King of the Sea

by Elizabeth Frost

  But would they?

  Another scream brushed past his ears, this one from a whale far away. Their breeding grounds had been pushed away by commercial freight ships and her calf had died. She refused to leave its body, so she had been separated from her pod.

  Now, she would die alone. Calling out into the sea for her family who had left. They couldn’t stay with her, and she couldn’t leave her child.

  Tears welled in his eyes. He couldn’t listen to her cries but he couldn’t get away from them. Not while he was in the water.

  And he needed the water like humans needed air to breathe.

  “Are you trying to punish me?” he groaned, falling to his knees before a throne made of ancient blue stone. “For falling in love with a human?”

  “You don’t know what love is, faerie king. You are infatuated with the idea of her. Nothing more, nothing less. Let go of the fantasy.”

  His hands shook. He reached for the throne to pull himself up, but found the water pushed down upon him. Glowing with magic, the elemental had already taken control. This time, it would punish him for all the things he’d done. All the things he hadn’t done. All the things he could be.

  He was a disappointment. Archer had always known that. His people treated him like family because he didn’t know how to be a good king. The elemental had given him the rope to be as free as he wanted. And he’d hung himself with it.

  “Please,” he muttered through lips shivering from the frigid waters of the abyss. “I will do better.”

  “Then take your place as the true King of the Seas, boy. Accept my power and together we will remake the ocean.”

  Did he want that? The ocean was already beautiful and though the humans had harmed it, he still thought they could fix it. There was time.

  The elemental pressed down on his shoulders again. “If we wait too long, there will be nothing left to fix.”

  Archer stared up at the throne that had been passed down from his father so long ago. He had heard the whispers of Mac Lir and the Celtic gods who had given him this elemental. He had known this would be a struggle.

  They had told him nothing of the elemental’s charm or the way he would reach into Archer’s head. They lived together in the same body. He knew the elemental’s thoughts just as it knew his.

  It knew how much he worried about his home, the people, and all the creatures within the ocean. It knew how to use that against him and sway his attention toward something darker. Something infinitely more powerful and something that would destroy the world.

  He heard the thundering tide of a tsunami crashing against the banks of the human homes. He could hear their screams muffled by water that drowned them. And then he could hear the blissful silence in the ocean.

  No more ships.

  No more oil tankers.

  No more fracking.

  Just the true silence of the ocean that had once filled his ears with beautiful melodies.

  “Your Majesty?” Tide’s voice split through the dangerous, but tempting, thoughts.

  Archer glanced over his shoulder where he knelt, breathing hard and eyes watering with all the power building in his chest. “What is it?”

  “The girl said she’d meet you. Just to talk, that was all I could get from her. But she’s waiting on the shore for you.”

  And just like that, all the murderous thoughts left. Gone. As if they were never in his head to begin with. The elemental retreated into his mind and Archer was once again himself.

  Fun loving. Life loving. Ready to take on the world and find whatever adventure called him.

  This was why he needed her in his life. This was why he needed the girl more than he needed water, because she calmed the raging seas of the elemental. All just by existing.

  How could he ever let someone like her go?

  Clearing his throat, he stood and smoothed a hand down the billowing white shirt he wore. “Thank you, Tide. You’ve done the impossible.”

  Tide bowed. His kelp hair shifted in the currents. “That’s my job, Your Majesty. The impossible is a challenge I accept.”

  Archer could have kissed him, if their relationship warranted such regard. Instead, he inclined his head and left the throne room without a word.

  Was it fair for him to put this amount of pressure on her so soon? That she needed to be the only one who could soothe his tortured soul and send his demons back into the depths of his own personal hell? Probably not. No new relationship needed such stress.

  But he couldn’t stop himself. Not yet, at least. Not when she was so close to his grasp.

  Then he’d slow things down. He would remind himself that she was new to all this, to faeries, to his world. She needed him to take his time just as much as he needed her to breathe.

  Archer didn’t stop to even change his clothing. Instead, he shot through the water toward the shore where he knew she would be waiting. Probably still angry at him.

  He’d rather fight than have this cold shoulder nonsense. He needed to talk to her, to explain that he would never have put her in danger if he had realized who her mother was.

  Undines. Of course she was one of them with those webbed fingers, but he’d thought maybe a nymph. Half-breeds were more accepted among some of the Water Court. Just not among the undines.

  He twisted in the water, looping through the currents until he could crest at the top of a wave. Far beyond his vision, she waited for him.

  The shore called to him as the sea did. He could sense her. Knew she was standing there with her arms over her chest, unimpressed and unhappy that she had to talk to him.

  But he knew he could win her back. If only she would give him the chance.

  Taking a deep breath, he summoned the wave to carry him all the way to the shore. He rode upon the top as though it were a throne. Glamorous, dramatic, all the things that would probably make her even more angry.

  Archer needed her to know he wasn’t human, however. He was done hiding his magic. She needed to see him for all he was and still choose him for the differences. For the things that might remind River of her mother or her hidden blood.

