Her words hurt as if she’d slapped me against the face with them.
No one wants you.
Could it be true? Did it even matter? They didn’t want me, and I didn’t want them, either.
“So I am to be punished,” I spat vehemently. “For wanting my freedom. It isn’t fair. Daddy—” I turned away from her to look at my father. I waited for him to get up, to defend me like King Dorian so bravely defended Odalaea.
But my father did not get up from his throne. He turned sad eyes to me and murmured, “Sorry, Odele. It is decided.”
“No! I’ll not marry a Lord! You can’t make me!”
“Well, lucky for you, you won’t be marrying a Lord—as if one of them would even want you, anyway. No. We have a much better prospect in mind, and thankfully, he’s already graciously asked us for your hand. So we must plan the marriage at once.”
I blinked, disbelieving her every word. “What?” I demanded. “Who?”
My step-mother glared at me, and somehow, a deep, dreadful part of me knew whose name she would say before she said it.
“Prince Ytgar Neves Isolde of Iol.”
Iolish bastard.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Maisie
WE WOULD be leaving in a few weeks. It was enough time to pack up our things, plan a future, and say our goodbyes. It was a rather bittersweet feeling. For once, in my life, I did not have to fear the loom of Selection, the prospect that perhaps I would get chosen for an unknown future. Everything was clear.
I was officially Princess of Kappur.
I was wed to Prince Kai of Draconi.
I had a family.
I had a home.
And finally, I could make a difference.
I suppose, I already had. By merely existing, everything that had fallen into place these past few weeks had finally ended the war between Thalassar and Kappur. The two long time enemies had become allies. The Selection was no more, for that morning, the Queen had announced it far and wide. They’d signed a new peace treaty, and had sent the Selected soldiers home.
In but two weeks, I’d be on my way. I’d say goodbye to the palace, and travel north, to Kappur, and then Draconi.
A part of me was sad to leave the kingdom I dearly loved, but I realized, there was nothing left for me in Lagoona. Nothing but a little blue boat that was likely already infested with piranhas, and that was fine. This was a new part of my life. A new journey. I was a Princess now, and there were so many things I still had to learn. I wanted to be a gentle ruler. I wanted take the current of peace, instead of cruelty.
I’d not use a strap of leather against gentle hands as punishment. There would be no scarred backs and arms. There would be no Selection or beheadings.
I saw what was wrong with the monarchies, and I aimed to change them.
One little stroke at a time.
“You’ll enjoy Kappur,” my father said confidently.
We were swimming together, taking a pleasure stroll through the gardens with our Kappurin guards, Kai, Tiberius, and Elias—who had been fully pardoned for his crimes, now that the Selection had been abolished.
I hadn’t yet told my father about my relationship with the three mermen, as I’d hate for him to have an apoplexy because of my wanton ways. Even so, I think he assumed we all loved each other. They’d hardly left my side at all, and though I’d dreaded leaving Thalassar, out of fear that it would break the four of us apart, I needn’t have worried.
Tiberius had resigned from his post as Odele’s guard and Thalassar’s captain, applying to be mine instead. He was now officially a soldier of Kappur, and would follow me wherever I went.
Kai was my husband—it was still strange to say it—so where he went, I went, and vice versa.
Elias had been trickier. He was silence and shadow and secrets. He flowed as swiftly and viciously as a current, and did what he pleased. I had prepared myself for the worst, for our goodbye. A goodbye to the merman who had given me confidence, the merman who understood me above all others, the opposite side of my tarnished coin.
My friend.
Like everything the Black Blade did, he did in secret, and with surprise. As I’d prepared my farewells to him, he had held me tightly in his arms and whispered, “Selection is gone. I have no one left to save. So I will come with you. Wherever you go, I’ll go. You are my home now.” I’d cried, and he’d pulled away to swipe the pad of his thumb against my cheek. “Besides,” he smirked, “I know everything there is to know about Thalassar. it’s time to learn a few things about Kappur and Draconi.”
