Ireale's Crown

Chapter 6: Knife

First of all, I would like to apologise for the super long wait... Time currently isn't on my side but hey, I promise all of you that I'll only be focusing on this story for now, since 'The Library Seirune' has ended about one week ago (sadly). But the thing is I'll only upload once a week... Or if there are more time constraints, once in a fortnight (which I hope will not happen).

Anyway, the next thing is that I want to thank all of you readers who have waited patiently and not give up on this book. You guys are really more than awesome. (:

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Chapter 6: Knife

I realised only then, as I hadn't looked at thing properly in front of me, that we had entered a palace. A palace underwater, I thought in disbelief.

But the palace, instead of being made up of wood or probably cement and bricks, like how the people in the rich cities build their houses, was a huge coral reef. Its colour was a stunning bright yellow, a beautiful contrast to its blue surroundings. Just how did they make it into their own living space, I wouldn't want to know. How did they even lodge a door in between the coral?

Two guards with the same spear that the previous merman had stood on both sides of the door. I expected myself to be suffocating when I stepped into the 'building' after Haile, but I didn't. Somehow, a water bubble had surrounded both him and I, and it allowed us to breathe without difficulty.

An old merman with a really long beard sat on top of a tall chair, with intricate carvings which made it look like a shell. However, even though he was of such age, his build didn't seem to give such indication -- he was brawny. He had a tail of royal blue. And a crown sat on top of his head, which made me know at once that he was the King.

Beside him, sitting on a shorter chair, was a mermaid. Mermaids had eyes the same as the mermen. Their ears were also jagged and tinted slightly blue. One difference was that, they had scales of the same colour as their tail in front of them -- up from their belly all the way to their chest. But their back was free of any of the coloured ones. This mermaid was a brunette, with a few strands of white in the midst of the brown, wavy forest. Wrinkles were obvious at the corners of her eyes, but that didn't stop her from having a feminine beauty.

Haile immediately got onto his left knee. I continued to stand there, feeling a bit awkward. I couldn't possibly kneel like him, right? I was sure a female had a different way of showing their respect to someone of royalty. But no matter how much I think, I still couldn't get my mind right... Especially when Haile was looking at me fiercely at the corner of his eyes, and that the King and Queen of Mera Reef were looking down at me with even narrower eyes. So, I just fell on both of my knees. I saw Haile smirk.

The King cleared his throat, seeming to hold back a laughter. I cursed silently in my mind. At least I hadn't done anything to make him angry...

"I, Haile, is pleased to meet you again, Your Majesty, King Nordine."

He frowned a little. "Again?"

"Yes, Your Highness. We've met before, many years ago."

"Just whose son might you be?"

Haile remained quiet, and I knew what he was thinking.

"Well, speak up," the King growled. His eyes turned on me. "And who are you?"

I gulped. I'd never spoken to royalty before, but I tried my best to speak as delicately as possible. First impressions are important. "My name is Ryma Sparlan, a human living near the village of Narla. I was the one who found Haile. He fell from the sky, and was severly injured. And please, I apologise for his sake, because he cannot say anything which implies that he is a dragon. Someone has put a curse on him, as seen on the mark around his neck."