The Queen And The Mermaid

Chapter 10: Happily Ever After

Berenice’s point of view. A year later after Galatea’s rescue.
After the death of the king and his men, Lydisi was crowned queen. You gave her advice on how to change her society for good. Her brother was starting down a dark path. You share correspondences every so often. With her asking for advice. You’ve become her mentor of sorts.
Your subjects have been opened to the fact that you went on to marry another woman. You have your council of very important women. Your society is matriarchal as you always wanted. Men and women are seen as equals.
It is still not fully peaceful. There have been some protests from the men that made your father’s council. They have no power, but you won’t take any chances. Your spymasters keep an eye on them.
When you made the announcement of your engagement to the people, you decide that a private handfasting ceremony was for the best.
Galatea still has some trauma having to kill people with her siren’s song.
You’ve been supportive of her choice not to talk about what happened after she was captured. She is still learning to get through her foreign human emotions.
She gave birth to a daughter a couple months ago. You are raising her with Galatea as if she were from your own blood. You’ve already named her the heir to your throne.
You are back at your private island estate, where you will be conducting political affairs, while she raises Uriah by the sea and in the sea. She was born warm and has taken after her mother, already.
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Galatea’s point of view.
One day soon, you will be able to fully be open to Berenice about what happened. You are forever  grateful that she is supportive and patient with you.
You hold your infant daughter under the water. Her little tail flutters furiously, as she learns to swim.
You bring her back up to the surface and hold her high in the air. She laughs and blinks at you.
You think she loves her other mother more; they’ve bonded so much since she was born. When Galatea begins to wade in the water, she is already wanting to be held by her.
Your wife runs as fast as she can to get to her, splashing water all over the place. You smile, they are your two favorite people in the world.
You hand Uriah to her. They nuzzle nose to nose. She captures the queen’s face between her little hands.
Your sister wasn’t pleased with the marriage, but is highly accepting of your daughter. She can see a good future of a mermaid being a future queen over the humans.
You kiss the top of the baby’s head and kiss your wife on the lips.
“I love you, Berenice.”
“I love you, with all my heart. You have blessed me with so much.”
You and Uriah teach Berenice how to swim. You make her an honorary mermaid.
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It was a slow evolution of mermaids gaining humanlike emotions. They started to fall in love with the men that they bred with. Some are even like Galatea and fall in love with other women.
Uriah was the first to be both queen of the seas and of her very own land nation.
It helped mermaids and humans to be more open to one another. Once they were normalized, there was no need for them to be hunted.
Queen Berenice retired after Uriah was old enough to take the throne. Galatea and Berenice spent decades hidden on that island of paradise.
The queen was well past her nineties when she died in Galatea’s arms under the stars, watching the tide come in one last time.
It was time for her to become one with the sea after that. The queen was buried with both of their rings.
After Uriah, the nation never saw a king. The society improved, and peace settled over the nation. It became prosperous and opened to outsiders wanting a better life.
They became powerful allies with Queen Lydisi’s country.
The nations won out through strife, famine, and disease, to become two powerful countries in the land.
You are the descendant of Queen Uriah. The country has since become a democracy of sorts. The people decide who gets to rule the country.
The seas have gotten bigger and stronger without the need of its guardians. Mermaids are rare now, living in a peace on their own. It is said they are extinct. But you are proof that they are not.
You cuddle up with a beautiful woman. You wipe the tears from her eyes.
“That is such a beautiful and romantic story. It is amazing that you have those memories.”
You were gifted with something called ‘genetic memories’. You are able to recall the past all the way back to Galatea.
Someday if you so choose, they will be passed down to your daughter.
“Do you think we are like them?” You ask your girlfriend.
“It will be hard to follow in their footsteps, but we can try to be like that. I can’t wait until we are married.”
She kisses you.
You look into her eyes as she pulls away, “I can’t wait either.”