War of the Ocean

Chapter 3

Lying on her bed of woven sea grass, Arelena wanted nothing more than to lie there forever. She was dreading having to go to her brother and watching him rule as he ruined their kingdom even more. Opening her sapphire eyes, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, silver tail stretched out before her. A head peeked into the room, a dark haired head with sea green eyes. Marla cautiously swam into the room, a basket woven from seaweed on one arm.

She placed it down in the corner of the room and began to sort through it as the princess rose from her bed. She edged closer to Marla, trying to look over her shoulder to see what she had brought with her. But the other mermaid's long hair blocked her view. At last, Marla drew away from the basket, a shell comb in hand. She glanced at her princess before scanning the room for something.

'Are there any chairs, Your Highness?' She asked nervously.

Arelena nodded and quickly swam into another part of her living quarters to retrieve one. She sat upon it, remaining perfectly still as Marla combed her hair. Once she was done, she other mermaid darted to the basket once more and returned to pin her hair up with coral and pearl clips. Although she had never was still unhappy about losing her independence, it felt wonderful for someone else to do her hair once more. Her mother had when she was still a child but that had been so long ago...

Finally, Marla place a small, silver coral crown upon her head. Arelena stiffened suddenly, causing the little mermaid to back away, fearing that she had done something wrong. It had been so long since she had worn her crown. It weighed her down and reminded her of who she was in this world. Sometimes she had thought it to be so heavy that it would pull her down so she could drown amongst the weights of the world. The crown was supposed to be a symbol of hope but Tristien had tarnished it with the blood of his victims.

'Thank you, Marla,' she told the servant before rising from the chair. She made her way to the throne room in which her brother would be waiting for her. As she made her way towards it, she prepared herself mentally for whatever horrors she would be forced to witness that day. With any luck, they would be minor things she could easily overlook although it pained her to. But Arelena was powerless against her brother and there was nothing else that she could do other than to pretend it wasn't happening.

'I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten,' he told her as she entered the throne room. 'I worried I might have to send my sharks after you again.'

Careful that her crown did not slip off her head, she bowed. 'Do not worry, brother, I could never forget,' she reassured him as she straightened up once more. It was true, she had never forgotten a single thing Tristien had ever told her, from when they were young to now. Part of the reason was out of worry that he would harm her for forgetting something. The last thing Arelena wanted was to be next in line for an execution.

'Good. It would be terribly awful if you had forgotten,' he said, implying that some sort of punishment would have been given if she had. But what kind of punishment could he give her now that she had nothing?

'I'd hate to displease you, brother,' she replied, hating every word that came out of her mouth. They tasted like poison on her tongue, leaving a bitter aftertaste. She remained perfectly still, refraining from cowering while Tristien's gaze swept over her face, studying it carefully.

'I am glad to hear so,' he told her. 'Now come closer sister, wait beside me.'

Cautiously, Arelena crossed the distance between them with a few flicks of her tail. Holding her head high, she took her place beside his throne and stared blankly at the space ahead. With having to look out the corner of her eye, she could feel him watching her out the corner of his eye, checking for any hints of fear or discomfort. Although she felt about as comfortable as a fish on a bed of sea urchins, she did not let it show. He could not be allowed to see how he struck terror into her heart, it would only motive him to torment her further. At least if she appeared strong he would only seek to break her, not shatter her soul into a million pieces.

The moments of silence dragged on, seeming to turn to hours. Barely five minutes had passed when a small, yellow fish darted into the room. It stopped a few tail lengths before the royal siblings and bowed, waiting to be acknowledged by the king. Tristien studied the fish, debating whether or not it was worth his time to hear what it had to say.

'What is it?' He asked after several seconds had passed, a hint of boredom in his tone. He was clearly uninterested in whatever this fish could have to say.

The fish rose but was careful to avoid looking into his eyes. It knew as she did that it would be a death sentence. 'Your Majesty, I bring terrible news,' it announced in a small, shaky voice. It was evident that the fish was afraid to deliver his message to the King. It was terrified that he would unleash his wrath upon it for merely being the messenger of such news. 'Soren has returned from his exile in the Dark Waters. He is demanding to see you.'

The Mer King froze.

Soren, once Tristien's closest friend who had been like his brother. When he had become King and begun the public executions, Soren had attempted to stop his friend. Majority of the Mer had followed Soren, angering the King greatly and tearing apart any friendship they had once had. But Tristien had been unable to bring himself to kill him and instead exiled him to the Dark Waters, the darkest part of the ocean in which no Mer dared to enter. Now, he had returned, filling Arelena with hope. Perhaps her twisted brother could be stopped this time.

She turned her head ever so slightly to look at Tristien, waiting for his reaction. The moment she did, he rocketed from his throne, trident in hand as he lunged for the poor fish, spearing it with one of the golden prongs. A cloud of blood spread through the water but it did not bother the king as he plucked the limp, yellow body from his trident. He whirled around to face his sister, seething with rage. Something dangerous glittered in the depths of his sapphire eyes, striking fear into her.

'Come, darling sister,' he told her before turning towards the exit. 'We have a little fish to kill.'

Arelena knew that her brother would show no mercy. She could only cling to the hope that Soren would be strong enough to defeat him this time. If not, she would have to suffer for the rest of her life.