Protector of the Enchanted

It’s only when the sun hits my eyes that I realise I fell asleep, my head turning to bury itself into the pillow beneath me. A pillow that suddenly moves from its position to reach around me to pull back the curtains, letting more sunlight fall on my face. In my half-asleep state, I try to bury myself further into my ‘pillow’ before a chuckle chases away the sleepiness.

 

Sitting upright immediately, my eyes blink to adjust to the light, a light blush colouring my cheeks as I throw him a mock glare. I swear I wasn’t planning to use him as a pillow! He hardly has any room to talk.

 

Not wanting to address what had happened, I instead focus on the people in front of me, still blissfully asleep in a position not as embarrassing. Deciding it’s the best way to gently wake them up, I follow his lead and open their curtains to let the sun do it for me. Unlike me however, neither of them attempts to chase lost sleep, only rubbing their eyes before yawning awake.

 

“We’re here.” Cylen states.

 

“It seems so.” A yawn. “But where is here?”

 

“Well,” I reply, my hand going to the door handle, “There’s only really one way to find out.”

 

I don’t know what I was expecting, but somehow a towering mass of buildings was not it. After all the previous times, where the clues led us to abandoned beaches or a creepy cottage in the woods, I’d prepared myself to be greeted by a similar sight. Which is why it’s so surprising that this clue led to a slowly awakening civilisation reminiscent of a German fairy-tale village.

 

The colours seem brighter under the new dawn, the air smelling of bread with the faint scent of an ocean breeze. I can feel my eyes widening slightly as I take it in, having never seen one except in presentations at school. It looks like a place I would enjoy staying in, somewhere I’d always wanted to visit. 

 

“Wow, that’s a deep fall.” Cylen shakily whispers, drawing my attention to the other side of the carriage.

 

He’s not wrong, it’s a steep descent for any traveller not sticking to the road markings. Well, I suppose the cliff theme is still consistent. Gem simply nods along, probably still not quite awake, as Ryan shakes his head and turns his attention back to the village.

 

“As nice as it is not to be in the middle of nowhere,” He thinks out loud, “I’m fairly certain that the clue mentioned an ocean and water.”

 

That it did. “Maybe someone in there knows where we can find an ocean.” I muse, pointing to the village with maybe a little too much eagerness.

“You just want to explore it.” Ryan sighs.

 

A sheepish smile makes its way to my face, “Maybe.” Though it’s strange how he knows me so well.

 

“Either way,” Gem stretches her arms, “It’s a likely outcome.”

 

“Then, what are we waiting for?” Cylen asks, before taking the lead to walk towards it.

 

You would think finding someone to give you directions in a village would be easy, right? Yet what greeted us was anything but. For starters, some of the villagers were too busy to bother with strangers wandering into their home, which meant that there were only a few people we could ask. Of those few, some were scared away by the ice on Ryan’s eyes.

 

Something that baffles me as I don’t remember him reacting that way to anyone before. I don’t think he’s saying anything threatening, but the unapproachable air around him may be too much for them to handle. Why doesn’t someone else do the talking, you may ask? Well because none of us, other than him, can speak the language. Which is what brings us to our current situation.

 

We’re seated in a café area by the side of the road, Gem and Cylen laying their heads dejectedly on the table as Ryan gives us an apologetic smile, looking somewhat embarrassed. Good! He should be. Why is he scaring everyone away?

 

It’s even more frustrating that an amused glint comes into his eyes at my glare. Just as I’m about to tell him off, a man walks up to us, a concerned look in his eyes. Well, I suppose the dead look of two people laying on the table may warrant that.

 

He asks a question only Ryan can understand, and my frustration builds at the scene once again starting to play out as it has so many times before. I wish I could understand what they’re saying! Just as the thought crosses my mind, the sound of a door creaking open slightly enters my mind, and suddenly I can do just that.

 

Although it’s not without a moment of pounding pain racing through my head, which has me clutching at with a hand pressed to my forehead. When it fades, my attention is drawn to their conversation. Luckily, they’re turned away from me so they don’t see my sudden headache. It would be hard to explain.

 

“Is something the matter?” The man repeats when Ryan doesn’t immediately answer.

 

“It isn’t too serious.” Ryan replies stiffly, “We are looking for directions.” A simple reply if it wasn’t for the coldness in his tone.

 

“Oh.” The man exclaims, “What are you looking for?” He tries to be casual but the sweat forming on his brow gives him away.

“An ocean.” I almost facepalm at his vague reply. An ocean? Shouldn’t you be a little more specific? The man seems to have a similar thought judging by the look on his face.

 

“An ocean that might be home to mermaids.” I cut in, the words forming on my tongue unconsciously. Huh. When did I know this language? Gem and Cylen lift their heads simultaneously, giving me shocked yet curious looks with underlying hope. Ryan gives me similar shocked look, but a smile tugs at the corners of his lips. Why doesn’t he seem all that surprised?

