The Queen And The Mermaid

Prologue: The Princess And The Mermaid

Berenice’s point of view – Age 14.
It is the first summer vacation at the island castle all by yourself. Your parents think you are grown enough to take care of matters on the island for the summer.
You can’t really blame them. You excel at everything you have done. Even though your mother disapproves, you have taken up combat. You are a good swordswoman and an excellent markswoman with the bow and arrows.  Or your teenage brain seems to think so. Others might beg to differ on your skills.
Perhaps some day you could rule the seas as a pirate queen as well.
The sea breeze has your long dark locks flutter all about you. Your fingers wrestle to try and tame it.
Your white summer dress and robes flow around you just as wildly.
You pull out your telescope when you think you see something—or someone—it is hard to tell.
You see a long fishtail. It does not move like a shark’s or a dolphin or even a whale.
“…mermaid?” You have to get a closer look at her. You didn’t think the tales were true. But you know what you saw.
Maybe you can get a better view in the crow’s nest. You hurry and make your way to the ladder.
“Princess Berenice!” Comes the shrill voice of your middle-aged governess. “Do not think about climbing up there.”
“I got to get a better view, Mistress Yelena.”
“The view is fine enough on deck, get down here. It won’t due for the princess to fall and break her neck. Just because you are on your own, does not mean you can’t follow my orders.”
You slump your shoulders and turn back around. You put away your telescope. “I think I saw something incredible.”
“Oh? What did you see, princess?” You always hated it when she talked to you like you were still little. The tone of voice that denotes she does not believe you, but is going to humor you because your royalty.
“Never mind.” You spin around and go to your room, which is the captain’s quarters right on top.
Galatea’s Point of view – 13 summers old.
You have always been curious about the land human’s ships. Wonder fills your mind over how they manage to build such large contraptions and get them to float on top of the water.
At the same time, you were taught to never be seen by one of them. You also know you are pretty much the only mermaid that has a feeling of curiosity.
You see a pretty young human woman with a pointing thing looking over the horizon towards you.
“Eep!” You quickly dive under. Hopefully, you are faster than her human eyesight.
Your older sister spots you from deep within and she swims to you with a fury. You. Are. Caught. She painfully tugs on your arm. Her strength is mightier than your own and you can’t break from her grip.
“You better hope the humans did not see you. They would do terrible things to you, if they captured you.”
You frown and divert your eyes away from her, “Why do we hide from them, when we have to breed with them?”
“That is different, we only need their men. We are the protectors of the seas. We come from the sea goddess herself.”
“I don’t need a man. I don’t want to procreate.”
“You are going to do it, whether you want to or not. You are not supposed to have feelings like that.” She will not let you go, no matter how hard you tug.
“Let me go. No one saw me, Neiva.”
“I don’t know how you feel like that. You are not supposed to. You are supposed to be cold. Your heart frozen.” Neiva eventually lets you go. “A freak storm is coming. You better not be near the ship when it happens.”
“Alright. Alright.” As the ocean goes dark your sea green eyes begin to glow. You swim in the opposite direction of your older sister.
You easily defy her and want to see what the storm does to the big ship.
The storm is no match for the ship—no matter how large it is.
Your heart breaks for the humans on it. Especially the girl that spotted you. You hold your hands to your chest and watch out of view.
That is when you feel it. You feel her hopelessness. You know the human does not know how to swim.
You can feel her cries for help. You feel her losing breaths. It would be cruel to just let her drown.
“I have to do something!”
Berenice’s point of view
The salty water really stings against the cut that split through your chin. The water also stings your eyes. You have no idea how you fell overboard and you definitely do not know how to swim.
Like a candlelight down a dark hall, you see her. She glows in a bioluminescence blue green. The end of her tail is like the tendrils and tentacles of a jellyfish. Her eyes glow brightly in a beautiful sea foam green.
She is such a beautiful exotic creature. You forget but a moment that you are losing all of your breath.
She is a head and shoulder smaller than you. Her skin is covered in fine iridescent scales.  When you feel her arms wrap around you, she is cool to the touch. Her scales are smoother than human flesh.
You hold onto her for dear life. You freeze when she presses her lips to yours. She is bringing air to your lungs, as she swims you up towards the surface.
“Princess!” Men from the ship, shout your name when you bring your head up to the surface. You weakly bring your arm up.
“I think I see her!” You hear splashing as they swim towards you. The storm disappears as quickly as it came.
You spin around to thank the mermaid, but she is nowhere in sight anymore.
You make it a point not to talk about the mermaid that had saved you.
It would not be good if the people thought their only princess went mad.
You spend your days after lessons, walking along the beach with your telescope in the hopes to see her again.
Galatea’s point of view.
You can’t stay away from the human woman. You try to stay out of sight and mind. It fills you with sadness over how she seeks you out.
