by Dee J. Stone
***
Neren and I spend most of the day conversing and visiting with our other acquaintances. When I enter the Sapphire clan, Doria rushes toward me. “Mother has sent me to search for you.”
Alarm captures every part of my being. “What is the matter? Is she ill? The fry?”
She shakes her head. “Fret not. It is the princess. She wishes to see you.”
The princess. My future mate. “I see.”
“We must not keep her waiting.”
I follow my sister toward my home. Immediately, I notice a hammerhead shark stationed outside the cave. When I swim inside, I find a Violet floating to the right of the main room, his arms held behind his back. Mother sits at the table, appearing a bit uneasy, though she seems more relaxed now that I have arrived. Doria remains behind me, and I hear the little ones playing in their rooms.
I swallow before heading to the Violet, and lower my head. “Forgive me for causing you to wait.”
He inclines his head. “Princess Flora wishes to see you.”
I glance at Mother, who gives me a reassuring smile. Is she not invited? What of Father? Is he still in Eteria?
“It is impolite to keep the princess waiting, my darling,” Mother tells me.
I wish I could ask my escort what the occasion is. Every time I have visited the palace in the past, my parents accompanied me. And unlike the other times when the king and queen invited me, it appears now it is Flora who wishes to see me. Alone.
That causes my stomach to fill with dread.
“Sapphire,” my escort says.
I nod and follow him out of the opening to the cave. The hammerhead shark swims between us as we swim toward Eteria. I do not remember the travel, for I am consumed with thoughts. I have seen the princess only yesterday. Why does she wish to see me again? Perhaps she only wishes to learn about me, for I know it will not be long until we are required to mate.
The Violet does not lead me to where the royal family sits on their thrones. He swims upward, toward the rooms on the upper level of the castle. He swims further before stopping outside a room.
“Princess Flora,” he calls.
“Yes?”
“I announce Damarian of the Sapphire clan.”
“He may enter.”
He nods to me. I swallow once again before tentatively moving inside. I have been in her room only once, as a fry. She wished to show me the tiara she would wear when she was old enough, the one that now sits on her head. The one she will present to her future daughter.
Our future daughter.
I shake my head and move further inside. Flora reclines on a large rectangular crystal chair. Her eyes move over me, from the top of my head to my fin. She smiles. “You may take your leave,” she tells the Violet.
I bow before her.
“At ease,” she says.
I lower my hands and raise my head. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Your Highness?”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “Why do you linger at the entryway as though you are a stranger?”
I want to tell her I am a stranger. I move closer until I am only a few tails away from her.
“Yes, that is better.” She rises off the chair and swims toward me. She does not stop until she is so close that her tail nearly touches mine.
My gaze remains on her tail, for I cannot meet her eyes. It is identical to mine, save for the difference in color. When she is queen, her tail will appear different, more luminous and beautiful. Just as mine shall be.
The princess raises her hand and brings it to my chest. “You are quite handsome, my mate.”
“I am not your mate.”
“But you shall be soon. And we will have fun, will we not? Is it not your wish to get close to me? I have lived in this palace all my moons. I do not often leave. I wish to have fun.”
Is that all I shall be to her? Fun?
I turn away from her, to the wall. She squeezes between me and the wall and touches my cheek. “What is the use in waiting? We are to be mated soon. I do not wish to wait another day.”
It is too soon. I cannot…I am not prepared. I do not feel anything for her. I wish I did. I want to. She will be my mate and I wish to love and cherish her for all eternity. But I do not feel anything toward her.
I move away from her. “I must return home. Zarya waits for me.”
“Another female?” Her tone is appalled and betrayed.
I look at her. “Zarya, my sister.”
The betrayal leaves her face. “Ah, your sister.”
“I have spoken of my sister many times to you.”
She looks down. “Forgive me. I have forgotten her name.”
Or perhaps she does not care to know. “I am to take my leave now. Goodbye, Your Highness.” I bow.
“Goodbye, my mate. I am sure we will see each other shortly.”
I do not wait for an escort to lead me home.
***
It is nighttime and the little ones have gone to bed.
Doria enters my room. “Zarya does not want to sleep unless you wish her good night.”
I nod and swim toward her room.
“Damarian?” Doria says.
I turn around.
“Have you had a pleasant time with the princess?”
The memories repeat in my head. I do not understand the female that is to be my mate. She does not seem to care about me at all. She appears to only care about my appearance. That is not the correct way anyone should feel about her mate. Or perhaps I am the one who is at fault, for reasons I do not understand.
I do not know how to respond to my sister. I merely nod.
She appears a little guilty, as though she worries her next words will hurt me.
“What is the matter, Doria?”
She swallows. “Hareta has told me…there is talk amongst the children of the sea. That you do not wish to mate with Princess Flora.”
My tail feels as though it has transformed to stone. “Why do they say so?”
“You have worn a scowl when you conversed with her last night, and you carry one now as well. Some of the Violets worry you will not be a good mate for her.”
