Pretty Fin

by Smokey Moment

  “Oh mom. Will you. I want to wear it as a ring,” Fin exclaimed. Aterra smiled. “Certainly. I will have the craftsman make it today,” she replied. Fin jumped up and kissed her mother on the cheek then ran to her room, as Rae followed.

  “Shut the door,” Fin said, as she plopped down on her bed. “I am so bored. I wish I could go out,” she complained. “Why don’t you? Why is your father so strict about where you go? I don’t understand. What could happen. Nothing ever happens,” she stated. “I know.” Fin looked around. She sat up. “Not today. This is my day. Come on,” she said, jumping from her bed. “Fin! What are you up to,” Rae said, as she followed Fin to the door. “Shh,” she gestured, as she placed her ear to the door.

  Fin opened her door slowly and looked down the long hall. She looked the other way then shut her door carefully. “Ok. No one is around. My father is probably in his quarters. My mom is surely sleep. And Lillia is probably with one of the guards. Let’s just go,” she said. “What? Why would she be with a guard?” Rae naively asked. “Because she is. Let’s go while we can.”

  Fin went to her closet and pulled a hat made of stiff fibers from a moss tree. She had received it as a gift from the dressmaker. A woman who lived in town who dressed the royal family. She wrapped a scarf around half of her face, keeping her eyes exposed. “Here. Cover your face. The guards will think we are visitors.”

  Rae took the thin, soft scarf and wrapped it around her nose and mouth. “Like this?” she asked. “Yes. Perfect!”

  The two walked slowly down the hall and down to the entryway. Fin opened the door and looked around. Suddenly a guard came from around the side of the castle. “Look down. Just speak and don’t look in his eyes,” she cautioned. “Hello. Is the exit this way?” Fin asked, as her and Rae walked past the guard. He nodded then furrowed his brow as he walked towards the side of the castle. Fin chuckled. It worked. She expected Sparrow to recognize her. Fin looked back. “Is he looking?” Rae asked. “No. Don’t look nervous. Just look forward. One more guard and were clear.

  “Thank you. Have a good day,” Fin said, as her and Rae exited through the gate. “Have a nice day madame,” he replied. Fin looked back. Lark was coming. She would have been unable to fool him. He knew her from head to toe. He had paid close attention. He had been her father’s faithful protector since she was a baby. He was young when Zander first took him in. Orphaned with nowhere to go, he became like family. And he was in love with Fin.

  “Oh no! Lark,” she said, as she sped up. “Walk faster,” she said to Rae. “Alright,” Rae replied. Fin feared looking back again. It would surely look like the behavior of someone who was nervous. “Don’t look back. Just keep walking until we get to the water,” she said. The women approached the westerly arapaima. A travel stream that would dump them into the Trojian Sea. Rae jumped in. Her legs turning into a beautiful orange, yellow and gold colored tail and fin. Finora looked back. Lark was quickly approaching. She jumped in the water. She changed her legs to a beautiful tail and raced from sight, with Rae tagging behind her. “Slow down Fin. I can’t keep up,” she complained. Rae tried her best. She followed her into deeper waters, the women looking back to make sure they weren’t being followed. “Did he get in the water?” Fin asked. “No. I didn’t see anything,” she replied, looking at Fin’s tail. Fin looked down. She instantly became self-conscious. The difference in their tails made her feel awkward.

  “What?” she asked, her voice sounding agitated. “Well…Your tail. It’s blue. I have never seen a blue tail. I have never seen you in water,” she said, appearing stunned by the revelation. Fin was immediately hurt. Rae was behaving as if there was something wrong. Fin hadn’t given it any thought. She was banned from entering the water and Aterra never changed in front of her. So, her knowledge of the color of tails and fins, was limited. All she knew was her father’s tail was black.

  “My father’s tail is black. Mine is blue and a little green. So what! Yours is orange and yellow. What difference does it make,” she said, offended that Rae had brought it up. Fin was embarrassed that she had no reference point. This was a new revelation. She had seen a few women traveling along the canals when she was younger. She recalled their tails being orange and yellow. And when she turned at five years old for the first time, she assumed that some of them had yellow tails and some were blue.

