Seirra
If I could recreate this moment into a picture, I would.
The way the color of Margaret's eyes changed from dull, tired blue to a pair of glowing lights made me wish this moment could last longer. She was a wonder to me - this woman. We met expecting nothing but a brief encounter and yet she had become much more important to me even before our fates were revealed.
She was special.
Everything about her intrigued me, not only because she was different, but because it felt exciting to truly know her. I feared for what could happen after knowing everything that my parents had gone through but I believe in the power of the Key of Saol. I had no clue what kind of magic it gave Margaret's ring but I trust that it would help me protect her.
More importantly, I believe in Margaret.
Just looking at her now made me realize that despite getting plunged into an unknown world, she was bravely trying to face things as they came. After Erwann sang the chant at the entrance and the surroundings changed, Marge's entire expression changed. She looked around with wonder in her gaze and I could not help but be mesmerized with her face - the sparkle of her eyes, the slow drop of her jaw, even the way her nose scrunched as if she was trying to check if she could smell anything.
She was still looking around and processing things when a little mermaid showed herself to us.
"Hello! I am Elea. Who are you?" she asked Margaret, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Margaret blinked several times as if she was seeing an unknown creature but she recovered herself.
"Hi!" her tone a bit pitchy. She cleared her throat. "Uhmm...Hello. My name is Margaret. Nice to meet you, Elea."
The genuine smile that Margaret gave the little girl was met with a giggle.
"Nice to meet you too! This is for you."
She handed Marge a shell shaped like a cone but seemingly decorated with sparkling stones.
Margaret looked at me with excitement.
"Are these actual gemstones?" she whispered.
"Yes," I replied. "But that isn't really as valuable here as it is on land."
"You mean you have lots of these here?"
"Yes."
"Wow. Now I wonder what you would think is valuable here."
I could not help but grin wider. Margaret looked more amazed at the idea that what she thought was something important does not necessarily mean the same way in Aquania.
At that point, two soldiers appeared and addressed the prince.
"Your Highness, welcome back," one of the soldiers said with a bow. He turned to me with smiling eyes and said, "Welcome back to you too, Seirra."
What came as a surprise was when the two soldiers bowed to Margaret and said, "Welcome to Aquania."
Erwann assured me that no one would know the real reason of our disappearance. We were going to introduce Margaret to everyone when Marina wakes up and nobody knowing how dangerous our latest endeavor was.
Using magic, Erwann was previously able to travel to Grasveld Aisles and back to Aquania at a much faster pace. Unless someone was closely monitoring him, no one should have been alarmed if he was gone for a few hours. Resting at home was my excuse for being gone for one whole day.
The way the soldiers greeted us, however, implied some kind of knowledge of what we were up to.
Our confusion must have shown on our faces because the soldier glanced at Margaret and to me added, "Your father would be proud."
The reminder of my father brought a sharp pain through my chest and I completely lost my ability to speak. Margaret seemed to have sensed it because she moved closer to me as if letting me know that she knew exactly what I was feeling.
Erwann spoke in a neutral voice, "What do you mean? Seirra and I never left. We were in his home the whole time."
The second soldier smiled back at us. "No need to hide the truth, Your Highness," he replied. "King Tideus has announced that Sire Kalus sent a message to confirm that Seirra has traveled back to the surface and found the other half of the Fates. When nobody could find either of you, everyone assumed that you were together."
Merpeople had started to gather and were pointing or waving at us. Such news traveled the grapevine faster than an announcement would. Everyone seemed genuinely happy seeing Margaret, knowing full well that she was one of the Fates who had kept the veil from being destroyed.
"It's quite surprising. Who would've thought that a human would save us from humans?" the second soldier continued.
"Just a word of warning, though. Not everyone welcomes humans who chose to become one of us," the first soldier told Margaret. "Although, you may be treated differently since you're a Fate."
Margaret whispered a thank you and smiled back but she was obviously flustered. I knew Aquanians would be kind to her. There were already a number of merpeople who were once humans who was living well with us. Everyone knew they were different and they were not exactly popular but Aquanians had learned to accept them. Or at the very least tolerate their existence. With Margaret's personality, however, I was sure merfolks would not shun her for being different. And maybe that may help the cases of the others.
I remembered what the second soldier had said and I gathered every ounce of control that I could muster.
"You said my father sent a message to the King?"
"Yes. At least the King said so," the second soldier replied. "King Tideus also said that Sire Kalus went on land to help you."
So nobody knew what happened to my father.
"I see," Erwann said. "Thank you for the welcome. Perhaps it's time for us to see the King. I am sure he would want to meet Margaret."
Erwann's words were easily understood by the soldiers as they replied, "Of course, Your Highness."
