A New Mermaid Tale from Fin Fun Mermaiden, Brynn!

The first thing I did when I got home was flop onto my bed of moss, furs, and seaweed and take a deep swig of the salty Celtic water around me.

“Ahhh, ‘tis sweet to be home again, isn’t it Fergus?” I groaned complacently as I stretched out on my cushions, spreading my fingers as wide as I could while my little seal friend jumped up and down and all around on my bed. He barked and honked and gnawed on my fingers, so I grabbed him in a headlock and tousled his silky hairs until he went limp in my arms. I chortled deep in my belly, so contented I was to be at home and finally relax.

A knock sounded outside and I scowled at the entrance to my room, wishing I could stay alone in peace and quiet forever. The look melted from my face, though as a familiar head of long brown curls and a slightly turned up nose covered in freckles sitting between two excited blue eyes came dancing into the room.

“Finn!” I jumped up and dashed across the room, throwing myself at the tall merman. Finn was my oldest friend, had been since the time we first learned to flip our tails. His mother was my nursemaid, a plump, motherly merwoman with brown curls much like her son’s. When we were just children together we were miserable little miscreants and when I look at her now I wonder how she possibly kept her wits about her while we lurched from one prank to the next!

“Woah-ho! Looks like ya did miss me, lass!” Finn said as we pulled away. “And you said ya wouldn’t,” he smirked at me and one of his dark eyebrows pulled up into his mess of hair. I slugged his arm and retorted, “Who said anything about missing you, ya lug? I’m just glad to have my cushions back and that you didn’t rearrange my entire room just to confuse me while I was away!”

Finn stood back and feigned looking around the room with one hand stroking his chin. “Ah, yes. This ship wheel would look rather lovely up here in this little alcove and—oh yes of course this must be moved, what were ya thinking darling really.” He spoke in a high whining voice and even went so far as to pick up an old ship wheel I’d pillaged off a ship wreck once. I gave him a withering glare and he put it back down, laughing.

“Come on now Brynn, out with it. Tell me about your grand adventure. Did ya save the day?”

“Nothing so heroic,” I sighed as if in defeat. “Plenty of meetings, slow decisions, and talking to last me a good long while, though.”

I went on to tell him about some of the more exciting parts of my time at the MerCouncil. Finn is a great listener. He laughed in all the right places and nodded somberly when I talked of things he didn’t really understand. We sat on the ground with our backs against the wall for a while after and when I finally ran out of things to say, he rose off the ground, pulled me up, and embraced me tightly again.

“I missed you, Brynn. Things aren’t the same here without you.”

I smiled up at him.

“I could actually hear myself think.”

I punched Finn hard in the arm and he laughed and rubbed the spot tenderly. “Come on, you seaslug. Let’s go find an adventure of our own,” I said. We took off, racing down the halls of rocky palace. I nearly barreled into the line of servers who were just bringing in dinner for my mother, father, and little siblings. I grinned at our good timing. If we’d stayed much longer in my room I’d have been dragged down to come dine with them.

Together, we exploded out of the front doors with Fergus right on our tails. We laughed as we shot toward the surface, startling a pair of seahorses who had been in the middle of a leisurely swim. Finn and I spiraled around each other, both desperately flipping our fins in a battle of speed. As I started to pull ahead little by little, Finn suddenly lurched forward and grabbed onto my tail. “Ahh! Let go, ya big puffer!” I yelped as I was dragged backwards and he scrambled forward. I lunged for his tail and just missed it, the blue tip slipping right between my fingers.

We burst out of the water, Finn only a split second ahead of me and Fergus a little farther behind. Immediately I slapped Finn’s arm and jumped on him, trying to grab his head in a headlock. He grinned his horribly contagious smile and his nose wrinkled, just enough to hide the freckles that spotted his nose and cheeks. He grabbed my flailing arms just below the shoulders and lifted me above his head. Then he threw me over his shoulder, pinning my tail with his arms so I couldn’t move it and laughing at the indignant insults I yelled his way. Fergus barked at Finn and gnawed harmlessly on his elbows before darting around him to my face and nibbling the ends of my hair.

“Put me down ya blubbering bonehead or I’ll bruise ya til your face matches your tail!”

Finn, the devil, just laughed. “That, my fair lady would require ya to catch me and I think we just proved ya can’t!”

“I would have won if ya hadn’t been such a cheat! When’d you get so tricky anyway? I know your mother taught ya better than that! Oh you just wait til I get down there, Findlay Blue McCraggin!”

Finn’s mischievious smile broadened at my use of his full name.

Finally after a humiliating compromise was reached, Finn gently slid me from his shoulder down in front of him earning a wet kiss from Fergus and a good slug to the gut from me.

The sun was just settling into its faraway nest in the ocean, surrounded by brilliant reds and oranges when we reached our rock. The three of us clambered on top of it and suddenly out of nowhere Finn brought out a surprise for me.

“For every day that you were gone, I stashed a glow stone here,” he explained, bringing out an armful of glow stones from in a little dip in our boulder. “I figured it would be a good way to help you make up for every day you left me in the company of Darcy.”

Darcy was a mermaid our age who had recently taken fancy to Finn and flung herself at him every chance she got. Finn was, of course, terrified of her and had a way of disappearing whenever she was near.

I grinned and let him keep talking. “I figured, ya know, since ya told me your power was so enhanced now, you’d be willing to try it out again.” His eyes looked hopeful and as I glanced at him and Fergus, their faces were so alike I laughed out loud. I patted my little seal’s spotted head and nodded to Finn. He grinned and quickly searched through the pile to find the biggest one.

Just as the sun disappeared in the sky, I gave Finn the signal and he wound up his arm and sent the glow stone rocketing into the dimming sky. I put two fingers on the ring I’d fashioned out of a shell and one of my “secret” pearls from the MerCouncil and concentrated on throwing my light at the stone. In the distance, the clear stone lit up and suddenly exploded into a brilliant burst of light! Finn whooped loudly and pumped his fist in the air. I gasped and then added my own shout of victory. Fergus took off, quick as a flash to catch the falling pieces of light.

As the darkness deepened we continued our fantastic light show, experimenting with my new power. With prompting from Finn, I was able to turn the rising light different colors before sending them exploding into a shower of purple, green, red, yellow, blue, and even pink. Each eruption of light sent thrills down my spine and a new look of pure childlike joy and fascination entered Finn’s eyes.

At one point Fergus caught a bit of a green stone in his mouth. He came bounding over to me, so pleased with himself that he was completely unaware of the beams of green light that were shooting out of his nostrils! Finn and I laughed till our sides ached.

All too soon it was over and we reluctantly returned home with dramatic goodbyes at the palace entrance. Though even as I settled in to go to sleep that night with Fergus at my side, each time I closed my eyes I saw Finn leaning forward with an elated expression, eagerly awaiting the next light display. It felt amazing to bring that much joy to my friend’s face.

Well, this is my first post since I got home! I can’t believe I’m allowed to talk directly to you all now…humans, I mean. Although I’m afraid life back at home has seemed kind of dull compared to everything that happened at the MerCouncil. So I guess I’ll start by telling you more about Obsidian, since I suppose he’s a bit of a mystery. I think a recent experience describes him pretty well! It went something like this:

Lounging on the stone seat next to the one window in my room, I stared out from the icy walls of my self-induced confinement, longing to see my new friends. I’d been home for a week already and it felt less familiar than the place I’d just left.

The tension had been palpable since Obsidian had returned. When I’d finally convinced him to go to our parents and at least let them know he was alive and well, it had turned into an ugly scene. Mother cried, Father blew up, Sid yelled right back. The silence on the ride home was so heavy I thought I would suffocate. It was unbearable. Not even my mother’s attempt at small talk could break it, so eventually we all sat quietly and waited for it to be over. That’s all I’ve been doing, I thought to myself. Waiting.

I watched Obsidian wrestle with Snowflake in the waters outside the castle. The two ton whale had quite the advantage on my brother, but he was strong and fast. Snowflake’s a little like her namesake, I thought with a smile. She tends to just drift along, always with a bit of a dreamy look in her eye. She moves slowly and as she pleases. Not quite your typical “Killer Whale”. In fact, she’s almost the opposite of such a title. Sweet, gentle, shy—she has no idea how big and powerful she is. Which is probably why Sid has adopted her as his pet. He’s always been fiercely defensive of “under seals”.

Just then, as if to illustrate my thoughts, Snowflake got tired of wrestling and plunked her big tail fin down on top of Sid, pinning him to the ground with such a heavy carelessness I could almost feel myself getting squished right along with him! I started to laugh, but it turned into a shriek when a squawking, hurdling bundle of grey fuzzy down smacked up against the window. I laughed until tears came rolling down my cheeks at the dazed, puzzled, and miffed look that settled on my penguin friend’s face as he slid down the window onto my lap.

“Oh Pepper, you always know what to do to make me smile,” I wiped my eye with one finger and smiled down at him. He seemed delighted at the attention and stretched his neck up to nuzzle my hand before darting off to chase the reflection that a glowstone sitting on a ledge in my wall was casting on the ceiling.

“Stop that, you little minnow!” I chastised him when he pecked at the spot and broke off a piece of ice. With a glance over my shoulder to make sure Obsidian was still outside with Snowflake, I took ahold of one of Pepper’s slippery flippers and pulled him along with me, shooting out of my doors and into the hall beyond. This is a sort of round hall, with a high ceiling and an ice sculpture clinging to it like a stalactite. The opening to each of my siblings and my room are adjoining the hall with each of our names carved above it. One opening, though, leads to the main part of the castle: a great big hall in which there is basically nothing except for a huge ice sculpture of my family on a pedestal in the middle. Swimming through the hall, I paused by it, looking at the stern brow of my father, the gentle smile of my mother, the beaming faces of my two little sisters, the happy look in my eyes, and Obsidian, his arm around my shoulders and his usual broad grin on his face. Oh Sid, everything is so different now. Why did you not just stay with us?

