"Nerita!" I heard Marina call out in her shrill voice. I shuddered.
What did she want me to do now? Fetch her something? Prepare a meal for
her? Tell her a story? It didn't matter, really. I had no choice but to
come to her call. If I didn't, I knew I would be punished. Reluctantly I
turned away from the coral reef I had been admiring and headed for the
castle. As I turned, a ray of sunlight that had penetrated the deep glinted
on my tail, and I couldn't help but be cheered up, at least a little bit.
My tail was as iridescent as mother-of-pearl, its scales shining in shades
of purple, yellow, and green. I had inherited it from my mother, and every
time I saw it I was reminded of her.
I often wondered how things might have been. My mother had died when I was very young, soon after the king of Atalanta had passed away. The princess had needed a husband before she was allowed to take the throne. My father had been the highest ranking man who was not related to her, and he had felt obliged to marry her. They had soon produced a child, my younger half-sister Princess Marina, heiress to the throne. Not too long after that, my father had mysteriously died. There had been an investigation, but no evidence had been found incriminating Queen Dorissa. However, I will go to my grave knowing that my stepmother most likely killed my father.
I arrived at the castle and swam to Marina's chambers. She glowered at me. "What took you so long?" she demanded. She was 12, 2 years my junior, yet ordered me around as though I were 5. Her pretty face, which belied her mean personality, was twisted into a scowl. A cloud of long black hair like octopus ink floated about her. She swished her polished deep blue tail impatiently. I sighed. Marina used me as her personal slave. I knew she considered herself superior to me because I had no royal blood. Her mother didn't treat me much better; and yet she told me I should be grateful to her for taking care of me, considering we were not related.
"I'm sorry, your Highness," I said carefully, using the title she always forced me to use. "I was in the gardens."
"Forget it! I don't care where you were!" she exploded. "My hair is a mess! I need you to braid it for tonight's affair!"
"I know, your Highness. I must have forgotten. I'll do it right now." She narrowed her eyes at me.
"You'd better." She folded her arms and turned her back to me so I could get to work. I had a strong urge to grab something heavy and smash it over her head, but luckily I resisted it and started the chore of braiding her hair. There was to be a banquet and ball tonight, so most likely she would have dozens of tasks in store for me. No, I thought defiantly. I can't take a whole day of running around doing her errands. As soon as I finish her hair, I'm sneaking out.
I braided her hair in a crown style around her head as she liked, which took at least 20 minutes. Finally I was done, and she glanced at her reflection in a looking glass to assess the final product. Her eyebrows knitted together. "Terrible. Take it out and do it over."
"What?" I yelped. "It's perfect! What more do you want?"
"I said, take it out and do it over. Do not make me repeat myself."
I breathed heavily, calmed myself down. "Fine. I'll do it over one more time. That's it." I started the process of unbraiding her hair and braiding it back up again. Almost an hour later, I was finished. She looked in the mirror again for a long time. "All right." she said. "I'm satisfied. Now-"
"I'm sorry, your Highness. I need to leave." A look of anger and suspicion began to creep across her face. I swallowed. "Mother had some errands she wanted me to take care of." She relaxed somewhat.
"All right then. You're dismissed."
I swam out of there as fast as my tail could take me. I often explored when I had free time, so I knew my way around the sea surrounding Atalanta quite well. My favorite place to explore was a sunken pirate ship from long, long ago. Royal merfolk were allowed to change to human form through magic and visit the surface, and came back with tales of the land. Because of this, I knew that the ship was very old, the technology obsolete. I liked to search the ship for treasure, hoping to come across beautiful jewels or gold and silver. However, I knew that chances were, the ship had already been searched ages ago, and any treasures delivered into the hands of the royal family.
I swam inside the ship, and looked out a rusty, barnacle-encrusted porthole, wondering who the last human being to do this was like. Was he a mean, vicious pirate? A beautiful maiden who had been captured? I treaded water with my tail to stay in place as I daydreamed. Suddenly, to my surprise, a pair of deep blue-green eyes looked in through the portal at me! I gasped and started to swim away.
"Wait!" the owner of the eyes cried out in a masculine voice. "I need your help! I'm lost!" Curious, I went back to the porthole.
"All right," I said. "Wait right there and I'll come around."
I left the ship and went to the other side of the porthole I had been looking out of. Sure enough, there was a young merman there about my age. I could tell immediately he was not from Atalanta; his coloring was a dead giveaway. His dark aquamarine eyes were unlike any I'd ever seen before. A deep red corona of longish hair floated around his head. His tail was a matte deep green. He smiled at me, and his smile was quite charming.
"Hi," he said shyly. "I'm Dylan."
I smiled back at him. "I'm Nerita."
"I was traveling with a group to Atalanta, but I kinda got separated. Now I can't find them, or my way there."
"Oh, don't worry, I live in Atalanta. I can take you there."
"Great!" His smile grew wider and brighter. "Do you know how to get to the castle?"
"Of course. That's where I live."
"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Are you a princess?"
"No." I said firmly. "Where are you from?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I'm from Pacificus. We were invited to the ball tonight."
"Oh." He must have been the son of some lord or duke, or perhaps a member of a wealthy family.
"Are you going to the ball?" he asked, sounding half-way hopeful.
"No." I said. "I...I'm not invited."
