Chapter 8

Panic seethed through the king’s veins as he lay in the cave pool bathing. Just then Germain, one of his servicemen, entered.

“Your Majesty!” Germain bowed respectfully.

“Did you find him?” Jaruwah asked the young merman anxiously trying hard to enjoy the water caressing his fin despite the circumstances. “Well?” The king asked again, more impatiently this time when no reply was forthcoming.

“Your Majesty, Dowen has left the sea.” Germain kept his head bowed, fearing the king’s reaction to the dire news.

Jaruwah felt as though the very blood in his body was turning to ice. Several drawn-out seconds passed before he spoke again.

“So, the rumours are true then, the prince has gone on land.” Jaruwah’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Yes, Sire,” Germain replied nervously.

Not again! How could this be happening? “Thank you. You may go.” Jaruwah dismissed Germain before pulling himself out of the pool.

After the transition from fin to feet, the king almost ran down the damp passageway to seek his advisor.

“Your Majesty, what a pleasant surprise!” Arend greeted, knowing full well why he was there. A hint of a smile formed at the edges of her thin lips while her wicked eyes danced with exultation.

“Dowen has left the confines of the sea, just as your son said,” Jaruwah blurted, ignoring pleasantries. Fear encroached and replaced his anger at the thought of losing Dowen to the land too.

“Why would he do such a thing?” Arend pretended she was as surprised as the king at the news.

“So you know nothing of this?” The king questioned her, almost suspiciously.

“No, Sire, of course not. If only I had, maybe I could have prevented it,” she lied. The laughter bubbling up in the pit of her stomach threatened to escape and she turned to hide her joy, then turned around and added, “you mean the world to me, Sire, the last thing I want is to see your heart drowned in such sorrow.”

Ignoring the woman’s babbling, Jaruwah continued, “what could have possessed Dowen to leave? He loves the sea and knows our laws well. This is not like him, Arend. Not at all. There must be a good explanation for this.” Jaruwah was certain of it. “Dowen is a responsible, honest, and law-abiding young merman.” Perplexed, he ran a hand through his long white and green striped hair before repeating, “there has to be.”

“Venus was responsible and honest too,” Arend reminded him. “Yet she left and brought misery upon us all by seeking to disobey you.” Arend knew full well that she was also the reason that Venus had disobeyed him. She had poisoned the princess’s mind about the wonders of the land, with the hope that Venus would be led into temptation and then be exiled once she broke the mermen's laws. At that time, her son, who was still nourished by her womb, would have at least had the chance to replace King Jaruwah as the king one day. That flowering idea died when Dowen came into their lives. Anger wreathed her insides at the thought. Why had her spies spared the child’s life anyway? Perhaps the child was at school when she had instructed her devout followers to persecute Tendha and Ress. But they should have waited for the child’s return and then killed him too. She was so absorbed in her own treacherous thoughts that she neglected to remember the king’s looming presence. He had clearly been asking her questions that she had failed to answer.

Impatiently the king stormed out of her chamber in search of answers elsewhere.

He was getting older and had no other living relatives to take over the huge responsibility of being a king. And he was far too old to remarry now. Dowen, the last remaining prince of the sea, had been his last hope of royal succession. How could he possibly exile him too? Disappointment soaked his spirits. Confusion, mixed with the events of past and present swept in like a tidal wave, ruffling his mind. Was he destined to lose everyone he loved? Most of them to the land? Was the line of royal mermen doomed? Marrying Arend was an option since she had a son, and she had many times not so subtly dropped the notion. But the mere thought of Drake, clothed in his selfish, malicious ways, taking over the rule of the sea, made him sick from head to fin. Suddenly in the dark turmoil of his mind, an idea started flickering. Maybe all hope was not yet lost.

The king called an urgent council meeting which was to take place within the week. It gave those attending and coming from far stretches of ocean time to make their way to the royal caves, and he wanted everyone present.

“Beloved and respected mermen and mermaids! I thank you for all coming at such short notice. I am afraid that I have distressing news. Our beloved prince Dowen has left the sea.” The surprised gasps filled the air, as expected.

“Let us not be hasty in our judgment of his unexpected absence. We all know the prince very well. He has visited every one of the sea States and has proven himself worthy with his fine counsel and guidance through the years. So, councillors, I impeach you that before we judge him, we first assume there is a very good reason for his departure. Dowen loved his life here and handled his responsibility with dedication, love, and passion. What I request from you is to find out anything you possibly can as to why he made a sudden departure, and I need his exact location. Alert not only the mermen but also the dolphins in all the seas to aid us in tracking down our beloved Prince Dowen,” the king beseeched, then added as an afterthought, “Dino is with him.” This fact offered a tiny morsel of comfort to Jaruwah. At least Dowen was not alone in a place that was so treacherous to their kind. A place where Dowen’s own parents had been killed.

