The Octopus Queen (A Little Mermaid Retelling)

18 - The Night the Sea Witch Loses Her Heart

"Oh," I whisper as Klaus pulls away, the subtle scent of his cologne lingering in the air. My body is flush with heat and my lips part in wonder.

"Have some propriety, Melusine Fisher!" an elderly matron walking by with her granddaughter shouts at us. "I'll tell your father what I saw you doing!" She shakes her cane at us as her granddaughter desperately tries to drag her away.

My flush deepens and I turn away from the matron, lest she see me laughing. Klaus waves to the older woman and says to me, "Well, I'll just have to give you your second kiss somewhere more private."

"Indeed," I agree wholeheartedly, which causes Klaus's eyebrows to rise. Then his bright, cheery smile shifts into something I can only describe as amorous. A wave of heat washes over me again and I cling to his arm more tightly. I don't know what has come over me, but I'll be damned if I stop it.

"Well, then," he says, taking a deep breath. "Why don't we have dinner before we cause a matronly uproar?"

Giggling, I direct him to Kilburg's Tavern. As soon as we enter, it seems all eyes are on us. I'm not certain if it's because the sea witch has come to patronize the establishment, that Klaus is obviously a well-bred outsider, or that I am in the company of a man who is not my father.

Perhaps it's a combination of all three.

Mireille Hausemer, a girl who I went to school with, greets us with surprise and shows Klaus and me a table in the corner. I've kept in touch with Mireille over the years, as she was one of the few children who stopped by to see how I was after the Miss Templeton incident. Mireille is short and plump, with a pleasant face and red-brown hair caught up under a green paisley kerchief.

"Sina," she breathes, looking between the two of us. The flash of a pewter ring on her right hand catches my eye. When did Mireille get married? "I'm surprised to see you here—especially after finding the Krier boy. You must be exhausted."

"A little," I admit. "But nothing a good meal can't cure."

"And the company of a handsome man," Mireille comments with a twinkle in her eye. "Welcome to Kilburg's Tavern, my lord," she says, looking at Klaus.

Klaus smiles. "My pleasure."

Mireille glances approvingly at me and begins to rattle off the evening's menu. I order the mutton stew and a glass of wine—I think I deserve a little treat—while Klaus asks for the roast sand quail. "And I'll take the whole bottle of wine, please," he adds.

I wish he wouldn't do that, but since I really would like more than one glass of wine tonight, I let it be.

"He's a keeper," Mireille notes with a grin as she breezes back to the kitchen.

I look across the table at Klaus, taking in his handsome features, along with his kind, gentle demeanor, and sharp mind. Yes, I think she is right.

"So, you actually have friends," Klaus says, folding his arms on the table and leaning forward.

"Acquaintance, more like," I admit. "She was friendly towards me in school and didn't make fun of me when I left."

Klaus nods thoughtfully. I had told him a little of my back story in Rollinsville. "It's hard to make friends when most people are afraid of you."

They weren't afraid of me back then, I almost say, but then I realize what he's alluding to. A son of a duke, born to wealth, privilege, and power. "It must have been difficult to find people who you can trust."

"Yes. Even now, I question the motives of two of my companions."

"How lonely," I remark sympathetically. I mean it, not just a handful of socially-acceptable empty words that I would tell others