Royal Pride

by Zelda Knight

  * * *

  Mercury Falling (Fighting for Love, Book 2) https://books2read.com/mercury-falling

  For the Love of a Mermaid

  © Diana Dawn

  Edited by Tonya Bluston

  About For the Love of a Mermaid

  They say mermaid songs entice sailors, but could it be the other way around?

  It was forbidden. Per the laws of her merfolk clan, it was forbidden for a mermaid to bond with a human. But Kaia was already falling in love with a handsome sailor. What started as her admiration for Samuel’s sea shanty songs had become much more. And now her sister’s life was in danger, and it was up to Kaia to save her. But she needed Samuel’s help. And, of course, the more time she spent with him, the more she found herself falling for him. Can Kaia unlock the mystery to save her sister’s life and still have a ‘happy ever after’ with the sailor she loves?

  Chapter One

  The Crystal Petra

  He sang and played the sea shanty on his mandolin while his crewmate joined him in song:

  “In Amsterdam, there lived a maid,

  Mark well what I do say!

  In Amsterdam, there lived a maid,

  And she was mistress of her trade.

  I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid!

  A-roving, a-roving,

  Since roving's been my ru-i-in,

  I'll go no more a-roving,

  With you, fair maid!”

  Roger took a swig of his ale as he offered, “You sing pretty good … for a pirate.”

  “Ex-pirate, mate!” Samuel corrected. “We’re ex-pirates now, remember? Does a soul good, you know? Instead of ravaging the shipwrecks, now we save the survivors.”

  Roger added, “But we still ravage the shipwrecks if there ain’t any survivors.”

  “Well, yes.” Samuel nodded. “It’d be a waste not to. And it’s called ‘salvaging,’ not ravaging.”

  “Ah, is that what it’s called, now?” asked Roger sarcastically. “But you’re right. Ever since the captain found a Bible at that one shipwreck a year ago, everything changed … and for the better, I might add.”

  Samuel laughed. “Who’d have thought Captain Van Horne could read?”

  “You think he actually read it?”

  “Of course! How do you think that change got into him? By rubbing the leather book cover?”

  Roger frowned at his mug. “Hmph. Out of ale. Care to go below for a refill and some grub?”

  “Nah. I think I’ve had enough. Gonna turn in and maybe pluck out a tune for a little while till I fall asleep.”

  “See you tomorrow.” Roger waved.

  Samuel went back to his quarters. He was first mate on the ‘Dreadnought’ under Captain Van Horne. The crew indeed used to be pirates until the captain ‘found God’ and had the entire crew change their ways. Samuel himself had never killed anyone, but he couldn’t say that about the rest of the crew. Things were better now. They were no longer wanted men … well, in most areas, anyway.

  Samuel sat on his bed and began playing his mandolin, singing quietly. The crew didn’t mind his singing, as he was rather good. He could efficiently put the entire crew to sleep after a hard day’s work.

  She heard it again that night as she swam up to the familiar ship … the ship housing that angelic male voice. He was in his room with the little round window hole on the side of the ship. The window was low enough that she could dive down and then hurl herself back up quickly and jump up to it. Right below it was a dingy boat that she could prop herself onto. Then she sat and listened to him. She always stayed out of his view, so he never noticed her. But this was becoming harder to do. She loved his face and his hair. It was light brown and fairly long, falling carelessly around his cheeks and brushing his shoulders. His eyes were a deep blue, like the ocean. He had a small scar under one eye, but this didn’t take away from the handsomeness of his face. She wondered what had caused that scar. To her, what had started as admiration for his music was becoming something more. She could never tell her clan. Not only would they make fun of her for developing feelings for a human, but they would also forbid her from returning to the surface. This was the only thing that gave her joy … her visits to the surface. In particular, Marinus would protest. She could hardly get a moment’s peace from that merman. He was convinced that she would be his mate. Arrogant jerks, the lot of them. When would those mermen get a clue that mermaids were more than property or trophies? But why would they? Most of the mermaids in her clan were swooning fools! Why would the mermen ever learn any differently when the mermaids catered to their every whim? Well, not her. That was not to be her fate. If she never found a mate, then so be it. Of course, how could she judge when she was practically swooning now over a human, of all things?

  ‘Oh no!’ she thought. ‘He sees me!’ And she quickly jumped into the water and dove down deep.

  “No way! That couldn’t have been a…” He could have sworn he’d seen a woman, a beautiful woman, peering into his window. But how would a woman, out of nowhere, be able to sit outside the window of a ship? Unless! Samuel rushed to the little window and peered out. Nothing. Nothing but the whitecaps on the ocean. “Right,” he said to himself. “Just like I thought. Too much ale.”

  The next day, they were out searching for shipwrecks again. They’d heard a rumor in town of a ship that had sunk a few miles up the coast after coming too close to shore and colliding with some sharp rocks.

  “Got one!” Samuel yelled to his crewmates as he spotted a woman who appeared to be in peril clinging to a rock. “Miss, we’re here to help you. Just hold on,” he said as he jumped into the water.