“We have all manner of exotic creatures. I could take you to see the sea snake breeding grounds that the crown protects from extinction…” my father stated.
“It sounds wonderful.” I smiled widely at him, earning a smile back. It had been easy for the both of us, after that initial meeting, to get to know one another, to truly act as father and daughter. There were years, nineteen of them, that we would never get back. But we had time now, and that was important. Neither of us meant to waste it.
“After we spend a short while in Kappur, we will go to Draconi,” Kai chimed in. “You’ll meet my father and my sisters, and we will continue the second part of our marriage ritual under Draconian customs.”
Kai had spoken to me of those customs. He said I would help hatch the dragon egg he’d given me and release it onto their breeding grounds. I would choose a dragon for myself, one to train and ride. My mount for war, he’d said.
I was averse to the idea. I didn’t want a war dragon, because I didn’t want war. I’d had enough of it already.
“Will I be forced to sit for hours of outfit fittings?” I asked with horror.
“Only if you want to.”
“Absolutely not.” I’d had enough of that, too. I’d had enough of corsets to last me a lifetime.
We swam around the palace, me leading the way. I wanted to get a good look at Eramaea, and the palace of gold and pink that had so taken my breath away the moment I’d set eyes on it. Soon, it would be behind me for good.
As we round the corner and made our way to the front of the palace, a deafening roar crashed over us like a rogue wave crashing to sand.
I jolted at the surprise, and suddenly found myself pushed back by Tiberius, as he took the place in front of me. Beyond him, I could make out crowds of mer. Mer with news recorders, mer with enormous kelp signs with words I couldn’t quite make out. They were all shrieking, and being held back by lines of guards.
“Let me through.” I pushed Tiberius aside and started forward before he could stop me. I made it near the fray of mer, and at the sight of me, they all cheered.
“Hail Princess Odalaea!” they called out.
“Savior of the Black Blade!”
My face heated. These crowds were assembled here to celebrate me.
“Ender of Selection!”
“Hope!”
My eyes glazed over with tears as they called out and rejoiced, as I read sign after sign that spoke of nothing but praise for me.
It was overwhelming.
And then, “Maisie! Maisie!”
A voice from the crown screamed my name. I searched, whipping from side to side. Then I saw him. An older merman pushed to the front of the lines. His graying hair was slicked back, and he wore his best coat in dark green with frayed hems. I recognized him immediately. The kind face, the long lower body of a gator, stumpy legs moving to keep him upright.
Josiah.
A smile broke onto my face. “Let him through!” I ordered one of the guards holding them back. He did, and Josiah, my former boss, pushed his way towards me. We met in the middle, and I felt the comfort of his arms wrap around me and pull me close. “What are you doing here?” I asked him, the rest of the world seeming to fade around me.
“I saw you on the telly,” he explained. “I saw you confront the Queen, and when it came out that you were the Princess of Kappur I—”
“Who is this?” my father’s
smooth voice interrupted.
Josiah tensed, clasping his hands in front of him as he took in the King of Kappur. I wondered what he was thinking, if he felt hatred for the King who had waged war on Thalassar for all these years.
But Josiah was ever respectful as he bowed gracefully to the King. “Your Majesty, an honor. My name is Josiah.”
My father’s eyes widened and he turned to me. “This is the mer you spoke of?” I nodded, and Josiah suddenly looked nervous. But he shouldn’t be. My father turned back to him and clasped his hand in the older mer’s, giving it a vigorous shake. “Then I will thank you personally for all the years you cared for my daughter like a father would. Whatever you require, anything at all, you need only ask. Kappur is in your debt.”
Josiah sputtered, his ruddy cheeks going pink and red. When my father released him, he looked embarrassed for a few more moments before straightening and turning to me. “I thank you both kindly I just… See the reason I came all the way here was to tell Maisie somethin’ of import.” He clasped my shoulders in his hands and squeezed. “I’m proud of you, Mais’. For everythin’ you’ve done.” He looked over at my father. “You have yourself a real treasure here, and the only debt I wish to claim from you is that you treat her well.”
