VIOLET

I woke up shivering, and though I was cloaked in garments, my skin still felt the prickle of the cold. I glanced at my legs, still not believing I had them. The trauma I had gone through to get them seeped into my dreams. I’d woken up in sweats each night that had followed the change, still not comprehending how I had survived such agony. Memories of my body writhing in pain, twisting and jerking on the ground were almost too much to bear. I kept asking myself if it was worth it. Having this experience would make me a better queen. A queen had to have worldly experience behind her. 

Had it been worth it, though? I looked at Bear, who seemed to be faring quite well despite his injuries. He was constantly gazing at the faerie, however, which really irked me. I couldn’t stand faeries; the tails of their evil spirits, intentions and actions toward my people was enough to build up hatred inside of me. This one really was a piece of work and showed me how true the Mer’s impressions had been of the species. However, if I had to consider the positive, I was thankful to her for taking pity on us. I hadn’t really planned what the next step would be if she hadn’t shown up.

This was the longest time I had been away from home. I didn’t want to imagine what my father was thinking right now, knowing his little girl had ventured to shore again. And Esmeralda... She had warned me time and time again not to go since that last incident that happened when we were just little Mer. I had almost been eaten by a shark and was scolded so harshly by my father that it frightened everyone in the palace. But once again, I didn’t listen, and now, I was in a deep mess that couldn’t be repaired any way I knew how. 

I had my legs and could explore, but was it worth the price I had paid? The agony was like nothing I could have ever dreamed of, and I had no idea how to get my tail back. Besides that, I was supposed to be preparing for the day I was to take over my father's kingdom. Well, me or Essy. I tried not to think too much about that. There would certainly be conflict. I shook off the realisation and decided to focus on the now, and the two causes of strife that were currently in my life were both staring at me for an answer. Bear had gestured to help me up a long pause earlier. “Here,” he had said. Now the two of them stared at me impatiently as I had been lost in an orbit of conflict in my head.

I tried to stand without any assistance but failed, falling to the ground and further injuring my aching bones. Giving in to defeat, I accepted the help offered to me and took Bear’s hand. As I stumbled along behind the pair, I wondered how Iris was feeling. Her nose dripped blood and her mind was tortured--at least, that is what it looked like. Her kind gift to me had taken a toll on her body that I don’t think any of us had expected. She didn’t let on much more than that. She certainly wouldn’t tell us how she was feeling. We walked for what seemed like an eternity, up hills and across valleys; both Bear and Iris taking turns carrying my weight when my new legs wouldn't. I wasn’t sure if we would make it to our destination by nightfall, wherever our destination might be. 

“Are we nearly there?” I asked, impatient at the amount of time it was taking to get to this so-called destination. My legs were in agony and my mind was a mess. All I wanted was Esmeralda’s soothing company and the one special meal she would make just for me. She kept the recipe a secret, but it always somehow made me feel better. 

“I’m hungry,” Bear said as if reading my thoughts.

Iris whipped around, taking us both aback and causing me to fall onto Bear, who was sitting behind me. “If you two miscreants would just shut up for one minute and contribute to getting us to our destination, instead of complaining and stressing me out, we would get there a lot faster!” she hissed, her serpent eyes sharper than her tongue.

“If we knew where it was, it would make it easier for us to help,” Bear groaned at her temper. From his weakness so far, I got the impression that he was a sad excuse for a Viking. No wonder he was the Merrow’s target. At one point in our journey, I had thought he was strong and courageous, but I can now see that his good looks and stature did not reflect his personality. He was not witty, he was not brave, and he was not subtle as one would think a Viking would need to be in war, which he claimed to know all about and attend regularly.

“We are going to the one place where you can be healed. My home, the Isle of faeries. The hierarchy is after us. My mother appeared to me back there and she was not happy. Therefore, we have very limited time to complete this mission and get you both back to safety where you belong, and me back to my home, which ironically, is the same place the hierarchy is waiting to punish me. No need for them to look for us here in Sugarland when we are walking straight into their trap. I must be so stupid. I was wrong. I am the densest of us all!”