  “It’s no big deal Fin. I just never seen a blue tail. Yes…The male tails are black. Our tails are orange and yellow. It’s beautiful. Don’t get upset,” Rae said. Fin looked around in the water. She wanted to change the subject. She was unaware she was different and this was a terrible way to make the discovery. On her birthday, at a time when she should be enjoying what little freedom she had. Soon her father would send his army. Soon she would be found and forced back home. “Never mind. Let’s look around,” Fin said.

  The waters were clear and beautiful. They swam towards the mountain rocks to see the beautiful reef. Fin remembered it being the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She could see it up ahead. Then something caught her eye. Fin slowed. A group of men were hanging around the reef. They wore metal vest. They were soldiers. But their vest were not the ones worn by Mojarroian soldiers. She looked at Rae. The women stayed back. Soon one of the men looked their way.

  “Who are they? This is Mojarro waters,” Fin said, as they quickly approached. Fin panicked and swam swiftly away, leaving Rae trailing far behind. She was faster in water than any nermein. A fact that she soon forgot as she hurried to distance herself. Rae, she thought, as she turned around.

  “Rae!” she called out, as she swam back. Rae looked back for her as she engaged in conversation with one of the soldiers. “Princess,” the handsome man said, as Fin approached. He looked at her tail. He stared at her. Fin felt strange again. He seemed familiar even though she was sure she had never met him. “And you are?” Fin asked. “Prince Andreus,” he replied.

  Rae looked at Fin and smiled. But Fin was not amused. He was far from home. She had heard of him. Her father had mentioned him as a possible suitor. A possible mate. “My pleasure,” he said. Fin looked at his guards. She felt on display. It seemed everyone was staring at her tail.

  “Why are you here? You are far from home. How did you get past the Uaru’s?” she asked. “Prince Andreus smirked. He had his ways. “These waters are vast. They cannot occupy it from all areas,” he noted. Fin didn’t like his quiet invasion. His brashness at bending rules set in place to preserve each cities wealth and property. It was bold and dangerous. Trade was important. The cities had agreed to keep from unauthorized entry unless they were a citizen. Born and bred.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” she said. “Neither should you. Where are your guards?” he asked. Fin became furious. It was none of his business where her guards were and why she was in the water. She thought of her father. It was obvious he had told King Orfe a few things about her. Which would explain Prince Andreus’s knowledge of her being forbidden to enter water.

  “I have more rights to be here than you. Please leave,” she said, as she turned and swam away. “Uh…Nice to meet you your Highness,” Rae said, as she swam to catch up with Fin. Rae was infatuated with the handsome future king. Andreus stared at Fin, catching a last look. She was breathtakingly beautiful. It was a pleasant surprise. He never expected to see her. He was there to see what was growing on their mountains. Eulachon was void of such beauty. They were plentiful in oil and metal. Nothing beautiful. And he wanted to import it. But he wasn’t sure it would grow. Nothing would. And the mysteries behind it was startling. He figured it was the heat. A lack of understanding of the lava that he and his citizens had become used to had him perplexed.

  “She was beautiful,” a guard said, as he swam up beside the prince. “That’s my wife. I will marry her one day.”

  “What an arrogant finny,” Fin complained, as she swam towards the dune. “He was handsome,” Rae gushed. Fin shot her a look. “Who cares about handsome, when you’re a trout,” she te
ased. Rae chuckled at her friend’s candor. Fin was high spirited and always open and frank when expressing her thoughts. It was a trait that lacked in so many others. And Rae found it refreshing. She had picked up a few of her ways, since they were lifelong friends. “He wasn’t that bad,” Rae interjected.

  “Yes. He was. When I marry, my husband will be a good man. A great communicator. He will love me unconditionally. And I will touch him,” she said. Rae stopped swimming. “What? Why would you want to do that?” she said, appalled at Fin’s revelation. “Because Rae, it is natural. Normal. Something is wrong with our world. Why don’t we touch. Why does it stop after you turn a certain age? My mom hugged me when I was six. It was the best feeling in the world. I can only imagine what it would feel like if a man hugged me. Held my hand. Don’t you ever desire that?” she asked.

