Pretty Fin

by Smokey Moment

  “I’m sorry Your Highness. I have no good news. We searched. She is not there. And…We saw Prince Andreus and his men.” The King jumped up. He threw the sheets off of his legs. “What!” he blurted, as he got out of bed. He entered into his privacy area. A small closet that was covered only by a privacy screen. Lark was heartbroken. And now he was angered. The king’s reaction, other than showing some surprise, was not appropriate. Lark wondered what was going on.

  “Sir! He was clearly looking for Fin. She is not his responsibility. There is no reason for him to be there,” he huffed. The King reprimanded him with a stern look. “She is to be his wife. He has every right to try to locate her. We need all the help we can get.” Lark simmered on the inside. A slow boil that erupted, as he tried to control his words. He had never gotten angry at the king.

  “She doesn’t want to marry him! That’s why we’re looking for her now! She was upset. I noticed it on the way there. It was all over her face. She knew she would be unhappy,” he said. The king walked up to him. Lark was overstepping his boundaries.

  “How dare you claim to know what my daughter wants. You have no right,” he replied. Lark immediately regretted what he said. He didn’t mean to upset the king. Tempers were high. Everyone was stressed. “Please forgive me Sire. I did not mean to offend,” he said. Zander put his hand on Lark’s shoulder. “You are just tired. You have been searching for her non-stop. I understand that she means a lot to you. She is like family to you. I want you to rest. Send others in the morning. You must take a break,” he said. Lark shook his head no.

  “I cannot do that Your Majesty. I must look until I find her. I will never stop looking. Sir”

  Love and Loss

  K

  ing Zander needed to address the citizens of Mojarro. He would speak to the masses and his words would be delivered to all who was unable to attend. Too much time had passed. Fin would not have stayed away, willingly, for that long. It was time for King Zander to face his reality.

  The princess was dead at sea. Lost forever. The future of the monarchy uncertain. King Zander walked in the middle of his men. He reached the entry to his compound. The massive wood doors opened. He stepped out and walked outside the gated walls. He and his men made their way just a few feet, to a stage made out of huge stone and wood. It was where he addressed the citizens. His words would be whispered among them. There were thousands in attendance. He addressed the people;

  Today we mourn the loss of my daughter. Princess Finora, the king said. The crowd gasped. Some whispered. The king had no answers and he was grief stricken. The queen was notably absent. She was inconsolable.

  Princess Finora was lost at sea, on her way to meet the Prince of Eulachon. That is all I have. I have made no decision about how we move forward. She was my only child. This leaves a large void.

  The faces of those in attendance said it all. The king looked around. He had nothing to say that would ease their stress. If there were no other heirs, then the future of the monarchy was threatened. He continued;

  Mojarro is strong. We will go on. We will go into the future with hope, faith and strength. There will always be a leader. That, I promise you. But that’s all I am prepared to say at this moment. I need time to accept what has happened and mourn my daughter properly. Thank you!

  The crowd continued their whispers and talks among each other. The King turned and walked back through his gates. He glanced at Lark. The pain on his face was profound. Zander acknowledged his pain with a nod. He was not completely sure she was dead. But they had to assume she was, and he needed to make the announcement, so that everyone would move on. Lark stood off to the side as the king passed him and the other soldiers. The men had heavy hearts. Their future was uncertain.

  They refused to give up. Fin was smart. She was not timid as the other women were. She was different. She was powerful. Fast. She was somewhere in the waters that surrounded Mojarro. And the men would continue looking. They would never stop. Finding her was their mission. She was their lifeline. Her children would be kings and queens. They looked at Lark. He didn’t look like he was giving up. They were on the same page.

  “Your Highness, Halacai would like a word with you,” the guard said. Prince Andreus sat on the throne. His father wasn’t expected to make it through the night. “I did not ask to speak with anyone. My father is dying. What does he want?” he shouted. The guard shook his head slowly. “Fine! Let him enter. If he says anything I don’t like, he is to die in the waters of Palimora.” The guard nodded. “He will see you now,” the guard said. He escorted Halacai to the Prince’s chambers.

