“Oh!” She spared a look at Cayson who grinned at her. She gave the merman her best smile as she turned back to him, trying to hide the fact she’d been daydreaming. “Yes? How can I help you?”
In his hands, he held a plain white box, the only adornment a simple blue bow on top. “Might I offer this gift for your future nuptials?”
Gifts? She hadn’t expected gifts. The joining ceremony would have plenty of those. With her mouth slightly open, she glanced at Cayson with the hope he knew how to handle this.
“Thank you, Gregory. You honor us with your gift.” Cayson’s tone came out regal, appreciative even. “Do you mind placing it on the table over there by the door?”
Both Gregory and Meriya turned to look at the table Cayson pointed out, which already held quite a few gifts.
“Yes, sir. It’s no trouble at all.” Gregory flicked his dull green fins and coasted over to the table to lay his box among the others.
“Cayson, why are people giving us gifts?” She struggled to pull her eyes away from the mound of gifts, turning to see Cayson watching her with narrowed eyes, like she was a fish on dry land. “Shouldn’t they wait until the joining ceremony?”
“You must have attended lower class engagement ceremonies. It is customary for those who are noble-born to receive gifts at both the engagement and joining ceremony.” His tone wasn’t patronizing, which surprised Meriya.
He brushed up against Meriya’s shoulders as he draped an arm around her, pulling her close. The adoring eyes of the crowd around them melted at the sight of them all cozied up together.
“Smile, Meriya. You’re going to live a long and happy life with me.” His lips dipped closer to her ear, brushing against the lobe, and causing a slight shudder of revulsion to ripple down her spine. “Let others see how happy you are. Your smile is more beautiful than the scowl you have right now.”
Meriya gasped. “Cayson? Are you giving me a compliment?” She lifted the corners of her mouth into a semblance of a smile, painting on an emotion she didn’t feel.
He chose to ignore her question. “Much better, my dear.” His lips pressed a soft kiss on her cheek and she could feel the smile on her skin before he pulled away to look at her.
Cayson had done more smiling around her in the past few weeks than she’d seen for the past few years in school. Once again, she questioned whether people could change. Could she be happy with him? She’d never want for anything. All of her needs and wants would be met, regardless of how absurd, all she had to do was give up on her dreams.
The King approached the dais, his lavender gaze sweeping over the two of them, lingering on Meriya a heartbeat longer than etiquette allowed before he turned to address the crowd.
Meriya wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she shook it off and gave him her undivided attention.
“Quiet down.” His voice soothed the people and the murmurs died down at once. His power was his voice, which each ruler before him possessed. He wielded it with respect to others and never misused it.
“People of Obsidia, it is my pleasure to announce the betrothal of Cayson Gillseth and Meriya Finley. Their union shall seal these two families together, forming unbreakable bonds, and bringing peace between them.” Murmuring broke out among the crowd and the King paused to let everyone settle down.
Most of the people in the kingdom knew the two families hadn’t always gotten along. Cayson’s bullying of Meriya in school was proof enough, but unease always existed between both sides.
The past swallowed up the truth, erasing it from the minds of those present, to the point that they forgot why they hated each other. This union would bind their families and ease the discomfort.
“To honor this upcoming union, we ask for you to take a seat. Eat, drink, and celebrate with the happy couple!” His voice rose at the end, the excitement bubbling up within him. He was as ecstatic to see these families united as everyone else was.
“But first the ceremony.” The king swept his arm toward them, beckoning Cayson and Meriya toward the center of the ballroom.
Cayson’s eyes darkened like the depths of the ocean floor, his hand extended. “May I?” The rest of his question implied. Giving a gentle nod, she placed her hand within his, the warmth of his palm spreading to hers, sending a fire up her arm.
Her stomach fluttered in response. She could do this. She could join with this man and be happy. His devilish grin as he pulled her to the dance floor set her heart to racing, from nerves or excitement, she wasn’t sure.
