by Hannah Reed
“Hey, no fair!” Kayla said, but she still made it into the orb first.
“What is going on in here?” Freya said from the doorway. April turned around slowly.
“April made us a seaweed den,” Kayla said excitedly swimming over to her Mum. Freya grabbed her in mid-sea and placed her on her hip fins. She stared at April until she averted her gaze.
“It was just for fun,” April said avoiding looking at her Mum. Freya sighed and swam over to her daughter.
“April one day you will be the ruler of the seven seas. You can’t wield your pearl powers for fun. You have a responsibility to learn control and use your powers to help merkind.”
April looked up at her Mum. “But I am in control.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am,” April glowered at her Mum.
“Then why are you glowing, and the seaweed still moving?” Freya said eyeing the seaweed behind April.
April turned around quickly and looked up at the seaweed. She closed her eyes and tried to stop the green glow. Concentrating hard she focused on the Assurgere energy absorbing back into her.
“April!” Freya said her voice rising. The seaweed tendrils were starting to expand at an alarming rate.
“I’m trying,” April said, her eyes wide as she looked at the mass in front of her. “Stop pressuring me.”
“Kayla swim out of here,” Freya said releasing her. Kayla looked from her mum to her sister and then sped out the room weaving through the seaweed. Freya swam up to April and placed her hands on her shoulders. She tried not to look at the ever-growing seaweed mass around her.
“Listen to me April, you can do this,” Freya said staring into April’s eyes. April nodded. Tears were starting to spill down her cheeks. She looked down at her hands and focused her energy. The glowing dimmed. She strained against her powers and the seaweed stopped writhing. April closed her eyes and the seaweed unravelled. Freya hesitated for a moment before straightening up to her full height. April looked up at her Mum with a small smile until April saw how her Mum was floating.
“You almost destroyed the lounge, you put your sister in danger and you lost control.”
“But, I stopped it, we were just having fun,” April said throwing her arms down.
“April, you never stop and think about your actions,” Freya said. She swam around in a tight circle. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
April floated in the middle of the room watching her Mum. Freya sighed and swam away leaving April alone with her withered kelp creation.
It wasn’t so much the telling off that left April deflated it was the truth behind her Mum’s words. She couldn’t help it; her emotions ruled her powers. April swam over to the seaweed while clasping her still glowing Assurgere pearl. Through her fingers she could still see its green light. Closing her eyes April slowly breathed in and out and imagined the seaweed gently unfurling and returning to its pots. With her final exhale, she opened her eyes to see that order had returned to the lounge.
~
April idled in the dining room of the Pinkouinos Palace. The waters were cold in the Kara Sea so April was wrapped up snugly in a thick jumper. This palace was an odd assortment of extensions all jumbled together to create the Royal Palace in the sixth sea. It was a quiet place so April presumed that the royals before her entertained themselves by remodelling and adding extra wings to combat sheer boredom. Right now, her own boredom led her to practice her sculpture making. Inspired by the myth of Circe she lazily waved her hand and froze another sheet of water above her. Her whole body glowed white with Factus energy as she wielded her powers to move different ice sculptures around the room. The Great Pearl floating above flickered with Factus energy in response to April’s wielding. She was getting quite good if she did say so herself. It calmed her to be in the presence of one of the seven Great Pearls. They made her powers feel more manageable. The size of a large sea turtle, the Great Pearl’s presence was undeniable.
“Princess April. Your Mother is coming,” one of the palace maids informed her quickly before swimming off.
“Thank you!” April called. She hurriedly started melting the figurines she had created. Focusing on her Factus energy she raised the temperature in the room. The ice sculptures of humpback whales, tiny krill and giant Emperor penguins melted back into the ocean. Just in time the room was back to its boring stately self and April stopped glowing white with Factus energy. April floated down and settled back into one of the large grey dining chairs. She leant forward and grabbed the book she was supposed to be studying and opened it to a random page.
