Protector of the Enchanted

As my anger reduces, the fire encasing my hand starts to flow away as well. The silence around me is so deafening that you wouldn’t even be able to hear a pin drop, allowing my thoughts to fill in the empty noise. How?

 

How did I do that? How can fire even burn underwater? Overwhelming shock makes the questions swirl in an endless circle, yet I know instinctively that no one here could give me an answer. The inkling starting to spread in my mind, but not yet given a voice.

 

“Stand down!” A powerful voice bellows from the palace gate, breaking the silence and my thoughts along with it. “Do not attack them!”

 

All heads turn towards the source, the guards immediately recognising the command and rushing back to their posts. There standing between the open gates of the castle are two merfolk, an intricate ceremonial robe adorning their shoulders made out of shells and opaque water ribbons.

 

A golden crown sits upon both their heads, brightening the entrance to their palace. They hold themselves in a graceful proud manner. Their tails covered with a gold beaded chain, which contrasts the dark aquamarine colour.

 

They swim forward until they’re only three metres away before bowing their heads in an apologetic manner.

 

“We apologise for the disrespect shown to you by our guards.” She turns her eyes up to meet mine, yet keeps her bowed posture, “I beseech you to forgive them, they were simply reacting on instinct.”

 

At my silence, the king decides to add onto his wife’s words, “We do not have a pleasant history with humans, so we strive to protect our own.”

 

“That is no excuse.” My voice comes out steadier than I thought, “Attacking people without reason is simply intolerable.” The lingering rage freezes my tone, “I cannot forgive unwarranted violence, especially as more harm has been done to mine than to yours.”

 

“It’s not that bad.” Gem whispers, although the wince she gives suggests otherwise. Cylen stands next to her, a worried look crosses his face, as he moves so they’re standing slightly behind me.

 

“You’re still bleeding.” I throw her an incredulous glance, “How can it not be bad?” Turning back to the two bowing before me, a scowl makes its way onto my face. Is this really something that can be so easily forgiven? 

 

“You can stop bowing now. I assure you; it will do you no good.” Ryan adds from beside me, a hand still remaining on my shoulder, to keep me from simply lunging at them.

They swallow audibly at my still raised sword, a repentant nervous look in their eyes, as if expecting me to run them through this very instant.

 

“I k…know it isn’t good enough.” Stuttered the king, “What can we do to make it up to you?”

 

“If you really want to make it up to me.” I retort, “Find a way to stop the bleeding. Heal her.” That’s the only way I’ll believe they don’t have hostile intentions.

 

The queen nods before turning to a guard, “Summon the healer at once.” She commands, “Tell her that the guards have a harmed a human in the company of the Protector.”

 

Wait. What did she just call me? I’m left blinking as the guard swims away to follow her command.

 

Not long after, an out of breath mermaid arrives at the gate. Her eyes widen and her mouth hangs open as she sees the burned ashes that used to be weapons. The queen clears her throat, prompting the healer to quickly regain her composure before turning her eyes towards Gem.

 

Cylen hesitates for a moment, but steps aside as Gem gives him a nod, but stays close enough to attack if something goes wrong. The healer gives him a nod of acknowledgement, throwing a wary glance my way before lifting a hand to Gem’s shoulder, closing her eyes and muttering something under her breath. My sword only returns back to its scabbard once the cut on Gem’s shoulder closes up, leaving only a faint pink scar.

 

“It was an honour to be of service to you your majesty.” At first, I think she’s talking to the fish…er…merfolk but realise this is not the case when she bows towards me before rushing back into the castle. What? Why would she bow to me?

 

“This should be enough to convey our sincerity, yes?” I nod. At least there’s no longer a danger of being attacked. A relieved sigh seems to flow through the air as the threat of being sliced or burned vanishes.

 

“There must be a reason why you came to our palace.” She tilts her head, “May I enquire what that was?”

 

“There was.” Cylen finally choses to speak, “We’re looking for one of the keys.”

They share a look before turning their gaze back towards us, an expectant smile playing on their lips, relief evident in their eyes.

 

“I see.” A sigh of relief. “You have come to collect it at last.” What does he mean at last? Were they expecting us? I feel my eyebrows furrow at the somewhat cryptic statement. “We will show you the way.” After that statement, they usher us through the doors of their palace.

 

Inside the palace, there’s an explosion of colour, different coloured sea plants and shells adorning the walls. It feels like I’m inside Elsa’s ice palace, only instead of ice, it’s made of rock and water. They lead us down a path until we’re standing in front of a giant sea anemone with an open oyster placed on top, containing what looks to be a dark blue scotch bonnet shell with white swirls, the inside emitting a subtle gold glow.

