Ahem...sorry it took so long for me to update. Exams are NIGHTMARISH! Hopefully the story is going to get a little more exciting this chapter. Happy Christmas, everyone!
It's that moment between sleep and wake. When you don't know what day it is or what time it is or where you are, but you're too happily immersed in drowsiness to care.
That is, until you smell something completely gorgeous, so unlike any scent that's ever appeared in your grotty bedroom, and you realise something's wrong.
I wake up fully clothed in an unfamiliar bedroom, a stressed feeling in the pit of my stomach. I gather my thoughts and try to remember what exactly happened earlier. Oh yeah. Ferah made everyone suspicious of me and for the first time in my life I fainted. Great.
I somehow doubt they have showers on the Fae plane so I grab a flannel and dip it into the jug of cold water that is set on a dressing table.
My makeup is all smeared – goodness knows what that is doing to my pores – and I feel like an armpit. There are dark circles under my eyes; I look hungover. Exactly what I was hoping to achieve. Not.
There is a flash next to my elbow and a letter materialises. Wait…a programme. First up is dinner, which will undoubtedly be wonderful, between trying to avoid Ever, trying not to rile up the Chihuahua and trying to figure out how to explain myself to His Majesty, Prince Teague of the Fae.
A timid knock on the door snaps my attention away from the programme.
"My lady?"
It is most likely a maid. Hopefully I am in no trouble.
"Yes?"
"I have been assigned to help you with dressing requirements and whatnot. Might I come in?"
"Wha- oh, yeah, of course."
A miniscule Fae with brown eyes and blonde hair enters the room.
"I am supposed to help you dress, my lady."
"Em, yeah, about that…"
"We were unable to locate any of your trunks so the Royal family are taking the liberty of giving you clothes."
"Fine, yeah," I say distractedly. A thought occurs to me. "Was there…anything in the carriage?"
"Why, no, my lady, nothing at all."
I bite my lip. The seam ripper is missing, and with it the only chance of saving my family.
At least, unless I can recruit the help of a powerful Fae to help me cross over to the human plane.
The maid darts outside and drags in a large chest.
"These…(puff)…are…(gasp)…"
"Hold on, hold on."
I run forward and take the other side of the chest. Together, we push it into the room. When she has regained some of her breath, she continues, "These are … (wheeze) … your clothes."
"So will I just, like, pick something?"
"No, no, no," the maid exclaims in a shocked voice. "It doesn't work like that at all. There are certain requirements you have to meet. For example, today is Wednesday, and on Wednesdays, we wear red."
Red. Red. Red or dead. I don't know how, and I don't know why. But somebody up in a high position hates me.
"And by the way, my name's Savannah."
Of course it is.
After being primped within an inch of my life I am escorted to the dining room by a footman. There is an uncomfortable silence when I enter the room.
For a start, I am the only one wearing red. I am also the only one whose hair isn't put up. To make matters worse, I clearly have the most expensive and formal outfit, and of course there is the fact that Teague rises and bows the moment he catches sight of me. Etiquette demands this, but it does not demand a huge grin coming the Crown Prince's face.
Now of course I have to curtsey, and it's not going to be fun.
You see, this annoying maid bore extreme similarities to an overenthusiastic beautician on the human plane, and she wouldn't allow me to leave without a corset. I wouldn't be able to fit in the dress without one, but that doesn't mean I like it.
Anyway, this corset (a foul, stupid invention) is the worst I have ever worn. The purpose of the corset is to constrict your waist, making it look smaller, and to push up your belly so your chest looks bigger. I hadn't much of a belly to begin with, so Savannah decided I needed the corset extremely tight.
Currently, I can barely breathe, and in addition the dress is on the revealing side. Most girls are wearing similar if not more risqué outfits, but they are accustomed to it, and I am most definitely not. So curtseying? Yeah, no thanks.
I bob back, praying that the dress won't split, and take a seat.