Suddenly, there was a hand over my mouth, a strong arm around my waist and I was flying through the water! Out the castle doors, and up, up, up above my home until it was just a speck in the distance below. Inwardly screaming and terrified, my mind was desperately trying to make sense of who (or what?!) could swim at such a speed! Squirming, I fought to turn my head to see who my captor was, and then we stopped, hard. As soon as I was released, I whipped around coming face-to-face with Sid!

“What was that?” I yelled, my pale cheeks pink with anger. I’ve always hated the way my voice squeaks when I yell so I quickly calmed myself and repeated the question. “What the kraken was that, Obsidian? You scared me to death! That was cruel!” My heartbeat was still racing with fear and I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself.

Sid, ever the unrepentant devil, still smiled broadly and chuckled to himself. “Aw come on Crys! I never woulda let you get hurt! You were perfectly safe,” he came towards me to wrap his arms around me in a hug, but I turned away although it just made me feel worse. “Hey,” he came around to look me in the eyes, his playful grin replaced with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Crys. I didn’t mean to scare you, honest. I just wanted to show you what I can do now!” He wrapped his arms around me and this time I let him. “I had to break the tension around here, sis.”

We stayed like that for a moment before his words sank in. I pulled back. “Wait, what? Sid, how are you able to swim that fast?”

A mischievous look crept across his face. He leaned in close and whispered, “I’ve been testing my powers.”

Every first born of the ruler of each MerKingdom, is blessed with a power. Since we are twins, Obsidian and I are both gifted. I was given the power to create ice. Sid was given the power to create heat. We used to have epic battles when we were younger, usually resulting in ice splinters or scorch marks. Conveniently, whichever twin had done the damage, the other could usually fix it.

“What?” I exclaimed, surprised. He nodded, looking like an excited guppy. “It started out when I was with the orcas on their migration,” he began to explain. His face and hands were animated whenever he told a story and I couldn’t help but get drawn into it. “I couldn’t really keep up with them; orcas are faster than they look. So I started doing these little races with Snowflake, to build up my muscles, you know? And every time I raced her, I lost. It got me thinking, what if there was some way to go faster using my power? So one day, when we were racing, I tried boosting myself with heat and I took off! Faster than I had ever gone before! Snowflake was way behind me before she even knew what had happened.” He laughed at the memory of what I could guess was a shocked and disgruntled orca. I giggled a little too.

Sid took my hands. “This is amazing, isn’t it? I could really do some good with this.” I breamed up at him, amazed at the sincerity in his voice, and his great desire to do something good. The unspoken desire to win back our father’s approval hung between us, I knew but I wouldn’t embarrass him by mentioning it. His brilliant blue eyes were shining as I told him, “Yes. Yes Sid, you really truly can.”

A nibbling on my tail startled me and I looked down. “Pepper!” I laughed as the little penguin came somersaulting into my arms. The adoration in his eyes made me hug him close. “You lovely little birdbrain,” I cooed.

“Hey Snowflake! You found me, girl!” My brother was a little less successful in catching his pet than I’d been. I laughed at his attempt to wrap his arms around the big sweet mammal.

For a minute everything was quiet while we snuggled our little (or great big) FinFriends. Then Sid looked at me with a wicked look in his eye.

“Race ya.”

“Ooo look at them they’re so pretty!” Waverlee sprawled herself out across the cushions on the floor and used her fingers to send tiny waves around and around in circles above her where her glittering pink stones were suspended, following the currents she created. Serena perched herself on a step above Waverlee’s head and stared at the tiny gems, entranced.

“Catch!” One by one, Zoey flicked each of her bright green stones into Waverlee’s currents and the girls laughed as the pink and green stones danced together in a haze.

“Are you alright?” The rough hand on my shoulder indicated that Brynn was beside me, her brow furrowed with concern. I turned to her and gave her a soft melancholy smile. “I’m fine. It’s only that tomorrow is the day we leave, and though I’m ecstatic to be out of meetings and free from such heavy scrutiny for a while, I can’t help but feel I’ll be lonely with only my parents to keep me company. I admit I was a little overwhelmed at having six new sisters at first, but I’ve grown accustomed to you all. I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’ll miss you.”

The corners of Brynn’s mouth lifted a little and her deep green eyes sparkled. “I’ll miss you too, Jia,” she straightened up a little and looked out at the rest of the mermaidens, teasing and laughing. “This has been a welcome break from all our responsibilities, to be sure. It’s hard for me too, to think of life without these bonnie lassies. But cheer up, lass. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon. Life is full of surprises,” I glanced over at her and saw the mischievous spark in her eyes. “And I plan to make sure some of them come our way.”

With that she shot away, eager to join the “tail match” that was going on between Zoey and Obsidian. She seemed to be giving him a fair fight! A tail match is when two merfolk sit down facing one another and lay on their side with their bodies rigid, one facing the right and one facing the left. They then line up the front of their fins together and push as hard as they can. The objective is to flip the other person from their side onto their back. The rules are: keep your arms pinned to your sides, keep your body rigid, no slapping fins, etc. So far Obsidian was winning, slowly pushing Zoey over, to her dismay.

Obsidian had been tailing us for the last two days, pretty much staying out of sight of anyone else. Though I’m not sure any of the other Mermaidens knew, Crystal had confided in me her brother’s story one of the first nights at the MerCouncil. I watched Crystal and her mild manner as I was immersed in the memory…

Crystal had just finished asking about my siblings. I’d told her I had none, but expressed my wish for a brother. Crystal seemed hesitant but told me about her own brother, a twin. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, her voice full of love when she talked about Obsidian. He was opposite her in nearly every way. He was adventurous, daring, bold, outspoken, stubborn, and rebellious. She told me, with a guilt-ridden voice that he was supposed to be king. That she knew that it was him that should have been there instead of her. But he hadn’t wanted it. He had thought that she would be a better ruler than him. More sensitive, more stable, more intelligent. “More like Mother,” he’d said. Crystal had tried to persuade him to stay, but her father had only added to Obsidian’s beliefs that he wasn’t fit to rule the Arctic Kingdom. They clashed terribly, King Orion and Obsidian. Orion insisted that Obsidian took his responsibility too lightly. Obsidian didn’t understand why he should have to give up his youth just because he was born into a certain family. When he decided to leave not even Crystal’s mother, Queen Caryn could persuade him otherwise. A tear had found its way down Crystal’s cheek as she recalled him leaving. He was going to follow the Orca migration, he told her. Then, he was gone—only occasionally sending brief messages to let them know he was okay.

“I miss him so much,” Crystal told me, while she rested her head in my lap and I stroked her hair. “And I can’t help but feel guilty, as though I drove him away.”

The memory faded as a huge blast of fanfare went up for the winner of the tail match. Obsidian shot upright and made circles with his fists above him, yelling. I laughed as he snatched up Crystal and spun her around and around and she giggled in his arms. He helped Zoey up and they shook hands, still a little wobbly from their struggle. I smiled as I took in the sight of our last night all together, at least for a time. There was no place I’d rather be.

The next morning came quicker than any of us would have liked. Before I was fully awake, all of my possessions were packed into our dolphin-drawn carriage and we were outside in the open ocean, staring up at the MerCouncil structure feeling much less scared of it than we’d been when we’d first arrived. Our goodbye hugs were drawn out as long as possible and we started in on seconds when our parents intervened. Damon had also come to see us off, though I’d heard from my parents that he had been assigned the important duty of checking up on us ambassadors from time to time, which sent chills spiraling down my spine. When it was my turn for Damon’s goodbye, he bent low over my hand which he grasped with his own, and placed a long kiss on my pale skin. “I look forward to visiting you in your own home soon, Your Highness. It will be a tragic loss for us here to see you all go,” his silky voice in my ear made me quiver and I drifted back a touch, away from his strong hands. “For us as well, I’m sure,” I said before making my hasty retreat.

One of my father’s guards guided me into the carriage and as I sat on the seat inside I peered out the window. “Goodbye,” I whispered, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say to the younger version of me who had gone into that structure and had given way to the new version of me, who had emerged.

As my parents marched me through the great echoing halls, I felt chills up my spine at the thought of being part of a secret meeting. I’d never been part of a secret anything! Mostly because I have a big mouth and merfolk don’t like to trust their secrets with jaw flappers like me. But I can be good at keeping secrets! I’ll show them, I thought with a smirk.

“Hurry up Zoey,” my mother whisper-yelled at me. I nodded repentantly until she turned back around and then I grinned. I didn’t know why she didn’t just talk in a normal voice. It was an outrageous time of the night and no mermaid or merman was likely to be awake or remotely interested in what we were doing. What are we doing? I thought to myself, reminded of my frustration the night before.

Destiny had come barreling in the room after her ‘near-death experience’ with MerCouncilor Raine, as she described it. After some dramatic theatricals, we finally fished what happened out of her and immediately scattered to tell our parents. Obsidian—who we all (except Crystal, of course) agreed was a complete dreamboat—for some reason didn’t like the idea of seeing his father and decided to crash in that room for the time being instead. Crystal seemed reluctant to leave him but decided she couldn’t change his mind, so she finally agreed.

            This morning, we’d all been dragged downstairs with our hair shining and our tails sparkling. In front of the entire merfolk population, or most of it, the MerCouncil’s final decision had been announced: the first-born Mermaiden from each of the Seven Seas would act as an ambassador for her kingdom and attempt to connect with the humans in an effort to protect both worlds from further dispute and to establish a deep bond between the two races. I remember my stomach had leaped into my throat as I floated there hearing the thundering applause of thousands of merfolk showing their approval. And I think Serena started it, but suddenly all of us Mermaidens were holding hands and drawing strength from one another. In that moment I swear I felt ten years older.

