Chapter 17

Seventeen

“ S o the alliance between our kingdoms is secure, Ravenwolf?” Zann asked as he and his brothers and their wives gathered in the courtyard of Evandorm. King Sebastian Ravenwolf, his captain of the guard, and Merrow had joined them as requested.

“Zann, this alliance needs to be with the Queendom of Glint, and with the Fae folk as well,” his wife, Lira, reminded him. “We need to wait for your mother and my aunt to arrive.”

“They’re here,” announced Talia, Darium’s fae wife. She pointed upward.

Merrow looked up in surprise, to see three women, a man and a dog descending from the sky. They all gently set down right in front of them.

“Are they gods and goddesses too?” Merrow whispered to Sebastian.

“Nay,” he told her. “Not at all.”

“Then how can they fly?”

“Merrow,” said Medea, Rhys’ wife, stepping forward. “We’d like you to meet some very special people of Mura. This is the fae queen, Alaina,” she said, motioning to the eldest woman of the party.

“Hello, Merrow. I am the mother of Zann, Rhys and Darium,” Alaina told her.

“Hello,” she answered. “I saw you at the sea, helping to battle my father. Thank you for your assistance.”

Alaina nodded.

“This is my aunt, Sasha,” said Lira, taking over with the introductions, presenting the second oldest of the females. “She is Queen of Glint.”

“Glint?” asked Merrow in confusion.

“It’s on the other side of the mountain. The magical side,” Sebastian told her.

“Glint is the elven queendom,” Lira explained.

“Queendom,” repeated Merrow, smiling widely. “I like that. So would all my sisters, I’m sure.”

“Do you have a lot of sisters?” asked Sasha.

“Don’t ask,” Sebastian mumbled under his breath.

“I am Persimmon and this is my husband, Stone,” said the last woman.

“Are you an elf or a fae?” asked Merrow curiously.

“Half-elf, half-witch,” Persimmon explained. “Elric, the sage, is my father.”

“Oh, yes. I know who he is,” she said with a nod.

The dog barked, making Merrow jump back. She wasn’t used to land-dwelling animals.

“That’s just Fang. He won’t hurt you,” said Stone with a chuckle, hunkering down to hold the dog. “We’ve already met two of your sisters on the ship. When you first arrived.”

“You mean, when we were captured,” Merrow corrected him.

Everyone became silent. Finally, Sebastian was the one to speak.

“Honey, no one captured you or your sisters on purpose. It was a surprise to us as well as you to find anything but fish in our nets.”

Merrow could have pointed out that she had indeed been a prisoner of Sebastian, but it no longer mattered. He had changed and he cared for her now. The rest was all in the past. They knew each other better now and were about to get married. “Of course. I’m sorry. I am just a little nervous being here alone.”

“You’re not alone, sweetheart.” Sebastian took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve got me. And now, a lot of new friends, as well.”

Zann cleared his throat. “So, can we continue with finalizing the alliance?”

“Of course,” Sebastian answered.

“Elric, bring the agreement, please,” Zann called out.

The elf appeared in a blur, almost making Merrow dizzy. He held a rolled-up parchment in one hand, and a feathered quill in the other.

“I’m still not sure about this alliance,” complained Elric. “That is why I have written up the agreement in detail.” He snapped his wrist and the parchment unrolled, hitting the ground since it was so long.

“What’s all this?” Sebastian eyed the contract.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Darium told him. “It basically says you will never punish, imprison, or kill anyone who has magic again.”

“Of course, not.” Sebastian looked over at Merrow. “My bride-to-be comes from a magical family as well. It was my uncle who made up those silly rules against magic to begin with. I never agreed with them.”

“Good, good,” said Elric with a nod. “Then sign it.” He thrust the scroll and the quill at Sebastian.

“My king, mayhap I should read over the contract first.” His captain of the guard, Farrimond, came forward. “Now that Drell is dead, I’d like to take over as your advisor.”

“The only advisor I need is Merrow,” Sebastian answered. “Besides, making an alliance is all about trust. There is no need to read it. I’ll sign it if the Blackseeds assure me it is fair and for the good of all.”

“It is.” Rhys nodded. “We’ve all signed it already.”

Sebastian looked at the quill and then over at Elric. “I’m afraid you forgot to give me the ink.”

“Don’t need any,” said the elf with a sniff. “It’s done by magic.”

