Love and Deepwater • A Rafayel story

Strawberries

As the sun rose above the horizon, it marked the beginning of a new day for Rafayel.

If his night routine was dissolving into flames to appear in the lake and searching for captured merfolk, using stealth and expertise molded by his Masters; when daybreak arrived, the rhythm of his existence shifted. During the day, his regular activities took a different turn as the guards arrived at the mermen-shared quarters to collect Rafayel and escort him to Enoria's Tower, where awaited the princess, the inquisitive heart of the realm.

His everyday ritual with his beloved during the day was to answer the unending princess's questions, eat, rest, talk a little bit more, and repeat. Always, together with Enoria, Rafayel's primary responsibility was to provide answers to the princess's queries, as to fulfill her daily necessities. He would engage in long conversations with her, sharing his knowledge and opinion about many subjects, and replying to her questions with patience, not always with sincerity until the night arrived with a knock on the door from the guards to bring him to his room.

Monotony clung to Rafayel like salt to sea air. But beneath the surface, a seed of longing took root. He yearned for more than duty, more than a friendship... a connection that transcended obligation to satisfy her curiosity. Enoria held the key, and he vowed to unlock her heart. Rafayel had a plan to make her fall in love with him, or at least like him enough to feel their bond turn warm.

Enoria's words from previous days sparked an idea in Rafayel's mind. She mentioned some islands that were believed to be lost in the sea, where Humans revered the ancient city of Lemuria as a sacred place. Rafayel pondered the possibility of traveling to those islands, and maybe even establishing a base there to protect Enoria. He considered the potential of going back and forth between Lemuria and the islands, to ensure her safety and be able to live with her when the crown duties would not work against them. So, he also had to make efforts to try to convince her to flee away with him. Rafayel plotted.

His plan: sway Enoria, weave dreams of escape, and entice her to run away to said islands.

But as for now, alongside the rescue endeavors, he started to think about some kind of secondary mission for the sake of winning the princess's love.

He had the hair ornament hidden when the guards carried him to her chambers, somewhere inside the pants that appeared and disappeared every time he transformed, he still didn't know where the clothes went but was grateful for this power.

The guards as always, were talking to each other amicably now that the Hunter was not with them. The Hunter was out of the city, or so they said.

'People are afraid of traveling during the night' One of the guards said, the red-headed one, called Mark. 'Even myself, to be honest, feel bad for the guards that are protecting the Lemurian of our castle, they must be so paranoid and afraid of the dark'

The other one, hair full of grey, shrugged. He was called James.

'It's crazy how the patrols hadn't found any culprit but the merfolk keep disappearing...' He stated. 'I don't know how many are still safe, but it seems that in the end, Phitia will be emptied of merfolk and we will lose all of our power' He lamented. 'Our city bleeds power, our lifeblood seeping away.'

Mark nodded.

'But even though our mages warded all of the noble houses, with security inside and out... the guards posted within always fall asleep when everything happens, no witness of who the culprit was, or what happened to the overgrown fish, or who killed the family' Mark explained, what he heard whilst having breakfast with some other wardens.

James nodded.

'Witchcraft, I say. The sleep, the unconsciousness... it reeks of magic. ' He stated, convinced. 'Whoever is doing the savings is a powerful mage, or...' He side-eyed Rafayel. 'One of his kind'