They stood in the center, a soft lilting melody starting up, floating through the water and washing a calm over everyone. He placed her hand on his shoulder and then placed his hands on her waist, guiding her through the rhythm of the music.
Fingers lightly frolicked along the skin of her waist, walking his arm around her back. Without warning, he hauled her body against his, his words whispering along her neck. “You look beautiful. I meant to tell you earlier.” Goosebumps spread over her shoulders and down her arms with a not unpleasant feeling.
“Th-thank you,” she stammered out, clinging to him.
Her mother pulled her hair up halfway earlier in the day, clipping it in place with clam shells. Tiny braids with sea glass beads ran through her hair with abandon. She also allowed Meriya to use her makeup for the first time. Squid ink lined her eyes, making the lavender pools pop, and her lips painted red with lip stain.
Cayson’s tail intertwined with hers, caressing her scales. Without notice, he dipped her. A light shriek of surprise escaped her. Delighted, she laughed as the world righted and they finished their dance.
Clapping broke out as Meriya caught her breath, staring at him in amazement. She’d been dreading this ceremony for so long she’d expected the worst. No amount of mental preparation could have prepared her for this side of Cayson.
A waiter approached presenting Cayson a black box on a tray. With one brow arched, she asked him without words what it contained. She didn’t wait long.
In a flourish of arms and grand gestures, Cayson bent his tail, lowering himself to the floor. He stretched out his arms, the box within his grasp, and slowly opened it until a simple ring from within was revealed.
Meriya inhaled along with the crowd.
“Meriya, I present to you a ring with which to bind ourselves. The humans above the surface have long held this tradition. It may not be our custom, but I wanted to do something a little different.”
The crowd gasped, and she could feel the shift in the water as everyone leaned forward to try and get a look. Fearful of the reaction of the people gathered around, she kept her eyes on the box in front of her. Cayson had broken custom and she wasn’t sure if there was a consequence.
She was speechless.
Nestled in the crushed black velvet of the box was a sterling silver ring. The setting held a heart-shaped moonstone, which was sacred to their people.
The moonstone was a symbol of the tides, ebbing and flowing above their kingdom. The stone represented the movement of the ocean and the cycle of life.
With the box still held high, he asked, “Meriya, will you marry me?”
Her breath hitched as a hand flew to her chest. This wasn’t a part of the ceremony. They were only supposed to perform the courtship dance. Afterward, everyone would celebrate by eating and drinking until they passed out from the sheer overload.
She was unprepared for the borage of emotions coursing through her. He took the time to plan this out, something special, just for her. The memories of him taunting her, calling her names, and ridiculing her intellect faded for a moment.
Right here, right now, he won her over.
She could never forget the cruelty he’d dealt her in the past, but perhaps she could forgive, move forward, and start a new chapter with him.
“Yes,” she proclaimed, tears blurring her vision. Not sorrowful tears, but tears of elation.
He gathered her into his arms, holding tight. A distant roar pulsed in the background
, her focus solely on the merman in her arms. Every person in that room vanished in that moment.
From over his shoulder, Meriya peered at Cayson’s father and noted the smug look of satisfaction on his face.
“I’ll do my best to make you happy.” As if reading her mind, he made her a promise. “I plan to right all of the wrongs I have done to you.”
Cayson released her from his death grip and plucked the ring from its velvety cage, grabbing her left hand in his. He positioned the ring at the tip of her ring finger and slid it on.
“It’s gorgeous,” Meriya gushed. She moved into the light, watching how the silver sparkled and the moonstone gleamed.
“I went to great lengths to obtain this ring for you,” he bragged, wrapping an arm around her waist, and leaning in. “Human bobbles aren’t easy to come by these days.”
Words failed her, the only response she was able to muster was, “Yeah?”
“Yes.” He reached his free hand out and straightened the ring on her finger. “Humans wear it on this finger. The ring is supposed to be a symbol of their love, devotion, and fidelity toward one another.”
