Silent Mermaid: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid (The Classical Kingdoms Collection Book 5)

by Brittany Fichter

  On the second day of her imprisonment, the sun had been up for over an hour by the time there was a soft knock at her door. Then the lock clicked, and Arianna was relieved to see Bithiah standing there with a tray of biscuits and jam.

  “I am sorry it took me so long,” Bithiah said as she darted in to put the tray on Arianna’s table. “I do not think the queen wanted me here at all, but I knew better than to believe her.” She nodded once and placed her hands on her wide hips.

  Arianna threw her arms around the woman. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “What is this now?” Bithiah held her back and studied her with a sly smile. “You are full of surprises, Miss Arianna.”

  “What did she say about me?” Arianna whispered. She was almost afraid to know.

  “She announced at breakfast yesterday that you would be running an errand to a contact of hers in the city.” Bithiah shook her head as she scurried around the room, taking the chamber pot and replacing it with a clean one she’d carried in along with the tray. “She said you would not be back for several days, possibly even a week or more.” Bithiah stopped moving for a moment and studied Arianna.

  “My child, I hope you do not take offense, but I come from a people far different than these. My country is mostly made of sand and sun, but I was born in a little village off the coast of Hedjet.” She tilted her head to the side. “We had some of your kind who would trade with us from time to time.”

  “My kind?” Arianna stuttered. “Mistress Bithiah, I am . . .” But as she locked eyes with the older woman, Arianna could not utter the lie. Instead, she hung her head. “Am I that transparent?

  “No, child. The others suspect, but I know only because my father was a merchant. I met others of your kind many times at night when he traded with them. But no more interruptions.” She put the chamber pot down and took Arianna’s hands. “I heard what Prince Michael was telling Master Russo about this mysterious princess. He told Master Russo of your warnings.” She leaned in. “Child, I can tell you are not close to the Maker. But he has given you these understandings for a reason. If there was ever one thing I learned from my mermaid friends,” a dark looked passed over her eyes, “it is never to underestimate their premonitions. Your people were put here to guard the humans from the Deeps. And if any human deserves to be guarded, it is Michael.”

  “But what can I do?” Arianna whimpered. “I’m locked in my room and—”

  “Will a lock and key really keep you put?” The corner of Bithiah’s lips twitched up. “From what I saw for years and years, not even the Sea Crown’s ambassador could keep his daughter in one place for very long.”

  Arianna gawked at her. Not only had the old sailor seen her, but Bithiah had seen her as well.

  One more soul who thought she was worthy of being looked upon.

  Arianna pulled Bithiah into another tight hug, choking back tears.

  Bithiah clutched her tightly. “Promise me, child, that you will save him from her. Whoever this woman is, her wiles will be poisonous. I can feel it!”

  Finally, Bithiah pulled out of their embrace and left with the chamber pot, apologizing as she relocked the door.

  Arianna understood, however, that it would be disastrous for all of them if Drina discovered her unfettered. So instead of trying to escape, Arianna sat on her bed and stared out at the ocean waves as they pounded the shore in their rhythmic song. She knew what she needed to do. But, as always, she was one step behind.

  Arianna hid her tray under her bed so that when Drina finally came with her bread, Arianna could pretend to be as cowed as ever. But aside from Drina’s angry silence, Arianna’s day was full of nothing but musings and annoyance. Until the girls arrived.

  “Arianna!” Claire called through the keyhole. “We’ve come to rescue you!”

  “Yes!” Lucy added with a giggle. “Grandmother thinks she fooled us, but we fooled her!”

  “Lucy, move out of the way! We can tell her when we’re inside and safe from Grandmother!” After several failed attempts, the lock opened and the two girls spilled into Arianna’s room.

  “Look what we snuck from Grandmother’s evening dress!” Claire’s eyes sparkled as she held up a tarnished key. “Now we just have to make you beautiful again! Where’s your new dress. Put it on, quick!”

  “Why?” Arianna whispered.

  The girls stopped and stared.

