Stolen Scales

Chapter 22

Like the land city, Alai's home is only a few houses away from the Queen's. And just like in the land city, two guards dressed in pale blue are hovering just outside the door, with a third waiting nearby for when one of the others needs to take a breath of air. Kyma stops at the house, watching them curiously. She wants to know more about the Crownguards, the ones who will be protecting her soon. She stays there, watching them for several minutes, and finally, the extra guard approaches her. He does the familiar hand movements that ask who she is, but Kyma still doesn't know the hand movements for the response.

She points up to one of the air pockets, and he frowns before returning to his fellow guards. One of them peels off from his position for the third guard to take his place. This new guard approaches Kyma and points to the surface. She nods, and he motions for her to ascend first. She does so, quickly breaking through the surface and moves over to make room for the guard. He emerged, and quickly turns to look at her. They stare at each other for a couple moments before he finally speaks.

"Why couldn't you respond to the signs?"

"I didn't know them."

The guards expression turns guarded, and Kyma inwardly sighs, knowing what is about to happen. "Why didn't you know the signs? All merrows are supposed to know them for underwater communication."

"I've only known I am a merrow for about a day, and I found out I had a tail about a week ago."

"Has the Queen given you leave to stay in our Kingdom? I should hope so, since you're taking a tour."

Kyma lets out a sharp sound of laughter. "I should hope she's letting me stay!"

He frowns in confusion and a tiny bit of skepticism. "Why? Who are you?"

"Kyma Tide."

He sighs. "That gives me about the same amount of information about you as an eel would. I need more."

"Fine. I'm the Queen's daughter. And before you ask, I'm not from the Eastern Kingdom, I'm just albino like Tidehealer Talulah." He stares at her in shock, until she finally snaps at him. "What?!"

He shakes his head to snap himself out of his daze. "I'm sorry Kyma, that's just so hard to believe."

"Why? Because I'm albino? Because I didn't know I was a merrow? Why? Because I am completely sick of people not believing me about this. Every single guard I have met so far won't believe me!"

He lifts his hands placatingly. "Kyma, Kyma, stop! I didn't mean to anger you, and I'm sorry that no one has believed you. We were just raised to believe that the Queen's only child was lost at a young age."

Kyma frowns. "Did she tell you that?"

"Not explicitly, no. We believed that because we knew that she had a child, but we never saw the child, so we assumed it had been lost while it was very young and so we didn't speak of it out of respect. Now tell me your story, your truth."

"My name is Kyma Tide, as I have already stated. My father was Jonathan Tide. He died when I was a baby, and I was put into an orphanage. The only thing I had of my parents, and specifically of my mother, was my larimar pendant." She holds up the pendant in question and he looks at it carefully before reaching out his hand.

"May I?"

She moves to take the pendant off so that he could see it, but she remembers what her mother said about the pendants and  thinks better of removing it. She just holds the pendant out to him instead. He examines it closely before releasing it.

"Thank you for letting me look at it. I presume you know not to take it off for people?"

Kyma nods. "Yes, that was the first thing I was told."

"Good. Can you tell me the rest of your story?"

"I spent most of my life in the orphanage, where I met my best friends, Nami and Fala. About a week ago, we were kidnapped and experimented on, giving us our tails. Alai Cerulean rescued us and brought us here. Then we learned that my merrow gene was switched in when it was formerly off, but my friends were just given tails. They can never shift."

The guard bows at his waist. "I'm sorry for your trials, Princess. But I am glad that the waves have carried you home to our Kingdom. Would you like to see your new home?"

Kyma nods. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

"Very well."

The guard dives back down and she follows him, stopping several meters away while he converses with his fellow guards. After a few moments, the two guarding the entrance move aside, and the third guard, the one she talked to, motions towards her. She swims closer, and he waves her towards the house with a small smile. Kyma looks back at Alai for a moment, but Alai just shoos her towards the house with a grin. Kyma swims inside, and pauses just inside the door.
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What do you think she's going to find in the house? And when will the guards start believing her? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading, and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.