BEAR

I reflected on Sage’s behaviour as I laid in my yurt by the water. I trusted her of all people to be on my side, and she usually was. Why couldn’t she see it the way I had--the true beauty of the one who had saved me. We never lied to one another, and the least she could do was trust me. Sighing in frustration, I rested my head back on my pillow and looked up at the ceiling. The Mer kingdom had killed many of our men and always attacked at night when the blood moon and the black moon rose together. This occurrence would come around once every few years. The Mer--dark and light--were situated in the vanishing deep, which spanned across Islanda. The dark Mer were notorious for their ghastly appearance and would act on their animal instinct, while the light Mer looked more human and would lure men in using their beauty and wit. They would stalk their prey anywhere over the world and would follow us on our raids, attacking the weakest of our men. They lured them in their drunken state, calling out a siren song to draw Vikings and explorers over the side of their boats. When the tactic worked to plan--and it usually did--they would drown whole ships, killing a mass amount of people in one go. The human feast would be shared amongst the sea giants who arrived there first. 

I had tried to learn more about them, asking as many questions as my father would allow, but he had always been resistant to give me any answers, brushing the topic off as ‘they weren't something to be discussed.’ As for other sea monsters, these included giant squids, Mermaids both dark and pure, and occasional sightings of more unidentifiable creatures. Though they were different species, Sage always said they were one in the same. After the sea creatures, came the creatures of the sky--amongst the most terrifying, the fae. They were dark, large, and relentless. They attacked when men were being held captives by the Mer, vultures picking the rest of the scraps. We knew them to be magical, casting spells where they needed to. We didn’t know much more about them than that. We were taught not to trust any species but our own. It was a sad, harsh reality of our history, of which my father and the other elders would never speak. I had vague memories of the last war where my mother had died but had never experienced the raids that involved this kind of mass murder.

I envisioned the Mermaid in my mind, replaying the memories over and over. Her face, her iridescent tail, the way her hair shimmered in the light, reflecting all the way down her body. Though the more I thought of her, the more Sage came into my mind, “You shouldn’t be thinking about her Bear… What would your mother think?” I shook my head to rid myself of her reprimand. 

I closed my eyes. Sage’s face popped into my mind--her thin face had a splatter of freckles across it, her nose and her cheeks took the brunt of their attention. Her windswept blonde hair gently blew across her cheeks in the breeze that caressed the water. She positioned herself over me, dabbing the heat away from my forehead with a damp cloth. Our eyes connected briefly before she looked away, taking the intensity of the moment with her gaze. She really was beautiful, too beautiful for me. Her soul was filled with passion and fire. She didn’t belong to anyone and never would. She was born to lead.

I could tell that her affections for me had changed. She had started to see me as more than her brother. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t noticed. And I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about her that way from time to time, too. I had noticed the way her body was changing, how she was becoming a woman. We weren't kids anymore. The way we would swim and play naked by the water without care was becoming less natural and more shameful. Other boys in our village stared at her, which angered me, but I could see why she gained their affection. The women of the village would pull at her hair, trying to tame it and train her to be more like a lady. She complained about it and didn’t see why things had to change, but I did. The time was coming where I needed to distance myself from her, as our close relationship was only leading her on a path that could not continue. I knew she was starting to see me as more than a brother and I just couldn’t compromise our friendship.

A sharp pain made its way down my arm, interrupting my thoughts. The Mermaid’s healing was only a quick fix. Her promise of returning was drawing near. I gazed out at the ocean, wondering how and when she was going to make her next appearance, and more importantly, why? What benefit would she gain, or would I? And when she returned, would she take me to the deep to keep me, prisoner, forever? Why did she save me in the first place? The myriad of questions ran through my head. I pulled myself up, the pain tearing through my ribs, forcing me back down. Infection was setting in. Sage hadn’t been back in a while and I needed to wash. I forced myself to get up and go down to the water, splashing the droplets of sweat from my face. The water was cool and soothing, ever so slightly easing my condition.

 “I thought I told you to stay out of trouble.” A sweet voice emerged from the surface. I jumped back, scrambling against the rocks. “Oh, come on… you're not still afraid of me, are you?” She grinned at me with pearly fangs. “I thought you would have accepted my existence by now and gotten used to the idea.” I stared at her wide-eyed, surprised that my Mermaid had re-appeared. I hadn’t imagined it after all. The parts of her tail that I could see glimmered across the moving water and her hair resembled a precious pearl, bouncing light from where it floated on the water.

“I have always known Mermaids to exist.” I managed.

“Then why be afraid?” She cocked her head, her piercing eyes staring intently, drawing me in.

“Why are you here?” I straightened myself, towering over her.

“Don’t be so naive. Let me see that arm.” She yanked it toward her. My mind resisted--I knew better than to trust her, but my body disagreed. 

When I didn’t respond, her presence muting me, she continued, “Well, have you ever thought that maybe it’s because we are good? If your human race had ever considered that, we wouldn't be in battle like we have been for the past two hundred years.” She paused, her face growing more serious as the mood changed. She sank her fangs into my arm once more, the pain ripping up my skin, prickling its appearance. I cried out in pain. Her mouth turned downward, accompanied by her eyes. “The poison has spread. There is nothing further that I can do for you... without help,” she said matter-of-factly.

“So, I’m going to die?” I spat out, horrified. 

“No... if we get the help that we need in time. Come on, let's go.” She pulled me into the water.

“B-but...” I stammered.

“No buts. Come on, we need to seek help from the dark faeries.” Before I knew it, I was on her back, the ease of her strength pulling me onto her tail. The cold of the water seeped into my bones and an involuntary shiver shot up my spine.

“No!” I spat in disgust. “I will never seek help from a dark faerie! They have set out to ruin the human race time and time over. They have killed so many of our men… One participated in the murder of my mother.” 

Unable to stop myself from remembering, I thought of my child self being plucked from the frightened grip that my mother had on me as she was brutally slaughtered by a dark Mermaid, like the one who had attacked me. An enormous female faerie, with an even larger wingspan, had dropped me into the ocean, leaving my mother unattended and under attack. To this day, I could not remember how I survived. My father had told me that he had pulled me back in, yet in the recesses of my memory, as I sank into the dark water, I could have sworn I saw a flash of colour, and then nothingness. Perhaps a Mermaid.

She looked pained by my confession for just a moment. “I'm not fond of them, either. I’m not going to pretend that my kind hasn’t suffered their fair share of brutality at the hands of faeries, but do you really want to die? Because that is the sad reality of your future if we do not seek their help.” 

“I refuse.” My arms crossed against my chest. I tried hard to ignore the pain that was surging through my forearm. “I can’t leave Sage.” 

“Your friend doesn't have to know.” She paused. “You’re cold, let me fix that.” Sudden heat waves radiated from her back and her hair glowed golden, catching the light. Wisps of golden light flickered across my skin.

“How did you do that?!” My escaping breath caught in my throat.

“Just another Mermaid trick.” She chuckled, delighted at my astonishment.