Our Fated Tail

Seren

I couldn't help smiling as Anilena fretted over Aiden. She didn't know that is was normal for newborn children to grow quickly. Whenever she looked at me, she'd have this adorable little pout with her brow furrowed in frustration. I stayed standing behind her, my arms wrapped around her waist. She was in kneeling position and tickling our son. He looked a lot like me, but I could see her in him. The whole week she'd been in a coma, Aiden had grown. Hi tail had changed a little, looking like the onyx was sprinkled with salt. Georgia and Cobius had watched him when I was with her. Father visited a few times and adored his grandson. I did get a good lecture about how I should've waited until we'd married, but I had yet to ask her.

The thought scared me. Would she say yes because she loved me, or would she say yes because of Aiden? Then I would scold myself for thinking about her so poorly. Everything about Anilena was perfect. Her humor, her determination, her smile, and everything else. I even seemed to enjoy her violence, which was wearing off on me a little. I understood that it has only been a month or so since we've known each other, but it isn't strange for mermaids to make such early decisions on who they wanted to mate with. It is a one time deal. Mermaids only fall in love once. One time is all we get, and when we lose that person, it tears us apart. It's a curse that we cannot change.

"Eren."

I looked up at Anilena. Her white hair floated around her face and she grinned. Her bright green eyes flashed neon and I blinked. My mother never went through these changes. I shook off the feeling when she looked at me concerned. I just kissed her forehead and rested my chin on her shoulder. Aiden flopped around some more on the bed before settling on his back, playing with a small coral rattle. Georgia had filled the room with tiny toys for him. He squabbled for a minute before screaming. I jolted and looked at Anilena, worried. She laughed and picked him up.

"You scared daddy," she giggled at him. "What's that matter baby?" Aiden screamed again and threw his arms around, catching her chin. "Ouch! Hey now, calm down. Mommy will go get you food."

"I can do it," I said.

She kissed me. "That's okay. I need to move anyways."

Her body was tanned and that white of her scales contrasted dramatically against it. I watched her leave with Aiden and he was blowing raspberries over her shoulder. I laid down and groaned. How was I going to ask her? We had a family now, so it's only proper to ask her to marry me. Right? I groaned and rolled onto my stomach, deciding sleep would help. As soon as my lids drooped, someone landed on me. Their tail wrapped with mine and Anilena let out a light laugh as I yelped.

"Hey there," she whispered. "I missed you. When Kasey had me locked up, I really missed you."

I rolled to my side, making her settle next to me. She had glazed eyes and I frowned. "I missed you to. I was worried."

"I know."

I placed a small kiss on her forehead and wrapped my arms around her tightly. She yawned and I noticed Aiden was missing. "Where's the ba-"

"Georgia took him so that I could spend time with my boyfriend," she mumbled. "Sleep."

I chuckled at her demand and we curled up against each other. When her breathing got shallow and evened out, I closed my eyes.

The morning was calm. The water was illuminated slightly brighter than night. Anilena wasn't here and there was a tiny scream somewhere in the hall. I got up and swam out to the hall and saw Aiden screaming as he pulled his mother's hair. She was cursing under her breath and trying to get him to let go. I watched with a grin as he let out an infant battle cry, before yanking extremely hard.

"Seren Dalinan! Come take your son!" She whimpered as Aiden pulled away with hair in his hand.

I swam over and scooped Aiden up. "That was an interesting show."

Anilena's eyes flared. Literally. "I wish I hadn't woken up yet," she hissed.

I blinked in shock as she swam away, Georgia tossing me a, respectful, disappointed glare. I looked down at Aiden. When she was swimming away, his bottom lip quivered before he started sobbing. I tried to calm him down, but he continuously leaned forward to where his mother was. His little arms stretched out for her. Sighing, I swam after her. She was laying down in our room and playing with her hair. Her beautiful voice was humming a song that was obviously upsetting her. I could see her lip quivering just like Aiden. When he saw her, he squealed and tried pushing out of my arms. I laughed and moved next to her.

She took her son from me and kissed his cheeks. He pitched forward and his open mouth planted on her chin. She laughed and blew on his neck, making him giggle and flick his tail. I sat next to them on the bed and played with a lock of Anilena's hair. She smiled up at me as Aiden started to doze off. I leaned down and picked him up, carrying him to a smaller bed that I had Cobius bring in. I placed him on it gently, covering him in a kelp woven blanket. Then I went over to Anilena and sat her in my lap. She looked at me confused. I set her aside and swam over to my shelves. Nestled in a corner, was a small clam. Inside, was a ring from my mother.

I swam back over and handed it to Anilena. Hesitantly, she grabbed it and I watched her pry it open. Sitting in the middle of the shell, was a black diamond ring on a small silver band. Mother had found it in a shipwreck called the Titanic. I mentioned this to Anilena and she nearly dropped the clam. I knelt in front of her and took her hand.