 

“Oh!” The man exclaims, relief evident in his features as he turns to me. “You are looking for mermaids?”

 

“Yes.” I smile, “There is something we’re looking for that can only be found in an ocean with mermaids. We…” I pause. “Heard that the ocean we’re looking for is somewhere around here. Would you be able to direct us to it?” He might think we’re crazy if I say we’re following writing on a piece of paper. Better to be vague.

 

“Yes milady.” The man shoots me a smile in reply, “I can certainly direct you to such an ocean.” He hesitates. “However, mermaids are known to be hostile to humans. They may attack you on sight!”

 

They are? Well, that’s new information. Still though… “We’re willing to take that risk.” There isn’t really any other option. “Don’t worry, I can assure you that we’ll be just fine.”

 

“Alright.” He nods sombrely, probably realising I’m not going to change my mind. Turning, he calls out to someone across the street, “Andre! Get me a piece of parchment for the pretty lady! And don’t forget a quill!”

 

Ryan tenses up for some reason, shooting the man a suspicious glare before I elbow him to make him stop. ‘Don’t scare him away!’ I try to convey with my eyes, ‘He’s going to help us.’ His mouth straightens into a line, a reluctant look crossing his face, but the message seems to have gotten across, as he sighs and leans back in his seat.

 

A short while later, Andre rushes to deliver the paper, giving me a shy wave before rushing back into what seems to be a carpenter’s shop. The man, possibly a carpenter, quickly starts drawing a map, telling me there were too many turns to verbally convey. Pride is present in his eyes when he sets down the quill and hands me the piece of paper. Fair enough, I wouldn’t hand it to Ryan at this current moment either.

 

“Thank you for the directions.” I smile, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t quite get your name.”

 

“William, at your service milady.” He gives a slight bow, “Although most just call me Will.”

“Thank you Will.” I almost want to laugh at the cheesy bow, but that would be kind of rude. I wave goodbye before dragging an unamused Ryan, who once again directs a glare towards Will, towards the road while signalling for the others to follow.

 

“I didn’t know you could speak the language.” Gem’s eyes are still wide with awe.

 

“Yeah well,” I let go of Ryan as we’re now at a safe distance, “That makes two of us.”

 

Cylen shoots me a curious look, “How did you speak the language anyway?”

 

“I don’t know. As weird as it sounds, it just came to me.” My attention is mainly on the map, making sure we’re headed in the right direction. Definitely a carpenter, I decide, the map is too well drawn for him not to be. Or an architect, I suppose.

 

“What do you mean?” Gem asks, confusion replacing the awe. Ryan seems curious to know the answer as well, looking at me expectantly.

 

“It’s hard to explain.” A pause, “The best way I can think of is that it felt like a door had opened in my mind, and a piece I didn’t even know was missing fit back into place.”

 

“Hm…” They all hum in unison, nodding their heads.

 

“So, which way are we going?” Ryan asks.

 

“Oh, we have to turn right at the next street.” Wait a minute. I turn my head towards him, “Why were you glaring so much at Will?”

 

A dark shadow seems to come over his eyes, “He was being annoying.”

 

“What do you mean, ‘he was being annoying’?” I exclaim, “He was just giving us directions!”

 

“…” He childishly turns his head away, refusing to explain.

 

I sigh, “Well, why were you giving them such vague answers? And with such a cold glare? You kept scaring them away!”

 

Ryan stares at me for a couple of seconds, before reaching out and taking the map.

The. Nerve. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

 

“Following the directions.” He matter-of-factly replies, “Try to keep up.”

 

“Come back here!” I yell running after him, “You still haven’t answered my questions.” He only starts walking faster, moving around in circles when I finally catch up to him, which only makes me angrier. I swear when I catch him…

 

“So childish.” Gem mutters, smiling next to a loudly laughing Cylen, peacefully walking up behind us.

 

“Hey!” We exclaim at the same time, but not having any grounds to refute.

 

In an empty throne room, on a large, jagged throne sat a man reading a report one of his subordinates gave him. King. That was the title they called him by, but he didn’t know if he quite lived up to it. The title seemed almost as hollow as his heart.

 

The growing loneliness made his bones weary and his heart heavy, why had she chosen to leave him all alone? Such thoughts would not help him be productive, so he had taken to reading the reports given to him as a distraction.

 

This particular report had caught his interest more than the others, a sea-witch buried in her own home. A strange, almost familiar, feeling had grown in the pits of his stomach as he read how it had happened. An underwater fire had burned down the algae holding the pillars stable, a large force making the cave walls collapse in on themselves.

 

Fire wasn’t usually able to burn underwater, in fact most would think it a figment of one’s imagination. But he knew of one that could do so easily. However, the only person that could create such a fire was gone.

