Princess of Mermaids

by A. G. Marshall

  Blast.

  The marchioness noticed her slow pace and matched it without comment. She led Fiora to a spacious parlor with a balcony overlooking the ocean. Sunshine and a fresh sea breeze streamed through the open windows. Five ladies sat in a circle near the window. Dowager Queen Bernadine, Princess Collette, and Lady Annabelle were sewing. Kara was knitting. Elaine was reading a book. The translator sat by the dowager queen’s side.

  “Your guest, Dowager Queen Bernadine,” Marchioness Rouge said. “I will see you in a few hours to review the budget, Princess Collette.”

  The marchioness curtsied and left the room. Fiora stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure where to sit. There were a few seats in the circle, but also some in the corner of the room. Perhaps that would be safer.

  “Come and sit down, girl,” the dowager queen said in her booming voice. “Take the chair by me.”

  Fiora curtsied in response. The shift in balance sent a wave of pain up her leg, and she stumbled. The dowager queen did not comment on her lack of balance, but Lady Annabelle sniffed in derision.

  Fiora took the offered seat with her head held high and her nose tilted slightly up. Lady Annabelle scowled at her, then sniffed again and turned back to her sewing.

  “And what shall we call you, miss?” Dowager Queen Bernadine said.

  “Grandmother, she can’t speak. You know that.”

  Collette made gestures with her hands as she spoke. The young man did the same, although the double translation seemed unnecessary. Fiora watched them with interest. Yes, the signs were very similar to the mermaid sign language. The main difference seemed to be that the humans used smaller gestures. Almost as if they were whispering.

  Fiora supposed it made sense. The humans were using the sign language to communicate in close, intimate settings. The mermaids often communicated across larger distances while singing enchantments.

  “There’s a difference between not speaking and being unable to speak,” Dowager Queen Bernadine said. “Are we sure she can’t?”

  She gave Fiora a very sharp stare. Fiora clasped her hands in her lap and tried to look humble. Best not to antagonize the dowager queen.

  “She’s our guest, grandmother. Be kind,” Collette signed.

  Bernadine gave Fiora another piercing look and returned to her sewing. Fiora leaned over to see what she was working on. It was a pattern of seashells and water lilies sewn in various shades of blue and green. Lovely.

  She tried to say that, but no sound came out. Fiora grimaced. Being mute was beyond annoying.

  “I believe you met Lady Annabelle this morning,” Collette said. “And these are my friends Kara and Elaine. They are attending Gustave’s birthday gala and came a few days early.”

  Collette had picked up her sewing and was no longer signing since she wasn’t addressing her grandmother directly. The young man at the queen’s side took this over, translating the conversation for the dowager queen.

  Fiora nodded towards him.

  “Oh, forgive my manners. This is Thomas. He translates for my grandmother since she has difficulty hearing.”

  Thomas nodded at Fiora and flushed a little. Apparently he was used to staying in the background.

  That was the role Fiora needed to play. Maybe she could watch Thomas for some ideas on how to avoid notice.

  “So what should we call her?” Lady Annabelle said. “And how long will she be staying?”

  Fiora recognized that tone. It was the voice of a woman who smelled competition and didn’t like it. Lady Annabelle, Kara, and Elaine had doubtless been invited to the castle early to be presented as marriage prospects for King Gustave. It seemed even when she wasn’t a princess, Fiora found herself in a sort of Princess Test.

  She met Lady Annabelle’s challenging gaze and shrugged, doing her best to look innocent. As she intended, this only irritated Lady Annabelle further.

  “Lady Annabelle, will you please pass me another skein of yarn?” Kara asked.

  Lady Annabelle did so, and Fiora took advantage of the distraction to slip off her shoes and kick them under her chair. Even while she was sitting, they pinched and made her feet ache. She pressed her feet against the marble floor. The cold stone soothed the pain, and she relaxed a little.

