Page 22 of Secrets Among the Tides
When I arrived at the fin of their thrones, I dipped into a curtsy, my head bowed low.
At the sight of me, King Oriana gasped. But I did not look up.
“Your Majesties, it is my honor to present to you, Maisie Fauna of Lagoona.”
I rose then and looked up at the Queen and King of Thalassar.
The King was floating above his throne as he gazed down on me. There was only one way to interpret the expression on his face. Shock.
“Odele…” He reached a hand out towards me, but then slumped back onto his throne. “No…you cannot be…”
So Captain Saber hadn’t been full of sand. I actually did look like the Princess.
“Yes, the resemblanceisrather striking,” the Queen, who had remained silent the entirety of the exchange, suddenly spoke up. My gaze went to her.
They were both rather beautiful. The images on the telly had done them little justice. The King was a very tall merman, his tail long and green and powerful. His hair was black and it ran down to his waist, but was clipped back with golden jeweled pieces and bands. He wore an elegantly cut red jacket with golden trimming at the lapels and a long richly made cloak at his shoulders. His black beard was long and jeweled, dark eyes regarding me sadly.
The Queen was rather remarkable. Her hair as golden as I imagined sunlight to be, her eyes the brightest blue. She wore a special crafted dress in magenta and glittering diamonds adorned her neck and ears. Her tail was the purple-blue coloring of the Malabella lineage, and curled leisurely at the fin of her throne.
“Where did the captain say you were from, dear?” the Queen asked with icy politeness.
I drew in a breath before I answered. “I am from Lagoona, your Majesty.”
Her long fingers came up to stroke her chin. “Strange, that a mer that looks like you could come from a backwater pond such as that. Tell me, do you have family?”
I shook my head slowly. “No, your Majesty. My family is dead.”
“And how did they die?” the King asked gruffly. He was looking at me like I was either an amazement or an oddity. Either way, it unnerved me. His eyes were too intense, too focused.
“My grandmother died a few years ago. She ventured out to northern lands to exchange hand woven baskets for currency but was caught up in the current of a sink hole.” It still hurt to remember it. To remember when the village soldiers and merchants had brought me the news. They’d gone out as a group for trade, but not all of them had made it back alive. She’d truly left me an orphan that day. And I never even got to say goodbye. “I never knew my parents. I was told they died after I was born.”
The Queen stroked a long fingernail down the arm of her throne. “Interesting,” she mused.
Maybe to her. To me, it was heartbreaking.
“Captain Saber, what do you mean to accomplish by bringing this peasant forth, again?” The Queen turned to the captain, glaring mutinously. How easily she’d brushed me off. Typical royalty. I tried not to frown.
Captain Saber took a stroke forward so I was gifted with the image of his strong back. “Your Majesties, surely you can see it? The resemblance is uncanny. When I first laid eyes on Miss Fauna, I had thought for sure it had been Princess Odele. Of course, to our disappointment, she is not. But I had the beginnings of an idea. To avoid the questioning of the people and of the Prince, why not have Maisie disguise herself as the Princess?”
The Queen’s eyes widened just before she scoffed. “Have this peasant disguise herself as my beloved step-daughter? I think not.”
I felt my face heat unpleasantly. I was all too aware of how I looked. Aware that my dress had a hole at the hem, that it was too tight at my chest. I knew I wasn’t the prettiest mer or the most well mannered. But if I looked like the Princess as they all believed I did, then I would certainly try my hardest to be her. To save this kingdom and the people from downfall.
“And why would we allow such a thing to happen?” the King asked slowly, stroking his beard in thought.
“How long will we be able to hide the fact that Princess Odele is gone? We cannot claim illness forever, your Majesties. Not with Prince Kai asking questions and demanding to see her. What will happen if this gets out? The balance of the kingdom lies in this charade. If she can pretend to be the Princess, then we will have bought some time to find Princess Odele’s whereabouts.”
The Queen and King looked from the Captain to me. And their gazes were scrutinizing, intimidating and I tried not to falter.
“It’s ridiculous!” the Queen exclaimed, looking back to Captain Saber. Her fins unfurled at the base of her throne, slapping at the water angrily. “The very notion is demeaning. A servant disguised as the Princess? I can see the kingdom in ruins now.”
“Forgive me, your Majesties. But what other choice do we have?”
The Queen glared and I was so sure she would command someone to swoop in and cut off the captain’s head then and there. “How about you do your job and find my step-daughter, Captain?”
Captain Saber’s whole body tensed even more so than it had been. I wondered what thoughts were going through his head at that moment. If he was plagued by guilt and anger.
“She can be taught, your Majesty. She can be taught to move, talk and act like the Princess. No one will know the difference.”
