Fin mentioned their bravery and dedication. How honored she was to have them as her faithful protectors. How lucky Mojarro was to be under that same protection. The men came alive. Their faces showing signs of being renewed. This burial at sea was a celebration of life. Not a symbol of their death. And Fin spoke of how they would be remembered and honored through continued dedication to the city they died for.
Lark was already there waiting. He was accompanied by several uaru. He had already checked the surrounding area for Eulachonians. Fin felt safe knowing that. She could see he was worried about her safety. And she could see that he loved her. She was experienced with men. With feelings. Her time with Lance was eye opening.
As the water made it way up her body, she settled on one thought. That it was possible she would never see Lance again. It was painful. She promised him she would. She left him in tears. But a nation needed her. She had no idea she was coming home to two dead parents. This was a severe blow to her people. Her heart would have to take a back seat.
The water was up to her neck. She pushed off the sand. Her soldiers followed. The bodies of her parents wrapped in special silk wraps made by the dressmaker. Queen Aterra was in gold colored silk adorned with large emeralds and rubies and fastened with gold metal pins. King Zander was wrapped in a dark blue silk fabric adorned with diamonds and rubies and fastened with pins and blue silk ties. Their bodies carried by three soldiers each. One at the head. One in the middle. And one at the feet.
Finora swished her tail then increased her pace. She looked back to check on the soldiers who had her parents. They were situated in the water and were comfortably carrying her precious cargo. She continued on. Her spirit still crushed after losing not one but both of them. They would never see her marry. Never meet their grandchildren. She would never have the conversation she so desperately wanted to have with her mother. She would never get a chance to tell her father she knew he meant well. That she could have never married Prince Andreus. Arfusei had told her about the battle. And how her father decided to attack the man who stated he would just take her. Fin couldn’t be prouder. Her father died fighting for her honor. Fighting for their city.
They reached the middle of the sea where the ground was softest. It was a common burial area. The water was dark. Their way lit by special lights made from the brightly lit creatures on the Trojian Sea housed in small glass containers. Lark approached. Fin was relieved. She wanted him by her side. He had a way of calming her with just a look. It was something they shared since they were young.
He swam up and joined them. Arfusei nodded at him and looked ahead. Lark glanced at Fin. The last time he swam beside her in these waters she was on her way to marry Prince Andreus. But not this time. They were there to say goodbye to her parents. Her father, was like a father to him. Her mother, his caregiver. A woman who accepted him with open arms. He was devastated. He eased his hand to hers, trying to keep the soldiers from seeing him. Fin spread her hand open. She took his hand into hers. He held it the rest of the way. He had abandoned his fears of being caught.
King Zander and Queen Aterra were laid to rest deep in the sand of the sea floor. Finora kissed their covered faces and floated backward, allowing the men to push them deep into the soft sand. Their graves unmarked to prevent trophy seekers. Fin swam away. It was hard for her to see them go into the ground. Soon the soldiers joined, swimming back to land. Lark swam after her. He followed her back. She stayed a few meters in front of him. She was inconsolable. He understood. But he could not take his eyes off of her. The last time he did. She disappeared.
F
in awoke after a restless night of tossing and turning. She had slept in her mother chambers. The largest of all the rooms. Sleeping in Aterra’s room made her feel safe. Closer to her. She rose out of bed and walked to her dresser. Stained cherry colored wood with gold inlay and diamonds along the edges. She touched it. It had a beauty that the new world’s furniture did not. It was made from a labor of love and gifted to the queen. Finora looked around. She missed the amenities of the new world. She missed Lance’s house. She missed him. But Fin refused to think of him. And she pushed thoughts of him and the comforts of the new world out of her mind. She could live without the vices that had human’s spoiled. This was her life. Her home. Finora was determined to forget. If it were that simple.