  Servants carried trays of food into the room, and Fiora gratefully accepted a plate. Conversation slowed while the ladies ate, and Fiora studied the room.

  She couldn’t help comparing it to the castle in Kell. While her father’s castle was made of thick stone that created a dark, damp atmosphere, the Montaigne castle was all elegant marble and open windows. It seems to be made of sunlight and fresh air.

  The food was the same. Kellish cuisine was heavy and dark. Better than mermaid food but not by much. The Montaigne luncheon was the best thing Fiora had ever eaten. She had sampled the cuisine of many nations while participating in Princess Tests but never had anything this good.

  “I’ve never seen a lady eat so much,” Lady Annabelle said. “Then again, they do say that sea air works up an appetite, and you’ve had plenty of that recently.”

  Fiora simply smiled and took another sandwich from a silver tray. She knew Lady Annabelle’s game. She was the master of that game. No way was she letting this jealous harpy ruin her day. She wasn’t competing, so nothing Lady Annabelle said mattered.

  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

  Servants cleared away the lunch trays, and the ladies returned to their tasks. Elaine was deeply engrossed in her book and ignored everyone else in the room. Kara’s knitting began to take the shape of a sock. Collette picked up a sewing basket and offered it to Fiora.

  “Would you like to sew?”

  Lady Annabelle, who was embroidering a pattern of seashells that was a blatant copy of Dowager Queen Bernadine’s, sniffed derisively.

  “You really think some wild girl from the ocean is well-versed in the refined arts? Honestly, Princess Collette. You’ll only make her feel bad about her lack of accomplishments.”

  Fiora smiled innocently at Lady Annabelle and took the basket. She chose a square of white linen, secured it in an embroidery hoop, and threaded her needle with crimson thread. Then she ignored everyone and lost herself in her work. As always, the repetitive stabbing motion soothed her nerves. She finished a rose in the center of the fabric and changed to green thread to make a decorative border of leaves around it.

  When Fiora finally did look up, Lady Annabelle’s scowl had deepened. Her own project was moving slowly, hampered by knots and uneven stitches. Fiora’s was perfect.

  Never challenge a woman to a sewing competition when that woman had learned to sew as if her life depended on it.

  Her life had depended on it. Fiora had studied all the traditional skills for the Princess Test hoping they would help her win a prince’s affection and power the pearl ring so she could remain human.

  But it hadn’t been enough.

  She rested the embroidery hoop on her lap and looked out the window. A breeze blew spray off the waves and carried the scent of saltwater into the room.

  Why did it smell like home? She had spent her entire life trying to escape the ocean. Now even the scent of it made her miss the underwater world.

  Fiora gritted her teeth and turned back to her embroidery. Maybe stabbing the fabric a few hundred more times would make her feel better.

  22

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. The Delphinette needs repairs. I can’t take it out again until they’re finished.”

  Gustave bit back the frustrated words he longed to unleash. It wasn’t Captain Whist’s fault that kraken had attacked and damaged his ship.

  Or that his father was still missing.

  But now that he had finished the paperwork to let Collette take over administrative duties, Gustave wanted to take advantage of his extra time before he was pushed into something else.

  “Surely there’s another ship that could be spared.”

  “Perhaps there is. If you can convince the counci
l to risk it.”

  “That’s not likely. The council wants me to focus my full attention on finding a bride.”

  “So that’s why you’re hiding in my office?”

  Gustave laughed.

  “We’re discussing official business. Not accomplishing anything, but at least we’re trying. Isn’t there anything you can do? We were so close to finding him.”

  The captain rubbed his forehead.

  “The navy is already taxed to capacity. I’ve asked every merchant ship in port to watch for mermaids or anything unusual, but I can’t dedicate another ship to the search without council approval.”

  Gustave crossed his arms, then uncrossed them. Then crossed them again. Captain Whist’s reasoning made sense, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

  “We can’t just leave him out there,” Gustave said. “Find King Francois.”

