The Lily's Splendor

Chapter 3

I was very thankful for being fit and for the strength and endurance Pilates had given me. It helped me bear rowing the boat until I was in calm waters, past the waves. Releasing the oars, I just sat there, eyes staring into the water as it licked the sides of the boat.

Ever since my mother’s disappearance, I had stayed away from any form of water; swimming pools, lakes, and of course, the ocean. I was afraid.

I had never admitted my fear to anyone, not even my grandmother. And here I sat in a small row-boat, surrounded by nothing but dark and murky water.

“Okay. Just breathe. You are doing fine. It’s just the ocean.” I chanted to myself but stopped when my mind whispered: It’s just the ocean that took your mother.I felt my nails dig into the palms of my hands as my fingers curled themselves into tight fists.

“I’m sorry mom. I know how much you loved being in the water. I just don’t think that I can.” my voice broke as the tears spilled over. Gently picking up the bouquet of roses, I began to release them, one by one into the sea.

~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~

“Henry! You will not disappoint me!” King Sachiel grasped his son by the shoulders. Henry jerked away from his father’s hold.

“I will not marry her!” Henry growled loudly before swimming away, ignoring his father’s commands to stop.

“Henry!” his older brother Maddox held out his arm to stop him, but Henry swam past him, avoiding their youngest sister Lillian, whose eyes followed him with worry.

Henry swam out of the palace and to his secret place where he could be alone and think. His hiding place was surrounded by a wall of cliffs decorated with many crevices and caves. You had to swim through a trench and then a deep cave in order to get to this little haven of his.

Henry admired the sun’s light that showed through, illuminating every coral and exotic fish that swam about. But this time, when Henry got there, he was surprised to find a shadow of a boat on the ocean’s floor. Looking up, Henry swam a little higher until he was able to get a clear view of the small row-boat. Anger began to swell up in him as he thought of humans polluting his sanctuary. His hand reached for the long, curving dagger that was strapped across his chest while he stealthily swam closer to the boat. He had no intention of killing but instead,to frighten them away. He stopped when feminine hands gripped the side as her figure leaned over and released a single white rose.

Henry dashed to one of the walls of the cliffs and hid in the shade as he watched this girl drop roses.

She was exotically beautiful. He could clearly see that. He was able to catch a glimpse of her eyes as they stared at the roses that floated away; eyes that were a startling blue-green and heavy-lidded. It was like staring into the heart of the ocean. Her hair was long, catching each sun-ray and snatching them into her dark golden brown hair that blew around her face with the breeze.

Something melted in Henry when he saw tears run down her face and drop onto the water’s surface. He summarized that she must have lost a loved one to the sea.

Henry put his knife away, not taking his eyes off of the girl. She soon stopped throwing the roses in and just rested her elbows on the rim of her boat as her eyes watched the roses bob away before sinking. Henry felt himself go still when her hand went up to caress her necklace, which seemed to glow on its own. The girl frowned before she reached back and undid her necklace to stare at it.

In a blinding flash, Henry could only see her. Her full beauty was instantly released once the necklace wasn’t hugging her long, slender neck. Her whole being seemed to glow and blaze in graceful fury. Henry blinked when she fastened the necklace back on and instantly that fire in her was tampered down to a small, flickering flame.

“She isn’t human.” Henry whispered in awe. “She couldn’t be a Siren.” Henry knew without a doubt that she wasn’t a siren. Sirens were beautiful, but their beauty was more of a seduction and not at all like this girl’s purity and innocence. Henry tried to get a good look at the charm on her necklace but couldn’t quite make it out. It didn’t help that the sun would wink from it with every move she made. Must be glass or crystal, He mused.

“I will find out who she is.” Henry said to himself as he watched her carefully sit in the center of the boat before lying down. He sighed and decided to also lie down against the cool, white sand, arms folded underneath his head as his eyes watched the boat until he drifted off into sleep.

~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~

As I lay on the boat with my eyes to the sky, I hugged myself as the boat gently rocked. Turning to my side, I began to cry until it turned into wails of pain.