  “Your Highness,” he greeted Andreus. “What do you want? Is this important? Now is not a good time?” he asked. “Yes Prince Andreus. I have news. It is about the princess. I was told you were supposed to marry her,” the man said. Andreus sat up straight and leaned slightly forward. “Yes! What about her?” he asked. “She is dead sir. And the citizens are in a panic. The citizens are afraid to speak about their fears. Who will lead us if the King dies? She was to be our Queen. We seek answers,” he said. Prince Andreus sat back. He had hoped she wasn’t. And he had been patient. But if she were dead, then he had an answer to everyone’s fears. Zander had no more heirs. Someone would need to rule Mojarro. He decided to tell Halacai enough in the hoped that he spread the news. He would give some detail of his plan. Enough to spark an interest.

  “Yes… I was supposed to marry her. My heart aches for her. But life will go on. So will Mojarro. I will choose another bride. And Mojarro was chose another king. Go back. Talk amongst the citizens. Don’t fear the future. Embrace it. Change is good. The citizens have more power than they realize. Choose your king. After he is gone, you will be free to choose your own king. Right? Our lands would have benefitted greatly after the union. It still can,” he stated.

  Halacai bowed and left out, escorted to sea by soldiers. He lived in the surrounding waters. An outcast, originally from Mojarro with strong ties to both cities. He had been living in fear of a takeover and used his connections with some of the uaru, to get closer to Prince Andreus. Word of a Mojarro citizen who wished asylum and a new place to stay soon reached Andreus’ door. He was told the man was seeking refuge in Eulachon and the prince allowed him to speak. Prince Andreus did not trust Halacai and so he promised he would allow him entry into his land if he kept him informed of Fin. Halacai’s intentions were good. He thought the information he delivered was for the betterment of everyone. It was a dangerous game he was playing. Pretending to want in on the desolate and isolated land was dangerous. If the prince agreed, he could be trapped there. The prince would never allow him to travel back and forth. It was unheard of for members of one society to move to another. If the prince allowed such a move, it would be the first in centuries.

  But Halacai underestimated Andreus. He never saw his evil side. He hadn’t been exposed to Andreus’ manipulative behavior or his sometimes, vengeful thoughts. No one had. His father did a good job of keeping the beast in him settled. But King Orfe was succumbing to a rare illness. Something that neither salt water nor plants, could remove. He had slowly deteriorated. And by the following morning, he was dead.

  “Long live the King,” the men toasted. Horns blew and drums beat, to signal the new day. Eulachon had a new leader. Prince Andreus was now King Andreus. He smiled and raised his goblet. His men raised theirs. They took a sip of the bitter but potent wine as they celebrated his new position.

  His father, King Orfe, was laid out to rest in the sea. Wrapped in binding and taken to the bottom of the deepest part, where he was buried. He was pushed into the soft sand where he would remain forever. His grave unmarked. As all graves were. The dead were not dead. They were thought of as gods and goddesses, reborn as fish and part of the sea forever.

  Andreus was now free. No longer under the watchful eye of his father. He mourned him deeply. The toast was quick. Soon Andreus left the room. He felt strange cheering his new position when he missed his fathe
r. It was bittersweet. He walked down the halls to his meeting room. He walked over to the window and looked out. Several guards entered and shut the door. He had called for them.

  “Yes Sire,” the lead guard said. “Did you escort Halacai to the waters?” he asked. The soldiers, one of his most trusted confidants, nodded. “Good. Because I don’t trust him,” he said. “He speaks the truth. There is no harm there. He is our liaison. Yes, he is originally from Mojarro and that makes him more loyal to their agenda. But he doesn’t have a reputation for lying. There is value in using him to get your demands out to the other cities,” the soldier said. Andreus agreed. “Yes. But still…He is more loyal to Mojarro, even though it is I who pays him handsomely. That worries me. He cannot be bought. Not in a way that is useful to me at this time.”

