Chapter Eleven
Picture of Assana above!
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The king returned, wearing a more stately gown and elaborate crown.
She handed me a bundle of clothes. "Here. Now you can fit in better."
I hid behind a tree to change. Taking off my dirty tunic felt heavenly. I had always liked leggings, but, recently, I had come to despise the way they chafed. I slipped the gown over my head, and it fluttered past my waist and settled on the ground. I put on the pair of bloomers, and admired the fabric of the dress. It was silky and light, in a sea green color. It tied in the front, so I laced it as tight as it could go. But the neckline was still too low. And it dragged on the ground.
I groaned. "Your Majesty," I called. "A little help, please?"
She walked over to me and laughed at the way I held up the gown's neckline with my hand. She took the laces and looped them into a set of holes in the back, and tied them tightly. The neckline was fixed, but . . . I gestured down to the skirt.
"You are a small thing, aren't you, Evelin Fendway," she laughed. "You will just have to let it drag."
"Fine," I said. "It's beautiful though, isn't it."
"Yes, it was mine when I was twelve."
I frowned.
"How old are you, anyway?" she laughed.
"Fifteen," I said, without a hint of humor. "Almost sixteen."
Assana giggled.
My frown deepened. "Humans are smaller than merrow," I fibbed.
"Nice try," she chided. "But I've met a human before, remember? You are an extra small one."
"Let's just go to your little opera," I said, wanting to change the topic.
"No, I need to do something about your hair, first," she said. "When was the last time you combed it?"
"About a week ago."
"I'm glad I do not have human hair. It is so tangled." She pulled out a comb and began ripping it through me hair. I winced.
"Do merrow even have to comb their hair?" I asked.
"No," she said.
"Where did you get that comb, then?"
"That human gave it to me. He thought we combed our hair."
"He must not have paid much attention to you."
"No," she sighed. "He paid much more attention to my father. I wish I would've noticed."
"I'm sorry," I said.
"So am I," she said. "Being King is too hard for me. I'm not ready. I wish my father was here. He could help me, guide me in these decisions."
"I think you've done well," I said. "Your people love you."
"No," Assana said, shaking her head, "they loved my father, so they feel obligated to love me, as well." She finished combing my hair. "What do I do now?"
"You braid it or tie a ribbon around it, or something."
"We twist our hair up sometimes," she said. "Do you think that would work on your hair?"
"Probably." She twisted my hair tightly and pined it to my head. It felt elegant.
"There," she said. "Much better. You look beautiful." She opened up her knapsack and pulled out some sort of rogue. She applied it to me lips and cheeks. "Go see your reflection."
I walked over to the water and looked into the lake. I looked older than usual. I liked it.
All of the sudden, Assana thought of something hilarious, and laughed.
"What?" I grumbled.
"It's--a--good--thing--we are--sitting in the--front," she said between chortles.
"Why?"
"So that you can actually see the stage!"
I groaned. "I'm not that short!"
"Guards," she said, "hold on to Evelin Fendway as we go down. She's rather slow."
It was true. But it still injured what little pride I had left.
I put a piece of the minty-tasting Aquweed under my tongue, and they grabbed my shoulders and jumped into the water.
We soon arrived at the bottom. It never failed to amaze me to be under the water. Even if I could talk, I'd be rendered speechless. The colors of fish and coral and merrow was almost overwhelming. It was beautiful.
We swam through a forest of seaweed to get to the theater. I looked up. I could see the stars through the water. They glittered, and cast twinkling lights upon the floor.
The theater was outside. All the merrow tried to attend, but there simply wasn't enough seats. I couldn't find Nimue. I hoped he had gotten a seat. He seemed to want to attend very badly.
Our coral seats were in the front. I sat between the king herself and a large merrow with slate-gray hair.
The show started with the orchestra. The instruments looked similar to Kriallian ones, but made from different materials. The sounds flowed together like the ocean waves.
The story began with a lost merrow named Keria in the world above. She wanted to find her family and home. She traveled through many obstacles--past monsters that I hoped did not exist. When she found the merrows' lake, they were all gone. Keria believed she was the last one.
I didn't understand it all, as some of the songs were in an ancient merrow language, but the singer's voice and expressions were so beautiful that I couldn't help but be drawn into the story. Keria's hair was a beautiful gold, and it curled in an elegant way that displayed her dark blue eyes that shone with tears.
As the merrow wept, another voice rang out from behind the seaweed curtains. It was a beautiful baritone sound, so smooth and lovely. He sang of his missing love, his despair. His love was dead.
The sound caused the merrow to remember her home and family. It seemed her love had come looking for her.
A storm kept the two apart in the water. They sang to each other, desperate to find each other, but the storm prevented them.
At last, the lone merrow could not take it any longer. She braved the storm, and was carried into the waves. The music rose and fell with the water.
She arrived, harmed, on the other side. It was silent. She lifted her head and begged her love to approach. He came, for the first time, onto the stage.
I gasped inaudibly. It was Nimue!
He sang to his love. Keira was dying in the story. She wanted to not be alone. He held her close, and she died in his arms, with one last note as clear as a bell.
Nimue sang one last time--a song for his love.
And the show ended.
Usually, I would have scoffed and made fun of a show like that. But it had been overwhelmingly enthralling and lovely. I tried to hide my tears.
"It was beautiful, yes?" the king said softly.
I nodded and wiped my eyes. Beautiful, indeed.
The cast came out to bow, and the audience applauded.
All of the sudden, I felt myself suck in water instead of air. My Aquweed had ran out! I had been so engrossed with the show that I hadn't noticed.
I gasped desperately for breath. Horror filled my eyes. I saw Nimue look right at me . . . right before everything turned black.
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Sorry for the extremely short chapter. The next one will be much longer!
PS: @cat_sheehan, @leia009, and @juli_monae, your comments are awesome. I updated this because of you guys. :)
I think I mentioned that the Aquweed tasted like mint. Mint is my favorite flavor. Spearmint gum is my favorite. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite ice cream. I had some today. It made the day so much better. Hehehehe