A Merman's Kiss (A Novella) Read online

  Ellie wondered whether seeing her was unpleasant to him. A painful reminder.

  “I want to help you. Would you please come with me?”

  He nodded. “What choice do I have. She is right, I am like a helpless child at this moment.”

  “But you will not always be. Come.”

  She walked him back to the Mansion.

  “Are your feet hurting?”

  “Yes. Are they supposed to hurt?”

  “No, it’s just because you’re barefoot, and not used to walking. You will need shoes or boots. I will get you a pair. They might hurt at first, too, but not so bad. You’ll get used to them.”

  “You are kind.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Why are there tears in your eyes?”

  Ellie would never tell something like that to a stranger, especially a man, but somehow it felt like he had the right to know.

  “The man she is marrying, Arman… I can’t say I was in love with him, but… I had hopes.”

  “You liked him.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he know?”

  “No. Leatra did not know, either,” she said, anticipating his next question. “No one did. Well, except for the Lady.”

  “The Lady of the white mansion?”

  “Yes. I’m taking you to her. I think she knew you would come. She knows a lot about the seafolk.”

  Delmarius would not be allowed to the Lady barefoot, so Ellie took him to the servants’ dressing-room first and asked to borrow a pair of boots. He struggled to put them on, but refused Ellie’s help.

  Sylvia, the Lady’s personal maid, informed Ellie that Lady Mirabelle was about to retire for the night.

  “Are you sure this is something worth bothering her at this hour?” she asked, looking both Ellie and Delmarius over with suspicion.

  “Yes, Sylvia. You know me, I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t.”

  “What should I tell her?”

  “Tell her it’s me, and that something else has happened. These exact words. She will understand.”

  The Lady received them right away. She was still dressed, only her hair was undone, flowing luxuriously down to her waist.

  “My lady.” Ellie curtseyed. “This is Delmarius.”

  Lady Mirabelle rose from her armchair. Delmarius pressed his right fist to the left shoulder and lowered his head—an odd bow; merman’s bow. Ellie would have to teach him to do it the human way later.

  The Lady looked into his face. It was a long, knowing, and sad look.

  “Sillavaerra, my unfortunate brother.”

  Ellie saw Delmarius’s eyes widen; he must have understood the strange word.

  “Yes,” the Lady nodded. “I was a mermaid once. You are not the first to exchange your tail for a pair of legs, only to have your heart broken. Those legs must be tired and hurting now; have a seat. You too, Ellie.”

  Stunned as she was, Ellie remembered the protocol.

  “I must not sit in your presence, my lady.”

  “You may if I offer you, and I do.” She sat down and waited for them to do the same. “I assume you have already talked to Leatra.”

  Delmarius lowered his gaze. “Yes.”

  “She does not want you; you have no idea what to do now, how to survive, or whether you should.”

  He nodded. “Having been in my place, you know my feelings precisely, my lady.”

  “Do not call me ‘my lady,’ I suspect we are of the same station. Are you a cerrion?”

  “You are right once again.”

  “Then it’s ‘Mirabelle’ for you.” She turned to Ellie. “You must keep all this secret, of course, Ellie, as I’m sure you understand.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  The Lady looked at Delmarius again. “Has your family disowned you for this?”

  “No. They were upset that I was abandoning them, but they said I could call on their help if there was anything they could do.”

  “You are luckier than I was.”

  He studied her face for a moment. “Perhaps it would help me to know your story, Mirabelle.”

  “It is not much different from yours. A man tried the legend on me. We both had learned later on that it only worked for human girls and mermen, not mermaids and men. He wanted to be handsome and rich. He brought what little gold he had to buy the kiss from me. He knew so little. I took pity on him; I had no need for his gold, so I gave him the kiss. Just like you, I did not know of the danger.”

  “The danger?”

  “As soon as emotions get involved, as soon as we have the slightest personal interest in a human, we are doomed if we kiss them. Had Leatra paid for the kiss, this wouldn’t have happened. You would not have fallen in love with her. Or, if you did like her, you would still have a choice. The feeling would not have taken over you so completely.”