"How could you live in the castle yet not be invited to the ball?" he asked.
"It's a long story."
"Well...you could be my guest." he suggested.
"That would be wonderful, but I don't think it's a good idea."
"Oh." He looked disappointed. "Well...it's a long way off. Maybe you could show me around a little bit before the ball starts."
I beamed. "I'd like that."
I often wondered how things might have been. My mother had died when I was very young, soon after the king of Atalanta had passed away. The princess had needed a husband before she was allowed to take the throne. My father had been the highest ranking man who was not related to her, and he had felt obliged to marry her. They had soon produced a child, my younger half-sister Princess Marina, heiress to the throne. Not too long after that, my father had mysteriously died. There had been an investigation, but no evidence had been found incriminating Queen Dorissa. However, I will go to my grave knowing that my stepmother most likely killed my father.
I arrived at the castle and swam to Marina's chambers. She glowered at me. "What took you so long?" she demanded. She was 12, 2 years my junior, yet ordered me around as though I were 5. Her pretty face, which belied her mean personality, was twisted into a scowl. A cloud of long black hair like octopus ink floated about her. She swished her polished deep blue tail impatiently. I sighed. Marina used me as her personal slave. I knew she considered herself superior to me because I had no royal blood. Her mother didn't treat me much better; and yet she told me I should be grateful to her for taking care of me, considering we were not related.
"I'm sorry, your Highness," I said carefully, using the title she always forced me to use. "I was in the gardens."
"Forget it! I don't care where you were!" she exploded. "My hair is a mess! I need you to braid it for tonight's affair!"
"I know, your Highness. I must have forgotten. I'll do it right now." She narrowed her eyes at me.
"You'd better." She folded her arms and turned her back to me so I could get to work. I had a strong urge to grab something heavy and smash it over her head, but luckily I resisted it and started the chore of braiding her hair. There was to be a banquet and ball tonight, so most likely she would have dozens of tasks in store for me. No, I thought defiantly. I can't take a whole day of running around doing her errands. As soon as I finish her hair, I'm sneaking out.
I braided her hair in a crown style around her head as she liked, which took at least 20 minutes. Finally I was done, and she glanced at her reflection in a looking glass to assess the final product. Her eyebrows knitted together. "Terrible. Take it out and do it over."
"What?" I yelped. "It's perfect! What more do you want?"
"I said, take it out and do it over. Do not make me repeat myself."
I breathed heavily, calmed myself down. "Fine. I'll do it over one more time. That's it." I started the process of unbraiding her hair and braiding it back up again. Almost an hour later, I was finished. She looked in the mirror again for a long time. "All right." she said. "I'm satisfied. Now-"
"I'm sorry, your Highness. I need to leave." A look of anger and suspicion began to creep across her face. I swallowed. "Mother had some errands she wanted me to take care of." She relaxed somewhat.
"All right then. You're dismissed."
I swam out of there as fast as my tail could take me. I often explored when I had free time, so I knew my way around the sea surrounding Atalanta quite well. My favorite place to explore was a sunken pirate ship from long, long ago. Royal merfolk were allowed to change to human form through magic and visit the surface, and came back with tales of the land. Because of this, I knew that the ship was very old, the technology obsolete. I liked to search the ship for treasure, hoping to come across beautiful jewels or gold and silver. However, I knew that chances were, the ship had already been searched ages ago, and any treasures delivered into the hands of the royal family.
I swam inside the ship, and looked out a rusty, barnacle-encrusted porthole, wondering who the last human being to do this was like. Was he a mean, vicious pirate? A beautiful maiden who had been captured? I treaded water with my tail to stay in place as I daydreamed. Suddenly, to my surprise, a pair of deep blue-green eyes looked in through the portal at me! I gasped and started to swim away.
"Wait!" the owner of the eyes cried out in a masculine voice. "I need your help! I'm lost!" Curious, I went back to the porthole.
"All right," I said. "Wait right there and I'll come around."
I left the ship and went to the other side of the porthole I had been looking out of. Sure enough, there was a young merman there about my age. I could tell immediately he was not from Atalanta; his coloring was a dead giveaway. His dark aquamarine eyes were unlike any I'd ever seen before. A deep red corona of longish hair floated around his head. His tail was a matte deep green. He smiled at me, and his smile was quite charming.
"Hi," he said shyly. "I'm Dylan."
I smiled back at him. "I'm Nerita."
"I was traveling with a group to Atalanta, but I kinda got separated. Now I can't find them, or my way there."
"Oh, don't worry, I live in Atalanta. I can take you there."
"Great!" His smile grew wider and brighter. "Do you know how to get to the castle?"
"Of course. That's where I live."
"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Are you a princess?"
"No." I said firmly. "Where are you from?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I'm from Pacificus. We were invited to the ball tonight."
"Oh." He must have been the son of some lord or duke, or perhaps a member of a wealthy family.
"Are you going to the ball?" he asked, sounding half-way hopeful.
"No." I said. "I...I'm not invited."
"How could you live in the castle yet not be invited to the ball?" he asked.
"It's a long story."
"Well...you could be my guest." he suggested.
"That would be wonderful, but I don't think it's a good idea."
"Oh." He looked disappointed. "Well...it's a long way off. Maybe you could show me around a little bit before the ball starts."
I beamed. "I'd like that."