I shut my eyes. I do not know if I can bear this.
She swims to my side and takes my hand. “You are the future king, Damarian. Nothing will be as it is now. Others will look to you for guidance. They will judge every minute thing you do.” She squeezes my hand. “I am sorry.”
“For what?”
“For Father forcing this upon you.”
I pull my hand away. “Father is not forcing me. This is my choice.” I turn away.
“Is it?” she asks. “Are you certain this is the life you wish to have? Sitting on the throne with a crown tied to your head? Constantly fretting about every creature in the sea?”
My hands fist at my sides. “It is my duty, Doria.” I turn around so my eyes bore into hers. “A child of the sea does not flee his duty.”
She does not move her eyes from mine for a little while. Then she lowers them and nods. “You are correct, Brother. Good night.” She swims toward her room, but turns around. “Now that your decision is final, you cannot change it.”
I nod, pushing away the incident that occurred between Flora and me only moments ago out of my mind. It shall be different when she is the queen and I am the king. We will both be changed. We will put the sea and all her creatures above everything else.
“You are brave, Damarian. I have much respect for you.”
I force a smile. “As you should, for I am your eldest sibling.”
She laughs before swimming to her room.
Zarya is on the floor with her toys when I enter. She beams and raises an object toward me. “Look what Father has presented me!”
“Father? Is he not at the palace?”
“No, he arrived home, but he has left to take care of some matters. He will return shortly. He has already given me a good night kiss.”
I swim closer and lower myself next to her. I take t
he object and study it, but I do not know what it is. Another human object, scavenged from a sunken vessel. Father and I discover many objects in the sea on our travels and hand them to Zarya. She has a large collection.
“What do you suppose it is?” she asks.
It is oval in shape and grows narrower toward the bottom, so it easy to grasp it. It seems to be damaged, for half of the face of the object is broken. I squint toward the unbroken part. Are those…lips? How is it possible for there to be lips in this object? Is a human trapped in there? But when I move the object higher, I see a nose. It appears identical to Kiander’s. No, to mine.
“It captures your reflection.” I twist it from side to side.
“Your reflection? May I see?”
I hand it to her and she presses it close to her eye. “That is my eye! How peculiar.”
Humans must have the means to capture their reflections. I have seen mine on the surface of the water many times.
“This shall be one of my prized possessions.” She holds it close to her chest.
“It is time you go to sleep, my little fry.” I make a move to chase her, and she quickly lifts herself off the floor and dashes to her oyster shell. Since she is only a fry, her oyster shell is smaller than mine. I have slept with her many times when she underwent a difficult night, and I could not find a comfortable position, for my tail is too long. I stretch the seaweed to her chin and press a kiss to her forehead.
“May we sing?” she asks.
“Certainly. What is your wish?”
“Sing the song you created just for me.”
“All right.”
“They say all in life is brought together through fate,
In my family, we are comprised of eight,
There is Father and Mother, a true pair indeed,
They are always on the ready to help someone in need.
Damarian, the eldest, is forever out exploring,
When he returns, he tells us the most fascinating stories,
Next, Kiander, a child of little words,
Though he speaks so seldom, his actions are always heard,
Doria, the eldest daughter, is constantly with a friend,
Even when we argue, she is quick to make amends,
Syd and Syndin share a bond like no other,
It is because they are the closest of twin brothers,
Then there is Zarya, with a soul that is so bright,
She is quick to make us smile, for she is such a delight.
That is my family, and how we care for each other so,
Whether there will be more, of that I do not know,
But I am certain of a fact that will eternally be true,
That my love for them will stay strong, through and through.”
She claps her hands. “That was most magnificent!”
“You are too kind, Zarya.” I press another kiss to her forehead. “Good night.”
Once I ascertain that she is comfortable, I head for the entryway.
“Dammy?”
I turn to face her.
“Will you ever love anyone as much as you love me?”
I swim to her and nuzzle her nose with mine. “I shall never love a fry as much as I love you.”
She beams at me. Then her eyebrows come together. “Not when you mate with Princess Flora and have fry of your own?”
I feel the smile vanish from my face.
“Dammy?”
I touch the top of her golden head. “Sleep well, Zarya.”
“Sleep well, Dammy.”
My attempt to shake away Zarya’s words as I leave her room is futile. During the brief moment with Zarya, I had forgotten about the princess, about the throne and my future. For a while, I was carefree and happy. It is a feeling I wish to experience more often, not as though I am trapped in one of the humans’ nets.
My swim comes to a halt when I enter the main room. Father sits at the table, devouring a fish. Mother sits at his side.
“Damarian,” she says. “I did not see you return from the palace.”
“Return?” Father asks.
“Yes. Princess Flora wished to speak to him.”
“So you are aware, then?”
I tilt my head. “Aware of what?”
He drops the bones onto the table and reaches for another fish. “The royal family has decided the mating ceremony shall occur tomorrow morning.”