 

“Why are you simply just giving it to us?” Ryan gives them a sceptical look. It echoes my own thoughts, I had assumed that we’d have to persuade them into handing it over, yet here they are just giving it to us.

 

“It’s long story.”

 

“We have time.” Gem replies before taking a seat on the seabed.

 

“Well, you see, it started a thousand years ago.” The queen starts, before taking a glance at her surroundings. “You’ve heard that mermaids are hostile to humans?”

 

We nod, prompting her to continue. “That wasn’t always the case. Long ago, both our species lived in harmony, rarely crossing each other’s paths, yet never being completely hostile as you saw today.”

 

“What changed?” Cylen mutters, taking a seat beside Gem.

 

The king sighs tiredly. “Our daughter. She was so kind and so curious, we warned her to not get so close to the human ships, yet she just wouldn’t listen.”

 

He runs a hand through his silver hair, the crown lifting slightly but not falling off. “And the cost of that defiance was her life. On a stormy day, she attempted to save the sailors from drowning, only to be repaid with a harpoon through her tail.”

 

A sob from the queen. He reaches a hand to take hold of hers in comfort, before explaining. “For a mermaid, their tail is their life, just as a heart is for humans. If their tail is damaged, the mermaid’s recovery is impeded, they are no longer able to heal.”

 

“We were not there personally, but another one of our daughters was. She tried desperately to save her, but the harpoon had shredded too much tissue, her tail could not be saved.” A pause, “However, what we didn’t realise was that we wouldn’t just lose one daughter but two.”

 

At our confused looks, he elaborates, “Our younger daughter, Ari, became consumed with thoughts of revenge, even striking a deal with the sea-witch to acquire legs. We told her it was not worth the risk, but she just wouldn’t listen, just as head-strong as her sister.” The last words ended on a silent sob.

 

“Fortunately, the sea-witch gave her the means to communicate with us, so we weren’t left to worry without knowing how she was.” The queen takes over telling the story. “Ari managed to get herself inside the prince’s home, managed to get close enough to find his weakness and come up with a plan to enact revenge. However, it was taking too long. The sea-witch’s powers slowed down mermaid needs, but she still had to have access to water.”

 

A deep sigh. “Silly girl. We only found out much later. She had fallen in love with the prince, refusing to kill him. She found another way, but by then it was too late.”

 

Putting a comforting hand on his distraught wife’s shoulder, the king elaborates on her meaning. “The sea-witch always asked for a price when she gave assistance. More times than not, the price was more than what the being was prepared to pay. Ari had forgotten to read the contract in her desperation, signing away her soul to the witch.”

 

A shudder made his tail swing back, “The witch made her a puppet, trapping her in a cage by the ocean’s edge, taking on Ari’s appearance. She then convinced the prince that she would marry him if he gave her what she wanted. Coincidentally, the king had just received a message alerting him to the very thing she wanted, the mermaid shell.”

 

“She wanted it because it has the power to control merfolk and any other being in the ocean to do the holder’s bidding, making them powerless to refuse. She despised mermaids, a fact known to all, yet had fun making them do what she wanted.” Another pause, a disgusted look on his face as his eyes turn towards the direction of the sea-witch’s cavern.

 

“So, she persuaded the prince to go on the quest, bringing her along with him.” A choked sob. “Leaving Ari trapped in a place where humans could not find her and merfolk could not go, she sentenced her to a slow death. She would be able to be in contact with the water but would also dry out under the sun. Ari called to us, but alas we were helpless.”

 

“That despicable witch!” The queen hisses, “I heard that she brainwashed that stupid fool of a prince to care about no one but himself.” She shudders, “The things I’ve heard…” She meets our eyes before clearing her throat,

 

“Well, she succeeded in acquiring the mermaid shell.” Another sigh. “I have to admit, she never did go back on her deals. Not long after acquiring what she wanted, she filled the prince’s town with water, killing all that inhabited the village. However, we could feel no joy, it was a slaughter of innocent people and one Ari was made to watch.”

 

She closed her eyes tight, before opening them once again, redness showing through, “No parent would want their child to witness such horror, it leaves a mark too strong, killing their joy.”

 

Another sob shakes her body, the king’s eyes a similar red. “If that was not enough, she killed Ari in front of the moronic prince, taunting him for his ignorance and vain efforts. The news that she had been killed in her own palace was very welcome, if she didn’t have the shell, we would have killed her ourselves.”

