Black Pearl

Chapter 23

My time was running out. I only had a short time before my wedding would take place. Before I would have to decide if I was going to be tied to a human prince and all of the wrath that came with him, or if I was going to return to my own species empty-handed. 

After what I had just experienced, I knew which one I wanted. 

I had enough dresses in enough sizes to last us a while and seeds to add some variety to our diet. But I knew that dresses and seeds were only part of the problem. We needed shoes too and maybe materials to rebuild parts of our crumbling home. And, somehow, I was supposed to get all of this across the sea without damaging any of it.

But that still wouldn't fix the fact that I was supposed to help my people repopulate our species that was dwindling so severely now.

I decided not to think about that because there was no way for me solve all of the problems, and asked Maisy if she could track down some new shoes for me. I didn't want style, I wanted function, and in a variety of sizes so that I could see what fit me best.

I ended up with over two dozen pairs in my room in a matter of a few hours. I pretended to try all of them on, even if they pinched my feet or didn't provide any support.  I kept my face neutral, never wincing or hissing in pain or wobbling when my foot slid around in the leather. It didn't matter if these shoes were awful for me. They would be perfect for one of the women.

"You want to keep all of them?" Maisy asked warily, staring at a particularly ugly pair of brown leather shoes. It was one of a dozen pairs that surrounded me. 

"Yes, they are marvelous," I sighed.

"I didn't realize that you would come back from your journey with a lust for shoes. Most people come back exhausted and enjoying simpler comforts."

"I did sleep like the dead last night," I admitted. "It's not so much that I'm obsessed with shoes as much as I am excited about this whole new world. I grew up on an island, with no interactions with other cultures. To meet a werewolf king and queen, to eat their food, and see their garden, and to know how differently their guard's dress. Now I want to get my hands on everything and anything I haven't experienced."

Something in me twisted. Yes, I wanted to go back to what I knew. There was safety and comfort there. But everything I had seen, the people I had met, it would all become memories. And there were still thousands of people I hadn't even seen. Maybe more than that! There were bookstores that sold novels I hadn't read and bakeries with buns I hadn't tasted, and landscapes I hadn't gazed at for hours, studying each hill and dip.

I would go back to my little island. I would wake up seeing the same faces. I would eat the same food- whatever we were able to sow- and sit at the same table. We would read the same books until the spines gave out and the words faded off the pages. I would stare out into the same untamable ocean- the ocean that loved my sisters- every damn day.

A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. Maisy dutifully went to answer it, curtseying as soon as she saw the person.

"Leo," I greeted, but didn't move from the position on my bed, surrounded by all of the shoes. My mind spun with all the possible reasons he was here. To punish me for my informal words and harsh attitude. To grill me. 

"Maisy, would you mind giving us a minute?" Leo asked. When my maid left as requested, he approached me, stopping just across from me. If he was stunned by my new collection, he said nothing.

I knew in my heart that Leo had never laid a threatening or harmful hand on me. I knew that he was the one who saved me when I had leapt head first into danger. But being alone with him was enough to make my hands clench into anxious fists. He was still a man and that seemed to be more dangerous than a siren with her powers and a werewolf with the ability to turn into a beast.

"How are you doing?" he wondered.

"I'm doing really well, thank you."

"What are you doing with all of these shoes?"

"I decided to change my fashion."

Leo sighed and folded his long legs, settling into a seated position on the rug. He almost looked like a child, his arms wrapped around his knees.

"I've been thinking about what you said," he admitted.

"You need to be more specific. I say a lot of things."

"You told me that you wanted to go home."

I stiffened. "That's right."

"Well, what if I took you home? One of our navy ships has returned, we could take it. I could meet your family, see where you come from. You have obviously seen where I come from and gotten a glimpse of my world, but I know nothing of yours."

Leo was finally opening up. For the first time since I had been sent here, he was speaking to me without hostility, telling me things I never knew. I should have responded with kindness. But, anger came through instead. 

"You could know things if you just asked. We spent hours upon hours riding side by side. And before that, I was spending all of my days in my own bedroom because no one cared enough to have a simple conversation with me. Now, we are only a week away from our wedding and I don't know if you are worth marrying."

If Leo was stung by my words, he hid it well. "I know that and I'm sorry. I was angry because my parents have been  leading me from one relationship to the next, telling me that each girl was perfect for the kingdom. Every time I refused to marry her, they found another. Then, they told me I was marrying you. Short of killing myself, I have no way out of this arrangement. I was bitter and resentful because-- It doesn't matter. Whether or not I want to marry you, I have to. And I would like to make it easier on both of us to go through with this."

"Was that supposed to be romantic? Because I don't know if I want to be stuck to a man who hates me for the rest of his life."

"I don't hate you," Leo said quickly. I raised a single eyebrow at him. "I hated you in the beginning. But I certainly don't hate you now. I can safely say that you are the best woman my parents have put forward. The more I learn about you, the more I think that marrying you would be an honor."

I thought of all the gowns and shoes and slippers. I thought about the seeds that I would have to somehow protect from washing away. I could have been petty and declined his offer for the simple sake of keeping him at arm's length and paying his back for his cruelty.

But, it would be much easier to swim home with both of my hands free and no fabric or concerns weighing me down.

"Alright, I'll take you to my home before the wedding."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Welcome to the first surprise update! I'm kind of on a bit of a high because I'm getting closer to publishing my third book and I wanted to share some joy! If you like my work or have some unread books of mine in your library, I would recommend reading them now, once I publish them, they become unavailable here.

Question of the Day: What is the best city you have ever lived in or traveled to?