, this man is not just any man. This is General Love, the youngest general we have at 22. He's very charming, to say the least, and his intelligence and skill impresses the greats. There are a few men in similar uniforms lined up behind him, but they all wear solemn expressions on their faces. "Princess, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you!"

"More important than well wishes for my mother?" I say sarcastically.

"I apologize if this offends, but yes ma'am. It is for the sake of the kingdom."

I think for a few seconds and think about the position I am in. The night took so much out of me that I forgot that I have a much bigger responsibility now. Now that my mother has passed I must be crowned queen of the kingdom. "Right, yes, I'll be right there." I look out across the water and see waves beginning to form, as though my mother is taking one last breath before she can finally go. "Bonedlerzed, I think that's correct. That's all she ever taught me." I turn around and walk towards the general causing him to extend his elbow to me, and I graciously take it.