Disclaimer: I own all. I do happen to use elements of the original Little Mermaid story so they do not belong to me no matter how much fun they are to use, but I own everything else.
Author's note: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me! School is mostly the reason that this chapter is late and I think shorter than the last few.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love you all for the votes of confidence.
Snazy Piranha: the slashes thing is explained below in the 'Reminders:' section. They separate different languages.
Reminders:
"/Words/" = Common/ English.
"Words" = Melena's home language - Athenian
{Words} = Written words in Athenian
{Words} = Written common/English.
Only a mortal
[A little reminder of what happened last chapter just to refresh your memory.]
"/My companion is blind Tia, it wouldn't matter if I walked around in ratty breeches or a dress made of the finest silk in the country./"
She laughed. "/Oh! I must make sure he is alright. He does not understand this language and he will be lost. Please excuse me. I will return and we will talk more./"
Melena rushed down the hallway almost colliding with a servant. "/Please,/" she panted, "/Where can I find the party that just arrived?/"
The man looked at her oddly for a moment, then beckoned and began walking away from her down the hall. She followed closely as he led her down unfamiliar halls. When they reached the right hallway he asked which person she wanted.
"/There was a blind man with the party I need to speak with him. It is important./" The servant looked at her strangely.
"/There was no one with the party who was blind milady./" He answered clearly puzzled.
"/Oh dear,/" Melena bit her lip. "/Please take me to the hall where the guests were greeted./" He nodded and they started off again.
She searched the hall with hawk's eyes. In a dark corner something was huddled. The servant dismissed it as a fife cat but Melena wasn't sure a cat could be that big. She walked silently over to it and realized that her initial analysis was correct. It was a person.
With the speed of a hawk she was kneeling at the person's side and shaking their shoulder. The person lifted their head from their knees where it had rested and seemed to look for the person touching them. Glazed green eyes searched for her light brown ones.
"/Oh Hartwin!/" She cried seeing him.
!!
Tianine sat on her bed thinking. Melena had asked that she not tell her family that she was back. Tianine smiled softly to herself. Her little brother had not been the same since Mel had left.
She walked to her desk, took out a piece of parchment and uncapped her ink well.
My dearest brother Rowan,
I must tell you something wonderful. You remember the mermaid that you were quite attached to? Melena, I think it was? I am kidding dearest, I remember her.
You will not believe me but, I know where she is. Come to Wilhelm's manor and I can show you. You haven't visited me in a while anyway. It will be lovely to see you again. Tell no one that Melena is here. She doesn't want attention.
Your loving sister,
Tianine
She folded the letter and sealed it quickly. Standing at her door she spotted a servant and asked for the courier. Moments later the man arrived and in the way she had adopted as lady of the manor Tianine instructed him to take the message directly to her brother.
!!
Melena sat on the window seat in a massive window set into the wall of the huge parlour that had been granted her adjoining rooms. Hartwin sat in the sun on the floor next to her, his blonde head resting on her thigh. A book was spread on her lap held open by one hand and the other was absently petting his hair.
He still hadn't asked about how she knew his name but she was sure he would soon. She had no idea what to tell him, because if she knew her grandmother, the accident he had been transformed by would only be remedied with love.
He seemed to have adopted the name and had no trouble letting her call him by it. Melena marvelled at that. It had taken her weeks to adjust to Eloren and he didn't seem to remember being called Hartwin. He remembered his life under the ocean but he remembered nothing about his life after he became Kalypso's guard.
She petted his hair once more and sighed. Hartwin cocked his head towards her at the break in reading. Smiling sadly she began to read where she had left off.
!!
Maritime gazed into her viewing pool again. She growled lightly and dipped her fingers into the water to scatter the image.
Melena was not supposed to go to Sanar. Her life was planned carefully from birth and now one king and a blinded merman were going to maim her plans.
Glowing a soft blue that only happened when she was beyond angry she stormed toward the atmospheric rift where gods could escape to the human realm for short periods of time. She descended during the night. Growling she looked around.
She was outside the Carnie Manor. She entered and made her way to Melena's room. Appearing before the girl who was asleep in the window seat of her room, she frowned. "Wake mortal." She commanded loudly. The girl stirred but did not open her eyes.
"I said WAKE!" she shouted, angry at being ignored. The girl opened her eyes and blinked.
"Mother?" she asked dazedly.
The goddess's eyes, coloured a deep sea blue, widened for a moment before a small smile broke on her face. "Of a sort child. We must talk. Your new friends are in the way of your destiny."
"Which friends mother?" Melena was confused seeing a goddess in her room. All mer-people thought of the goddess Maritime as the mother of their species.
"The mortals and the blind merman and the child. They are keeping you from achieving what I sent you here to do. You must leave this place without them." She smiled, showing teeth the colour of white pearls, despite the fact that smiling would mean nothing to the mermaid she was trying to manipulate.
"No." Melena curled further into her window cushion. The goddess's eyes grew wide again.
"What did you say to me?" She was baffled. None of her people had ever spoken to her that way.
"I will not leave this place. It is the first place I have felt safe since my mother died. I have loved Hartwin for most of my life and I refuse to give him up. I do not know what child you speak of." She looked straight at the goddess.
"This has gotten out of hand. You will do as I say." She waved her hand in dismissal.
"I will not. You may be a goddess but I have my own will and I will not let you ruin it." Melena stood.
"You are only a mortal. How could you stop me? I am a goddess! It is not wise to oppose a goddess." She glared at Melena.
"I have opposed no goddess. The goddess Glorylinda has approached me and I side with her. She has shown me the plan you have laid out for me and I can't abide it." She glared.
"Glorylinda!" Maritime screeched and left in a flash of light.
Melena huddled back into her window seat and fell asleep deciding that she could find out if she was mad or not in the morning.
!!