"Anilena, you are an amazing creature. You have a pure heart and a beautiful soul," I said lowly. "I know our time together has been short. But my people can only fall in love once. And I fell in love with you. We have a son, a family, and each other. Will... will you marry me?"

She gasped and looked down at me. Her eyes glazed over and she put a hand against her mouth. "Eren! I... oh my gosh! I mean..." She grinned. "Yes! Of course!"

I slipped the ring on her finger and she shrieked in joy. I think. I was tackled as she kissed me senseless. I laughed and pulled away, kissing her cheek. Her face glowed as she examined the ring. We decided to announce it to my father, so we started swimming towards the throne room. Anilena smiled at me and I pressed my lips to her temple. We came up to new guards and they watched Anilena cautiously. I choked back a laugh as she let her eyes flare neon green then white and hissing at them, making them jolt back in fear, letting us in. She winked at them as we passed. I heard them groan when they realized she'd tricked them. The king sat on his throne with a proud manner that screamed authority. I can see why people were afraid of him.

When he saw us, he smiled and dismissed the subject speaking, telling them he would do what he could for their coral farm. Anilena snickered behind her hand as she feigned a sneeze. Which is ridiculous because we can't sneeze underwater. Father smirked and then looked at our hands. Mine was wrapped around her's but the ring glinted. His eyes widened before he broke out in fits of laughter. For a moment, I thought he was mocking us until he got up from his throne and hugged both of us to his massive chest. Anilena gasped and squeezed my hand.

"Can't... breathe..."

He let us go and moved back, looking at us carefully. "Congratulations, son. I'm proud of you."

My sister entered the throne room, looking frustrated by the sight of Anilena. "What is going on here?"

Father clapped his hands once. "Your brother is getting married!"

We all watched as Shelby literally bristled. Her body went rigid and her glare turned deadly. "He's marrying this thing, now? It isn't enough to disgrace the species by turning her, but you have to poison the blood line by marrying her?"

Anilena gasped and shrunk away from us. I could see how hard those words hit her. Our father turned to her, looking completely shocked. No one has ever seen this little girl so outraged before. The water was silent and the remaining nobles who stayed, shrunk back, most likely gathering gossip. Finally, our father became angry. The words shouted in fury processed in his head and he towered over my little sister.

"Know your place, child," he breathed. "You are in no position to make such accusations about such a wonderful woman. You are a child, Shelby. I love you, but I will not tolerate such nonsense in my presence!"

Shelby pulled at her hair and screamed. I pulled Anilena to my side as she shook. "You all can't see it! She's trying to replace her! Look at her!" Father held her back as she tried to attack my fiance. "She looks just like her! She is just like her! She is a witch and needs to die!"

Anilena started warming up and I yelped in surprise. She changed shape, letting Venenifer come to the surface. But I knew it was just to scare her. "You don't know what you are talking about, young one. Your mother was a great woman and you are disgracing her by that vulgar tongue. If I had any say, I'd rip it from your mouth and feed it to eels." Shelby gasped. "I will not allow you to act like a bratty princess with my mistress. You will learn respect, child. And you will have a smile on your face when they wed, or so help me child of Dalinan, I will rip that slithering tongue from your mouth."

Even my father looked amused at this. Though he was comforting Shelby, who looked like she was going to be sick. I held onto Anilena when she changed back, kissing her cheek while glaring at my sister. Just then, Georgia came in with Aiden. He was crying and tugging on her hair. Anilena groaned and scooped him up, cooing at him. When he went to grab her hair, she grabbed his wrist gently and stared at him. Everything was quiet and then she dropped his hand. He closed his eyes and began snoring softly. Every few moments he would let out a baby sound.

Father let Shelby go and she carefully swam over to my family in awe. She stared at him, smiling slightly. Anilena looked at me confused. Most likely wondering why a screaming child that hated her could become so in awe of her son. She slowly let her hold him and Shelby seemed to melt, cooing at him, trying not to wake him. Father told us we were dismissed and told Shelby to return our son. I took hold of him and glared at her, not trusting her. I flinched when I felt a hand come across the back of my head.

Anilena grabbed Georgia's arm and they disappeared around a corner. Shelby swam next to me in silence. I looked at her and frowned. If she was going to trash my family then she could just leave. She followed me until I got to my chambers. When I went to go inside, she grabbed my elbow.

"Can I talk to you?"

I glared. "I don't want to listen to you degrade my family."

"Seren," she pleaded. "It's about Anilena."

Rolling my eyes, I let her in. She was a tiny little one. Her small tail was black like mine and she was always a fast swimmer. "Why are you here again?"

"Why do you love her?"

I watched her trace the rock bed. "She is a perfect mate and a wonderful woman. She loves me and had my child. I do not regret saving her."

