I nodded to my brother and took another step towards the doors. The sculpted battle scenes I loved to admire when I was a youngling greeted me. There was the Battle of Brumarys, where our ancestor defeated the Wind King, and the Peace Act of Tramerse, where the Water Queen offered the Earth Queen a set of pearls as a wedding gift. Mother had them stored away in velvet trinket boxes, because they were so precious to the family.
Peeking through the battle scenes and family history across the door was another memorable moment, one that I had yet to witness, and with a little push from my older brother, who had to shove me through the door, I found myself forced to step out and see the entire Earth Kingdom court waiting for my appearance and cheering in celebration.
Our father, the King, stood alongside them, and as soon as they saw me, the fae started cheering even louder and exclaiming my name. “Long live Prince Ansgar!” resounded from every direction, and all my ears wanted to do was to shut down the noise and escape through time to the end of the evening, when I could go back to my chambers and prepare for the mission. A shiver shook my body with the acknowledgement of what was to come, its own way to wake up the muscles and force me into alertness.
“There he is!” the King shook the ground with his voice. He shone above all others, his presence overpowering the image of the entire kingdom holding flower arrangements and blessed tree branches. Just one glance at the man standing tall, his long silver hair floating around his shoulders, and everyone fell captive to his power.
“Earthlings, join me in welcoming Prince Ansgar to his coming of age celebration,” he continued, raising a hand in my direction, as though to point me out to the crowd. The faeries started acclaiming even louder, their voices bursting my name in the atmosphere. As they did, a wind of petals rose in the sky, held in the air by the echoes and fluttering of wings, some of them energetically rattled.
I let loose a smile, finding my pace. These were our people, childhood friends and teachers, the fae that knew me since I was a youngling and watched me grow up and go through the aging changes. They gathered here, ready to join in the celebration, their joy piercing the sky. I nodded in greeting, and when the ovations grew, I raised my dagger in salute, the highest form of respect amongst soldiers.
After a few minutes, the rest of the royal family joined the spotlight with Queen Bathysia in their lead, her dark skin shining so brightly she could have easily been mistaken for a star. Our family made their way across the rose ornate path to reach the king, who’d already taken his place on the webbed high chair, carved from the first tree roots that had grown in the kingdom. Each ruler added a new branch to be solidified into the union with our ancestors.
As we arrived on the celebratory podium, the Queen took her seat alongside the King, while we three brothers and our sister-in-law remained standing. We took turns to greet and bowed to the King and Queen, approaching them to place a gentle kiss on their cheek and occupy a seat to their left. The first to honour the tradition was their firstborn and my eldest brother, Damaris, heir to the throne and Commander of the Royal Guard, along with his wife, Takara, the healer of the Earth Fae. The couple took their places and joined hands, Damaris letting his arm rest on his wife’s lap. What a sight to behold, Damaris was the tallest of us, and his shoulder length hair only elongated his features, making him shine as the king’s replica. Silver hair tied neatly at the nape and agate-like eyes, reflecting the water of the lake with green and blue flashes.
Vikram followed with his long dark hair and amber eyes. The Commander of Realm Defence radiated in his polished armour, and alongside Mother, they weaved moon and starlight. He was the only one to inherit her adamant features and would always find opportunities to wear silver accessories to make their beauty pierce even through the cloudiest minds.
I was the last to join them, passing through all the members of the family and greeting each before occupying my seat at the right of the king. In normal circumstances, my throne would be situated to his left, next to Vikram’s, but as I was the guest of the banquet, the King honoured me with the laudatory position. Once we sat, and the cheers diminished, Father raised from his throne to address the audience.
“Earthlings, dears and darling fae and faeries, we join this evening to celebrate yet another outstanding event of peace in the glorious history of our kind, the coming of age of our beloved Prince Ansgar. I can remember the night of his birth as if it were yesterday, and I expect most of you do as well, when our Queen brought to us yet another male heir in the blessed tradition of three. As we celebrated for three days then, we will celebrate for three nights now. Without further ado, I invite Prince Ansgar to come forth and perform the Binding Ceremony. To help us perform this rite, Princess Branwyl of the Water Kingdom has good-heartedly taken residence in the Seedling Lake,” he finished announcing while bowing towards the water to greet the princess.