  He checked the light’s direction with his compass. It remained the same, which meant the mermaids hadn’t moved his father. It wasn’t much comfort, but it was something.

  Now all Gustave needed was a ship and a way to contact the mermaids.

  He pulled the shell out of his pocket and handed it to his friend. He hadn’t showed Kathelin’s shell to anyone yet, but maybe a sea captain would have an idea what to do with it.

  “What do you make of this?”

  Captain Whist took the shell with raised eyebrows.

  “Collecting seashells is a peaceful hobby and harmless enough. If it helps relieve the stress of running a kingdom, then I wish you luck.”

  Gustave glared.

  “A mermaid gave that to me. Well, she gave it to Princess Carina, who gave it to me. Have you ever seen anything like it?”

  Captain Whist whistled and looked closer at the shell.

  “There are decorative markings carved on the surface, but I expect you’ve already noticed that. They don’t seem to mean anything.”

  “You don’t recognize them?”

  Captain Whist shook his head. Gustave took the shell back and tucked it into his pocket.

  “It’s the only connection I have to the mermaids. I thought perhaps it was a communication charm, but instead it seems to be a useless trinket. Do you know anyone who might know something about mermaid magic?”

  “Maybe you should ask your new guest. I heard she has a connection to the sea.”

  Captain Whist winked, and Gustave groaned.

  “Has news really traveled so fast?”

  “The king finding a naked woman on the beach and bringing her home is pretty newsworthy.”

  “It’s nothing like that. I’m just trying to help her.”

  “And you also need a bride. Whoever she is, she’s bound to be better than the mess your family rounded up.”

  “Lady Annabelle, Kara, and Elaine are perfectly respectable young ladies.”

  “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”

  Gustave pictured Kathelin and tried to find similarities between her and the woman from the beach. They both had enormous blue eyes. Did that mean anything? Was that why he thought she looked familiar?

  The longer he thought about the woman, the more his head ached. Then a golden haze washed the pain away, and Gustave remembered that he was already in love. Why did he keep forgetting that?

  “It doesn’t matter how many girls they invite here. I know who I want to marry.”

  “Since when? Is it Princess Serafina? You seemed to get along well with her when we were in Santelle.”

  “What? No, it’s not Serafina. She’s a little too intense. Besides, she is crown princess of Santelle. She can’t marry a king from another kingdom.”

  “Technically she could, but I see your point. It would make things politically complicated. So who are you marrying?”

  Gustave rubbed his head, trying to banish the headache that kept building.

  “A woman saved me on the beach after the wreck. I’m going to find her and marry her.”

  Captain Whist raised an eyebrow.

  “I suppose that’s one way to go about it, but what if she doesn’t want you? Maybe she was just helping a stranger because she’s a decent person.”

  At least he hadn’t called Gustave crazy and said the woman didn’t exist. It bothered Gustave that Captain Whist’s argument sounded reasonable. What if his lady didn’t want him? You didn’t automatically fall in love with someone just because you saved their life.

  The fog wrapped around that thought and pulled the doubt away. Of course the woman loved him. Why wouldn’t she?

  A knock interrupted Gustave’s thoughts. Captain Whist looked to the king, checking to see if their meeting was finished. Unfortunately it was. The search for his father remained as fruitless as ever. Gustave nodded, and Captain Whist called, “Come in!”

  Dale Mercer peeked through the door. The merchant had been given new clothes at some point and looked less depressed than he had in the throne room. His face lit up when he saw Gustave.

  “Oh, Your Majesty! I was hoping to ask Captain Whist if he has received any news of my surviving ship. What luck to find you here as well! I have several questions about mermaids for you.”

  Gustave swallowed.

  “Unfortunately, I’m late for an engagement with my grandmother, but I’m sure Captain Whist will be happy to answer your questions as best he can. Please excuse me.”

  He bowed and hurried from the room, ignoring Captain Whist’s exasperated look at the merchant’s hopeful gaze.

