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Frano’s hands slipped away and the cool night air tickled my face where his warmth had been.
‘Open your eyes.’
I hesitated, my eyes remaining closed for a few seconds longer than necessary. Because if I opened my eyes and saw an underwater city, then I knew in my heart that I would somehow never leave. Not that I didn’t wish to return home to the bay, but because somehow, I knew that I belonged at the heart of the ocean. That it was my calling.
My lids fluttered open and my breath caught.
A glittering city stretched before my eyes, disappearing gradually into endless darkness. A city hum, something I hadn’t really noticed when Frano had first led me out here, suddenly filled my ears.
‘This is all yours, my love.’
The city below was filled with people, tiny from my vantage point, all going about their business.
‘It’s nearly dinner time, so most have gone home after a hard day of work. The markets are now closed. You’ll enjoy the markets I’m sure. It is a place filled characters, the kind of people that make this city so special and unique.’
My stunned silence stretched his smile even wider.
‘How did you find this place? How does it even exist?’ I finally asked, my mind overfilling with endless questions.
He laughed and slipped an arm around my waist and drew me to his side, holding me loosely against him. I sensed he was trying his hardest not to come on too strong or to frighten me and I was glad for it.
‘I discovered it a years ago, when I was beginning to fear the threat of nuclear destruction from the Cold War... however I wasn’t searching for such a place, I merely discovered it.’ His eyes seemed to stare far off into the distance, where the glittering lights tapered off into a blackness so dark it sent a shiver down my spine.
Staring up into a black abyss above us, I searched for a domed ceiling I couldn’t possibly see as it was too far away.
Frano had not lied to me. The starless and moonless night confirmed this for me already.
‘It’s beautiful.’
‘Indeed, it is.’
‘And so, you are the leader of... all of this, because you discovered it?’
He winked and seemed to puff out his chest a little more. ‘I am the king.’
I stifled a giggle and he watched me, a sensuous smile on his lips.
‘What is so funny?’
‘Nothing. Just...’ I broke out into more than a giggle, a laugh that bordered on hysterical or psychotic.
Frano’s face became serious.
‘Darling, the drug, it still has its hold on you. Let me take you back to my... excuse me,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Let me take you back to your room, and I’ll have the maids bring us a meal to share there. That way you may eat at your leisure in bed.’
I thought of the large room and decided I’d rather not be alone tonight. It would be pleasant to have Frano’s company. Now that I got the feeling he wouldn’t touch me until we were married, I felt safer around him. Not that I didn’t want the man to touch me. I did. I thought about it a lot. But if he touched me too many times, or kissed me too many times, then I might lose my heart and fall in love. I wanted my head to be as clear as possible when I decided on whether I was going to commit to marry, or stay, after my six weeks here.
‘That sounds wonderful, Frano. Thank you.’
Frano smiled and gently guided me back through the double doors and down several corridors until we reached his bedroom. He dismissed the guard there and held the door open for me himself.
‘I’m having a designer craft a kissing merman and mermaid, out of pure gold, to grace this double set of doors.’
Tracing his fingertips across the polished wood, he gazed at it as though the artwork was already there.
‘Shall we go inside?’ I said, hoping to break him out of his trance.
Frano shook his head and half smiled.
‘Get some rest and I shall wake you before dinner is served, in about an hour. I’ll leave you to it.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, grateful for the space. I needed time to absorb the fact that an underwater city actually existed. And that I was, technically, engaged.
Frano closed the heavy doors and they swung shut with a loud, echoing bang.
By the depth of the echo, I guessed the castle was large, triple than what I had seen already. I couldn’t wait to explore all the hidden corridors and rooms. There must be some historical items, perhaps books, something that hinted at how such a world, an underwater city, came to be.
My head spun with the craziness and wonder of it all. I leaned against the large rectangular dining table, something I could indeed imagine kings and queens sitting around, sharing a meal with golden goblets.
Sitting down, I poured a glass of water from the crystal carafe there and sat and sipped at the cool, fresh tasting water while waiting for my head to clear and the thumping in my ears to stop.
Too much excitement, that was all. My quiet, routine life beside the bay at home had not made me resilient enough to cope with new situations. Hopefully after the drugs wore off I would feel better and more myself.
Already I was itching for a swim, but I knew enough about the sea to know that it would be impossible to swim at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean without being crushed into nothing by the pressure. I would have to eventually learn to use the travel chutes and visit the mainland, like Frano had done when he visited my bay.
Yes, I thought, as I drained the glass and stood up.