  Rae looked perplexed. “No Fin. That is disgusting. I can’t imagine it. Not my mother and surely not some man,” she replied. “Not just any man. The man you love. Ok. For instance…Take the trout. What if he touched you? Don’t you think you would get some pleasure from the attention?” she asked. Rae slowly shook her head no. “No Way. And if he did, I would run from him. I would never see him again. I would throw up. I can’t stand to touch myself. My skin doesn’t like it. Neither does yours. What are you thinking? You are so weird Fin,” Rae said.

  Fin stared off. She was again, feeling embarrassed at her differences. Now it was more than physical. She was different in the way she felt. What she desired. And again, she changed the subject. “Let’s go this way,” she said, turning from Rae. Her friend didn’t understand her. A sad moment, since Rae was all she had. Her mother Aterra was not open for such discussions. And neither was her father. Fin decided to keep such thoughts to herself. One day the world would make sense to her.

  The two continued swimming, going further out, into the abyss. Rae became nervous. “Where are we going? We’re getting far,” Rae said. “I know. I want to go to this place I saw when I was a little girl,” Fin replied, as she continued going further out. Towards the Ayu Mountain. Rae continued following her. She trusted that Fin knew where they were headed. It was an area she hadn’t been to. Rae only travelled the shallow travel canals and rivers called Arapaimas. This was deeper than she’d ever ventured. “Isn’t that dangerous mountain with the sharp rocky surface this way? We should turn back. That mountain will cut you up pretty bad. I will get in trouble. My mom will know I was here,” Rae said in fear.

  Fin ignored Rae. She wanted to show her the beautiful yellow bubbles that escaped from the sea floor. She approached the dunes. Rae stopped and moved back. “I heard about this place. We shouldn’t be here. Let’s go! There’s a reason no others are around. This is a dangerous place,” Rae warned. Fin approached slowly. She remembered swimming over it. “Fin! No!” she shouted.

  “It’s ok. I’ve done this before. I’ll be back. Wait there,” she said, as she moved across the bubbling floor. Rae tried to approach but felt herself getting ill. Her gills becoming clogged. She backed away, but stayed within view of Finora. The move seemed to clear the feeling immediately. “Oh no,” she worried. Rae thought about going for help. She didn’t see how Fin would make it. Soon she saw men approaching. “Help!” she shouted, as they emerged from the darkness. It was Prince Andreus.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “It’s Fin. She went over the dangerous part. Please help her,” she pleaded. Prince Andreus became alarmed. He wasn’t sure what Rae meant by dangerous. It was what he and his soldiers swam over to get to Mojarro. “Where is she? And what do you mean by dangerous?” he asked. “The bubbles! I got sick just getting close to it. And she swam all the way to the rock,” she said. Andreus looked at his soldiers. “I’ll see if she’s ok.”

  Andreus swam with his soldiers behind him, over the dune. Rae looked in astonishment at their ability to breathe what the floor produced. Andreus looked around. He didn’t see Fin. “Go that way. You… go to the other side,” he ordered. It was a huge undertaking. The area was large. She could be anywhere. The heat was the worst of it. Their land had lava and gases all around. Centuries of living near it helped them build an immunity to it. But the heat felt like it was cooking them slowly. Andreus swam hurriedly around. He wanted to remove himself from the area fast.

  Fin had made it to the lair, and was swimming up its long narrow cave. She vaguely remembered it. And she was determined to see where it led. She sped up. Soon the water changed temperatures. As she continued, the water temperature continued to drop. Fin tolerated the change even if it was a bit uncomfortable. Her ascension seemed never ending. Soon temperatures were frigid. But Fin continued on. She continued to speed up. She worried about Rae. She had left her behind. She will be alright. I’ll just go see what up this tunnel, she thought, as she continued on.