“Really.” Sebastian put the quill to the parchment, and surprisingly watched as his name appeared on the paper. “Interesting.” He went to hand it back, but Elric crossed his arms and shook his head.

“Nay. The girl has to sign it too.”

“What?” asked Merrow in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting this.

“Sebastian is king, and the two of them are not yet married,” Farrimond interjected. “There is no need for the sea nymph to sign.”

“It’s all right. I’ll do it,” said Merrow, not wanting to cause trouble. She needed all the kingdoms of Mura to be in alliance because she despised war and fighting of any kind. She signed it and handed the things back to Elric.

“Done,” said the elf, quickly sticking the parchment and quill into a bag hanging over his shoulder. “All right, let’s go then.”

“Go? Where are we going?” asked Merrow.

“The wedding,” snapped the elf, producing a book from thin air. He flipped it open. “I’m the sage and officiate at any wedding here on Mura.”

“You do?” she asked, starting to feel her heart beating faster. This was really going to happen. She was about to become Sebastian’s wife. And in doing so, she would turn human, losing her abilities of being a sea nymph forever.

“We weren’t expecting this so soon,” said Sebastian. “We haven’t even had time to prepare.”

“What is there to prepare for? Now, let’s go. I have things to do.” Elric was a very impatient man.

Persimmon stepped forward with her gazing ball in her hand. “Merrow, you look nervous. If it helps at all, I’ve seen the future in my gazing ball and the two of you are going to be very happily married.”

“You saw that? Really?” Why did Merrow’s heart ache? She wished for nothing more right now than to have her mother and sisters with her.

“Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any. What do you say, Merrow?” Sebastian took her hands in his and stared into her eyes. “Are you ready to take your vows? It is time to become my wife and queen of Macada Castle.”

A wave of intense emotions rushed through Merrow. She closed her eyes and swayed, holding on tightly to Sebastian’s arm.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” asked Sebastian. “I hope you aren’t having second thoughts about marrying me.”

“No. Of course, not,” she said, feeling an odd sensation in her belly. “I just don’t feel very well.”

“Then let’s get this over with quickly,” snapped Elric. “This is taking much too long.”

“Father, stop.” Lira walked over and put her hand on Merrow’s shoulder. “Mayhap Merrow just needs a little more time.”

“Time,” Merrow repeated, noticing bile at the back of her throat. She looked up at Sebastian, feeling even sicker than before. “I’m sorry, Sebastian.”

“For what?” he asked.

She turned and vomited, never feeling more embarrassed in her entire life. Especially since she had just ruined their wedding.

“What’s the matter with her?” Half an hour later, Sebastian paced the floor outside one of the bedchambers of Evandorm. “Is she going to be all right? Why doesn’t someone come out and tell us something? What is taking so long?”

The women had taken Merrow into the bedchamber to try to heal her. The men all waited out in the corridor.

“She’s among healers. The fae will help her,” Darium assured him.

“I get a bad feeling about this.” Sebastian couldn’t help thinking that somehow by this happening it meant their marriage union was cursed. “Why won’t they let me in the room?”

“You’ll get used to it,” said Zann with a yawn. “These women, if you haven’t noticed, are extremely controlling.”

The door opened and Talia walked out, keeping her back to the door and closing it so the men couldn’t see in.

“Did you heal her, honey?” Darium asked his wife. “Is Merrow all better?”

“No, and yes,” said Talia, only managing to confuse them all.

“I want to see her.” Sebastian headed for the door, but Persimmon came out next and closed the door, blocking his way. “Move aside. I want to enter the room and see my wife.”

“She’s not your wife yet,” Elric said from the shadows. “Mayhap this is all a warning from the gods that you two shouldn’t marry after all.”

“Don’t say that, Father.” Persimmon frowned.

“They’re too different,” Elric continued, waving his short arms above his head. “We don’t have sea nymphs on Mura and neither do we need them. We’ve got enough creatures and magical beings as it is. This marriage will never work.”

“Father, Stone and I are very different as well and our marriage has worked out fine,” Persimmon pointed out.

“What’s wrong with Merrow?” asked Rhys. “Is she sick?”

“We’re not quite sure,” Talia answered. “Since she is a nymph, we don’t really know what’s wrong with her or how to cure her. But we’re working on it.” Talia flashed a smile. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine.”

“She’s probably dying since she’s been out of water too long.” Elric was much too blunt with his ill thoughts.