  “Well,” Lucy finally piped, “isn’t that something?” Then, without losing another moment, Lucy began to pull contraband from the little bag they’d brought, while Claire pulled Arianna’s pink dress from the stool where Arianna had folded it nicely.

  “The strange princess is arriving in less than an hour. I heard Grandmother say so. We knew she lied about you being gone, but it took us all day to get the key.” Claire paused as she placed several jeweled pins in Arianna’s hair, a smug little smile on her face. “And to borrow a few things.”

  “You have to be beautiful so he doesn’t marry her!” Lucy climbed into Arianna’s lap. “We don’t want Uncle Michael to marry her. We want him to marry you!”

  “And how do you know so much?” Arianna laughed.

  Each girl fixed her with a condescending stare. “Really,” Claire finally said with a huff, “you should know us better by now! We know everything.”

  Arianna believed that now.

  “There.” Claire held up a little hand mirror. “What do you think?”

  Arianna turned her head from side to side. Pink jewels sparkled all over her hair. Matching jewels shaped like teardrops dangled from her ears by silver chains.

  “You’re masters,” she whispered to the girls, who beamed.

  Then Claire’s eyes grew wide. “You need to be there when she arrives!” She pushed Arianna from behind. “Go!”

  Resolved hardened within Arianna with each step she took toward the palace entrance. They always met guests of lesser importance in the dining hall, where Michael could greet them at the impressive hall doors. But those of great importance were met on the mother-of-pearl palace steps, flanked by the glass columns that had seashells and other ocean treasures suspended within them.

  Bithiah was right, Arianna mused as she half-ran to the palace entrance. Something was not right about this woman. She was too perfect. Her timing was too perfect.

  Arianna slowed only when she came to the last corner, throwing up a rare prayer of thanks to the Maker for the new pink slippers Michael had given her with the dress. At least her boots wouldn’t clunk tonight.

  She waited around the corner until the sun had nearly set and supper normally would have grown cold. Michael and Lucas stood conferring quietly together, both in their military attire once more. Queen Drina was caught up between fussing over the old decorations they had put up and whining about how late the princess was. But finally, just as dusk was falling, lights began to come into view from the path that wound up from the city. Arianna smoothed her dress and stepped out into the light of the torches.

  “Arianna!” Michael said as he, Lucas, and Drina turned.

  Drina’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed Arianna’s attire, but Lucas dashed forward and escorted Arianna out to their party. Michael took her hand for a moment before giving a formal bow and kissing her fingers. “You look lovely,” he said.

  “What took you so long?” Lucas asked.

  “My apologies,” she whispered, curtsying and turning to look pointedly at Drina. “I was a bit detained on my errand.”

  Lucas’s eyes popped. “Did you just speak? But how—”

  “I’m a quick learner,” Arianna said, not breaking her gaze with Drina.

  Drina held her eyes for a moment longer before turning stiffly back to the path, which was now filled visibly with a dozen soldiers carrying torches on the ends of their staffs. Michael straightened as the entourage reached the foot of the steps. His jaw was clenched, but his face was a perfect mask of formal politeness and kingly reserve.

  All signs of stress disappeared f
rom his face, however, as soon as their guest emerged from the shadows. Between the two lines of soldiers walked a woman with a figure so perfect Arianna had to look twice to believe it. Her eyes sparkled in the flames of the candles that lit the steps, and her blood-red lips curved into an exquisite smile as she took in the two gentlemen, whose mouths had literally fallen open.

  She melted into the lowest, most balanced curtsy Arianna had ever seen. Not even Master Russo, Arianna’s unofficial manners instructor, could dip that far down.

  “What a warm welcome! I had hardly expected the queen and the princes to greet me themselves! Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Ines.”

  Arianna almost groaned. The woman’s voice was painfully melodic. Listening to her speak was like listening to the Nursery Nurturers sing the little merbabies to sleep at night. And as if to pour salt on the wound, as Princess Ines moved up the steps into the light, her ebony hair flowed down her back and past her knees in ripples of shiny, loose curls. Her skin was without freckle or flaw.

