The Legend of Alexandros: Belen

by Mr. A. C. Hernandez

  “In this isle men come to find

  The lusful feelings they

  Wish to hide…

  As men they know

  They cannot hide, their lustful

  Thoughts from far and wide,

  All men’s eyes are always mine,

  My beauty is truly divine…”

  All eyes were fixed on the Mermaid as several other Mermaids gracefully rose from beneath the surface—all of whom had different shades of lavish, light-colored skin in light pink, bright yellow, sea green, and violet. Their tails matched the color of their skin, but were darker and covered with scales. Their long hair as light as their skin. Alexandros stepped into the blue lagoon and swam calmly towards the Mermaids, which made most of the Mermaids retreat beneath the water. But the Mermaid on the rock beneath the sea tree remained.

  “You truly are something else brave warrior. Most men who lay their eyes on a Mermaid become paralyzed by our beauty. You must be in love; our spell will not work on a man that sees with the eyes of love.”

  “How did we arrive here? Were you responsible for our rescue?”

  The giggled blissfully.

  “Yes. My sisters and I brought you all here from the wreckage. My name is Lucinda…what is your name, warrior?”

  “Alexandros, Belen Alexandros, son of the great Mabruk. Will you please release my friends from whatever spell you may have them under?”

  “In a moment, I wish to speak with you some more first. I have never met a man whose eyes are filled with love. You are a rare breed. I saw how you held the young woman you were with. I knew right away you were not like the rest, and I had to help…I see a hero when I look into your eyes, Belen Alexandros.”

  She lifted her hand, placed it into the water, and made a trickling motion. The Mermaids who had fled resurfaced and circled Alexandros.

  “Enro randar uhrd ludok Belen Alexandros, anfarc velpar rysdan uhrd pildoor agnar, corda, lupin elmut.”

  The Mermaids mermaids gasped then smiled while caressing him all over.

  “What have you told them? Tell them to stop now,” said Alexandros, seriously.

  “Ritic,” Lucinda said softly. The Mermaids stopped and swam backward slowly. “You have passed the test, Belen Alexandros.”

  Lucinda slid into the water, taking Alexandros by his hand to bring him into shore, while the other Mermaids vanished beneath the sea. She remained in the shallows while Alexandros approached his spellbound friends.

  “Will you release them?” Alexandros asked Lucinda.

  Lucinda flicked her long soft wet hair behind her and chanted. “Hildandi Tuscan kildar.”

  The trance wore off immediately, and the men returned to their normal selves. Valchor gazed at Lucinda with eyes of lust. He got down on one knee in the shallow water. He gently kissed her hand.

  “I am Prince Valchor…what might your name be, you lovely being.”

  Lucinda glanced over to Alexandros and saw him kneeling down beside Princess Elora calmly waking her. Lucinda smiled and looked back to Valchor.

  “I am Princess Lucinda…“Lucinda replied to Valchor.

  “She is royalty…” Vdchor mouthed to Raphael and Bixbin.

  “I shall take you all to my mother Queen Priscilla, once you are settled. There is no hurry. Please feel free to roam about the lagoon…we will not bite.”

  Lucinda splashed back into the water.

  “She is absolutely…perfectly…amazing…” Valchor said to himself as he watched her swim off. Valchor excitedly jumped up and ran over to Alexandros and yanked to his feet causing Alexandros to drop Princess Elora as she was awakening back to the sand.

  “Do you have a death wish, elf prince?” Alexandros asked sternly.

  “Tell me all you know about the Mermaid princess,” Valchor said with childlike impatience.

  “I do not have the time for this, Valchor,” Alexandros replied as he turned back to help Elora to her feet.

  “Please tell me,” Valchor pleaded.

  “Well she did mention something,” said Alexandors. “… she told me when she saw you she felt a most fond attraction.”

  “I knew it,” Valchor said with glee and walked off to brag to the others.

  “Did she really say that about Valchor, Belen?” Elora asked as she dusted the sand from her gown.