“Why did you have to leave me?” I asked over and over. I slowly curled myself into a tight ball as I felt my tears begin to subside, exhaustion taking its place. With the sun’s warmth kissing my face and drying my tears, I folded my hands underneath my damp cheek as my eyes began to close and surrender to sleep . . . . .

I startled awake when I heard the sound of wood splintering. Scrambling to sit up, I gasped when darkness was all around me. The sun had long disappeared and now a brilliant moon stood in its presence along with millions of shining stars. My breathing began to come faster when I realized that what had caused the wood-splintering noise were the violent waves that had shoved the boat’s side to crash against the rocky cliff.

Panicked, I looked all around me but could only see the dark and murky waters. I turned to grab for my oars but only felt one. I tried looking around for the other one despite knowing that it was hopeless. I froze when I saw an oncoming fierce wave headed straight for me again. I looked at the boat’s injured side and knew that it wouldn’t be able to take another blow and if it did, the wave would surely crush me against the rocks. Taking a deep breath, I dove out of the boat and hit the water just as the wave cleanly broke the boat in half.

For a whole year I hadn’t been in the water, but I still remembered a few things from my early swimming lessons and from stuff that I had heard on T.V.

I tried paddling sideways but each wave viciously stopped me until my arms just couldn’t take it anymore and I was forced to go under.

Is this how my mom died? I thought as my lungs began to burn for air and black spots danced in my vision. My hands grasped my throat as terror began to claim me. My brows furrowed when I distinctly heard someone shout. No-one could possibly talk underwater. It must be my oxygen-less brain falling apart, causing me to hear things. Without thinking, I inhaled and ended up choking as my hands went up to cover my mouth.

Submission began to invite itself in. I didn’t want to die, but I also didn’t see anything worth living for . . . except my grandmother. I wanted to fight but I couldn’t. Slowly, very slowly, my arms began to relax and fall by my side. What vision I had left, I was able to see that I was sinking, the surface drifting further away along with the moon.

Before I completely went into oblivion, my eyes caught a male face followed by his muscled torso and then a long tail covered in glinting scales. Then everything finally and mercifully went black.

~*~~*~*~~*~*~~*~

Henry didn’t know what had woken him up, but his eyes had shot open as if someone had been poking him to wake up. Still lying down, face up, Henry’s eyes opened to see the thrashing swells high above him. All was still gentle where he lay so it couldn’t have been this recent storm to have jostled him awake. Then he remembered the boat and quickly scanned the dark surface for it. Fear began to edge and claw its way through his hammering heart for the girl he could clearly picture in his mind. His head snapped to the right, seeing a pair of hands break cleanly through the surface before a feminine body followed. His tail muscles coiled, ready to propel him to her, but then he would be revealing himself and his kind. Henry grinded his teeth together in frustration. His body was ready to leap and save, but would this girl be worth risking his identity?

Henry saw the girl try to swim her way through the powerful currents, his heart begging him to intervene while his mind argued about his identity’s invisibility.

“No!” Henry roared when he saw the girl surrender to the waves pull and let herself be dragged under. Hang my identity! I will not idly stand by and watch her drown . . . not on my watch. With his mind made up, Henry swam over to her, willing himself to go faster when he saw her try to breathe but instead, terror filled her eyes as her lungs began to drown with water. I’m coming . . . hold on, Henry’s mind urged, careful not to speak out loud again. Her head had snapped in his direction, but Henry had been able to see that she couldn’t find the source of the voice she had heard.

He tried to focus on getting to her and not staring at the beautiful silhouette that she made with her billowing white gown, her long hair combed by the water’s fingers to fall straight down her back before unfurling at the ends, and the moon’s glow encasing her.

No, no, no . . . Henry reached her just as her arms relaxed at her sides. Circling over her body, blocking the moon, Henry didn’t see her half-closed eye-lids. He only secured his arm around her waist before violently swishing his tail and pushing them away; the momentum forcing her head to come and rest against his shoulder. Something lurched in Henry’s heart as he held this girl. She felt light as a feather, her willowy figure perfectly fitting by his side and into his arms. Henry didn’t need to think twice about where he would take her. He knew he would take her to his cave where he would hopefully find out who she was.