  “So it’s… magic?”

  “I don’t know what it is. Some sort of a force is at work here, that’s for certain.” She paused, giving him time to take it in. “It’s the saddest thing, isn’t it? Having it all decided for you like this, in a second.”

  “Yes.”

  He was silent for quite a long time. The Lady waited.

  “Would you tell me the rest of your story?”

  “The man I had kissed did not get his good looks and luck. I, however, had paid by becoming permanently and hopelessly attached to him. I followed him to the shore, just like you followed Leatra. He did not want me. First he rejected me, then got his desired wealth by selling me to a rich lord. Lord Silverston was a good man. He married me and treated me kindly, keeping my origins secret. Unfortunately, he died two years later.”

  “Unfortunately? Did you come to love him?”

  Lady Mirabelle gave a sad smile. “I learned not to love the other one. And not to hate humans in general. With time, I even began to like some of them. Like Ellie here.”

  Ellie sat in a sort of a reverie, her own sorrow nearly forgotten, gazing at these two beautiful beings who had been allotted so much suffering. Hearing her name mentioned, she blinked, as if waking up, and saw Delmarius looking at her.

  “Thank you for helping me, Ellie,” he said. “I must have appeared ungrateful in my pain. If so, forgive me.”

  “No need to apologize,” she muttered. “You are very welcome. I regret that I can do so little.”

  She glanced at the Lady and found her thoughtful eyes on herself as well.

  “Alas that Ellie’s heart is already taken. Had it not been so, she might be able to do for you what Lord Silverston did for me. Help you go on in this new life, show you that goodness and kindness still exist, and are still worth something.”

  “Her heart is broken, like mine,” Delmarius said. “Leatra is marrying the man Ellie liked.”

  Lady Mirabelle’s delicate eyebrows moved just a little.

  “I see. In that case, I advise you two to stick together and help each other heal. I’m not playing a matchmaker; I know better than anyone how foolish that would be. But I also know this pain, and how helpful a caring friend is. Besides, caring for someone else eases your own grief.”

  “Wise words.” Delmarius turned to Ellie, his eyes searching hers. “If you agree to be by my side, I promise to do all I can for you. It’s not much at this point, as you well know. But you will have a trusted friend in me, as long as I live.”

  Ellie had no idea why those foolish tears decided to show up again. Perhaps because she had not heard very many kind words in her life. Each one was like gold to her, and now she was offered a goldmine.

  “You will have a trusted friend in me, too, Delmarius,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice even. “As long as I live.”

  “Excellent.” Lady Mirabelle rose, indicating the audience was about to come to an end. “I want you to take one of the servants’ rooms, Ellie, and live here now. You will have one as well, Delmarius. Get some rest, try to find comfort in the fact that you have two friends who will take care of you. When you are up to i
t, I will help you choose your further course in life, find and learn a trade, if you wish.”

  “I do,” he nodded. “I was thinking about becoming a pearl diver.”

  “Anything but diving. You should stay away from the sea, at least for a while. You are too used to being able to breathe underwater, you can easily drown.”

  “Oh. I had not thought of that.”

  “We will find something else, don’t concern yourself with it right now. Whenever Leatra’s wedding will take place, I will send you both away to my sister-in-law so that you don’t have to endure it. You won’t have to worry about seeing her here, either, Delmarius: as of this moment, she is dismissed from her position. Now, go. I will tell Sylvia to show you to your rooms.”

  ***

  A slender young woman walked out of the picturesque little cottage nestling comfortably next to a cliff on the seashore. Shielding her eyes against the bright sun, she looked along the empty beach. Her husband, who went for a horse ride, was late for dinner. She was not worried; he was an excellent rider, and his “races for appetite,” as he called them, often lasted a little longer than planned. But today she baked his favorite apple pie. Everyone knows pies taste best fresh out of the oven.