As they led us to the castle, thoughts of my father and Princess Marina filled my mind. I held onto Margaret's hand as she quietly swam beside me and I knew she was worried. Merpeople continued to greet us left and right and we should have been happy. However, until we get answers from the King, a celebration would be the last thing we would have wanted.
"I didn't know your father went on land to help you," Erwann whispered beside me. "Why didn't he join us on our way back?"
Margaret heard Erwann's question and tightened her hold on my hand.
"Several things happened. I'll explain later," I answered.
We went to Marina's room as soon as we got into the castle. I was expecting to be led to the throne room and I knew the king had found out something was wrong with the princess. Erwann visibly looked nervous and I could not help but start to feel the same way. We endangered the life of the princess and that could very well be an act of treason.
The soldiers left as soon as the three of us entered the room. The king had his back to us and when he turned around, his smile belied the worry in his eyes. Margaret seemed to immediately recognize the authority he exudes because she immediately bowed low to show her respect.
"Uhh...Your Highness," came Margaret's unsteady voice.
Erwann and I bowed as well and only looked up when King Tideus acknowledged us.
"Rise."
The king did not exactly look angry but it was obvious he had many questions.
"Your Majesty," I began amidst the silence in the room. "May I present to you, Margaret - my Fate."
"I would have been overjoyed by your presence, Margaret," the king said with a small smile. "But I cannot help but stay worried over the princess's condition."
The princess indeed looked like she was simply sleeping but her color looked pale and bubbles were indeed forming all over her body.
"I wish, however," King Tideus continued. "That you would accept my eternal gratitude for joining us in Aquania."
"I...I am thankful for your welcome, Your Majesty. I'm...I'm happy to be here with Seirra," was Margaret's nervous reply.
"We apologize for our irresponsible actions, Your Majesty," Erwann said. "We never wished for the princess's life to be put in danger."
"Although we were not expecting that she would still be unconscious despite having restored the veil, allow us to take responsibility for what happened," I added.
"She is dying...but not dying," the king, his voice obviously distressed. "I have summoned the best healers and they have all declared that she is no longer on the verge of death but no one could explain why she remained unconscious."
"Maybe there was something that needs to be done that we might have missed?" Margaret guessed.
"The Sacred Enchantment was said to require extreme power but its consequences have not been fully discovered. We were desperate to bring you here and we had to take the risk," I told Margaret.
"I have asked the Oracle for help but we have yet to find answers." King Tideus then briefly glanced around and asked, "I was expecting Kalus to join you."
Margaret and I exchanged glances and knew it was time to face the truth.
"He cannot go back to Aquania, Your Majesty," I replied. "He died while he was on land."
"I guess the Black Pearl was not able to help-"
"He was one of Aquania's most powerfu-"
The king and Erwann's faces registered shock from the grave news but nothing could have prepared them for my next words.
"He had betrayed Aquania."
"What are you talking about?!" came Erwann's immediate question.
I swallowed and took a deep breath before I confessed my father's sins.
"Your Majesty. He was behind everything that kept me from finding my Fate. He tried several times to kill Margaret to keep the veil from being restored."
King Tideus had grabbed hold of his trident in anger. Even Erwann looked angry and ready to fight. Except that the one they wanted to convict was already dead.
"But why would Sire Kalus do that?" Erwann asked with gritted teeth.
I found that it was more difficult to reveal my father's reasons than his actual betrayal.
"Because...of my mother," I said, my voice almost a whisper.
I found it difficult to say more and Margaret noticed.
"Seirra's mother was human."
The information surprised Erwann but not King Tideus. He must have known about it. The king still looked grave but for some reason, there seemed to be some sort of understanding in his eyes.
"She had not died of an illness but instead, had killed herself. Kalus had hoped that without the veil, cases like Seirra's mother would not have happened," Margaret continued.
"What do you mean?" Erwann asked, confused. "Why would Seirra's mother kill herself?"
To my surprise, it was King Tideus who answered.
"Our world and theirs are not meant to interact. When one chooses to cross over to the other world, sacrifices had to be made. Ariana was a gentle and cheerful woman. She and Kalus had been happily in love. But like the merpeople who had once been humans, she had not always mingled and often stayed indoors. It wasn't because they dislike their new lives in Aquania. It was to keep everybody safe from their attacks."
Hearing the king explain the circumstances made me question why no one had bothered to make everyone in Aquania understand the special cases. I have witnessed how the children of those who had once been humans had been bullied by other young ones their age. I could only imagine how they had to witness the suffering of their mother or father.
"Humans who drink the blood of a merman or mermaid are bound to lose their sanity. It was why most of them die far earlier than normal merpeople. They either kill themselves or worse, ended up killed because of the need to save someone they unknowingly attacked. You see, all merpeople acquire magic. At times, former humans are unable to control this and that was when we had to choose."
King Tideus need not say more for us to understand that when former humans attack someone with uncontrolled magic, it becomes necessary to prioritize the innocent. And if one's magic was not enough to restrain the former human, then the choice would be inevitable.
