Disclaimer: Nerichan's lovely purple hair belongs to Mediaworld and is being used and restyled without permission. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

Legend of the Promised One
You and I in the Sea

Neri was on her way out after an uncomfortable hour in the throne room when a voice rumbled behind her, "Neri could I speak with you?"
"Of course Neanda. I wanted to see you. With all that's happened, are you all right?"
"I am... well enough."
The halls were quiet; everyone was either in the throne room or at home. Neri wondered how late it was.
"While you were gone I had a strange conversation with Miya."
'Miya' not 'Promised One.' "Oh?"
"I chanced to ask her age, and she told me 'fourteen months.'"
"Huh?"
"She sounded quite serious. Then she said she was born from an egg and had no mother or father. I am not sure she is well in her mind."
Neri half-smiled, "You didn't remind her that by the laws of nature humans don't come from eggs?"
"I did not know what to say then, or what to make of it now."
"I don't know either. She's so strange. I don't know who she is. Mandrool told me to protect her..." Neri wavered, exhausted. "I can't think anymore, I'm too tired."
A clawed hand curled around her shoulder, and Neri leaned in to her friend's warm side.

In the morning she woke late, glad to be able to wander out of sleep at her own pace instead of with someone shouting for her. She'd dreamed of an egg made of sea-green glass, breaking, pieces floating apart and Miya waking up inside. What did it mean?
A vague memory stirred, something she'd seen on the computer. Pictures of people in eggs, only these eggs were filled with some medical fluid. Earthquake victims, Neri remembered, with terrible burns. But a new treatment like that couldn't have made it off Earth yet. Neri couldn't remember any more.
Micro came in the flap in the door, jumped on the bed, and barked. Clearly he thought it was time to get up.
"Quiet, Micro, I'm up. Off the bed with your wet paws!"
Micro grumbled that Neri got on the bed with her feet wet often enough. He bounced on and off, wrinkling the sheets and getting salty pawprints on everything while Neri tried to straighten her bed.
Clouds had blown in overnight and Neri heard the wind change and rain spattered on the roof of her room. It was so like a normal day Neri found herself thinking of normal activities. "Shall we go fishing today or try and clear out that nest of stinging eels Zardor was complaining about? Or just read in the library with Neanda?"
Micro growled his dislike of stinging eels; the things had electric shockers as well as a mild poison in their tails, and could cause as much discomfort to Micro as to a living person. But if there was a nest near the amphibians' town somebody had to uproot it before the children were endangered.
"Ok, not today. They'll be wild with the lightning anyway."
Creating wings, Micro flapped into the air. "Woof?"
"No, we can't go flying if there's lightning." Neri stepped onto her balcony. There were still blue patches to the sky, but they were closing fast. It was going to be a gray, breezy day and the air smelled wonderful, like salt and rain-bruised leaves.
"Let's go find Miya and Jobah and see what they're doing and get breakfast ok?"
"Arf!"

