Chapter 1
Princess
Amelia Reinhardt looked at the blue water and sighed. She was tired of the ocean
stretching towards the infinite, but couldn’t do anything about it. Time was
the only thing that would end their voyage.
So
the redhead gazed out of her cabin’s window and let her hair swirl on the wind.
It
was hard waiting like this, with nothing to do. She couldn’t even talk to most
of the people onboard the ship because they were men, and her tutor – Madelyn –
didn’t allow them to interact. The older woman said it wasn’t something a
princess should do, especially so close to her wedding.
When
Amelia thought about that she sighed again.
She
wasn’t happy about marrying someone she had never met before, a person much
older than she. Like all princesses she had dreamt she would find a gorgeous
prince to woo her.
Now
she found herself marrying an ailing king.
For
her home country it was a good trade – she was the youngest of three sisters
and her prospects weren’t the best. To marry a foreign monarch was something
most would believe out of her reach, and yet Amelia wasn’t happy. She wanted better.
She
knew it was greedy, but she couldn’t help it.
Amelia
wanted to love and be loved.
It
almost made her regret being born a princess, but she supposed commoner and
noble women didn’t really get to make much of a choice about their intended. At
least she got to live twenty years free of a husband’s presence.
Amelia
lowered her eyes. If she squinted, she could almost believe she saw some of the
fish that swam beneath that blue expanse. It was her only comfort when she was
left alone, her tutor was the only one to visit her – both to teach her and
bring her meals.
Amelia
hadn’t seen anyone else since the voyage started.
No
even the brave sailors above were ready to disobey their orders, and risk their
lives, to glimpse a princess.
The
redhead blinked and thought she had seen a golden blur underneath the water,
but when she opened her eyes it was gone. She tried to find it again and for
some long minutes she cast her gaze around.
Finally
she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, it had
disappeared.
The
same happened two times more before she started getting angry, and then she
looked around for something. Spotting one of the small wooden forks from her
last meal, Amelia grabbed it and threw it at the golden blur when it ran past
her again.
It
missed.
“You
tried to hit me.” A voice came from a few feet to Amelia’s right.
The
princess turned to look, fast, and found a woman’s head rising above the water,
her hair long and shinning like gold.
Amelia
opened her mouth and closed it, her words forgotten as soon as she glimpsed the
other woman. The blonde was beautiful, perfect, and the princess could only let
her eyes flit over that face, mapping those ocean blue eyes and cherry red
lips, finding no unappealing feature.
The
woman’s hair swirled in the water around her, and Amelia realized that was what
she had seen beneath the waves.
“I
thought it was some kind of fish.” Amelia replied, still somewhat dumbfounded
at the woman’s presence.
“Some
from your kind seem to think we are.”
When
Amelia narrowed her eyes, confused at the woman’s words, the blonde raised her
tail from the water, letting the young princess see it.
Amelia
blinked and her mouth fell open in startlement. “You’re a mermaid!”
“Yes,”
The newly revealed sea maiden said. “I am. How did you think I could keep up
with you?” She finished, gesturing towards the ship where Amelia stood in.
The
princess blinked and looked from the boat to the mermaid, realizing just how
fast they were moving, and yet the mermaid was not harried because of it.
“What’s
your name?” Amelia asked after a few moments.
“Melody.”
The mermaid promptly replied, her response heralding a few more moments of
silence.
Melody
didn’t know why but she found herself drawn to the
Princess
Amelia Reinhardt looked at the blue water and sighed. She was tired of the ocean
stretching towards the infinite, but couldn’t do anything about it. Time was
the only thing that would end their voyage.
So
the redhead gazed out of her cabin’s window and let her hair swirl on the wind.
It
was hard waiting like this, with nothing to do. She couldn’t even talk to most
of the people onboard the ship because they were men, and her tutor – Madelyn –
didn’t allow them to interact. The older woman said it wasn’t something a
princess should do, especially so close to her wedding.
When
Amelia thought about that she sighed again.
She
wasn’t happy about marrying someone she had never met before, a person much
older than she. Like all princesses she had dreamt she would find a gorgeous
prince to woo her.
Now
she found herself marrying an ailing king.
For
her home country it was a good trade – she was the youngest of three sisters
and her prospects weren’t the best. To marry a foreign monarch was something
most would believe out of her reach, and yet Amelia wasn’t happy. She wanted better.
She
knew it was greedy, but she couldn’t help it.
Amelia
wanted to love and be loved.
It
almost made her regret being born a princess, but she supposed commoner and
noble women didn’t really get to make much of a choice about their intended. At
least she got to live twenty years free of a husband’s presence.
Amelia
lowered her eyes. If she squinted, she could almost believe she saw some of the
fish that swam beneath that blue expanse. It was her only comfort when she was
left alone, her tutor was the only one to visit her – both to teach her and
bring her meals.
Amelia
hadn’t seen anyone else since the voyage started.
No
even the brave sailors above were ready to disobey their orders, and risk their
lives, to glimpse a princess.
The
redhead blinked and thought she had seen a golden blur underneath the water,
but when she opened her eyes it was gone. She tried to find it again and for
some long minutes she cast her gaze around.
Finally
she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, it had
disappeared.
The
same happened two times more before she started getting angry, and then she
looked around for something. Spotting one of the small wooden forks from her
last meal, Amelia grabbed it and threw it at the golden blur when it ran past
her again.
It
missed.
“You
tried to hit me.” A voice came from a few feet to Amelia’s right.
The
princess turned to look, fast, and found a woman’s head rising above the water,
her hair long and shinning like gold.
Amelia
opened her mouth and closed it, her words forgotten as soon as she glimpsed the
other woman. The blonde was beautiful, perfect, and the princess could only let
her eyes flit over that face, mapping those ocean blue eyes and cherry red
lips, finding no unappealing feature.
The
woman’s hair swirled in the water around her, and Amelia realized that was what
she had seen beneath the waves.
“I
thought it was some kind of fish.” Amelia replied, still somewhat dumbfounded
at the woman’s presence.
“Some
from your kind seem to think we are.”
When
Amelia narrowed her eyes, confused at the woman’s words, the blonde raised her
tail from the water, letting the young princess see it.
Amelia
blinked and her mouth fell open in startlement. “You’re a mermaid!”
“Yes,”
The newly revealed sea maiden said. “I am. How did you think I could keep up
with you?” She finished, gesturing towards the ship where Amelia stood in.
The
princess blinked and looked from the boat to the mermaid, realizing just how
fast they were moving, and yet the mermaid was not harried because of it.
“What’s
your name?” Amelia asked after a few moments.
“Melody.”
The mermaid promptly replied, her response heralding a few more moments of
silence.
Melody
didn’t know why but she found herself drawn to the
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