Page 32 of The Kraken's Queen

We pass the meeting room from yesterday and head to an open room across the hall. The doors must havebeen closed yesterday, because there is no other way I would have missed this room. Like most rooms in the castle, all but the interior walls are glass. A few murals hang on the exterior walls, showcasing various ocean scenes and important-looking figures.

But what catches my attention is the number of musical instruments throughout the room. Most I recognize, but some I don’t. A piano sits in the center of the room, surrounded by couches. A violin and harp perch in the rounded corner of the room. Something that looks like a tuba and another stringed instrument I’ve never seen before sit on the opposite side.

My eyes gravitate toward the piano and harp, two instruments that sound beautiful alone or accompanied by others. They both produce a tranquil sound that always helped calm my body after a stressful day of school.

I don’t realize I’m swimming toward the piano until Allarick asks, “Do you play?”

“Yes…well, I used to. My mother signed me up for piano lessons when I was a young girl. At first I hated it because I just wanted to play with my dolls and the other children outside, but over time I grew to appreciate it more and more. I picked up harp in high school, just on a whim, and fell in love with that too.

“For my sixteenth birthday, my parents bought me my own harp. Some teenagers want cars, but I wanted musical instruments.” I laugh, feeling the familiar ache I always get when I talk about my parents. It’s bittersweet, but I love talking about them. It makes me feel like they are still alive in some way.

“Your parents sound like they were amazing people. They had to be to raise such a strong, intelligent, and talented woman,” Allarick says. “If you don’t mind, I would love to hear you play.”

My cheeks hurt from smiling. “Really?” No one has asked me to play for them in years. “I might be a bit rusty.”

Allarick shrugs like he doesn’t actually think that’s a possibility. “I don’t mind.”

“Right, okay. Let me…” I pull out the piano bench, wondering how I’m going to sit and play while keeping myself afloat. But I’m surprised to find my body sinking gracefully onto the bench, with my feet planted firmly on the ground.

“Gravity works a bit differently in some places here,” Allarick says by way of explanation.

“Magic, I presume?”

“Ah, you’re learning.” He grins, making himself comfortable on the couch. His tentacles fan out around him while he sinks into the furniture.

I play a note, and the sound reverberates around the room. The piano is tuned perfectly, though Allarick probably has someone assigned to that job. I play a few more notes, my fingers remembering the keys even though it’s been years.

“Is there anything you want to hear?” I ask after a moment.

Allarick ponders the question briefly before saying, “Play me a song that reminds you of happiness.”

I think of my parents and the very first song we learned together. The song I played at alltheir birthdays, even though they both had heard me play it a million times. They always claimed it was their favorite, and it quickly became mine too.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath as the notes and melody come back to me. Then I open my eyes and play the first note to “Let it Be” by the Beatles.

Chapter 19

Allarick

I’ve never been one to pay much attention to music. It’s not that we don’t have music; we have plenty of extremely talented musicians who frequently perform at social events. It’s not even that I don’t enjoy music. I do. But it’s a luxury I don’t often find myself indulging in.

Until now.

Erin’s lithe fingers run over the keys in a mesmerizing dance. I’m unfamiliar with the song, but that hardly matters. I’m captivated all the same. Erin’s eyes flutter between open and closed—something I’m not sure she knows she’s doing. Her body sways with each key she plays, hypnotizing me with every note and movement.

A sense of tranquility washes over me, quieting all other thoughts. I can’t remember a time when my thoughts have been this silent. Erin’s playing draws me to her. I fear nothing, other than being apart from her.

All too soon, the song comes to an end. I’m leftfeeling empty, until clapping from behind me pulls my attention away from Erin. Floating by the door is Delmare and a few other staff members. Delmare has the decency to look sheepish, but the mermaids with him do not. Boldly, they swim into the room, ignoring me as they approach Erin.

Ignoring a king is a punishable offense, but punishment is the last thing on my mind at the look of wonder the mermaids give my future queen. Pride swells my chests at how my people look at Erin.

“Apologies, my king, but we heard playing from down the hall and—” Delmare starts but is quickly interrupted by a young mermaid, new to staff and castle politics.

“My lady, that song was beautiful,” she gushes.

I’m tempted to correct her and have the mermaid refer to their queen properly. But she’s not technically their queen. At least not yet. That title will only come through marriage.

“I was in the middle of polishing dinnerware when I heard the most beautiful sound. I felt pulled to the source, almost like a siren song. Except this pull was so much stronger,” the young mermaid squeals excitedly. “You play beautifully, my lady.”

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