The Mermaid's Egg

16 -- The Past

"Besides, I have no intentions of being her mate." Kiandra words sting Meara's heart "It would not be fair to her to be her mate. I might be 'somewhat' a Merrow now, but I still cannot control my metamorphosis. It would not be right of me to trap her on land, all because I cannot easily go into the ocean!"

"Then why do 'you' constantly flirt with her!?" Niamh demands, her words cold and stingy.

"Answer me this!" Kiandra goes on the offense "Why does it seem that 'you' will not allow her find a mate!? Do you really think that I do not know? I have seen how you treat her!"

"Do not think that you can push your authority around with me, 'human'!" Niamh hissed "You might be possessed to become a Merrow, but you are not one of us!"

"So, there isn't any confusion." Niamh then said "Meara belongs to me, because of a promise that she made long before you were ever conceived as a thought!"

"Your patriarchal ways are abhorring!" Kiandra snaps back, inches away from the seer.

Meara sits there as there was no way that she could ever come out the victor of this heated battle. So, she just watched.

"You are one to speak!" Niamh snapped back "Child of a snobbish human family!"

"Calm down you two!" Meara tried to ease the tensions "Kiandra, I can explain if we just go outside for a moment."

"Shut it, Casanova!" Kiandra yelled at Meara. Her heart was tearing from the suspicion that she might have been played by a woman who actually loves another woman. Meara didn't understand as she just bit her tongue in silence.

"Now listen here!" Kiandra tells Niamh, back to her heated argument "You just cannot go around owning someone's heart, all because you feel entitled to it! Meara has the right to love whoever she wishes: be it you or I or anyone else! As I have the right to believe in my heart that I have finally been accepted by Merrows as a member of the tribe. You cannot impede a person's freewill, imposing your own!"

"To be fair," Niamh then verbally attacks "anyone can clearly see that you cling onto our High Priestess like a lamprey. You need her to ensure your own survival. So, tell me this, young seer! Would you still nurture the eggs if Meara had pushed you away? I don't think so." her words causing Kiandra to stand up as she reflects "If we did not think that you had any purpose to serve us, then why would we allow you to be so close to 'our' High Priestess?!"

"I see..." Kiandra sighed, looking down at the crippled mermaid "...so that is how it is! I bring hope to your dismal tribe! I even offered my family's most prized possession to Meara, asking for no equal valve in return. So, tell me this Seer, what value does a Finfolk like yourself offer to the Merrows that is equal in compensation!? I personally do not think that you have a single leg to stand on!"

Niamh glanced at her tail, flapping it a few times as she was tense and beat red in the face with anger. It took a second for Kiandra to realize the terrible choice of words.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" she panicked, looking at a pissed-off Niamh "I did not mean for my words to imply that you cannot walk! It is just a figure of speech!" Niamh grabbed a large jellyfish that was floating in her water and placed it on Kiandra's hand.

"Ahh!" Kiandra screamed as the tentacles were filled with toxin that marked her flesh in red angry stings. This action infuriated Meara as she grabbed a crying Kiandra and the Egg as she scowled at the Finn.

"Foolish! We do not know if that jellyfish is dangerous to humans!" she snapped. However, Niamh could care less.

***