Lost in my memories, I nearly plastered my face in my dad’s back before I realized we’d stopped moving. The doors to the MerCouncil room stood in front of us, seeming as menacing as ever. Along the edges, there were tiny crabs and other sea creatures carved into the golden doors. I wanted to lean in close to them and use my gift to tell them to move. I’ve never tried using my power on inanimate animals, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to try! Just as I was reaching out to touch one of the more alive looking seals, my dad gave a long drawn out knock on the door.  As it went on, I realized it was a code! One long, three rapid short, four normal, three long. I tried to memorize the pattern as the doors swung open and we continued inside, but my brain doesn’t work like Destiny’s, who could probably repeat, sing, and create an impromptu dance to the rhythm without even hearing it twice.

My parents and I made our way to our seats, and it looked like we were the last to arrive. There were whispered conversations amongst the other royal families that quickly died down once they realized we were all present.

When Darek began to push himself up from his seat, he looked older in the pale light than he had when we’d first arrived weeks ago. It dawned on me that the whole decision had taken a lot out of the old merman. Many of his fellow Councilmembers, I noticed at that morning’s ceremony, also resembled his haggard appearance. Some were young, only a few years older than myself, while some were nearly as old as Darek. Strangely, the only other Councilmember in attendance tonight was MerCouncilor Raine, which seemed very odd. So this really was a top secret meeting! Even from all the other Councilmembers…

Darek took his time to rise from his seat as we all settled down. Then he leaned forward and steadied himself on the rim of the stone table. We sat there so long I thought I was going to explode from the tension until finally he straightened up and smiled at us all. He really has lost his mind, I thought, bewildered. Darek never smiles!

“I apologize for my fellow Councilmembers’ absence tonight, but we concluded this would be the easiest and safest way of holding this particular meeting.” Darek paused briefly and sighed heavily before proceeding. “MerKings, Queens, and Mermaidens of the Seven Seas, this Council is indebted to you. We have struggled for decades over the decision to make ourselves known to the Human World, and we now believe we have made the right choice. We owe it to you: to your selflessness, your integrity, and your willing hearts. We thank you for your service to your kingdoms and to the entire MerWorld. Furthermore, we know we can trust you to be our voices in contact with mankind.” As he continued his speech, he looked directly at each of us Mermaidens in turn. “It will be difficult at times, and some merfolk might not agree with what you are doing, but you must learn to put aside your doubts and fears and insecurities. You are Mermaidens! You have tremendous potential and the capability to do wondrous things. If you are determined and successful, you can change two bitter worlds into a new and beautiful masterpiece.

“To help you in this endeavor, we have crafted a gift for each of you,” he continued, as MerCouncilor Raine began to circle the table, presenting each of us Mermaidens with a small box. She handed mine to me and I quickly found the latch and swung it open. A large cream clamshell was nested inside among a patch of soft algae to keep it safe. I stared in wonder at the gift and looked around the table at each of the other girls doing the same. My parents peered over my shoulders and I felt my Da slip his rough hand on the back of my neck and rub it. It was something he’d done ever since I was a little mermaid and it always calmed me down.

As I reached into the box to remove the shell, my imagination went wild, sifting through my many ideas of what might be inside. I paused, nearly expecting Cooper to come flying out of nowhere to attack my hand with his vicious little flippers and insist on getting a front row seat, but my pesky yet adorable little turtle friend was tucked up into my room. He’ll be so excited to be going home tomorrow he’ll be insufferable for a week, I though fondly. With a flick of my fingernail, I opened the clamshell and took a sharp breath. Inside were twelve glittering turquoise stones, the size of my pupil. They matched my tail perfectly! I looked up at Darek in awe as I heard Waverlee squeal in delight, Serena gasp, and Destiny laugh enchantingly.

“Remember, Mermaidens,” Derek went on, “these stones will enhance your powers, but you alone control your gifts. As you wear these stones, perhaps as a necklace or other jewelry, perhaps in your hair, they will give your talents a new strength. But beware. You must never use your gifts for selfish wants or desires. Instead, use them to build, encourage and help others. To keep peace with the Humans and to share the wonders of our world with them. When you are being selfless and compassionate, your powers will grow to a depth you can’t imagine. For this reason it is imperative that the true nature of these stones be kept secret from everyone beyond the walls of this room.”

My first instinct was to test just how strong my power would grow to, and then the realization hit me like a slap to the face. My life was changed. From now on, I wasn’t a young, carefree, fun-loving, teasing, game playing mermaid anymore. I was Zoey, Mermaiden of the Coral Sea, Ambassador to the Human World.

What do I do? I thought frantically. For in the first time in my life, panic took over my mind and I had no answer.

To be continued…

“You are dismissed.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and let my shoulders slump. Waverlee had missed the entire council meeting! Her parents looked as concerned as I was, although their anger was written in their lined faces as well. I guess I can see her skipping a meeting, I admitted to myself, rising and slipping into the stream of people vacating the room. But I would think she’d have told at least one of us Mermaidens where she was going. As I glanced back over my shoulder, I saw Damon chatting with a Councilmember as he gathered his notes for the day. I’m sure they were talking about Aldric again. Apparently the old merman had taken very ill and was quarantined in his room for the time being. Though, as Damon had mournfully told us of his mentor’s sickness, I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. Of course it’s only at the prospect of being in the thick of the council finally…isn’t it?

I took a deep breath as we left the MerCouncil room. Sometimes the towering walls around us and the vaulted ceilings miles above made me feel imprisoned. I glanced over at Serena, who had floated up beside me with Crystal close behind. Her empathetic gaze seemed to say, “You too?” I smiled at her slightly.

As I entered the hall beyond the MerCouncil room, I felt someone brush a hand against my arm and I turned my head. “Where is she?” Zoey mouthed at me. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged, feeling sure that if Waverlee would have told any of us, it would have been Zoey.

As the flow of merfolk progressed down the hall, we Mermaidens lingered behind. As an unspoken rule, we usually gathered in our special hangout room exclusively for Mermaidens after the MerCouncil adjourned. Today though, none of us really knew quite what to do.

“Do any of you know where Waverlee is?” Zoey demanded, looking at each Mermaiden in the circle individually. A chorus of shoulder shrugging, claims of innocence, and blurted suggestions ensued.

“The dining area?” Brynn suggested.

“Our hangout room?” Crystal offered.

“The roof?” Jia proposed. “I saw her eyeing the door yesterday with intrigue.”

“I don’t know,” Serena said thoughtfully, tapping her bottom lip with one finger. “It just seems like she would have told one of us if she had been planning this.”

A brief silence followed while we let this sink in. I still couldn’t believe Serena’s new rainbow tail. It shimmered when she moved, just like her old one, but I thought it suited her better, showing off her creative and colorful side. The first time she’d shown us, it had been in the dining area at dinner. She’d come flying up to us grinning from ear to ear, but somehow she’d been hesitant, as though she was unsure if we’d like it. After Waverlee shrieked loud enough to panic merfolk across the Seven Seas though, I think she realized just how much each of us loved her new look.

“Well, I guess it won’t do us much good to stay here all day, clogging the hall and stirring up a fuss. Let’s get on with it.” Brynn shooed us down the large hall and a few minutes later we entered our hangout room. It was beginning to look much more like home now, with every wall, cushion, and decoration in the room painted perfectly, courtesy of Serena. The lighting was provided by Brynn, who stocked the place with glow stones and enjoyed juggling her lights to entertain us. Crystal had outdone herself with wonderful icy trinkets and sculptures to furnish the space. In the meantime, the rest of us did what we could to liven our little room up as well. I would often sing during the evenings and give little dancing lessons, while Zoey amused us for hours on end, telling us stories of her animal friends at home. Jia had her own medical center set up in one corner of the room, along with a small garden that she tended regularly, which actually was quite interesting to watch. Her gentle hands could coax any plant back to health.

As I flopped down on a cushion, Frank fell down out of my hair, surprising me.

“Gah!” he bellowed, though he floated slowly down onto a soft surface. I stifled a laugh as he lay unmoving on his back, one hand thrown dramatically over his eyes. Brynn settled down on her belly beside me, smirking down at the exasperated little crab.

“Well, well if it isn’t the high and mighty treasure hunter himself. What’s he doing down from his evil lair of black curls?” She pulled one of my curls lightly and let it spring back into place. I laughed and poked Frank with a finger. He jumped back onto his stubby little legs with a grunt and sniffed importantly.

“I would thank you to keep your nasty fingers to yourself, mademoiselle. And I am feeling under ze weather today, lassie. Day in, day out trapped in this horrid structure. Not even allowed to touch ze gold walls.” At the thought of the forbidden gold, which I had specifically instructed him to stay away from once I saw his eyes nearly bug out at the sight of it, Frank once more groaned and keeled over, to Brynn’s delight and amusement. When Frank was mocking her, he would call the Celtic Princess lassie in his impression of an Irish accent. I couldn’t help but be entertained by the wicked banter between the two rivals.

Brynn was really the only competition that Frank had at being the sassiest and most stubborn inhabitant of the ocean. Zoey and Serena found the crab hilarious, while Crystal and Jia adored his “charm and individuality.” Waverlee also thought the little crab was enchanting, although he didn’t care much for the pretty princess since her squeals “shatter ze crab’s insides and make him feel as though he has been speared through the brain by a swordfish.”

Speaking of Waverlee’s ear-puncturing shrieks, I thought, as one reverberated down the wide halls in our direction. “Crystal!”

“There she is!” Zoey grinned as we all sprung up. She slapped me on the back playfully. “Ow!” I complained, rubbing my shoulder.

“How come she only missed Crystal?” Brynn exclaimed.

Just then we saw the blur of golden curls and a hot pink tail swooping towards us, through the doorway and tackling Crystal. I turned to throw myself at the knot of tails and arms and hair but something in the doorway caught my eye. I peered intently into the dark at the silhouette of a merman. At first I assumed it was Damon, as he seemed to always be hovering around during the time we had been here. Then I realized the merman’s tail was a rich, shining black and though the shadow from the doorway cast a shadow over him, his hair was as white as…as…

Crystal straightened up, floating over beside me finally catching sight of the stranger by the door.

