42. Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Two

Dominick

I had never really felt fear before like the fear I felt while waiting for Meria to rise from the Mirror Sea. She was a mermaid, so I did not understand why she did not swim faster out of the depths. Had she drowned? I was about to enter the sea when the dragon appeared.

“You must not intervene. She is finding the truth she seeks.”

“Is she alright?” I asked the dragon.

“She is safe, human prince.”

I looked back into the water, only seeing the glimmering starlights shining. She was invisible to me.

“Why have you come here, prince?” I heard the dragon again. “I seek answers to the greatest desire of my heart.”

“What is that desire?” I looked into the dragon's eyes and tried as hard as I could to focus on my sister. I had never even seen her before, but I imagined a silhouette of a woman–a girl–lost, alone, and afraid.

“That is not your greatest desire, prince.”

“I wish to find my sister, to see my mother, and make her pay for what she did.”

“Should she pay? You are the Crown Walden Prince. You should be on the throne; it lacks a king.”

“I am cursed.”

“Most human royals are–as is your sister, whom you seek.”

“Yes, but the things I have done.”

“What have you done?” he asked. His words curled around me like smoke.

“I hurt people, I said.

“Lies! Human, do not tell lies to me. I know that you were forced. That is on someone else,” he growled.

“I killed my father!” I shouted.

“You believe this?”

“It is the truth.”

“Is it?” he asked.

“I came here for answers, not to be asked questions,” I said, the memory of my mother, the pain on her face, taking over my thoughts.

“You must choose a star, and your greatest desire will be revealed, and the answer you seek will be given.”

“I know that I want Meria, and I know that I killed my father.”

“One is true; the other a lie.”

“Which one?”

“You already know.

“How can it be a lie?” I asked in pain.

I suddenly remembered my uncle's vile words to me after I had been imprisoned on his ship because, at first, I refused to hurt people with my curse when Veeto ordered me to do it.

“YOU KILLED HIM! You killed my brother–your own father! You are wicked, just as wicked as King Falcon!”

I shook, tears streaming down my face.

“No, I didn’t. It was an accident!” I cried.

“You did it because you are corrupt; only darkness resides inside of you,” Veeto bellowed.

I then remembered a faint voice, one that had once been so familiar to me; then, another memory came to me, one which I was not certain was an actual memory or just a made-up fantasy, one to keep me sane, during those hard times of my young life.

“I love you, Dominick; this is not your fault. You are good, and I love you,” a woman, I believed to be my mother, whispered.

“Do you remember the truth?” The dragon pulled me back to the present. The echoes of the past faded like a distant mist.

“No–I did kill him; whoever that was lied to me to make me stop my crying,” I said.

“You did use your curse on him; that much is true. You did cause him pain, but you were also a child, and the Creator had already counted your father as one of His creations whose time had come to leave this existence and enter His Ancient Lands before you ever touched him.”

“How–”

“This is not news; she told you–”

“To protect me.”

“No, she spoke the truth.”

“But she sent me away. She abandoned me.”

“Truth stands the tests of this world. It stands when all else bends and falls. Truth rings true in your soul, human prince.”

“So–I did not kill my father?”

“Did you?”

“No?” I said, and then I looked at my hands, hands I had always hated, hands that had placed me into a life that I’d never wanted.

“No, young prince, you did not kill your father.”

“I did not kill my father,” I said faintly, and as I spoke those words, something inside of me, inside of my soul, hummed–it hummed to the truth of those words.

“Tomorrow night, you shall choose a star, and then you will discover truths that you have never known, along with the deepest desire of your heart.”

“But wait!”

The dragon had already begun to sink under the sea.

He paused.

“But my sister?”

“Your sister is alive and on the life journey the Creator has set out for her. No matter what Ancient Draken does, the Creator will see to it that every being, magical or otherwise, has the opportunity to be who He created them to be .”

“But she needs me.”

“Does she? Or do you only feel an obligation? Or only a desire for your mother not to turn you away when you go back to Walden?”

“Isn't it my obligation? Do I not need my sister to be able to see my mother and ask her what I seek to know?”

“It is not.” Then without another word, he sank into the sea.

I fell back against the rocks. Only a few minutes later, Meria broke the surface of the water and held up a gleaming star in her hand. I reached out and pulled her from the sea as it seemed she was very tired.

After I pulled her out, and as she fell asleep to the rising light in the sky, I felt a tightness inside of me which I had never felt before.

