Damarian (A Merman's Kiss Novel) (27 page)

Kiander and Kyler wait for me, as well as six members of the Guard, including Morteran, and eight great white and hammerhead sharks, Fiske among them. He hurries to my side and inclines his head.

Kiander nods to the Guards and sharks. “Now we may return to the colony.”

They surround Kiander as we swim homeward. I squeeze through them so that I may swim by his side. “Brother.”

“We will not speak until we reach the colony. As you know, the royal family is not allowed to leave Eteria. The queen and former king are slightly upset that I have left. But as you understand, I needed to.”

I nod. “Thank you for all you have done, Kiander. I do not think I can ever repay you.”

He shakes his head. “There is no need to repay me. I am the king of the children of the sea, and it is my duty to ascertain that every creature in the sea is both safe and happy.” He smiles. “And you are my brother.”

We do not speak for the rest of the journey, for the Guards wish to bring the king home safely as quickly as possible. Kyler does not utter many words either, for he is too busy studying every inch of the sea, marveling at its beauty as though he is seeing it for the very first time. I cannot imagine how difficult it has been for him, banished for twenty-four moons. I do not think there is a more suited king than my brother.

When we arrive at the colony at last, the Sentinels hurry to let the king and his companions pass. Fiske remains with them to continue his training.

Kiander informs me I am to accompany him and the Guards to Eteria. We bid goodbye to Kyler, who appears both apprehensive and excited to return to the Emerald colony.

As we pass the many children of the sea swimming about, they all turn to stare at us. At first, I assume they are looking at Kiander, their new king, but after a few minutes, it is apparent that they gawk at me. Is it due to the fact that I did not take the throne? They do not seem to have any ill feelings toward Kiander, but I cannot be certain.

My brother’s eyes follow my gaze. “I regret to inform you that word about your travels to land and choosing a human as a mate has spread through all the clans.” He looks apologetic. “We could not withhold the truth after I took the throne.”

I am not certain what to make of this. Will I now be ostracized by my own race?

As soon as we enter Eteria and near the palace, I notice something vastly different from the last time I visited. In addition to the hammerheads patrolling the area, there are many great white sharks as well. As there are bull, blue, and tiger sharks, though not in great numbers like the hammerheads and great whites.

Some of the sharks that escorted us home part to the side while the others enter the palace with us. They swim off to patrol. We swim until we reach the room where the king and queen sit on their thrones. Once we near the entrance, a Violet announces, “His Royal Highness, King Kiander, and Damarian of the Sapphire clan.”

Queen Flora, who sits on her throne with the former queen’s tiara on her head, straightens her shoulders. Floating next to her are her parents, the former king Palaemon and former queen Lamara, and two large hammerhead sharks. As soon as we near them, Kiander, the Guards, and I fall to the floor and lower our heads. Palaemon and Lamara bow before Kiander.

Queen Flora lays her hands over her mate’s head, and he lifts it. “I am glad to see you are well,” she says with a loving smile. Her eyes move to me. “And I am glad to see you well as well.”

I lower my head again. “Thank you, my queen.”

Kiander rises off the floor and slides his hand into the queen’s. My eyes linger on them for a few moments. The gesture is quite surprising. It appears the king and queen are very much in love.

Queen Flora lifts off her throne. “Please excuse us,” she says to her parents and the Guards. “We have much to discuss with Damarian.”

Morteran leads the king and queen to the adjacent room. I hurry after them. The Violet Guard remains outside while the three of us settle on the stone. I cannot help but notice that my brother’s hand tightly claps his mate’s.

Queen Flora follows my gaze. “I see you are confused.”

I shake my head. “Not confused, Your Highness. Surprised.”

She glances at Kiander and once again smiles lovingly. “You were correct, Damarian. There was indeed a male in the sea who would love me in the manner you love your human.”

Kiander lays a soft kiss on her forehead. “As soon as you left home, I arrived at the palace with a proposition. I offered to assume the role of the king.”

Queen Flora laughs softly. “You can imagine my father’s reaction.”

Kiander laughs as well. “You can imagine Father’s reaction.”

“But there was something in his eyes,” the queen says. “A desire. Not for me, but for the children of the sea. For every creature in the sea. Against my father’s advice, I asked to speak to him privately.” She lays her head on his shoulder. “He was pleasant to speak to, and not bad on the eyes.” She laughs again when he gently jabs her shoulder. “He shared with me his views on the sea, the changes he saw fit, how we could make our home a better place for every creature. We were both passionate about the same issues. Though I did not love him, I did have a sensation. I cannot describe it, but I did not feel it with you, Damarian.”

I nod. I believe I am aware of what she is referring to.

“For reasons I did not understand at the time, I agreed to accept Kiander’s proposition. We held the mating ceremony shortly after.”

“It did not take long for our feelings to grow.” Kiander kisses the back of her hands. “Hours.”

“Minutes,” the queen says.

He nods. “Yes, minutes.”

Queen Flora turns to me. “This was all due to you. I did not think I could ever have the kind of love you sought, for I was heir to the throne and could not think of my own happiness. But because you did not surrender your hope, I was able to receive the greatest gift of all. Kiander.”

“We knew we could not fully embrace our happiness while you were banished on land, Brother. We could not deny you happiness. The queen and I decided to grant you permission to travel to and from land as often as you desire, though we must emphasize how careful you must be.”

“And we also decided not to banish a single child of the sea. Unless, of course, he or she has committed a very serious crime. I asked my mate to gather Kyler of the Emerald clan and allow him to return home. We do not wish to cause anyone any heartache.” She looks at him. “We are still discussing this, but we believe we will grant any child of the sea permission to travel to land, as long as he or she very much wishes it and comes to speak to us first. Though, it is unlikely many will do so, for it is our nature and will to remain in the sea and it is rare to find a human we can relate to. Still, the option is always available, if one truly wishes it.”

