FULL NOVELXO Rescued By The Merman: Chapter 27
My eyes snap open. The first thing I become aware of is my father’s face leaning over me. I blink up at him. “Father? What is going on?”
He embraces me warmly. “My son, thank goodness you are well again.”
I sit up, only now noticing I’m back home, in my room, instead of on the beach. “What do you mean? I—”
I stop as myriad pieces of memories flit through my mind. Panic tightens my chest. “Where is Halla?”
Pain reflects in Dorin’s eyes. “She saved you, Errik. You were near death.”
“Where is she?”
He lowers his gaze. “They took her back to the castle. She fell unconscious after she gave you the potion.”
“Potion?” I scowl. “What are you talking about?”
Toren places a hand on my shoulder. “There is much I must tell you, my dear brother.”
I wait along the shoreline, hoping for even one glimpse of her. It has been three weeks since she traded her love and her memory of me to save my life. Knowing that she does not remember me is a devastation unlike anything I have ever felt before.
I swallow against the lump in my throat as I observe her wheel herself to the balcony. King Henrick takes a seat beside her as they gaze out at the sea. His memory was altered as well. He is courting her, trying to convince her to become his queen.
Worry tightens my chest as I notice her spending more time with him lately. As if all this time he has spent with her these past few weeks is gently easing her into the idea of accepting his proposal.
Shortly after the potion healed my mortal wound, it imparted something else to me. I gained the knowledge of exactly what the witch took in her bargain with Halla—the details of the binding, and everyone affected.
Even if I were to try to tell Halla who I was and what I had once meant to her, she would be unable to accept it. Her heart and mind are bound by the dark magic that was used to create the potion.
Henrick is determined to make her his mate. He knows she does not love him, but he doesn’t care. I overheard Halla speaking with Gerold a few weeks ago. She believed it was her duty to accept Henrick’s hand because of the help he could offer her people and her kingdom in rebuilding after the dragon’s attack.
My father took pity on me and met with King Gerold. He offered him several chests of treasure from the sea to help the people of Solwyck rebuild and to free Halla from the burden of having to marry a man she does not love. But more importantly, I know Father did it for me. Because he knows how devastated I am at the mere thought of her taking another as her mate.
Henrick has not given up, however. Even though her kingdom no longer needs money or aid, he offers her something she fears she may never have otherwise: children and a family of her own. She believes no one else will want her because of her disability.
If only she knew how I felt. I wish she could remember how much I love her.
As I watch her with Henrick, jealousy twists deep inside me. I want to scale the cliff wall and pull her into my arms, give her my kiss and steal her away to my palace in the depths of the sea.
I have imagined doing this many times, but I know I cannot. If I did, it would only scare her. She does not remember our love. A deep ache settles in my chest at the knowledge that she might never regain her memories of me.
A tremulous smile crests my lips as Henrick helps her to stand. Her knees shake as she steadies herself. She is unable to walk without holding onto someone for balance, but still… it is progress, and I am happy for her.
Movement ripples the water nearby, and I turn to find Toren. He swims up beside me. “You cannot keep coming here, Errik. It is not good for you. You must move on.”
“She is my fated one, Toren. I love her. I cannot just forget her.”
How can I ever move on knowing that the female I love is so close yet so far away?
Dorin and I have been searching for answers, and I have to believe we will find them. I have to believe this, because I refuse to give up.
Henrick takes Halla’s hand and brings the back of it to his lips. A faint smile curves her mouth and bitter acid burns its way up my throat. I would set flame to his ship and happily watch it sink to the bottom of the sea if Henrick was not a good and honorable male.
But I know he is because I have listened to him speak to Halla. His words are blunt but his intentions are true. He would offer her anything and everything she could possibly want if she agrees to become his mate.
Everything but love, that is. He claims to be incapable of this emotion.
“Errik,” Toren says, ripping me from my dark thoughts. “We should leave.”
Sadness tears at my chest as I watch Henrick get down upon one knee on the balcony before her.
“Brother,” Toren says, pulling at my arm. “We need to go. Now.”
In the back of my mind, I recognize the warning in Toren’s voice, but I cannot bring myself to look away from Halla.
Henrick’s voice carries on the wind as he stares up at her. “Will you be my queen?”
She hesitates a moment, and my heart shatters when she finally nods, ‘yes.’
“No!” the angry roar rips from my chest.
Halla’s head whips toward me, but Toren drags me beneath the water.
“What were you thinking?”