“Stop saying those things,” warned Persimmon. “That’s not true. I saw Merrow and Sebastian in a vision being married and they were very happy. She is not dying, I assure you.”

“Can you use your gazing crystal to find out why she is sick? And how to cure her?” asked Sebastian.

“I suppose I can try. Although, I usually see the future. It doesn’t normally tell me what is happening in the moment.”

“Give it a try, sweetheart,” Stone spoke up from the back of the group, sitting on the floor. Fang lay next to him with his nose between his paws. “Your scrying abilities are getting stronger, so mayhap it will work.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” agreed Talia. “We’ve tried everything else, so we have nothing to lose.”

Persimmon pulled her gazing orb out of a pouch attached to her belt. All the men moved in closer to watch.

“I’ll need room,” said Persimmon. “And you do know that I am the only one who can see visions in the gazing ball, so there is no need to try to sneak a peek.”

The men all mumbled, complained, and backed away from her.

“Oh. Hmmm. Interesting.” Persimmon’s fingers grazed over the ball and she peered into it intently.

“Honey? Do you see something?” Stone got up and moved in closer. Fang followed.

“I think so, but I can’t be sure. Oh.That is something I didn’t expect.” Her brows arched.

“What is?” asked Sebastian. “Please don’t tell me she has some sort of disease that can’t be cured.”

“Nay, that’s not the case at all,” said Persimmon. Sebastian let out a breath he’d been holding.

“Then what is it?” asked Sebastian anxiously. “Is it something that only happens to sea nymphs? Please tell me it’s not a curse from any of the gods.”

Persimmon chuckled and slipped the gazing orb back into her pouch. “I assure you, she is not cursed. What has happened to her, happens to everyone, no matter if they are magical or not. Or, not everyone. But it does happen to most women.”

“What?” asked Sebastian so nervous that right now that he wanted to shake the answer out of the witch. “Tell me. I need to know. What is ailing her?”

A smile spread across Persimmon’s face. “Sebastian, Merrow is feeling ill but it isn’t because she is ailing. Unless my visions are wrong, I’d say Merrow is pregnant.”

Sebastian almost fell over, having to grab on to the wall so he wouldn’t collapse. “Pregnant? Already? That’s impossible.”

“It seems it is possible. Or at least for sea nymphs,” said Persimmon. “Like I told you, we really don’t know much about them, but now I guess we do.”

“Congratulations,” said Darium, slapping Sebastian on the back. “You have a head start on your family, it seems.”

“You should have let me marry you two when I wanted to,” complained Elric. “Now, it’s going to be trouble. Trouble, I tell you, with a capital T.”

“Elric, what are you babbling about?” asked Zann. “How is Merrow being pregnant going to cause trouble? After all, they are already planning on getting married.”

“That’s right,” said Stone. “Elric, are you just trying to cause problems again? Because, if so, we don’t think it’s funny.” Fang howled, giving his feedback as well.

“You big oafs, wake up!” snapped Elric, pacing back and forth so quickly that it made Sebastian dizzy. “Since she got pregnant before being married, don’t you see the concerns?”

All the men looked at one another and shrugged.

“No, not really,” said Zann. “Mayhap you need to tell us.”

Elric stopped pacing and sighed. Then he jumped up on a wooden bench in the corridor so everyone could see him. “I swear, being a sage and having a brain goes wasted on the lot of you.”

“Father, just tell us what you mean. Please,” begged Persimmon. “We can’t read your mind.”

“She’s about to be married and turn human, right?”

“Yes,” said Sebastian. “But it is Merrow’s choice. No one forced her to do it.”

“Mayhap that is so,” said Elric. “But it is not the baby’s choice.”

“Explain,” said Rhys.

“Don’t you fools see?” Elric was becoming angry. “She was a sea nymph when Sebastian impregnated her. But she’ll be a human when she gives birth.”

“Is that a problem?” asked Sebastian, not understanding at all.

“It is, if the baby is a sea nymph,” spat Elric. “Giving birth to a sea nymph might kill her. Or even if it doesn’t, how is she going to raise a child who is half fish? She loses her tail and sea nymph abilities once she’s married to you, unless you’ve already forgotten.”

“Oh, no,” said Sebastian, feeling as if their marriage would be doomed after all. “I’ve got to see her.” He pushed past the girls and entered the room, needing to talk to Merrow so they could figure out just what to do. This was all something that Sebastian hadn’t expected and neither did he know how to fix it.