Of Different Waters

Tiburon was swift in locating the king, “Your majesty, I have a pressing issue that has arisen involving the outsider I spoke to you about earlier.”

“Really Tiburon?” the king didn’t seem at all concerned with the prospect of a wayward mer. ” Where is the outsider? I thought you were bringing them back here.”

Tiburon looked away in shame, “Well,” gods this was embarrassing, “he got away.”

The king snorted out a laugh. “Some random outside mer manage to out swim my captain of the guards? Impressive, now I really want to meet him.”

“Well, he didn’t actually out swim me. He caught me unaware.”

The king looked at Tiburon sharply. How had this mer managed to catch his captain of the guards unaware? “How’d he do that?” the King asked curiosity dripping off every word.

“He, he... Majesty does anyone outside of the royal family have the ability to shock like an eel?”

The innocent question earned a hopeful look from the king. “No,” the king breathed. “Tiburon, you’ve found someone like that?”

“Yes,” Tiburon answered just as quietly.

“Who? The outsider?”

Tiburon nodded. ” You remember the human I told you about? Ronan. He’s the mer. He shocked me and I was so surprised I let him go. But I don’t understand how it’s possible. That two-legged spell should have worn off years ago. It just doesn’t make sense.” Tiburon growled growing frustrated.

“Tiburon, I know how it’s possible and I can’t help but think that it’s all my fault he’s still up there.” the king spoke, radiating sadness and guilt.

Tiburon didn’t understand why the king was so upset over a two-legged spell gone wrong. It’s not like he was the reason Ronan was spelled the way he was. He opened his mouth to express these thoughts to the king. But was quickly silence by a flourish of that powerful hand.

“Tiburon I am about to tell you something that no mer knows. It’s about my son. My Chromis-Rasha.”

Tiburon listened as the king told him what really transpired the day his son was transformed into a two-legged. He listened to the tale of a desperate attempt to save his only son from the dangers of the terrible outsider invasion all of those years ago. He listened as the king told of the spells he cast upon his heir.

“I figured he was safer that way. Not knowing where he came from, not knowing who I was. Who he was.”

“I went to the people who took him in a few days after they found him and told them everything,” the king admitted. “They told me they’d take care of him and when the time came, they’d make sure he got back to the sea safely. I was so happy he had found such a good family that I got careless,” he fixed his unblinkingly serious gaze upon Tiburon.

“Did you know there is a way to keep a young mer spelled like that for their whole life?” the king admitted.

“But how? They always change back when they become an adult .”

“Saltwater,” the king stated simply. At Tiburon’s confused expression he raked a hand through his hair frowning slightly when it got stuck on a shell he had woven in it earlier. “You’re not making this easy on me.”

“Well sorry,” Tiburon bit back.

The king sighed and explained,” I told them if he didn’t go in saltwater he’d stay human. And they managed to keep my son out of it until this year.”

The king looked at the other mer. “And now I must ask a favor of you,” the king knew his son was not ready to know about who he was. He just started the transformation into a mer and was probably confused. There was no reason to make the boy worry by telling him he wasn’t only a mer but a royal. Tiburon had never seen a more concerned fatherly expression on the royal’s countenance. “Watch over Ronan for me. But Please don’t tell him he’s my son.”