“Obsidian?” she asked in a strangled whisper. The merman hesitantly drifted further into the light, displaying near identical (but much more masculine) features to our own blue-tailed beauty. A silent pause followed and it seemed neither knew what to say. Then as I watched, a smile spread over the merman’s face, starting in his eyes and spreading to his lips within seconds. All of a sudden, Crystal was in his arms and they were laughing and twirling around and around. Somewhere behind me, Waverlee began to sniffle.

“Obsidian?” Zoey’s head poked over my shoulder. “Isn’t that a rock?”

A chorus of laughter followed as the strange merman let go of Crystal gently and she turned around with tears bubbling from her own eyes. “Everyone,” she said in her soft voice. “This is Obsidian, my twin brother.”

I felt my eyes widen and there were gasps throughout the room. Obsidian’s eyes gleamed with amusement and he held Crystal to his side with an arm around her shoulder.

“But Crystal…why haven’t you told us about him before?” Serena asked.

Crystal looked a little ashamed and opened her mouth, but then closed it again. She glanced up at Obsidian and then took a deep breath. “It’s a long story. Let’s sit down.”

As everyone clamored for a seat, I lingered for a moment. As I’d watched Crystal and her brother reunited in front of the door, I thought I saw something behind them in the doorway. Or someone. I carefully made sure no one was paying me any attention and then quickly glided out into the hallway. It was dark, which was odd because usually this part of the MerCouncil building was very well lit.

As I thought about using my gift to find whoever had been watching us, I was distracted by a sudden prick in the end of my fin. With a jump I looked down and saw shards of something broken on the ground. A glow stone.

A sudden panic came over me and as I backed away from the fragments, I bumped into someone. With a shriek I wheeled blindly, flailing. A hand stabilized my back and as I turned I came face to face with an old mermaid. She was bony and looked at me with dissatisfaction.

“Quiet,” she ordered. “Princess Destiny, I am MerCouncilor Raine. I need you to listen. Tomorrow there is to be a ceremony to appoint the Mermaidens as Ambassadors, as I am sure you are well aware. But, tomorrow night there is to be a second ceremony. This one will be somewhat of a secret and off limits to the public. We will hold it in the same location. You will need to keep this meeting quiet and only tell your fellow Mermaidens and their parents, as well as your own, of course. We will expect you to be prompt.”

With that MerCouncilor Raine whipped around and sailed away, leaving me confused and strangely exhilarated.

A New Mermaid Tale from Mermaiden Waverlee

“Waverlee? Are you ready?” My mom’s voice was muffled through the door to my room.

I lay on my belly, nestled in the softness of the cushions on the bed. I flicked my tail back and forth aimlessly, gazing at Bubbles who was fast asleep in front of me. Dread filled my chest at the thought of spending one more boring meeting sitting silently on those hard clamshell chairs. I started to squirm just thinking about it!

“Oh uh, actually can you go on without me?” I called, rolling onto my back and stretching. “I’m nearly ready but not quite.”

There was a brief pause, and then her response, “Alright then. Don’t be late, though.”

I sighed and scooted towards Bubbles. Wrapping my arms around my pet, I pulled the dolphin closer and let him nuzzle my ear. “Don’t make me go, Bubbles. I’d rather stay here all day with you.”

When no response from my dolphin friend came, I kissed the smooth top of his head and sat up, floating over to my looking glass. My hair stuck out at strange angles and my scales seemed to have lost some of their luster today. My lips turned down in a pout and I tried to smooth down my unruly curls to no avail. “Oh come on,” I whined. With a huff, I flung myself back into the safety of my bed.

“It’s not fair! I haven’t seen the sun for a week! I can’t stand being cooped up in this place day and night. I’ll go crazy. I’m not going to the meeting. I—“

Just then I remembered Aldric, the old mercouncilman who hadn’t attended our meeting yesterday. A slow smile spread across my face. If he can skip, why can’t I? It’s only once and what harm can it do? I’m sure no one will even miss me.

With a broad smile I leaped out of bed, pecked Bubbles on the head a second time, and slipped on my golden cloak, a special covering made of shimmering gold material that had a hood that covered my head. I found it years ago and I occasionally use it when I want to go unrecognized around my kingdom. I tucked my hair back and surveyed the scene in my looking glass.

Perfect! I nearly squealed at the way my tanned skin complemented the fine stitches of gold.

Slipping into the hallway like a silent eel—the thought made me squirm with an exhilarating disgust—I made my way as stealthily as I could past each corner, peeking first to make sure no one was lurking around. My first thought was to go to the dining area to get something to eat and then up to the roof, since I’d never been and it had always seemed enticing. But then a wave of guilt came crashing over me. What am I doing? I can’t just skip out on my duties like this. I’m a princess, and soon to be ambassador! Then I pictured my parents’ faces when I walked in the room, late. Well…maybe I’ll just watch from the observation platforms.

The path to the observation platforms was relatively clear and I only passed three merfolk in the hall; they were too busy to even look up at me, though. Before long, I was there. The observation platforms were the rings that encircled the MerCouncil room from bottom to top behind huge plates of thin, clear diamond that served as a barrier. Behind the diamond plates were the thousands of merfolk who had come to watch the MerCouncil in action. It was hard to imagine them when I couldn’t see them all, staring down at me. I wonder what my hair looks like from the top. I nearly giggled, but then I reminded myself I wasn’t supposed to be here.

The most important merfolk are seated in the bottom circles, as these are the closest and best seats in the place. After the first three rings though, anyone has a chance to grab a spot. I glided toward the second ring, putting out my hand to push it open, but then stopped dead in my path. Wait a second, I thought, panicked. If someone sees me, they’ll wonder why I’m not in the meeting. I slowly backed away from the door. Maybe on another level, though, I won’t be as easily recognized. And even if someone does see me, they wouldn’t dare talk to the King and Queen, would they?

After a little debate, I decided to try my luck at one of the higher levels. I picked Ring 14 and slipped in, choosing to worm my way up to the front of the room and press my nose up to the diamond pane to look down. As I craned my neck to try to catch a glimpse of Damon, my elbow slipped and jabbed the person next to me.

“Oof!” A voice grunted in my ear and my eyes widened.

“Oh! Oh I’m so sorry!” I apologized as I turned towards a young merman with startling white hair and ice blue eyes. Those eyes! They looked so familiar, and although the color reminded me of something cold, I felt warm when they rested on me. For a split second I just stared, open mouthed at him and wondered how I hadn’t seen him before! Then he gave me a charming and somewhat sarcastic half smile and said, “Well, Princess Waverlee, I have to say I’d always hoped to meet you, but being elbowed in the stomach by your Highness is an entirely different experience altogether.”

Stunned, an eruption of nervous giggles exploded from my chest, inducing glares and even a whispered, “Be quiet!” from the crowd behind me. “Sorry!” I whispered back, my hand against my lips in a desperate maneuver to keep myself quiet. Good thing the lighting is so dark in here, I thought, or someone else might have recognized me. My cloak hood had slid back when I bumped into… oh, I realized I didn’t know who I had bumped into.

I turned back toward the tall and remarkably handsome young merman in front of me. “Well, you seem to know who I am,” I leaned close so he could hear my whisper. “But, with regret, I have to say I don’t have the slightest idea who you are. Have we met before?”

The merman smiled down at his sleek black tail and then looked up with what I guessed was supposed to be an apologetic face. “Forgive my lack of manners, Princess. My name is Obsidian. And no, I don’t believe we have met before. I would have remembered, believe me. Most likely I’d have a bruise to show for it.”

I groaned and he laughed. “I said I was sorry. You’re not going to let that one go, are you?” He merely shook his head in response with an amused expression.

I sighed. “Well, although you intend on teasing me permanently, I am pleased to meet you, Obsidian.” I bowed my head a little, and batted my eyelashes at him. His smile grew bigger and slightly mischievous.

“And I, you. May I ask you something, Princess?”

“Of course,” I answered brightly.

“I admit for a minute you caught me off guard. I was counting the number in the MerCouncil below and just as I reached the conclusion that someone was missing, which I deduced from the one empty chair —aren’t I impressive?—you stumbled in and punched me in the gut,” he held a hand up to indicate he was still teasing as I began to protest, “and it seemed to be fate. But I suppose what I’m getting at is, what are you doing up here and not down there?”

I bit my lip and turned away, looking down into the MerCouncil room to see my empty seat. “Well…” I looked up at him and saw an unexpected empathy written plainly across his face.

“I see,” he smiled when he saw me watching him. “After all, you’re only what? Fifteen? Sixteen? These are huge decisions you all are making down there. Ones that will affect the rest of your life, and all merfolk as well.”

I saw the truth in his words as soon as I heard them. I guess I am kind of afraid of all the responsibility being handed to me, I realized. I looked up at Obsidian and smiled, grateful to have someone who seemed to understand my predicament.

We turned back to watch the MerCouncil for a minute or so. Then, coyly, I turned and smiled up at him. “You know, Obsidian is an awfully formal name,” I hinted.

He turned and smiled so broadly his teeth gleamed in the dark. “Oh yes, four syllables are tough on the tongue,” he said teasingly.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “What I mean is, do you have a nickname I could call you?”

He seemed to hesitate. “Well, you could call me Sid if you want.”

“Sid?” I tried it out. “Yes, that’s perfect. I think I’ll call you Sid from now on.”

Obsidian winced when I said it, though, like I’d jabbed him with my elbow a second time.

“What’s the matter?” I said, worried he was hurt.

“Nothing. It’s just…well, that’s what my twin sister called me.” He hurried to explain when he saw the confusion on my face. “Does, that’s what she does call me. I just haven’t seen her in a while is all.”

“Oh! Well who’s your sister? I’m sure if you want, I can arrange a meeting between the two of you! What’s her name?”

Obsidian seemed to debate with himself for a moment, and reached a conclusion. His voice was gentle as he said, “Her name is Crystal.”

~ continued from Crystal at the MerCouncil

I watched with anticipation as Crystal’s mouth opened, her slim facial features set in resolve. Just as the first whisper of a word began to emerge though, her father, King Orion leaped out of his seat.

