Ocean Storm
One minute she was enjoying a picnic on the cliff side, eyeing the beautiful storm clouds above, and the next she was being tossed into the water by a jealous suitor after the prince’s hand. She could only imagine what the girl was doing now as she hit the water. Crying big fat tears and claiming that she had tripped.
Grace clung to the remaining air in her lungs as she clawed at the water, heeled feet kicking. One shoe fell off, but the other was determined to remain on her foot. Amazing, really. The things one should ignore in their plea for life.
Hands wrapped around her waist. For a moment, she foolishly wondered, How had the prince reached her already? He had a fear of water.
Air, sweet air. She was limp against her mysterious rescuer. She turned her head, but all she could see was faint blue. Definitely not the prince. The prince had expressed loudly in disgust that he hated blue. As if she had worn that dress for him. She was only there to win a bet against her sister.
She was set on a rock. It was then she got to see the person who saved her from a watery grave. A strange blue man with silver markings on his face, like the crescent moon in the sky, with a strange hat over one shoulder, fabric drenched and tattered. His lower half glowed faintly, and it clearly resembled a jellyfish.
“Beautiful.” She breathed. “I thought creatures of your kind were a myth.”
The strange mer narrowed his eyes. Then he ducked under the water.
She visited the cliff and the beach just under often after that in hopes of meeting that mer again. Her insistence paid off. For the remaining four months that she was there, she and Moon became fast friends. He teased her as she cooked the fish he brought her, and she teased him back with the very compliments that turned him a darker shade of blue rather than the red that humans turned. Theirs was a delightful friendship.
It was a shame it didn’t last long.
She didn’t see him for several years. It wasn’t until the ship flung her from its back in the midst of a storm that she had another opportunity.
She was sure she’d drown, thinking of the last time she nearly did. Her dress was heavier this time around, dragging her down quicker than before. It was almost lucky. She didn’t want to marry the man her father had chosen for her. This would be a better outcome for everyone, she thought as her eyes closed. Perhaps she should have fought more for her life, but for some reason there was an overwhelming peace.
Arms wrapped around her, bringing her chest to chest with a familiar creature. Her eyes opened to see glimpses of silver and blue. She smiled, though her lungs actively proclaimed their need for air.
Instead of directly taking her to the surface, they traveled under the warring waves. The speed forced her to curl around the mer for relief against the force.
They breached water in a cave. She looked around curiously, arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders. She didn’t inquire about why she had yet to be set down. She rather liked being held by him. She didn’t want to give him a reminder that perhaps she ought to be set down.
“Did you decorate this cave yourself?”
“Mm. Sunny helped.”
“Did he?”
She was set on a rock and felt rather disappointed.
“Of course. Would you like… to visit sometime?”
“I’d love to.” She watched as he lifted himself out of the water, bracing himself on subtly muscular arms. He curled around her back and rested his head on his folded, spotted arms. Various hues of blue decorated him like a calico cat.
“I missed you.” He muttered.
She scooted down the rock so she could lay against him. Her cheek pressed into his spin and her fingers interlaced with his. Strands of his less painful tail twined around one of her legs. “I missed you as well.”
“Why did you never visit?”
“My father forbade me. I tried, darling Moon, but every act of disobedience was caught long before I could reach the coast. It soon became that I wasn’t allowed to ride my horse any longer, or anywhere near the stables. My father has many servants that were paid well enough that they had no interest in listening to me any more, their dislike for their master outweighed by their desire for wealth. I cannot blame them, of course, but without them I would have been successful.”
“...Please don’t go back.”
She turned her head to press a chaste kiss against his spine. “What, and live here with you? I thought that was reserved for family or lovers.”
He rolled and caught her before she fell back into the water. He held her close, eyes wide. “You are family.”
A pout graced her lips for a split second. She had been hoping to fall into the other category. Perhaps with time she could change his mind. By family did he mean close or did he mean sister? There was no escaping that. She would have to beat her pining heart into submission, if that was the case.
“Family or not, you don’t have to persuade me.” She smirked. “My father won’t realize that I never arrived for several months. The mailing system is just… so finicky.”
A hopeful look gleamed in his ruby red eyes. “Truly?”
She glanced about the cave. “I might get antsy and need to explore a town or two for some days once in a while, but if you’re willing to serve my silly whims…”
He nuzzled her cheek, gently nipping at the damp skin. “Happy to do that, so very happy you want to stay.” When he did things like that, it was no wonder that her heart flipped and her silly little brain was convinced there was a chance of a miscommunication. That there was a chance he liked her.
