Hello everyone! I hope you're all well! I'm feeling better, thankfully. In this chapter, we have the most random idea that has ever just come to me. I have a general layout of what's going to happen next in this story, but sometimes random ideas just grab me and refuse to be ignored. Hence, the majority of this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Remember, Review!
Gladys did not want to see them go. They snuck out as soon as the Moon had risen, just past dusk. The woman was waiting with a basket of food and extra supplies for the road. "Take it." She hissed. The darkness pressed against them, swallowing their voices and leaving nothing but the shadows and faint shapes.
Shirayuki took the basket, marveling at the hard strands of…she wasn't even sure what. They were twisted so tightly, it was incredible. Of course, they wove Below Surface as well. But nothing was ever this compact. Curiously, she stuck a nail between two of the strands.
"You've been too good to us." Zen dropped almost all of their remaining coins into her hands before she could argue. He turned around, a tad dramatic – Shirayuki thought. But even so, she flicked her hood up as well. She had braided her hair down her back, and she could feel it thumping against her back heavily. Out of the water, her hair was ridiculously long and heavy. She missed the Sea's gentle embrace, holding her hair for her.
Zen looked back as Gladys stammered. "Please, I insist you keep it. You will be rewarded for your kindness, I promise." He reached his hand out and gently grabbed Shirayuki's from the top of the basket, where she was wiggling her nail slightly. He pulled her hand free and they moved towards the exit.
"Goodnight, and safe travels."
"Thank you." Shirayuki whispered, feeling like she had to say something in return to the woman's whispered good wish.
Gladys winked at her, nodding towards Zen and Shirayuki's tangled fingers.
Shirayuki was grateful for the darkness, as it concealed her blush.
Outside, Thunder and River waited. They were tacked up, meaning that they wore saddles and reins to help steer them. Zen worked quickly. He tied the basket to the back of his saddle, where a bag full of camping gear was already waiting. Thunder shifted, but did not seem to mind the extra weight.
"They're so strong." Shirayuki marveled.
Zen nodded. "Ready?" He let go of her hand and she followed him to River's side. The horse blinked warmly at Shirayuki. Zen locked his fingers and created a small step for her. "Remember, try not to kick him."
Shirayuki swallowed. She felt an odd thrill, as she stepped into Zen's hand and braced her hands on the front and back of the leather saddle. Zen lifted her, and as she said she would she lifted her leg, swinging it over and using her momentum to settle into the saddle. "Whoa." She breathed. The world seemed so much smaller on top of River's back. The horse barely blinked at her weight.
"Good job." Zen said, brushing his hands off on his pants. He untied River, stroking the horse affectionately on the cheek. "Grab the reins. You don't have to pull, give him some slack."
Shirayuki nodded, gathering them in her hands. They held strange bumps along their sides, and her fingers found easy grip. River shifted underneath her, and she clutched with her knees. Zen had told her earlier that to ride you couldn't use the reins to stay on, it was all in the legs.
Since this was her first time with legs, Shirayuki figured she wouldn't be very good at riding. But the saddle was comfortable. She felt secure enough, with the giant handle right in front of her. Then again, they weren't moving right now.
Zen secured her feet in something he called "stirrups", which Shirayuki thought was a funny word. He searched her face.
She swallowed and nodded.
He smiled, then moved to his own horse. He untied Thunder, and hopped onto her back by relying on the post that had previously been holding the two steeds. He gathered the reins and made a small kissing noise. Thunder turned. "So, now what?" He asked Shirayuki.
Shirayuki, stiffening as River also turned to follow Thunder, barely heard him. "What?"
Zen waved ahead vaguely. "I don't suppose you know what's going to happen next."
Shirayuki blinked. "Um, no."
Zen sighed. He looked up at the sky, which was a purple mixture of the brightest stars and brushes of deep gray clouds. The moon was up, but where they weren't sure. "I suppose we should just start for the woods."