“Arend, you reach out to the land officials since you’re their only contact. Find out what you can.”

“Of course, Sire.” A smile wanted to break open her mask of deception. If only the king knew that the five land officials left, were under her command, totally loyal to her.

Then the king added, “if anyone in this room knows anything, I demand that you tell me now!” His apprehension however turned to sadness when silence was the only reply. “I beg of you,” he begged, trying hard to swallow back his tears of anguish. He could not show weakness in front of all his people.

When still no one uttered a word he added, “if I find out that one of you knows something of Dowen’s disappearance, and is keeping it from me, I swear, you shall be exiled.”

Jaruwah was not apt to threats but the future of their people was at stake, and he needed to make them see this.

Drake looked guiltily around the cave, hoping that no one had noticed him speaking to the prince prior to his leaving the sea. He had informed the king that he had overheard Dowen mentioning to Dino that he was going to leave the ocean and go on the land. After that, he lied to the king and said that was all he knew.

Suddenly Drake spotted a mermaid looking directly at him. Rina glared at him with stark accusation in her eyes and Drake went deathly pale. What did she know?

Once the meeting ended, he hurried over to her.

“Follow me!” Drake ordered and the young mermaid reluctantly obeyed. They moved to the corner of the large council chamber.

What do you know of Prince Dowen’s disappearance?” he questioned her in an aggressive tone.

“Only that you were talking to Dowen, telling him that the king was not his real father. And only that his real parents were killed on land by humans.” Her voice was filled with mockery.

“You mention this to anyone, and I’ll have my mother convince the king it was you who chased him out of the sea. We all know how you fancy Prince Dowen. It would not be difficult to convince the king of your jealousy and evil intentions.”

“No one will believe that!” Rina retorted angrily.

“You know my mother is close to the king. Trust me, she will think of something to convince everyone of your guilt,” Drake threatened.

“I’m sure she will!” Rina had long ago seen through the cloud of deception that both Drake and his mother wove. But she was not apt to fear. “Is it true that the King isn’t Dowen’s real father or was it just some conniving trick you and your mother conjured to get rid of Dowen so that you could take over the throne?” It had not taken Rina long to put two and two together and realize what the evil duo was planning.

“How did you know about that?” Drake was horrified that she knew.

“I’m not as stupid as you might think,” Rina blurted.

“You know, Rina, now with the prince out of the way, you could turn your affections to someone more, how can I say – beneficial to you. Someone like me, the next crown prince,” Drake advised and lifted his chin smugly. He had always had his eye on Rina and had been jealous of her affections towards Dowen.

“What do I get out of it?” she asked, greed flogging her senses.

“You shall become queen. All the wealth of the sea will be ours to share. We’ll be in charge,” he promised. “You and I will rule the sea together.” His imagination was running wild.

“Excuse me, your soon-to-be highness! Aren’t you forgetting something? Prince Dowen’s possible return,” Rina reminded him.

“Even if he did return, he will be exiled for breaking the laws of the sea, just like Princess Venus had been, years ago,” Drake replied.

“I heard rumours about that, but I didn’t believe them.” Rina could not believe that the king would be so cold-hearted as to exile his own flesh and blood.

“Oh, it’s true! My mother was there when it happened,” Drake boasted.

“And I bet she played a part in that decision too.” Rina guessed.

“If you wish to become the next queen, you better watch what you say about my mother,” he warned her angrily. “She promised that I will become king and I believe her.”

“Whatever you say, Your Highness!” she teased him before hurrying off to avoid hearing another word about his dreadful mother. But the thought of becoming a princess and queen quickly lifted her spirits. Even if it did mean that she would have to marry that despicable merman. Dowen never did appreciate her anyway, so he deserved whatever he got, she tried convincing herself, but a touch of guilt lodged in the back of her mind. What Dowen must be going through, knowing that he wasn’t King Jaruwah’s son and that his real parents had been killed on land. It pained her, but this was not about him, this was about her future. She still couldn’t believe Jaruwah had exiled his own daughter. Would he exile Dowen too? With this disturbing thought, she withdrew to her chamber.

Copyright © 2022 Ursula Graetz

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