The High Seas Queen

Chapter Four: Friends

Monarchs and merfolk age a lot like humans on land. They reach adulthood around 18, then proceed to age a lot slower and can live anywhere between 200 and 300 years old. My grandma Pearl was 40 when she sat on the throne as Queen of Rulers for the first time and 45 when she married my grandfather Quentin.

20 years before coronation day

At the age of 16, I was a bit of a daredevil princess. I wanted to know everything and experience everything. My friends did nothing to calm me and only encouraged everything I wanted to accomplish. Gale, Sebastian and I had been friends our whole lives and knew one day when I took over the throne they would be right by my side as trusted advisors, and once that happened, the exploring and questioning ourselves would have to stop. There would be no more asking who we were, and we would just be. Soon, we'd be going to warrior and political training together to prepare for our future. We just wanted to be as crazy as we could while we still could.

“Come on, Ashera, new students are moving to the dorms today in preparation for the classes starting soon. Let’s go see if there's anyone interesting.” Gale called back to me from the front of our little trio. I was swimming slowly that day, just enjoying the hazy light coming through the water and the fish swimming above the city. I should’ve been watching where I was going, but since I wasn’t, for some reason, Sebastian had come to a stop in front of me. SMACK!

“Ugh. Sebastian, why did you stop? Didn't you hear Gail's in a big rush to see the out-of-town students arrive?” I was still looking over the city from where I had crashed into him, a small school of fish swam around some of the taller kelp plants. I waited for his response, for his hands to release my arms, but neither of us moved. Finally deciding that we couldn't stand like this all day, I pulled my thoughts from the little fish and looked at the person who was holding me steady. It wasn't Sebastian. I pushed against the stranger in shock. I floated backwards and just as I was about to bump into a nearby building, the same stranger grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. “Hello. Thank you. Welcome to the city. I have to go. Goodbye.” I removed myself from his grasp slower this time and went to swim around him, giving him a wide berth.

“Wait. Please. Are you from here? I could really use a little help.” The part of me that wanted to tell him no, that I didn't live here and was late for something was beat out by the princess in me. He was one of my people, and he had stopped me from hitting that building, but, when I turned around I was quite surprised to see the young male merfolk, taller than me with a copper tail and short golden locks.

“A student?” Seems like he was my age, so it was a good guess. “And a Monarch?” I could tell just by his aura that he was one, unsure of what order he watched over or where in the oceans of Nocea he came from, but he was definitely a Monarch. The Aura was strong and unusually calm for such a young to-be-ruler. “Who are you?”

There are thousands of different Monarchs all over this world in pods and cities watching over their own. The city we were in, Oki, is the capital and where the royal family resides. Monarchs and different classes of merfolk come here to be trained, and then they are sent back home or to where they are needed. Even as the next Queen of rulers, I had no idea who this guy was. I had a decent bit of knowledge about some of the stronger Monarchs since I’d have to build my own team of trustees when I became High Queen.

“Yes, yes, and order of octopoda. The name is Wren. You?” The way he smiled when he said it was addictive, and I found myself smiling right along.

“Ashera, friends call me Ash. Nice to meet you Wren. How can I help?” I tried to rush through my name quickly, hoping he wouldn't recognize it. I have pretty good control over my aura, so I don't worry it will be recognized.

His smile didn't falter, but his eyes scanned me from head to fin and then around me before giving me a small bow causing me to blush slightly and look around. Thankfully, no one was around as he replied, “Ahh Princess Ashera, sorry to bother you. I’ve lost my way to the dorms, I can find someone else to help me.”

“Not at all, please don't bow,” I was in a rush and flushed by the whole scene. It was then I noticed Gail and Sebastian had come back to find me and stood just over Wrens' shoulders watching the whole scene, and they were struggling to hold their laughter in. I sighed, walking around the new male towards my friends. "Why don't you come with us Wren? We’ll get you where you need to go. Just call me Ash and I won’t have you arrested.” I tried to say that last part as regal and stern as I could. I could tell by the look on my friend's face that he had taken me seriously, and they were losing it. I laughed and looked over my shoulder and smiled at him to let him know I was just teasing him. “Well, the princess won't wait forever. Hurry up now.”

After that, Wren was part of us, the four of us were inseparable.

Coronation Day

The smile he was giving me now was the same smile he gave me that first day, soft and lost. “No longer our Princess Ash, now our lovely Queen Ashera.” He gave a strained chuckle as he released my grandmother to face me. Bowing low, he continued to speak. “My dear Queen, I have come to speak with you about an important matter. An enemy threatens our oceans, and it could mean a war beyond the waves. Even our special crew will not be safe from this.” There was a flash of color in his glowing eyes as he stared intently at me. Flickering my attention over to my grandmother, I could see she was listening to what he had to say and also believed every word. She gave me a nod, and then left the room. If I didn’t already feel like I had her unrelenting support, I definitely did now.

“What can you tell us about this enemy of yours? Seems a little dramatized.” Leon had waited till Grandma Pearl had left before he stepped in front of Wren, breaking our eyeline and questioning him. He was standing like a predator in front of Wren, who blinked and took a step away with his hands in the air.

“Listen, King of Marlin, I am not here risking my life to bluff in your face, do you really think I have no sanity left?” Wren scoffed and side stepped to look back at me and addressed the room. “I am here to speak to the counsel that you have put together so that we may fight this enemy together. I believe that our Queen... is perfectly capable of hearing what I have to say.” Casting his eyes to the side so that he could be perfectly clear that he was asking Leon, “Don’t you?” It was a challenging statement.

The silence that followed was stifling until it was broken by a giggle, then laughter. Gail and Sebastian, who had been trying to hold it in, started full-on cackling. The challenge that had the two male rulers in a staring contest had disintegrated. Wren took this chance to step back and smile over to the two giggling. He approached them. “You two haven’t changed a bit since we were in school together. How I have missed the joy on your faces.” The giggling stopped, but their faces were flushed and smiles wide. Opening their arms to him, they capture Wren in a group hug.

Watching it all happen from my place up on my throne, I let some of the high feelings dissipate before deciding to speak. “Alright, that's enough now. Let’s hear about this enemy, Wren. How much time do we have to come up with a plan?” His face paled, and he coughed, scanning over Gail and Sebastian once more before answering.

“Maybe a month.”