resist the siren's call

27

"There's just something about you I'm scared to lose, because I know I won't find it in anyone else."

"I heard your siren friend is engaged to the lanky boy, uh," The King snapped his fingers and looked to Caspian.

"Tony."

"Yes, Tony. How is that going?" He asked me.

I faked a large smile, "Just wonderful." I stabbed the steak in front of me, "Couldn't be better," I roughly cut into the steak as I strangled out, "she's deeply in love with him."

Caspian tilted his head in confusion, but said nothing. The King laughed lightheartedly, "Good! I just know they'll find happiness here."

I subtly glared at him while still smiling, "Oh I'm sure."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"I can't believe that in a week and a half you're going to leave for the ocean." Calliste walked with me through the market. She was currently sniffing a flower.

"You won't miss me much. You'll have your hands full here."

Calliste walked casually beside me, looking through the market mindlessly.

"Do you know why I was called onto the ship all that time ago?"

I scrunched my nose, "No. Didn't you just hitch a ride to the castle?"

Calliste smiled and shook her head, "I was meant to go to the kingdom with Caspian, and help him find his future queen."

I tilted my head, "Really?"

She nodded and finally looked at me, "His father contacted mine because he knew Caspian and I got along. At first, he wanted to know if I was interested in him, but when I wasn't he asked if I would help him." She looked forward again, "I can't help but feel as if I've done a poor job."

"Why?"

She turned to me, still smiling, "Because the girl I chose, who I thought would be the best candidate to win Caspian's heart, she's," She sighed, "she's not interested in him either."

I furrowed my brows, "Who wouldn't like Caspian?"

She laughed, "I don't think it's that she doesn't like him, I think it's just that she's not interested in palace life."

"That's understandable. Life in the castle is...so much."

She walked up to a vendor and bought two sweets for us, she handed me one, "Try this."

I put the small brown circle in my mouth, slowly chewing it. Surprisingly, it was flavorful and sweet. When we both finished the candy, I asked her, "What do you think of Tony?"

She shrugged and stopped at a vendor selling jewelry, "I don't know, I suppose he's nice enough. Nixie seems to really love him."

I leaved against the stall, "So how does marriage work? Do you just say, 'ah, we're married now' and that's it?"

Calliste laughed and picked up a necklace, "No, you need to get a pastor or someone similar to bind you together. In front of him you say all the promises you'll make to the other person, and then he signs a document that says you're legally married."

I scoffed, "Sounds trivial."

She shrugged, "I think it's romantic."

"Humans and romance."

Calliste smirked and licked up a different necklace, "I don't think you can say that anymore now that Nixie is engaged, and she's a siren."

"Nixie is an anomaly."

"Just like Rorie?" She walked up to the vendor.

I clenched my jaw, "That's different."

"I'd like to purchase these." She held out the two necklaces to the vendor with cash.

After her transaction, I whispered harshly, "That's two out of hundreds."

She kept her large grin, "I'm just saying, I don't think you can say it's a human thing when there is a possibility sirens can fall in love."

I glared at her back as she led us back to the carriage, "Admit it Astrid, you're the only siren incapable of falling in love."

I sat down across from her, "I won't admit something that isn't true."

She shrugged, "Whatever you say."

I shook my head, "And what about you, huh? I don't see men falling on their knees around you."

Calliste managed to keep her smile, but it noticeably dimmed, "That's because I'm not available."

My eyes went wide, "What do you mean?"

"I got a letter from my father after we docked that I got a proposal from a childhood friend of mine." She turned to look at me, "and my father accepted, so when I return home I'm going to get married."

I lifted my arms helplessly and leaned back, "I was not aware that when I came to land the foremost emotion would be abandonment! First Nixie, now you." I laughed, "You're both getting hitched while I get to be a free fish."

Calliste laughed, "Well Astrid, that's just what it's like to be a single twenty-something these days." She furrowed her brow, "Wait, how old are you?"

I smiled, "Well, I don't know how that would work because humans age faster than sirens."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from early development we age like you do, it takes about seventeen years for us to develop for the most part. After that we differ because when humans take about eighteen years before they have more health risks, noticeable aging, but sirens take," I tipped my head from side to side, "About four times that during those years. Then after that we age like you, on a one to one scale."

Calliste tilted her head, "So, during seventeen to," She looked up at the ceiling to think, "thirty-five, you age seventy years?"

"I guess, I don't really know. We still track our ages by yours because we track years the same way, it just takes us longer than you to age during that time."

"So then how old are you, in your age scale?"

"About twenty-five or twenty-six?"

"So twenty-six minus four is twenty-two minus four is eighteen. So you're eighteen plus two, twenty in regular age."

"Is that how that works?" I tilted my head.

She shrugged, "I don't know, my tutor was more focused on amount me a 'proper lady'."

We both laughed.