Page 15 of Mermaid on Heels
“Of course,” Ella answered with a small smirk. “The prince is looking for a mermaid after all, and our big sister here is smitten with him already.”
“What?” Liriya gasped in horror and splashed water at her. “I did not say such a thing!”
Ella laughed. “Oh come on, Liriya. It was written all across your face when you talked about him.”
“I did not evenseehis face!” Liriya defended, despite the heat crawling up her neck.
“Some people do not have to see,” Ella continued to taunt her.
Liriya opened her mouth to protest again, but Sessa chimed in, “But the real question is, do you think he willbelieveus?”
“Well, we can always prove it to him.” Liriya used her tail to splash water at Sessa, making her giggle. She surprised herself with how confident and content she sounded about it. Did she want that? To find the prince and become his mermaid bride?
No, this is ridiculous,she told herself.
She was the crown princess of Pearltuna, and her duty was to her kingdom and her people, no matter the complicated situation her kingdom was now in. No matter what it cost or how long it took, she would overthrow Faelina and break the enchantment—even if it required killing her—with her sisters.
A week after fleeing Pearltuna and finding refuge in the cave, Liriya and her sisters had tried going back to their kingdom. However, they never found their way back, met with dead ends and confusing paths that seemed to be leading them nowhere. None of them had taken note of the way they chose to flee, drenched with pain over the tragic loss of their papa and their fear of Faelina—as much as Liriya hated to admit it. After each try to get back to their kingdom, even though they knew they would be captured, they came back defeated and hopeless until they decided to stop.
However, stopping never meant giving up. The Princesses of Pearltuna never gave up. Therefore, the last thing on Liriya’s list was marrying a king of the land, a mysterious human who could navigate her realm so effortlessly, even if he was desperately—like he sounded—looking for a mermaid bride.
Although, finding him and meeting with him sounded… It sounded like a pleasing idea. What if she could form harmony between the human race and her own? It would be her golden chance. Moreover, what if he could help her overthrow Faelina…somehow? She didn’t know how, she couldn’t even think of thepossibilityofhoweither, but she could ask him at least for his advice, right?
Yes,Liriya thought to herself. She needed advice—even though what she needed first was figuring their way back to Pearltuna.
“We really need to learn how to walk, then.” Sessa’s voice pulled Liriya out of her thoughts, and she watched her trying to stand up. Ella followed suit.
Sessa wasn’t even able to rise from her sitting position, but Ella did. She even got the balance to stand longer than Liriya hadandtake a step forward with one foot.
Liriya stared at her in amazement, but Sessa scowled. “How did you do that?”
Ella attempted to look over her shoulder to answer her when she lost her balance and fell into the water, transforming back into a mermaid. They laughed, and Ella rose to the surface to splash water at her sisters.
“I think there is something missing though,” Liriya said once they calmed down from laughing.
“What?” Ella and Sessa asked in unison.
“Humans do not walk around like that.” She gestured a hand to Sessa’s human form. “Not wearing anything, because theydowear something, to cover their bodies. I saw Prince Luke wearing something.”
“Oh…” Sessa frowned as she glanced down at her body. “So you are saying… I amnaked?”
“We all are,” Liriya confirmed, “when we are out of the sea.”
Sessa immediately threw herself back into the water. “This is better.” She inhaled in relief at the sight of her tail. “But what are we going to do if we cannot find something to cover our bodies with?”
“What exactly do they wear?” Ella inquired, pivoting to Liriya.
“Wrap up themselves in seaweed or kelps?” Sessa wondered aloud.
Liriya laughed at the thought. “No, of course not. Those were not any leaves I saw Prince Luke wearing. They were something else. And besides, seaweeds areseaweeds, they do not grow on land.” She touched the tip of Sessa’s nose in a loving gesture.
“So what are we going to do?” Sessa asked again, sounding almost desperate. “If seaweeds do not grow on land, what if humans use something that does not grow under the sea and we cannot get it?”
“Ooh, an intelligent creature.” Ella smirked at her impressively, and Sessa smiled smugly.
“Do not worry now. We will find a way,” Liriya promised her and yawned. “Let us go back, it is late and I am sleepy.”
“But… but we will come back here tomorrow, will we not?” Sessa asked, her aquamarine eyes wide in alarm.