And my father, King of Kappur, bowed low to Josiah. “Always,” he replied.
Then, Josiah was hugging me again; for this could very well be the last time we ever saw each other. I tightened my arms around the mer who represented my past, my family, my life, and my new future. As he pulled away, his lips grazed my ear as he whispered. Then, he was gone, disappearing back into the crowd, not giving me time to memorize his features one last time.
It was only later that I would take the words he’d whispered and hold them close to me, and smile through my tears at the truth behind them.
A truth I finally believed.
“I told you, you were meant for greater things than Tides’ Tavern.”
*The End*
Thank you so much to everyone who has followed this story to the end. To everyone who sent me messages, emails, to everyone who took the time to review, and for those who fell in love with these characters and gave me the strength to keep writing this series. This is for you.
Now, please, TURN THE PAGE for an EXCLUSIVE first look at the Royal Secrets spin off: Royal Lies (COMING JULY 2019!)
ROYAL LIES SNEAK PEEK
Odele
“MY LIFE IS over. Positively, dreadfully, and irrevocably over.” I sniffled, dabbing at my eyes before I continued. “If you find this, remember me. Think of me. For I travel to waters unknown, where I am to be a slave, nothing more than a vessel between one kingdom and another. Though, I confess, I would rather throw myself into the mouth of Prince Kai’s dragon than set out on this current forced before me. What an appealing thought. Yes. I have decided. I cannot continue to live in this cruel, cruel world. So by the time you find this, know that I will be long gone—”
“Odeeeleeeeeeeee!”
I startled at the sound of my chamber door opening and closing loudly. I nearly dropped the recording conch I held up to my face to capture my disquisition. I gripped it tightly in my trembling fingers, taking a deep, settling breath. This was to be my last conch ever recorded, the evidence of my unhappiness. It was supposed to be grand, and dramatic, and someone had interrupted.
Not just someone.
My cousin.
“What are you doing?” Odalaea asked, plopping herself on the bed next to me. In fact, her name was Maisie. Well, it wasn’t her given name. The name given to her at birth had been Odalaea, but then her mother, my aunt, had been murdered, and she’d been given to an old mermaid with a horrible taste in names if she’d bendacated my cousin ‘Maisie’. Alas, it was what my cousin chose to call herself, a name she had carried her entire life.
“Recording my death conch,” I replied absentmindedly. I wondered if I could crash this conch to the ground and record another. Perhaps write out my dialogue on a piece of kelp parchment and memorize it beforehand. It would need extra drama and flourish, of course. Something that would cause my barracuda of a step-mother to shed a tear or two. As the conch I currently held was still recording this unfortunate turn of events, all it would cause was amusement, perhaps a twitch of my step-mother’s lips, for I had never seen her laugh.
Odalaea—Maisie—reached over me and plucked the conch from my hands and looked straight into it. “Why must you be so dramatic?” she asked, sufferingly.
With annoyance, I reached over and yanked my conch back. “You wouldn’t be saying the same thing, cousin if it was you being forced into marriage.”
Ugh, just saying it aloud made me want to gag. Somehow, the thought of marrying was even more vomit-worthy than the time my cousin’s husband had kissed me.
Not that he’d meant to kiss me. Really, I couldn’t very well fault him for that mistake. Not when Maisie and I were very nearly identical. Our mothers had been twins, and we had inherited their innate beauty. There were very few differences between my cousin and I. Our eyes, for one. Hers were as black as stones, and mine, though dark, were not as dark. I was more rounded than she was, and my sense of style was infinitely better.
I mean, for a Princess who had just found herself bathing in riches, it was baffling as to why she dressed like a groomsmer.
“A few weeks ago, I recall you trying to force a marriage with Kai on me.”
