Sea Queen

Chapter Six

The king had ordered some of his servants to show me to my room. It wasn't a room, really, but a large cave with a large sea sponge covered in silk in the middle. It was weird being underwater. You thought that everything would just float away, but somehow it didn't.

The king had explained so much to me. There was another world, hidden beneath us. Three races that to us, only existed in myths.

The king had also told me that I would meet representatives of the three nations. For earth, it was the current vessel, although I was told her time was running out. For air, it was just the Fae Queen, as no vessel of Ania had been chosen since the war with Aria, but it was still just as important to make a good first impression.

I tried to settle down on the bed, but it was hard, as I was used to a bed on land. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" I shouted.

A mer girl of about my age entered, with a bowl full of shells.

"Hey, I'm Sapphire, call me Sapphie. I'm your maidservant. I brought some shells, thought you could use them to brighten up the room a bit." She said, smiling brightly. 

She had  blonde hair, and green eyes. Her skin was pale, and her tail was a light blue. She was very pretty.

"Hey. I'm Jade. Or vessel, or whatever you want to call me."

She laughed slightly.

"Jade will do fine. You have a mer name, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Mer names are generally gems, underwater plants or animals, so your name fits right in."

"Huh."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"What's it like, on land?"

"Well... Dry. Really boring. It's a lot better down here, trust me."

"We're not allowed out of the city. A couple tried a long time ago, and the humans hunted them down and killed them. Since that, well, security's tight. And plus, we can't go on land, we can't get legs without the spell from the vessel."

"I'll show you it someday. Can I ask you a question?" I asked. She nodded. "Explain the whole Acia's vessel thingy?"

"Well, each vessel lives for exactly 150 years. After that, Acia chooses a new vessel, and the soul of the godess is passed on. Some sort of misty looking thing."

The blue mist, that I inhaled? That was a soul?!

"Anyway, it changes the vessel slightly, according to which goddess it is. The vessel is no longer it's previous species, it is closer to a god than any mortal being. For you, you will have lots of powers over water and the things in it, and obviously, you gain the ability to change forms into a mer when in water. Honestly, it's super cool and all, but you do have to fight off anything Aria throws at you. She isn't just a myth, you know. None of the godesses are. They are very real, and in Aria's case, a big threat." She said.

"Why doesn't Ania choose a vessel? Or Aria?" I asked.

"Well, Aria isn't a goddess, so she can't. She's practically immortal, but stuck down here on earth just like the rest of us. And as for Ania, well, no one really knows. You know the legend. Her last vessel, about 2000 years ago, was said to have had to had been sedated heavily all the time, because she could feel Ania's pain in Aria's betrayal. She couldn't cope with it. When she died, the soul didn't pass on. It just went back to where it came from, back to Ania. No one has seen any sign of her since. It's like she died, but she can't have done, because it's impossible for them to die. Anyway, if she had, there would be no air. It would be like space, a vacuum." She said, and blushed slightly. "Sorry, I talk too much."

"No, it's fine. Thanks for explaining. Wanna help me put the shells around?" I asked.

We spent the whole evening decorating the room with various shells, and talking. It was nice to talk about everything to someone, and Sapphie seemed really nice.  

I was glad to have made a friend in a world so alien to me.

It was exciting and new, but I wasn't sure if I wanted this. I never wanted power, and even if this was a weird dream, I was stuck with it. Alien world, alien people, and an alien responsibility. I wasn't sure if this was a good dream, or a nightmare.

I thought I would be nice and upload twice :)

Thanks for reading!