  Fin could sense the elements changing. She was approaching something. It was too dark to make out. And even though nermeins had great night vision, she was unable to see it clearly. Soon, Fin was swimming through a layer of thick soot. She closed her gills and held her breath. She hoped it would turn back into water. This was unbreathable. Fin panicked. She didn’t have much time. She sped up again. Now using more energy and needing to breathe. But to breathe in the soot would surely kill her. She knew enough to know that the thick slime would clog her gills up. It was already irritating the skin on the rest of her body. Her gills were the most sensitive part on her body. It was not safe for the thick gaseous water to enter them.

  After a few seconds and what she was certain was her impending death, Fin emerged from the soot and took a deep breath. Her gills opening to allow for the gas exchange and the flow of water through. Fin stopped. She looked around then stopped when she saw something in the distance. She swam to it. Her body stirring up the sediment of the ocean floor. She marveled at the large, diverse number of creatures that crawled across it. Her memory was clear. She was sure these were new creatures. They were never part of the trade. Never in the local market. And were not present in the water during her brief but memorable time in the Trojian Sea. She remembered every fish. Every crustacean. Every anemone. And this was unlike anything she’d seen. Clearly a new place with new animals.

  Fin reached down and picked up a small illuminating creature. She popped the small opaque creature into her mouth and began to chew. The crunch and subsequent bitter taste were harsh. Fin quickly spit it out. “Ughh,” she complained, as she opened her mouth and took in water. It was a quick lesson but she was still hungry. The swim there, had her famished. Soon she saw another. It was a denser animal. Fleshy like a fish, with brightly lit tentacles. Fin decided to give it a try. She hoped to be pleasantly surprised.

  She grabbed it. The animal crawled across her hand then suddenly stung her. She looked closely at it, unaffected by its poisonous barb. She pulled the stinger out, then placed the creature in her mouth. She chewed it slowly prepared to spit it into the water. “Mmm,” she rejoiced. It was scrumptious. The flavors were delightful. She saw another. She grabbed it and pulled the barb and popped it in her mouth. It was better than the food back home. There was a richness to the flavor. The newly discovered land gifted her with a least one pleasure. She grabbed a few more. It was thoroughly satisfying.

  After consuming enough to stave off hunger pains, Fin swam towards the large object. Soon the magnitude of the object overwhelmed her. She stared at the large body. It was foreign to her. She swam slowly towards it. She was mystified. This was something built. In her world they had metal containers. Items fashioned from raw minerals, hammered and shaped into useful objects. But nothing this massive. Fin reached out and touched the rusted, badly damaged vessel. The letters Adr were faded, but still clearly visible on its side. Fin wondered what the strange lettering was. The writing was unlike anything she’d seen. And what was left had been eaten away by time, bacteria and the elements.

  The ship was broken and rusted. Fin swam into a huge opening in the ship’s hull. She looked around then quickly ex
ited. Her surroundings were interesting. She wanted to go further. She figured her father was probably looking for her, but she had come too far not to see more. She knew she would never get another chance. Ok. Just a peek. Let’s see what else there is. There has to be something if I go up, she thought.

  Fin swam up. Soon several minutes had gone by. She was surprised that she had not made contact with any surface. She decided to test her speed, suddenly shooting up like a rocket. Her speed so fast, that it hindered her taking deep breaths. She decided to shallow breath and keep her speed until she explored the new environment. Fin tired. It was daunting.

  Just as she was about to give up, the water changed temperatures. She looked up. She could see a dim glow. She pressed on and soon the water warmed. The dim glow turned into a bright light. Fin smiled. She slowed down and took a deep breath and then continued her ascent to the surface. Fin broke through. She chuckled. It was exciting. She looked around. There was nothing. The bright sun was warm like lava. She wondered if the new place had lava in their skies.

  A quick glance to her left startled her. A ship in the distance. It was the same as the large metal object she’d seen on the bottom. Fin swam to get a closer look. The large oil carrier had men walking on its deck. Fin could see them. She gasped. Their clothes. Their hats. Some had their eyes covered by small plastic items. What is this? Where is this? Who are they? she thought.