“April,” Freya said, her voice sounding flustered as she swam into the dining room. “There you are.”
“Here I am,” April said. She casually turned over to the next page. Freya swam to April’s side of the table and placed her hands on her hip fins.
“Why aren’t you in class with your sister?” Freya asked dryly.
“Because I’m studying in here.”
“You won’t be able to do this at boarding school April,” Freya said. She pulled out a chair and perched in front of her daughter. Freya clasped her hands on top of her bent tail.
“I wish you would take your studies seriously. You have a lot to learn.”
“I do take my studies seriously. I have A’s in all my subjects. I have an A in Oceanography, Linguistics, Pearl Metaphysics, I even have an A in Pinkouinos which is a dying language in my opinion.”
“I meant your pearl wielding classes,” Freya said eyeing her daughter sternly.
April sat up and thrust her book down. “What’s the point in them? You’d rather I never even used my powers.”
“To learn control,” Freya said sitting upright.
“I am in control,” April shouted. But, as she raised her voice her whole body started to glow.
“Then why is the Great Pearl pulsating?” Freya said. She looked upwards and April’s eyes followed her gaze.
April took in a deep breath and tried not to let her Mum get to her. She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on her breath. The Great Pearl stopped pulsating and resumed its steady white glow of Factus energy.
“I want you to use your powers only when you have learnt control.”
April scowled. She swam up and headed for the door.
“You could be so talented April. If only you learnt to control your powers.”
“How can I learn to control them if I’m never supposed to use them?” April shouted as she swam out the door.
Freya was left alone in the room. She tapped on her Iris pad to call Lorelai. Only two more weeks and April would be at boarding school.
CHAPTER 1
5 years later
Queen Freya turned the final page of the Peace Treaty. For years Nathaniel had been working to broker peace between mer and humans. Finally, it was coming to fruition. She picked the document up from her desk in the library and swam to her husband’s study. She knocked lightly on the door before swimming in. Nathaniel sat at his desk reviewing his speech for the ceremony next week.
“It’s finished,” Freya said with a trace of giddiness in her voice.
“Finally,” Nathaniel said and rushed forward to hug his wife. He spun her round in the water their tails entwining for a moment. Emerald green and navy blue shimmered across the smooth stone floor.
“You’ve done it.”
“We’ve done it,” Nathaniel corrected. “After all these years, we will have peace at last.” He released his wife and they floated in the water. Freya wielded her Factus powers and sent the document to her husband’s desk with a flourish. Nathaniel raised his eyebrows in mock horror.
“I can use my powers frivolously if I want to,” Freya said smiling coyly. “How is the speech going?”
“I want it to be perfect.”
Freya swam over to the desk and skimmed the first few paragraphs of her husband’s speech. It hadn’t changed much since she last read it. A few phras
es had been added, a couple of words strengthened, but otherwise, it was the same.
“April returns from boarding school tonight,” Nathaniel stated floating behind his wife.
“…Yes.”
“As it’s the end of her exams I thought we could have a little celebration.”
“Like a party?” Freya asked without bothering to look up from the document. Nathaniel noticed his wife’s slender shoulders stiffen.
“Yes, she deserves it after her hard work.”
“I don’t think that it is appropriate. We should be concentrating on the treaty Nathaniel.”
“I haven’t planned anything yet,” Nathaniel said. He tried to find the excitement that was in his wife’s eyes a moment before. But, it was gone.
“Good,” Freya said her shoulders relaxing. “Maybe we can at a later date. But for now, there is simply too much to finalise.”
Nathaniel paused looking at his wife’s back and opened his mouth to try again.
“Have the legged confirmed that their blockade on the Chukchi Sea is over?” Freya asked without looking up. Legged was the slang word mer used for humans.
Nathaniel sighed, “Yes, first thing this morning.”
The Peace Treaty was undoing years of hatred. It was not easy but slowly; step-by-step everything was coming back together again.
