What a day. This morning, when I rolled out of my bed at half past four and made my way to the courtyard to swim laps before coming on duty, I would never have guessed that this was where I was going to end up.
Swimming through Coral City with Princess Mareena, of all people.
“Come on,” I grunted, leading Mareena out of the courtyard.
A quick glance behind my shoulder told me she was following. Her eyes were wide, and she looked around with awe as I led her through the city. She was silent, which was fine with me.
I had a lot of thoughts to parse through.
For the past ten years, I got used to my job. Comfortable. Relaxed, even. I came to expect the routine that came with guarding the princess. When I was first assigned as her personal guard, I had been less than pleased. I knew the circumstances of my birth meant that I would never be allowed to work on the king’s guard, but I had hoped for something more stimulating than guarding the princess.
All that changed when I got to know Mareena, though.
Nothing about her fit the mold of what I thought the princess would be. She was strong, kind, courageous, and utterly unlike the horrid male who had contributed to her conception. She would bring about real change in the Indigo Ocean if given the chance to reign. Change that was desperately needed.
I already knew that Princess Mareena would be an incredible queen.
Not only that, but she was beautiful. No, wait. Beautiful wasn’t the right word to describe her. It was too pedestrian, and there was nothing pedestrian about the princess. She was magnificent. Impressive. Exceedingly skilled in every facet of her life.
She was amazing, and her father didn’t know her at all.
But I did. I knew her better than I knew my own mind. I had spent the last ten years watching her. Protecting her. She had invaded every second of my life. The problem—and it was a problem—was that somewhere along the line, I lost sight of who I was. Who she was.
And now, I broke the cardinal rule of my job. The one rule everyone knew to follow.
Like a stupid mermale, I forgot my place. I forgot all the horrible things my father had said to me growing up. I forgot where I had come from and made the biggest mistake of all.
I had fallen deeply, madly, irrevocably in love with the one female I could never have. The Crown Princess of the Seven Seas.
What was wrong with me?
Obviously, I knew I couldn’t have her. To be perfectly frank, I was fairly certain the princess barely knew I existed. She was polite when she spoke to me, but then again, she was polite to everyone. Unlike her horrible father, she actually treated those around her with kindness.
What a revolutionary idea.
So this morning, when I was ordered to take her to the throne room, my stomach twisted. I just knew something was wrong. Call it a gut feeling or intuition, but I knew that today would be the day everything changed.
When her bastard of a father told her she had to marry one of those blustering idiots who were undressing her with their eyes, I barely restrained myself from swimming over and stabbing him with my trident over and over again. The only thing that stopped me was the knowledge that if I did it, I would have proven every single horrible thing my father said about me right.
So instead, I kept my white-knuckled grip on my trident, swimming near the door as the insufferable courtiers muttered under their breath about Mareena.
She was so brave. She looked her father in the eye and defied him. It was incredible. I had seen mermales three times her age quiver before their king. But not her. She stood before him, unwavering in her bravery.
As soon as she left, I knew I had a choice to make. I could stay and keep my job, or I could go after her.
It was barely a question. What good was employment if the female I loved was no longer swimming in the same waters as me? If her laugh never again filled my ears? If I never again saw her eyes glimmer as she got an idea? She’d never been out in the city alone. She didn’t know the dangers of the city.
If someone hurt her…
A shudder ran through me at the thought.
I couldn’t let that happen. Mareena was the hope for the people of the Indigo Ocean. More than that, though, she was the female I loved. The tiny fact remained that she wasn’t aware of that last part, but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.
The moment the palace doors swung shut behind her, I handed in my notice. Packing my bag with as much as I could carry, I told Kvrim that I was done and swam out the front doors of the palace.
By the time I left, Mareena had disappeared. It took me three hours to find her. Three hours too many, if you asked me. By the time I locked my eyes on the princess’s black hair and shimmering purple tail, my heart felt like it was about to explode out of my chest.
“Where are we going?” Mareena’s voice broke through the fog of my thoughts, and I blinked. It took me a moment to process her question.
“I know a place.” I shifted my trident from one hand to the other.
She stopped swimming, her tail flicking angrily as she crossed her arms and glared at me. “Do you care to elaborate, Calix?”
I ran my fingers over the bite mark on my palm. It was healing—I was Mature, it would be gone by nightfall—but I still couldn’t believe it. She bit me. I hadn’t meant to frighten her. I just wanted to take her off the street so we could speak in private. I wasn’t angry that she bit me. On the contrary, I was very… not-angry about the entire situation. To know that this female was not only strong in character but willing to fight made me feel things that I really shouldn’t have been feeling for my crown princess.
