Fins (Transformations: Book 2)

Sapphira’s room was large and decorated with dozens of shimmering rocks. It had a large window, which was really just a significant portion of stone, with an intricate design cut into it, which allowed her to see outside her room. However, she couldn’t actually get out through the window. It wasn’t designed to be opened. After all, they couldn’t have their princess running off or being kidnapped like that.

Not that it would matter if she went through the window, though. Her view from it was not of the city, but rather a large wall, ten feet from the window. It had a ceiling which connected to the palace, so there was no escape there. The only thing worth looking at through the window was the luminescent design in the wall, which looked like a giant jellyfish.

There was not much to see through the window, usually, but it was the first place Sapphira had met Alizarin after they were brought to the palace.

She was eight when it happened. She’d been crying at the time. She’d cried often as a child since she spent most of her time locked away (for her own protection, of course). The only people she ever saw were servants and they didn’t help to ease her loneliness. Her parents sometimes came to see her or took her out, but she was always well-guarded and they were usually too busy for her. Even when she was around other people, it seemed like they never spoke to her, properly. Therefore, she often found herself alone in her room, wishing for someone to talk to.

Her wish came true when a voice from the window asked, “Are you okay?”

Sapphira jumped and stared at him in shock. “What are you doing out there?”

“Why are you crying?” he retorted.

“I wasn’t crying and you shouldn’t speak to the Glemoran heir that way,” she did her best to hide her embarrassment behind haughtiness, but it wasn’t really effective, coming from an eight-year-old.

“So, you’re the princess,” he noted. “Why is a princess crying? I thought you’d be happier.”

She frowned at his refusal to be daunted by her title. “It’s none of your business. What are you doing outside my room, anyway? Were you spying on me?”

“No.” He paused as he thought about it. “Not intentionally. I was just swimming by here and heard you crying.”

She stared at him in confusion. “How did you get in the wall?”

“The wall?” He turned to look at it and shrugged. “I didn’t notice it. I was already inside, I guess.” He turned back to her. “To be honest, this is the first time I left my room. That wall’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“I hate it,” she said without thinking. “I can never see anything else from here because of it.”

“Ah.” He rubbed his neck and looked at it again. “I guess I can see how that might be boring.”

She considered what else he had said and frowned. “So you were already in the wall? Do you live in the palace?”

He nodded. “Just down that way.” He pointed to the right. “I snuck out, though. Promise not to tell?” He offered her a hopeful smile.

“I won’t tell,” she agreed. “But who are you?”

“I’m Alizarin.”

She stared at him for a moment and swam closer, so she could get a look at his tail. “I’ve heard of you. It really is red, isn’t it?”

He frowned as he followed her gaze. “I know it’s not pretty like yours, but I can’t really do anything about it.”

Sapphira glanced at her own blue tail. “Right.” She looked back at his. “I’ve never seen a red one, before. It’s so bright.”

“I guess.” He shrugged. “I’ve heard the servants talking about it before. They say it will make me mean when I get older, so it’s probably bad.”

“Can a tail color really do that?” she wondered.

He shrugged again. “I heard them talking about you, too. They check on me sometimes, but they don’t usually talk to me. They just talk to each other. I heard them saying we were brought here together.”

Sapphira nodded, having heard similar rumors. It was well-known among the general population, but the pair could only ever get whispers from nearby servants. “I heard the seers gave us both to my parents to be raised.”

“So, you’re like my sister,” he observed with a smile.

Sapphira frowned. “I don’t know if my parents would like us saying that.”

“Why not?” he asked. “I’ve never met them, but they’re the ones the seers chose for me, so that would make them my parents, right?”

“I guess,” she agreed slowly.

“Then you would be my sister.”

She considered that for a moment and found herself smiling at the thought. “That makes sense.”

There was a knock on her door and Alizarin ducked out of sight before a servant entered.

“Is everything alright, your highness?” the servant asked.

“Yes,” Sapphira replied, immediately.

The servant glanced around her room. “I thought I heard you speaking to someone.”

“I was playing a game,” Sapphira replied after a moment’s thought. “Did you need something?”

“No,” the servant admitted, looking around once more before leaving.

“You can come back, now,” Sapphira whispered through the window.

“Thanks for not telling on me,” he said as he swam back to it. “I’d get in a lot of trouble if they caught me. I’m not supposed to leave my room.”

“How did you?” she wondered.

“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “I worked on it for a while. I found a loose stone and figured out if I moved just the right stones, I could get out of there. I just really wanted to see something outside of it, even if I might get in trouble later.”

“Won’t somebody notice you’ve left?”

He shook his head. “They have a set schedule to check on me and only come every other day, so no one will be in my room today.”

“And you’re in your room all the time?”

“Usually.”

“Alone.”

“Nobody wants to be around a red-tail, right?” He paused. “I’m not bothering you, am I?”