A low hum of conversation gradually murmurs back into the room. I try to eat without throwing everything up (curse this corset!) Nobody makes attempts to approach me, which is pleasing. It means the faintly aggressive vibes I'm giving off are working.
After about half an hour, a clink on a glass startles me. Teague is making a statement.
"Welcome, ladies, to Round 2 of the tournament. The second challenge will take place tomorrow morning. When you hear a gong, a footman will escort you to outside the library. In the meantime, you will all spend an hour with me, as I am supposed to get to know you." Here he winked. "You are all dismissed to your own devices. Lady Wilhelmina, you are first on the agenda."
Maybe those cornflakes weren't really cornflakes. I feel a bit sick.
"So, Lady Wilhelmina," Teague says from my arm, "Tell me about yourself."
"There's not a whole lot to say, really. My name's Wilhelmina. Like I already said, you can call me Mina. I love drawing, cycling and chocolate milk. I hate spiders, sports, and red."
"What is chocolate milk, some kind of foreign drink? Women don't even play sports. And red? Why are you wearing red if you don't like it?"
"Because on Wednesdays, everyone wears red. The maid told me."
He gives me a really weird look. "I don't know what maid you have, but there are no set colours on any day of the week."
"Oh." I blush stupidly. Savannah is clearly funny in the head. As this version of Teague clearly thinks I am.
We walk in silence for another little while and come to a bench.
Taking a seat, he asks,"What's the first thing you'd do if you won the competition?"
"What?" I was away with the Fae, dreaming.
"Are there any changes you'd like to make to the country?"
Interesting. On the Fae plane as the human plane, there is extreme sexism and male domination. Maybe Teague will be the one to change this.
"Meh…not really." There isn't a point in answering. I'm not here to get married.
He looks disappointed.
"Nothing?"
"It doesn't make a difference whether I say it or not. Women's opinions are paid no attention when it comes to ruling." Which is true.
"Says who!?" Teague demands, eyes flashing. Crumbs. That should have thrown him off my back.
"Nobody says it, but it's obvious. The kingdom is so sexist! How come in these tournaments, men are going off to slay dragons and yet we women are pricking our fingers? Women are not expected to do anything big, even in a marital contest."
"Maybe because we men are stronger and more powerful!"
"Well, maybe if we women were given a chance to prove ourselves we would be more dominant than your…stupid…gender!"
"As if! You'd all be killed!"
"Wanna bet?" I eye him. "You're not any different now than you were…will be…"
"And what is that supposed to mean!"
Oops. Well, I did just create an opportunity to tell the truth. Might as well take it.
"Do you want a slightly believable story filled with plot-holes or the truth?"
"The truth, duh."
I smile. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity – I get to give the whole, "I'm from the future" speech but it will actually be true. And it's going to rock this arrogant little prince's world.
"Come walk with me. You might need a bit of fresh air." I stand and he takes my arm, still sulking. Poor dear. At least he can breathe properly. (Damn corset!)
We walk to a bridge that has a deep river gurgling underneath. I take a deep breath and begin.
"Here's the deal. My name is Wilhelmina Grimm. I'm half siren. My mother was the youngest daughter of some sirens that rule the sea. I don't know or care whom. Anyway. I came here from the future, because my family started disappearing. I haven't done anything to combat that yet because I'm stuck here. Oh, and you're evil. You placed a curse on us." My mouth quirks in a little half smile. "That's why I don't like you."
Teague has gone all white and looks like he's going to faint. Supporting himself with the edge of the bridge, he burbles "How – who – what -"
He believes me – that's a first. I drop the smile and look him straight in the eye.
"By the way, it was super creepy when you came out with all the, "Hey, I just met ya, and this is crazy" rubbish. The key thing there is 'I JUST met you". How on earth would you know that you liked me if you'd just met me?"
With my fine closing statement, I push him into the river. I can sense it's at least three metres deep – he won't be injured. But he will be wet.
Stalking off, I wonder if I just made a huge mistake.
Teague climbed out of the river and stomped home. Stupid girls – they were only good for eye candy. Hmmph.