“Son, your turn,” Father said as he returned to the throne. I took a deep breath and rose to my feet, the crowd absorbing my every movement. Even the wind carrying the petals seemed to stop and listen to my words.
“Thank you all for joining me tonight in celebration. As my twenty-seventh birth anniversary is fulfilling tonight, it is my duty and joy to receive a Keeper Assignment. I am grateful for all the advice and lessons you all taught me, for the stories and anecdotes of your own experiences that prepared me to receive such an honour this blessed night. In front of our King and Queen, our Commanders and our Healer, the Realm and all of its peoples, I swear to protect my assigned district with knowledge and sword and the blessing of our kindred kingdom, the Waterlings. I shall now join Princess Branwyl to accept this great honour bestowed upon me. Until my return!” I raised my right arm in salute, and in an instant, all the fae raised theirs, praising my name.
I nodded to Father and walked from the podium and onto the path that took me to the lake. There were no flowers this time, but a heavy strain in the air as I headed towards the water where the princess waited. Although we hadn't officially met, I’d heard of her ruthlessness and lack of mercy. Unwillingly, I swallowed a hard lump in my throat, knowing I was about to be judged by her. If deemed worthy, I would receive a parchment with the assignment, and if Branwyl considered I was not the right person to guard one of the sacred districts, she had the power to kill on sight. The fae law was rigid with the unworthy, and this was the one moment of our traditions that I did not look forward to.
Even though I had been preparing for so long and a ruler almost always proved his worth, a shadow of a doubt carved its way inside. What if I was the exception? What if I would be the one to disgrace the family? The fae I passed by looked at me benevolently, but their vision had a twinkle of bleakness. No one was a hundred percent safe, and this might be the time where I would see my family last.
“Come, come, young prince, don’t be shy,” a sweet melodious voice whispered into my ears.
I stood a few feet away from the shore, but Branwyl’s magic slashed through. She could ensnarl without moving a finger. I sensed the pulsing of her heart, the movement of her curls in the soft swirls of the lake, and my insides twisted as I imagined her hips alongside mine, moving together to produce waves of pleasure.
There was nothing a mermaid couldn’t do to a male with an empty heart. The water reached my ankles, and I kept going, captivated by her presence, hurrying my steps to meet her. By the time it reached my knees, I had completely forgotten about my training and mission.
“Come to me, my prince,” she sang.
That voice!That blessed voice. A goddess was opening up for me alone, I had the duty to ripen every fruit she offered. The water reached my hips, and I kept going, utterly trapped in her magic.
“That's it, my love, come to me,” she purred, filling every part of me with want. It was unbearable, the thought of not having her immediately, of not being able to bury myself in her and remain conjoined for eternity. I increased my pace, taking bigger and more determined steps, the water up to my shoulders. My heart convinced me to carry on and meet with her, even at the cost of my last breath.
“One more step, and I’ll be yours,” she moaned like a female trapped in pleasure. Breathing seemed unimportant upon hearing her gasping voice; I had to reach her and unite with her. So I took that step, the one keeping me afloat with air in my lungs, the one separating me from the female of my dreams. I dived underwater.
All the preparation and exercise had been for nothing. My tutors and I had practiced this moment, and I knew exactly how many steps I needed to take to be able to hear the princess but not dive deep enough to fall prey to her will. Even my boots were designed so that I held my grip in the mud better. I knew which phrases I needed to use to block her interest and the spell to counteract, but it had all been in vain upon hearing her voice.
That is when I saw her, floating so serenely underwater, her locks of hair cascading around in rainbow-silken-like rays, her beauty exuding throughout the waves.
“There you are, my prince,” she murmured, swimming towards me and touching my cheek.
Oh, that caress. The gentle hand upon my skin, like a fading comet preparing for sleep. My lungs hurt, the need for air suddenly striking as a necessity.
She blinked in surprise, offended that such a minor necessity distracted me from the beauty she had to offer.
“A kiss for your troubles, my beloved?” she purred in offering.
Yes! Yes, a kiss. Just the one to keep me afloat, I thought. To give me the strength I needed to possess her, just one time, find my rest inside her and die. What else was there to live for?
“Yes,” I answered, bubbles escaping my mouth as I begged.