  “Of course not,” Alexandros replied as he checked Elora for wounds. “The Mermaid never even mentioned him.”

  Alexandros and Elora woke Winston as well then joined the rest of the group.

  “We have to hurry and leave here,” said Alexandros. “The Amazons we rescued must have reached Evedsatu by now. We told them to rest there then to meet us at Siruac.”

  “Unless we swim through an ocean that Barbarious has clearly taken over there is no way,” said Raphael.

  “We are all ignoring the major problem here,” said Alistair. “Barbarious has found my staff.”

  “No, he has not,” said Alexandros. “If he had the staff he would have killed us in an instant; he is trying to throw us off course and is succeeding significantly. The staff will not give him the power he truly yearns for as long as you are living, Alistair. If he had the staff he would have killed you first to unleash its true potential.”

  “Belen Alexandros!” called Lucinda from the lagoon. “My mother will see you tonight; she has given me a message for you. She says you are welcome for however long you wish to stay and hopes you will enjoy your time here. Tonight at sunset she will allow me to bring you to her.”

  “Very well,” said Alexandros, bowing. “Thank you, Mermaid princess.”

  She then vanished into the water once more.

  The day went on exceptionally slow. The lagoon Mermaids rested on the rocks underneath the vine-filled sea trees. Lucinda rested on her stomach while relaxing her head on the warm sand. She flicked the water with her fins every time the small waves washed up against the shore.

  “How long have you known Belen Alexandros?” Lucinda asked Valchor. “You do not seem to have as much of a bond with him as the others seem to have.”

  “I have only known Alexandros for about four days or so. He and I do not seem to get along too well. He sees me as a spoiled prince, and I see him as a brute warrior, but we keep our distance and things are well.”

  “And are you a spoiled prince? You seem kind enough…or is this a mask to how you really are?”

  “No. I am far from spoiled. I give to the needy all the time; just the other day I gave my most beautiful royal ruby to an old crazy woman.”

  “How did it make you feel? Did you miss your most beautiful ruby after?”

  “Well…of course. That ruby has been with me since birth. I have never parted with it before. I am happy that the ruby will give her a little joy, and I hope she will remember it was I, Valchor, prince of Evedsatu, that gave her the ruby.”

  “You cannot view it that way. Do not do things for what they will get you. At the moment you gave her the ruby it must have been an important moment for her and a moment she will cherish for many years to come. Do not tarnish it by adding selfishness to it; view it as gift you gave to her from your heart.” She gently caressed Valchor’s face. “You have much to learn, elven prince.”

  “I am much more than a prince, Lucinda. I am a warrior. I am a living being in this world. Giving Gertrude my royal ruby gave her a chance at new more rewarding life. She can sell the ruby and have a most relaxing existence. Now that is what matters most. Gertrude is happy, and for that I will never regret giving her the ruby. I will always miss my ruby, yes; but other jewels will come along and will fill the old one’s spot. I will never be a monster.”

  “Prince of Evedsatu…you just removed your mask. You are now speaking with actual real emotion. Continue this way and you shall forever soar.”

  “Was my father’s death quick?” Raphael asked Alistair as they gazed into the lagoon.

  “Your father was a brave soul, Raphael. He did his best at everything, and most important
ly he knew you would one day be a most promising king.”

  “That is not what I asked. Was his death quick?”

  “In a way, yes, but only he can know for sure.”

  “I cannot do this, Alistair. All I want is to go home.

  My people need me now more than anything, and here I am standing in a lagoon filled with Mermaids.” Raphael dropped his sword and shield on the sand. “I must go home.”

  Alistair made the sword and shield rise up from the ground and return back into the centaur prince’s hands. “Your father fought till the very end…and so will you.”

  Raphael lifted his head and said, “For Tobias.”

  Alistair nodded proudly and answered “For Tobias.”

  The lagoon was now filled with Mermaids of all sorts of bright colors; they splashed and happily played in the water. One Mermaid swam to the shallow part of the lagoon. She was light pink in color and had luscious, light-pink curly hair. Her features were that of a goddess; her beauty was something no being could put into words. From afar, Bixbin saw she was alone.