They started to move, and they made it about three steps before the wind whistled in their ears. An image of a woman appeared before both of them. She wasn't there in full, clearly. Her pale skin was translucent and blurred if Shirayuki stared too hard. Her dress was long and white, tied around the belt with a yellow ribbon. Trails of stars literally flowed from the dress, vanishing before they hit the ground. Her hair was short on her head, basically just tracing around her scalp. It was pure white, almost blinding too look at. Her eyes were glowing white as well. Shirayuki was a little grateful that she wasn't truly there, as otherwise Shirayuki's eyes would burn out.
Shirayuki remembered the Moon from her dream last night, but there was one difference. The moon's left side was dark. Her dress was where it was most obvious – a line of dark covering the fabric, leaving just the outlines to move slightly in the nonexistent breeze.
The horses' ears pricked forward, staring right at her.
The Moon smiled softly. While the Ocean was a hard, devastatingly powerful deity, the Moon was softer. She was an entire world away, so that did make sense, in a way. Every inhale, every movement she made – all of it was so smooth and gentle. She had an aura of power, but it wasn't as there as the Ocean's.
"I would not abandon you." She promised. Her voice sounded like a Vidre crystal gently tapping against something metal. "I will light your way." She moved to the side, gesturing to the ground, which had a soft white glow coming from it. The magic formed an easy trail, disappearing into the woods.
"Wow." Zen breathed.
Shirayuki brought her eyes from the trail to the Prince. With his white hair reflecting the light, and the blue in his eyes absorbing the trail, and on a steed of pure night, he looked like he could have been the child of the deity in front of him.
The Moon gave Shirayuki a funny sort of smile – almost teasing. Shirayuki's face felt hot and she looked away, shifting on River's back.
"A normal travel to the Castle from the edge of the kingdom here would take a week. Will this path take much longer?" Zen asked, pulling himself from his stupor.
The Moon thought, tilting her head. "I am not positive on your human time. At least half a cycle of me."
Zen snorted. "We've based our time partly around you. I find that funny."
The Moon shrugged, lifting just the one shoulder. "The trail will only appear at night, I apologize for that. I am aware humans are not nocturnal."
"Mermaids can see through the dark." Shirayuki offered.
The Moon made a sympathetic face. "Mers, yes. Humans cannot, and I am afraid you are no longer a mer, Shirayuki."
The ex-mer felt a twinge travel through her legs, she wiggled her toes in her boot, staring down at the base of River's mane. "I-I know."
Zen shot Shirayuki a sympathetic look. "You'll be a mer again soon, Shirayuki."
She nodded.
The Moon glanced at the sky. "I will be by your side so long as the path glows. Please, keep faith, and save us." With those words, she began to dissipate. Her body blurred until nothing but the light of the path remained.
"Well," Zen started, "I guess we don't need to worry about getting lost anymore." He spurred his horse, and Shirayuki bit back a yelp as River followed Thunder obediently. She remembered what Zen said and tried to keep her back straight, pressing her knees against the horse's sides.
Thunder's hooves touched upon the white trail. Little puffs flew around the horse's legs, curls of what looked like flower petals suddenly dancing around them. Thunder's ears were happy, and Zen looked amazed. "I'm tempted to get off to touch it myself." He admitted.
Shirayuki nodded in agreement. The petals wrapped around Thunder's legs, giving her white stripes. She moved on, not looking phased or in pain by the glowing stains her fur was slowly gaining.
It was a few hours into the ride when Zen pulled Thunder to a halt. He looked back at Shirayuki. "We should take a small break here."
Shirayuki nodded. She yawned as Zen dismounted. "We're not going to sleep though, right?" She asked.
Zen shook his head, pulling the tack off of Thunder and beginning to rub her sides and around where the saddle had rested. "No. I just want to let the horses get some rest. Plus, you're a new rider. You're legs are probably really sore."
Shirayuki wiggled her toes. "I don't think they are." She blinked.
"Just in case." Zen finished rubbing down Thunder, who nudged him in what Shirayuki thought was appreciation. He walked over to Shirayuki's side next. "Do you remember how to get off?"