“No!” He slammed his great hand down on the table with a dull pound that echoed about the room. “Absolutely not. I will not under any circumstances allow my daughter to associate with those barbarians. Never as long as I live.” He leaned over the table and locked his dark eyes with Darek. Beside him, Crystal seemed to shrink and wilt into her seat. Simmering with anger, I tried to make eye contact with her as she sat, but she kept her head down and arms folded around her. Poor Crystal. Her father seems overpowering and more interested in talking than listening. Crystal’s a bonnie lass, I thought to myself, but she’d better learn to speak up before she loses her voice altogether.

The staring contest between King Orion and Darek was being watched intensely by everyone at the table. I felt my father shift uncomfortably beside me. Finally, Darek rose from his seat and, with a low but powerful voice, demanded, “Your Highness, please. Sit down.” I watched King Orion’s forearms tremble with silent rage as he continued to burn holes in Darek with his dark stare. Finally, he straightened and with a curt nod, sat heavily. All attention moved to Darek, who straightened his black robes and sighed deeply. When at last he looked back up, I could see determination written plainly on his wrinkled face.

“Kings and Queens of the Seven Seas, I know that what we are asking of you is difficult. Your children are precious and dear to you. We know this. And yet we ask you to allow them to reveal themselves to beings that have the capability to hurt and even kill them.” A burst of whispers broke out, but Darek raised his wizened hand and silenced them. “However,” he continued, “We have faith in mankind. We believe that now is the safest time to introduce our world to humans. We believe that not only will men and women accept us, but they will celebrate us. We promise that if we did not believe it was safe for the Mermaidens to do so, we would not be assigning them this task. We understand your fears and doubts, but we ask you to do for us what we are doing for the human world. Have faith. Have faith that your daughters will not only survive as they interact with the human world, but thrive. Not to mention the historic service they will be offering to both our civilizations. Now, we don’t wish to overwhelm you all, so I suggest adjourning for the day. Please, Mermaidens, talk with your parents and share how you feel on the subject. Come tomorrow ready with your answer. You are dismissed.”

I sat stunned. A million questions were running through my head but I couldn’t make sense of it all. Ambassadors? Nervously I looked towards my dad. He was sitting rigid in his chair, staring straight ahead. I bit my lip, knowing that the angrier he was, the quieter he usually became. I looked to my left at my mother. She met my gaze with her lips pursed in a tight line. As she reached out her hand to stroke my hair, something she’d done since I was a child whenever I needed to be comforted, I realized how much her fingers shook. I leaned into her touch and she smiled slightly. Then I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I looked up into my father’s green-eyed gaze and rose alongside my mother. Slowly, we made our way out of the MerCouncil room and toward our own. I felt the silence around me like a heavy weight in my chest. Finally we arrived at our room, but still none of us spoke until we were settled inside, sitting on my parents’ bed. My mum and dad looked at each other, and then he began to speak.

“Brynn, we’ve taught you much over the years about duty and responsibility. And ye’ve been the perfect student. You’re mature for your age, lass, and ye’ve shown exceptional strength and courage.  And as much as your mother and I hate to put more of a burden on your shoulders, we think you should accept the position of Ambassador to the human world. It may be scary now but if anyone can do it, it’s you. Ye’ve grown to respect and care for the human race through your interactions with them. Ye’ve just enough balance of compassion and determination to undertake this responsibility. Whadaya say, wee lass? Will ye do it?”

Pride surged through me at my dad’s faith in me. But there was an underlying layer of fear that spread right down to the tips of my tail. After all, I’d heard the tales of what happened to merfolk who got too comfortable on dry ground with the humans. But that was ages ago, I thought to myself. By now, humans have changed. I’ve seen it myself. I’ve been guiding mankind through the stormy nights for years now. Maybe it’s time to try to guide them through the day as well. I rolled back my shoulders and looked at each of my parents, my dad staring at me with his big round green eyes and wild brown beard, my mom gazing softly with her blue eyes and soft smatter of freckles across her round cheeks. I took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

“Aye, then. I’ll do it.”

My decision was made. Now I could only hope it was the right one.

Mermaid Tales with Royal Mermaiden Crystal

“Where is Aldric?”

The words rang out in the silence of the dark, cavernous room and echoed back at us from all sides. Whispered conversations broke out over the entire table. The MerCouncil had just been called back into session to discover that their oldest member, Aldric, was missing. I fidgeted in my chair and tried to be patient while letting out the smallest sigh. Aldric was probably just in some important meeting or other. He’s very wise and seems to always be counseling merfolk, as he is highly sought after for advice. He has bronzed skin and deep wrinkles around his golden hazel eyes, especially when he smiles. He is very kind too, and always listens with a profound understanding to what each person has to say.

Brynn’s father King Murdoch arose with his humongous hands splayed on the table, leaning over them with gruff concern in his eyes. His question remained unanswered as the MerCouncil members barely paused their low conversing in one corner of the room. With an exasperated huff, the Celtic ruler dropped down into his seat and crossed his impressively beefy arms. Beside him, his wife and daughter sat with equally annoyed and impatient expressions.

I looked to my right at my father and noticed the tenseness in his folded arms as well. Compared to everyone else, my family is very pale. I tried not to notice it, but the fact that my hair is so white only adds to my obvious pallor. As I studied the bulging veins in my dad’s forearms, I felt my mom slip her hand through the crook of my elbow and pull me backwards so that my spine touched my clamshell chair. Her soft voice sounded close to my ear, “Lighten up, my gem. Don’t look so worried. You’ll get wrinkles.”

I looked over at her and she winked to let me know she was kidding about the wrinkles. I smiled as I relaxed myself to satisfy her. My mom’s warm smile shone on me and sent tendrils of calmness and assurance flowing through my muscles.

She always calls me her “gem” because once when I was small I asked why my twin brother Obsidian and I had been named after rocks. She had pulled me up onto her lap and told me that it was because crystals are precious gems and that to her, I was the most precious gem of all. That answer had made me glow with pride and love. Then she had said that Obsidian (or “Sid” as I call him) was named after a very strong, shiny black rock formed from volcanic lava flows, which is what my brother’s black tail reminded her of with its pointy scales and dark black shine. Oh, Sid, I sighed inwardly. Where in the oceans are you?  I could sure use one of your jokes right now. Thinking of my twin brother when he is away on migration with the orcas always fills me with longing and worry.

Sid is my twin, but my complete opposite in every way. I’m shy, he’s outgoing and fun. While I tend to worry, Sid’s not afraid of anything. I prefer quiet time alone with Pepper, and Sid seems to always want to be surrounded by others. Sid loves adventure and can’t stand to be in one place for too long. I prefer to stick close to home. I have power to make ice and Sid’s power is heat. He can melt anything. We couldn’t be more different, Sid and I. But we have a bond only twins can understand and I miss him terribly when he’s gone.

Now situated more comfortably, I surveyed the table again, hoping to distract myself from the anxiety I was feeling inside. Surely Aldric was alright, wasn’t he? But why wasn’t he here? He had never been late before. As questions bounced around in my head, the doors to the MerCouncil flew open with a boom. Everyone’s stare snapped to the entrance to watch Damon gracefully sail into the room with his arms spread wide. The light hit his tail at all different angles, making it appear deep blue, then grey, then a silky brown. I stared at the handsome merman and felt his gaze slide across each face in his audience.

“So sorry to interrupt,” he purred in his velvety voice, “but it seems that Aldric has been taken ill quite suddenly. You can’t imagine the toll the illness is taking on his frail old body, but I assure you, he tried his best to make it today. He simply couldn’t. Therefore, I find that it falls to me to fill his position, although I am positive I couldn’t begin to replace him. My only wish is to offer half the support and wisdom that Aldric himself bestowed upon this council.” With that, Damon made his way purposefully toward Aldric’s empty seat, which happened to be right next to Serena.

All was silent for a few moments after Damon’s declaration. Then Darek slowly rose from his seat again, eyeing the newcomer warily. He cleared his throat and began a long review of the topics of the last meeting. I tried to settle down and stop my heart from fluttering the way it was, frantic and out of control. It always seemed to do this whenever Damon was around. When I told my mom about it, she had smiled wisely and insisted that I had a new splash. My repeated refusal did nothing to convince her otherwise.

“Crystal, it’s okay to be interested in mermen at your age! Goodness knows I was. There was this one tall blonde I knew when I was a little older than you. He was dreamy!–”   I groaned then and shoved my head under a cushion from her bed. This only made her laugh and talk louder.

Is this attraction? I asked myself as I watched Damon from the corner of my eye. I didn’t think so. And if this is what having a splash is, I thought to myself, I’m not sure I want one. He makes me nervous and tongue-tied. That’s not the effect a splash should have, is it? A splash should make you happy when he’s around, and breathless. He should make you smile when you see him and laugh just because he wants to hear your giggle.  I looked up at Damon just as he leaned over to Serena and whispered something in her ear that made her smile. No. No this isn’t what a splash is at all.

“We’ll start with Mermaiden Crystal. Will you please share your thoughts on this proposal?” My eyes snapped to Darek. What?! Since when do we answer questions? What did he say? What proposal? My look of panic was probably written all over my face. I slowly swallowed and rose from my seat, twisting my hands behind my back. Just as I was about to open my mouth to admit my inattentive listening, Zoey burst out of her seat and began to clap.

“Yes, finally! Thank you, Darek, for letting our voices be heard on the subject of whether we, the Mermaidens, would be interested in a special position as ambassadors to the human world and whether we think we can handle it! Woohoo! Thank ya very much, sir!”

As Zoey’s hollering came to an end, she plopped herself down on her seat and looked extremely proud of herself. She winked at me with a toothy grin and I suddenly understood that the reason for the whole display was to make sure I didn’t make a fool of myself in front of everyone! Gratitude made my heart swell and I quickly lowered my head to hide my beaming smile. Then I straightened up and looked around the table, gathering my thoughts.

