After an awkward moment of silence, Alana announced that they needed to buy clothing for Thomas. Alana seemed to really enjoy shopping, or perhaps it was the company that made her so ecstatic. She was in such high spirits that she made Thomas try on every merman outfit she could lay her hands on.
At first, the feeling of wearing seaweed was uncomfortable and strange to Thomas, but after a couple of outfits, when he began to get used to it, he discovered it felt better than his current fabric. It was almost like wearing solid air, barely caressing the skin and feeling as light as a feather. After getting Thomas’ clothing, Alana began to shop for herself. She made a point to model every single item she tried on for Thomas, asking his opinion.
Hours later, Alana paid Eri, they said their goodbyes, and Thomas and Alana were off to the next shop. Thomas carried two large bags full of two pairs of pajamas, nine complete merman outfits, and five new mermaid outfits. Alana purchased a marvelous seasilk ball gown, a scantily clad seasilk nightgown which was practically see-through, and three skimpy bikinis.
Thomas couldn’t help but think Alana was flirting with him. Thomas had tried to tell Alana that he didn’t want to be an inconvenience and she should only buy the cheapest things she could find for him, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She said that she wanted Thomas to have the most comfortable clothing, which of course meant the most expensive seasilk that he tried on.
Thomas felt uncomfortable wearing such expensive clothing, but knew it was part of Alana's royal upbringing. Rather than being rude, Thomas chose to accept his cloths graciously and learn to live with them.
As they left Eri’s shop, images of Alana modeling kept flashing through Thomas’ mind, putting him in a daze as Alana took him around the city to shop for other necessary items. Alana took Thomas to a few other shops, introducing him to reluctant citizens as she bought him essentials such as toiletries. When she tried to buy him a present, Thomas refused to accept it.
“It’s not that I’m not grateful.” Thomas explained. “But, Alana, look at all of these things I’m carrying. Except for the five outfits you bought for yourself, these are all things that you’ve bought for me. I can’t accept anything else from you. It isn’t right for me to take advantage of you like this. You’ve been too kind to me already.”
“B-b-but,” Alana began to weep and whined manipulatively, “I-I just wanted to help you feel at h-home h-here.”
“Oh, please don’t,” Thomas set down the bags and held Alana close. “Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
“B-but you’re not!” Alana protested; choking back her tears and making eye contact. Her eyes glowed like emeralds, the water in them accenting them, giving them a living glow, as if each were speaking silently to him in turn.
Gazing fiercely into his eyes and prepared to bare her soul, Alana announced, “You aren’t taking advantage of me. I’m doing this for you because I want to. Because I...”
Thomas was sure he knew what Alana was going to say, but something deep in his core wouldn’t allow her to. He cut her off in case other people were listening and searched for a change of subject, “I know! How about this? You can buy me this present today, but after you do, we will end our shopping trip here. I will pay you back for the other items you bought today, except for your present, and then I won’t feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I think Eri might be willing to pay me for working for him. I’ll speak with him about it tomorrow.”
Alana looked a little affronted by Thomas cutting her off, but she reluctantly replied, “Oh no. I won’t accept any money from you for the clothing and things.”
“Okay, then how about this?” Thomas tried to come up with an alternative, “I will accept everything that you’ve given me today and call it a gift, but in return you aren’t allowed to buy me any more gifts.” Alana was about to protest, so Thomas added, “For at least a year. Is that a deal?”
“Okay,” Alana gave in reluctantly.
Thomas’ heart was pounding hard and felt like it was in his throat. For some reason, he always got excited and energetic when he was around Alana. Hearing her say what he thought might have been a confession seemed to swell his heart and soul to gargantuan proportions. He had developed feelings for Alana, but he could not bring himself to admit it.
What would happen to Alana, and to him, if the merfolk discovered their princess had feelings for a surface dweller? The very thought of it was enough to make him tremble with fear.
