CHAPTER THREE

There was a palace. It became visible as soon as we reached the top of the hill, having made our way up a gravelly path lined by grasses. Its gleaming white stone towers rose above the trees of the thin green forest, catching the sun and sparkling like a giant seashell. It was beautiful. My breath caught in my throat. Nereida had glanced back to see my reaction, and she smiled, clearly pleased.

"That is the Palace Merlana," she said. A warm smile crossed her features. "Welcome home."

Those words brought me back to reality with a jolt.

"Excuse me?" I said sharply. What was even more disturbing than this incredible pronouncement, however, was how little resistance I felt to the idea. It did seem like home somehow. There was certainly something familiar about it, anyway, though that could have been the after-effects of swallowing too much seawater.

"Here," Nereida said, draping a gauzy gray cloak around my shoulders. "This'll help you blend in. I'm afraid we don't have many blue jeans here." Trying to gauge whether this was an insult to my attire, I wrapped it around myself. The fabric was smooth and cool. "Come on." She started walking again, and I hastened to catch up. Well, if I was being kidnapped, I could think of worse places to be held hostage in.

There was a long wall running around the palace, of the same creamy stone. I saw as we approached through the trees that it was smooth save for the top, where carvings made an elegant border. I tried to make out the figures as we drew closer, and when we were quite near, saw that the pictures were of beautiful and wild mermaids, of seashells, of the sun breaking over a horizon of water, all the images swirling and flowing into one another. I gazed at it in silence until we reached a great gate of gold. There was no one nearby, but I could hear voices, very faint behind the high wall but there nonetheless.

"I must apologize for the lack of ceremony with which you are being brought back," Nereida said, one hand on the gate. "Their Majesties thought it best for your safety."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

A faint smile crossed her face. "I assure you, this will all be explained in due course." She pressed lightly on the gate, and sang a short wordless tune. I recognized the voice immediately.

"You," I said, at the same time realizing that this should have been obvious from the start. "On the beach."

She nodded. "Yes." At this point doors were open, and I followed her through, lost for words as I gazed in wonder at the sights and sounds --- all bright and loud as life --- around me. Women in gorgeous dresses of all cuts and fabrics, but mostly light and in soft colors, were sweeping around the giant courtyard we stood in, accompanied by men in similar light costume. White stone, polished and worn, stretched to every direction until it was cut short by the castle in front, and on either side, lush green lawn studded with fruit trees and flower beds. An enormous fountain of the same stone as the palace stood in the middle of the courtyard, shrouded in a fine rainbow mist, depicting a mermaid and a handsome man wrapped in a graceful embrace, rising out of a dramatic spray of water that reached up to surround them and then dropped back down to splash into a pool lined in glass tiles of every shade of blue and green and purple and gold imaginable. A collection of young men sat around the edge of the pool, tan and laughing with the ease of those capable of dealing with whatever life threw at them. I noticed dagger sheaths strapped on the belts that bound their tunics. The whole scene was both medieval and modern, too dazzling to be real but too real to be an illusion.

Nereida took my hand and guided me gently but quickly across the courtyard, nodding at a cluster of people in greeting but not stopping to talk to anyone. We went up a wide flight ot stairs, littered with people of all shapes and sizes, and to the pair of double doors that led into the impressive building. They opened smoothly at her knock, and we stepped into the cool, lightly shadowed entrance hall. Sunshine poured through high windows onto a shining marble floor, striping it with light and shade in between the tall marble pillars that lined the room. Several large paintings hung on the walls, beautiful and slightly abstract, all clearly related to the sea.

There were several people in the hall, some looking at us, some absorbed in their own conversations. A man in a shirt of smoothly draped linen came up to us and bowed deeply. He seemed like he was bowing to me, and I hastily made an awkward half-curtsy that came out completely wrong.

"Welcome home, Your Highness," he said. I gave Nereida a look, but she gave me one in return that was so stern that I merely thanked him as graciously as I could. He was a fairly good-looking man, probably in his forties but athletic and unusually healthy, as were most of the people around here. I couldn't quite tell who he was, but he seemed to have a certain deference for Nereida... whoever she was.