“Remind me to ask April to look after the weather,” Nathaniel said, rubbing his forehead.
“Are you sure? What about Shaman Tate?” Freya asked, quickly swimming over to the other side of the room.
“Shaman Tate is already busy making sure everyone is relaxed with her Curo powers.”
“I suppose the weather is simple enough,” Freya said abruptly turning around.
“Freya, she is more than capable.”
Not for the first time, Nathaniel wondered if there was truth in April’s insistence that her Mother didn’t like her. Freya was always so austere whenever their eldest daughter was concerned. But, that was his wife. She followed her head over her heart in all matters.
“I have arranged for the Jet Stream to take us to the Summerland Palace on Friday,” Freya said as they glided through the corridor. The royal family were currently based in the underwater Hanarian palace. Each sea had at least one underwater palace and a corresponding land palace. The Summerland Palace was positioned just off the Bahamas not far from where the Treaty would be signed on the Otter Cliffs.
“Good morning,” Nathaniel said to a group of passing squid wielding his Communico pearl without thinking to slip into Cephalopodlian. A slight red glow was the only evidence he was using his powers.
“Morning your Majesty,” they responded in unison.
“Excellent Freya,” Nathaniel said in English once more. “I feel like something big is about to happen. I can feel the pearls stirring.”
“Well, something big is about to happen. You’re about to broker peace with the legged. This day will go down in history,” Freya said a smile on her lips. Nathaniel murmured inaudibly in response.
The mer stewards glowed white with their Factus energy as they swung the dining room doors open for the King and Queen. The dining room was one of the oldest settlements in the seven seas. It was a simple room with a large circular table in the centre. Directly above the table floated one of the seven original Great Pearls.
“Nate, it’s black,” Freya said as she swam into the dining room and floated stock still staring at the Great Pearl.
“The Tenebrasco energy,” Nathaniel said swimming up to it. He touched it and his own Tenebrasco pearl glowed in response. “I can’t remember the last time this happened.”
“I much prefer when it is Factus or Curo, white and blue go so much better with our décor in Hanaria,” Freya said lightly. She lowered her gaze from the pearl and sat at the table.
“I’ll be sure to tell the pearls that,” he said, but quietly enough so Freya wouldn’t hear.
The two royals sat down to their breakfast. Nathaniel spread his speech papers out in front of him. There was only a week to go until the Peace Treaty and he needed to concentrate but his eyes kept on flickering up to the Great Pearl.
“Nate,” Freya said sharply.
“Yes,” Nathaniel said shaking his head and bringing his gaze back to his wife.
“You’ve been staring at the Great Pearl for the past seven minutes.”
“Seven minutes,” Nathaniel laughed. “Were you timing me?”
Freya rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her documents.
“Can you remember any of the Great Pearls ever glowing with Tenebrasco energy?” Nathaniel asked.
Freya looked up slowly and placed her pen down on the table.
“I don’t pay attention to the moods of the pearls,” she said. “But no.”
“Neither can I,” Nathaniel said ignoring Freya’s tone. “Maybe I should look back through the Great Pearls’ history.”
Freya rolled her eyes and resumed eating her breakfast.
~
Two weeks later
“Help! Come over now Setha, I have no idea what to do with these things.”
“It can’t be that bad April, they’re just clothes.”
“These aren’t clothes, I can’t make head or tail of it. I’m starting to regret dismissing Mum’s advice.”
Setha made an inelegant harrumph, “What do you need a dresser for when you have me!”
“Thank you so much.”
“I’ll dive round now,” Setha said.
“See you soon,” April smiled as she heard the tap of Setha’s Iris pad disconnecting.
Sitting on her bed April went through her checklist of everything she needed to remember for the Peace Treaty. The names of all the legged dignitaries drifted through her mind, the order of ceremony, the correct bow for the different legged royals... She was bored with the treaty though and her legged bed was too comfortable for concentrating. Her palace beds were always a novelty compared to her bed at boarding school.