It feels as though my gills have been clogged. Tomorrow morning?
“That is wonderful news!” Mother swims to embrace me, but I dash away before her tail can wrap around mine.
“Damarian—”
I flee my home. I flee the Sapphire colony. I flee the entire colony of the children of the sea. A shark warns me not leave, for it is nighttime, but I do not pay attention. I have swum many times at night, for unlike some sea creatures, children of the sea are able to see in dark waters.
I do not know where I swim, but I do not stop.
They wish for me to mate with Princess Flora tomorrow morning. That is the reason she did not want to wait. But I cannot mate with her, not so soon. I cannot take the crown so soon. I wish to spend more time with Zarya and the twins. I wish to explore more of the sea. There is so much I wish to do before I am required to devote my entire life to the sea. Why does Father hurry me? Does he worry the princess may choose another mate?
The sea grows more violent the further I am from the colony and when I swim closer to the surface. It is due to a storm. We are warned when we are fry to never swim in such dire conditions. But my tail continues to pump me further and further away from the life I do not want, from the life I did not ask for.
If Father were in my place, would he mate with a female he did not yearn after? He mated with the right female—why can I not do the same? I am not certain whether Princess Flora is not the right female for me. Perhaps we are destined to be together for all eternity. But not in this manner.
The waves sweep me around as I swim, and the faster I travel, the harsher they hit me. But my tail does not stop pumping.
When the most massive wave I have ever seen in my moons heads in my direction, I quickly turn around and dive under. But even I am no match for the turbulent sea. It tows me to and fro, throwing me as though am I merely the waste the humans throw in the sea.
When another wave crashes over me, I see nothing but blackness.
Chapter Four
When I open my eyes, I am faced with a female human. But not just any human—I recognize her as the female I rescued from the sea.
It takes only a moment for my mind to register what my eyes see. If I am before the female I have saved from the sea…
My eyes drop to my body. They take in my chest and then trail lower, past an object that is wrapped around my waist, and to the bottom of my tail. But my tail is not there. There are legs in its place.
I scamper back and nearly fall off an object that resembles a large chair. There are legs on my body.
The human moves forward. Her chest rises and falls in an unsteady manner as she studies me. I stare at her. How is it possible that I have legs? And where am I? Have I exposed myself to this human? Have I put the entire colony at risk?
She steps closer to me. I would move further back if this wall did not obstruct me. I cannot escape. She produces a hesitant yet friendly smile. “Hi. I’m Cassie Price. I found you passed out on the beach and brought you to my house.”
This is her residence. She brought me here? For what purpose? She claims she discovered me on land. How…? The storm. I must have been unconscious. That caused me…to shift into a human?
Perhaps this human had not seen me in my child of the sea form. Perhaps I did not put the entire colony in danger. But I should not have swum in the storm. Curse me for not listening to the instructions my parents gave me when I was a fry.
“Do you…do you understand me?” she asks, her eyes—the color of earth—wide and somewhat startled. I notice her light-colored hair is bound in the same manne
r as before.
Is it wise to communicate with this human? King Palaemon has warned us many times that they are not to be trusted. But this human does not appear dangerous. She seems to genuinely care about my welfare.
I open my mouth to respond, but no sound leaves my mouth. I cover my neck as I cough. My gills—I do not have them. I am breathing oxygen in the manner in which the humans do—through their noses and mouths. How am I to speak when there is no water around me but air?
The human seems a little frightened, for she steps back.
I attempt once again to speak. But she does not hear or understand me, for she says, “I’m sorry?”
My mouth moves slowly as I try to sound my name.
“What?”
I catch sight of the object that is bound around my waist. What is this? It seems to be concealing something…Ah, yes. The humans’ reproductive portions are not hidden behind scales like the children of the sea’s.
“My…name…” It is difficult to say the words, but it seems to grow easier the more I speak. I point to my chest. “Damarian.”
She seems confused, as though she has never heard of such a name. I would not expect her to. Humans have quite peculiar names as well. Cassie Price. Leah. I have heard the name George and Miranda when I observed the humans once. Quite peculiar indeed.
But not as peculiar as these legs. I run my hand down the right one. It is soft yet hard, and there is a muscle behind the knee that bulges out. I raise my leg in the air and bend. I repeat the action. I have seen many legs before and have felt this human’s when I rescued her, but it is much different when one is attached to my body. I can bend one leg without having to bend the other. They are not dependent on each other, as I thought.
When I glance at the human, she has a bewildered expression on her face. That is when I realize she does not know what I am. She believes I am a human like her.
“Do you recognize me?” she asks. “From yesterday? You rescued me when I wiped out surfing.”
Certainly I recognize her, but I do not feel safe with her being aware of this. I must return to the sea before my true identity is discovered. I lift these legs that are quite heavy and swing them over the edge of the large chair. It feels soft beneath, unlike the stone chairs we have in the sea. I study the legs. How am I to walk on them? It seems like an extremely difficult task.