“No,” she rushed to assure him. “You can stay as long as you like.”

He smiled at that. “You’re really nice.”

Sapphira blushed at the compliment and decided she liked his smile. She wanted him to smile more, just for her.

The teenager Sapphira woke up and stared at the decorative ceiling of her room, wondering why she had dreamed about meeting Alizarin. It had been a while since she’d even thought about that day. It felt like another lifetime.

She looked at the window, nearly convincing herself he might be there, but there was just the wall. She knew it was impossible. He wouldn’t sneak out just to visit her anymore. It was too dangerous. She left her room quickly, feeling like she was suffocating in it.

She no longer had to be locked away in her room all the time. As long as she stayed within the palace, her parents trusted that she’d be safe. Of course, that meant she was constantly being watched when she left her room. The guards never let her go anywhere alone. It was stifling.

“Your highness,” someone called out to her.

Sapphira turned to see a servant coming towards her. He smiled as he reached her.

“Do you need something?” she asked.

“I was sent to fetch you,” he explained. “Your fiancé has come to visit and wishes to see you.”

“My fiancé?” It took he a moment to process that. “Why is he here?”

The servant frowned at her words. “Is it unusual for someone to wish to visit his betrothed?”

Sapphira felt that it was rather strange, given the circumstances, but she decided not to argue. “Very well. Show me to him.”

She followed the servant to the palace entrance, where Kai stood with her parents. They turned to face her as she approached them.

Kai managed a smile, but it was clearly strained. “Hello, Sapphira. I trust you are well.”

“Quite well,” she answered, maintaining a polite heir since they were being watched. “And yourself?”

“The same.” He glanced at her parents and cleared his throat. “I was hoping we might spend some time together. We haven’t done that much and I thought it might be a good idea. My parents agreed, which is why they allowed me to come alone.”

“I’m not sure if it’s entirely safe,” her mother argued.

“Do you think my betrothed is incapable of protecting me?” Sapphira asked. “Or are you worried the groom you picked would harm me?”

“You should not take such a tone with us,” the king said.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Of course, not. I’m sorry. However, it is past time that I spoke to him without so much fuss around. We are to be married, eventually, so it would be in our best interest, don’t you think?”

Her parents exchanged a glance before her father nodded. “Be careful and don’t leave the city.”

“I won’t,” she promised, as she allowed Kai to lead her out of the palace. When she was sure no one was close enough to listen, she looked at him. “Care to tell me your true motives, now?”

“Didn’t you just convince your parents I was too trustworthy to have ulterior motives?”

“I convinced them they had to trust you to keep from looking like they have doubts about our engagement. They are no more convinced of your character than I am.”

“Yet you came with me,” he observed.

“I was curious,” she admitted. “I wanted to know what would possess the Valadoran prince to spend time with me, voluntarily.” She paused as she tried to read his expression. “Unless your parents are making you do this.”

“It was my decision.”

“So, why then?”

He was silent for several minutes. Sapphira had almost given up and decided to return home when he finally spoke.

“I wanted to know how your bodyguard was doing.”

“He’s not my bodyguard, at the moment,” she replied, immediately, taken aback by the question.

“Well, how is he doing, at any rate? Is he still locked up? Have they hurt him? Was he punished for what happened the other night?”

She stared at him for a minute. “I take it the land girl sent you, then.”

“She didn’t send me.”

“But she asked you to come.”

He shook his head. “I am here, entirely of my own volition. I want to know how he is.”

“Why?” she wondered. “What interest does a Valadoran prince have in a Glemoran red-tail?”

Kai paused again, clearly searching for the right words. “I spoke to him that night. I’ll admit that was because Aria insisted on it, but that was the first time I actually heard him, I think. It wasn’t what I expected. Alizarin…Rin…he’s not like I thought, it seems.”

“Do you intend to start calling him by that nickname, now?” she asked, not looking at him. “I doubt it would be seen as appropriate.”

Kai stopped and looked at her. “We are to rule two kingdoms one day. Shouldn’t we be the ones to decide what is appropriate?”

She stopped, as well, but didn’t meet his gaze. “You are naive if you think we will have so much power. Ruling a kingdom doesn’t mean you get to decide how it is run. It means you are a slave to the will of the people. It is for them that we will marry and for their sakes, we will rule. Everything we are and everything we do will be for them. That is the price of any power we may have.”

He couldn’t respond to that, at first. When he did, his voice was soft. “Then what’s the point of us even becoming king and queen? Why should we devote ourselves to such a fruitless life? If it’s like that, anyone could do it, so why don’t you just run away? We could become human and leave them to sort everything else out.”

“You say that as if you wish to transform together.”

“No.” His reply was firm. “I don’t like you, Sapphira. I can’t imagine I ever will, even if I think I’m starting to understand you. If not for the treaty, I would never even consider marrying you.”

