Prologue

The sea is lonely, the sea is dreary, The sea is restless and uneasy; Thou seekest quiet, thou art weary, Wandering thou knowest not whither;— Our little isle is green and breezy, Come and rest thee! Oh come hither, Come to this peaceful home of ours, Where evermore The low west-wind creeps panting up the shore To be at rest among the flowers; Full of rest, the green moss lifts, As the dark waves of the sea Draw in and out of rocky rifts, Calling solemnly to thee With voices deep and hollow,— "To the shore Follow! Oh, follow! To be at rest forevermore! Forevermore!"

-James Russell Lowell

Truth fades from stories told down the years. What was once fact and warning seemed to have transformed into a breathtaking superstition. Once known, has now been forgotten.

In the beginning two types of men were created, one to live on land, and one to live in the sea. A warning was made; they could never cross worlds, for love and life could not last for long between such different worlds.

Men would live a number of days and then go to the Creator to account for them. Mermen had a measure of love to be used; but when all had been taken, they would become sea foam. As centuries passed the mermen became avaricious with their love. They lived on eternally never giving their love away.

As they watched men on land the mermen became jealous, seeing men's lives full of love, and they were fearless of death. In envious anger the mermaids would lure men to rocks and steal their lives. Their bait; love and haunting music, sung in unearthly sweetness.

But not all were this way. One mermaid found this life unbearable- a long life filled with emptiness. Once while her sisters were singing to a ship she saw a face, and knew she had to love him. But how could she ask to exchange her love for life?


The Beginning

A sweet soft sound was made as the grass gently swayed in the evening wind, making the sunlight and shadows softly dance. The deep golden color of the wheat was darkly contrasted by the emerald green it grew over, making the gentle slopes of the rolling hills alive. In the distance the ocean spread it twinkling expanse of waves to where the orange sky came down to meet it. This was always Cate's favorite time to sit and watch, somehow comforted her. Wisps of her dark curly hair blew in breeze, gently touching her face. Pulling the loose strands behind her ears, she closed her eyes, listening. The waves of the sea spoke to her, reminding her of her choice. Smiling she leaned her slight body against her favorite tree. A feeling of contentment, love, and the joy of being alive welled up in her, which was odd, since it would all soon be over. Sighing she opened her eyes again, knowing soon she would have to tell him. She had such little time left. As her eyes wandered over the hills again, a spark of remembrance came over her. Yes, this was the time to remember why it was worth her love, why he was worth her life. She let her mind wander to the first thing she remembered; a face...

Darkness had filled her till her very soul was chilled with it. Something stirred in the despair; a small light filled her for a second, and then was gone causing the darkness to be even more desolate than before. But the light came again, this time with warmth; the darkness retreated like a morning fog giving way to day. Becoming conscious of a jolting and the sound of hooves, opening her eyes to a face looking down at her, she heard a voice. Confusion ran through her, she had no idea what was going on. Closing her eyes she tried to clear her mind. She was in a carriage the wheels rolling over the bumps in the road. Slowly she opened her eyes, across from her was not only one face but two, which held no resemblance toward one another.

One was very pleasant; he had auburn curly hair, and a nice smile. He had a scar on his left cheek, a little under his eye, and his skin was weatherworn. A stubble chin indicated that it had been awhile since his last shave, but it somehow suited his roughness. It wasn't until she noticed his eyes that she seemed to remember him from somewhere. His familiar eyes seemed to go into her heart and ease her pain.

The other face was incredibly handsome; it made her breath catch in her throat. He had wavy black hair, with eyes to match. But there seemed to be a kind of vacancy in them. He had not noticed her watching him until his companion commented on her awakening. She watched as the dark haired man turned and assessed her without interest and then turned and resumed to look out the window for the rest of the journey, humming a tune she could almost hear.