Devastation wars with anger. She should be mine. Not his. “She cannot bond with him! Henrick will never love her like I would!”
“That is not your decision to make,” Toren snaps. “Not anymore.”
His words hit me like a physical blow.
He places a hand on my shoulder. “Forgive me, Errik. I should not have spoken so harshly. I do not know what to say to make things better for you. You barely eat or sleep anymore. Father and I are worried; afraid that if you continue in this way, you will die of a broken heart.”
He is right. The witch may have given Halla a potion to save my life, but I am still dying slowly anyway. Numbly, I nod and allow Toren to pull me back to the castle.
As soon as we enter, Dorin appears. His eyes are full of concern as they meet mine. “My Prince,” he bows low. “Please, do not despair. I believe I have found an answer to help Halla regain her memories.”
“What is it?”
“A blue pearl.”
I shake my head. “Those are a myth.”
“No,” he insists. “They are not.”
I blink at him in astonishment. “Where can I find one? The myths mention they are extremely rare.”
“There is a dragon in Eryadon. It is rumored that he has a blue pearl; that he stole it from a Sea Witch many years ago.”
“A dragon? How will I get the pearl from a dragon?”
“He is cursed and lives in a castle along the coastline. But you must be careful. He is the same dragon who burned the city of Bryndor to ash.”
I still at his words. Everyone knows what happened to Bryndor. Almost the entire city was reduced to fire and ash. It still lies in ruin, even to this day. It was once the shining jewel of its kingdom, known far and wide for its beauty and as a hub of commerce and trade.
The devastation visited upon Solwyck is but a shadow of what happened there. If not for Halla’s sacrifice and bravery, her city would have suffered the same fate.
“I forbid you to go on this dangerous quest,” Father’s voice rings in my head as he enters the room. He levels a dark glare at Dorin.
Dorin’s eyes go wide and he bows low. “Forgive me, my King. I am only trying to help.”
“By sending my son to his death?”
All the color drains from Dorin’s face. “Of—of course not, my King. I would never—”
“And yet, you would send him to steal treasure from the Dragon that burned Bryndor to ash.”
My hands curl into fists at my side as I struggle to push down my anger. “If it were Mother, would you not do the same?” I challenge. “Would you not risk your life to get her back?”
“Your mother was Mer. Halla is not. Your relationship was destined to fail from the start,” he grinds out. “Better that it happened now, before you bound yourself to her, than after.”
I gesture to my tail. The fated glow may be dim, but it is still there. “She is my fated one. I do not want to live without her.”
“I forbid you to risk your life for a human!” Father shouts.
I tip my chin up and meet his gaze evenly. “It is not your decision to make. It is mine.”
“Errik, you cannot—”
“That human,” Toren interrupts, “saved Errik’s life. Or have you forgot?”
Frustration burns in Father’s eyes, but he says nothing. What can he say? Toren is right and the decision is mine.
I turn to Dorin. “In the myths, it is said that the pearls only work during the blue moon cycle. Is this truth?”
He nods. “Once you have it, you must take it to her. Hold it in your hand and speak the words of your soul’s desire. The magic of the pearl will only work if your heart is true.”
“You are certain it will work?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “In truth, I do not know. In my research, I found that Mer used to seek out blue pearls to grant them legs so they could live among the land dwellers.
“Blue pearls contain powerful magic, even more so than that of a Bloodwitch. It is your best hope for breaking the curse tied to the potion. But it will only work during the blue moon cycle.”
Worry fills me. There is less than a week until the blue moon comes. If I have not retrieved the blue pearl by then I will have to wait a little over two years before the next blue moon cycle. And if the dragon truly has one, who knows how long it will take me to retrieve it.
In addition to that, Henrick is now engaged to Halla. I have to restore her memories before they wed. I cannot bear the thought of her taking another as her mate.
As if reading my thoughts, Dorin places a hand on my shoulder. “You must hurry. You do not have much time.”
With a slight clench of his jaw, Father’s gaze meets mine. He pulls me into a hug. “Know that I love you, my son, and I want only for you to be happy.”
“Then, please understand, Father. She is my heart, and I must do whatever I can to get her back. Even if it means facing down a dragon.”
“I will go with you,” Toren says. “I’ll help you find the blue pearl.”
Father looks to us. “Just promise me that you will both return to me safely.”
We each give him a solemn nod. Despite my fear, I will not waver in my resolve. I will do whatever it takes to restore Halla’s memories. I will retrieve the blue pearl or die trying.