  It was a long second before either of the brothers could stop gaping like fish. Apparently, they had never seen a woman before. Arianna was tempted to clear her throat when Michael finally broke out of his trance and nudged his brother.

  “I’ve brought gifts!” the perfect princess finally said, breaking the strained silence. After gesturing to a servant Arianna hadn’t seen standing at the back of the group, the princess folded her hands and waited patiently as a chest large enough to hold Arianna was dragged up. “As a token of my people’s hopes for a future of . . . mutual interest.”

  Everyone gasped as it was opened and a pile of gold pieces, pearls, and jewels began to spill out. It made Arianna’s little bag of pearls look like a child’s collection of rocks.

  “And we are most honored to have you with us.” Drina moved swiftly to the princess and took her hand, effectively blocking Arianna from the woman’s view. “My sons and I were delighted to receive your letter.”

  “And who is this?”

  The woman moved around Drina and toward Arianna. Arianna nearly smiled at the rage on Drina’s face, but her amusement disappeared as the woman began to look her over. The longer the woman studied her, however, the softer and kinder her brown eyes grew.

  “You, my dear, are lovely,” she said in her melodic voice.

  “Oh, yes,” Drina hurried to Princess Ines’s side once more. “This is my granddaughters’ governess. She was actually just leaving to put the girls to bed.” Drina turned and glared daggers at Arianna. “You would be surprised at the level of improvement she’s gained since coming here. When she arrived, she had no home or way of keeping herself. But look at what she’s become.”

  A strange look flicked across Princess Ines’s face.

  She looked almost . . . irritated. But Arianna couldn’t be sure, for the expression was gone before Arianna was even sure it was there.

  “Please,” Princess Ines turned to Drina, her dark eyes wide and pleading, “let her stay with us tonight. I should love to know all of your family. Even your granddaughters if it allows this young woman to stay with us!”

  It was Arianna’s turn to stare now. Who was this woman, and why for the love of kelp was she interested in Arianna? To her annoyance, Arianna was quickly finding it difficult to dislike the new princess, despite all her earlier misgivings. Anyone who ruffled Drina had to at least be a tolerable soul.

  30

  Dismissed

  Supper was one of the most confusing meals Arianna had ever eaten. Her desire to dislike the woman and sniff out her motivation for such a sudden proposition warred with her gratefulness for Princess Ines’s kindness to her. For though Drina had consented with a very stiff smile to let Arianna and the girls eat with the select group, Drina made sure to seat them at the far end of the table, as far from the general conversation as they could get. Yet Princess Ines, to her credit, attempted to draw Arianna into the conversation whenever she could, leaning forward and trying to hear her whispers, without even batting an eye at the whispers themselves.

  But every time Arianna was tempted to toss out her suspicions, Princess Ines would turn her charm on the men. Arianna had never seen such guppies as the men were that night. Lucas, of course, did not surprise Arianna. Lucas loved little more than flirting with every woman he met, but none of the lords were particularly attentive to their wives that night, either.

  Michael did better than the others. She could see him trying not to gawk, his gaze sometimes resting on the table or the ceiling. But every few minutes, he would have to look at the princess for politeness’s sake, and he would be enthralled all over again. Arianna was nearly ready to write him off as just as lost as Lucas, when he leaned forward and folded his hands.

  “Princess Ines,” he said, “perhaps you could tell us a bit about where you’re from.” His gaze flicked briefly to Arianna.

  Good. He wasn’t completely gone yet.

  Princess Ines lifted her goblet and swirled its wine about. “I come from the Espigmas Isle in the Third Sea. We tend to keep to ourselves, only trading with the merpeople when they were still interacting with people. Since they paid us special heed in their dealings, they told us that it would be best if we stayed hidden. We are a small people with few ships. And gold. Lots and lots of gold.”

  She sighed prettily. “Alas, their disappearance has cut off our entire trade supply. When our spies relayed to us that other coastal kingdoms were also suffering, we knew that perhaps we might benefit from also dealing with others. And then,” she turned her sweet smile on Michael, “we heard that your kingdom had found a way to reignite trade with some of the inland kingdoms. That’s when we knew we must immediately make contact.”