True, he was turning into a merman, but they didn’t know that. To them, he was nothing more than a parasite. His mere presence seemed to stimulate their anger. Thomas knew this to be true. He could see it in the eyes and rude expressions he saw upon their faces as he passed. Thomas accepted Alana’s present, a golden music box that had seven dancing mermaids in it, one mermaid for each kingdom, and they departed for the palace.
Night had already fallen and it wasn’t until they entered Thomas’ room to drop off his items that Thomas remembered, “Ah! I was supposed to talk to Aqua today! I had some important questions to ask him. I’ve got to go quickly.” Thomas set the items on his bed, gave Alana a quick peck on the lips, and rushed out the door. As he shut the door, realization smacked him in the face.
He'd kissed her. After telling himself all day that there couldn't be anything between them, he wasn't able to stop himself. It happened in the spur of the moment and in that single kiss he realized that what was to come would be very painful. Blushing to the point of feeling feverish, Thomas rushed off to find King Aquarius.
Inside Thomas’ room, Alana was still standing in the same spot. She seemed permanently rooted to the floor. She was afraid to let herself hope, but she couldn't help let the hope flourish. Thomas had stopped her from confessing her love for him before and she was terrified that he didn't have feelings for her. She couldn't help but wonder if it was simply a fluke. Maybe that was how surface dwellers said goodnight.
She decided to examine her feelings and his later. For now, she wanted to surprise Thomas by getting his room ready before he returned. She began putting Thomas’ purchases away and cleaning up his room.
While she worked, she rubbed her lips instinctively with her fingers, giggled in a schoolgirl fashion, and blushed constantly. Her blush made her face almost scarlet in comparison to her usually pale complexion. As she cleaned, she whistled romantic, lyrical tunes and danced about the room with an invisible partner in her outstretched arms.
Choices
Thomas searched the entire palace for King Aquarius but to no avail. The king must have retired to his room for the night. Not wanting to disturb the king in case he was sleeping and deciding that he couldn't face the king after having just kissed his daughter, Thomas figured he would wait until morning to speak with him.
Thomas returned to his room to find everything in its proper place. The room looked unfamiliar to him now, laden with possessions. On his bedside table was the music box Alana had given him. His clothes were placed neatly inside the clothing cabinet, and upon inspection, everything in his bathroom was organized neatly into the cabinet above the sink or in the niche in the wall next to the bath.
The bath was full of water and on the sink was a note: You’ve had a long day so I drew you a relaxing bath. I hope Father wasn’t too hard to talk with. I will see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams. Alana.
Thomas awoke early the next morning. As he went to the sink to wash his face, he noticed something different in the mirror. His ears were starting to form into a point. The changes to his body were already visible. Everything was happening faster than he expected.
He carefully massaged his ears, making sure that he wasn’t imagining things. After dressing in his new merman clothing, he prepared himself for his inevitable meeting with Alana. He was unsure what he would say to her or even how to act and it made him uncomfortable. It would be an awkward morning, but he knew he couldn't postpone their meeting.
He went to Alana’s room and knocked reluctantly. She came to the door wearing the seasilk nightgown that she had purchased yesterday.
“Oh, Hello. Please, come in Thomas.”
Thomas entered the room and sat down on Alana’s bed. He knew what he had to say, but wasn’t quite sure how to say it. Looking at Alana made words stick in his throat. She smiled serenely at him like she'd been waiting for an eternity just to see him again.
He had trouble keeping his eyes on her face. They kept lowering to the alluring negligee she wore. She seemed so innocent in her obliviousness to Thomas’ sexual tension. He desperately tried to ignore his libido as he prepared himself for the onslaught to come. He had important things to discuss with Alana. Things that would tear up both of their hearts.
“How was the talk with Father last night?” Alana tried to catch Thomas’ attention, sensing his distress through the worried lines on his face and his distant gaze. She tried to keep the tone of the conversation casual.
“Oh…I didn’t get to talk to him. He was already asleep. I’ll talk to him after I leave here.”
