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As I approach the end of the dock, my options for escaping are growing slim. I didn’t think the ocean was a route I could take, but I have no choice. Leading the men, I make my way to the farthest point of land. Without stopping, I fall into the water and swim down. The men follow me in. They’re not human, which means they must be mermen. They don’t look familiar, so I doubt they’re part of the royal guard. A bad feeling washes over me as I morph into my true form. I need my tail if I’m going to get some distance between us.
I swim as fast as I can towards Atlantis. I’m done with trying to trick them. I need to get onto safe ground. As I reach my city, my own merfolk gather around me.
“Maris, where have you been?” My dad’s voice echoes all around me.
“Have the men gone?” I ask, turning to see them swimming away.
My father shouts, “After them!” and chaos breaks out. Mer are everywhere, circling me and chasing after the men. I catch sight of Kasper, who’s much slower than everyone else. The guards round him up with the other two, who have already turned into mermen.
“Why have you kidnapped my daughter?” my dad asks.
“If this idiot hadn’t tried to stop us, we would’ve taken her, but we didn’t get a chance,” one of the guys says, pointing to Kasper.
“Shut up, Rob,” the other one says.
“Who are you?” my father asks Kasper.
“Let him go. He’s a friend, Daddy,” I say.
“Is he the reason you’ve been missing?”
I pause, knowing this isn’t going in my favour.
“Your daughter is a magnificent creature. I’m sorry I’ve kept her from you, but it was for a good cause.”
“Silence!” my dad bellows. “You disobeyed me and left the safety of our city. It was reckless. Do you know what you’ve put me through? I don’t want to hear any more of your stories. Guards, escort her to her room and don’t let her out.”
“What about Kasper?” I ask.
“The human?” my dad spits out with venom. I nod. “Throw him in the dungeon with the two traitors.”
“No!” I say, my voice shaking as tears threaten. “You can’t do that.”
“You’ve done enough damage. I’m so disappointed in you.”
The guards lead me to my room, where I collapse on the bed. I need to free Kasper and visit the oracle. My father has never listened to me, but he has to this time. It’s a matter of life or death, and Owen doesn’t have even an hour for us to waste.
“I need to speak to my father urgently,” I say, opening the door to the guards. My pulse is racing. I need to stand up for what I believe in and not back down.
“You know he’ll come when he’s ready,” one of them replies.
“That’s not going to work for me.” I shake my head. I’m not a child anymore and I’m not going to wait for my father to let me out. I swim out of my room and they follow me to the throne. I can hear them muttering their displeasure, but I ignore it.
“We tried to stop her, Your Majesty,” a guard says. I roll my eyes.
“Leave us,” my dad says, waving them off with a flick of his wrist.
“I’m sorry for disappointing you, but you have to understand I’m old enough to make my own decisions,” I tell him.
“Perhaps, Maris, but I need to be able to trust you.”
“You can trust me.”
“How? I ordered you to stay in your room and you left the kingdom.”
It seems like such a long time ago now. “I can’t marry Ryn. I’m sorry, but I won’t do it. He doesn’t love me, and I don’t love him.”
“You might not think it at the moment, but Ryn is a safe match. He’ll look after you and help you run the kingdom.”
