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The next morning I was escorted to the queen and king at the guards’ request. They wanted to see me, and so I’d go to them even if I didn’t want to. I wore a long silk dress in purple so that it matched my tail. Today, I didn’t really care what I wore. I just wanted to get this over with, whatever it was they wanted me for.
I arrived at their sides. They were wearing fancy dress, their crowns sparkling on top of their heads. When I arrived, the queen looked me over with disdain and ushered me forward quickly.
“Suffering tides, you are slower than a sea turtle. Bend down.” I did as she bid and tried not to wince as she set a small silver crown on my head. When I straightened, her gaze seemed to scrutinize nearly everything about me. “We have much to do today,” she said. “So please no more repeats of what had happened at the anniversary dinner.”
I just nodded to avoid arguing, though I made no specific promises to her. It seemed there was a royal event going on of some sort, because a moment later, Prince Kai arrived with his guards and advisors. He gave me a shy nod that I returned before we were ushered out of the palace and towards awaiting shelled carriages tethered to massive hippocampi.
The queen and king rode together in one while Prince Kai and I took the other one. We sat in the soft cushioning and then the beast was off, following behind the queen and king’s carriage.
“Do you know what this is about?” I asked him.
Prince Kai shook his head. Interesting.
“Princess, are you well?” he asked me suddenly.
I turned away from the pretty sights of Eramaea to smile at him. “I’m fine, thanks.”
He looked doubtful. “Yesterday I was outside your room. I heard you and Captain Saber shouting.”
My face went bright red, but I turned from him before he could make note of it. “It was nothing,” I said, waving his concerns off. I didn’t want to think about Captain Saber today. Not when I’d had a good night. Not when he was nowhere in sight.
Prince Kai must have noticed I didn’t want to talk about that business any further, because he kept his silence. It was a few minutes later that we made it to wherever it was we’d needed to be. It was an enormous coliseum, a building shaped with circular walls like an amphitheater. Had we come to see a play? I let a guard help me down and escort Kai and I to the entrance.
We were led up a flight of stairs where four thrones awaited us. Behind one of them floated Captain Saber, his posture stiff and rigid. He cast one glance at me, the expression hard in his eyes, before he turned away. Good. I didn’t want to look at him either.
We took our seats, me beside Kai and King Xristo beside Queen Circe. I leaned forward in my chair to look down. It wasn’t as big on the inside as it was on the outside. We were close to the stage below, and seats around the place were filled with mer. Not a single seat was left unoccupied.
“Why are we here?” I whispered to Kai.
He shrugged. “I do not know. I was hoping you could tell me.”
I guess Princess Odele would have known. Captain Saber and I never went over this bit in our training, unfortunately. I fought not to turn and glare at him for that. I wondered if he deliberately had wanted me to fail at this.
I almost turned around and glared, but before I could there was the loud blaring of a horn. I leaned over the edge of the balcony eagerly, placing my hands on the railing. Would there be an orchestra? I’d always wanted to see live music.
A hush descended upon the crowd as an old merman swam onto the stage below. He was wearing black robes, his long white hair braided behind his back. Was he the orchestra master? I tried to lean closer but felt the tug at the end of my dress. When I turned, Kai was looking at me with concern, like he was worried I’d fall over the edge. I rolled my eyes at him playfully.
Turning my attention back to the merman, I watched as he cleared his throat. “The Minister of Justice comes forth to present the charges to Her Majesty, Queen Circe Malabella and King Xristo Oriana de Malabella.”
The queen at my side replied in a booming voice that carried through the water. “Proceed with the charges, Minister.”
Charges? What was she talking about? A sudden feeling of unease crept through me. Still, I kept my hands tight on the balcony and watched with rapt attention.
“On this day on the one hundredth and nineteenth year of the Malabella reign, I, the Minister of Justice, hereby condemn this mer for the crimes of fleeing Selection as well as aiding other criminals to the crown of fleeing Selection.”
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. My fingers trembled on the balcony. A sudden intense feeling of nausea washed over me, but I pushed it away and tried to focus.
“And what is the punishment for these crimes?” the queen asked.
The minister rolled his kelp parchment up again. His answer was clear and sent frozen icicles straight through my veins. “The punishment is death.”
The queen nodded. “Bring forth the prisoner.”
I wanted to close my eyes when they brought the merman out onto the stage. This scene was so familiar to me. I’d seen it a day before Selection in Lagoona. I’d seen soldiers bring Christof down and behead him. And I would witness it here in Eramaea, from the comfort of my throne with the heavy weight of a crown bearing me down.
This merman, unlike Christof, did not fight his captors. He swam with dignity despite being covered in the gray cloth of a prisoner and with a sack over his head. My breath caught in my throat, a sob froze waiting to be unleashed. More mermen swam out onto stage. One with a large swinging axe. The other to place a block before the condemned.
“By royal permission do I decree that this merman known as Elias Blackfin, alias the Black Blade, be condemned to die.”
The gasp tore through my throat as the hood was pulled away to reveal the merman underneath. His black hair was ruffled, the silver cross at his ear gone. The side of his face was bruised as if he’d been beaten. When he looked up in our direction, his eyes found mine...
And he smiled.