Fantasy Tales Series: Rise of The Merfolk

Chapter Thirty-Four

The day arrived quickly. I woke up with my stomach in knots and my head pounding. My fingers were twitching and tingling. I was on edge. I had no idea how today was going to go. Cora had not spoken one word to me since our big fight and I hadn't spoken to Noah either. I had been distracting myself by practising my powers, reading up on Mermaid mythology trying to find some mention of the artefacts and hanging out with the girls. It was good while it lasted, but finally the morning was here. I hadn't heard so much of a whisper of what on earth was going on in the Merfolk community, so I only had my prior knowledge to go on.

I was scared I would swim out to the battle field and no one would be there except for all the scattered bodies of Merfolk. What if the war had already happened? Surely Cora would have shown up to laugh in my face about it. I could sense the tension in the air though, whenever I went outside. This helped to reassure me the war had not yet passed and my moment to help everyone see the truth was still to come.

I also hadn't seen Kalum around. That made me feel even worse. I had no idea what he was doing- going back to his lair and concocting a horrid plan to kill me and steal the artefact I found. I still didn't understand how I had just happened to stumble into my path, perhaps it was fate. Or destiny. Maybe it was complete coincidence, somehow, I doubted it. This whole journey had taught me that nothing happened by coincidence. Nothing. Everything happened for a reason.

I snuck out of the house early, which was easy because no one was up yet. I brought a nothing with me, except the stone which was back on a chain around my neck. This morning I noticed it glowing a slight blue, almost as if the stone knew today was pivotal in Merfolk history.

I was wearing black leggings, sandals and a sweatshirt. Simple and not stylish, but I was going to be spending my day underwater anyway. I only really needed the clothing for the mortal world. The morning was windy, and cold. I could feel the slight warmth of the first sun rays beating down on me but it wouldn't warm up properly until afternoon. There wasn't a lot of traffic on the road either which made the outside quiet.

I got to the private sector of the beach, the sand flying up and sticking to my feet and ankles. It was scratchy and I hated it. Noah waved at me stiffly and I walked over.

'Ready?' He breathed out. His brown eyes were darting around with wrecked nerves and his nose looked red, maybe from the cold air. I was sure I looked like crap too.

'No.' I said truthfully.

He smiled. 'Neither am I.'

Wordlessly, we both started to strip and dump our clothes on the beach. My mind was too focused on the task at hand to really care what he thought of my body. He gestured with his head towards the ocean, the blue waves making soothing sounds as they washed ashore. I got the idea and we walked calmly into the ocean together. It was nice to not be alone. Even when I had swum with Cora, I always felt like she would rather be somewhere else, doing something else in her own world. I didn't feel that way with Noah. He wasn't in a rush, and took his time enjoying the ocean waves beating against his legs. It was refreshing to see I wasn't the only one who enjoyed appreciating what nature had to offer.

We dived head first into the waves when it was deep enough. My legs feeling light and tingly while they merged into my ombre aqua and turquoise coloured tail. My hair flowed behind me freely. The cold of the water on my skin didn't bother me anymore. It still gave me the shivers, but my mind no longer registered the temperature as too cold.

I gazed at Noah's tail, up close this time. It was different shades of green which all merged into one beautiful shade. The fin below his spine on his tail marked him as a Merman. His body was lean, with little fat but the skin appeared to be so soft. I had the sudden urge to reach out and touch his chest. I didn't, that would be weird, but I wanted too.

Nice tail, he told me in my mind. I wasn't sure if that was the mortal equivalent of saying 'nice ass' but I figured since he said it so casually and without any innuendo it wasn't.

Thanks. I like your fin.

He flashed me a proud smile. Mermen were proud, that much was true. We swam towards where the battle would be held, kilometres and kilometres away from the shore. Deeper than where I had ever been before. Noah knew it was to be held here because this was where the first war had taken place. It was perfect for a battle ground underwater.

The water flowed around me and propelled me forward smoothly. My tail was beating powerfully. I admired all the corals, red, purple and white. The seaweed which grew in clumps. The schools of different fish which swum all around us, moving aside for us. Dolphins chattered at us happily, always wanting jellies. My goal was to never stop exploring the ocean no matter how old I got. It really was a mysterious place.

I'm not sure how long we swum for but whenever I glanced at Noah, his face showed nothing but concentration. I should have been getting into that mindset too. I was about to interrupt a huge fight, in front of hundreds of Merfolk. I think it was hundreds, I really wasn't sure how big our population was. This would require complete confidence and belief in what I was saying.

Lucky for me, I was completely sure. I had been since the start.

When we arrived, I was a little disappointed at the place chosen. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting, but it was very big, open, plain and blue. There were a few rocks below us scattered around a huge clumps of seaweed but the place was desolate.

Anticlimactic, I thought to Noah.

Why would we plan a war on a nice reef? He answered sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes at him. Fair, I answered.

He pointed to a larger rock we could sit behind and watch for the armies from so we swum down and sat on the sandy floor.

How long till they form ranks? I questioned.

I'm really not sure, we were swimming for a while though.

You'll come out and back me up, right? I asked him. I kind of blurted it out, I didn't want to seem weak or scared, especially since I was still just getting to know him but he smiled reassuringly and grabbed my hand.

He gave it a squeeze. You have helped me, as much as I have helped you. Of course, I will back you up.

That made it a bit easier. The relief I felt was amazing, but it wasn't all gone just yet. It still hadn't completely hit me that today was the day. I didn't think it was going to hit me until I was up there, with everyone staring at me, that I was putting a stop to the fighting.

I was actually going through with this. I thought back to when I had first discovered I was a Mermaid. I never would have thought any of this could happen. It felt like a life time ago. I had learned so much and still had so much more to learn.

I blurted out a tactless question to Noah. Can I now I ask why you want the war to stop? I know its none of my business and we're not that close but I-

My parents were killed in the last war, He started.

I would have gasped if I could. How awful for him. He was probably sick of pity, so I decided to not go there.

How old were you?

He chuckled inside my mind. I am older than you could ever imagine, Aqua.

Does that mean you're like an old man? I forgot for a moment he could read my mind, that's how we were talking.

No. We age quite differently than mortals do. My mind is still young, physically I am young.

Will we ever be old?

Eventually.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence again. I liked it though, it was the calm before a storm.