 

He looks towards me. “Burned algae. That was what we found, the smoke still growing. Not only had she been crushed, but also burned alive. The mermaid shell was placed in our care by the great ocean spirits, possibly as compensation for our daughters.” Sorrow glazes his seafoam eyes. “However, all it has done is be a constant reminder they’re gone.”

 

“We wish to be rid of it.” The queen states, “Our hate for humans is strong, but we cannot stomach what the sea-witch did. Our people cannot even think of humans without hostility, but that is only when our territory is breached. We are not so blind that we would actively wage war, creating more death in the process.” A sorrowful sigh. “There has been enough death and damage done.”

 

She goes up and takes the shell, placing it in my hands, “We give you the shell for two reasons. The first is that we don’t want the reminder. The second is simply because it is you. The ocean spirit told us that one day you would come and free us from it, that you would use it for the right reasons. The woman who can create fire in an ocean, the Protector.”

 

She gives me a smile, “Once again, I apologise for the unwarranted violence. It has been an honour to finally meet you, one we will not soon forget.”

 

Running through the woods, she eventually found herself at the entrance to a cottage. Not wanting to look back, to think about the deal she had made the night before, she decided to intrude into the property. Looking through the window, she saw several plates and cups stacked in a neat order by the sink. There was also apple pie laying untouched upon the dinner table, a fire lit in the fireplace.

 

It was a cold day and a night spent in the forest had not made her any warmer. In her inspection, she noticed that the residents had left the door unlocked by accident. Making sure no one was about, she made her way into the cottage, taking a slice of the apple pie to sate her empty stomach. She would just pay for it with the gold in her satchel. Just as she was about to leave after placing a gold coin on the table, a piece of parchment caught her attention.

 

‘The queen falls ill: mages say she’s losing her heart.’ A sick feeling welled up inside her stomach, the guilt and terror intermixing as she read on. This was what he meant when he said she had given him an idea?

 

A curse that literally ate away at someone’s heart, replacing the organ with a magic that would keep her alive. She admitted that it was satisfying to see the mask she wore in front of her father would be useless now. But if her deed was ever found, all that would remain was sympathy for the wench.

 

She had wanted her gone! Not only revealed, gone! How was she to rule her kingdom, when her stepmother would soon recover and be crowned as the reigning monarch! There would certainly be a dozen mages and knights called to look for a way to bring her heart back and break the curse. She pulled at her hair, despair going through her, she had traded her mother’s necklace for nothing!

 

In her panic, she didn’t notice as the cottage door swung open, the miners now back from their night at work. Didn’t notice as the doorway was blocked, and their curious eyes glanced over her and to the gold coin on the table.

 

“Well. Well. What do we have here?” The one at the lead drawled, “A thief and a trespasser.”

 

“Oh, sweet land!” Cylen exclaims, hugging the ground, “I’ve missed you.”

 

I just shake my head with a chuckle, it seems that although he’d been able to face his fear of the water, he hadn’t quite gotten over it. Still though, he’s very brave. As I look down at the shell in my hand, my thoughts go back to the story we’d heard. It was horrifying and twisted, yet it wasn’t as twisted as the previous ones, so maybe there’s still some hope left.

 

Soft neighing fills the clearing, making us look towards the source to see our carriage standing in front of us. I wonder how it got here. I turn around to convey my confusion to the rest of the group when a man steps out from behind it.

 

“Will!” I exclaim smiling, “What are you doing here?”

 

He grins in greeting, “Well pretty lady, I found this carriage wandering around the village and assumed it belonged to you.”

 

“It does.” Ryan shoots him an annoyed look, moving closer to me.

 

“Thank you for bringing it us.” I reply, filling the others up on the situation leading them to express their gratitude as well.

 

“Anything for you pretty lady.” Will happily mutters, “What do you plan on doing now? It has gotten quite dark.”

 

“Um…Excuse me for a moment.” I give him a smile before turning to the group.

 

“What are going to do now?”

 

“We should probably stay in an inn for the night.” Gem replies, glancing at the sky.

Cylen nods along. “That would be for the best. Besides we need to change out of these wet clothes.” I glance down at my clothes and am happy to find that, although I look like a drowned kitten, they are not transparent.

 

“Do you agree with this plan?” My head turns towards Ryan. He nods in agreement, a small smile replacing the annoyance.

 

“We’re going to stay in an inn for the night.” I relay back to Will.