Margaret looked horrified, understanding that it was exactly her situation. I let go of her hand to wrap my arm around her shoulders. I could not let her think that she was alone but I knew she needed to hear the truth - we both did.
"Kalus must have despised the veil. He must have hated how our worlds were divided. He was groomed to become one of Aquania's best soldiers. He had a promising future. I am sure he had even considered becoming a Huntre. We will never know why Ariana chose to become a mermaid instead but when she died, Kalus must have regretted his choices."
I had not carefully thought of my father's reasons for betraying Aquania but King Tideus's words were raising fears within me. I would never want the same to happen to Margaret. However, the future remained unclear.
"Nevertheless," the king addressed me - his expression hard. "Your father had committed a grave sin. Traitors to Aquania shall not be forgiven."
I knew this was coming.
"As his son, allow me to take the punishment, Your Majesty," I offered. "I was, after all, part of the reasons for his treason. However, I plead that my father's sins be kept from the Aquanians." They all looked surprised at my wish. "I am asking this not for my father but for Margaret. You have explained already how difficult her life would be. I hope my father's betrayal would not add to her burden. I will accept anything, Your Majesty."
I saw King Tideus's expression change and I could only hope for the best.
"You shall step down as the Celari leader," the king began. "Aquanians shall recognize your roles as the Fates. However, you shall no longer be working at close proximity to the royal family and must live as a simple soldier. Just like the other members of the Celari clan, you will have the duty to protect the royal family but only as the Fate. We cannot, after all, take away the Crystal Key of Saol from you."
The king's punishment was milder than I expected. The Celari leader held an important position in the castle, particularly on decision-making. It was a big responsibility and had always been held by one of the Fates. For the Fate to step down as a Celari leader was unheard of - at least in recent history. It would take a lot of explaining and would surely cause shame for me and Margaret but I was willing to take it instead of having my father's betrayal revealed.
"Most importantly," King Tideus continued. "You shall not inherit the Black Pearl owned by your father. Such a powerful jewel had been possessed by a traitor and as much as I know that you are not your father, I believe the Black Pearl shall wait until a rightful owner comes along. Of course, this also meant that you have to give up the Ardus sword and pass it on to the next Celari leader."
That was fine with me too. If I would not have the responsibility of the Celari leader, then I have no need for such powerful jewels. As long as the Key of Saol was with me and Margaret, then I believed everything would be fine.
"With your agreement, Kalus's treachery will not be revealed to the people of Aquania," the king finally declared.
Margaret was looking intently at me and I gave her a reassuring glance.
"I have no objections, Your Majesty," I answered solemnly.
King Tideus nodded sternly. After a second however, he gave me a more gentle look as he said, "You would've been an exceptional Celari leader. But I believe you would always feel the burden of Kalus's betrayal if I do not at least let you take responsibility. I have come to know you well. After all, I watched you grow up, thinking that you would marry my daughter."
It was then that I realized just how much my life had been going as planned - not knowing that none of those plans were meant to be.
"I am stepping down but please know that I shall forever protect the royal family in any way I can," I said with a bow.
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty," Margaret added beside me. "I have yet to fully understand my role, but allow me to protect Aquania together with Seirra."
The king looked at Margaret with admiration. "The Fates were chosen well. We are forever indebted to the two of you. Please be strong for Aquania, Margaret. And you too, Seirra."
Margaret and I bowed in response to King Tideus's request. At that moment, the tentacle doors moved and a soldier stood by the entrance.
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. The Elders have come requesting an audience with you," the soldier said with his head bowed. "They also request the presence of the Fates and Prince Erwann."
"Very well," King Tideus told the soldier. "Guard the door while we meet with them."
We followed King Tideus to the meeting room and braced ourselves. Our arrival must have reached every Aquanian by now and explaining ourselves to the elders was inevitable. Margaret looked nervous and I just hoped she still had enough energy considering how we had not taken a single break since leaving Grasveld Aisles.
*****
Author's Note:
I know this came as a surprise especially since I haven't updated for a loooooong while. I'm sorry to everyone who had waited for years. I'm honestly not expecting them to be here to read this update but if you are one of those who had waited, I'm sorry and thank you. In all truth, the reason I haven't updated was simply because I lost the enthusiasm to write. Not only that, I haven't been reading either. It was frustrating knowing that I have unfinished stories but every time I tried, nothing creative comes out of my brain. I can only be thankful that after many failed attempts, I was finally able to make myself reread this story and manage to get myself to continue writing. I can't guarantee that I will be able to update again immediately because I still don't know how long this interest will last but I will try my best. There are only a few chapters left and if anything, I just hope I get to finish writing this before its 10th anniversary in 2022. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to read this book.
Sincerely,
Raine