  Suddenly, he felt someone grab his leg and pull him under. He opened his eyes under the salty ocean water and thought he saw another woman, but the stinging salt made it hard to see. The hold on his leg was released, and he came back to the surface, gasping for breath. When he did, he heard laughter, women’s laughter.

  “Oh, look at the poor human! ‘Save me, save me!’” Once again, they all laughed in unison.

  They were mermaids. And they were having the time of their lives mocking Samuel. He had simply wanted to save the woman in distress, who was now also laughing at him. They were not concerned about why the humans were there, just that they were there and it was playtime!

  Again, one of the mermaids grabbed Samuel’s leg and pulled him under, diving deep. His crewmates called out to him as they saw the mermaids flip up their tails, then dive into the sea with the first mate as their prisoner. The captain prepared to jump in after him, but the crew stopped him. They knew their fate would not be a good one, for either their captain or the first mate.

  “I will not leave my first mate to die!” Captain Van Horne said as he tried to pull free.

  “Sir, if you jump in, surely you will die yourself, and we will be without a captain. Samuel may be alright. The mermaids do not always kill their prey. It’s a game to them. Sometimes they toy with them and then let them go. But if you jump in with your sword, they will considerer you a threat and kill both of you.”

  The captain looked back at the water. “Lord God, please save my first mate, Samuel!”

  Kaia was livid. They were torturing the man she loved. Loved? Had she just thought that? With no time to ponder, she dove after him and grabbed his arm. The mermaid with a hold on him looked at Kaia in surprise as Kaia smacked her with her large tail. The mermaid released her hold on the man, and Kaia quickly swam away with him.

  She knew she had to had to act quickly. Kaia rushed to the surface so that he could take a breath. He appeared to be only half-conscious, if that. She knew those catty sea cows would be after her. She had to get him to safety. She had to get him to her secret place.

  Kaia entered a cave in the underwater part of a cliff that had a large air pocket. Multiple pools led down into the ocean, and she could use them to enter the cave. A special one was at the base of a fresh waterfall. She set the man near the freshwater pool. Kaia didn’t
even know his name, but at least he was safe and breathing. She held him in her lap, caressing his face.

  He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw wasn’t the strange cave, but the beautiful woman who held him. One of two things must have happened. Either he was dreaming, or he’d died and gone to heaven and this was the angel who was welcoming him to his eternal home. He gave a silent “thanks” to Captain Van Horne for converting his entire crew for God, as he’d been sent to heaven and not that “other place.”

  Then he noted she wasn’t wearing clothing. What? He’d expected angels to wear white robes or something. Her long hair covered most of her. But when he turned his head slightly, he noticed her legs were not legs … they were a fishtail? At that moment, everything went black.

  She managed to get him to town, whilst snagging some clothing that had been drying on a clothesline. She left the household a gold piece … more than enough to pay for the items. After all, she had plenty of gold pieces. Seemed that every time she found a sunken ship, there was a chest full of the stuff. Gently, she left him outside the tavern with some gold in his pocket. She figured that he, and other folks, would assume he’d had a little too much to drink and just passed out cold.

  But now she had another mission. She was tired of her mermaid clan having their morbid way with humans … torturing them by half-drowning them and other unspeakable things. It had to stop. Humans were not all that different from merfolk, and her clan was treating them like animals, toys even. She was going to put an end to it. She wasn’t looking forward to running into Marinus, as he would never take “no” for an answer, but this was more important than avoiding him.

  However, upon her arrival in her clan’s underwater city, all was in chaos. What had happened?

  Dazed, she held the box in her lap. She was still trying to take it all in. Her sister Coral had found a box that had been lost from a ship during a storm. It was locked, but Coral had managed to pry it open with a rusted sword. In it was a beautiful and rare purple crystal formation. It was a rock found only in the deepest oceans, ones that Kaia had heard about only in legend … a “petra.” Coral had picked up the rock and then screamed as her hands began to burn, and she fainted. Blisters were visible on her hands and she was unresponsive. It was almost like the rock was poison, but Kaia had never heard that these rare rocks were dangerous. Since Kaia was the most familiar with the surface, it was voted that she would find out where this rock came from and seek the cure for her sister. The box displayed the word “Seagate.” This was her only clue. But what was “Seagate”? A person? A ship? A town? Kaia didn’t know. But it was her duty to uncover the mystery. Her sister’s life depended on it.

  Chapter Two

  The Cavern Of Pools

  When he woke up, he didn’t know what to think. Before, he’d thought he might have gone to heaven, but now he was on the hard, wooden porch of the town tavern. It was one that he and his crewmates knew well. His last vision had been an angel, right? No, wait … an angel with a fishtail? That was crazy. And what about those horrible women who had been laughing at him and trying to drown him? Maybe they were female pirates and Samuel and his crew had been invading their “turf.” Female pirates? Wow, there was a strange thought. He shook it off and went into the tavern. At that point, he really needed a drink.

  Kaia knew taverns had the best gossip, which made them her best bet for finding out about this “Seagate.” So she headed back to the tavern where she had left her human friend. “Friend” ... she laughed to herself. She wished she knew his name. But as she approached the tavern, she saw he wasn’t where she’d left him. Slightly disappointed, she went in with her mission as her motivation.