"Kind of?" Shirayuki admitted. She freed her feet from the stirrups and let her legs dangle. She leaned forward, and lifted her leg up and around River's backside. She then slid down non-too-gracefully off the saddle. Her shirt snagged on the stirrups and almost pulled completely up. She winced and tried to keep her shirt down. Her feet hit the ground and her legs wobbled, immediately losing her balance and collapsing.
Before she could hit the ground, however, Zen's hands grabbed her waist and gently caught her. "Whoa, there." He chuckled a little, which made Shirayuki glare at him as he set her down gently. The white path jumped up around her when she landed, and Shirayuki shivered at the cool feel of it. It had no aura or energy, it was almost like a layer of moss. It touched her skin and left a gentle white glow not unlike the stripes that Thunder and River were now sporting.
"I told you you'd be sore." Zen said.
"I'm not sore! My legs just…weren't ready to catch me." She pouted, looking back up at him. His blue eyes glowed and his skin was crinkled with smile lines as he grinned at her. River leaned his head down and gently nuzzled the top of her hair with his upper lip. It tickled slightly and she had to smile at the feeling.
Zen offered her his hand, and she took it. He pulled her up with a surprising amount of strength – a little too much. Shirayuki's legs were aching and she was so unbalanced that she stumbled right into his chest.
Zen caught her easily. "Uh." He stated, his breath parting Shirayuki's hair. She could feel the pendent that his Master had given him from the sea on her palm as it rested against him for support. His heart was right next to her ear, so she didn't miss the way it skipped a beat.
A hot blush made Shirayuki's face almost hurt. She pushed off of him. "S-Sorry." She breathed, looking down at the trail to avoid seeing his face.
"N-No, it's fine. Are-are you sure you can stand on your own?" Zen said, still holding her hand cautiously as she stepped back.
"Ye-Yeah." She lied. Her knees shook and her claves were wobbling, but she didn't think Zen could see them under the thick riding pants she was wearing.
Zen let her hand go, and stepped towards River. Away from them, but still on the path, Thunder was grazing at some grass contently. As Zen began to untack River, Shirayuki tried to focus on regaining her balance. The white marks on her dress and on her pants stuck, glowing like the florescent jellyfish in the darker parts of the Sea. As she stared at them, her right leg buckled.
"Whoa." She managed, trying to lean to her left.
Zen had just pulled the saddle from River, and seeing her stumble he rushed to put it down. "I've got you!" He exclaimed, practically tossing the saddle to the ground. It landed on the trail, curls of white reaching up around it and marking it as well. River skittered a few paces away nervously.
Zen held his arms out, but when Shirayuki's right leg buckled she fell backwards, away from him. "Ah!" She yelped. Her leg bent forward with the notion and connected with Zen's ankle, effectively sweeping his legs out from under him.
Her back hit the ground with a thud, and then she gasped as the heavy weight of Zen fell on top of her as well.
He pulled himself up and looked down into her face as the trail jumped up around them as well. Shirayuki shivered at the feeling of it creeping up her cheek, through her hair and around her neck. Zen flinched slightly as one curl reached up and touched just behind his ear, brushing over his skin like a paintbrush freshly dipped in oil. Shirayuki watched the light as it curled around his hands, around her fingers, and down his cheeks.
The trail eventually settled back into a simple coating on the ground, but Shirayuki was still breathless from the feeling, and the sight of the glowing marks all over her and her friend.
"S-Sorry." Zen managed. But he didn't move. His leg was against hers, the space between them that of a goldfish. Shirayuki's heart was in her throat, and every time she felt his breath gently part around her face it seemed like it was trying to move farther up. What was wrong with her?
She lifted her hand, turning away from Zen's hypnotizing eyes – oh how they reminded her of her home; and instead stared at her fingers. Like River's legs, she had stripes of white glow racing down her palm, dipping between her fingers and wrapping around her pointer finger and her pinkie, tracing her thumb only half way before naturally fading. "What is this…?" She breathed.
Zen pulled off of her, and she sat up next to him as he did. Her dark clothing was stained, she looked like a Vidre had been sewn in random lines across her clothes. She ran her fingers over the fabric of her pants, feeling no difference when she moved from the colored cloth to the normal. She looked to Zen, who had less of the trail all over him, but was staring at his hand as well. "It's so weird. You'd expect it to at least feel like magic or something."
