The Lily's Splendor

Chapter 10

I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes as I sat up. My room was pitchdark.

“Great. If I would have known I would have set my alarm so I wouldn’t have slept most of the day off.” I muttered as I got out of bed, remembering that my grandmother had promised to have a talk with me.

After trading my clothes for my pajamas and robe, I padded down the hallway to her bedroom. I softly knocked on her door but got no response. Carefully opening the door, I peeked inside, only to find it empty except for a few scented candles lit on her night-stands. Closing her door, I wondered if she had probably gone out. Making my way down the stairs, I paused when I heard voices coming from the kitchen. One of them was feminine while the other was obviously Jacques’s accented voice.

“Grandma?” I stood by the entrance, staring at my grandmother who was sitting on a stool, polishing off a slice of what looked like a really rich cake or pie.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” she said when she turned to look at me.“Why don’t you join us?” she patted the stool next to her just as Jacques placed a tall glass of milk and another slice of that cake/pie in front of the empty stool.

Settling onto the stool, I picked up the fork and pierced a little piece of the dessert before bringing it up to my lips.

“Mmmm. What is this?” I asked as I got another piece topped with fluffy whipped cream.

“Since it is fall, I decided on using the pumpkins from your grandmother’s patch. So I made a pumpkin mousse pie with Oreo cookie crust and whipped cream.” Jacques said proudly as he poured himself a glass of white wine. Leaning towards my grandmother, I whispered, “When can we go to your room for the talk?”

“Oh, we can have it here.” she said dismissively as she accepted one of the wine glasses from Jacques.

“But what about Jacques?”

“He wouldn’t mind.”

“Wouldn’t mind what?’ Jacques asked as he leaned his elbows on the counter opposite of us.

“Hearing the story of our ancestry. I’m sure you could help me in case I forget anything.”

“He knows?” I asked in disbelief.

“Of course he does and there’s no need for you to whisper anymore.”

I slumped back in my seat, gulping half the glass of milk down before sighing.

“Okay, now I am just more confused. Can you please start explaining now?” I asked, not being able to stand it any longer.

“Well, first I want you to tell me what you know. You obviously know something about yourself.” She said, using her fork to point at me before piercing another piece of pie.

“I uh . . . I . . .”

“You what?”

“I didn’t know anything till about two days ago, when you were gone. I had taken mom’s boat out.” I began but was interrupted by my grandmother.“You what?!”

“She took the boat out,” Jacques said.

“Yes, I heard what she said. But why didn’t you stop her?” she pinned her gaze on Jacques, who simply shrugged.“I tried but it was important for her and I knew that she would be okay.”

“Well, continue.” my grandmother said in a huff as she waited for me to finish.

“While I was on the boat,” I said, not mentioning what I had been doing, “I fell asleep and didn’t wake up till it was night time. And I guess the swells were really violent that night and it broke the boat in half but I managed to jump into the water before I could be crushed against the rocks.” I winced when my grandmother pegged Jacques with a fierce glare.“See? She could have been hurt!”

“Grandma, it’s okay. I’m still here, aren’t I?Anyways,” I continued when she didn’t say anything but simply glared at me, “I nearly drowned but—” I stopped. Was it safe to tell them about Henry?

“But . . . ?” my grandmother leaned forward, waiting.

“I was saved.” I whispered, looking down at my lap.

“How?” Jacques asked curiously.

“By a merman,” I meekly said. My eyes stayed on my fumbling fingers, even when all was quiet. I could even hear my pounding heart. I dared myself to look up, finding my grandmother staring at me, the glare having disappeared and replaced by an unreadable expression. Jacques looked worried.

“What color was his tail?” he asked. Well, more like ordered. My brows rose, astonished that they believed me but also at the odd question Jacques had asked.

“It was silver, why?” I said very slowly. Jacques seemed to release a huge sigh of relief. “Just wondering.” Jacques turned away to refill his wineglass.

“I can sense that there is more to your story,” my grandmother hinted.

“Yes. He had taken me to a cave. When we needed to go back, he said that I should take my necklace off. I don’t know how he knew, but he kept referring to it as a powerful charm. Anyways, I took it off and I was able to swim my way out without once ever thirsting for air. I think I was actually able to breathe under water. Funny thing is, I wasn’t worried or scared. I was just amazed but also at ease at my abilities, as if it was just another part of my body. The next day I went to find him. I actually talked to a school of fish who helped me find Henry. He was playing with a dolphin named Amiel who called me the Mystical one.” I froze, realizing that I had said his name and that my grandmother’s eyes had widened.

“King Sachiel’s son,” she murmured.

“Who’s that?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Continue.” Was all she said.

“Well, Henry asked to study my necklace and then, after seeing it he looked at me with awe. He said I was a descendant of the Water Lily or something like that. And that is all I know.” I finished.

“And Henry was that boy staring at you today.” she summarized. I nodded.