Her mom broke through the throng of people, almost slamming into Meriya in her haste. “Meriya! Let me see it!” Without waiting for her consent, her mom snatched her hand away from Cayson, glowering with jealousy as she eyed the ring on her finger.
Her lips smashed together into a thin line, but she managed to lift the corners into a slight, forced smile. “It’s magnificent.”
Not quite sure how to take her mother’s mood, she tilted her head in thanks. She didn’t trust herself to speak right now, afraid she’d cause a scene.
Her mother forced her into this, going on and on about how much better her life would be; how she’d have all she ever wanted. She began to see her mother wanted to live vicariously through her. She didn’t want her daughter to have it all, she wanted to have it all, and her daughter was a means to that achievement.
Cayson sensed the tension between the two and placed a light hand on Meriya’s elbow, guiding her away as he politely excused them from her mother. “Thank you, Mrs. Finley. I hope you enjoy the evening’s feast.”
Steering her back to the dais, they ascended, taking their place in the beautifully chiseled chairs. The music picked back up, a festive tune this time, and merfolk milled about decked out in finery while others took to their seats to await the food.
The wait didn’t last as servers with food-laden trays crisscrossed between the tables to lay out their fare. Meriya felt mesmerized by how orchestrated the chaos appeared.
She caught glimpses of the king eyeing her, his lavender eyes so much like her own. His mouth turned up into a smile when she looked his way, but the sadness never left his eyes. She knew his smile was forced because it looked exactly like hers when she checked herself in the mirror this morning. The king and queen never had a child. Perhaps he mourned the absence of parenthood.
Cayson and she ate, danced, and talked. With each passing hour, she grew closer to him, her heart relinquishing whatever hate it may have harbored for the merman.
10
The celebration felt like a fading dream a week later, but the ring weighing on her hand proved otherwise. Meriya sat in class, twisting the beautiful addition around her finger, waiting to find out their final assignments and their test scores for their magical aptitude survey they performed last week. She didn’t manage to perform a single piece of magic since the incident with Mrs. Coralene. Her only skill was intelligence and perhaps singing, but that didn’t help her find her place in society.
The teacher chose to have class outside where large stones scattered across the sand. They made excellent places to sit or lay, smoothed by time and currents.
“I have all of your assessments back. We’ll go ahead and get those out of the way. I want to make sure you all get your results, so you can start brainstorming ideas for your final assignment.” Mrs. Coralene hugged a book to her chest as she drifted into a sitting position on a rock positioned in front of the whole class.
“One by one, you’ll come up and go over the results, then tomorrow you’ll present me with your idea. Make sure you choose something in the field for your future career. Helena, you’re up first.”
Meriya had the perfect idea for her last assignment. Mrs. Coralene might not be too keen on it though. Daydreaming, her mind envisioned the argument and the key points she’d have to make. What if she could change the way they lived, how homes were built. Her heart raced, the future looking brighter despite her lack of magical skill.
“Ms. Finley,” came a harsh voice. She blinked, noticing she was the center of attention, every eye in the area zeroed in on her lack of response. How long had Mrs. Coralene been calling her name? “Any day now, Ms. Finley. Come up and talk with me about your assessment.”
An opportunity of a lifetime, that’s what she’d call it. After talking with Mrs. Coralene and presenting her case, the teacher showed no surprise. Meriya ticked off each reason on a finger and the teacher finally agreed to let her do her final assignment on something she’d been curious about her whole life: the volcanos near their kingdom, which still spewed molten hot liquid in slow languid, orange ribbons.
Her assessment came back incomplete, but she tried not to let it phase her. Her teacher scheduled her to start a magical internship with one of the female guards the following week.
Mrs. Coralene was optimistic about the outcome and readily agreed to her assignment choice. If Meriya did possess water magic, then she could very well become an architect, helping to build and shape the kingdom into something grand.