All of the sudden, the realization hit me. We Mermaidens are going to be ambassadors? To the humans? My heart started to beat a million miles a minute and my tongue dried up. The thoughts in my head vanished as my mind went blank.

I opened my mouth to speak.

Continued…

New Mermaid Story from Royal Mermaiden Serena

I sat in my temporary bedroom, longing for a flower. A real flower from dry land, one with big beautiful petals and bright colors. A flower would make everything better, I thought to myself, a flower or better yet, Leon. Picasso dozed on my lap, looking content. The poor little guy has stayed locked up in my room each day since arriving at the MerCouncil and I’m afraid I’ve had too much on my mind to play with him in the evenings.

We were perched on a small stone bench next to the window in my room. I’ve come to love this little corner. It’s where I go to be alone and think. Now I was thinking about Leon. I leaned my head against the cold sheet of transparent diamond that covered my window and stared outside. My long fingers drummed against my silver shimmering scales, a different color flashing and then disappearing after each fingertip tapped. I had only recently discovered this lovely new talent of mine. It would have been more exciting if I’d had anyone to share it with. As my gaze slipped down to my fingers and the sleeping fish on my lap, I thought back to when Leon and I met. I smiled and closed my eyes.

It was Picasso who had brought us together, really. A few months after Picasso and I were introduced, my funny little fish friend, who I’d become quite attached to, went looking for adventure and didn’t return. I cried myself sick the first night after he disappeared and my parents had everyone in the palace out looking for him. On the third day of my miserable loneliness, I awoke to hear a tapping on my window. Drowsily, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and carefully drifted to the window to peer outside. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull when I saw my beautiful Picasso, grinning in his fishy way. I screeched and shot out of the palace doors. There he was, held in the arms of my very own valiant knight. But it was only when I had Picasso safely in my arms that I realized just how valiant and handsome my knight really was. At the time, he was only about 13, a year older than myself and still a young merman. But I saw him as my own personal knight, just the same.

When I introduced Leon to my parents they were so appreciative, they all but made his knighthood official and they insisted he was welcome at the castle any time. After that we were inseparable. We spent all the time we could together, getting into trouble, painting, playing games and making up our own, teasing each other or our siblings and just being best friends.

Leon was a constant part of our lives in the castle. He would make the most ingenious little trinkets for my siblings and me–shellfish horns, seaweed lassos. My little sisters especially loved the sparkling hair combs he created, encrusted with beautiful shells.

When Leon could extract himself from my little sisters’ clinging hands, he’d throw the conch shell extra hard so my little brother, Marius would chase after it and give us enough time for our getaway. Leon would grab my hand and whisper, “Ready?” before taking off. We’d swim as fast as we could to our small coral reef where we would finally collapse and silently hide for a while to make sure no one had followed us. The quiet never seemed to bother either of us. I think those were the best conversations we ever had, the silent ones, communicating with our eyes while hiding from the world. We named our hiding place Rainbow Reef and over time I colored so many different shades of coral and fish and plants that it came to truly match its name. 

Over the last few years, though, things between us have somehow changed. When I turned sixteen I started training for my future role as Queen of the Mediterranean Sea. My training schedule has left me very little time for anything else. Now, I’m 17 and Leon is 18 and apprenticed to his father, Trenton, who is a blacksmith. In past generations, during times of war, a blacksmith would be kept very busy making tridents and blades. Trenton’s own grandfather had been the main supplier of armor and weaponry for our kingdom and some of the others during the war with the humans. Leon’s family has always been high ranking and honorable merfolk; the best blacksmiths you could find. In more recent, peaceful times blacksmiths still make weapons, but the business has evolved to include more utilitarian and even artistic works such as gates, tools and sculptures.

With so many responsibilities and our changing roles in life, Leon and I have seemed more like strangers lately than the close friends we were in childhood. In some ways, it’s sad—like I’ve lost him—but in other ways it’s exciting. It feels almost new–like we are slowly getting to know the merpeople we are becoming.

Picasso stirred on my lap and I opened my eyes with a twinge of regret that I couldn’t hold on to the memories longer. My gaze fell directly onto my tail. A shriek escaped my lips before I could comprehend what I was looking at.

The shimmering silver of my tail had disappeared. In its place was a brilliant rainbow tail, each scale a different rich color.

I shrieked again and slipped off the ledge I’d been sitting on, dashing towards the full length looking glass on the wall. I heard the door to my bedroom shoot open and I knew my parents hovered in the doorway. I heard gasps but I didn’t look over. I continued to stare at my reflection.

My tail was rainbow. It didn’t shimmer any longer. My silver scales were gone.

It was a masterpiece.

Mermaid Tales with Royal Mermaiden Princess Jia

I felt my mother shift in her chair on my left and realized my thoughts had drifted from the meeting before us. Jia, I scolded myself, listen and concentrate! I drew in a slow breath and then brought my mind back into the MerCouncil room. We Mermaidens had been watching our parents and the MerCouncil debate for hours, rarely getting a word in ourselves. It was the third day of the MerCouncil, and everyone was restless.

I glanced over at Brynn and saw her stifle a yawn. We had been up half the night in our special “Mermaidens only” room on Waverlee’s demands to have “girl time.” Personally, I would rather have gone to bed early to prepare for the next day, but the thought of staying up late was enticing since my parents are usually so strict about retiring and rising early. Also, some of the stories and secrets we shared made the long night well worth the unfamiliar grogginess in the morning. I smiled to myself as I remembered Destiny’s story about the moment Frank realized that he didn’t have eyebrows. We all were doubled over laughing much too loudly by the end!

Glancing across the table, I watched Serena tap colors onto her hand on the table. Little dots of bright orange, pink, green, and yellow appeared for a moment before fading away. How beautiful, I thought. I’d never been much of an artist myself. But I consider healing my own kind of artistry, in a way.

My eyes scanned across the room to Waverlee, who sat strangely quiet and still, smiling into the distance with a glazed look in her pretty blue eyes. Immediately I knew who she was thinking about.

Damon. I narrowed my eyes as I watched my friend daydream. The young merman clearly had a powerful effect on all my fellow Mermaidens, but Waverlee couldn’t stop talking or, it seems, thinking about him. I will admit, I thought to myself, he is very charismatic and strangely likable, but there’s an unsettling feeling about him that I can’t shake off.

Darek arose, and immediately all attention flew to him. The wizened old merman clasped his hands together. “We, the MerCouncil, thank each one of our guests and propose a short intermission. There will be a light meal served in the dining area. We will meet here again in one hour. Thank you.”

I let out an inaudible sigh of relief and followed my parents out of the MerCouncil room. As soon as I floated out the doors, I was whisked away in a stream of girls toward the dining area. Crystal slipped up beside me and smiled when I gently bumped her shoulder with mine. Zoey let out a blast of laughter ahead of me in response to something Destiny said. Brynn and Waverlee playfully squabbled over who Serena should paint next. She had been working her way through each of us, portraying our likenesses in paintings like no one I had ever seen.

“Yer perfection would take much too long to capture, Your Highness!” Brynn teased with a mock bow, to which Waverlee simply smiled proudly and flipped her hair.

We found our own table to sit at in the dining area, but no sooner had we taken our seats than a shadow fell across the table and a hand came down on my shoulder. A shiver went down my spine and I hesitantly looked up, while Waverlee squealed in delight. A pair of crystal blue eyes met mine and a broad grin smiled out of a forest of long black hair. “Why m’lady Jia,” Damon murmured softly, “I must say I’ve never been quite so glad to see someone as I now am to find you here. You see, I seem to have injured my hand and I can think of no better healer than you. Please, sweet Jia, will you consent to help a poor soul like me?”

I stared up at him and wondered for a moment if he would take no for an answer. Then I internally chastised myself. The poor young man needed my help. How could I possibly turn him away? I gave Damon a small smile and softly answered, “Of course, Damon. I would be honored to help you. But you know you don’t even need to ask. I am willing to use my gift to help anyone who may be in need.”

Damon gave me another of his famous smiles and quickly pulled a cushion beside me, turning to whisper hello to Crystal, who was on his right, and tell her how enchanting she was. I quickly inspected his hand, which (I couldn’t help but notice) dwarfed my own, and then excused myself to retrieve my healing satchel from my room. As I left, I heard Damon start an engaging conversation full of laughter with my friends. He is quite charming, I thought to myself as I returned with my satchel, and I have no right to think ill of him. I’m too harsh on merfolk I don’t know.

After a few moments of digging through my supplies, I pulled out a small clamshell and opened it carefully. I use many different shells for containers for my medicines. This one was a little difficult to pry open. It held a mixture that helps relax tight muscles, soothe strained ones, and even mend small tears. I turned back to Damon, and he placed his hand in front of me. I scooped a little bit of the thick paste out with my fingers and then started to massage it into his hand.

“So it seems from the way your hand is swollen,” I told him in my best healer’s voice, “that you strained a muscle in there. It’s possible you tore it, but I highly doubt it. After I finish massaging this mixture in, I’ll wrap it. Try not to use your hand for the next few days. If it doesn’t hurt anymore within that time, then when I check it again, I’ll rub more of this in and you’ll be as good as new.”

“Ah thank you, dearest. How can I ever repay you?”

“There’s no need for that. I’m only doing my job. Tell me, Damon, how did you hurt your hand?” I asked while studying the swollen muscle under my long fingers. “Have you been doing anything strenuous?”

I felt Damon’s forearm tense beneath my wrist and I looked up quickly to see if I had touched something tender. His face relaxed as soon as his eyes met mine, and for a moment I thought I saw something like wariness in his features. But it was gone as soon as it had come and was replaced with a ready smile. “Well, other than writing an average of ten pages of notes a day, no, I have not. Although really, that note-taking is rather taxing on my poor hand. It gives me finger cramps like you wouldn’t believe.” Damon gave an over-exaggerated sigh and I let a small smile escape my lips before I turned back to massaging his hand. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything in that bag of wonders for sore fingers, would you?”

