“Come now, enough with the dramatics,” Queen Vearla huffed, gesturing towards Erissa who still cowered further up the sand.
Lyssandra was here, too, her delicate shell top and skirt already looking more natural against her skin than any faery gown or healer’s robes ever had. Nearby, Adriana relaxed beside her mother, lazily splashing her blue tail against the waves.
“Come on. My ocean won’t bite you.” Vearla rolled her eyes.
“Your ocean?” Erissa scoffed. “Last I remember, Father was planning on leaving it all to me.”
“He was. Until you ran off with that scoundrel, turning your back on everyone – including me.” Her arms folded, her voice raised until, all at once, sadness crept into her tone. “None of us wanted you to leave, Erissa. We never did. Not for a single moment.”
Erissa appeared to shrink in on herself as Lyssandra rubbed her back soothingly.
“Everyone wants you to come home,” Lyssandra added, her voice soft. “Even me, and I only ever knew you from the stories around the palace.”
Erissa’s sad eyes met hers. After a few moments, she turned to us. “You’ll come and visit me, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Lukas said, emotionless.
The pale woman fiddled with her faery gown. “There’s so much I want to say to you,” she muttered. “But I don’t really know where to start.”
“You can start by returning home to your family.” He spoke in a strong tone. “Spend time with them, heal yourself, and when you’re feeling better, then perhaps we can talk.”
I stroked his arm as conflict warred across his face. Erissa may have birthed him, but that wasn’t all it took tomake someone a mother. She’d have to earn that title. And I’d be by his side, whether he gave that to her or not.
“Come now,” Vearla extended out her hands, “the ocean welcomes both of you home.”
Lyssandra stepped forwards first, tugging Erissa along behind her. When they reached the shoreline, Erissa gasped as the first wave brushed her toes.
“I can’t do this,” she wailed, trying to wrestle out of Lyssandra’s hold.
“Be still, sister,” Vearla said, stepping towards her. “Perhaps this will help?”
Adriana let out an excited squeal as her mother placed a seaweed necklace over Erissa’s head. The magic took effect immediately. Erissa’s legs shimmered beneath her skirt before her entire lower half morphed into a long, sea-blue mermaid tail.
Vearla caught her before she collapsed against the waves, lowering her gently into the water.
“What is this?” Erissa hissed. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her shaking hands reached out to stroke the scales. “This isn’t mine!”
“You’re right. It’s not.” The Queen shrugged. “This is a mere temporary tail enchantment I had made for you. It’ll only help you travel in the water. Your actual merfolk essence currently belongs to Adriana after Lyssandra decided she wanted to join you above the waves.”
“What?”
“It’s quite a long story,” Lyssandra sighed. “After Adriana’s shark attacked mother’s favourite husband—”
“It wasn’t an attack and Petrov is healing wonderfullynow thanks to the algae!” Adriana piped up.
“Yes, well, after the bite…” She shot the red-haired mermaid a look. “I had some of my own business on land to deal with, and I didn’t want to have to worry about having to return to the sea to recharge myself. So I gave my essence to Adriana, since she’d lost hers during her banishment, and I thought I wouldn’t need mine anymore.”
“She’d been banished for good reason,” the Merfolk Queen huffed, “but I suppose I am glad you came back to us.” She glanced at her daughter, sighing. “Petrov is finally healing now, after all.”
“I’ll always love you, Mother.” Adriana grinned.
“You too, Trouble.” She exhaled again. “You too.”
“So I am to exist underwater as a mere human with a tail enchantment and a kiss to help me breathe?” Erissa frowned.
“You chose to give up your essence.”
“I did not!”