I merely stare at them, my heart beating with so many emotions. Finally, when I manage to gather my thoughts, I say, “This is very kind of you. Thank you.”

They incline their heads.

“I have already noticed the changes occurring here in the palace. There are sharks other than hammerheads patrolling the sea.”

Queen Flora nods. “And it will not be long before children of all the clans join the Guard. And we hope many will no longer be shamed or too concerned about mating with a member from another clan. We hope it will not be too long before the clans are truly united.”

Kiander kisses her hand again. “That is all we wish, to provide a better home for every creature of the sea. And in past moons, the Violets and Sapphires have been placed high above the others, receiving more sharks than the other clans, and their issues were always resolved quicker than the others. We wish to change that and treat every clan equally. And we hope to enlist more tiger, blue, and bull sharks to patrol the sea and keep us safe from the humans.”

I smile to my brother. “Father has misunderstood all these moons. It was not my destiny to take the throne. It was yours.”

Kiander bows his head. “I only hope I am worthy of it.”

“You are, my love.” The queen kisses his cheek. “Very much so.”

“I agree,” I say.

They stare into each other’s eyes as though they are in their own secluded cave. I shift in my chair. “Perhaps it best I journey home and make peace with Father.”

Kiander rises off his chair and places his hand on my shoulder. “All will be well.”

I nod, though my stomach is unstable.

Morteran nods to me as I leave the room and head for the exit to the palace. I examine my surroundings, noticing how beautiful it looks to see all the species of sharks swimming together in harmony. As I swim home, I am once again stared at by many children of the sea. I am relieved to discover that most do not seem hostile or upset. Merely curious. Although I do not wish to acknowledge it, a few seem a bit betrayed, as though I have disappointed them. Naturally I feel guilty, but that is short lived because Kiander will be a far more competent ruler than I could ever be. I am quite certain many of them already understand this, and I know it will not be long before the others see it as well.

As I approach my home, my stomach once again is unstable. For the first time in a while, it appears different. Perhaps because I know it will no longer serve to be my only home, for I shall share the one on land with Cassie. My home in the sea will now be more special to me, and time spent with my family will feel more sacred. That is, if Father forgives me and welcomes me in his life. I still feel greatly upset and hurt by his banishment, and I am not certain whether I can ever fully forgive him, if he asks for it. I hope I shall, because I do not wish for there to be a rift between us.

Once I enter the cave, I am bombarded by the little ones, who ask me too many questions and pull on my arms.

“Is it true you have met a female human?” Zarya demands. “Will she be my news sister, just as princess Flora—no, Queen Flora!—is my sister?”

“Why a human?” Syndin asks with a slightly horrified expression. “They are vile.”

“Have you learned the ways of the humans?” Syd asks. “Is it intriguing?”

“What of that delectable treat? I know it is a food from land. Am I not correct, Dammy?”

“Zarya, Syd, and Syndin,” Mother says with a laugh. “Any more questions and your brother will grow unconscious.”

I cannot help but smile at them. They are not upset with me but seem quite excited by my arrival. “Do not fret. I will tell you all you wish to know. But first, I must speak to Father and Mother.”

“Father is hunting for food!” Zarya does a small somersault. “He will return shortly.”

“Please play in your rooms,” Mother asks the fry. They do not seem happy, but they leave nonetheless. Mother wraps her tail around me. “Thank you for returning home. I worried…” A look of sadness passes over her face. “I worried you would never return.”

My eyes move from her face. “You worry I am upset with Father for banishing me.”

She touches my cheek, causing me to look into her face. “Please listen to his words and try to understand why he behaved in the manner in which he did.”

I nod, though I feel myself frowning.

Her hands slide to rest on my shoulders. “I wish to apologize to you, for not listening to your feelings. I did not understand how unhappy you were. I thought…” She sighs. “I thought, perhaps, you were behaving like a fry, out of spite. But now I understand it all, and I want you to know that I sincerely apologize.”

“It is all right, and I accept your apology.”

“All I wish is for you to be happy. I am not very thrilled that you have chosen a human, but I will embrace her as though she is my own daughter. For you have chosen her, and that means she must be very special.”

“She is,” I say, surprised by the emotion in my voice. “Very special. And I love her with all my heart.”

She kisses my cheek. “I know. I see it in your eyes. I only ask that you be careful when you travel to land. I will worry about you, for that is the manner in which a mother behaves. And please visit as often as possible. I shall hate to see you only once or twice in twelve moons.”

“I promise I will.”

We sit at the table, where I begin to tell Mother about Cassie. The more I talk, the more it seems Mother develops a fondness for her, especially when she learns how she nearly perished trying to keep me from land when she worried Kyler would expose my true identity.

“I am glad the Emerald has returned home,” she says. “I heard his family and colony are very pleased to see him after all these moons.”

“I have always known that Kiander had strong beliefs when it involved the sea and her creatures. He will be a great king.”

She smiles. “I think so as well.”

I hear movement at the entryway and turn to see Father floating there, a large oyster shell filled with fish in his arms. When his eyes land on me, they do not fill with disappointed like in the past. I see relief, as though he is glad to see me here.

I rise off my chair. “Father.”

He nods slightly. “Damarian.”

Mother rises as well. “I will check on the little ones.”

Father and I face each other. After a few moments, he swims to the table and lays down the shell. My back faces him, but I do not turn around. Even though we are in the sea where the water is of a cool temperature, it seems to be cooler than usual. Finally, Father says, “You are upset with me.”