"My lady," he said, inclining his head to her. She nodded in response in a way that reminded me of a Jane Austen film. He continued, "The princess's chambers are prepared. Lady Lisette arrived moments ago, and insisted upon being taken to Her Highness's dressing room. I trust that is agreeable?"

"Exactly as I wished it," Nereida said. "And Their Majesties --- have they been alerted?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Very good." She nodded at him, and he turned and bowed to me again.

"It is an honor to see you again," he said. I smiled. What was a person supposed to say to that? The only replies that were coming to mind were most impolite. "My name is Jacob," he added. "I am an assistant to the King."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, extending a hand. It seemed the reasonable thing to do. I expected him to shake it, but instead he bowed again, deeply, and kissed the back.

He retreated, and Nereida led me down the room to another set of stairs. I couldn't have figured out where I was if my life depended on it; I was too busy staring at the paintings and sculptures that lined the halls we went through, catching glimpses of rooms, with grand pianos, long polished tables, chandeliers with real white tapers in them, and views out windows that showed forest, orchards, and a city down a long hill with rooftops that glinted in the sun like new coins. Beyond all of this was the ocean, always visible. Everything was so light and clean and fresh. I was silent, and Nereida was content to let me be so.

At last we arrived at a door of light wood. Nereida pushed it open. There was a couch, table, a window that looked out over land and sea, and...

"Mom!"

I dashed inside, realizing for the first time just how unsettled I was. She was sitting on a sofa by a fireplace, and stood to hug me tightly. I let her rock me back and forth for a few moments before I realized that she was wearing a gown, similar to the others and had seen outside. Hers was lavender, a pleated swathe draped over one shoulder and a long skirt of the same fabric brushed the ground. It looked entirely strange on her.

"What's going on?" I asked. She smiled gently. I noticed how young and relaxed as she seemed, and how soft. Lisa Kingston had been professional and put together, but Lisette, as Nereida was now calling her, was gently and graceful, and much more comfortable in her own skin than I had ever seen.

"Lisette," Nereida said. "I'm so glad you got here safely." They embraced briefly, exchanging some European double-kiss on the cheeks.

"So am I," my mother said. "I wish you could have let me know when you were getting her --- I had to cancel a showing and turn over the final signing on a house to someone else." She smiled as though entertained by the idea. Nereida shrugged.

"The inconvenience of sworn enemies and spurned lovers."

"Oh, indeed."

I glanced from one to the other. My mother had never used the word "indeed" in her life.

"Mom," I said sharply. The sight of her had been comforting, but this was not so much. "What's going on?"

She glanced at me. "You'd better sit down." She sank back into the sofa and patted the seat net to her. Nereida made to leave, but Mom stopped her.

"You can stay, if you like. I may need some help explaining."

I sat down on the proffered seat as Nereida settled herself across from us in another identical couch. This furniture suited the room perfectly. In fitting with the ocean theme of the entire palace, it was in cool colors, blues and greens, grays and purples, with soft hints of pink peeking out here and there. There was a table between Nereida and the two of us, and I examined the patterns of mother-of-pearl inlaid into the dark wood, trying to calm the spinning feeling all through my body.

"Where to start?" Mom asked. She shook her head. "I've been dreading this day... I feel very guilty about the whole thing." She looked at me. "Before you freak out, remember that the whole purpose of this was to keep you alive and out of some miserable tower like that poor Rapunzel girl."

My look must have expressed everything, because she laughed.

"I know, sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Well, anyway... I guess it starts with your parents..."

A/N: InChrist-Billios --- Thanks so much for the lovely compliments:) I've been trying to improve my descriptions, and I'm glad you noticed them!

Scoutcraft Piratess --- Ah, you're catching on. Yeah, the mom has a bit of a story behind her --- next chapter. :) I was wondering if that last line in the Chap. 1 would be a bit too much --- hopefully this one doesn't do it again, lol. (If it does, by all means let me know... there's a fine line and I can never tell what crosses it.) Anyway, thank you the wonderful reviews!

To anyone else lurking out there --- please review!