Our Fated Tail

Anilena

Anilena-Ray

I woke up to an empty bed. Eren was nowhere to be seen and Georgia still had my son and Cobius was with her most likely. I smiled at the thought of wild and flirtatious Cobius being tied down to gentle and caring Georgia. Everything about the pair screamed different. Looking down, I jolted in shock. My once white tail was now a pale lilac color. Parts of it were dotted with violet and grey. It was one of the most elegant things I’d ever seen. I got up and immediately grabbed for one of the sea-grass blankets we kept around and wrapped it around my tail. It stopped just at the bottom of my tail where it was still relatively white. Then I set off for the throne room.

Eren was on his father’s side, just like he was when I’d first came here. He was watching as a mer was explaining something about his request to expand his lobster farm. The guards that had let me slip through the door were about to announce my presence but I silenced them with a glare. I leaned against the wall to watch him discuss what he thought would be best with Arkeanus, smiling to myself. The guards looked at the blanket around my tail and frowned at it like I was crazy for covering it. When the man’s audience with the king was over, he turned to make a swift exit, grazing my shoulders as I swam forward.

“King Arkeanus. Prince Seren,” I said softly, bowing at the waist to greet the two men in front of me. Eren gave me a frown and shook his head. Ignoring him, I turned to his father. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty, but I have a pressing matter to discuss with the both of you.”

“Very well,” Arkeanus said calmly. His eyes latched onto the blanket. “Why are you wearing a blanket, Anilena?”

“My tail…”

Eren sat forward, his tail flicking anxiously. “What about your tail?” I frown at him disapprovingly as he scanned over my body looking for injuries. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

I scowled at him. “I appreciate your concern, Prince,” I said firmly. “But I didn’t hurt myself. This is something a bit more...problematic than an injury.” They both looked at me like I was speaking another language. So I unwrapped the seagrass and let it fall to the sand. I watched as they both started freaking out. Eren practically tackled me to check it out while Arkeanus started shouting, telling someone to get the healers and then to leave us alone. After swearing to keep this quiet, lest they lose a tongue, everyone left. “You two,” I scolded. “I’m fine. I just want to know what is going on with me.”

“Anilena! This isn’t a light matter!” Eren spat. “This hasn’t happened to anyone before!”

Vene starting stirring inside, infuriated by Eren. For some reason, my hair is white, eyes glowing green, and now my tail is acting like a mood ring. Just as I thought this, we all watched as it went from its weird pattern to a shimmering red. The hair I saw floating around my face turned to an ashen blonde. I screamed as my skin bled into a dark olive complexion.

“Eren! What’s happening to me?”

He shook his head panicking. “I don’t know!”

I grabbed his chin as glared at him darkly. “You better figure it out. Fast.”

I almost laughed at his terrified expression had it not been my own fear of the situation. Arkeanus came in with the woman, the palace doctor who’d wanted to kill me after being in a coma for a week, and brought her in front of me. I glared at her, remembering how cold she’d sounded when she suggested “putting me to rest.” With a sneer, I pulled my fist back and let it go, slamming it into her nose. It gave a satisfying crunch and she wailed like an infant. The king looked at me in shock while his son grinned and kissed me. The woman’s blue tail kicked up sand as she rolled around holding her broken nose.