  The white sand beach appeared, just a sliver of color on the horizon. A small dark spot stood waiting for him, growing larger as he approached and sending his heartbeat racing.

  She was there. Still there. Even though Tide had maybe forced her.

  Archer channeled more power into the wave. He sent it crashing upon the ground and then let it recede away from him. The foam clung to his thighs where he knelt on the sand at her feet.

  No king should ever kneel. Everyone told him that when he was just a little boy. He’d one day become king and everyone else would kneel to him, never the other way around.

  But he’d kneel before this woman and beg her forgiveness. If only she’d give him a second chance.

  Sucking in a deep lungful of air, he looked up at her through the tangled, wet locks of his hair. “River,” he said.

  “Archer,” she replied.

  She wore a plain white t-shirt that rode up over the waistband of her jean shorts, revealing a strip of pale skin that was so captivating. He wanted to press his lips there. Just below her belly button, at the soft flesh that was so vulnerable.

  This woman had no idea what she did to him. She had no idea the power she held in the palm of her hand, just because he was so obsessed with her.

  “I’ve been a fool,” he said, filling the silence with frantic words he hadn’t planned out at all. “I understand that you’re angry with me. You have every right to be. I pushed you into accepting something you weren’t ready for yet. I took you deep into the sea where you were in danger. And I didn’t listen to you when you warned me. These are all things that lay upon my shoulders and I take responsibility for them all.”

  She didn’t reply. River remained silent and stoic, arms crossed over her chest, staring down at him with a bored expression.

  He shifted closer, just enough so he knew his breath fanned over her belly. “I
am sorry, River. Bone deep sorry in a way I could never apologize enough for, and I don’t know how to make amends. Please. Tell me how to make this up to you.”

  Finally she spoke, letting words fall from her pretty lips, even though they stung as they struck him. “I’m not angry you took me into the ocean. I’m angry you ever let me believe this could work. Half-breeds shouldn’t be with any faeries, let alone a king. Now are you quite done? Your little manservant said I just had to stand here, but I have things to do.”

  “Let me make this up to you,” he tried one more time. “Just tell me what can fix this.”

  “Why do you even care?” she shouted. “I’m just a human! You’re how old? Centuries? Tide said you were born with the oceans, which could make you a million years old. So what is it about me that’s so fascinating to you? Is this just some kind of game?”

  If she was going to get angry, then so would he. His entire soul yearned for her and yet she shouted at him and denied she felt the same?

  Archer stood, hands clasped behind his back so he didn’t ball them into fists. “I am thousands of years old. Older than the sea and older than this world. But I have never connected with another being the way I have with you.”

  “Bullshit,” River snarled.

  He blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re thousands of years old and you want me to believe you’ve never felt this way about anyone before? I’m sorry, Archer, but I don’t buy it.”

  How did he convince someone of this? Anyone who knew him could see that he was different with her. Sure he’d enjoyed time with many faeries, but not once had his mind been consumed by thoughts of them. “River, you set my soul ablaze.”

  She looked down at her nails. “Yeah, well I’ve tried online dating. I’ve heard better lines than that as an opener. Try harder.”

  “I-uh-” he stuttered, trying to think of any words that would express how he felt. But he couldn’t.

  There weren’t words to tell her that his entire soul reached for her. That she stilled the madness in his mind so he could actually focus on what mattered.

  Her.

  He took a deep breath and pressed his hand against his chest. Heat bloomed there, growing stronger as all his magic grew inside him. He let it spread through his veins as it had in the holy place where her family had attacked them.

  He let the power build until he lost all physical form. As water, he let the magic flow through him until it reached his very heart. He let the organ drift from its place between his ribs and float down to his hand where he held it out to her. Not quite a real heart, but the watery visage of one.

  “Take it,” he said, his voice vibrating with power. “If you deny me, then I have no use for it. Take what is yours.”

  Her lips parted in a shocked gasp. “Archer, what are you doing?”

  “This is all I am,” he replied. “I’m not human. I can’t give you a little house on the seaside and a quiet life. But I don’t think that’s what you want. What I offer is magic and power. A life full of adventure and dangers. I offer you the life you have been denied.”

  Her throat worked in a hard swallow. She glanced over her shoulder at her home, then back at him.

  He could see the thoughts playing across her face. She was an open book to him, and yet, he didn’t know what she was thinking.

  “Please,” he added. “I know you won’t believe me, that you can’t believe me when you’ve been hurt. I don’t blame you for your hesitation. But give me a chance to prove my worth to you.”

  “Your worth?” she asked. Her eyes widened, so blue they rivaled the crystal waters of the Caribbean. “What do you mean prove your worth? Isn’t this about making me take you back?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “And for you to take me back, you need to see value in having me in your life. If I am not worthy of you, then I am not worthy of anyone.”

  River licked her lips, and then finally nodded.

  He almost didn’t hear her words over the rush of relief pounding in his ears.

  “All right, King of the Sea. I’ll give you one more chance. Don’t mess this up.”

