Being Queen of a country on the other side of a magical portal/New York City manhole turns out to be harder than Nancy thought. Fortunately, Nancy Tremaine, being a modern businesswoman, is always ready to make plans and take notes. This is from her field journal.

After looking at a map in the palace library, I was able to see Andalasia's borders: one is the Meadows of Joy, a second border is the Valley of Contentment - both popular vacation places (see p. 41 for further notes)... and a third border: a stretch of seashore. There and beyond, lie... an underwater nation: the Kingdom of Cerulea.

[Cerulean] Merfolk Notes:

1. If they sunbathe for extended periods... they will sprout legs. In this form, they look the same as humans.

2. They are capable of typical speaking, but they can also use, and often do use, echolocation, and have several sign languages.

3. Andalasians (Ceruleans call them "land-dwellers") living on the seashore often know at least one of these aquatic-developed sign languages. (These all look very different from ASL, or any sign languages I've seen. Maybe it's because there are Andalasians and Ceruleans of many different species, and these sign languages have to be accessible for all of them.)

4. Their clothing is different from human Andalasians. First, they may not even wear clothing. If a merperson is wearing clothing, it is usually very minimal. Some examples: a scarf, a cloak, or old ship masts. Wearing jewelry is more common. Necklaces, earrings, elaborate shell-and-gem crowns, bracelets... there is great variety and craftship here.

Most important truth about merfolk:

Merfolk, always return to the Sea.

Turns out Edward is part-merman! Specifically, his grandfather, on his dad's side, is a merman. Information that would have been nice for someone to mention when I met him at our wedding, but, oh well.

After asking a lot of questions: I learned the story of the merman Storm, and former Queen of Andalasia Siobhan.

When Siobhan was Queen, she met Storm, at some version of a diplomatic visit, to renew the friendship between Andalasians and Ceruleans? That's what I understood at least. Storm was part of the welcoming committee. It was Love at First Sight...for the Queen.

Apparently, it's known that merpeople can take, by Andalasian-standards, a much longer time to know their True Love (more 'typical' by New York standards, though). Based on what his grandfather said, it seems as though they, sort of, dated for several months, and then he agreed to marry her.

Apparently the ceremony was so beautiful that some people cried.

They were very happy for many, many years. This was even more true when they had a child. Life was pure joy and bliss.

But merfolk always return to the sea.

Storm said he began to feel the pull, the pull of the ocean calling him back home, right before...Edward's father, met his true love.

He decided to resist it, just and stay for the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, he said.

A few days after the wedding, he told Siobhan and his child about the ocean calling him back, and though they were sad to see him go, they were also happy for him, to return back to the ocean, and to have many reunions. Besides, they all saw each other on special occasions. Special occasions such as Edward being born, I asked? YES. I found out that baby Edward took to the water like he was born with it (which, being quarter merperson, he partly was).

Alas, such happy times did not last long.

"When I came to the funeral...I thought about staying, for you, grandchild," Storm said. "But I met Narissa, and I thought you were in good hands..." He sighed. "I should have stayed."

"Grandfather, don't blame yourself! Of course you couldn't have known, none of us did!"

I said the same. The whole thing with Narissa was a shame, and no one was to blame except Narissa herself. Eventually Edward's grandfather (does this make him my grandfather-in-law?) was convinced.

Apparently Cerulean merfolk are very handsy.

We were vacationing at the seashore, so maybe I really should have expected this more. But when a mysterious pair of hands reached out and grabbed my child, I just panicked, and screamed. Edward, hearing my yelling, quickly came over... and went over to the water, beaming, then called out, "Oh? Is that you, Oceania?"

I was dumbstruck.

...A few minutes of explanation later, it turned out that the person attached to those pair of hands was a mermaid, named Oceania, who also happened to be Edward's cousin. Another mer-relative! How many does Edward even have?

(After meeting his closest cousins, I must say that the answer is: Too Many to Count.)

Also, it turns out that it's just typical for Ceruleans to get excited when seeing extended family, and Oceania herself was just excited to see Edward's child. Actually, after getting to know her a bit, I think that I... really like Oceania? She told me plenty of funny stories about Edward, and invited us to come back anytime!

...I think I'm missing her already.

Notes based on our second visit to the seashore:

I...had the pleasure of meeting the old queen, Queen Siobhan.

Well. Specifically, meeting her, when she's reunited with her husband.

I had heard a lot about the retired Queen Siobhan. She had been retired for far longer, but, ever since after the death of Edward's father, she spent her retirement traveling the world and exploring new places.

When I had first learnt that, I had thought, It sounds like retired Queen Siobhan has lived a full and rich life. Even old age doesn't slow her down. She seems very exciting.

And then I had thought, sadly, But what about her husband? Her marriage? How could it still last after all...this? And the separation?

While Storm looked much younger from when he was at our wedding (turns out that, while Cerulean merfolk in land-form show age like humans, in their ocean-form, they look young for most of their lives), from the love and sheer joy in their eyes, and from their actions, there was no doubt that they could be anything other than a husband and wife, still very much in love, even in old age... I don't even know to fully describe it.

All I can say, is that together, those two clearly show, it doesn't matter about time, or distance, or...loss, or even species - if the love is real, it's...transcendent.

It was...beautiful. It is beautiful.

All I have left to say, is... I hope Edward and I can be like that, someday, too.