“Are you going to tell me what a Water Lily is?”

“Yes. But you will need to know the story in order to understand.” she inhaled a deep breath, pushing her empty plate aside as she held on to her wine glass which Jacques refilled.

“Let’s move to the living room. We will be much more comfortable there.” she got off of the stool.

“May I get one of those wine glasses?” I asked.

“Absolutely not!” her voice rang out from the hallway. Jacques smiled at me.

“Will you be joining us?” I asked when he had refilled my glass of milk before he began to clear the counter of dishes.

“I’ll be in shortly. You go on ahead.”

“Okay.” I grabbed my glass of milk and pie and went to the living room to sit on the floor while putting my food on the low coffee table. My grandmother had taken one of the wing chairs and was sitting comfortably with her legs tucked underneath her.

“A long time ago, a very long time ago, a beautiful, and I do mean beautiful, young woman lived in this small village. All of the men in this village fell in love with her, including the married. Her name was Calista, her name meaning most beautiful. She spent most of her time near the lake or the sea that was close to the village, collecting herbs or simply taking a swim. One day, though, the women followed her when she went to the lake to pick her daily herbs. They captured her and slowly tortured her. Burning and mutilating her body.”

“How awful.” I whispered as my hand went up to cover my mouth, pie completely forgotten. My grandmother simply nodded before continuing.“They taunted her with pride in their voices as they exclaimed that she was no longer beautiful. When they knew that Calista was on the brink of death, they tossed her body into the lake. But she did not die.”

“How?”

“The waters cooled and eased her pain.”

“What?”

“You see, this particular lake is the portal or gateway to the Mystical Lands of Avalon.”

“Wait. Are you saying that faeries exist?” I practically shouted.

“Let me finish and then I will take your questions,” she said sternly, just as Jacques walked in and settled himself on the opposite chair.

“So, the waters healed her and that is how she became the Mystical Water Lily. The Fae of Avalon had taken pity on her since it hadn’t been her fault that she was beautiful. It was never her intention that she be admired and coveted by men, especially married men. Her soul was truly amazing and pure. Though she had the beauty that many envied and would obviously kill for, her heart was a million times larger than anyone else’s. The Fae gave her the option of going back to her village in the mortal world and take vengeance against those women and their treacherous deeds.”

“Did she?”

“No. Surprisingly, she told the Fae that she did not hold anything against those women. Of course you can guess that the Fae were dumbfounded, not expecting such an answer at all. They had never seen such bravery and purity bestowed on a human. So they gave her the magic that would change her into a special kind of Faerie, with her descendants carrying the same gift as well; not only the gift of immortality, but also the gift of being able to morph into the beautiful and pure flower that is the Water Lily. And that is why, as you may have well noticed, we age differently. I won’t ever tell you my true age. And no plastic surgery has been done on me.” she sniffed, probably remembering a tabloid that had accused her of being fake. “I will tell you that we do tend to outlive humans.” she added.

“What a beautiful story,” I breathed. For a long time though, I had been wondering how my grandmother had been keeping herself looking well . . . preserved. Now I wondered how old my mother was.

“It’s not just a story. It is your history, Kyra. Your heritage.” my grandmother practically snapped.

“Are you saying that I can change into a flower?” I asked sarcastically, but instantly sobered when my grandmother’s piercing gaze turned into a glare.

“You can do much more.” Jacques cleared his throat.

“And that necklace you are wearing comes from Avalon. It has been passed down from generation to generation. From mother to daughter. It protects you by tempering your magic but not completely vanquishing it. Until you learn how to control your magic, then you can rid yourself of the necklace.” My grandmother said. “Though it is obvious that you are learning since you were able to scare me half to death today when you took off your necklace and no man had been drawn to you.” she folded her arms across her chest as she stared at me. Jacques pretended to cough but a chuckle still escaped.

“I figured out that whenever I got some sort of tingling sensation, my magic,” my voice caught when I said “magic” since I was still accepting the fact that I was a mythical creature, “was somehow being released and it also helped when I noticed young and old men coming to me . . . why Grandma? Oh! Now I know why Henry suspected at first that I was a siren. Except, don’t sirens sing? I mean, do sirens even exist?”

“When our full beauty is unleashed, it is usually when we feel threatened. We can pretty much put our enemies into a trance as they are fully fixated on us. And they would do our bidding. Anything we asked. And yes, sirens do exist. You could say that they are like our sisters except that they are much more ruthless. I hope you never encounter one even though her powers would be useless on you. They will use their power selfishly. In a way, you could say that they are very conceited and vain. Sirens use their voice and sultry bodies to lure men to become their slaves.”

“I don’t like them already.” I scrunched up my nose in disgust.

“Now you need to tell her about her last name.” Jacques put in, directing his statement to my grandmother.

“Our last name is significant?” I asked.