She looked out her window; they seemed to be traveling through a forest, dark and cool. Suddenly they broke through the barrier of trees, and the sun came streaming its happy bright rays onto the loveliest place she had ever seen. Low rolling hills, dancing with golden wheat drew up before them. Cypress trees lined the road as they drove up a curve in a hill. As they rounded the bend, a mansion glowed in the sunlight, with the turquoise sea sparkling behind. The whole scene was breathtaking. Everywhere she looked she saw something even more beautiful than the last. The estate complemented the landscape like a crowning jewel.

They stopped at the entrance, as she stepped out, the smell of flowers lingered on the breeze. As she was enjoying the fragrance a thought came over her, where was she, and how did it happen that she was with these two men? Fear griped her as she vainly tried to remember anything before waking to the two faces; nothing, nothing at all came into her memory. The beautiful house and glistening sea started swirling around her until an arm reached out and pulled her toward him.

"Easy there my lass, let's go into the house." The soft eyed man spoke to her with a voice as gentle as if she were his child. His voice was intoxicating she wanted him to keep speaking to her, his calming tone washed over her. She looked at him as he spoke and all her fears were eased. She was where she needed to be. He smiled a lopsided grin to reassure her.

"My name is Rory, and may I ask," He looked down at her and seemed to change his mind, "Perhaps my questions should wait until you have settled a bit." He started to whistle as he lightly walked her down the massive entry. Two curved marble stair cases greeted them at the end of the entry. He took her to the left one to the second floor. They walked what seemed to be an endless amount of corridors until he opened a door and told her it was her room. A window of the sea was the first thing she saw, she walked over to it and looked out at the expanse of the blue twinkling water. She watched the waves come in and go back out, as if disappointed in the land; they hurried back to where they were supposed to be. She hadn't realized that Rory had left, or even that it was now well past sunset, until a maid came in and started lighting the room. She jumped when the maid spoke, informing her the men were waiting to have dinner with her.

Leaving the room she wandered back down the way she came until she heard voices. Something about them made her pause and listen.

"Why would you tell me this?" The voice was cold and distant.

"I thought it might help you, with your …eh struggle, you seem to be having with yourself, Raphael." Rory's smooth voice was calm.

"You never use my full name, you must really think I am lost, but I don't have a 'struggle' as you call it. Not as it seems you do." She could feel the chill spill from his words as he continued. "Is this girl even safe here from you?" Her heart sank as she thought about what he meant. A memory of realization tried to surface but quickly disappeared. She knew she had to stay, she had to fix something, her life depended on it, but why or what, she could not remember. The voices continued.

"I told you to help you Phel, not so you would reprimand or despise me. I told you so you would know others have the similar problems."

"You have shown me how weak you are, and how this girl living here is a monstrous mistake. Don't presume you understand my flaws or struggles, I am not in a struggle!" The man's voice was strained and desperate. The voices ceased and she entered the room. The fragrance of a savory meal drew her into the room, realizing how hungry she was. As the men saw her enter, Rory stood politely as a servant pushed her chair in for her, the man he called Phel stood just enough to acknowledge her presence. He sat with a dark brooding expression on his face.

"Do you find you quarters to your satisfaction?" Rory looked at her with interest. She made no reply besides a small smile. After a few futile attempts at conversation, Rory despaired and turned his attention to his delicious meal. The rest of the meal was spent in with each person lost to their own thoughts.

She spent this time studying the very different two men that sat before her. The dark broody one obviously went by the name Phel, played with his food, and didn't eat much. His clothes which were finely made fit him loosely as if he had recently lost weight. He had beautiful skin that glowed like the sun had reached down and kissed it. He ate a bite, and chewed as if forgetting he had food in his mouth. His brows were furrowed in thought and his hair fell down onto his forehead. He was lost; she thought to herself, as the memory again swam to the front of her mind, even as she tried to reach for it, it slipped away. She came back to the present and found him staring back at her. His eyes were locked with hers, reaching for her to save him. She gazed in to the fathomless depth of them, trying to find him. A faint breath of a song came into her thoughts, as it grew stronger fear gripped her heart with its cold fingers. She remembered.