She looked at him and gave a brief nod. “I feel the same way.”

“Well, at least we agree on something. I can’t say it’s good enough to build a marriage on, but we have to do what we can.”

“It is our duty,” she agreed before falling into a brief silence as she considered him. “So, are you really concerned for my bodyguard?”

“He’s not your bodyguard right now,” he reminded her.

“He will be, soon, if your land girl completes her task as she promised.”

“Do you have so much faith in her?”

Sapphira shrugged. “I think she will do her best. Maybe, she’ll get lucky.”

“I’m sure she’d be flattered to hear you say that,” he commented. “And yes, I really am concerned about Rin. Do you know how he is?”

“He’s been locked in his room, but his hands weren’t bound, at least. However, the twins are free to demanded his services as a bodyguard whenever they please. He lives in the palace, but serves them, for now.”

“Will they hurt him?” Kai wondered.

Sapphira frowned and didn’t look at him. “Probably, but there’s little anyone can do to prevent that. Tell your land girl to find the necklace quickly.”

“Are you that worried about him?”

She paused, choosing her words carefully. “He is a convenient bodyguard. Having him taken from me is a pain.” She looked at the prince. “If you see that girl, tell her to hurry and find it, understand?”

“I think I do,” he replied.

“Then I believe our business is concluded. You should come back with me to the palace. I doubt my parent would appreciate me swimming there alone.”

“I certainly wouldn’t want to anger them,” he remarked as they swam back together.

“I got your message,” Aria commented the next day, as she met Kai on the beach. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded. “I just wondered if you’d had any luck finding the necklace.”

Aria shook her head and sighed as she sat beside him. “I’ve searched the beach again and again. I’ve looked every place I can think of, but no luck.”

“You won’t give up, will you?”

“Of course not,” she promised. “I can’t return to the ocean until I find it and besides…” She frowned. “There’s Rin to think of.” She looked at the prince. “Have you heard anything about him?”

“Sapphira says he’s not being punished for what happened and he’s okay.” Kai didn’t have the heart to tell her anything more.

“There’s no telling how long that will last.” She looked at the ocean, wishing she could dive in and see him. “Let me know if anything happens, okay?”

“I promise I will.” He touched her cheek. “I don’t like seeing you so distressed.”

She forced a smile and leaned into the comforting hand. “I don’t like being so distressed.”

He smiled and gently kissed her lips. “I will send word if there is any news.”

“As will I,” she promised before he disappeared into the sea. As she watched his ripples fade, the feeling of distress only grew stronger.

“Everything okay?” Freya asked as Aria climbed back into her car.

“Not really,” Aria admitted, touching her lips, thoughtfully.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Aria considered the offer, but shook her head. “I think it’s something I need to sort out on my own. For now, we need to focus on finding the necklace.”

“I’m sure we will,” Freya lied, trying to make her friend feel better. “We’ll come across it any day, now.”

There was an employee Christmas party at the aquarium that night. Aria and Freya were drawn into conversation with the girls who worked as mermaids on other shifts. They were nice enough and, normally, Aria would have eagerly engaged them in conversation about merfolk, but she just couldn’t seem to work up the enthusiasm, now. She kept thinking about the missing necklace and what might be happening to Alizarin.

She managed to break away from the group and stepped outside for some air.

“You seem troubled,” a familiar voice remarked.

Aria smiled as Eric came to stand beside her. “Hello, stranger.”

He returned the smile. “We really haven’t seen each other much, lately, have we?”

“And here I thought we were trying to be friends.”

He gave her a thoughtful look. “Is that really all we are, Aria?”

She frowned at that. “Eric, this isn’t really a good time for me to be thinking about stuff like that.”

“Something really is troubling you, isn’t it?” he observed. “Is it serious?”

Aria sighed. “You could say that.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. “Talking wouldn’t do much good, to be honest.”

He frowned, but didn’t argue. “I understand if you can’t be in a relationship, right now, but would it be okay if I kissed you?”

She gave him a blank stare. “What?”

“It may seem like a strange request and you are welcome to refuse, but I have a lot on my mind and I think kissing you might help me sort some thoughts out.”

She continued to stared at him. “Have you been drinking?”

He laughed. “No. I promise I haven’t. I can’t explain my thoughts right now, any more than you can explain yours, but I would like to kiss you, if that’s alright.”

Aria considered the request for a moment before nodding. She figured one kiss couldn’t hurt anything, after all.

Eric placed a hand on her cheek and brought his lips to hers, gently. He pulled away after a few seconds and his expression was unreadable.

“Do you feel better, now?” she asked.

“Not really,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. “But thanks. Merry Christmas, Aria.” He headed back into the party before she could ask any more questions.

Aria sighed as she watched him go, feeling thoroughly confused. She stared at the dark sky above and touched her lips. “Merry Christmas.”