  “Leith,” the Mermaid said to Bixbin as he approached her.

  “Huh?” Bixbin responded in confusion.

  “It means hello,” she giggled.

  “Oh, hello. I am Bixbin. What might your divine name be?”

  “I am Soraya. It is nice to meet you, Bixbin.”

  “What might you be up to on this most beautiful day?”

  “Collecting shells from the bottom of the lagoon. Would you like to join me?”

  “No thank you…I hate the sea.”

  Soraya let out a gasp and covered her mouth. “How could you hate the sea? It is the most beautiful thing ever.”

  “I cannot swim; I never learned. No matter.”

  “I know how to swim,” Winston said loudly from afar. Winston wobbled forward to Bixbin and Soraya. “I know how to swim. I love the sea; it is most refreshing to swim.”

  “Oh how pleasant! Come and join me then, I shall show you a great place to find the loveliest shells.” Soraya maneuvered back into the water. “Come friend.”

  “I am on my way,” Winston said and plunged head first into the lagoon. “Would you like to hear how I learned to fly?”

  “I would love to. Let me gather my sisters so we can all listen to your story.”

  Valchor crouched next to Bixbin.

  “My friend, you might hate that Dragon, but he sure knows how to sweet-talk women. I bet you wish you were in his place right now.”

  “Curse that Dragon and his women-catching stories…” Bixbin mumbled to himself.

  “I am sorry,” Alexandros said to Elora as they sat side by side on the sand watching the sunset. “I broke my promise to you. It was something I regret doing.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I was upset with you, Belen. But I am sorry as well. I should have spoken up, I agreed with you. I understood why you wanted to go to Hesuhezo. I just did not want to make things worse by causing a division within the group, but all I did was made you think I was against you.”

  “My anger is more than I can handle right now. I killed the creature that slaughtered my village, and I am still full of anger. When will this all come to an end?” Alexandros put his muscular arm around her.

  “Barbarious is the one to blame for all this. We must stop him. He has caused so much grief and madness.” A tear fell from her eye as she thought of her father. “He has to be stopped for good.”

  “Trust me; I will end him for good. His days are numbered.”

  As the sun went down, the sky became a combination of a purple and pink. The Mermaids swam into a cave near the beach—a cave covered by thin, multi-colored flowered-filled vines. The warm breeze now became very cool and gave Elora goose bumps. Alexandros held her close to warm her. Once the sun was fully set the lagoon flowers illuminated the shore giving off a most ravishing spellbound light. Lucinda rose to the surface of the lagoon near Alexandros and Elora.

  “Belen, it is time. My mother will see you now.”

  Lucinda sat at the shallow part of the lagoon; Alexandros and the others spoke amongst themselves and decided Alistair only two should go along to see the Queen. Alexandros alongside Alistair stepped to Lucinda and told her only they would be going with herwould go as well to see the queen. Lucinda was not as thrilled to bring Alistair along and would only agree to take them if Valchor was one of the two. Valchor softly pushed Alistair to the side and jumped at the opportunity.

  Alexandros did not understand why Lucinda would want to bring Valchor—Alexandros could barely stand him. Lucinda turned back into the lagoon and motioned gracefully for them to follow. Alexandros and Valchor then waded into the lagoon. She led them far from the beach toward the mountains that separated the lagoon from the ocean. Soraya was there to greet them.

  “We are here. Take a deep breath and do not release our hands,” Lucinda said softly. Alexandros nodded and took in a massive deep breath. Soraya took his hand and dove down.

  “Do not be afraid, Valchor. You are safe with me. I will not let go of you,” Lucinda whispered to comfort Valchor. He smiled nervously, took in a deep breath, and he and Lucinda dove down as well.