Fin opened her door. “Can you have Lillia draw me a bath?” she asked. “Yes, Your Highness,” the soldier said. “Listen. Call me Fin please. And spread the word. I am only to be called queen or your highness in front of the citizens,” she urged. “Yes your…I mean, yes Fin,” he said, as he walked off to get her request to Lillia. Fin shut her door. She had a meeting shortly. The Queen of Piratchu was on her way. And King Nephrus of Panga would be arriving shortly. Fin was strangely calm. She would deliver a message. She would get them to hear her out. And they had a small window. There was one other person she would need to meet with. She had not seen him around. He usually visited the castle whenever he thought he could get a moment with the king.
Fin was moody. She couldn’t stop thinking of her parents. And she was unable to think of anything but Lance. She sighed. His face was a constant image in her mind. It had been a week since she had buried the king and queen. Since she left him. She hoped her days would get easier.
“Fin,” the soft voice said. “Come in,” she replied. Lillia entered with three guards carrying a large, thin, gold bathing tub filled with water. “Sit it over in the corner,” she asked. The men placed the tub as Finora asked and left her room. “I made you a snack,” Lillia said, as she sat a small plate of mussels and karra beans on her table. Fin looked at the food. She wished she had strawberries to go with it. She immediately thought of Lance. The image of his face soothed her. She could see his laugh. His eyes. His smile. He loved sea food and oysters were his favorite. But something wasn’t right. She leaned forward.
“Fin,” Lillia called to her. “Fin,” she called again. Fin grabbed her stomach, then threw up on the floor. She looked dazed. “Oh my. Come and sit down. Lark!” she called. Fin made her way to the bed. “Get that plate out of here. Take it away,” she asked. Lillia grabbed the plate. Lark ran into the room.
“What’s wrong,” he asked, as he touched her back. “I don’t know. I suddenly felt ill,” she replied. “You need to rest. I will see to it that the Queen and King have comfortable accommodations until you can meet with them,” he said. “No! I must speak with them. Just get me over to that water. I will get myself together.”
Lark helped Fin to the tub. “Help me with my clothes,” she said. Lark swallowed hard. He would see her naked. “Alright,” he said. Fin turned slowly and raised her arms. Lark pulled her dress over her head. He looked at her. She kept her back to him. She stepped in the tub and slowly sat in the warm water. “Oh yesss,” she said. Lark was speechless. Fin was stunning. Her body was magnificent. Toned and perfect. Her breasts were larger than normal. Her hips rounder than other women. She was curvaceous. Her hair, long thick and flowy. Lark was mesmerized. Fin closed her eyes. The water felt good. She opened them and looked up at him. Her tender smile melting his heart. “Are you ok now?” he asked. Fin nodded. “Well, I’ll be close if you need me,” he said. “Ok.”
Q
ueen Rasbora was due to hit land at any moment. Fin had her soldiers travel to the shores of the Trojian Sea, to wait for her arrival. She had to travel the long way to avoid going through Eulachon. She was worried. Rumors of war in the waters had reached as far as Piratchu and had all of her citizens fearful.
“Your Highness,” the guard greeted Rasbora, as she exited the water in a long green silk and taffeta gown. Her head adorned with a fabulous gold and pearl crown. She was accompanied by one of her two daughters, Princess Darbee.
The women walked to their awaiting chariot. A small step was placed on the outside, for their convenience. The Queen was regal. She commanded respect without uttering a word. She sat, straightening her dress as she waited
on her daughter. The men closed the door and whisked them off to the castle. King Nephrus was already there. She looked at her daughter. Her famous look of entitlement worn elegantly. Queen Rasbora was as snobby as she was generous. She believed she had the best of Madaka. And although Mojarro was covered in jewels, she had everything else. One could not eat jewels. And one could not grow the best herbs from a land not heavily covered in nutrient rich soil. Piratchu had clean lakes. Its waters teaming with the best their world had to offer. And Piratchu itself, unlike its neighbor Eulachon, was beautiful. Second only to Mojarro in visual appeal. Their cone like mountains scattered throughout and covered in green or blue moss, were spectacular.
The queen looked around. She was impressed. It was everything she remembered. “This ought to be interesting. How old is the princess?” she asked her daughter. Darbee was a shy and timid twenty-one-year-old woman. Nothing at all like her independent and strong-willed mother. “I think she is in her late twenties. Not sure mom,” she replied. Queen Rasbora rolled her eyes. “A child. What could she possibly have to say to me. And where is the king. He must be ill,” she complained.