  There was now a lot to consider. Andreus paced the floor. He was feeling things he couldn’t explain. The death of his mother was hard but his father’s passing was unbearable. He sat on his opulent, special made throne. A gold chair with opals, emeralds and jadeite. A chair that was made and delivered as a gift from Mojarro, years earlier, for King Orfe. He pondered what to do. Fin had been missing for a while. It was not a stretch to assume she was dead. A blow for to the city of Mojarro. And it was showing. They were already unstable. King Zander was older, but he still had a lot of youth in him. He could reign for many years. He thought of taking the city. But if they were wrong and Fin was living at sea, then he may regret the move. And the people of her city could rise against him.

  “What will we do about the princess, Your Highness? We have continued to search the waters. Is she really dead?” the soldier asked. Andreus weren’t sure. He thought about that question. “I don’t know. It is possible. But she is also stubborn. Just the type to stay away, in order to change the course of her life. I do not underestimate her. She wants me to re-marry. It is then, that she will emerge. Someone knows something. Find out. Go to the seas. Speak with the uaru,” he replied. “What is your plan if we locate her?” the soldier asked.

  “We look for her. If she is alive, then she will be my bride and we will rule over Mojarro. The cities will unite. If not, then we will not wait. We will take them by force. And we will kill anyone not willing to submit.”

  The men talked in depth. They were not alone. They had company just beneath the window. He was cleverly hidden under the veil of darkness and covered by plants.

  “Say nothing. This conversation stays in this room. We look for her again at dawn.”

  Prince Andreus marched through the thin sparse vegetation. After several miles, his feet hit the sands of the shoreline. He led his team towards the water. He was desperate to find Fin. There was no one else he saw himself married to. There were plenty of young and available Eulachonians. But Andreus had his bride.

  She had been the talk of Eulachon since she left. She was smart, beautiful and their king was smitten. And there was the added bonus of another land to call home. She would come bearing gifts in the form of trade. Opening the doors to the citizens having more goods at their disposal. The treasures of Mojarro would be theirs to share and enjoy, with the city’s gold at the top of the list. They were using it in combinations with other metals. Shaping it into cups, pans, fasteners as well as using it to adorn themselves. They loved the highly malleable metal. It was easy to handle and highly sought after.

  Andreus and his men reached the shores of the Palimora Sea and entered. The men looked straight ahead. Their strong legs thrashing through the pale blue water. Soon the water was up to their chest. And then over their heads. The closed flaps on the sides of their chest opened up. Their gills now aiding in their breaths. The men’s mouths were slightly open. Taking in the water and with it, the life-giving oxygen.

  The men pushed off the sand, kicking their feet then bringing their legs together. They changed their legs to tails. A quick and painless transition, as their black tails formed from the fusing of a membrane. Andreus continued to lead, unaware that he would be met by King Zander and his army.

  T

  he sun settled. Lance stood in his window, holding a glass of red wine. He watched Fin as she took in the remarkable sight. She sat on his porch near the warmth of the fire pit after her long and comforting shower. His home now lit throughout. The perfect ambience for a talk. He slid the door to the side and stepped out. He was ready. She seemed comfortable. Relaxed. He sat down next to her. The light wind had the fire dancing. “That is remarkable. Really remarkable,” Fin said, her voice soft, her demeanor easy and carefree. Gone were the tension and fear she originally had. Fin was comfortable but she was still feeling him out. He hesitated, then asked her what he really wanted to know.

  “How are you able to breathe in water? Or were you using something. I don’t understand,” he said. Fin looked deep into his eyes. She knew more than he did. She had studied him. Studied the human race. She could see their strengths. Their limitations. And she hoped he wouldn’t think she was a monster after she told him their differences.