“No, I’m afraid I only brought what was necessary on this trip. My father assumed there would be other healers amongst the MerCouncil so that my talent wouldn’t be needed much for injuries… such as finger cramps,” I added awkwardly.

“Ah, but you would be mistaken, Princess Jia. Hand cramps are the most fearsome of injuries for a future MerCouncilman to have. You see, I have to write oh so much with my pelican quill, and in such a short amount of time, I have absolutely not a second to give to my poor fingers, should they fail me.” I could hear the teasing in his voice, and I responded with a half-smile. I needed to focus on the MerCouncil proceedings and not dwell on the flirtatious words emanating from my mind. I chose to respond instead by wiping my hands with a soft cloth to get rid of excess medicine and ask a question I had wondered about for some time now.

“Damon, how does a merman or mermaiden become a part of the MerCouncil?”

Most of the chatter at our table fluttered to an end and six pairs of eyes landed on Damon. He straightened up and leaned in, causing the same involuntary response from every other Mermaiden at the table. Clearly, I hadn’t been the only one with this question. Crystal’s big blue eyes had gotten so wide, I suddenly found myself widening my own in return.

“Well, ladies. It all starts when a mermaid or merman is born. Periodically, as I’m sure you know, a test is given to a promising generation in each of the Seven Kingdoms. Out of that generation, the most promising merchildren are chosen from each kingdom. He or she must show remarkable qualities such as leadership, intelligence, bravery, or strength, among others. Each merchild is then taken by the MerCouncil into their keeping, leaving their homesea and family. They are given to a mermentor, who is charged with raising and teaching the child the ways of the MerCouncil and strengthening them, physically and mentally. The young mermaid or merman spends all of his or her time with this mermentor until the age of 12. It is then assumed that the young apprentice is ready to take on small responsibilities. They are given duties like serving their mermentor his or her meals, running errands and keeping their records organized. By the time the merward is 16, they could be standing in for their mermentor in small meetings, or carrying messages into the Kingdoms. By 18, they are preparing to take their mermentor’s spot on the MerCouncil indefinitely at any time. If they haven’t already by then, they spend most of their time listening in on the MerCouncil’s meetings and taking notes to later organize and file. That,” Damon concluded, “is the stage that I am in now. MerCouncilman Aldric is my mermentor. I document MerCouncil proceedings as they relate to Aldric’s involvement. The poor fellow is quite old now and can hardly lift a pen himself, but thankfully, his mind is as sharp as ever.”

A million more questions seemed to race in my mind, but just as I was about to open my mouth, Brynn beat me to it. “So ye say you were taken as a wee child, but surely ye must have some memory of which MerKingdom you’re from? Couldn’t each MerCouncilman be biased toward his or her own homesea?” Her stormy green eyes were narrowed and seemed to stare Damon down accusingly.

“Aye, that we could—“ Damon started with a twinkle in his eye and a surprisingly good impression of Brynn’s deep Scottish accent. She stopped him with a thunderous look and he awkwardly coughed and started over. “Aha, what I meant to say was, yes we could be biased if we did indeed know which Kingdom we came from. But, as future members of the MerCouncil it is crucial that we remain impartial. That’s why we are taken so early in our youth and the information of what homesea we are originally born in is kept secret from us.  We are taught to bury ourselves in our studies and that becomes our identity. There’s no room for anything else.”

“But don’t your families miss you terribly?” Crystal’s soft voice was met by a long pause of near silence. Each girl’s eyes flitted between the look of confused shock on Damon’s face and Crystal’s own sweet innocence. Damon turned toward her slowly and they locked eyes. Then slowly he grasped her white hand in his uninjured one and brought it up to his lips.

“Yes. Yes, I suppose they might,” he breathed softly against her fingers. I studied how rigid the muscles in Damon’s back were. As if he felt my gaze, he suddenly let out a long breath and relaxed. Then he rose from his chair, formally bid us all goodbye, and swept toward the door. We watched him go in silence and then turned back to face each other.

Crystal’s voice brought us all back to life. “Was it something I said?”

A New Mermaid Tale from Mermaiden Zoey

“Oy, mates! How about a game of sharks and mermaids?” I yelled so that all my six of my new friends could hear me. We were all hanging around in the special room that the MerCouncil had set up for us. It’s filled with great games, cushions, books, and food! Waverlee got a hold of Crystal and was trying out this tube of what she calls, “lip sparkle.” She saw a human girl putting this shiny slime stuff on her lips once, and then later Waverlee found her own tube of it on the beach. It makes your lips shine, but it’s way too pink for me.

At my suggestion, Waverlee bolted upright and shrieked with joy. “Yes, yes, yes! I call being a mermaid!” She looked over at Crystal and then yanked her hand into the air, too. “So does Crystal,” she shouted. Crystal smiled shyly.

I laughed. “All right, all right. Who wants to be a shark with me?” Brynn quickly swam over to me, leaving Jia leaning on a cushion with Serena and Destiny. They’d been playing a game with a conch shell before I had interrupted.

“Okay, good! Now all of you girls go to the left side of the room. Brynn and I are going to stand in the middle and tie these,” I held up two strands of fat seaweed, “over our eyes. Then you all have to try to get across the room with letting us touch you!”

“We know how to play!” Destiny laughed. I winked at her and then tied my seaweed blindfold behind my head. Brynn did the same. I turned towards her and whispered, “You go to the right and I’ll go to the left. Try to make Waverlee laugh. She’ll probably have Crystal with her.”

“No plotting, you two.” Jia scolded, but I could hear the smile in her voice. “Ready, set, go!”

All the sudden, the room went silent. I floated to the left and listened as closely as I could. Someone bumped into something to my left so I reached out my arms and shot in that direction. My fingers grazed a cushion but I must have missed her! Then I heard a squeal of laughter from my right.

“Gotcha!” That was Brynn’s voice!

“Nooo! Crystal, swim!” Waverlee’s giggles filled the room. I darted towards her to try to catch Crystal and slammed into someone! I yelped in triumph as I wrapped my arms around her and went tumbling to the ground. I laughed and tore off my blindfold to find myself kneeling next to, not one of my friends–but a merman!

I heard gasps from all my friends and I lurched backward, away from the strange merman. His icy blue eyes bore into mine, his face framed by long black hair that swept his broad shoulders. He wore the deep blue robes that are the uniform of a MerCouncil trainee. He had a strong jawline and black brows that furrowed as he tilted his head slightly to mirror me. I blinked, and slowly he began to smile as he rose off the ground to hover above me. He extended his hand down to me and for a split-second I almost took it. What am I doing? I thought haughtily. I don’t need help getting up!

I shook my head and floated upright, brushing myself off. I was suddenly aware that all my friends were staring at me and the handsome stranger.  Waverlee was clearly ogling him with her bright blue eyes, while Crystal hung back uncertainly. Jia was studying the newcomer with a questioning look and, behind her, Brynn looked surprised and anxious. Destiny just seemed amused by the whole situation while Serena carefully scrutinized him like one of those paintings she whips up, scouring for errors.

I looked back at the merman and realized how awkwardly quiet we had all been as we stared at each other. The merman seemed to notice this as well because he cleared his throat and spoke in a rich, smooth voice. “Hello, Princess Zoey. It is a pleasure to meet you and all your Mermaiden sisters at last. Forgive me for interrupting your game. You were obviously having a wonderful time getting to know one another. But where are my manners? I know who you are, but you’d have no idea who I am. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Damon, apprentice to Aldric of the MerCouncil.” At this, he smiled broadly and extended a deep bow.

When he arose, he took my hand, wrapped his fingers around mine, and I noticed the softness of his hands. They were perfectly kept, his fingernails short and trim. I quickly pulled my hand out of his grasp and put it behind my back so he wouldn’t see the sand caked under my fingernails.

“Pleased to meet ya, Damon,” I said with my head held high. “Since you already know me, I guess I don’t need to introduce myself. The question is do ya know each of the other princesses’ names?” I challenged him with a confident stare, to which he smiled humbly.

“I’ll do my best, Princess,” he murmured. He turned to the other six girls and put his chin on one fist. He furrowed his eyebrows and pressed his lips together in mock concentration. I rolled my eyes and Waverlee giggled. He winked at her and then pointed to each girl as he said her name. “Princesses Waverlee, Crystal, Jia, Brynn, Serena, and Destiny.”

Damon then turned to me and smirked while a piece of his black hair swept across his face. “How did I do, Your Highness?”

“Not bad, I’d say. But there’s always room for improvement,” I smirked right back.

He gave me a half smile and floated smoothly to the other girls. He started with Waverlee, slipping her hand in his and bowing to kiss it gently. “M’lady, your skin is as smooth and flawless as a perfect pearl,” he gushed. I rolled my eyes again as Waverlee nearly swooned.

As Damon moved to Crystal, she gazed at him with her beautiful blue eyes. He smiled tenderly at her and drew close enough to whisper something in her ear. Crystal’s cheeks colored a flattering pink and she smiled a little before backing away.

Jia stood silent and cautiously as the handsome young merman approached. He bowed formally to her. “I have often heard of the great healer, Princess Jia. Someday I hope to witness your miracles myself.” Jia dipped her head towards him as an acknowledgment, and her shoulders seemed to relax just the tiniest bit.

Brynn was next. She drew herself up to her full height and studied Damon with her green eyes. He smiled at her and praised her bravery and courage in guiding so many ships through the Celtic storms at home. “You are such an inspiration to merfolk everywhere, my dear Brynn. You have such a coveted talent, too. The power to give light to the darkness is a true gift.”

As Damon was visiting Serena and then Destiny, Brynn sidled up next to me. “What do you think of him,” she asked.

“I don’t know what to make of him. He sure seems full of himself, though.”

“I don’t know either,” she replied, “but I can’t stand the way he’s lookin’ at all of us. Especially Waverlee. I swear that girl is going to get into trouble if she doesn’t stop makin’ eyes at every lad that swims by!”

