On a typical morning, the marble thrown rom smelled like salt water and blood. That warm, comforting scent of the sea mixed with the metallic tang of blood as you carefully stole scales off of your obedient husband.
Ever since you sealed Leith’s voice, he had been avoiding you. Rarely did he even come to the surface anymore. Choosing to spend more and more time underwater in the stream that cut through the halls. Or out in the garden where it pooled. There had even been a few times guards had informed you that the MerKing had gone back to the sea for the day to “handle affairs”. He had never done that without telling you himself before.
Guilt churned your stomach in a way that you hadn’t expected. Leith was your husband, but it wasn’t as though you cared for him. This was an arranged marriage. An agreement to bring peace between two countries that could have possibly wiped each other out if a war started.
Starvation for the merfolk. Drowning for the humans.
Eidhneán was the one you loved. You had to focus on fixing things with him before worrying about the feelings of your on paper husband. Right?
“Where is the fish? Pouting because you invited me for dinner?” the elf laughed. A sound that you used to love, but was starting to become more and more like nils on a chalk board.
“He’s not a fish,” you muttered quietly. Why would he go so far out of his way to insult Leith? He had never done anything to him.
“He has fins and lives in the water. You are splitting hairs, my Queen,” he teased, knowing your title usually made you flush and insist he didn’t need to. When you didn’t, his smile felt. There was a glint of… something in his eyes. “Y/N?”
“Sorry, I’m sorry, my love. I’m just a little worried. Leith doesn’t usually stay away this long,” you said, shaking your head, as if that could shake off the worry that had begun to climb up your spine.
“You’re really thinking of him when you’re with me?” he scoffed, setting down the wine glass he had been holding.
Your eyes snapped up to his. Dark green. Like the center of an ancient forest. Where the little light that manages to break the canopy dabbles the grass below in golden freckles.
“He is still a member of the royal family, and it’s not as though I loathe him,” you responded, wondering why you felt such a defensiveness.
A sneer touched his lips, making your stomach churn. “Hardly. His people are dying. He’s just a drain on your resources.”
“My resources? He gave my family enough gold to buy our previous land holdings ten times over,” you argued, confusion making your brows furrow.
“And now you can’t fish! You have to spend so much of that money on cattle and hogs when there are perfectly good fish just outside this castle. A plentiful amount,” Eidhneán argued. His long, elegant ears flicked back like a cat’s.
“That was the agreement,” you said, still looking at him with mounting confusion.
“It was a poor agreement and your parents are fools for agreeing!”
Silence snapped between he two of you. His pale face flushing slightly as he sat down. Picking up his wine glass and gulping down the rest of the rich liquid.
“I don’t recall ever asking for your opinion,” you finally said in a tone you had never used with him. A regal tone you tended to save for diplomatic meetings.
“What?” Eidhneán asked with a small exhale of disbelief.
“My parents and I agonized over this decision. I don’t recall you ever once being asked to weigh in,” you said, setting your jaw. Why was he being like this? Where was the sweet elf boy you had fallen in love with as a child?
“My Queen, your Husband wishes to see you,” a servant came to whisper in your ear.
Normally you would have waved it off. Telling him that Leith could wait. However, there was a knot in your stomach that clenched tighter each time you looked at Eidhneán, and in that moment, all you wanted was to be as far away from him as possible.
“Alright, tell him I’ll be there shortly,” you said as you dabbed the corners of your mouth with the pressed cloth you had folded into your lap.
“Wait, what? Y/N, we’re eating,” the elf argued as you stood up.
“You’re more than welcome to stay and finish your meal. I have other matters to attend to,” you said before turning to follow the servant to where Leith was waiting.
Moonlight streamed into the garden, illuminating the pool that the silver scaled and haired merman was laying in. His head rested on his arms, which were folded on the stone lining of the pond. Light eyes tracking your every moment. Lit up with surprise that you’re actually there.
“Hello,” you said softly as you came to a stop in front of him, gazing down at his water clad form.
For a moment, he seemed struck dumb, but then he began to speak in that borrowed voice you hated. Nothing like his own. A crude spell made by some poor merfolk to try to mimic his original voice so none would be the wiser about their King’s new disability.
“You actually came when I asked.”
“Yes,” you said, your throat bobbing as you swallowed.
“Was… was he not here?” the words were rough. Like dragging your hand across the sand.
“He was. We were eating dinner,” you said before crouching, bringing yourself more to his eye level. “What did you need?”
“You left him, during a meal, just because I called on you?” Leith asked, his light lie eyes wide as saucers. Little dagger teeth poking into view as his mouth remained slightly agape.
Before you could answer, he let out a shrill. You hardly heard him create sounds of joy, but he even chirped. The sound was enough to draw a laugh from you.
“Why are you acting like that? You called on me, and I came,” you said, your voice still full of mirth even after the laughter faded.
“Exactly. You came because I called,” he said as his lips stretched across his cheeks.
“This is the first time you’ve ever picked me over him,” he said. His eyes looking at you like you just placed the world in the center of his scaled palm.
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