The volcanos gave them the obsidian their kingdom needed to build the palace and other homes. Not all of the homes were built from it, though. Her house was constructed from dead coral, shells, and other rocks. Not the lap of luxury at all.
Meriya woke up early the next morning, gathering a bag with the tools she needed, and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading out the door.
The volcanos butted up against the edge of the village and beyond the volcanos was a huge drop off where no one ventured. Her tail flicked in measured strides, taking her closer and closer to the living furnaces. The temperature in the water rose the closer she swam.
She fumbled with a particular item in her bag. Within her hand she held a strange stick. Her teacher told her the stick was a device the humans used to tell how hot or cold something was.
The red liquid located in the center of the clear stick slowly crept up higher. She mentally made note of it, knowing she’d have to give a full oral report on her findings. These volcanoes hadn’t erupted in her lifetime. She needed to ask her teacher when the last activity was.
Approaching the smallest one, she surveyed its peak and hillsides. Nothing hot leaked from its wide opening. This volcano was dormant.
She pressed her finger against the side, worried the surface might be hot, but found it cool to the touch. Two more craggy monstrosities lined up directly behind this smaller one. From the middle one she could see a yellowish orange glow emanating from the hard, cooled cracks within its surface.
When she moved around the smaller one to inspect the medium sized volcano behind it, she found a thick trail of the molten lava running a river down the backside. As the liquid neared the bottom and cooled from the water around it, it froze in place, starting to form a hard, black layer of porous rock on top.
Pushing the human’s stick near the new formation, she watched the red rise higher. She quickly pulled her hand away, yelping in surprise. The liquid put off more heat than she thought it would.
No plants grew around the three mounds, not that she could tell. She made other observations and stored all of the information for her presentation later. Perusing the volcanos excited her as much as looking at the shipwrecks near the island.
Meriya loved the mystery of the unknown.
“This is going to make a great presentation!” She encouraged herself as she went to the ta
sk of pulling her hair back to get it off her neck.
“Whoa!” Vibrations in the water startled her, causing the stick to slip out of her fingers. The stick drifted toward the hot liquid surface, melting on contact. “Mrs. Coralene is going to kill me.” She dreaded tomorrow’s conversation already.
She slowly backed away, unsure of what happened, when another vibration shook the water. The molten hot river leaking from the middle volcano picked up its pace, more bright orange lava disgorged from the opening.
“Oh boy. I think it’s time to leave.” She needed to get out of there. Were the vibrations a regular occurrence or was she in danger? No need to stick around to find out. She turned to swim back toward home, lamenting the fact she wouldn’t be able to return her teacher’s human artifact.
Meriya decided to come back another day and if she couldn’t, she hoped she had enough information to pass her assignment.
Before she could get two fin flicks in, the ground shook violently, sending disorienting vibrations through the water. Frozen in fear, she witnessed a crack sever the ground beneath her, heading on a path toward the volcanos at her back.
Spinning around, she watched in horror as dark debris rocketed toward the surface of the ocean. Plumes of sulfurous ash shot up, thickening the water around her and clogging her gills.
She gripped her throat and tried to retreat a safe distance, but she couldn’t get water through her gills to get the much-needed oxygen to her lungs. Despite the lack of breath, her heart hammered in her chest in a frenzied panic.
She flailed and gasped, clinging to consciousness as chaos reigned. She could barely see in front of her through the gray, hazy waters. She put her hand in front of her, hoping the threat of injury would help manifest the powers she lacked.
Nothing.
The earth groaned beneath her, turning into a dull roar, and garnering her attention. Distracted, Meriya didn’t see the hurdling boulder until it was too late. The blow sent her spinning out of control through the angry waters. Some of the lava came with the projectile, only slightly cooled by its contact with water, searing pain coursed across her skin. She screamed out for help through the gray cloud before darkness consumed her.
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