From the Depths

It had taken them several hours to empty gallons of the putrid water from the tank. They had only just begun to replace it with fresh seawater when they were forced to stop and cover the tank. The King wanted to eat another meal. Of course he did, Kirea rolled her eyes at the news but didn’t dare argue. It's like he could use a different room in this massage castle... But no he had to dine here of all places.

The Lord’s flamboyant life appeared to be far more important than some fish man, that was at least how the King referred to her patient.

Tyson had kindly provided her with a washcloth to dry herself off, but she still received judgmental glances at her appearance from the cleaning crew they had called in to get rid of the dead fish. She knew what they all thought of her, and honestly, she didn’t give a damn. Thankfully they were all too preoccupied with her appearance and the smell to actually ask questions, like why was there rotting fish all over the floor? She learned very quickly that people didn’t ask questions or speak out of turn around others here.

She sat with her back to the covered tank, notebook in hand. She was jotting down the patient’s key features and referencing them to known marine life. All the while the handmaidens cleaned the room, disposing of the fowl-smelling fish with horrified expressions. Many have covered their noses with cloth in order to work. One had even run out of the room to throw up, she actually found the whole ordeal quite amusing.

“What are you thinking?” Tyson asked her in a soft tone.

She was tapping the charcoal to her chin, leaving a spot of black on the skin, as she ran over her notes. “Well, most of the features are similar to those of deep-sea marine life...” she trailed off as a woman crossed her path in front of her with a mop.

It wasn’t long until the King entered, his clothing completely refreshed, she was sure it was only to be covered in filth again in mere seconds. The cooks lined the table with way more food than any one man could eat. It was sickening, her jaw clenched thinking of all the times her village struggled to find or buy food.

She caught the scowl he gave her as he took his seat, probably to do with her attire or lack thereof. She bowed her head and clenched the towel more tightly around herself. If he wanted her to work on getting the Siren better what did he expect?

It wasn’t until everyone else left the room that His Majesty addressed them. “You have been in here all day?” he questioned.

“Yes my Lord, I believe we are starting to make progress.” Tyson bowed as he responded.

Haith rose a brow at them. “Well?”

Tyson pulled the cloth down, revealing the tank now seemingly to be half empty.

“It looks to me like you are trying to kill it, not make it better.” The King stated with a huff before he began eating. Shoving handfuls of food into his mouth, at an alarming rate.

Kirea frowned, how had this man not had a heart attack by now? How did he not choke on that much food? Was he even chewing it at that pace? How was he even still King for that matter? All she'd seen him do so far was eat and make threats.

“If I may?” she asked for permission to join the conversation.

Lord Haith waved a chicken leg at her, she took the action as a sign to speak. “The patient-”

“Ha! You mean the fish.” The King burst out laughing, food and saliva flying from his mouth as he didn't care for table manners.

She held back her tongue. “-is of a deep-sea species. In order for marine life to remain healthy in captivity, it is imperative that they live in an environment that mimics their natural habitat.”

Standing, the washcloth she had wrapped around her shoulders slid off. She hoisted herself up and into the tank again. This time she had to carefully lower herself down as the water level was a lot lower. “Sir Tyson, if you would please pass me the basin of seawater with the fish.”

Tyson immediately caught her meaning, she was going to give the King a demonstration. He lifted the basin of seawater with the fish up onto the tank ledge, waited for her to have a firm grip and stood back to allow the King a better view. They had also made a point to clean the glass of algae as well, making this the perfect time to show off their progress.

As much as she hated the fact that they had cleaned the front first for the King she couldn't deny that she had agreed to it. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the Siren's life on the line at this point. If they couldn't show him substantial importment then he would get someone else in to try.

Tyson couldn’t hide his smile, he appeared quite proud of himself. Though in reality, he had only fetched the water and fish, it had been her that had cleaned the tank and replaced the water. Tyson had actually refused to enter the enclosure, claiming it best that he watch and act quickly to get her out if something happened. She very nearly mentioned that he left her alone for hours so far. In truth, he just seemed too scared.