The chariot ran through town. Citizens saw the Queen. Her presence meant something major was happening. She never visited. The last time she was in Mojarro was years prior. She looked out her window. “Slower please,” she shouted, as her chariot rocked. The soldiers pulling them along on a brick paved road. The commotion causing citizens to exit their homes. They were getting concerned. No one knew anything other than the king and queen were dead and that Fin had taken over.
The chariot arrived at the front door of the castle. “I forget how gorgeous this place is. Reminds me of my first home,” she smugly said. Princess Darbee snickered. It was typical of her mother. To hurl insults. The women were shown inside and escorted to the meeting chambers. The queen sat down at a fabulous gold and red satin chair encrusted with rubies. She smiled and took her seat, noting how fabulous the throne was. “It was the queen’s,” King Nephrus commented. “King Nephrus,” Rasbora greeted. He walked up to her and bowed then sat at a gold and green silk cushioned throne with green emeralds placed perfectly along the sides and head rail.
Fin entered and sat at her father’s throne. A combination of rubies and emeralds. The most luxurious of the chairs. She wore a fabulous bright gold gown adorned with emeralds. Her head, adorned with a head piece made of the same gold silk and emeralds. The dress fit her shapely body. The Queen took notice. She was instantly jealous of the beautiful and exotic looking woman. The green colors picking up the striking color of her eyes. The last time she’d seen Fin, she was a young girl. She was now, anything but.
“Your Highness,” Fin said, as she sat back in her chair. She had the guards place their chairs in a small circle, facing each other. The soldiers for each leader stood behind them. King Nephrus was impressed. He still harbored resentment that she was not given to his son as a wife. But he wasn’t there to open old wounds. Neither was Queen Rasbora. And she was the first to speak.
“What is this meeting about? Where is the king? I assume this is about the fighting in the waters of Palimora. A war that neither myself nor King Nephrus had knowledge of, until after the fact. I was not aware there was a problem,” she said as she looked for confirmation from King Nephrus. He nodded, as she continued.
“I am fatigued. I have travelled a long way. This must be very important. Why not send the information by messenger? And why am I not meeting with the king? Have you been appointed to some position that I am not aware of?” she complained. Fin looked intensely at her. Her youth possibly causing a miscalculation in the queens’ judgement. She was neither inexperienced or fearful. Her quick response, setting the record straight.
“Because I am queen. My father and my mother are dead. And because you are in danger,” she replied, her voice strong. King Nephrus sat straight. Adjusting himself in his chair. He was now on edge. “You too, Your Highness,” she said to King Nephrus. Fin glanced at Lark. He stood in the corner. His job was to read their reactions. Gage whether they would be for or against Fin. He was clever. He was gifted in reading people. “What! I am in no danger. From who? What threat?” Rasbora exclaimed. “What threat do you speak of?” King Nephrus chimed in, a look of worry on his face.
Fin paused. This was a onetime shot. If they did not believe her, join her in battle, it could spell trouble. “I need all the guards out! Everyone, except Lark,” she ordered. The men stood waiting for their orders to come from their own leader. Queen Rasbora waved her men away. Soon, King Nephrus nodded to his men, who turned and followed the queens guards out the door. Fin felt safe to continue. This was top secret. She couldn’t take any chances.
Fin paused. She examined the demeanors of both leaders. If they rejected what she said, it could pose a risk of exposure. One or both could inform King Andreus thwarting any element of surprise from her men. Fin had good instincts. She had paid attention to her father. He taught her to use body language and words, to sway non-believers. Fin was ready. She realized that it was her war now, and could be their war later. One successful takeover would open the door to others.
“Eulachon is looking to take Mojarro over. My father died at sea after discovering they were headed here to take me and the city, by force. The now King, Andreus, retreated. He didn’t expect my father’s soldiers to be so skilled. The war was brutal. He lost a lot of men. So did we. But it is not over,” Fin informed.