I had not killed my father. My hands had never actually killed. Yes, I had caused immense and torturous pain, but I had never killed anyone. I smiled and caressed Meria’s face with my glove free hand. Maybe, my hands could bring comfort; maybe, I was not as corrupt as I believed.

There was a weight off of my shoulders and chest that I had never realized had even been there. Even if I never broke my curse, I knew that it did not affect Meria. We could still live a happy life. Maybe, we could sail the seas together. I paused in my musings as Meria stirred beside me. Hours passed, but time seemed so different on that island.

“Dominick?” she asked, sitting up, still clutching the star in her hands.

“Hello, there. Have a nice rest?” I asked with a smile.

“What happened?” she asked me, moving her tail a little, shifting on the rocks.

“You came from the sea and fell asleep. Did it work? Did you find the answer you needed?”

“Yes, the answer is within this star.”

She held it up, and its powerful glow surprised me.

“Is it warm?” I asked as she moved closer.

“Feel it–” she said, holding it out to me.

“That is yours, Meria.”

“Come on, Dominick,” she said, pushing it closer to me.

I touched the warm rock, and a vision fell in front of my eyes.

Free of my curse, Meria and I swam in a lagoon, small children, mermaids like Meria, swam about us. I kissed her cheek, and one child swam up to me with blue eyes, like mine, and with Meria’s beautiful blond hair.

“Father, watch!” the little girl said, jumping from the water. Another image flashed before me; five little heads tucked into five beds on a swaying ship. I turned to Meria who stood beside me, her finger pressed to her lips.

“Do not wake them,” she said softly.

I nodded, extinguished a candle, and then moved from the room. We walked down a corridor and entered a room–our room.

Meria sank onto the bed and pulled me to her. I kissed her mouth and warmth flowed through me. I moved my hands to her cheeks; there was no darkness in my veins–no pain in my soul–only happiness and light.

How I ached for that. How I wanted that desire of my soul, which burned so brightly within me. I pulled back from the stone with a gasp.

Meria's eyes were wide as she let the star drop from her hand and tumble between us.

“What was that?” I asked, gasping and looking into her eyes. Back and forth, I searched. Had she seen what I just saw?

“I did not see anything. What did you see?” she asked.

“I saw a future I greatly desire,” I said faintly with a roughness to my words.

“That future you saw within the star is within your grasp.” We both turned to see the dragon before us.

“You, Dominick, can have that future, but only if you trust completely and believe you deserve such a life.”

“But how?” I asked as the dragon seemed to move away.

“All you need is here.” He looked between the two of us.

I turned to look at Meria.

“I will say–I have never had two souls come to the Mirror Sea's edge, and both have the same deepest desire. I do believe that with what you two have, there is the possibility that soul-songs will return to Terra, for yours is an exceptionally strong and powerful true love.”

“What is a soul-song ?” I asked.

“Ask the sea princess; she knows of the magic that humans have forgotten about. Now, human prince, you will forget what Meria’s star just showed you, as it is her chosen desire.”

I felt a bit dizzy. “What were we talking about?” I was a bit confused.

“Never mind. Now, dive in, Dominick, and claim your star.”

I looked at Meria, smiled, took off my coat and vest, along with my boots and sword, then dove in. The water was warm, and I swam in it with no need to come to the surface for air. I swam deep, seeing so many stars glistening at the sea’s floor.

How will I know the right one to pick?

I found one that seemed to be pulsating and swam over to it, picking it up.

It was an image of my mother, her arms wrapped around me, and Peter beside us with a large grin. It was all I had ever wanted: to be wanted and loved by my mother. Another rock glistened, catching my attention, and I swam over to it. It was an image of the underwater Kingdom of Marren. I saw mermaids dive in and out of the sea from Marren Island. They were happy. Meria was there, swimming beside an older mermaid who had the same color tail as she did.

“Mother–” she said with a smile to the mermaid.

“We are free! Here, we shall stay both on land and in the sea!” I heard shouts and Meria and her mother, and so many mermen and mermaids were out of the sea, cheering.

I felt it more than actually hearing it that the freedom of existing on both land and in the sea was what would save her people; they needed to rise. I turned around, confused, because that was not the desire Meria had chosen? Had she not wanted to reunite with her mother? Why had she not taken it?

“Dragon!” I called, and he appeared beside me within a mass of bubbles. “Why is this still here? This is what Meria wanted.”