Kirea had a feeling something like this may happen, so she had been waiting to feed her Patient. Besides she hadn’t wanted to feed him with such horrible water around him. She wouldn’t have wanted to eat in that, so she assumed the same of him. The water reached her waist now, she could stand in the tank with ease and thankfully it no longer wrapped her legs with that icky slimy feeling. Most of the slimy sludge was now gone from the bottom and her footing was somewhat firm. The Siren still had plenty of water to cover his entire body, most of it much cleaner than before. His eyes were open, his attention firmly placed on her and her actions. As she lowered the basin down and cradled it in her arms, he inched closer to her. He’d done this each time she poured in fresh water.

Haith Gasped and shot to his feet, forgetting about the food entirely. Pieces of meat rolled off the table splattering to the ground before him as his eyes fixated on the Siren. “It’s moving!”

Kirea smiled down at the handsome face looking up at her. She very gently tilted the basin forward, emptying the water into the tank. He was so close to her now, she could feel his hair brush against her thighs. He twisted, rolling over in the water, as though he was relishing in the new water. His eyes closed as his head tilted to the side and he appeared to enjoy the water being poured over him. Cooling his clearly burnt and damaged skin. She felt sorry for the creature, he was covered in gashes that were infected alongside the burns. His movements were slow and minimal, seeming to be all he could muster for now.

A splash caught his attention and his eyes jolted open again. A small white herring had plopped into the water. His eyes eagerly followed it as it swam around the tank. His hand reached out as it raced by him but he was still too weak and sluggish, he couldn’t catch it.

“Here, let me.” Kirea reached into the basin and attempted to catch a fish herself. It took her a few tries, and she could swear she heard someone snicker at her. Finally able to grab hold of one she held it firmly as she removed it from the bucket and offered it to the Siren.

He was hesitant to take it, but slowly he reached out with both his hands. She remained completely still as his hands encased hers. To her surprise, his hands were soft and gentle, she had expected them to be scaly and coarse like the majority of his body. He had accepted her aid, his grip replaced her own on the fish. He raised the fish to his mouth, that's when she felt her blood run cold. His jaw was filled with what looked like raver-sharp fangs, almost shark-like, he was definitely a carnivore. He bit into the fish, tearing it in half, before swallowing both parts seemingly whole.

“Incredible, the thing looks better than when we found it!” The King exclaimed though she doubted that.

“It sadly won’t last, the tank will once again fill with muck and grime. His fins will also begin to deform from the lack of space, he cannot swim in this contained area. The bigger the creature the more space it needs to be able to stretch out and move.” Kirea emptied the rest of the water and the fish into the tank. “He needs a self-sustaining environment in order to thrive and regain full health.” She concluded.

“Very well, I will have a place dug out below the castle, a cavern. You will oversee its creation.” King Haith crossed his hands over his enlarged stomach. “You have proven that you can care for the creature miss Kirea, I am naming you primary caretaker. Anything you need, it shall be done. Keep it alive and the world will be at your feet.”

He returned to his seat to finish his meal with a greedy grin. “I am very pleased, I had not believed you could pull it off, and this quickly too.” Shoveling more food into his mouth he didn’t even look at the two as he continued. “Replace the silk.” He ordered after a moment.

“Yes, my Lord.” Kirea removed herself from the tank and replaced the silk cloth over the tank once again. She then picked up her washcloth and wrapped it around herself, waiting for her next orders.

The King eyed Tyson angrily. “I see that you're not even a drop wet, did you even help at all? I see now that you were utterly useless-”

“But my lord, I found Kirea for y-” Tyson tried to say.

“DON’T CUT ME OFF!” King Haith’s face was red, he was fuming. He slammed his fists against the table making them both flinch. Standing he strode over to the door, a sense of relief flooded Kirea as she thought he was leaving. But her heart started to pound loudly in her chest when he called the Knights in instead.