Also, why on earth did I even care about what happened between them more than a century ago? Or that Elina had something I would never share with Kye? A kiss.
“I did,” Elina replied lightly. “I’ve done a lot more than kissing since. Not with King Kye, of course. No girl could ever hold his attention for long. A kiss was all I got from him. But it gave me the confidence to finally approach the boy I really liked, Talios. He was training to become a palace guard. We’ve been married for over seventy years now.”
“Seventy? Wow,” I exhaled with a sense of relief I had no business feeling.
“Yes. He’s one of the royal guards in Prince Arnon’s palace now.”
“Where is Prince Arnon’s palace?”
“His actual estate is on Mysmei Reef. But he’s mostly residing in Lyrei now, a few islands over from here. Well...” Elina stood back and lifted a handheld mirror for me to see the back of my head. “What do you think?”
Elina had masterfully used the ribbons to compensate for the insufficient length of my hair. She swept my hair into intricate braids on the sides, then made a rose-like bow on the back of my head, leaving the gauzy ends of the ribbons to trail down my back. She had also decorated the whole thing with tiny pearl pins, making the back of my head look like some fantasy ocean landscape.
“That is actually very pretty,” I gasped with genuine appreciation. “Thank you. My hair never looked more beautiful, Elina.”
“No it didn’t, did it?” She sighed sympathetically, clearly still distraught about my “crooked” haircut.
The prince and the king were still arguing. Their raised voices had become impossible to ignore. Elina glanced their way, looking uncomfortable.
“I should go.” She collected all her brushes along with the remaining pins and ribbons back into the basket before closing its lid.
“Thank you again,” I said, fingering the end of the light, soft ribbon that fluttered over my shoulder.
“I’ll leave through the back door. I don’t want to interrupt them,” Elina said with a wave of a hand toward the great hall before heading out to the patio.
“I’ll walk with you.” I caught up with her outside.
She paused, glancing at me with concern. “Are you allowed to be out here?”
Her question came as a reminder that as far as freedom was concerned, I had less privileges than a servant. I wasn’t a guest, or a visitor, or even a swimming instructor. I was a hostage. The king’s “little pet.” Anindoorpet.
“Please, Elina.” I wasn’t above begging at this point. “I just need to stretch my legs a little. I’ll walk to the front entrance with you, then go back inside.”
Finally, she nodded reluctantly, hanging the basket on her arm. “Alright, but just to the front entrance.”
Kye didn’t even need to keep a close eye on me himself. Everyone around here was playing the part of my jailer, even Elina.
“It’s not like I can run away or something,” I said, matching Elina’s pace as we walked along the glass wall of the palace outside.
“True. There’s nowhere to run, unless you can swim like a siren,” Elina agreed matter-of-factly.
And that was another reason why Kye didn’t need to put me under a lock. The ocean guarded me more effectively than any guards or chains ever could.
“Where do you live?” I asked as we strolled along the curved glass wall of the palace.
“On the next island over.” She waved to the right, behind the palace somewhere. “It’s just two bridges to cross from here.”
It astounded me that here in Olathana, these magical people had lived, loved, and went about their day for thousands of years, and no one in my world had any idea about their existence.
“Why do you even have bridges if sirens are so good at swimming and spend lots of their time in water anyway?” I asked.
“Walking is more convenient, especially when you have things to carry." She pointed at her basket. “Not all things fare well in water.”
We rounded the corner, coming to the front entrance of the glass palace. The plaza and the gardens around it were just as busy as the last time I was here, several days ago. However, people stared at me less this time. Maybe it was because they already knew who I was. Or maybe because I stood out less in my siren dress and my mermaid hairdo.
This time, I also noticed the tall, dense hedge that grew right in front of the palace’s outer wall on this side, obscuring the view of the interior from outsiders and giving the king a modicum of privacy inside.
“Well, goodbye, Maren. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Elina said, then added softly, “Stay safe.”