  She approached the bartender and said, “Excuse me?”

  Noticing the pretty girl, the bartender softened his normally gruff manner. “Yes, ma’am. What can I get you?”

  “I was wondering if you had heard of a name called ‘Seagate.’ Like the name of a person, or a ship, or maybe a town?”

  “No. Can’t say that I have.”

  “Seagate? Well, I’ve heard of a ship called Seagate,” came the voice of a customer down the length of the bar. He gave her a shady smile, “But I can’t quite remember where I heard it.”

  “Would this help you remember?” She produced a gold coin and handed it to him.

  “Oh, yes!” he said, as he pocketed the coin. “Now I remember! It’s the name of a ship that I see come into town every now and then for supplies and what have you. Not quite sure when last I saw it or who the captain is.” Once again, he offered her a shady grin.

  Kaia had plenty of coins, so she didn’t care. She produced another one. “How about now? Remember any more?”

  “You know, it’s coming back to me. I saw it make port in town about a week ago. Captain’s name is Smith, no, Smithy? Wait, maybe it’s Smithton?”

  She set another gold coin on the bar.

  “Bailey! That’s it! Captain Bailey!”

  “What’s their haul, their purpose?”

  “Um…”

  Again, she slammed another coin on the bar.

  “Trading grains, I believe. I see the crew carry crates to the bakeshop across town quite a bit.”

  She smiled flirtatiously as she held five coins in her hand. “Anything else you can tell me?”

  His eyes widened. “They come in about once a week or so. The name of the crewmate who usually delivers the crates is Smalley. That’s all I know.”

  She grinned. “That’s worth only one gold piece, but I’ll give you all five for good measure.”

  He seemed deeply grateful. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

  Then she spotted him in the corner and ordered a rum from the bartender.

  “You looked like you needed this.” Kaia set the rum shot on the table.

  Samuel looked up and was too stunned to speak. She was beautiful. She had aqua-colored eyes and long blonde flowing hair with two small French braids woven alongside her head just behind her ears. He knew her from somewhere, but where? Maybe he’d seen her somewhere in town.

  “Thank you for the drink. I know you from somewhere, don’t I?”

  “Maybe.” She smirked.

  In fact, it was the face in his dreams as of late. And there she was, right in front of him. He didn’t want her to leave.

  “I should be buying you a drink, gorgeous.”

  Remembering the gold pieces she’d left in his pocket, she smiled. “Alright.”

  “What would you like?”

  “I guess I’ll have what you’re having.”

  He smiled. “You mean what you gave me?”

  “Actually, I’ve never tried the stuff. I just heard sailors like it.”

  “Indeed. One rum coming up!”

  He left and came back with two, one for her and another for him. “And there’s more where that came from. Can I ask your name?”

  “Kaia. And yours?”

  “Samuel.”

  Samuel. ‘Finally,’ Kaia thought. She finally knew his name.

  “Kaia,” he said. “That’s beautiful. What does it mean?”

  A slight shudder of delight went through her at the sound of her name from his lips, but she composed herself. “It means ‘rejoice the sea.’”

  The drink was strange to her. Although a little sweet, it was strong and slightly burned her throat as it went down.

  “Would you like another?”

  She noted his eager smile. “Maybe just one more.”

  Again, he came back with two. And again, the second burned going down, although it still tasted sweet.

  “I feel like we’ve met before. And I know that sounds like a come-on, but it’s not.”

  “I know it’s not.” She smiled.

  Suddenly, warmth enveloped her core, and then she felt giddy and lightheaded. What was this? Was this because of the two rum drinks she’d had? It must have been, as nothing else had ever made her feel this way … made her feel like she should tell Samuel the truth
, even though she was essentially “forbidden.” But every second she looked into his ocean blue eyes, she fell deeper under his human spell.

  She began, “I think you might remember where you saw me. But I can’t show you here.”

  “Show me? I don’t understand,” he said.

  “I’m afraid it might scare you.”

  He laughed. “Sweetheart, I’ve been through more than you know. Nothing scares me now.”

  “Alright. Will you come with me to the beach?”

  His heart was practically beating out of his chest. “Yes.”

  She led him to a secluded cliff that rose slightly above the ocean.

  “Samuel, that night at the shipwreck, my … female friends behaved unspeakably, trying to drown you. So I saved you.”

  His eyes widened. “That was real? That was you?”

  “Yes. Ever since I heard your beautiful voice, I was captivated. I’d listen by your window at night.”

  He gasped. “That was real, too? That was you? I thought I was drunk and hallucinating.”

  “No.” She tenderly touched his face. “I love singing. I sing, too. But I’ve never heard a male voice as heavenly as yours. I hope you aren’t upset that I was listening.”

  “No, of course not. So does that mean you’re a…”

  “A mermaid, yes.” She smiled. He was stunned as she continued with a bit of hesitancy. “When I listened to your singing, I found myself having feelings for you beyond the music.” She smiled shyly.

  “Really?” Again, he was stunned.