  Arianna did the math in her head and her suspicions were raised again. “Even with an escort from the Sea Crown,” she whispered as loudly as she could, “you could not have sent two messages and traveled here within one week from the Third Sea.” Such a journey should have taken at least four weeks. Maybe more.

  “I think it is quite rude to question our guest,” Drina said, glowering at Arianna.

  “Actually,” Lucas lost his annoying smile for the first time that night, “Arianna is right.” He turned to Princess Ines. “How did you relay your messages so quickly?”

  “A fair question.” The princess took a dainty sip of her wine. “I must admit that I have been on the mainland for several months, traveling about so as to learn about your people for my father. Well, you and other coastal kingdoms. I had been in your city for some weeks, posing as a visiting merchant, when news of the pearls spread. I knew immediately that along with everything else I had learned of your people, as you are mostly dependent on the sea like my own people, it was a sign from the Maker.”

  “I’m glad to know you’ve been in our city,” Michael said as he put his fork down and glanced at his mother. Drina gave him the slightest shake of her head, but he turned and spoke to the princess anyway. “I will not be dishonest with you. You have seen the dismal conditions my people are surviving. We have only just escaped losing everything due to mountainous debts, and our economy is still in shambles after a five-year war that ravaged our harbors and chased away the guardians of our seas.”

  Arianna tensed. Would the princess’s beauty cause him to forget and betray her secret? He had kept it well, but Princess Ines was not like everyone else. Even now, Lucas was back to gawking at her over his spiced tuna.

  “Thanks to the brave venture of one of our citizens,” Michael continued, omitting Arianna’s name, much to her relief, “we are still afloat, but only just. I’m afraid I must be impertinent and ask why you believe we could benefit you. There are other coastal kingdoms farther south and a little north, but none are so dependent on the sea. Why us?”

  Princess Ines leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips, giving him an appraising look. Even her thoughtful expression was breathtaking, and Arianna could see Michael’s focus waver slightly as the woman stared h
im down.

  How can intelligent men such Michael and Lucas be so incredibly stupid? Arianna thought with frustration.

  “What about your part in this war that chased all our sea guardians away?” All of Princess Ines’s coy playfulness was suddenly gone.

  “To be blunt, my grandfather acted foolishly,” Michael responded. “Both sides did, it seemed, but my grandfather would not let the war end, even on his deathbed asking me to continue it for him. My kingdom is a peninsula, and our borders end at the mainland, so to be honest, I do not know what we will do to recover if the merpeople do not return.”

  Arianna had been so engaged in the conversation that she didn’t even notice the girls beginning to quarrel until Drina snapped her fingers and nodded at the girls to be dismissed. Arianna’s face burned as she recognized that she, too, was included in the dismissal.

  Arianna had tucked the girls in and was nearly to her own room when clacking footsteps echoed down the hall after her. She braced herself for another lecture and round of threats from Drina, so her surprise couldn’t have been greater when she turned to see Princess Ines come round the corner.

  “I hope I did not get you into trouble!” Princess Ines stopped several feet away and wrung her perfect hands.

  Distress made her look even more beautiful, Arianna noted with disgust. And yet, she couldn’t help being touched by the woman’s concern. “It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “I’m afraid Queen Drina has never much liked me.”

  “I just . . .” the woman paused and bit her lip. “I hope you see how lovely you truly are, and how much worth you have. No matter how they treat you.”

  “Prince Michael and Prince Lucas treat me wonderfully. It is their mother, I’m afraid, who wishes I were gone for good.”

  “Yes,” Princess Ines’s voice hardened. “I see that.” She looked down at her flowing green gown and sighed. “Well, don’t give up hope. I like you already. You say what you mean and you have a kind heart.” She beamed. “I believe we shall be quite intimate friends. And don’t worry about the queen. Between you and me, we shall make sure that Prince Michael and his mother get exactly what they deserve.”