This could work out. It was strange and unconventional, living in a domed underwater city, but it was still more exciting than marrying scowling, brutish Jani and living between the claustrophobic walls of the city.
I made my way to the bed and drew back the sheets, yawning as I did so and thinking about Frano’s advice to get a little sleep when there came a knock at the door.
‘Frano?’ I asked, my heart thudding at the unexpected intrusion. For wouldn’t Frano use the adjoining door?
There was no answer but the doors slowly opened and a young man dressed in black slipped inside.
‘Who are you?’ I asked, feeling sharp and alert all of a sudden, my heart pounding in alarm.
He looked a lot like Frano, only younger, closer to my own age, and with finer features than his older brother. He was slightly taller and more slender.
His eyes widened as he looked me up from head to toe and then he smiled widely and started making hand gestures that I could not understand.
‘Who are you?’ I asked, stepping closer, no longer afraid.
The boy signed something and then gestured to a photo of Frano and then to himself.
‘Are you brothers?’
The boy nodded and his sensuous lips once again formed a smile.
‘My name is Nada,’ I said, smiling back. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
The boy stepped forward and took my hand. But he didn’t shake it, he held it between both his hands for a moment, glanced down at me, his piercing blue eyes intense, then brought it to his lips.
Though Frano was equally as handsome as his brother, where Frano was classically good looking, this boy was beautiful in an artistic way. His cheekbones, lips and eyes, even his brow, they were all works of art.
‘You can’t speak?’
His intense eyes zeroed in on my lips, watching me speak.
He nodded then mimed patting a small child on the head.
‘Since you were only little?’
He nodded.
He took my hand in his and started to tug me to his right.
‘Are you taking me somewhere? Do you want to show me something?’
He nodded and pointed to a blank wall in the far corner or the room.
‘A blank wall?’ I asked and he raised a brow and grinned, tugging me towards it.
I grinned back. Frano’s brother was so sweet. Why hadn’t Frano mentioned him?
‘How old are you?’ I asked as he came to a halt at the wall.
He turned to me and raised ten fingers, then seven.
‘Same as me,’ I said, my cheeks heating at the way Frano’s brother was staring at me so intently. I realised then that I couldn’t ask for his name. Unless I found a pencil and some paper.
A soft knock came at the adjoining door and Frano’s brother put a finger to his lips and ran to hide beneath the dining table.
‘Nada, are you awake? May I come in?’
Frano was earlier than expected.
Frano’s brother pleaded with his eyes for my silence.
I nodded and he winked then grinned and disappeared beneath the table.
My heart fluttered as I crossed the room and started making the bed. Why hadn’t Frano mentioned his brother before? Was it because he was mute?
‘Yes, come in. I was fixing the bed.’
Frano entered and glanced around the room.
‘Was someone in here with you?’
I raised my head and frowned, remembering Frano’s brother’s request to keep silent about his visit.
‘No. I woke up a couple of minutes ago.’ I shrugged. ‘But I am known to talk to myself from time to time.’
Frano furrowed his brow and took a few steps around the room, then dismissed his hunches and turned to face me.
‘I was coming to see if you’d rather have dinner in the dining hall. When
I told the maids you wished to eat in your room they seemed downtrodden, as they had already decorated the dining room and polished the pearl-handled cutlery. I told them I’d see if I could persuade you to leave your room for an hour, now that you’ve had some rest.’ He raised his palms. ‘But, if you wish, we can eat here.’
My heart thundered against my chest. Was it wrong of me to keep Frano’s brother’s visit a secret? It seemed distrustful, but I also didn’t wish to ruin my chances of getting to know his brother. If Frano and I married, the boy hiding beneath the dining table would become my brother-in-law. He’d hate me if I turned on him the very moment I met him. And surely he was only fooling around. Maybe Frano and his brother were the kind of siblings who played tricks on each other for fun?
I shook my head and smiled at Frano, who was beaming with excitement at the prospect of eating in the dining room.
‘No. I would much rather eat in the dining room. Let’s go.’ I said, feeling glad I hadn’t changed out of the dress I’d worn earlier.
Frano smiled and offered his arm and I slipped mine inside, marvelling at how two brothers could look so similar but so different at the same time.
I breathed a sigh of relief for Frano’s brother as we exited the room. Somehow, I got the feeling that I’d made the right choice.
When the double doors closed behind us, Frano summoned two guards who had been pacing the corridor.
‘The two of you are to guard these doors and the adjoining door the entire night. Make sure nobody gets in... or out.’