Shirayuki looked up to the sky. Thousands of stars glittered – much closer than they had ever been before. She was hoping to see the Moon, but the cover of the trees was a little too thick. She couldn't even be sure that the Moon was over them. "How strange." She agreed. "Do you think that this will affect us?"
Zen stared at her with wide eyes. "Like, give us powers or something?" Zen shivered. "We already have the Aigua. I don't know what else we really need."
Shirayuki shrugged. "At the very least, it's not harmful."
Zen breathed out a slow breath into the air. "You should rub down River."
The horse in question had already joined Thunder in grazing, his tail swishing contently. "Why me?"
"He's your horse, you should bond with him." Zen scoffed. He stood, brushing off his pants – to no avail, The white glow was not going anywhere. He held a hand out for her. "Come on."
Shirayuki took his hand and this time got her feet ready before he hefted her up once more. She steadied herself, then smiled at Zen appreciatively. "Thank you."
Zen nodded and let her hand go. He walked with her over to River, who lifted his head at their approach and flicked his ears.
Shirayuki held her hand out and brushed her fingers through his thin fur. She ran her hands back and forth, applying just the littlest bit of pressure. She enjoyed the feel of his coat – fur was still somewhat new to her. Under the sea, animals had blubber or fine, almost sharp hairs to help streamline the water. But on land, fur was on almost every animal she had seen.
She glanced back at Zen, who gave her an approving nod before moving away to check their tack and their supplies. He pulled out water bottles and sat, relaxing and taking a few small breaths, staring at the white glow around him.
Shirayuki did not rush to join him. She took her time, and River seemed to appreciate it. When she had finished rubbing down all of where his tack had been, her fingers were tingling with the feel of his fur. And River leaned over and gently pressed his cheek to hers, rubbing against her face carefully before pulling away and trotting over to Thunder.
The mermaid turned and walked over to Zen, sitting down next to him. He handed her a flask filled with water. "Don't drink all of it." He warned.
"I won't." Shirayuki swallowed the water in three swift gulps. Another thing she wasn't used to – having to drink water. She hadn't needed it, as a mer the only thing she had ever needed was food.
When she finished, she wiped her lips on her sleeve and handed Zen back the flask. "Are we just going to rest during the day?"
Zen nodded. "Well set up camp when it gets a little closer to dawn. Without the path the Moon wants us to take, I don't trust that we could just keep moving."
"Plus, those pirates might have reported to their leader after seeing us – seeing you alive again."
Zen winced.
"I'm sorry." Shirayuki blurted. She curled her hands around the string of the bow. "I should have killed them before."
Zen gave her a horrified look. "No! Honestly, you shouldn't kill unless you absolutely need to."
Shirayuki blinked at him. "They hurt you, Zen. People like that shouldn't be allowed to just walk around doing whatever they want."
"Y-Yeah, but killing is too…harsh."
Shirayuki couldn't believe her ears. "Harsh? Zen, they nearly raped you!"
Zen winced. "Look…" He ran his hand through his hair. "Never mind. It's kind of you to want revenge on my behalf, but…" He made a sour face and shook his head. "Just forget it, alright?"
That didn't sit well with Shirayuki. But she decided to let the subject drop for now.
They sat in slightly uncomfortable silence for a little while longer, until Thunder and River had started to get a little antsy. Then Zen stood. "Right, shall we ride on?"
Shirayuki nodded and got to her feet.
They marched through the trail until the trail faltered. The end led to a small clearing, well sheltered by thick trees surrounding the tall grass. Flowing right beside it was a small creek, twinkling softly in the beginning of early morning light. Shirayuki sighed with relief. She was exhausted, her eyelids heavy and her legs truly sore now. She was sure she wasn't going to stick the landing if she dismounted again.
Zen studied the ground. "That's the end of our journey today, then."
Shirayuki slumped down over River's neck, his mane shifting under her and he lowered his head gently at first. "Thank the Sea."
