Visible Concern.
“Calm your visible concerns,” the naga had said. Fuck! Visible? What had gotten into him? He showed nothing along his visage when it came to his outward emotions. Always one to keep them reigned in. Cool. Collected. Utterly disciplined. Those in the palace knew this. But Szallah not only could read people, the naga knew the oracle enough to know that he held concern for the Princess. His own affection might have been growling slightly for the woman, and that was certainly cause for apprehension. He was nobility, certainly, but he’d never be good enough for a royal, well he knew. Snarling at himself, he pushed out of the palace doors, his tail flicking hard to propel him up. Up. Far above the city before he paused, looking down toward it and letting his white irises take in its magnificence. Ever since the death of Chenelle, Queseon had remained closed and distant to everyone save his sister and A’aris. He used to have that care-free, playful attitude the mermaids adored. But now he was a simple husk of his former self. An empty shell with only a dulled soul that cried in pain to this day, though no one, not even A’aris knew of his nightmares. Just then, a darkened shadow loomed over Queseon and where he was idly swimming and instinctively he reached for his sword along his spine, pulling the heirloomed weapon into his hand as sudden flash back hit him square in the chest… Chenelle was fierce in her hunting abilities, one of the best. Nothing had ever stopped her, not ever. But when the hunter’s ship materialized over where the group of merfolk were meandering within the tides and swimming with the dolphins, a sense of panic over took them all. They were too close to the surface, having been spotted from a distance by the landwalkers. Being the guardian and huntress that Chenelle was, she ushered the others away from the surface tensions. She was the last one to dive… but it was too late. The harpoon hit its target, square in her back as her life force spewed outward and around her, the crude and jagged metal tip now protruding through her abdomen where their child was growing, something they planned to announce later that week. Queseon looked on in horror as her vibrant, lavender eyes dulled to lifeless orbs and the agonized scream of pain tore from his vocals. That was when A’aris came up behind him, wrapping both arms around his shocked body as he pulled his friend down and away from the carnage of the masacure above. Queseon blinked. His eyes wide as his fingers curled tightly along his sword, the memory coming back once more to haunt him as it seemed to do when triggered. He stared upward as the whale shark swam over the sun’s rays, blocking them out lazily while she moved along the currents. He stayed there stunned a moment, paralyzed by the recollection before he finally moved and replaced his sword. Queseon dove, his tail propelling him forward as fast as he possibly could toward the dark trenches. @mana-keeper @deepest-ocean @little-araebe @prince-of-merrai