  Hope I manage to keep it warm long enough…

  She returned to the house, took a small basket, and went to the garden. Having filled the basked with peaches and apples, she walked to the beach again and looked. A smile lit up on her plain, somewhat irregular face: this time, she saw a horseman on the horizon.

  The horseman was quickly approaching, raising clouds of sand. He saw her and waved; she shifted the basket into the other hand and waved back.

  Her husband reined the horse in some distance away, so that it wouldn’t throw sand on her, dismounted and headed to her, smiling.

  He was incredibly handsome. When they went to town, which was not very often, people cast wondering glances in their direction, obviously finding them mismatched. She didn’t care.

  “Look what I’ve got for you.”

  He extended his hand to her, holding something tight in his fist. Lowering the basket on the sand, she grabbed the fist with both hands and fought to unclench his strong fingers. Her laughter broke off as she saw a large, rose colored pearl.

  She looked up at her husband, eyes large with fear. How hadn’t she noticed it right away? His hair was a little damp, although the fast ride dried it off.

  “You were diving! Oh, Delmarius, you remember what the Lady had said!”

  “Don’t worry, I have learned well enough to be safe. It’s been over three years. Do you like it?”

  She nodded, trying to stay her pounding heart, and lifted the pearl higher on her palm, letting it sparkle in the sun.

  “Of course. Who wouldn’t like such a beauty? But please don’t dive alone again. Promise?”

  “I promise. I don’t really need to anymore. I’ve wanted to get my Ellie a rose colored pearl for a long time, and now I have.” He smiled. “Do not fear.”

  “Thank you, Delmarius. You are the best.”

  He embraced her and pulled her close. Ellie placed her head on his chest.

  Her husband had never said he loved her. He probably never would. That was fine with her. He acted like he did, every day. She knew she loved him. And she was quite happy with that.

  Take a peek into My Sparkling Misfortune,

  the award-winning Book 1 of The Lakeland Knight series:

  Chapter 1

  I was understandably surprised when Shork, my lackey, announced that I had a visitor…

  Oh, wait. You know nothing about me yet, so you would not see why I was “understandably” surprised, right? Hmm… Perhaps Korvaleus was right, writing a book is not so easy as it seems, and I shouldn’t have, uh… Oh well. He’d deserved it, anyway.

  All right then. I’m not going to rewrite anything, I like my opening line. I’ll just introduce myself here, it should explain things: Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle, also known as Arkus the Fearsome and the Dreaded Lord, at your service. I spend my days scheming, plotting, attacking, invading, killing, plundering, kidnapping, collecting ransom, and having other types of fun. I’ve done a few backstabbings as well, but only returning the favor; I do have some manners.

  Yes, you have guessed it: I am a villain. What? You wanted a noble hero? Well, tough. You’ve got the wrong book then. But let me tell you something before you put it down: there are no heroes without us villains. They’d have nothing to show off against. Besides, goody boys do some wicked tricks as well, as you will see if you keep reading my story, and it takes some heroism to be a villain at times, too. I suppose you already know it though, if you’re smart, which you have to be, because I’m not writing this for silly people.

  So, with that out of the way, let me get back to the story. I had just finished my rather bland tasting dinner (it turned out to be a real headache to find a decent cook after old Mr. Flamm thought he could serve me chicken five nights in a row), and, as I said, I was understandably surprised when Shork announced that I had a visitor.

  Nobody visits Blackriver Castle out of their own free will. And if somebody wanted to, for whatever strange reason, it is unlikely that they would safely arrive at my doorstep: Arkusville, my domain, is filled with goblins, robbers and other assorted outlaws. It’s a dreary and dangerous place. I take good care to keep it that way. Heroes occasionally still come to fight me, of course, but they don’t count as visitors, and they do not take the trouble to be properly announced.