 

Irony. Such sad twisted irony that even when he attempted to distract himself, his thoughts would still go back to her. She seemed to be haunting him, refusing to let him forget her. So cruel, this fate. Still though, he wondered about the sea-witch, how had a fire burned the algae.

 

No one else would be able to create the fire. It simply was not possible. He wondered whether it was an over-exaggeration, or maybe something that had the same effect as fire? He had his suspicions but there simply was no other explanation he could think of.

 

Sighing deeply, he looked towards the ceiling, sorrow curtaining his eyes before he closed them. “I miss you so much, love.” He whispered, “Everything seems to remind me of you.”

 

A gloved hand came up to cover his eyes, he only hoped that one day this endless torture would come to an end. In his distraction, he didn’t notice the parchment putting itself back into a pile, or the soothing breeze that flowed through the room, like a whisper trying to comfort his loneliness.  

 

After I finally managed to snatch back the map, we followed its directions to the edge of the small town, ending up at a cliff overlooking an ocean. However, in this instance, it is more like a rock platform since the water comes up to just below the cliff’s height. It’s such a beautiful sight, the sun shining through the trees to create a warm glow over the water, like a scene out of the movies.

 

“Sorry Cylen.” I turn towards, “Looks like you’ll have to swim into the ocean after all.” He pales drastically, an audible gulp being heard in the silence, but shakily nods anyway.

 

Gem pats him on the back, “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the entire time.”

 

“You would need to face your fear at one time or another. It’s better to do it now.” Ryan says in what I assume is meant to be a comforting way, “Besides, you wouldn’t want to let Gem go in there alone, right? Or keep having to stay behind?”

 

Cylen nods, having made up his mind, “Right. This time, we’ll come with you.” His voice is still shaky, but I’m proud of him for choosing to face his fear. Still though.

 

“Are you sure though?” I turn my face towards him. “If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

 

He gulps. “No. I’m sure.” His expression conveys as much. “I don’t want to sit here worrying.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Before he has a chance to change his mind, I hand him an underwater breathing pill, and gently nudge him towards the water. Unfortunately, as soon as he swallows, Ryan simply pushes him into the water. It doesn’t seem forceful but elicits a scream just the same.

 

Gem only chuckles slightly before nodding her head in resignation and jumping in after him. I shake my head, face-palming before sighing and jumping as well, making sure to drag Ryan along with me. I just don’t think I should leave it up to him, beside it’s payback for dragging me along with him last time.

 

Once underwater, Cylen shoots him a glare, to which he only shrugs, a mischievous grin on his face.

 

“So, where to next?” Gem asks, once again patting Cylen on the back.

 

“I don’t know.” I state, before realising something. “Wait, how can we talk underwater?”

 

“Well,” Ryan is the only one who understands my question, “Mermaids live under water, which means they need to be able to talk. However, Atlantis was never meant to be underwater.”

 

“So basically, the water is different?” I summarise, still feeling a little bewildered.

 

A nod. “You can say that. Yes.”

“I think it’s this way.” Cylen suddenly mutters, “There’s a faint sparkle coming from it.” We all turn to see that he’s right, there does seem to be a trail of light on the waterbed.

 

“Let’s follow it.” 

 

Following the trail, we end up at an abandoned cavern, the pillars collapsing in on themselves. It gives me a familiar feeling, a suspicion settling in the back of my mind which I decide to ignore for now. On further inspection, I see burn marks on the algae covering the pillars, a sign laying on the pile of rubble.

 

How is there a fire underwater? The burns are sticking out to me more than anything else for some reason. Another strange sense of familiarity settles in.

 

“This is the home of the Sea-witch.” Cylen’s eyes are wide, his fear of the water making him shake slightly.

 

“The one in the legends who died a thousand years ago?” Gem asks, reaching out to grab his hand.

 

“I think so…” He’s trying to be brave, to not show he’s afraid, so I decide to ignore the obvious signs. I wouldn’t want to embarrass him.

 

“Then, why would the sparkly trail lead us here?” I muse out loud, “What would this have to do with a treasure?”

 

Ryan bends down, searching through the rubble. “Maybe it has a clue of where it may be.”

 

“Good idea.” I smile, getting down to search with him, as the others follow.

 

“Found something!” Gem pulls out a piece of worn-down paper, “It’s a map.”

 

“Where does it lead to?” Ryan asks.

 

Gem inspects it before turning a wide-eyed look towards us, “The palace.”

 

I sigh, “How much…do you want to bet that’s where it is?”

 

“I’d wager it’s most certainly where it is.” Well, good to know he agrees.

 

“Alright then.” Cylen adds in, “To the palace.”

 

Mermaids are supposed to be loyal. That’s what she had always heard, they will never waver in their determination or change their mind when its set. So why then, did she feel empty whenever she thought of going through with it?