  “I have two ways to breathe. Where I’m from, we all have the ability to breathe in water. When I first came here, I was shocked that you couldn’t. I discovered this place. Then I discovered you. Your kind. What are you called?” she asked. Lance furrowed his brow. “Um… People,” he said. Fin looked down. She was sensitive to faces. Emotions. She could sense things about him and was much more adept at picking up cues than humans. His furrowed brow, let her know he was uncomfortable with thinking of her as different. So, she wasn’t sure how much she should tell him.

  “I’m different. I’m from the ocean. A similar world but not really. Does that scare you?” she said, looking over at him and gazing deeply into his eyes. She waited for his response. She wanted him to be honest. And he knew it. She may have been from another world, but her look wasn’t. It was the look of a woman who wanted a man to be straight with her. And so, he was. “No.”

  Fin looked in his eyes, for what felt like an eternity. Her gaze instantly made him nervous. “Listen. I looked for you for weeks. I waited on the dock hoping you would come back. Deep down, I knew you were different. Maybe not from here. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But I continued looking. Because it didn’t matter. Difference is ok,” he said, holding the wine glass, as he looked back at her. Fin was relieved. She felt the same way. It didn’t matter. Bonds mattered. What was shared, mattered. The rest were small details.

  Fin looked back at the fire. She had questions. “Last night…What was that on the big thing that shows people?” she asked. Lance smirked. He swallowed hard. Then cleared his throat. Fin quickly noticed his hesitation. “What? Should I not ask that?” she said. “No, its fine. It was the way you said it,” Lance noted. He took a minute. This was complicated.

  “It’s…um… called sex,” he said, looking down at his hands. As much as he wanted to talk about it and show her, he believed it would be too soon. Especially for her. There was some apprehension about how much to tell her. She had seen the worst of it. A porn that included all types of sex, including BDSM, was a bit much. He was embarrassed that she saw it on his television. It did not represent his taste. He wasn’t into rough sex. He just loved sex.

  “How does it feel?” Fin asked. Lance’s eyes widened. The topic had him feeling bashful yet intrigued. “You’ve never done it before?” he asked. Fin shook her head slowly. “No,” she said, pausing then asking more questions. “Why?” she asked. There was some slight embarrassment he felt explaining sex to a grown woman. But he was up for the challenge.

  “For different reasons. For fun. For pleasure. To make babies,” he replied. Fin sat back. He had her attention. “And how does it feel?” she asked. Lance paused for what seem like an eternity. “Wonderful.”

  Talks of sex continued through the night. Soon Lance had questions of his own. By the time it was over, Fin was relaxed but feeling that familiar itch again. And Lance was completely turned on by her.

  Tension between the two was thick. It was obviou
s they were into each other. Lance found her refreshing and different, in a good way. He wanted to know more. He wanted to give of more of himself. He was open. Fin was fascinating. Her openness and honesty was a good break from all the pretentious women he had been exposed to over the years. And Fin loved everything about him. He had her ready to sample some of what she’d seen on the screen. And she wasn’t alone. The attraction between them was powerful.

  Soon the talk shifted to life in the ocean. Lance had his own curiosities about where she was from. The world of Madaka, the four cities and the mermaids that live there. Lance listened closely. He was more than interested. She told him they lived in water. That they spent a majority of their life in water. She told him she could turn her legs into a tail. Lance flashed back to the first time he saw her. He remembered seeing a large tail and long hair obscuring her face and body. It was an amazing story. Lance believed in other species. Even the possibility of aliens. “That’s amazing,” he said. Fin grinned. The feeling was mutual. So was he.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. Fin’s mood had changed. Lance could tell there was something on her mind. Fin looked out at the water. “I have to return soon,” she said. Words that Lance hoped he wouldn’t hear. Not now. Not after meeting her. Talking with her. Engaging with her.

  She listened. She spoke freely. She had a voice. And she had her own dreams. She was a woman of substance. And he wasn’t ready to part with her. Returning meant it was possible he would never see her again. The rational part of him didn’t know how to compartmentalize his feelings. She did something to him that had him captivated. Her heart commanded his.