“All of our families are likely after us… and whoever is in charge of Sugarland, too. But why are we travelling so far when you said you entered Sugarland where we entered?”

“The boy has a point,” I agreed, and Bear puffed up with pride. 

“See. The Mermaid agrees with me. So, who’s the fool now?” he scoffed.

“Both of you are! I didn’t think there was a bigger fool than you, but I was surely wrong.” She shook her head. “Now listen… you obviously don’t understand the extent of the hierarchy’s power, and that their efforts to find me--to find us--will not go in vain! At the very least, when they do find us, and they will, you two will be sent home with no cure. So, we need to hurry. And, to answer your question, we need to find a different entry point so we can stall them for a bit longer. Now that I know they are tuning into my thoughts, I am trying my best to put up a blocking spell, but I won’t be able to hold it for long. I’m not that experienced with my magic. If we go back to where I found you, Sugarland elders will be after us; we had to find a safe place to do the magic, and coming so far, there is no point going back there now when we can just go this way,” she finished, turning to continue the journey, her vibrations serious. That was something I could always tell about people, no matter what species. I could feel their vibrations and know how they were feeling.

Iris paused to let Bear onto her back. I had been safely in tow for some part of the journey due to my still healing bones. He used the boning in her wing to pull himself up while stepping firmly on her back. She winced slightly under his weight before readjusting.

“May I make one small suggestion?” I interjected, knowing that my brain was larger and more capable than the two bickering morons in front of me. 

“What is it?” She turned back around, sounding defeated. Her attitude irritated me. My advice should be appreciated, not exhausting to hear. “Well, all I was going to say was that you should consider flying instead of walking. I know you said at the start of our trip that you couldn’t, but it would no doubt make our journey faster.”

“I don’t have the energy to fly. Otherwise, we would have been doing it this whole time. I will walk with you on my back but that is the extent of it.” Her tone told me to let it go, so I closed my mouth and continued to plod along behind her. My ideas were too intelligent to share, so I would keep them to myself.

An unfamiliar voice drifted across from the shrubs nearby. “Travellers, you look tired. Let me assist you with getting to your destination.” I looked to my right to see a green bush-like creature with a leaf for a face. I wasn’t too sure if it was a tree or a human that possessed a man’s voice, but it looked like a combination of the two. 

“What are you?” Bear wondered out loud before Iris shot him a stern look.

“Why, I’m a Greenie, my fine, sir,” the strange creature replied.

“What’s a Greenie?” Bear kept interacting with the odd creature, against all of our silent wishes. Couldn’t he take the ‘look, not touch’ approach? All of these creatures were beyond my wildest imagination, and for Bear, being human, I suppose they were even more unbelievable. Then why couldn’t he just have some self-control or at least, be a bit cautious? I let out a sigh.

“Well... we are a native species to Sugarland, and it is considered very lucky to see one of us, as we are quite rare. Which leads me to ask, what are you folks doing so far out here? Not many people come to see these parts.” 

“Ignore… him…” Iris breathed as she squeezed Bear tightly with her wings.

“That hurts!” he exclaimed, not taking the hint, rubbing at his trapped legs. “Well, you see, I was bitten by a beast… a dark Mer of sorts, and we are searching for a cure.” 

“Oh, dear boy! I can help you with that!” the creature said as he walked beside us, not breaking stride.

We all watched him intrigued, no doubt waiting for more of an explanation. The Greenie continued, “I can grant you a wish to quicken the healing of your body and teleport you to a resting place. You will be able to eat, regain your strength and be safe from those trying to hurt you for exactly six hours.”

I thought about the deal. It did sound safer than going to the Isle. Could it be the best option? The option we didn’t think about? What would Iris do, then? What did she think of this? I peeked around her wing to catch a glimpse of her face, which was expressionless. I could barely ever tell what she was thinking.

“That sounds much better, doesn't it, Iris?” Completely oblivious to his suspicious and unclear intentions, Bear gleamed. No matter how nice someone could seem, no one should be trusted in a foreign land, and he didn’t seem to get that. “We had better take the offer.” He exchanged his word with the Greenie before any of us could say otherwise. 