 

“That’s an excellent idea! I know someone who owns an inn which is likely to have rooms free.” Will gestures for us to follow him, “I’ll introduce you to him.”

 

“Thank you.” Gem takes the reins of the horses and leads them to follow behind us, obviously getting the message although she can’t understand what is being said. Cylen sticks close to Gem, still a little worried about the injury on her shoulder, losing that much blood isn’t a good thing even if the wound itself has been closed up.

 

“So,” Will asks as we make our way towards the inn, “Did you find what you were looking for?”

 

“Yes, we did.” I answer avoiding a pole, “Your map was very accurate. And very well-drawn”

 

Will shoots me a grin before turning right, “Thank you. I’m curious, are the mermaids as hostile as we’ve learnt?”

 

“Only if you venture into their territory.” Ryan answers before I can. Though somehow, I get the feeling he’s growing more annoyed as we go on. I take a chance to glance back and see Gem and Cylen happily chatting together. Huh. Maybe I’m just imagining it?

 

“That’s good for us then.” Will concludes, although I can see a bead of sweat drip forming on his forehead.

 

“Oy Liam!” Will shouts as we near what I assume is the inn, “I’ve got some people here who need a place to stay for the night!”

 

Liam is a burly man with a scar on his hand, “Oh! I’ve got two rooms free right now.”

 

“Will that be alright?” Will turns towards me.

 

“It will.” Ryan states, once again beating me to give an answer. I give him a curious look, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he narrows his eyes at Will. I can see more sweat forming on Will’s face as he turns back to Liam. “You also might wanna get Piero to take their carriage down to the stables.”

 

“Alright.” Liam grunts, “How long are ye’ staying?”

 

“Just for the night.” I give him a polite smile, “Although that may change.”

 

He nods in understanding, “Piero! Take the pretty young lady’s carriage down to the stables!”

 

It seems to have grown colder, a slight killing intent permeating the air, although that may be my imagination. It’s only when I see Liam turn his head to the person beside and gulp audibly that I realise that it wasn’t just my imagination.

 

I elbow him in the guts giving him a look that effectively gets him to stop glaring so menacingly. What is up with him today? I shake my head, telling Gem and Cylen what we discussed and taking some of our bags out of the carriage.

 

Piero takes the reins from Gem and leads the carriage into a stable, telling us that we can call him to retrieve it any time we want. Another concierge directs us to give him our bags so he can take them up to our rooms.

 

“Well, goodbye pretty lady. I’ve got to get back to my shop.” Will says once our bags are handed over, “Hope to see you again sometime. That is if your lover doesn’t kill me.”

 

“Bye. Thank you.” Wait a minute. “He’s not my…” I call after him, but he’s already too far away to hear me. I turn around and give Chess a bemused look, I knew his actions were going to give the wrong impression!

 

What makes it even worse is he doesn’t even seem sorry! In fact, he seems a little too proud of himself, his scowl now replaced with a content smile. I sigh in resignation before following Liam’s instructions up to my room.

 

“Why did you seem so annoyed earlier?” Gem asks once we’ve finished changing.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She only stares at my face, making me sigh. “Alright! Will assumed that Chess was my lover…”

 

A mischievous smile comes onto her face, “Well, he was certainly acting like he was.”

 

“You didn’t even understand what was being said.” I point out.

 

Gem shrugs, “I don’t need to know what is being said to see the obvious. Besides, there’s something I want to know,” She pauses, “What did Liam say that made him glare that intensely?”

 

“What do you mean the obvious?” I exclaim. No answer, just an expectant gaze on my face. “I don’t really know why exactly he was so annoyed, but I think…It might be because Liam called me ‘pretty lady’. But Will’s been calling me that all day…” I muse out loud.

 

To my bewilderment, that just makes her burst out laughing. And she refuses to explain the reason behind her hysterical giggling. So, in the end I give up and go in search of food.

 

Savouring the chocolate cupcake in my hand, I almost moan out loud at its deliciousness. I had only gone down to the kitchen to see if there was any food left, but they were in the middle of baking desserts. They chefs had jumped at the chance to have a taste tester to decide between the blueberry shortcake and the chocolate-caramel cupcakes.

 

Of course, the chocolate won. They were both very delicious, but chocolate is life, especially with the light buttercream icing on top. When I mentioned this to the chefs, unable to stop the grin spreading across my face, they immediately gave me a whole tray of cupcakes.

 

They had a lot to spare, so I think that might have just been so they could get rid of them faster. I refuse to acknowledge the cries of “so cute” and “whatever you want is yours” that followed my judgement.