"More like the Moon." Zen joked. He dismounted, landing as if he could have walked for miles. The white trail huffed around him, the glow still sticking to his pant legs. He still had stains on his skin, but he didn't seem to particularly care. He pulled Thunder's tack off of her. Immediately, she wandered to the river and began to drink in huge, heavy gulps. He let her go for now and moved towards Shirayuki.
Not wanting to be completely helpless, Shirayuki swung her leg over River's side and pushed herself away from him a little more this time. Her boots touched the ground easily, and she held onto the saddle until she was sure her legs could support her.
"Well done." Zen praised, moving next to her to undo the belt – something Zen called a girth. "Will you try and get the tent up?"
Shirayuki nodded. She moved to the side and pulled what Zen had pointed out to her earlier, before they left the town. She untied the strings holding it in its tight spiral, and jumped at the length as it unraveled.
Zen looked over at her curiously.
She looked at him helplessly.
He smiled. "Alright, trade. You tied me with a sailing knot once – you can put the horses on their leads." He stood and held up two long ropes, easily the size of three dolphins. "You remember that these can give them room to graze and sleep without letting them escape."
Shirayuki nodded. She moved over to River and Thunder. Thunder finished her drink, and willingly let Shirayuki wrap the rope around her burly neck gently. She led the black horse to a tree and tied the other end around its trunk tightly. The horse could move almost anywhere in the clearing, the rope was so plentiful.
As she moved back to River and waited for her steed to finish drinking, she remembered what Zen had said about forming a bond. She rubbed his shoulders and sides again, watching with a smile as his ears flicked up at her touch.
Zen was pitching the tent like it was second nature. They had picked a particularly large one, with a flap down the middle if they wanted privacy while still being able to share it. Shirayuki appreciated that. She was still very scared of life on land, but she wasn't going to hold Zen's hand through all of it. She was stronger than that, she knew it. He knew it too. It wasn't out of pity that he trusted her to tie the horses. She vowed to learn everything she could about the world.
Shirayuki found the tent very comfortable. Her sleeping bag was thick and warm, and she felt secure nestled into it. They had loaded all of their items, and Shirayuki liked the feel of the tent's smooth floor. Zen was settling down on the other side. He had let her change out of her day clothing before entering, and now Shirayuki was fighting to keep her gaze pulled from him as he pulled his shirt off
"Okay, I'm decent." Zen said.
Shirayuki looked up at his face, her nose screwing up. "You call shirtless decent?"
Zen laughed. "How many mermen go through their life with no shirt?" He challenged. "Besides, it's a waste of laundry for me to wear a shirt to bed. I have pants on."
Shirayuki rolled her eyes. "Fine." Her eyes moved to his chest impulsively. White marks from the trail curled around his muscles, around his arms in bands and stripes. In the low light, both him and Shirayuki were giving off just a dusting of white light thanks to these marks. "Do you think this will fade away?"
Zen studied his midsection. "I hope so. I don't want to spend my life glowing."
Birds were beginning to chirp outside. They sounded so foreign, and so many, Shirayuki shivered. "Is it really safe to just leave the horses out there?" She asked.
Zen nodded. "You threw that magic knife of yours out there, after all. We'll hear people coming. I just hope the horses get some sleep. It'll be a hard shift for them. There aren't any bears or lions in this part of the woods, and something tells me these markings might be more powerful then we believe."
"Maybe she'll tell us in our dreams." Shirayuki hoped aloud.
Zen nodded, curling into his sleeping bag. "When the sun comes up, it'll be bright." He warned.
"That's okay." Shirayuki shrugged. "The Vidre never stops glowing, even when mers sleep around them." She turned on her side, facing Zen. She had decided against pulling down the separator for tonight. Just for tonight – as the birds still sounded far too close for her comfort.
"The sun is a lot brighter than any Vidre."
"Even the one that Kay was sitting on in your first day Below Surface?" Shirayuki challenged.
Zen nodded. "Yes!"
Shirayuki smiled, glad they could joke about that dark night. A yawn grabbed her and forced her to comply. When she finished, she saw Zen had caught onto the trend. "Sleep well." She mumbled to the Prince.
"You too." Zen nodded.