“So… This war is between you and them. It has nothing to do with Piratchu,” the Queen said. “Or Panga,” King Nephrus added. Fin looked between the both of them. Her demeanor changed. She sat up. She crossed her legs.
“If he is successful, and takes us over, what stops him from coming after you, Your Highness,” she said, looking at Rasbora. “You are closest to him. You have pearls. You have soil. Plants that don’t grow on their spoiled land. And you, King Nephrus. Panga is the smallest city in Madaka. It would be an easy win for him. You have even more soil. Your land is rich in nutrients. You have oil. You have coal. You have resources he would surely want. Don’t you find it strange, that all this has come about, after his father’s death. Which means, he had this planned the whole time. He was just waiting for his father to pass away. King Orfe was a good man. He would have never allowed this,” Fin said.
The Queen looked terrified. As if she had seen a ghost. King Nephrus became anxious. He never thought of it. He had taken the trades for granted. And even though he knew the prince was not a good person, he never imagined him to be brutal. And they hadn’t had a war in centuries. So war, was never considered possible. The cities got along.
“Listen! His land is ruined. The gases have all but destroyed Eulachon. Have you seen the land lately? Nothing grows there. No moss. No algae. No plants. Nothing! I believe they want out. And I believe they want to take over all of Madaka because they believe they can.”
King Nephrus’ mind raced. “If this is true, then we don’t stand a chance. His army is larger than the three of ours put together. We can’t win,” he said.
Fin stood up and walked closer to them. “What if I told you there was a way. That I know things. How to make things. That the old days of fighting hand to hand, will be their downfall,” she said. King Nephrus looked at Queen Rasbora. She stared back at him. “Go on. I’m listening,” he said. Fin looked at Lark. He nodded. She continued.
I know how to fashion what are called weapons. It provides the user with an advantage over their opponent. Made from materials we have here. All I need is branches from the trees on both of your lands. Go back. Tell no one about this conversation. Get your men to tear as many branches as you can. Get them delivered here. Preferably in the dark. My men will meet your men half way, and take it from there. Once the weapons have been formed, I will need your permission to command your army. Release them to me. I will prepare them for battle. I will train them. And we will keep a close eye on Eulachon. We will not strike until we are ready. We will not harm their
citizens. This is soldier to soldier. Fighter to fighter,” she said, sitting back at her throne.
Fin’s eyes appeared glassy. Rasbora watched attentively. Fin sat forward and grabbed her stomach. “Are you alright Queen Fin?” King Nephrus said. “Yes. I think so. My stomach,” she uttered. Queen Rasbora watched her. She looked her up and down. Suddenly a thought. Fin’s movements and complaints were familiar. The color of her skin and the way she was breathing was telling. “No! You are not alright. You are with child,” she blurted. Fin stopped abruptly. She wasn’t sure she heard the queen correctly.
“What did you say?” she asked. “You are going to have a baby. I noticed it as soon as I saw you. But I wasn’t sure. You have all the signs. You will feel it move soon. And you will have the baby shortly. You are further along. The reason you look reddened,” she said, smiling, as if to congratulate the new mom to be. Fin looked over at Lark. His face was full of pain. He looked away. Fin was embarrassed. She had no idea. And she wasn’t sure the queen was right.
“Well. You have the support of Panga. I will get you the wood you need. We will begin collecting it and it will be delivered to you soon,” King Nephrus stated. “And what about you, Your Highness?” Fin asked. Rasbora rubbed her lip softly. It was a risk. She was the closest city to Eulachon. All they had to do was cross one small body of water and they would be on her land. “We join you. He is in a slump right now. His father’s death and whatever else is on his mind, has taken its toll on him. We have time. They cannot get him to leave his room, let alone go into battle. This will give us time to prepare. Time to strike,” she said.
Rasbora was connected to Eulachon. She and King Orfe had a friendship. She felt something was off about his son but never thought much about it. She was not surprise to hear he was planning to do such horrible things. She knew him better than anyone. And she had gotten word of his depression since losing his father. But she also knew that he would mourn and then emerge, mad at the world. And so, it all made sense to her. He had to be stopped.
Pretty Fin Page 19