 

Walking back inside my room, I’m surprised to find neither Gem or her bags, but a different set of bags and person laying on the bed.

 

“Where did Gem go?” I ask him, laying the cupcake tray carefully on the bedside table.

 

“She suddenly came into my room and said, ‘this torture is unacceptable’, before kicking me out.” He sounds almost amused, as he sits upright, “Why are there so many cupcakes?”

 

Hm… I smell a scheme from my dear cousin. To answer his question, I quickly summarise what happened, to which he just shakes his head in a disproving manner.

 

“Do you really mean to eat all of them?” He raises his eyebrow.

 

“Not all of them. Just most of them.” I answer taking another bite of the heavenly treat, shooting him a small glare. “Don’t judge me.”

 

“I fail to see how that chocolate monstrosity can replace a decent meal.”

 

I stare at him as I finish my cupcake, before taking another cupcake from the tray and moving towards him. “Try it.” I place the cupcake level with his face, “It’s delicious.”

 

He moves his head away, leaning back to avoid it touching his face before rolling across the bed. Oh! Now it’s kind of personal. Narrowing my eyes, I rush at him and take a seat to stop him from moving away, I break off a part of the cupcake, meeting his eyes as I move my fingers closer to his mouth.

 

“Don’t judge it before you try it.” I scold.

 

He stares at me for a minute before sighing, taking hold of my finger and moving them close to his mouth, licking the tips my fingers in the process as he consumes the piece offered to him. His eyes stare straight into mine, a smug smile playing on his face.

 

“You’re right it is delicious.” The smile grows bigger as I feel a red tint make its way to my face. I’ve been tricked! Abort mission. Abort.

 

For a couple of seconds, I’m frozen, unable to comprehend what just happened. When I do process, I suddenly become all too aware of our position, me straddling him in a sitting position with one of his hands supporting my back, my own hand raised to his mouth.

 

A tiny yelp comes out of my mouth as I immediately jump off him, yelling “I told you it would be!”, before slamming the bathroom door. I fall to the ground, covering my reddening face with my hands, and burying it in my knees. Oh god. What was that?

 

At the ocean’s edge, a man stood clothed in midnight, a hand outstretched towards the swirling waves. He signalled to the people behind him, signalling for them to obey his orders. The villagers they’d captured had a fearful look in their eyes as they took in the sharp mask covering his eyes and nose. They knew that whatever he had planned would not be good.

 

They were right in a sense as he had them thrown into the waves without a glance. On the other side of the ocean, he stretched out a hand, the air growing colder as ice began replacing water. It grew closer and closer to the drenched villagers, moving fast and steadily, too quick for them to run or scream.

 

However, it stopped just before it reached them, an invisible barrier separating the ice and water. Some of them wanted to scream but couldn’t bring themselves to do so as the man, the king, turned his eyes towards them. A darkness being emitted that promised retribution for anyone that made a sound.

 

He looked far into the horizon as if challenging an unseen force to do something, when nothing happened, he simply gave a weary sigh before opening his mouth.

 

“Poseidon!” He bellowed, “If you don’t want these people to roam as ghosts in your sea, then show yourself!” He truly meant to challenge a god. Did he have no fear?

An ominous wind groaned into the silence, a reply to the question for only the king’s ears.

 

“If you still won’t give me what I want,” Threatened the king, “I will freeze all the water in this world, making sure you have no domain to rule over.” The wind grew silent. “Do not believe I would not do it. Unlike last time, I no longer have anything to lose.”

 

They would have felt pitied the sorrow in his eyes, but his voice remained furious, not sad. They also wished the god would comply with what he wanted, they sure as hell did not want to die.

 

Soft whistling accompanied the wind this time, obviously meant to be a sigh, as a piece of parchment emerged from the water. The king unrolled the parchment and read the words inside it.  It was hard to tell with gods, there was a chance their pride was bigger than their conscience. He twirled the ring on his hand before slipping it onto his right ring finger, yes this was the right one.

 

“Good choice.” The king once again bellowed, signalling the people once again, only this time the command was to step back.

 

The villagers watched him as he rode off, a conflicted look in their eyes. He had meant to kill them, but it seemed his issue wasn’t truly with them. They were but the collateral damage.

 

They turned to face towards the other side of the ocean, only to be bewildered by what they saw, the ice had already thawed. There was no sign that the water had been frozen, not even a leftover piece of ice. No ice would melt that quickly, not on such cold day, least of all magical ice.