Daughter of the Sea

"I am neither I nor the other one. I am something in between." Líadan y Môr. Both mermaid and maiden. Trapped in an unfamiliar world.

[dearemma]

[dearemma]

[theatlanteanprincess]

liadanymor‌:

“I’ll send word once I’ve got it all worked out,” Liadan promised, wishing she was as sure about it all as she sounded. This was an act of desperation, borne from having no other choices that did not mean she would be running forever. She could only hope and pray it worked.

Cyra nodded. “I will await your message,” she said with a sigh. “I really hope this will work out for you. And if all else fails, do keep in mind that we can always offer you shelter in the Fairy Land.” She understood why Liadan didn’t want to hide anymore but this seemed like a drastic solution. Cyra could only pray for it to work.

[theatlanteanprincess]

liadanymor‌:

“I’ll send word once I’ve got it all worked out,” Liadan promised, wishing she was as sure about it all as she sounded. This was an act of desperation, borne from having no other choices that did not mean she would be running forever. She could only hope and pray it worked.

Cyra nodded. “I will await your message,” she said with a sigh. “I really hope this will work out for you. And if all else fails, do keep in mind that we can always offer you shelter in the Fairy Land.” She understood why Liadan didn’t want to hide anymore but this seemed like a drastic solution. Cyra could only pray for it to work.

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

“I wish you all the best, my dear Liadan,“ she whispered, holding her close. “Just let me know what needs to be done and I will make sure that no harm will come to you in the process. Hopefully this will yield the result you’re hoping for.“ Cyra selfishly thought about the fact that in order to keep Liadan close, they would probably not be able to meet again and the idea made her heart ache horribly.

“I’ll send word once I’ve got it all worked out,” Liadan promised, wishing she was as sure about it all as she sounded. This was an act of desperation, borne from having no other choices that did not mean she would be running forever. She could only hope and pray it worked.

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

Cyra was frowning the whole time they were talking. “I don’t like this in the slightest, Liadan,” she said, sighing. “But if you believe that this is your best chance, I will do everything I can to help you. Gods, I hope this works out.” She moved to hug her friend.

“Thank you Cyra,” Liadan said with a sigh of relief, embracing her friend tightly. Truthfully she was terrified and uncertain, but she knew she had to try. “I hope it does as well. I am so tired of running, and looking over my shoulder all the time.”

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

“He leads the…” Cyra was trying to understand the situation but was failing. “I don’t know, Liadan, I really…” She bit her lip, thinking. “You know I will do whatever I can to help you. And if this is the path you want to take, I am here for you. Just… what are you going to do after my men pretend kill you?”

“I will stay hidden until they have gone, and then ... carry on, I suppose. Perhaps I will need to change jobs, or go by a different name, but I am already pretending to be human so I don’t see that makes much difference,” Liadan said with a shrug. “If they report that I am dead, the Baron has no need to send anyone else after me, and no one in Camelot has any reason to pay any attention to me.”

[liadanymor]

Every time I see you, my heart skips a beat and I wish I could listen to your beautiful voice every day for the rest of my life. ~Your Secret Admirer

“That is ... very kind.” Liadan looked at the note, wondering who had written it, and if they would still feel the same if they knew the truth about her.

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

Cyra frowned. “And who is this Cederic you speak of? What does he have to do with all this?” she asked, trying to connect the dots. “Liadan, are you sure this is going to work? If you don’t manage to convince them… This is incredibly dangerous.”

“Cederic is the Reeve of Durham. He leads the men who were sent to capture me, but when I told him my side of things he agreed to help me.” Liadan gave a slightly helpless shrug and shook her head. “No, I’m not sure. But what other option is there?” 

[liadanymor]

Dear Liadan, Your smile melts my heart. Sincerely, Your secret admirer.

“My ... smile?” Liadan repeated quietly to herself, feeling a blush stain her cheeks. It was a sweet thing to receive, and she couldn’t help wondering who had sent it. A face came to mind but . . . would he? She wasn’t sure, but the possibility made her heart race.

[liadanymor]

The truth will out | Cederic and Líadan

[liadanymor]

reeveofdurham‌:

“Leave me a note with the barmaid in the inn I am staying in,” he advised. “That should be safe enough. If anyone can be considered safe in this case.” Cederic paused, thinking. “I really hope this works. For your sake. You’ve been through enough, I feel like I should apologise for some of it, at least.”