A soft summer breeze blew through her open balcony doors. It lifted her golden hair from her shoulders and dropped it down again in time with her sigh. This was another novelty of being on the surface. A cool breeze was something she missed under the sea. April shivered and surveyed the lavishly wrapped perfumed box she had just torn into. She had thought it was a present from her Dad, a little good luck something for the evening ahead; or a bribe from her Mum to remind her to be on her best behaviour and to follow her instructions. She read again the gift tag that was attached to the box.
‘Dear Princess April,
Please accept this outfit as a welcome present from our nation. I look forward to meeting you tonight,
President Darius.’
The friendly tone made April shudder involuntarily.
She started rifling through the box once more. She lifted out an ornate bracelet and fastened it around her wrist. The navy gems matched the ones surrounding the Tempus pearl on her necklace. Next, she took out the perfume, sprayed some on her wrist and inhaled deeply. She was surprised at its light floral fragrance. April held the dress at arm’s length. She couldn’t work out which way was up. It was exquisite with lots of fabric in complimentary shades of blue with the occasional flash of silvery pink. But if she couldn’t figure out all the straps and loops it would be useless. April flicked her long hair behind her shoulders and walked away from the mess.
April walked barefoot onto the balcony and leant on the cool stone ledge and looked out to the open sea. The sun was still high in the sky and it made the rippling sea glisten a sharp blue. Her blue eyes reflected back the colour of the sea and her hair shimmered with the light of the sun. It was breath-taking to see her home from above. She felt an overwhelming desire to dive off the balcony and hide in her favourite coral cove for the evening.
The Summerland Palace stood proudly on a private island in the Pacific Ocean. It was made out of creamy bricks with pale brown and red spirals dancing over the bricks’ surface. In c
omparison to the Hanarian Palace in these waters, the Summerland Palace was rather bulky. But, the squat structure strangely made April feel safe. Her bedroom looked out onto the back of the castle. From her balcony, she looked onto a stretch of garden, then golden sand, and after that all she could see for miles around was the sea. The view made her ache to be back in the water.
For now though, she had to behave like an ordinary legged. She reached up and held onto her pearl necklace for comfort. Her Mum had all but banned her from wielding her powers during the Peace Treaty weekend. Apparently, it would appear ‘rude and insensitive’. April could feel her powers building within her, itching to be free. She could expend some energy at least ensuring clear skies and sunshine, but that was the forecast today anyway. If she wasn’t careful she would be glowing for the entire weekend.
Control, April thought wryly, was not her strong suit. Although April could tell her Dad was happy to have her for support, her Mum would prefer that Kayla was the daughter to represent the family. Unfortunately, April would have to do. With one final longing glance at the sea, April pushed off from her balcony and walked back into her room. She slipped on the heels President May had sent. Bending down to tie them up she determined to master them before Setha arrived.
April took a tentative step forward. If she were to face the legged without the support of her sister, she would do it without falling over. She placed both feet together and tried to not look down as she took another step forward. Standing seemed to be okay, it was moving that was the problem. Distracting her for a moment she saw her Iris pad glow, tapping the Iris pad she read the message, ‘First dance, centre of the floor, see you there.’
“Eurghhh,” April fell backwards onto her bed, she had forgotten about the dance aspect of the evening. Never before had an item of clothing caused her so much annoyance. At this moment Setha opened the door and raised her eyebrows at the spectacle before her.
CHAPTER 2
“Go on then, throw the disaster at me,” Setha chuckled. Without looking over at her, April threw the contents of the box in the general direction of the door.
“Having a hard day are we?” Setha smirked at her best friend. She leant down and picked up the crumpled mess from the floor. She walked over to the mirror and shook the dress out in front of her. Shaking her curly hair, she turned the garment around trying to decide which was the top or bottom. She could see that it was intricately made and without a doubt incredibly expensive. But, none of that would matter if they couldn’t work out how April was supposed to wear it.