Spellman exited the throne room, leaving Melody alone with Nox who was grinding his teeth with such ferocity, Melody wished her scales were reflective so she could disappear into the throne seat.
Disorientated, she shut her eyes, the haunting silence of the throne room made eerier by the tap, tap, tapping of Nox’s foot.
Questions circled her head: what had just transpired between those two? Was this what love looked like? According to Nilsson, it was.
She pinched the bridge of her nose: if this was love, it was horrifying.
The nice mermaid back home had spoken of love as this dangerous beauty – it started wars, ended them, caused grief, happiness, brought people together, and tore them apart, made them feel seen, and made them feel invisible. The nice mermaid had made love sound exciting.
She crossed her arms: Spellman and Nox sucked the fun out of everything.
‘You wished to see me, Your Majesty,’ said Nox, his tone curt.
‘Did I?’ She raised a brow, doubtfully. She had never requested the presence of Nox or Spellman: they had a habit of seeking her out instead – specifically when she had been trying to avoid them.
‘According to Nilsson, yes.’
Nilsson? She blinked, scratching her brain for an explanation. What could he have possibly wanted her to discuss with Nox? She recalled their argument yesterday over Nox’s decision to not inform the humans of her rare condition: that she couldn’t control her siren singing.
Was it about that? But Nilsson had strongly implied that Nox was merely protecting her. That the public would have had her dethroned if they had known. But Nox didn’t seem like someone who had noble intentions.
Perhaps she did wish to hear him state his reasons.
‘If Nilsson is indeed mistaken,’ continued Nox. ‘Humans at his ripe old age can get a bit confused – you know the brain starts to deteriorate –’
‘No, Nilsson is right,’ Melody cut in. Letting Nox witter any longer was like waiting for the blue-ringed octopus to inject its venom with its beak. One just didn’t. ‘I wanted to know why you never informed the humans of my condition.’
‘You’re the Queen, Your Majesty. And I’m the Lord Chamberlain. It’s my job to ensure the public are never exposed to your weaknesses.’
‘My weaknesses?’ Was the plural intentional?
‘Yes, Your Majesty. Your weaknesses.’ Nox let the last word linger on his toxic tongue. ‘Oh, and that liberal human immigrant you’ve hired as your confidant. It’s best he doesn’t know about your little…situation.’
Did he just call her condition a situation?
‘Oh, but you’ve already told him, haven’t you.’ Condescension oozed from his nocuous tone, congealing her muscles. ‘Don’t make that a habit. He may be your confidant, but he is not your ally.’
At least he didn’t want her throne. ‘How do you know I’ve told him?’
‘Word gets around,’ said Nox, lips bending into an ominous sneer – the sort that reminded her of a piranha baring its teeth.
Melody’s scales withered in disquietude, as he left her alone to brood.
Weaknesses, she grunted to herself. Was that the consensus of the court? That she was a walking-talking monarch of ineptitude who needed to be micromanaged?
And who had been reef-dropping in on her conversations with Diego?
Fatigue crushed her limbs, and she sank into her throne seat. It was clear as fresh sea water, that she had more enemies than friends at this court.
Nobody trusted her, nor did she trust any of them.
Yes, but who could that person be? The nice mermaid had been so confident she’d find this person. But she had also been adamant that ruling this country was her destiny.
If that were the case, then why did she feel like a fish out of water?
The power's back on!!! Finally!!
here's a lil somethin I whipped up earlier today.. thank goodness the hurricane didn't do TOOOOOOO much damage here. Hooray!
Since Melody's the heroine in The Tides of Power, I'll be doing her.
Answers to the questions under the cut:
General
Name: Melody Christian Andersen
Alias: Her Majesty The Queen of Simsland
Gender + Pronouns: Fish (She/Her)
Age: 50 – yes, she’s a young a siren.
Spoken Language(s): Siren: a form of Ancient Greek, which is sung | Toki Sulani, her mother tongue, as she was raised on The Island of Stories (Aka Sulani) | Simlish | English – she was told she had to learn it because it’s the “lingua franca”, but nobody told her why. | Some Old Norse – the aristocracy in Windenburg speaks this language. They see it as a status symbol. Unfortunately, Melody really struggles to get the hang of it.
Sexual Orientation: She’s queer because she’s not just attracted to fish.
Occupation: Queen of Simsland.
Favourite
Colour: Purple.
Entertainment: Besides swimming and running, she enjoys locating plants with prickles in her garden.
Drink: Sea water.
Pastime: Searching for sea snails to add to her underwater garden, and getting an earful from The Chief, who insisted she didn’t need any more pets, and couldn’t she collect something else – like thingy-ma-bobs and dingle-hoppers, like her mum?
Food: Fruit – all kinds of fruit. She has a sweet tooth. But she particularly loves pineapples.
Have they…
Passed University: Never been. Melody was tutored by The Mermaid Chief. And is currently learning about humanity from her grumpy #ownvoices confidant – with rather attractive chest prickles!
Had Sex: No. Sirens kill their mating partners, which has pretty much put Melody off the idea. Too much blood.
Had sex in Public: Melody’s confused. Where else would a fish have sex?
Got Tattoos: No, but she has scales.
Got Scarred: Many invisible ones.
Had a Broken Heart: Yes. She tries not to let it get to her. But her mother’s amnesia feels like a thousand jellyfish stings every time their eyes meet – like she’s looking at a peculiar stranger. And it makes Melody feel…erased.
Are They…
A Cuddler: Not really. But how does it feel to cuddle a chest of prickles? That’s a question Melody ponders from time-to-time.
Jealous Easily: No. Melody was taught that envy is a wasted emotion – better to focus on her own life than compare it to someone else’s. Otherwise, it might slip by without her even noticing.
Trustworthy: Melody likes to think of herself as trustworthy. Unfortunately, not many people agree – the sirens at home say she chickens out at the sight of gore, the mermaids claim no siren can be trusted, and the palace court insists she can’t be trusted to understand anything at all. Only two people would vouch for her: the Mermaid Chief and her senior advisor, Jarl Lars Nilsson.
Family
Siblings: She has one younger half-brother; the late His Majesty King of Simsland, Alex Alfonso Villareal-Cruz.
Parents: The Little Mermaid, Arielle, and Eirik the Viking.
Children: The Mermaid Chief foresees two kids in Melody’s lifeline. With whom? She won’t say. Melody hopes he’s got prickles.
Pets: Besides her sea snails, which she had to leave at home, she does have a pet unicorn who no one can see, but nobody believes her.
I'll be tagging @damseljamsel @moodycowplant @freezerbnuuy @simohgi @kinwoven @tavvles
I saw the Shelly Hair by @xxblacksims and HAD to create an alpha version of Iosefina. Unfortunately I seem to have lost the cc for her freckles, so these are to substitute while I find them again.