Líadan was quiet for a moment, glancing up at him and back down again. A slight frown appeared in her brow. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault, and in many ways it wasn’t, and yet only a short while she had been terrified of what he might to do her. “You were trying to do what you thought was right,” she said finally. She didn’t like what he had done, but she understood it. “... but thank you for the apology.”

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

Cyra blinked. “Excuse me? You want to make it look like someone killed you? How exactly would that work? That sounds incredibly dangerous, Liadan,” she shook her head, biting on her lip while she was thinking. Surely there must be another solution.

“I know,” Liadan heaved a sigh, chewing nervously on her lip. She wasn’t happy about it, and the more she thought about it the more foolish it seemed - and yet, what other choice did she have? “I think . . . I’d have to arrange for Cederic to bring his men somewhere to arrest me and when they get there, stage something with one of your guards. If we can make it look like he’s run me through, then I can weave a song to make Cederic’s men believe it’s true. Then they will go back to Durham and tell the baron that I’m dead.”

[liadanymor]

The truth will out | Cederic and Líadan

[liadanymor]

reeveofdurham‌:

He remained facing the other way until he was fairly sure she was dressed. “I would offer to walk you home but it probably wouldn’t be wise to draw too much attention to us spending time together. I suggest we split at the edge of the forest.” He sounded almost apologetic.

“Oh ... yes, of course. That’s ... smart,” Líadan said, nodding, ignoring the pangs of something like disappointment that went through her. Straightening her dress, she threw her cloak back around her shoulders and then lightly touched his arm to let him know she was ready. “I will speak to my friend. If she can help, how should I let you know?”

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

Cyra wanted to weep for her friend. It seemed like her situation was rather desperate. “I suppose you are right. Caging yourself, no matter how lovely the cage, is not the solution. But how do you want to make them believe you are dead? That is not just something one can do easily.” She frowned. Liadan’s situation was different to hers; could this really work?

“No, it’s not,” Liadan agreed with a sigh, running a hand through her hair. “Which is why I was hoping you might be able to help me - or one of your guards might. It would like some planning, but if we could make it look like one of your guards had caught and killed me and make sure Cederic’s men were watching, I could weave a song to make sure they really believe it.”

[liadanymor]

The truth will out | Cederic and Líadan

[liadanymor]

reeveofdurham‌:

Cederic was running out of ideas. “Well, let’s hope your… friends will be able to help,” he gave her an unsure smile. “We’ll figure something out.” It was an empty promise because he wasn’t quite sure what was there to do, but he would try his best to right the wrong that was done to her. It was his duty and he felt (at least partially) responsible.

“They will ... I’m sure they will,” Líadan said, with more confidence than she really felt. Her legs had more or less separated now, so she slowly pushed herself up to her feet, wobbling only a little. She turned to Cederic, inexplicably warmed by his saying ‘we’, the quiet reassurance that they were in this together now. “Thank you.”

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

Cyra listened to her friend’s words carefully, her expression changing from angry to terrified to surprised over time. “Dead?” she repeated with a hint of doubt in her voice. She knew how it felt to be considered dead for a long time only to be discovered by the wrong kind of people when you least expect it. “Not that is an absolute nonsense. There has to be another way. Liadan, this is all terrible, you have to go to Fairyland to live with my people. You would be safe there, please,” she insisted.

Liadan nodded. “If they believe I’m dead, they’ll go back and report it to the Baron - he’ll have no reason to send anyone else out looking and so long as I stay away from Durham, he’ll never know the truth.” She bit her lip at Cyra’s vehement opposal. Ever since her conversation with Cederic she had been going back and forth in her mind about what to do, and her friend’s reaction just made her doubt herself even more. “I did consider that. But then I could never leave ... it would just be trapping myself in a different way. And what if they picked up my trail and followed me there?”

[liadanymor]

theatlanteanprincess‌:

Liadan’s behaviour made Cyra slightly concerned. “Of course, of course,” she nodded quickly, following after her friend into the house. “Liadan, you worry me. Tell me how can I help you?” she insisted.

Liadan led Cyra inside and gestured for her to sit while she found some leftover sweet cakes from the bakery and a drink to offer her. The ritual act of hospitality gave her some more time to think and try and work out how she was going to explain.

“Do you remember I told you there were men from Durham here?” she started finally, sitting down, distractedly playing with the cup in her hands as she spoke. Frowning slightly she told Cyra about everything that had happened since they had last spoken - about being caught, about Cederic letting her go, and then seeking her out afterwards for answers. “He said he believes me and wants to help, but he thinks the only way I can be safe is if I make his men believe that I’m dead.”