“Yes. You see, after what happened with Calista, we have never ever gotten intimate with a man.”

“So how did we come to be?”

“Since we are of the water, we consorted with the merfolk. They came to be by a tragic love story.”

“Yay, another story. Hope it’s not as terrible as the other one.”

“I don’t think so. Anyways, have you ever heard of the goddess Atargatis?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“Well, she fell in love with a mortal shepherd and somehow unintentionally killed him. As you may have well known, we are stronger than humans. Atargatis was heartbroken, ashamed and consumed with guilt that she jumped into the sea to take the form of a fish, but the waters wouldn’t conceal her divine beauty. So instead, she took the form of a mermaid. The Greeks recognized her under the name Derketo…a name that has been passed down to us.”

“And how was she able to, ah, reproduce?”

“Wasn’t Henry in human form today?”

“Yes.”

“Well, there you are. The merfolk can trade their tails for legs. They generally do that to come to the land and mate.” I blushed at my grandmother’s bluntness.

“And their offspring or children will be born with the same abilities. Except, of course, we are the exception. We can’t transform our legs into tails. ”

“So what you are saying is, my father, the one who passed away . . . he wasn’t my real father?”

“I’m afraid not, child. I’m sorry.” she got up from her seat and joined me on the floor.

“Then who is my real father? Obviously, he is a merman.”

“I honestly don’t know. Your mother never said anything to me. We usually stay in contact with our consorts and sometimes even fall in love and wed.”

“What happened to your consort?” I regretted opening my mouth. Her eyes clouded with sadness before it quickly disappeared as she set her face to be neutral. “He died long ago, when your mother turned fifteen.” My heart ached for both my grandmother and mother. Immediately, I set out to change the subject.

“So no-one in our ancestry has ever gotten together with a human?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Oh.” I said, looking down at my hands that were playing with strands of my hair. Am I expected to marry a merman? Instantly, Henry came to mind. I shook my head and sighed.

“I know this probably feels like a lot to take in. But you’ll manage.” said Jacques.

“Oh yes, and one more thing. Jacques is my personal chef but most importantly, he is my guardian, protector, whatever you want to call them, along with every grounds-men, butler, and chauffer.” my grandmother stated.

“What? Why so many and where do they come from?”

“There are so many because I don’t know if you have noticed, but you and I seem to be the last of our kind. And because the Faeries have deemed us with such a high status that we are practically royalty. Not many would wish us well dear. And these men, are changelings. No, they weren’t stolen from their cribs, so wipe that horrified expression off your face. When Calista decided to stay in the mortal world, one of the young men whose wife had been part of the group that had tortured Calista had come back and decided to swear his loyalties and life to her. He became her protector. The Faeries deemed him worthy and decided to grant him with magical abilities. From then on, his descendants have been changelings; protectors and guardians of the Water Lily. Of course, they aren’t entirely Fae, but nor are they regular humans. Anymore questions?”

“Yes. Jacques, why did you ask me what color Henry’s tail was?”

“That is something else that you need to know. Not all mermaids are good and kind.” Jacques leaned forward, letting his words sink in. “There are the merfolk and then there are the Adaros.” he said.

“The Adaro’s are like mermaids except that their tails are black. Just stay away from them.” My grandmother interrupted Jacques. She gave him a stern look to not say anything more about it.

“O-kay. So that’s it about them? Their tails are black?”

“Yes. They have no compassion or mercy for any other species but themselves. Including us. Actually, most especially us.” my grandmother said.

“So if you ever encounter one, get as far away as you can or unleash your magic,” Jacques warned.

“How can she if she hasn’t yet learned how to use her magic or to even summon it?” my grandmother chortled.“Don’t worry dear, I will teach you.” she patted my hand reassuringly.“It is very rare to encounter an Adaro on land. So try to stay away from the deepest part of the sea. That is where they love to hang around. Of course, also along the surface.”

“So I pretty much can’t go out to the beach at all?” I asked, ready to argue.

“No. I could never banish you from the one place that is a part of us. All I am asking is for you to be careful.”

“I will.” I promised.

“I think that is enough for today. I’m sure your mind is reeling and probably trying to make sense of all of this.” Jacques said understandingly. To prove him right, my hands went up to my head to try to rub away at the dull headache that had begun to form.

“Guess I’ll go rest up.” I got up, helping my grandmother get to her feet too.

“Good night, my dear. Come to me if you ever need anything or have any questions.”

“And you are welcome to talk to me as well,” Jacques said, before walking back to the kitchen while whistling a tune.

“See you in the morning?” I asked as we both made our way back up the stairs.

“Perhaps in the afternoon. I have a few errands I need to do. If the pictures arrive before I do, just put them in my office. I don’t want you peeking now. I rather you see it when it comes out in the next Vogue issue.”

“Alright, I won’t.” I smiled, kissing her soft cheek before we both departed into our rooms for the night.