“Is it? She looked at that one and then put it back.”

“She put it back ?”

“Yes, she found a desire much greater.”

I dropped the rock with my mother and brother and clasped Meria’s rock in my palm.

“Would you take her desire?”

“Yes, she deserves to have it.”

“It is not yours to take, but if you can pull it from the depths, you may have it.” Then in another flurry of bubbles, the sea dragon was gone, and I was left alone within the depths of the dark water.

There was no choice; Meria’s happiness was more important than mine. I began to swim. The star became heavier and heavier the higher I swam, but I was determined. I would do it and more for Meria. Finally, I burst through the surface, exhausted, my arms and legs aching, but I was, of course, used to pain, and I pushed it aside. I swam to the edge of the sea and pulled myself out, beside Meria.

“Are you alright? You were down there for a long time,” Meria asked.

I noticed then that it was almost morning. Time was different under the Mirror Sea.

“I am well; I got it,” I said, holding up the glowing star. She smiled, and before I could say anything else, the dragon spoke.

“You are both most deserving, pure in heart, and filled with a love so true that you have endless possibilities,” he said; then he was gone, and the ripples soon dissipated, bringing back the sea’s smooth surface.

“What does that mean?” Meria asked, picking up her glowing star.

“I am not sure.”

“Let's get back to the ship. I do not want the crew to start worrying about us.”

I reached for her hand, and she took it.

“Okay, let’s head back.” I picked Meria up into my arms. “Have I ever told you that your tail is the most beautiful color? It reminds me of the sea. It suits you so perfectly.”

“Truly?” she asked, and I could see the surprise in her eyes.

“Yes, is that so hard to believe?”

“In Marren, I was forced to wear dressings over my tail to hide the color.”

“What? Why?” I asked, pausing for a moment in my walking, baffled that anyone would make her do such a thing.

“I got this tail color from my mother; she was banished years ago, and so the tail color serves as a reminder of her banishment and shame. It is a rare color. I am the only one in our kingdom with this particular shade.”

“Meria, it is beautiful. That is awful that you were made to feel bad for it.”

“Yes, thank you. I do not believe my mother was a traitor. I believe, like me, she was only trying to save my people.”

“You are like her, then.”

“I am, and while that would have at one point been an insult, I do not think that anymore.”

“I will be proud to meet her, when I help you find her.”

“I know how to save my people, even without my mother, although I do wish to see her.”

“How?”

“We must rise,” she said. “Rise from the sea and embrace what we are. I always knew but was too afraid to voice it.”

“And what are you and your people?”

“Half human,” she said with a smile, pressing her cheek against my chest. I began to walk again, enjoying her in my arms. She was safe. No one could hurt her when I held her. It was silent for a time as we slowly wove our way back through the trees and onto the beach.

Had the star I pulled from the Mirror Sea worked already? I smiled, happily, but wondered what star and desire she had chosen. I hoped that with it, she would get exactly what she desired. She deserved to receive everything. As we walked to the boat, there was a woman standing there right near the shore. We froze as we reached her.

“Princess Meria, Prince Dominick,” she said with a nod. “I am Ancient Celia. I am here to tell you, Meria, that your mother has dwelt in Walden all these years. She lives a happy but rather simple life.”

“So, she is in Walden?” Meria gasped.

“Yes, and she has been waiting for her appointed time when she will come back to her people. No matter the fool your father is, your mother is strong in the ways of the Ancients. We have blessed her for her bravery all those years ago.”

“Can I see her?” Meria asked.

“She will come to you and to your people when she is needed most, as should all magical beings. The time is near when she will return to Marren. You will know her when you see her. Listen to your soul, Meria. It will not lead you astray; your soul is strong, a gift from the Creator to help save your people.”

“My mother is needed now, I need her,” Meria whispered, and it pained me to hear the sorrow and need in her voice.

“All I can say is that you will see her soon, young princess. She will be there for you in the very moment you need her most,” the Ancient said, looking from Meria to me. “Keep her safe, and do not be afraid to speak from your heart, young prince.”

With a snap of her fingers and a shimmer of glittering smoke, she was gone.

“That was not the star I took,” Meria said, lifting up her star and looking at it to be sure.

Did I tell her that I selected that star? My star reunites her with her mother and saves her people. I thought for a moment.

“Let’s get back to the ship,” I said, taking her hand in mine. She looked at me and nodded.