  Yet Shork was insisting that someone had come and asked to see me. And not just someone—Prince Kellemar of Dalvanna himself. Yes, the oldest son of noble King Ramian, my respectable enemy. A proud young man with a cute face, brave in battle, and of course with aspirations of becoming a hero. Preferably at my expense. He came alone, imagine that, without his bodyguards.

  Naturally suspecting some kind of a set up, I told Shork to invite him in and to immediately alert my army and watchmen.

  The prince entered with a defying look on his face, obviously rehearsed for villains like me. If it was supposed to make me tremble inside, let’s just say it did not work.

  “You are a brave man, Your Highness,” I greeted him. “What brings you here, and what makes you think that you will make it out of here alive?”

  “Arkus, you are despicably wicked,” he began.

  Blatant flattery, I noted. He wants something from me.

  “But even you,” he continued, “would not dare to harm me now and face the wrath of my father when he returns.”

  “I have faced your father before, many times, and stood against him quite well,” I replied. “So what stops me from taking you captive and getting a nice chunk of ransom money, as I believe I have already done in the past?”

  By the way, it’s true. I had captured him once, and the king paid.

  Kellemar did not appreciate the reminder, of course; I could see it by how his jaws clenched. Well, I suppose I make some kind of a funny face, too, when I’m mad.

  Meanwhile, Shork returned and communicated to me that everything was fine—no attackers, no spies sneaking in. Kellemar, indeed, came alone. I was getting intrigued.

  “Listen, Arkus,” the prince spoke, “I have certainly thought of what evil intentions my coming here like this, unprotected, will inspire in your evil mind.” (He was trying to be eloquent, but I wouldn’t use the same word twice in a short phrase like this, even if it was such a nice word as “evil”. Wouldn’t you agree?) “But hear me out before you start plotting. I have a proposition.”

  That piqued my interest even more.

  “Proposition? From you to me??” I couldn’t help getting a little sarcastic here. “As in ‘deal’ or ‘agreement’? The honorable Prince Kellemar is offering me a deal, did I get that right?”

  “You can mock all you want. Yes, I wish to make you an offer. Will you hear me out?”

  “Of course. I will die of curiosity if I kill you now without knowing what y
ou had in mind. Go ahead, I am listening… Oh, wait: Does your father know about this?”

  The question irked him, as it was intended to.

  “He does not,” Kellemar said through his teeth. “But it does not matter. When the king is away, I rule in his stead, as you very well know. Whatever I say to you carries the same weight. Satisfied?”

  “Quite. Now, go ahead.”

  “Several of our regions have been attacked by the Dolmanians. Are you aware of that?”

  “I have heard something, yes. My condolences. They are a pesky little tribe.

  “Well, we’ve been fighting them off, but I want to rid my land of them completely, once and for all. And I want your help to do it.”

  I almost fell off my chair. Wouldn’t you?

  “You want my what?! Kellemar, that’s insulting. What kind of a ridiculous joke is this?? Did you happen to take a drink from Black River on the way here? Because if you did, well, that would explain a lot, and— ”

  “Stop fooling around! I know you will not help if there is nothing in it for you, and I know your love of gold. I can tell you where the Dolmanians store their plunder. Would that interest you?”

  “Oh, I see. Well, it might, but answer me a couple of questions first. Number one: Why don’t you take the plunder yourself and give it back to your people? And number two: Why don’t you call on your numerous allies who are supposed to help you out without getting paid?”

  The prince smirked.

  “Valid questions. I will start with the second one, if you don’t mind. I do not wish to bother our allies with this because I want to save their help for a more serious occasion. Like you deciding to attack us again, for example.”

  “Shameless flatterer. And my first question?”

  “Easy: I do not want to waste my men’s lives to capture stolen gold, only a part of which used to belong to my people. There will be no way to determine whose gold is where as people will unfortunately lie about it. And I do not wish to spoil them by dividing it all equally and sharing it.”

  “Then why don’t you just take it for your treasury?” I asked with an innocent expression. I already knew why: he didn’t have enough men. His father must have taken half the army with him (which would be nice to check, by the way).