I laughed. “Brynn! I do believe that you may be jealous!”

“Me? Jealous?” Brynn harrumphed. “I do not get jealous over boys like that. They’re almost always more trouble than they’re worth!”

We both laughed, just as Damon appeared over our shoulders. His tail swung back and forth gracefully and it shimmered different colors in the light. One moment it was deep blue and the next it was a murky brown. I shivered at the mysterious feeling about him. Maybe, I thought uncertainly, maybe Brynn is right. But then Damon turned his gorgeous smile on me. Or maybe not.

“Well Mermaidens,” Damon said with his voice of pure silver, “you must all be wondering what has brought me here within your lovely midst. I have the honor of inviting you and, if you wish, escorting you to a large banquet set up for all members of the royal families as well as the Council itself and all its apprentices. What do you say? Will you join us?”

Waverlee started to jump up and down and squeal. “Yes, yes, yes, of course! We would absolutely love to, wouldn’t we, girls? But of course we’ll have to get ready and—“

“Woah, woah slow down!” Destiny raised her voice to be heard over Waverlee. “I think you look just perfect Waverlee and I’m starving! So please, let’s go!” She grabbed Waverlee’s hand and waved for Damon to show us the way.

“As you wish, Princess Destiny.”

That night we ate until our stomachs were full and then ate some more! The food was spectacular and the decorations were incredible! The entire room was lit up much brighter than any other part of the MerCouncil structure. There were lots of different tables to sit at, so we girls chose one where we could all sit together. Damon sat with us. Waverlee obviously thought he was so charming that she flirted with him all evening. I noticed he was careful to pay attention to each of us, though. But as he leaned over to say something in my ear, I found myself thinking about a different pair of deep eyes, green ones far away… and a dimpled smile that makes the words in my mouth turn into a sigh…

A New Mermaid Tale from Mermaiden Destiny

“Welcome to the MerCouncil.” I shivered a little in my seat and glanced at Serena. She looked pale in the light of the dim glow stones lighting the cavern all around us. I turned my attention back to the old merman hovering above his seat. He was wrinkled and had long gray hair and a flowing beard. He had eyes that were piercingly blue and skin so pale that it almost took on a blue tinge. His tail was a deep gray color. All in all, he looked pretty intimidating, especially in his black Council robes. All the Council members wore them.

The merman began to speak. “I am Darek, Chancellor of the MerCouncil. This meeting has been called together in order to discuss the long standing dispute of the connection between the Human and MerWorlds. Although we have addressed this difficult situation many times, we have decided, in light of new evidence, that we need to address it once more. For this reason, we will now invite Waverlee, Mermaiden of the Pacific Ocean, to stand and recount her recent experience involving a human posing as a mermaid.”

Wow, I thought, they don’t fish around! I watched as Waverlee hopped up out of her seat and took the spotlight, fluffing her hair a little before beginning her story. “As Darek mentioned, two weeks ago I had a strange and wonderful experience. Bubbles, that’s my best finfriend dolphin, and I had gotten up way early to go collect seashells on the beach. We totally could have found some on the ocean floor and closer to home but the ones up near the humans are so much more interesting and shiny! It’s like someone polishes them every day or something, I—” The middle aged mermaid sitting next to Darek cleared her throat and stared at Waverlee with dark eyes that told everyone that she was not to be messed with. Waverlee’s voice died off, but she quickly cleared her throat and began again.

The middle-aged mermaid sitting next to Darek cleared her throat and stared at Waverlee with dark eyes that told everyone she was not to be messed with. Waverlee’s voice died off, but she quickly cleared her throat and began again.

“Uh…so, yeah. Well, we were on our way and I stopped to watch the humans on the beach. I climbed up onto a rock pretty far out, but close enough to where I could see everything on the beach perfectly. I made sure to stay hidden and I was just sitting there and admiring a lovely little girl in a yellow polka dotted outside, when all of a sudden, I saw something amazing! I saw a young human stand up on the white sand of the beach and she looked exactly like a mermaid! She had a tail that was a shimmering pink color, almost as pretty as mine,” Waverlee paused and smiled down at her own pink tail. I heard Frank, who was hidden in my hair, groan and I knew he was rolling his eyes. I smiled to myself as Waverlee continued, “As I watched her, the little person leaned down and pulled her tail up from the bottom and two little legs popped out! Then she started to walk! And all the other humans were acting just like it was the most ordinary thing, seeing a fake mermaid walking on land. Which made me wonder, if humans today think merfolk don’t exist or hate us or something, why are they dressing up like us? And it made me think that maybe humans do know about us and so maybe we don’t have to keep ourselves secret anymore!” Waverlee smiled up at all of us and then sat down with a flounce of her golden curls.

I sat really still and peeked at my dad out of the corner of my eye. His brown face was a mask of calm, but his dark eyes seemed concerned and anxious. I looked to my right at my mother and saw that her brow was furrowed in concentration and her lips were pressed together. They both looked so focused and adamant. I had no idea what to think of the humans and their removable tails! To be honest, it didn’t surprise me all that much. When I go to see the carnival, humans dress up as crazy things all the time! I once saw a man who dressed up as an octopus, and it was a very convincing costume!

I looked around at the other mermaidens to see how they were taking this news. Jia was sitting motionless with a look of careful contemplation on her face. Crystal looked a little like she was about to pass out—she was even paler than usual! Brynn appeared pretty surprised at the news and was muttering to herself. Zoey seemed to be ready to fall asleep at any moment, but she looked like she was at least taking the story in. Serena wore a poised and calm expression, but I could see the storm of questions and uncertainty in her pretty brown eyes.

The Chancellor rose from his seat again and swept his wise gaze over us. “Today the question has been raised once more: Will the Human and MerWorlds finally be introduced? There are many merfolk on each side of this particular debate. But for now, we would like to hear each MerKing’s opinion and thoughts on the story shared. You may voice concerns, questions, or comments on what Mermaiden Waverlee has told us. King Lyron, would you please proceed first?”

It wasn’t really a question. I looked up at my dad, feeling as anxious as though it were me who had been called on to speak. He thrust himself up from his seat and cleared his throat, immediately drawing all eyes to him. My mother is an excellent public speaker, but my dad is more like me. We prefer the attention of a few people at a time and tend to stay away from huge groups.

My dad began to speak, “I believe that Mermaiden Waverlee makes an excellent point. If humans really are allowing their young to dress as merfolk, they certainly have changed. If what she says is true, then they very well may have become a decent and civilized people, unlike the barbarians that attacked our own ancestors in the past. But I believe that if we have any chance of getting along with the humans, we will have to change as well. We may not have started the Great War of the Sea, the conflict which divided us from the humans, but our ancestors undoubtedly didn’t treat the war as a peaceful people would. Many humans were drowned, and worse, because of us. I believe that it is time we made up for our part in that tragedy and I agree that if they have changed, it may be time to finally end the separation.”

I heard my father draw in a deep breath and then he nodded to emphasize his point before sitting down. There was a little pause before Jia’s father, King Takumi, who was sitting to my left, stood up and began to give his own speech. I looked up and surveyed the faces of the MerCouncil. There were smiles and frowns, pursed lips and furrowed brows. I felt Frank, who was hidden inside my heap of tight curls, scuttle across my head. He hadn’t spoken much to me since I had reprimanded him for yelling at Waverlee. He is very sensitive about getting in trouble.

Each MerKing spoke his opinion in turn. King Takumi was very eloquent in everything he said, a lot like Jia. He said that he agreed it was possible that the humans had changed but was in favor of a short observation time, where we would basically spy on the humans to make absolutely sure that they meant us no harm.

Crystal’s father isn’t much like her. While she is very quiet, he has a deep booming voice, which he is fond of using. Although he also agreed on the points made previously, he was adamant that not all merfolk may be ready to move on, forgive and change. King Orion pointed out that some of the very old merfolk remember their parents’ accounts of the War very well and will be hesitant to take the chance of letting history repeat itself.

Brynn’s father, King Murdoch, was headstrong about his opinion but supported much of King Orion’s arguments. “Just because one wee little human lass was wearing a removable mermaid tail, doesn’t mean the whole lot of them have changed, does it?”

Zoey, who finally seemed to take an interest in the conversation, seemed very much into the debate when it was her father’s turn. King Brock told us that he would be eager to learn from the humans and communicate with them. He did agree that we should be careful, though. An observation period on “the bobbers is a right fine idea,” according to the Aussie MerKing. I laughed a little at this and Zoey gave me a wide grin.

Serena’s father seemed very thoughtful and speculative. He told us that he fully supported the idea of finally making contact with the land dwellers. He also drew attention to the fact that there is a lot that we can learn from the humans. “Much has changed in our society since the Great War,” King Delmar declared. “I imagine the humans have, too.”

Since Waverlee gave her speech at the beginning, her father, King Francisco, simply stated that he agreed with her wholeheartedly, although he warned that not all humans are what they seem. When everyone was finally done speaking, I sighed deeply and was suddenly aware of my stomach rumbling loudly. Darek rose from his seat again and all whispering immediately died away. He looked around at us with those piercing eyes and then announced, “Thank you, MerKings, for your valuable contributions. We, the MerCouncil, will now retire for the night to ponder what we have heard today. We bid you all a good night, Mermaidens.”

With that, we were formally excused. My dad held out his arm to me and my mom and escorted us out. As soon as we’d left the huge, dark room, I felt a hand around my wrist and Waverlee appeared in front of me.

“Come on, come on, Destiny. Hurry! They have this great room set up for all of us Mermaidens with games and food and fun, fun, fun! Let’s go!” She was practically bouncing up and down and squealing in my ear. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I glanced at my parents with the question in my eyes. My mom reached out and squeezed my hand and said, in a low rich voice that reminds me of chocolate, “Go. Have fun with your new friends. Remember to get some sleep tonight though. You’ll need your rest for tomorrow.” My dad smiled at me and nodded at her words. I beamed at them and then quickly let myself be pulled away by Waverlee and my five brand new sisters.