The Mermaid's Egg

10 -- The Orphan

"But what about the Balor!?" he worried.

"It only comes at night, so it is safe now." she assured him. "It is likely that we will not see the Balor for a few weeks...we did some heavy damage to it." Kiandra stepped into the sunlight as he looked out on a brand-new day.

He was in awe.

"Sunlight hasn't felt so nice in a very long time." he rejoiced "I honestly did not believe that I was going to survive the night." he wept as he closed his eyes, loving the morning.

"After the ceremony, can we both go for a peaceful walk." he asked "I'd love to see this place while not hiding or locked inside a cell."

"Shh." She hushed Kiandra "You are healing, and besides, it is against the rules for a Producer like myself to be anywhere alone with a Breeder. Especially one that has already been marked by another Merrow. But do not worry, we will head out to see the village after the ceremony...so please wait here, and try not to get into any more trouble."

"Yes, High Priestess." Kiandra sighed, obeying.

Meara departs to get dressed in her specialized clothing as the ceremony was about to begin. She needed to ferry Ashling's soul back into the ocean where it could one day be reborn as a new Merrow.

"She is very nice to me." he commented, but worried "Yet, I still have a serious problem facing me." he thought about the shattered Egg in the rubble of the hut.

'This beautiful morning might still end with my execution! And she made it clear that she will not intervene on my behalf...so I am in a royal sticky-wicket.'

He glanced at the Egg as seeing it all alone in the corner had broken his heart. But he was afraid that if he cared for it like he cared for the other Egg, he might do something wrong and destroyed two eggs instead of one.

There was a commotion outside, the sound of a crowd gathering just outside of the palace. He gingerly walked over to the window as he looked down at the gathered Merrows standing all around the shallows of a beautiful blue pool.

On the other side, two cascading waterfalls plunged into the turquoise pool as the water circulated...and then flooded out through the channel and flowed onward back to the sea.

In the center of the pool was Ashling. Her lifeless body afloat.

Just seeing her caused tears to uncontrollably fall from his eyes as he did everything that he could to save her life from the Balor...and nevertheless, he was powerless to protect those who needed protection.

He turned, glancing back at the Egg as he hobbled over to the Egg and picked it up and cradled it close to him. He walked back over to the window with the Egg as he figured that the child inside the Egg should bear witness to the sacrifice that the Breeder had made for it.

"Little one..." he softly said to the child inside "...I am terribly sorry, but this is your mother's funeral. She did everything that she could to protect you so that you could feel the warmth of the morning sun."

The crowd settled and knelt in the water as Meara walked methodically into the shallows, carrying her divine enchanted knife. She had veiled her face with a translucent cloth made of bleached seaweed. A white garment blessed with divine light made her look just like an angel.

[Ashling...daughter proudly given unto us by the ocean and loved by all her tribe!

You embraced the gift of bringing life into this world.

Embraced by the love of the Water Deity who gave you the gift of song.

I command you to let go of this broken shell and return back to the water from which you belong.]