  23

  “That’s lovely. You are quite talented with the needle,” Collette said.

  Fiora looked down at her handiwork. She had finished the leafy border around the rose and started to edge the fabric with a pattern inspired by the etchings mermaids used to record their enchanted songs. In fact, she had unintentionally notated part of the kraken lullaby.

  She shrugged, brushing off Collette’s compliment. The design was pretty, but certainly not her best work. She was simply passing the time.

  And she hadn’t meant to draw attention to herself.

  Lady Annabelle leaned forward to get a better look at the fabric and scowled.

  “I suppose every commoner knows how to sew. It’s necessary if you don’t have servants to make your clothes for you.”

  Fiora wanted to say that Lady Annabelle must have an army of servants to sew for her since her own embroidery project had turned out so badly. If she had been able to speak, the words would have flown out without a moment’s thought.

  Since she couldn’t, she settled for a scornful look at Lady Annabelle before turning back to her own project.

  “Let me see it,” Dowager Queen Bernadine said.

  She set her own sewing aside and reached for Fiora’s. After a moment’s hesitation, Fiora handed it to her. What else could she do?

  Bernadine studied the sewing, turning the hoop over to look at the back of the fabric.

  “Nicely done,” she said. “It takes real character and discipline to keep your stitches uniform and make the back of your embroidery as neat as the front. Not a single knot or tangle. And you’ve used an interesting mixture of sewing techniques. Most accomplished.”

  Lady Annabelle sputtered, and the dowager queen winked at Fiora. Fiora grinned at her. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who recognized Lady Annabelle’s game for what it was.

  Then Fiora remembered she was trying not to attract attention and looked away. She didn’t need friends. She had never needed friends.

  As if responding to that thought and determined to prove her wrong, a seagull flew through the open window and landed on Fiora’s chair. If she’d had her voice, she would have shrieked in surprise.

  The seagull’s feathers were streaked with black stains.

  Spot.

  Fiora tried to shoo him away, but Spot shuffled from side to side to avoid her hands. He squawked and studied a crust of bread on her plate with interest.

  Fiora picked it up and held it towards him. Perhaps food
would make him go away.

  Spot tilted his head, and Fiora realized he had something in his beak. He dropped whatever it was into her lap, grabbed the crust, and flew out the window.

  Everyone in the room stared at Fiora with wide eyes. She shrugged at them as if to say she had no idea what that was about and slowly moved her hand to cover the object that Spot had dropped. Her fingers closed over it, and she struggled to keep a neutral expression as she realized what it was.

  A shell.

  Fiora ran her thumb over it. The shell’s surface was rough with carvings. It was possible Spot had found this on the beach, but not likely.

  Had someone used the seagull to send her a message? That meant the mermaids knew where she was. They had found her already.

  She hadn’t been able to hide for even a single day.

  Fiora blinked and realized everyone was still staring at her. Lady Annabelle’s jaw moved up and down as if she were trying to think of a clever insult but couldn’t quite manage it.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  Gustave entered the room and studied everyone’s surprised looks with amusement.

  “Your guest is some sort of witch,” Lady Annabelle said.

  She said the words ‘guest’ and ‘witch’ as if they were the worst insults she could think of.

  They probably were. Lady Annabelle had spirit but lacked imagination.

  Fiora tightened her grip on the shell, desperate to read it. But there was no way to do so with so much attention focused on her.

  “She fed a hungry bird,” Elaine said, looking up from her book for a moment. “That’s no sign of magic.”

  Gustave looked to his grandmother for an explanation. The dowager queen chuckled.

  “You should pull things from the ocean more often, Gustave. This young lady is full of surprises.”

  She gave Fiora an approving smile. Fiora blinked in surprise. No one had ever approved of her so quickly or easily before.

  She wasn’t sure anyone had ever approved her in general. Whatever people expected from her, she usually managed to do the opposite and cause a scene.