I rolled my eyes. Gods, my cousin could hold grudges. “Yeah, but that was different.”
Her own eyebrows rose mockingly. Okay, really, we had the same hair, a blue-purple, more purple than blue, and a matching tail with aquamarine fins, but how couldn’t the mer tell us apart? “Different how?” she asked with amusement.
“Well, you loved Kai. Whereas I feel nothing but disdain for my betroth—” I broke off on a gag. Gods, just thinking about marriage to the Prince of Iol made me ill.
Our contract had been signed, and the plans formally announced to the kingdom of Thalassar, my home. By this time tomorrow, I would be travelling with the Iolish, the Draconians and the Kappurins across the seas where I’d be taken to Iol and forced to marry a Prince I did not care for.
“I’m sure if you get to know Ytgar, you’ll like him…”
I pointed an accusing finger at her. “See? Even you sound uncertain!”
Maisie sighed and shrugged. “Well, it’s different, because he propositioned me when I was pretending to be you, knowing that I—or you—was supposed to marry Kai.”
I groaned. “And that’s the merman they want me to marry.” He was arrogant and loud. And charming. Disgusting and smelly. Attractive. I shoved aside the complimentary thoughts and frownd. “Really, what benefits could Iol bring Thalassar anyway? They’re so closed off…”
Maisie shrugged again. Ugh, but she was no help. “I’m not sure, but the Queen is angry. You shouldn’t do anything to make it worse. Thalassar can’t afford another war. Not even with the mysterious Iolish.”
There she went, proving to me once again that she was one hundred times a better ruler than I. It hadn’t really been a secret. Maisie cared about Thalassar. She cared about the mer. I cared about myself. And I’d rather kill myself than be that self-sacrificing.
But she was right. Thalassar had just gotten out of war with Kappur. To plunge them into another one with Iol? A kingdom who had orcas? Did I really want to risk it?
What if I accepted my fate, and traveled with the Iolish to marry Prince Ytgar? A part of me would get the wish I’d always wanted, to travel beyond the waters of Thalassar. But really, wouldn’t I just be trading in one prison for another? In Iol, I would be even more closed off, forced into secrecy for some reason. Even if Ytgar was charmingly handsome, and made me smile, and kissed like a…
I halted my thoughts, refusing to think about the kiss he’d given me weeks ago, in the halls of the palace. It had been him trying to prove a point, and I’d nearly succumbed to his charm.
No, I deci
ded vehemently. I would not marry Prince Ytgar Neves Isolde. Ever.
Thalassar be damned.
Acknowledgements
Finishing a series is always a rollercoaster of emotions. I usually find myself dragging my feet because 1, I don’t want it to end, or 2, I want to be done with it already and it’s too hard! Writing this book was hard, especially towards the ending, but I’m super excited I made it, and I’m happy and thankful to all the fans for sticking with this series and to those who loved reading it as much as I loved writing it. Thank you for your dedication and kind words. You have no idea how you kept me going and motivated me into not giving up. I would also like to thank my friend Thais, for the use of your last name for my favorite Iolish bastard.
About the author
Aleera Anaya Ceres is an Irish-Mexican mix who enjoys reading, writing, art, and heavy fangirling. When she’s not dreaming up stories about mermaids, she’s daydreaming about all sorts of fantasy creatures. A proud Slytherin from Kansas, she currently lives in Tlaxcala, Mexico with her husband and son.
You can find/contact her here:
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Also by Aleera Anaya Ceres
The Hybrid Trilogy
Braving the Beasts
Escaping the Beasts
Freeing the Beasts
The Witch Games Trilogy
The Witch Games
Deep Sea Chronicles
Fall in Deep
Royal Secrets
Secrets Among the Tides
Whispers Beneath the Deep
Caresses Between the Sand
Death Beyond the Waves
The Blood Novels
Love Bites
Blood Drug
My Master
Last Hope
Death Beyond the Waves Page 20