Pondering what she'd told him, he realised it all made sense. Of course she was a siren. She possessed all the key characteristics…fiery temper, beautiful speaking voice, and of course, drawn to water. He couldn't believe he hadn't spotted it before.
Teague wondered if the little story she'd spun was actually true. It couldn't be. She was a liar. A dirty liar.
But if it was true…
No. It wasn't. No chance whatsoever.
Except, on the other hand – making allowances for the fact that she was a nut job –Mina did say she was half siren, and he'd just clarified that was the truth.
There was also the fact she hadn't mentioned any other Fae species. Did that mean her other half was (he barely dared imagine it) Human?
He'd heard about the Humans. He'd heard they possessed no magic, but instead harnessed fire and the sun to make glowing lanterns, and heat, and all sorts of things the Fae couldn't possibly envision. Or care about. Whatever.
These Humans were sure to be dangerous enemies, if one ever opposed them. That would not do. But, getting back to the point, he wouldn't put it past Mina to be Human. She was an odd one.
Then there were even more things to consider. Mina had claimed he was 'evil' in the future. However ridiculous this was, he couldn't ignore the implication. Teague was a pacifist at heart, so something big must happen at a stage in his life for him to change so radically.
In theory, of course. This was all in theory.
Maybe it would be worth looking into. Just in case there was a speck of truth in her words. And most likely there wasn't. She was a crackpot. Insulting his seduction techniques like that! They had always worked before…
Breathe, Mina. Breathe. To brighten this day even further, everywhere hurts. I don't know what Ferah did in our little scuffle, but I feel like I'm coming down with flu. There's a ringing in my ears that won't stop.
Now I'm thirsty. Completely out of nowhere. Thirsty. I need water. Water. Must find water. I gulp and panic, because all of a sudden I can only half fill my lungs. I need water NOW!
My feet will not respond to my brain, so instead I make use of my hands and crawl to the fountain. Like, ew, I'm hardly going to drink it, but I need to splash it on my face for a moment, to calm myself. Then I can get drinkable water.
My hands move to my face to wipe some sweat away. I could swear it wasn't this dry and scaly a moment ago. I look down at my hands and gasp. They're flaking. How is this possible? They were fine last night. I dunk them in the fountain, and release a sigh of relief when they come out, smooth and glistening. Only to gulp as they flake up again.
My (genius) conclusion is that I'm drying up. I don't know why, or HOW, but I need to find a cure. This is NOt just a corset. Checking the door of my chamber to make sure it's locked, I strip my dress, unlace my corset and climb straight into the fountain, only wearing underclothes. But it's not enough.
Screw germs. I gulp down the water, and while relief is instantaneous, I still can't properly inhale. Gargling with the water, all of a sudden it feels like something is blocking my nostrils and throat.
I can't inhale at all! What did that stupid Ferah do, brew up a virus and infect me?
Black spots come into my vision and everything goes blurry. I say goodbye to the world, tears rolling down my cheeks. Is this my payment for trying to save an innocent prince? Well…innocent now.
I lie back and cough and…
Something…some things split open at the side of my neck and I can finally breathe.
But…but…I have gills!
I have gills?
Mom said that I wouldn't have gills. She said that I wouldn't get a tail either, or scales, or anything like that, because I was only half Fae. So should I be worried? I think yes.
I scream as I look at my legs. They are covered in golden scales. What the hell am I supposed to do? How will I shave them, for a start?
Panicking, I try to get up and out of the water, but getting up is like going underwater…which is very, very weird.
I focus on slowing down my heart rate and inhaling-exhaling-inhaling-exhaling-inhaling-exhaling. It works.
Now, try to think of a solution to this predicament.
Don't panic.
Nothing is coming to mind but I refuse to be distraught. Something will happen – I'm sure of it.
My legs tingle and when I next look, the scales have disappeared. I sit up and get what feels like a punch in the throat. I can breathe above water again.
What the heck just happened?