"She looks so much like her, it's hard to be around her."

"Mother is gone. Venenifer was correct. You were being a brat in the throne room. Whether you like it or not, I am marrying that woman and you will respect your new queen."

"She doesn't know anything about being a queen. Mother would've told you to let her die. Why did you save her?"

I sat Aiden down on his bed and covered him. Why did I save her? I thought back to the way her dress had floated around her. The way those eyes sparkled with passion. She seemed to be an illusion at first glance. I hadn't expected to see her when I was swimming patrol in place of a guard who was injured in a shark attack. When I had passed her the first time, she looked like a something that fell from a boat. I didn't think about it, the other patrols would examine it. I had to get back to my father. But then I smelled to blood. It was only a little, but enough to draw the attention of the shark nearby. I traced it to this woman, looking like a ghost. I had to save her. And I did. I had her turned and here we were. I'd never expected to ever fall in love with her. She was just so kind and even though slightly violent, she was a good nature woman.

"Because I couldn't let her die." I laid on my back and looked at my sister. "I know who she looks like. But mother is dead and Anilena didn't know her. She couldn't replace someone she never understood."

This look crossed her face and she left. No goodbyes and farewells. I closed my eyes and sighed. I hope she could leave it alone now. That she could understand she didn't have to worry. I never had a close relationship with my sister. I knew I was there to protect her but I didn't have a closer relationship than acknowledging her as my sister and a princess. Shelby was old enough to take care of herself. I let her out of my thoughts and looked over at my son.

He was laying on his side, his thumb jammed in his little mouth. I smiled. I didn't care what Anilena said, I thought he looked a lot like her. He had her warm green eyes and her nose. I saw her in Aiden's face. Just before I could relax, he started to whine. It was small noises for the first few seconds, then he started to scream. It was loud and I groaned. Why couldn't he just stay asleep for a couple hours? I got up from the bed and swam over to him. As I looked down on him, he looked up at me and giggled. He reached up to grab at my face, leaning on his side. His tiny fist hit my chin before he ended up rolling off the edge of his bed. My arms shot out and I grabbed him.

"Jeez, Aiden. Are you trying to give your father a heart attack?" I turned to see Anilena leaning against the wall and smirking.

I swam over to her and handed her our child. Confusion and worry flashed through her eyes for a moment before dissipating. She kissed his cheek and pulled him closely to her chest. "He looks like you," I whispered. "Even if you can't see it, he does."

She kissed his forehead and frowned as she watched him. "How is he growing so fast? How long are we going to have time with him?"

I chuckled. Which caused her to glare and hit my chest with the back of her hand, the ring digging into my skin. I flinched. "Anilena, he is going to be just fine. Mermaids have a faster growing pace when they're infants. It's a protective species thing."

She sighed in relief. I smiled and placed a kiss on her head before going to lay on the bed again. Anilena swam around with Aiden, humming softly as he patted her cheek. I watched them, content to see them. My son and soon-to-be-wife. When Aiden's breathing evened out, she laid him down, covered him with a blanket, before she finally laid next to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her close to my chest. We stared at Aiden as he made small noises in his sleep. I looked at her hands, small and soft compared to mine, twisted together and held against her chest. Her tail was curled to her chest as if she were taking a fetal position. Like her child, she was soon sleeping quietly. And they both looked so peaceful in doing so.

Around midnight, Aiden began screaming and almost fell from his bed again. Anilena got up, grumbling the whole way, and brought him back to our bed. I was half asleep and turned around, facing away. She was scolding him while gently cooing at him to go to sleep. I was almost asleep again when he screamed. I jolted up and turned to glare at him. Anilena laughed quietly before dropping Aiden. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and dozed off three minutes later. With a groan, I laid on my stomach and looked at Anilena. Her hair had been braided with kelp and tossed over a shoulder. She still had the white hair and fluorescent green eyes. Her tail looked leaner and was starting to change it's color. I didn't know if she had noticed but I was starting to get concerned.

She swam over to me on the bed and laid on her stomach next to me. "I talked to your father earlier."

"About what?"

"Aiden," she said with a smile. "And us. He wants us to get married in a few weeks, but I told him I wanted to wait until Aiden didn't need us around all the time. I know that if we get married, the Title would be passed down to you and I don't want to hand Aiden off to Georgia whenever we have things to do."

I sat up and rested against the coral wall. "That's only going to be a few months. Are you sure you want to do this so soon. I know it is usually longer for humans to get married." I saw the look in her eyes. "I wasn't trying to offend you! I'm sorry," I started babbling.

She laughed and put her head in my lap. "I'm sure. Let's get to sleep before he wakes up again."