Thomas’ tone frightened Alana. There was some undercurrent in his tone which froze her feet in place in apprehension. His tone was slightly reverent and fervent, like he was speaking at the grave of a dead loved one. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he was going to say, but she was longing to hear him continue just to hear his voice.
His silence frightened her more than his tone. She missed the sound of his voice, even if it did terrify her today. His voice was like a beacon to her heart telling her all was going to be alright, but the words to come were like fire that burned the beacon to ashes.
As Alana came and sat down next to him, Thomas decided to just say what came to mind. “Alana, I’m sorry about last night...I mean...I didn’t mean to...no, that’s not what I...I never should have done it.”
“What do you mean? You shouldn’t have kissed me?” Alana felt her heart begin to collapse under the weight of Thomas’ words and her eyes moistened. “I didn’t mind. In fact I really...”
“No!” Thomas interrupted Alana, his voice almost a scream of desperation. “I can’t. We can’t. Nothing can happen between us. You’re a mermaid princess and I’m a surface dweller.”
“But, that doesn’t matter to me.” Alana's despair was inches from crushing her, but she could think of no argument to change Thomas’ mind. In the end, she settled on facts Thomas already knew. “I don’t care if you are a surface dweller. Besides, in six months you will be a merman and it won’t matter anymore.”
“Of course it will matter.” Thomas was fighting an urge to flee from the room, afraid his resolve wouldn’t hold. It had been trouble enough to stop himself from shouting in his self-deprivation. “It doesn’t matter if I become a merman. People will always see me as an outsider and wouldn’t approve of our relationship.”
“But I don’t care!”
“I do.” Thomas’ eyes became solemn. “You have an entire kingdom to run. You are the future queen of Atlantis! A queen can’t rule if the people don’t trust her or respect her, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I was the cause of that. I really like you, and I want to be close to you, but not at the expense of your kingdom. Please, let’s just keep things between us where they currently are? Friends.”
Alana was barely able to choke back her tears. Thomas reached up to wipe her eyes, but she knocked his hand away and staggered to the door. She ripped it open and turned sharply toward Thomas. “Fine! If that’s the way you want it. Good day, Thomas.” As she slammed the door behind Thomas, she burst into tears and a shower of pearls cascaded on the floor. She whispered through her tears in a defeated tone, “You fool.”
With a gaping abyss left for a heart, Thomas left in search of King Aquarius.
As Thomas headed to breakfast, he ran into Captain Orion, who gave him a disapproving and reproachful look. “Halt, Surface Dweller.”
Thomas stopped abruptly at the name. He had grown to despise being called a surface dweller. The name sounded like a racial slur and made him feel inferior.
Captain Orion took no heed of Thomas’ feelings and plowed on. “I must have a word with you. Come here.”
Thomas was rather reluctant to step toward Orion. With his armor and trident, he seemed rather fearsome; not to mention the look of death he was giving Thomas. It reminded Thomas of a predator preparing to strike its prey.
“Listen carefully, Surface Dweller. King Aquarius may trust you, as may Princess Alana, but I do not. Nothing good comes from humans and I’ve got my eyes on you. If I catch wind of anything suspicious, I won’t hesitate to pierce your heart, understood?”
Then Captain Orion stalked off as if he had just stepped on a bug and couldn't care less.
Thomas prayed that Captain Orion would never discover that Thomas had made Alana cry this morning. His prejudiced attitude would probably lead to a death match if he knew.
The thought of Alana’s heartbroken face made the abyss of Thomas’ heart ripple and expand. His heart had become a black hole, sucking everything in until his insides felt hollow. Thomas entered the dining hall feeling more depressed than he could ever remember.
“Oh, Thomas,” King Aquarius was in the dining room eating breakfast. “Good morning. Where were you, yesterday? I waited around all day for you because you said you needed to talk to me.”
