Axel has spent his entire life trapped by the rules that govern his species, taught to fear humans and avoid them at all costs. His father has strived his entire life to keep him within the walls of their Kingdom where he is safe. But Axel's curiosi...
Samuel's expression drops, realizing what had affected Axel so much when they had entered. He attempted to squeeze his hand, but before he could, Axel pulled his palm from Samuel's grip.
"How..." Axel begins, as his words fail him, "h-how do you know my m-mother?"
"We aided your mother in the war against the sea witch fifteen years ago," The Queen reveals.
"Mother, how do you know about the sea witch?" Samuel asks, taking the words right out of Axel's mind as he speaks. "Do you know Axel is..."
"A merman, I presume," Katherine returns.
"But humans are... my mother would never..."
"I know what your species believe of us humans, Axel," the Queen begins, "but your mother... she was different."
"Please, your majesty, tell me what happened," Axel chokes out, and Samuel could see the tears forming in his eyes as he spoke, "please..."
"Of course, dear, but call me Kathy. You are dating my son, after all," Queen Katherine smiles, as she pats the bed beside her for Axel to move closer.
Samuel stepped around the bed to stand beside Axel, reaching down to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Fifteen years ago, your mother washed up on our shore, and she came to see us. She revealed everything about your species and even revealed her true form to us to convince us, which she did not need to do. As soon as she mentioned her Kingdom was under the threat of a witch, Robert, my late husband, he had already decided to help. He could never, in good conscience, refuse help to people in need."
"Mother..." Samuel began, but the Queen held up a hand, silencing him as she continued.
"We shared a very close relationship with your mother, Axel. She was a dazzling and intelligent person. My husband, he gathered hundreds of the ships from our fleet and set off with her back to her Kingdom. But when the fighting started, they killed your mother," Katherine paused at the statement, "and the sea witch turned her ire on us. She cursed the waters and any ship within range of the area sank to the bottom of the sea. They slaughtered our forces underwater, and those that made it back to the ships, like my husband... she caught in the curse and killed in the shipwrecks. Only fifty soldiers escaped her wrath and returned to Meridian."
"Th-" Axel began, but was cut off.
"How could you keep this from me my entire life!" Samuel bursts, catching both Axel and his mother off guard. "You knew the entire time, and you never told me the truth!"
"It was not my place to reveal the existence of merpeople, Samuel," The Queen insists. "They asked that we keep their existence a secret, and we vowed to do so. Who would even believe us if we spoke about a Kingdom full of merpeople..."
"I don't care about the merpeople!" Samuel bursts, "I understand why you never spoke about them! But why did you never care to tell me the truth about how father died?!"
"I told you he had died at sea, as was the case," The Queen continued, "but telling you any more would have just left you with questions I wouldn't have been able to answer."
"But you-"
"Would you have believed me?!" The Queen burst at Samuel's insistence, pausing for a coughing fit before readjusting her position on the bed. "If I had told you the truth, before you saw it all for yourself, would you have believed me?"
"I'm sorry," Samuel sighs, realizing the truth to his mother's words, and stepping back to the bed, "you're right."
"I'm sorry, too, my love," The Queen reaches out to take his hand, and Samuel lowers himself to embrace her.
"Thank you, your... uh, Kathy," Axel breaks the silence, as Samuel and the Queen separate, "for telling me about her."
"I should be the one thanking you, my dear," Katherine returns, reaching out to take Axel's hands in her own. "I can see the way you've changed my son. The happiness that you've brought to him since you arrived, I've never seen him so happy in his life."
"I promise all I want is to make sure that he is happy," Axel assures, as the Queen squeezes his hands with a smile.
She releases one of Axel's hands to reach out for Samuel's, holding on to both of them as she watches them exchange a smile with each other. "You cannot imagine the joy that you two have brought to my heart knowing that my son has found the man he is meant to be with."
The Queen and Samuel share another hug, and afterwards, the Queen reaches over and goads Axel into one as well. Samuel calls the servants in to set the table for tea, as the Queen insists they stay longer, and asks her future son-in-law to help her out of bed and over to the table, swatting Samuel away.
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