I nodded in agreement as we settled down to sleep. It was peaceful for a few hours. Then I was awaken by shudders and crying. Anilena's nails were digging into my waist and she was shaking. I tried to wake her up but she just dug her nails in deeper. I cried out in pain and Aiden woke up. I pulled Anilena's hands away, wincing at the broken skin, and went to my son. Anilena started thrashing around, the waving of her tail pushing us back against the wall. Aiden screamed louder and our door burst open. Cobius and Georgia stayed in the doorway as the thrashing became harsher.

We all watched as she cried and scratched at herself. She curled in on herself before she sat up, screaming my name. Aiden was quiet and his mother was breathing heavily. She grabbed her chest, placing her fists against her heart. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she hadn't quite woken up yet. I laid Aiden on his bed before slowly moving towards her. She was crying and gasping for breaths. When I touched her arm, one of her hands latched onto my wrist and she hissed at me. It was like she could discern reality from her dreams. I yanked my hand away and Georgia pulled me back. Cobius wrapped an arm around her protectively, watching Anilena as if she was a shark. I glared and gently pulled away.

"Eren?"

We all looked at the bed. Anilena was pulling her hair over her shoulder and wiping away her tears. Her eyes were fluorescent green and her tail seemed to glow. I went to her side and she pulled me against her roughly. Aiden whimpered and Georgia picked him up. When she calmed down, Anilena looked at her son and breathed in relief. When she looked around her, she stopped on the bookshelf. She got up and went to them, skimming her finger over the bindings. I swam up behind her, my tail moving against hers. I jumped at the heat of her tail. She seemed unaffected.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

She pulled out an ancient looking book about the species and turned towards me. "I need to look something up."

I was wounded by the icy edge and detached voice. She blinked, gave me a loving smile, and flipped through the book. Georgia gave Aiden to Cobius and leaned against wall. I felt terrible for Anilena waking them up as I watched her eyes flutter shut. I told Cobius to take Aiden with them to their room and nodded as they left. Anilena didn't even lift her head. She just continued to flip through pages in the book until she finally found what she was looking for.

The picture was grotesque. Part Mer, part human, and part eel. There were venomous fangs, slimy tails, and a human face. They were an ugly creature that I'd never seen. I hadn't opened this book since my mother died. We'd never gotten past the mermaid history. The thing was called a vodenjak. They were water spirits that had a nasty habit of killing things. There were wars raged against them way before any of the people in the four kingdoms can remember. The only living survivor was in the Elder Council and they can barely speak. These creatures were the faces of nightmares that parents told their children at night.

"He isn't dead, Eren."

I stared at Anilena like she was nuts. "What do you mean? You said you killed him!"

She shoved the book in my face. "Obviously he isn't! The men must've dumped Kasey in the water. I shot him in the chest. I didn't stay to make sure he was completely dead. I had to get out before something bad happened to Aiden," she snapped. "It says that the vodenjak can take a body and change it, if it isn't completely deceased. The bodies are changed into a vodenjak. It's extremely intricate and it takes days to do it. But it's been a week already. I know this is right."

I grabbed her waist and she sat on my lap. "We can't worry about that right now. You just woke up from that shark, have a son to look after, and now we're getting married. You don't need to worry about Kasey. If it gets dangerous, we will handle it."

She nodded her head and tossed her white hair out of her eyes. They danced with a light that I'd never seen from her. She laid her head on my shoulder as her eyelids fluttered. I smiled as she let out a sigh, trying to relax herself so she could sleep again. Georgia came in quietly and grabbed Aiden's blanket, letting me know they were keeping him for the rest of the night. I laid Anilena on her side and put away the book because I didn't want her to try to educate herself in the middle of the night. When I turned around to look at her, she was snoring slightly and curled into a fetal position. I smiled and shook my head. She was going to wear herself to the bone with worrying about everything. Anilena-Ray Connors is a stubborn hearted woman.

I quietly left the room and went down the halls searching for my father. Just because I told Anilena not to worry about her vodenjak theory didn't mean that I wasn't going to worry. I found him a few minutes later on his throne, playing with a necklace he'd made for my mother. Father was a gentle and reasonable man because of my mother. Many looked to him for guidance during difficult periods. Yet, through it all, he'd only shown this vulnerable part of him to his wife and children. He was starting to age more every year, making me worry about him. When she died, I had been put into a position where I got a taste of what it was like to rule a kingdom. Father had fallen into a state of extreme vulnerability and depression. I was a king for three months before he finally got through his pain.

"She'd tell you to stop moping," I said quietly. He jumped and looked over at me before placing the jewelry on the arm of his throne. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and steeped his fingers. "Do you know when you will marry Anilena?"

"She is extremely stressed at the moment," I explained tiredly. "She's just woken up from the attack and we've just had Aiden. She constantly worries about him and his growing. Now she doesn't believe that Kasey is dead. She says that he's a vodenjak. Do you know anything about that?"

He sat straight and looked completely terrified. "Where did she learn that name?"