The Call Of Thalassa

“The cure for anything is saltwater;

sweat, tears, or the sea.”

-Isak Dinesen

“Are you sure this will work out?”

Alexandra gazed at the young man in front of her. His blue eyes were sore and red –proof of a restless and sleepless night filled with worries and anxiety. The dark shadows beneath his eyelids were more prominent than before and his hair a wild mess that Aide had tried to put in a man bun. He was playing nervously with his fingers as he tried to hold his calm façade on.

He was trying to be strong for his mate and his people, even when he just wanted to give up. He didn’t have another choice; they needed him and in order to help them he would have to be able to think logically and find a solution.

His appearance though revealed more than he would like; his wounds had healed but his torment had yet to stop. Nana’s chocolate orbs softened at his misery, wishing she could somehow take his pain away. However, she already knew that Havelock wouldn’t rest until his mate was finally in his embrace safe and sound.

She knew that Aileen’s absence was torturing him, filling his mind with horrific thoughts and creating a burning fire inside his chest. His instincts were urging him to protect his other half and make sure that she was safe and sound by his side. Knowing that Aileen was imprisoned, threatened by a man that tried to kill her and forced into a deal orchestrated by his uncle was driving him insane.

She was suffering and he could do nothing.

And that hurt him more than words could ever explain.

“Believe me, dear”, the elder patted his hand reassuringly, “This is the only way to get her out.”

Havelock sighed heavily, rubbing his tired orbs with his palm. They had been sitting in nana’s living room for quite some time, trying to come up with a way to get Aileen out of Seaworth’s prison safely and without anyone’s notice. Time wasn’t on their side, every passing minute pressuring them more and more. They had to act before it was too late –before their time had run out.

He pondered over their plan once more, before finally shaking his head.

“I don’t like it.”

“You don’t have to”, Aide answered him sharply, “It just has to work.”

“Do you even realize how risky this is?“, he snapped at her angrily, “So many things could go wrong! Are we going to test our luck?”

“We don’t have another choice, Havelock! We either risk it or we don’t get her out at all!”

“We can find another way, Aide!“, he shouted desperately, “There must be another way!”

“We have two days left! They are barely enough to get everything prepared! We don’t have the time to ponder over other plans, Havelock!”

Aide watched as he rose from the coach and started to pace anxiously back and forth. She stared at her grandmother for help, only for nana’s chocolate orbs to narrow in warning at her. Alexandra had once explained to her how important mates were for merpeople but, being human, she had no idea how much they actually affected them and what they truly meant for them.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves down.

“I am sorry.”

Havelock’s attention turned solely to her, not expecting her sudden apology.

“I know I may seem harsh and coldhearted, but I just want to get her out of there as soon as possible –I want her away from that damn bastard!”

Her shaky fingers tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before she found the courage to stare into Havelock’s tired orbs.

“I know that I’ll never understand how much she means to you –how deep this bond of yours is. But Aileen is like a sister to me. I need you to understand that I would never put her in danger unless it was absolutely necessary.”

He sighed deeply, nodding in agreement after a few moments of silence. He and Aide had a mutual understanding; they both wanted Aileen’s good. Havelock knew she had only good intentions towards his mate and that she was trying to protect her as she had done so many times in the past. Still, he was agitated and alarmed of something happening to his beloved during their escape plan.

It was pure instinct –Aide had nothing to do with it.

“I’m just so worried about her.”

His mind was a mess –his thoughts tangled. He was extremely tired, his body was asking of him a few hours of peaceful sleep but he couldn’t succumb to his physical needs. He sat back on the couch exhausted as his thoughts came out as troubling questions.

“Is she well?“, he asked in a hoarse voice, “Does she eat? Have they hurt her? By Selene, if they have harmed her, I will-”

“Turn them into fish sticks?”

“Nana!”

Aide looked at her grandmother disapprovingly –her eyes widened in shock by her behavior. Havelock was freaking out more and more with every passing hour, reaching new levels of worry as he tried to hold onto his sanity. The merman was suffering silently, yearning desperately to have his beloved safely in his arms.

It wasn’t the best time for fish jokes.

Alexandra chose to ignore her granddaughter as her anger started to paint her cheeks scarlet.

“Aileen is a strong girl, my dear”, she tried to comfort him, “Besides, Alastor has not visited her since he made her that offer.”

“And how do we know that?“, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “I thought that they didn’t let you visit her.”

“They didn’t”, nana nodded, “But I met our neighbor’s son, Carlos –he is a police officer. He used to live down our street with his parents before he got married. He wasn’t supposed to reveal any information concerning the prisoners but he wouldn’t upset the old lady he adores, would he?”

Aide snickered at her grandmother’s antics.

“You’re playing dirty, nana”, she winked at her.

“The situation demands as much”, Alexandra shrugged her shoulders.