Iris looked at me with panic in her eyes, which reflected that within my entire mind and body at this moment. How could he so easily trust a stranger in a place we knew to be after us for intruding?

“No deal! Leave us alone!” Iris shouted at the Greenie.

“Too late, your friend here already accepted. The deal is done,” he said quickly.

“But,” Iris and I began at once, but we were already soaring through the air. Transporting. When things steadied, we were positioned in a bar.

“What have you done?!” Iris screeched. “This deal of yours has probably done irreversible damage! Who knows what his conditions are!” Her words hung in the air amidst the silence. I tried to gain my thoughts at the reality of what our human accomplice had done. Who knew what this deal entailed? Only time would tell.

Positioned on a wooden stool at the bar, I rested my head on my hand as I looked around the room. I watched as a hooded man burst in through the large oak doors of the establishment. His face was well hidden beneath his large cloak, similar to the cloak Iris wore when we had met--the same one she had passed onto me now to hide my naked body. He took a seat next to me, the barmaid thumping a large glass of ale in front of him. 

He took it by its handle and swirled the copper liquor around the cup before gulping down the entire thing in one sip. I gasped at the impolite manner in which he was drinking, which only made it more apparent how far I was from home. He turned to face me and another gasp of surprise escaped; only this time, it was at his rugged appearance. A jagged scar made its way from his left eye all the way to the corner of his mouth. 

He turned to face the bar. “Another ale,” he demanded, pounding the empty glass on the bar. The barmaid responded accordingly, thumping another in front of him. 

I shook my head at his impolite gestures and looked back at the group. Iris was staring at me piercingly. “Don’t look at him. He is dangerous, on the run,” she whispered.

“How do you know?” I questioned her sudden knowledge. How could she know anything that I didn’t? The man hadn’t spoken apart from demanding drinks. 

“I can hear his thoughts.” She rubbed her temples as if she had a bad headache.

“You can hear his thoughts?!” I exclaimed in a loud whisper.

“Be quiet!” she hissed. 

“You can hear his thoughts?” I repeated in a hushed tone.

“Yes. It’s a gift. It causes me more harm than good.” 

“Can… can you hear my thoughts?” I stammered, suddenly ashamed that she may know all my secrets and harsh antics directed toward her. I thought they were private; I thought they were hidden deep in the recess of my mind.

“No. For some reason, I can’t hear yours; it’s probably a Mermaid quality. I can hear all of his, though.” She threw a disgusted look toward Bear.

I shot a sympathetic look at him. It would be such an intrusion to have someone know every thought that went through your mind. Most of the time, you couldn’t help what you thought about. Thoughts just popped into your head like little intruders. 

“Okay, well, what is the man thinking that proves he is dangerous?” I inquired, trying not to let him hear my words.

She looked at him, transcribing the words directly from his mind as if they were coming out of his mouth. “I'm a long way from anywhere, and if I'm noticed, I'll be hung... If they can catch me... The risk is worth the reward. After my horse succumbed to the arrow wounds it was on foot from there. Fourteen long days on foot. My feet tremble beneath me with each step, to the point that it makes me grimace every time I need to go forward. Sometimes mustering up some strength, convincing myself it didn't hurt. Not to mention the thirst I had built up. That barmaid better keep those drinks coming. I hadn't had a beer in the time it took me to travel here. It was enough to send any man insane.” His thoughts were weird, as though he was writing in a diary.

“What? Is he telling himself of his own crimes?” His thoughts were confusing, so different from my own. 

Iris looked at me with furrowed brows and continued, “I walked slowly through the room, looking forward and taking everything in with a glance. Moving towards the spot in the middle of the tavern by the wall. There were only three other creatures next to me at the bar, so I took my chances. No one was paying me any mind. Until the strange girl next to me started to stare. She appeared human, though I had a strong feeling she wasn’t.” Iris paused. “He’s thinking about you now--”

I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands., “A criminal is thinking about me?”  

“The three of them look like me, but I can tell they aren't. I feel like they could be the intruders I am looking for. They don’t look like the three the woman had described. Agh well, I better keep looking after my feet have had some rest.”