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“We’re not that different, Princess,” he said.
I cocked my head, curious at what he meant.
“We’re all running from something,” he added.
The rawness of his words hit me deep like a blow from a wave crashing on top of me. Fin had escaped the expectations of his rank. I tried to in my own way by sneaking off to bars, sunken ships, secret parties in underwater caves, and hanging out with my aunt and cousin. But I wasn’t brave enough to completely say goodbye. I drowned under the pressure and guilt.
“Don’t worry, Princess.” He patted my hand, leaving the spot sizzling and aching for more. “I have no regrets. It was the best decision of my life.”
I was glad to hear this. It eased the ache in my chest.
“I just wish I was free of my father,” he said. “Of his shadow that hangs over me. One day, I’d like to prove to him that I’m something better than he ever was.”
What a noble goal. I’d love to be free of the shadow of my expectations and obligations.
My mind wandered to Gill and Nemo. They were floating in the middle of the lake, currently out of earshot. I was sick of thinking about my problems, and curious to know more about the other two mersoldiers, too.
“Why did Gill and Nemo join the army?” I asked Fin.
“It’s a family tradition for Nemes,” Fin said. “Every male in his family has been a mersoldier for the last five hundred years. He’d wanted to be one since he was little.”
Poseidon!There I was, whining about my royal duties and expectations, when Nemo was in the same boat, and he embraced it. I tucked my head and fiddled with my fingers.
“Gill, well, he’s more complicated,” Fin said. “He got into trouble in his teens for stealing and vandalism. The judges didn’t know what to do with him. So the case was presented to Triton. The king felt the military would straighten Gill out, teach him a code of respect, loyalty, and honor.”
“Has it?” I asked, watching Gill float on his back beside Nemo.
“To an extent.” Fin shook his head and laughed. “I don’t think anyone can tame him. Gill’s as wild as they come. Gave me cheek when I first joined the unit as captain. A few fist fights sorted him out. I won the first one. He came out on top the next. The last time we tussled, we tied and called a truce.”
My hands flew to my cheeks. This news made me see Fin in a new light. “You punched an officer under your command?”
“It was the only way to get through to him,” Fin explained. “I had to earn his respect and loyalty. Don’t think less of him, Princess. He comes from a rough home, a bit like mine, but we each come out of these things in different ways. His home life left Gill a little jaded and angry.”
Fin’s assessment explained a lot about Gill and his attitude toward me. My father had tried to help lift Gill out of a life of crime, but the blind merman had mistaken his military assigment for punishment.
A noise behind me sliced through my thoughts, and I spun around to face it. The strange animals with their skinny legs crowded behind us. About ten more than before had wandered down from the fields. They made a strange call that sounded like amoo.
“Hello, again,” I sent them as a telepathic message.
A bunch of them returned the communication with the word, “Food.”
“There’s plenty of grass in the field,” I told them.
“Grain,” they kept pressing.
“I don’t have any.”
One nudged me. Then another.
“Food.”
Shellfish.They were big, pushy things.
One licked my ear with a long, slimy tongue. Another lathered Fin, as well, and he pulled me to my feet to escape the onslaught.
“What’s going on?” asked Nemo, sloshing water as he climbed out of the lake onto the banks. His muscles rippled with each step. A scar remained where the pirate had slashed his leg. His skin still appeared a little dry and pale, but the water had worked its magic on him.
Gill emerged beside him, and I lost my breath as he brushed his dark hair back.