She had most likely paid for the shell bracelet with her very life if the witch was to be believed. Now all she needed to do was commit the crime. It shouldn’t have come to this.

 

She’d had a clear plan, sneak into the human prince’s home and avenge her sister by killing what he held most dear. She just hadn’t counted on him being so kind, or that what he said he held most dear was her. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe him, but she wasn’t immune to the charm.

 

Now she was faced with two options. To assume he held his own life dear above all and kill him or admit failure and return home in shame. Both options seemed too much to bear.

 

Talking to her family had always been what she’d done when her heart was in array, so she decided it’s what she would do now. She’d only just managed to connect to them when she heard the unanimous message to come home. They told her that she must commit the deed in the next week or come home in failure.

 

Legs or not, it would not be good to stay out of the water for too much longer. Or she would certainly dry out. They had heard from the castle guards that the sea-witch’s magic only slowed down reactions, it did not take away the needs of the mermaid.

 

Her heart was both heavy and grateful at their pleas for her to come home, she missed them most dearly. She told them that she would do just that and cut of the connection, thinking back to what she had learned so far. The one who had thrown the weapon was not the prince, but one of his men.

 

Their captain had commanded him to. Maybe…she could kill him instead. Surely it wouldn’t be disrespecting her sister if she killed the sailors and not the prince. He would her hate her for it, but that was a price she was willing to pay. He would still have his life.

 

Making up her mind, she walked to the door, still a little unused to the legs. She had decided she would kill the men tonight and leave before the morrow. She didn’t think she would be able to handle it if she had to speak to him or even face him.

However, just as she was about to walk through the door, she was frozen in place, a tentacle wrapping around her wrist.

 

“Tch. Disappointing.” A familiar voice sent shivers down her spine as she was turned. “Not so fast little mermaid.” Those eyes gleamed more maliciously as her ability to move even a muscle was suspended, “I told you I would collect my price.”

 

Fighting was the last thought on my mind as I planned to get the treasure, but that was exactly what this situation called for. We had just reached the gates of the palace when the mermen guarding it drew their weapons and charged at us, not even giving us the opportunity to speak.

I suppose Will wasn’t kidding when he said the merfolk are hostile to humans. “Wait!” I exclaim, dodging as I try to reason with them, but they just won’t listen.

 

Alright. A fight it is then. Sighing I take out Storm Cleaver from its scabbard, vaguely aware of Ryan taking out his own sword. He’d decided it would make it easier to fight. Cylen gulped as he brought out his spear to protect himself, Gem pulling out her twin daggers to block the trident coming towards her.

 

We have all been cornered into a tight circle with guards on all sides. Another strangely familiar scene. One I can’t quite remember plays through my mind. A sense of déjà vu.

 

Dodge. Block. Try to knock the spear out of that guard’s hand. Block. Dodge. Turn. A continuous cycle forms as I try to fight without actually killing anyone. It wouldn’t exactly be the best first impression. They’d probably be even less likely to listen.

 

When I have the time to look around, I see Cylen and Ryan working in somewhat practised synchronisation. Their movements never once interfering yet working in cohesion. Gem is busy dodging as well.

 

Ryan blocks the weapon heading towards me, as Cylen moves under him to knock it out of the guard’s hand. Giving me the chance to block the spear coming in from the other direction before Gem throughs a dagger to knock that out. Cylen moves back to block the halberd heading towards Gem before my sword knocks it to the side. We are all slightly out of breath as more and more guards start to surround us. I still try to reason with them, but it doesn’t seem to get through.

 

Exhaustion starts to set in, and I feel my arms struggling to keep up with bombard of weapons. I try to reason once again until, I see a spear cut into Gem’s shoulder, blood starting to pour out as the dagger drops to the seabed. It seems to be more serious than the injury on my own bandaged shoulder because the yelp that accompanies it is very audible.

 

Rage wells up inside me as I take in the blood, the emotionless guards moving onto their next target. Red hot fury taking control of all my senses. How dare they? I feel my eyes narrow, my sword furiously clanging at the approaching weapons. The sound of another door being pushed open is but a dull sensation blurred by anger.

 

Suddenly, my sword is surrounded by fire. A wave being emitted through me as I notice only the weapons in front of me. The fire grows and swirls around the weapons of the guards, reducing them to nothing but ash.

 

Only when I feel a hand on my shoulder do I snap out of the rage-filled haze. The concern mixes with relief when I finally calm enough to see those beautiful blue eyes. My own eyes widening at the heat surrounding my outstretched hand, at the fire I know can only be coming from me.

 

I look around to see the fear on their faces. The shock and the surprise, as they immediately take a step back, now defenceless with their weapons gone. I see the shock reflected on Gem’s face and on Cylen’s, but there is no fear there. Only awe.

 

However, the only clear thought I can muster is the relief that no one is attacking them. Followed by a question. How the hell did I do that?