You defy everything that was taught to you and shift into a human form. You were only supposed to do that to trap a mate, but you do it for other reasons.
You stumble your first few steps as you get to the shore. The sun is rising high over the horizon. It should be around the time; she comes to search for you.
“Has she given up already?” You ask yourself in confusion.
You still don’t trust your feet, as you wriggle your toes in the wet sand.
You see a shadow running down a sand dune and it has to be her.
A pinkish hue rises to the human’s tanned cheeks. She is staring at you and you have no idea why.
“It is you. You saved me and you are naked and more human.”
You tilt your head to the side and stare at the weird things that cover her body. You didn’t pay attention to them when you saved her the other day.
“And… you are covering your nakedness.” You reply back in her own language.
“You understand me.”
You nod, your wet hair slaps across your face. It does not bother the human; she approaches without caution.
“I am Berenice.” She points to her chest and points to you.
“I am Galatea.”
“That is a beautiful name.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” She holds out her hand, “Walk with me?”
Your fingers are not webbed when in your human glamour and you reach out and take her hand. She is very warm. It reminds you of how your heart has been feeling.
Over the course of a couple of weeks you meet with the human daily at the same time. You learn that she is a princess to the human people. That someday she will be queen.
You give the history of your bloodline. That not every mermaid comes from the sea goddess. Not every mermaid are sea guardians.
One night the two of you lie on top of a blanket and look at the stars.
“Do you ever resent that people expect you to be the same as them?” You ask Berenice.
“I do. All of the time.”
“I am not supposed to talk to humans. I only can to mate with a human man to have a baby. I am not supposed to have feelings. My heart needs to be frozen.” You sniff.
Her pinky hooks with yours, “And I am supposed to someday marry and make an heir to the throne. I don’t even like men and boys in that way.”
“That way?”
“Like mating.”
“Is there something wrong with us?”
“To the others: yes. But we are unique and different. There is nothing wrong with us at all. We are individuals who crave independence.”
“That we cannot have.”
“Sadly, that is correct. I hope to change that when I am queen.”
“I hope for your change too.”
“I hope you can be free of the burdens of mating and having children.” She rolls over and props herself up on an elbow. She kisses your cheek tenderly. It warms your heart even more.
“What was that for?”
“I like you, Galatea. I like you a lot.”
“And you do that to people you like?” You sigh happily and rub your cheek.
“I don’t like most people. I like you.”
“I like you too, Berenice.” You mimic her motions and kiss her cheek. Her flesh feels like it burns against your cool lips.
She gives you a smile that you’ve never seen before and it makes your heart beat fast and hard.
“I will see you tomorrow, Berenice.”
“Until then.” She bows her head.
The next day, when you swim to shore you come across the biggest clam. It must be an old gift from the goddess. You swim down and it takes tremendous effort to pry it open. The most beautiful largest pearl rests inside of it.
It will be the most perfect gift for your friend.
You sense a deep sorrow from the shore. It is Berenice and something has changed.
When she sees you coming, she turns her back to you to wipe away her tears.
“Berenice?”
She shakes and spins around, “I must leave soon…” She steps closer to you, “My father fell ill with a sickness and he died sometime in the night.”
Glowing tears fall down your face. You were not aware that mermaids could produce tears. Berenice cups the side of your face, “Don’t cry. Never cry for me.” Her thumb tenderly wipes the tears as they fall.
“Our kind never cries.”
“But you are now.”
“I am unique. Like you are.”
She gives you a bright smile, though the sorrow is still in her dark eyes. “I don’t know when or if I will return. I will be queen soon and busy.”
You feel like your heart is going to break into a thousand pieces. “I hope it won’t be a final goodbye.” She laments, pressing her forehead against yours.
“I hope not. I have a gift. Now it will be something to remember me by.”
“You don’t have—”
You rise to your toes and kiss her cheek, “But I want to.” You open up your palm revealing the pearl.
“That is—” She gasps sharply, “I will hold this beautiful pearl to my heart always.” She places the pearl in the hole of the amulet and chain that hangs down her neck.
She removes a golden hair clip, “Something to remember me by. My grandmother gifted me this. My grandfather gave it to her as an act of love.”
She walks behind you and uses her fingers as a brush to fix your hair into the clip. “Is what we are doing? An act of love?”
“It might be in a way. I think I do love you. Do you feel love at all, Galatea perhaps for me?”
“I am not supposed to. It is only a human’s trait, but I feel love for you, Berenice.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” She sighs again. You turn around and hug her close. You are slight to her height and she lifts you up and spins you around.
“I promise I will find my way back to you, Galatea. I promise. Don’t forget me.”
“I won’t forget you. I will wait here.”
She brushes her knuckles against your cheek before bowing, “Fare thee well, Galatea.”
“Fare thee well, Berenice.” She strokes her fingers over the pearl and walks away.  You don’t move until she is out of view.