“I’m sorry, Aqua.” Thomas sat down next to the king. “Alana dragged me outside the palace first thing in the morning to buy things she said I would need. We spent the entire day shopping and when we finally returned, you were already in your room. I didn’t want to disturb you in case you were sleeping.”
“Oh, yes. My daughter is very fond of you.” King Aquarius nodded knowingly and smiled. “I’ve never seen her this happy before. You’re a lucky merman, you are.”
“Uh, yeah...about that.” Thomas saw no merit in hiding anything from King Aquarius. Alana would probably tell him later anyway. King Aquarius listened intently, without judging, as Thomas told the entire story of what happened yesterday and this morning. “Do you think I did the right thing? I’m so confused.”
“I cannot tell you that.” King Aquarius gave Thomas a warm, wise look. “I can only say this. Things change as do people. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. I will support your decision, no matter what it is. You are an honorable man, Thomas. If you weren’t, then you and the other passengers involved in that airplane crash wouldn’t be alive today. Just be yourself and see what happens. Now, shall we go?”
The king took Thomas back up to the Sapphire Chamber Room. This was rather confusing. After the conversation two days ago, Thomas thought he wouldn’t be allowed to enter this room again for six months.
“You said you wanted to ask me about the other kingdoms,” the king began, “and this is the best room to do so. It is private and contains visuals of the other kingdoms.”
“Well, first off, what are the Seven Cities?”
Thomas stood in wonder again as the king swung open the doors to the soft-glowing room and gestured him to enter.
“Well now, they are the seven ancient merfolk kingdoms,” King Aquarius explained. “We have no historical information about how or when they were formed, but we believe they have been here for as long as merfolk have existed and even before. As you can see by the differences in structure, the original city was made of materials that merfolk don't have access to. Whoever built these cities was not one of us. We believe that the cities were given to us as gifts from the Gems of Power.
“The Seven Cities are all protected by these Gems of Power.” King Aquarius pointed up to the Sapphire of Power.
The room continued to radiate its dim blue light from the sapphire in the center, but the light became slightly brighter when the king mentioned its name, like it was listening and its interest was suddenly peaked.
“Atlantis is protected by this blue Sapphire.” The king didn't seem to notice the chang
e in light, or was very used to it by now. “Arcania by the white Pearl, Ballia by the pink Jade, Koreberos, the purple Amethyst, Serkumis, the red Ruby, Lothania, the green Emerald, and Paralenthia by the yellow Topaz.” As King Aquarius spoke, he pointed out each statue in the corners of the room, perfect replicas of each kingdom’s king, each carved from the gemstone of their respective kingdoms.
“Okay. Are these what the mermaids of each kingdom look like?” Thomas walked around and examined each statue. Not a single one of the statues looked alike. Most of them had the lower body of the Atlantian Merfolk except for their colors, but one looked unmistakably like a shark, one an eel, and another had what looked like a tropical fish tail. They all had different upper body features as well. Their ears were all different, some had scales, and some had more than one fin on their body, sticking out on their arms, backs, and the sides of their lower fish bodies.
“Yes. All of the merfolk are unique. Besides their colors, they each have distinct features that help to identify which kingdom they are from. For instance, Atlantian merfolk are the only merfolk with a single dorsal fin in the middle of our backs and eight inch pointed ears.”
“Very interesting. What about their tears? Atlantians cry pearls when out of the water, but sapphires while in the water. What about the other kingdoms?”
“Each of the seven kingdoms cries pearls when they are outside water, and six of the seven kingdoms cry their city’s gems in the water. We don’t know why, but for some reason Arcanian merfolk, Pearl merfolk, don’t.” The king added, when Thomas looked like he would interrupt, “Arcanian merfolk cry pearls outside of the water, but they cry diamonds when they are inside the water.”
They discussed other topics about the history of merfolk for another hour, after which, Thomas took his leave to go speak with Eri.
Thomas soon fell into a routine and before he knew it, a month had passed.
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