The Mermaid's Egg

9 -- The Stain

"No!" Meara answered, getting up and leaving Kiandra all alone in the room to think about what he was asking of her.

While Meara was out, visiting Niamh and asking for her professional opinion regarding unrequited marks. Kiandra sat in the room, looking at the pool as he was still fuming.

"Stupid mermaid!" he grumbled "All she cares around is that damn pearl and nothing else!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw the pearl glimmering brightly upon the floor as Meara had left the pearl behind in her departure. He reached over, grabbing it as he sat there, looking at the pearl with much sadness in his blue shimmering eyes.

He thought of her, thought of what it would have been like to have been her chosen mate instead of Caelan. He envisioned her caring for him, loving him, and never deceiving him for greed, fame, or money. He wondered if happiness wasn't found on Earth, but here in Tír fo Thuinn.

He felt a burning sensation in his legs as he gawked at his scaly skin, spreading like wildfire.

"Oh crap!" he hurried over to the water and got in as his body was completely engulfed in Merrow Lights and transformed back into its female Merrow form. Unlike the last time that he changed, this time it did not hurt as much.

In a way, it also felt kind of natural to her.

Floating there in the water, she did her best to flutter her tail gently as she rested her scaly arms on the side of the pool and laid her head on her scaly arms as she reflected on what she had foolishly said to Meara, regretting it all.

"'Selfish reasons...'" she remarked, recalling her words "It was selfish of me to ask her to make me her mate...when I had never considered her own feelings. I am truly the worst!"

"Yes, you are." said a new voice as Kiandra quickly looked over at Niamh standing in her human form, wearing a white dress decorated with many shimmering pearls. Unlike a female Merrow, she lacked a red cohuleen druith, and used sorcery to maintain her human form while cloaked in a blue cowl.

"So, I see that it is true!" she remarked, walking over to the side of the pool and knelt there before the young mermaid "You have been improperly marked and mated by one of the tribe's kin."

"Yes." Kiandra replied.

"Tell me who." she demanded.

"I am sorry, but I cannot do that at this moment." Kiandra softly said "I still do not think that she was aware of what she was doing. And I do not wish to see someone punished for which might not be their fault."

"Hmm...you are a strange human." Niamh remarked "To protect a guilty Fae, and endure all of this pain so that she can save face."

 "In a way," Kiandra remarked "I suppose this is like divine punishment for closing myself off from other people. To be mated to someone that I fear! That is ironic!"

"And what about the High Priestess?" Niamh asked. Kiandra looked down at her scaly skin, ashamed of the position that she had put Meara in.

"I have much admiration for her." she said softly "But I have treated her poorly, and I never once considered her own opinion, afraid that I would end up being disappointed in her answer. I do not blame her for being furious with me. Or even hating me. I said something rather insensitive to her that I wish that I could take back now."

"I see, very honorable of you." Niamh then asked "You know that I am a seer, so why not simply ask me to remove that filthy mark? I could easily do it for you, you know."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Seer." she softly said, smiling at Niamh "But if anyone is to remove the mark, I want it to be someone that I can love and respect. Could you do the same for me?"