  The lagoon was deeper than they could have imagined. The brightly colored coral reef radiated, giving off an almost a blinding light of ravishing colors. Colorful fish of all sorts swam beside them; giant sea turtles swam close and all around Alexandros and Soraya. Manta rays, half buried in the watery sand, rested on the lagoon floors, and the lagoon dolphin swam close to catch a peek of the new visitors. The Mermaids call the dolphin Lucky.

  Lucky was grey in color with big round dark eyes and a scar on his dorsal fin; he was rescued by Lucinda after sailors speared him at only five months old. Lucinda, upon seeing what they did to Lucky, caused an enormous wave that destroyed the sailors’ ship. She took Lucky back to her lagoon and left the sailors in the sea…they were never seen again. Lucky never left the lagoon and was cherished by the mermaids, considering him their only brother.

  Lucinda and Soraya led Alexandros and Valchor to an undersea cavern deep beneath the lagoon. Alexandros’ chest began to burn from the lack of oxygen; he shut his eyes tightly and tried his hardest to hold his breath for however much longer. Suddenly, Soraya and Alexandros burst to the surface, followed by Lucinda and Valchor. Shimmering blue orbs floating in the air dimly lit the cavern, which was shaped like a pentagon. Seaweed grew on the caverns walls. In the center of the cavern sat the queen; her throne was made of shining purple coral.

  “I am Priscilla, the Mermaid queen. Welcome to our lagoon,” she said, her magnificent voice echoing through the cavern. The queen’s hair was ruby red; her full lips were as red as her hair. The queen was pale with a deep-red tail; she had dark thin eyebrows and long eyelashes. Her thick long red hair covered her bare breasts, and her golden crown shone brightly. The queen sat with her fins submerged in the water. “What brings you to our Lagoon?” she asked.

  “We were rescued by your daughter. She was kind enough to bring us here,” said Alexandros.

  “Rescued you say?”

  “Yes. We were almost killed out at sea by a most evil wizard. We shall not stay for too long. The wizard Barbarious is sure to find us here, and we wish not to involve you in this mess.”

  “Oh…Barbarious…” Priscilla said with a smile. “Such a magnificent wizard. He is most powerful.”

  “Barbarious is a monster,” said Alexandros. “He is the very meaning of evil. He is far from magnificent.”

  Priscilla thrashed her tail in the water. “Silence, human. There will be not one harsh word said of Barbarious in my lagoon.”

  Valchor quickly sized up Priscilla. “You are not the queen,” he said.

  “What?!”

  “You are not the queen,” he said. “It is an illusion…and not a very good one.”

  Priscilla snarled at Valchor and her beauty began to fade—her luscious red hair began to fall out and slimy green seaweed formed
; her tail began to slither and split into two. Her body began to thicken and boils formed on her face; her nose grew pointed and her eyes were far apart and dark.

  “Who are you?” cried Alexandros. “What have you done with the queen?”

  “That is Luna-Doris! The sea hag!” Lucinda said in horror. “What have you done with my mother, you monster?”

  “Your mother has been gone for some time now…but I have looked after you dearly…” the sea hag giggled in a croaky voice. “You fools may have ruined my plans, but I cannot allow you to ruin Barbarious’ plans…”

  The sea hag launched herself from the throne into the water toward Alexandros and Valchor. She raised her moldy arms to claw at Alexandros. She laughed wildly and insanely as she thrashed him around in the water. Lucinda swam up behind the sea hag and yanked her seaweed hair. The sea hag hurled Lucinda in the air, sending her crashing onto the throne, breaking it in half. The sea hag then held Alexandros’ head underwater. He punched and kicked, but could not release her grip on him. Valchor drew his sword, swam behind the sea hag, and impaled the sea hag’s throat until wrenching her head from her squirming body.

  The sea hag’s cold green blood poured into the water. Valchor tossed her limp body out of the water slamming it against the cavern wall, followed by her head. He then swam to Lucinda, took her in his arms, and held her tight. Together they swam back to the lagoon’s beach. Alexandros surfaced, gasping for breath as the sea hag’s headless, twitching body slid down into the water.