Miya was tucked in a corner of the kitchen next to the warm oven, uncaring of soot stains on her white satins. She was eating a pastry with single-minded delight.
"Morning, Miya."
"Good morning Princess. This is delicious!"
Neri went to get one for herself, and praise the cook, before coming back to sit with Miya. For a few minutes they both concentrated on their food. Neri glanced down. Miya's green eyes drooped half closed with pleasure, as if she'd never tasted anything so good. Maybe she hadn't, if she was only just over a year old. She looked no more than a few years younger than Neri, if that. Neri opened her mouth, but shut it without saying anything. Miya looked so happy, childlike, and Neri didn't want to spoil her pleasure.
After finishing her last bite Miya stood up and brushed crumbs off her skirt. "I'm going swimming."
"Wait, I'll come."
"Ah...."
"Not if you don't want me to."
"You are welcome to come with me... I thought I'd try to find the temple under the sea."
"Why do you want to go there?" Neri asked.
"No one has been to that place in two thousand years. Isn't it where this... legend... began?"
"Let's go." Neri smiled and held out her hand. She knew where the temple was, at least generally from her map, but she wouldn't tell Miya that. They'd just 'find' it.
Strangely, it seemed like Miya knew where they were going as well. They stumbled over each other suggesting new directions and finding new paths. The way was long, past the cove and the reef, down deep.
Finally Neri's image of the path gave out and she was left wondering if the sea floor had shifted and closed the way. "I'm lost..."
Miya dove into a forest of tall seaweed, pulling herself through it clumsily. There was a tunnel leading further down, cut into what looked like a blank cliff face.
It was dark in the hole; Miya was just a white shape ahead.
"Are you all right?"
"Fine." Miya said. She was breathing hard
Neri's eyes adjusted and she saw the neon blue fish nibbling something off the rocks. At least they wouldn't hit the walls. Miya was already going on ahead.
They came out all at once on a perfectly round bowl of sand like the crater of an ancient volcano. The surface was visible, straight up and as far away as a sky. And there was the temple, the shape of a fish's head still whole and perfect. Its empty eyes watched them. The sacred whale sang a welcome.
Miya gasped in surprise, then she was choking, bent double, trying to breathe water that suddenly rejected her.
"Miya!" Neri grabbed her friend and pulled for the surface. But they were too deep. Miya wasn't going to make it. Neri breathed in water, tasted clean air in her chest, and leaned down to push her mouth to Miya's. Their eyes met, Neri's desperate, Miya's wide and stunned at the gift of air.
They came up into a world of rain and waves mixing and lightning spraying the sky. Neri fought frantically to keep Miya's head above water. The other girl hung limp in her arms, not even trying.
"Miya! Miya!"
With a shriek, Miya seemed to wake up and started fighting. But it was like she'd never learned to swim.
"Miya? We can't stay here! Lightning!"
"Have to go back-there-the temple-but I'll drown!" Miya got out. Her arms tightened around Neri's shoulders, "Help me! Neri!"
Save me!
The words hit like lightning. "I will!" Neri shouted above the wind.
They dived, Neri swimming and Miya just hanging on. Neri gave her every other breath and they hung mid-water, sinking, watching lightning flicker over the surface.
Miya broke away and swam for the temple. Neri followed. She saw Miya sitting curled up, holding something to her chest-no. There was nothing there.
"Thank you for helping me, princess."
"You're all right now."
Miya was sitting curled in the pillar that had held the crystals, that was what it must be. Boulders of rock and coral lay around the floor, and from inside Neri could see that the temple hadn't survived the ravages of time and tide as well as it looked from farther away.
"What happened to you?"
"It... is a blood disease. I thought it was past with my childhood but I see not. I have not been struck that way in years."
"A blood disease? From your parents?"
Miya shook her head, "Singly they do not have it. We lived on the continent though, so I did not have to swim."
"I didn't know you had any family."
"Yes. I miss them but they asked me to come here and do what I must, and to think of them no more until I was done. Where are your mother and father, Neri?"
"They passed when I was very small."
"Ah."
Neri felt vibration and turned quickly. She saw nothing living but sensed eyes on her. "Are there monsters here?"
"No. Not here."
Neri turned full circle, looking at each rock and weed and stand of coral. No one was there. "This place is dead."
"You're right. There is nothing here. Shall we go back?"
"All right." Neri said, eager to get out of this strange place. Something was watching them, certainly.
Miya was unconcerned and took her time leaving. Outside, she looked back. "It is ancient, not dead. It can come back to life." She flicked her feet and headed away, graceful again as if she'd never been struck by her disease.
"Miya!"
"Yes?"
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen years and four months. How old are you?"
"Seventeen years and two months."
And later, as they neared the palace,
"Neri?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you for saving my life."
"I'll always try to protect you. You're the Promised One."
"Princess, I'm..."
"What?"
"I know something important. The fourth crystal... Galiel can't find it. The way he found the others can't find this one. It's safe where it is."
"Oh!" was all Neri could say. She didn't ask how Miya knew. That was good, at least she and Jobah wouldn't have to fly across the planet again to get the last crystal. But if Galiel couldn't find it, what then would he do?
"Let's go home."

Later and elsewhere...
"Nothing. It is in some kind of shield, I think. I cannot find it however I try."
"It is not your fault."
"What will we do?"
"The only thing we can."
"Only... please..."
"What?"
"Please don't hurt the princess. She is kind."
....