  16

  She must be crazy to give him another chance. River wasn’t sure what pushed her into it, either. Her dad would be waiting for her back at home. He’d want to cook dinner, and they’d both have fun. He was a horrible cook.

  But this faerie was on his knees in front of her. Or had been, at least, until he stood up and held out his actual heart for her to take.

  Who did that?

  The stupid puppy dog eyes were the problem. She wanted to give in to him. She wanted to believe this was something real, but she also didn’t want her heart to break again.

  Someone else would call her a half-breed. The faeries would get all riled up just because she was back in the ocean. And then where would she be?

  Some part of her recognized she blamed Archer for her own family issues. And she knew that wasn’t fair. He hadn’t made her mother leave her alone on the shore as a baby. He hadn’t been the one to set the rules that Aquaria would hate half-breeds, even though she clearly had once felt something for River’s father.

  Archer was an unfortunate bystander who had gotten caught up in her family drama. She projected her feelings onto him because he’d been the one to have answers. He was the one who could tell her all the things she wanted to know. And they had stung.

  Still, she supposed none of it was his fault. He just wanted her. To be with her. To show her his world.

  She could give him that chance.

  Sighing, she watched as he turned back into himself. “Where are we going then?” she asked. “The same place as before?”

  “No,” he held out his hand for her to take, sans heart this time. “I want to show you everything this time. Nothing held back.”

  Somehow, that sounded far worse than going to another temple. She didn’t want to see everything and fall in love with all the creatures underneath the waves. She wanted to take a deep breath, ignore the beauty, and get lost in her boring human life again.

  Who was she kidding though? River could never do that. She’d dreamt of the sea her entire life. How could she return to a mundane life when she knew she could breathe underwater?

  Like her father said. It was so much more painful to know magic existed, only to have it taken away.

  She slipped her hand into his, smooth skin sliding across his calloused palm.

  It shouldn’t be like this. It shouldn’t be so easy to trust him even when she didn’t want to. But her heart couldn’t beat right when he wasn’t there. And now that her hand was in his, she felt like she could finally breathe again.

  “Okay,” she said. “How are we going to do this then?”

  “All you have to do is walk into the sea,” Archer replied. His eyes had heated to a warm blue that made her entire body shiver. “You’re in control, River. Of everything from here on out.”

  She took a deep breath and walked with him to the waves. Just at the edge of them, she paused. They came so close to her toes she could feel the bubbles popping.

  The cold depths of the sea waited for her. She could hear it singing in her head. It wanted her to come into the water just so it could hold her again. Somehow, she thought maybe the song was in Archer’s head, too.

  “And my mother?” she asked, just before taking a step forward. “Are we going to have to deal with Aquaria again?”

  “No. I took care of that.”

  She froze, unsure of what he meant by “took care of”. The last time he’d tried to take care of her mother, he’d tried to kill her. And even though they didn’t get along, she wasn’t sure she wanted the woman dead.

  Archer chuckled. “I made a treaty with the undines. You are no longer considered one of their kind, but an honored guest of my court.”

  That was... sweet. Actually. She looked up at him and met his concerned gaze. “You took ownership of me?”

  “No, I made it so you could travel safely in a
ny water I control. You’re faerie nobility now, River.”

  If that wasn’t terrifying, she didn’t know what was. And yet, something warm spread through her body. Almost like hope.

  She grinned up at him. “So am I princess now, then?”

  “Princess? That might be a stretch. Baroness, maybe.”

  River remembered enough of English terminology to know that was the lowest of the low. She frowned. “Duchess.”

  “Foreign dignitary is the best I’ll give you,” he replied, voice shaking with laughter.

  She’d take it. Good enough, considering she was still stalling. The idea of leaping into the sea still scared her. What if the undines came out with their spears and ran her through, even though he claimed she was safe?

  River took a deep breath, lifted her foot, and placed it into the next wave.

  Cold water splashed up over her ankles. It stroked her skin in a reassuring touch before retreating again. The chill made her entire body tingle.

  It felt good. More than good. Her entire body shivered with happiness because she’d finally touched the ocean again. The saltwater sank into her skin and the webs between her fingers ached to stretch in the water.

  She tugged on Archer’s hand. “Come on then, let’s get going.”

  He released her hand with a mischievous grin. “You’re too slow. Like a sea slug.”

  With that, Archer sprinted into the waves. He leapt into the air, his body a flashing arc before he dove and disappeared. This was her chance. She could leap like he did and take her life into her own hands.

  River glanced over her shoulder one last time at the house. Dad would know where she went. He’d wanted to do the same so many times, she was certain he’d understand. She just wished she didn’t have to leave him behind.

  “Bye Dad,” she whispered. “I’ll be careful.”

  Jumping into the waves was easier than she thought. She expected them to shove her back to shore. Instead, they gathered her in chilly arms and tugged her into the depths.

  Almost like the water had been waiting for her. Hoping she would trust it to take her to safety.