Especially since she was in the market for a husband. I always knew she would marry. She had to. It was her duty to produce heirs. And, of course, she couldn’t marry me. Notwithstanding the secrecy of my affection for her, I was a guard, and she was a princess. There was a world of divide between us.
But that didn’t mean I was going to be happy about it. To see another male smile at her. Kiss her. Take her to their bed. The thought made me want to destroy everything around me. But I didn’t. Using every ounce of self-control I possessed, I didn’t do a single thing. I pushed down those thoughts, shoving them deep inside myself until I could barely feel them.
“Somewhere safe,” I said gruffly.
She could sleep, and I could finally think in peace. And the gods only knew how much I needed to think. I had already decided I would do everything I could to make sure she found a male who would be, at the very least, tolerable.
Of course, she didn’t just deserve “tolerable.” No, Mareena deserved far more than I, or anyone else, could give her. She deserved to be unconditionally and wholeheartedly loved. She deserved a male who was going to treat her as the absolutely incredible female she was.
That was why I was taking Mareena to Shipwreck Cove.
She whispered, “Thank you, Calix.”
I grunted a reply. The more words I said, the more I chanced telling her how I felt accidentally. That would not be good. She could never know that I loved her. It was my secret and mine alone.
“Come on,” I said. “The city isn’t safe at night.”
That was an understatement. The sharks that called the Indigo Ocean their home were the least dangerous predators that swam through the dark, moonlit waters.
Mareena’s eyes narrowed, sweeping over me. “Why are you helping me, Calix?”
My name on her lips had never sounded so good.
I grunted, “It’s the right thing to do.”
And it was. Of that, I was certain. Before she could pry any further, I tilted my head. “Let’s go.”
We swam in silence through the Anemone District. Mareena naturally attracted attention. We passed schools of fish, merlings, and entire families going about their days. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to Mareena, but she was completely unaware of their attention.
That was part of what made me love her. Mareena had no idea how incredible she was.
Soon the seas opened up around us. In the distance, vast wooden structures rose in the distance. They had been claimed by the ocean floor. Reefs and kelp grew around the wood. Shafts of dying sunlight illuminated the shattered bellies of massive ships that had once carried humans, vampires, werewolves, witches, and elves alike across the surface of the ocean until Nontia decided to claim their souls for her own.
Mareena slowed, her tail moving behind her as she turned in a semicircle. “Where are we?”
I pointed my trident at the land in front of me. “Shipwreck Cove.”
“Shipwrecks?” She glared at me as a flash of coral sparks appeared in her hand. “As in, a graveyard. You brought me to a graveyard.”
I swallowed, swimming backward just a touch as her eyes hardened. I had never seen Mareena use her magic before, but based on what I’d seen her father do… perhaps angering her was not in my best interest. But I’d be damned if seeing that flash of violence in her eyes didn’t make me feel all sorts of improper things about my princess.
“Well… not technically.” I tilted my head. “As you know, mer don’t need graveyards.”
When merfolk Faded, our bodies returned to the sea. There was a balance in the Indigo Ocean. Everything had a give and take. Magic, that incredible power that few mer had, demanded it. There would be no life down here without it.
“Calix,” the princess asked, her voice hard, “are there bodies down here?”
“Ah…” I nibbled my lip. Then, deciding that it was better just to tell her quickly, I blurted, “Yes, there are.”
She swam up to me, staring me in the eyes. Suddenly, I was aware that we were alone and there was only a foot between us. My chest squeezed, and I tightened my grip on my trident.
Mareena glared up at me. “You brought me, a princess of the Seven Seas, to a graveyard?”
Now I was beginning to question my sanity. Perhaps this hadn’t been the best course of action after all. Maybe she would have preferred if I’d stayed behind in the palace.
“I’m sorry, I just thought that you should have somewhere safe to stay. I know this isn’t much, but I can keep watch over you here, and we won’t be dis—”
“Oh my gods,” she chuckled, shaking her head back and forth. The movement caused her hair to billow up in the water, and I stared at it, captivated. “Calix, I think you have said more words in the past minute than you have in your entire life.”
I stared at her, blood rushing to my cheeks. “Your Highness?”
What else was there to say? I didn’t think I’m staying silent so I don’t admit I love you would go over well.
She snorted. “It’s fine. Did you say there’s somewhere to sleep?”
I nodded. “Yes, I come here sometimes to…”
Escape. Get away. Forget about my family. Steal a few minutes to myself. I didn’t say that, though. I just stared at her like an idiot.
“To get away?” she suggested.
I nodded.
“Perfect.” She groaned. “This day has been absolutely exhausting.”
Without a backward glance, Mareena swam into the nearest shipwreck. I shook my head, watching her go.
How could I ever watch her marry someone else?