Havelock cleared his throat, gaining their attention. Something wasn’t right –his instincts were telling him so.

“Why would he leave her alone?“, he finally asked, “Why now, when he asked her to marry him?”

The words tasted like ashes in his mouth. The thought of his soulmate being with another man was driving him crazy. It created a fierce fury in the depths of his heart, spreading like wildfire in his veins and making his figure shake with a wrath he had never felt before. He was a dead man walking –that much he could promise.

“Maybe, he wants to leave her alone during the time he has given to her”, Aide shrugged her shoulders, “Perhaps, he believes she’ll agree to his proposal if she thinks over it with a clear mind and without his presence stressing her.”

Alexandra let a humorless laugh escape her.

“Don’t be naïve, Aide. Alastor wants someone obedient –someone he can control. The only reason he gave her time is to make her realize that she has no other choice but to accept”, nana gave them a saddened smile, “A person can be controlled better when he has all his hopes shattered rather than when he still has a flame of hope burning in his soul.”

Aide shivered at the thought but she was not surprised. Alastor Steel had shown time and time again that he was a man feeding on the fear and hopelessness of others. He enjoyed creating havoc and hurting those who couldn’t defend themselves, reveling in their misery and tears. The man had no limits and no morals –that much she had realized. Still, he had taken it too far.

“I don’t care about his motives”, Havelock broke her thoughts, “I care about my mate’s well being.”

Aide’s chocolate eyes widened before meeting his darkened blue ones.

“Does that mean...?”

He nodded in an answer.

“We put our plan into action.”

Alexandra let a sigh of relief at his decision. They didn’t have much time left –they had to start preparing their escape route.

“Excellent!“, the elder’s eyes shined mischievously, “We start tonight.”

When Alexandra had said ‘tonight’, they had not perceived that it meant in just a few hours. They had waited until the lights of the houses went out and the whole village was plunged into the black veil of the night. Then, they had quickly entered Aide’s car and drove through the small empty streets of Seaworth. They didn’t speak as they made their way to their destination –the only sound in the car was their frantic breaths.

When they arrived at the spacious beach, Aide was quick to turn off the engine and the lights of the vehicle. They were extra careful, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves. Jumping out of the car, they approached the small boat waiting for them. Looking at one another knowingly, they started to push it until they had finally gotten it in the salty waters. Havelock jumped in, taking hold of the wooden paddles.

“The rocky beach is not far away from here”, Aide said to him, “You’ll leave the boat on the shore and climb up the stairway. I’ll be waiting for you at the top and we’ll return back in my car.”

He gave her an encouraging smile before taking hold of the paddles.

“I’ll see you at the top.”

Aide watched him for a while as he moved away from the shore. The ocean was on their side –the winds had calmed and the sea was smooth, helping their cause. Not that she was afraid he would drown of course! Even if he seemed to be human, he was still a merman. He could still use his tail whenever he wanted. She shook her head in amusement before making her way to her car.

Meanwhile, Havelock’s boat had disappeared behind a huge cliff as he made his way to a place that meant so much to him. That beach had seen his tears and his smiles, his anger and his love. It was the place he would go to pray to his Goddesses, pleading for them to grace him with his mate. And it was the same place where he had met Aileen and they had fallen in love with one another.

He didn’t even realize when he reached it, being too focused on his inner thoughts. He guided the boat towards the shore, careful of the rocks surrounding the beach. The paddles disturbed the peaceful waters of the silent beach as he arrived. Jumping out, he pushed it on land placing it in a safer position. After making sure that the waves wouldn’t be able to drive it away, he started to make his way to the staircase that was sculpted on the side of the cliff.

Something stopped him though –a scent that reached his sensitive senses. Turning towards the ocean, he scanned the coast with glowing eyes filled with suspicion and fury. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the shadowed figure laying in the shallow waters of the sea. His muscles tensed at the potential threat and his hands balled into tight fists.

Havelock moved towards the figure that seemed completely unaware of his presence. He made his way slowly towards them, making sure his footsteps were silent on the wet sand. The closer he approached the unfamiliar figure, the more details were revealed to him. He couldn’t see the face of the person as he had his back facing him. Havelock inhaled his scent once more, before realizing something.

He was a merman.

Letting out a vicious snarl, he saw the male’s shoulders tensing. Good, he thought. He probably was one of his uncle’s soldiers, searching to find out if the prince of Atlantis was dead or alive. A low growl escaped him at his nerve. How dared he?

“Show me your face!“, he demanded viciously.

The male tensed at the sound of his furious voice before his shoulders slowly relaxed. Havelock furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the action. Why wasn’t he scared of him?

“Show me your face or by Thalassa’s name I’ll-”

The man finally turned around.

The prince’s words died on his lips.

A heavy silence followed.

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats.

Three heartbeats.

“Osmond?”, he whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 37!!

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