The Heart of the Ocean

“He held her like a seashell

and listened to her heart.”

-Unknown

The tridents clashed with force. The sound echoed in the training arena. An angry hiss was the only warning the warrior got before a powerful tail hit him in the chest. He felt a sharp pain on his back as the column he had landed on broke into pieces. He shook his head to regain his senses as the other figure approached him. He barely had any time to move, before the trident landed on the place his head was previously laying on.

“Too sloppy”, the attacker growled.

The merman fumed in anger. He wasn’t sloppy, damn it! For Thalassa’s sake, he was a royal guard! He had been training for this role for years and had won his position fairly. He didn’t take the disrespect lightly. His irises turned to slits as he eyed the playful smirk of his foe. He hissed at him warningly, showing him his razor-sharp fangs. He swam quickly, ready to bite into his flesh. Only for his attacker’s elbow to hit the gills on his neck and leave him breathless.

“Too reckless”, the figure chuckled.

As he was trying to regain his breath, something shiny caught the corner of his eyes. Before he could make a move to regain his weapon, he was pushed back with the handle of a trident. His opponent shook his head in disappointment, before adjusting his weapon.

“Too predictable”, he warned him yet again.

Enough is enough! He let his nails grow into sharp black talons, before meeting his attacker head-on. As he pushed him down, the merman lost the grip on his trident. The merman smirked in triumph -finally, justice! However, it didn’t last for too long. A hand was wrapped around his neck, cutting his air supply once again. In this moment of disruption, his opponent managed to turn them around and pin him to the sand below. He hissed at his struggle, letting his talons scrape lightly his neck.

“Too slow”, he shook his head in disappointment.

His nails disappeared from his neck letting him breathe. The merman groaned -his entire body was on fire. His broad chest had a red imprint where he was pushed. The skin of his neck felt bruised -small lines of red decorated it. His back felt broken. His long dark locks were a mess -they had escaped the seaweed he had used to put them into a bun. His purple eyes took in the figure of his brother as he swam back and forth.

“If I was a Tenebris, you’d already be dead”, he growled angrily.

His lip curled at his brother’s disrespect.

“You are the captain of the Royal Guard, Amias!“, the merman defended himself, “You are a fully trained warrior and have participated in more battles than I can count! Those filthy rogues do not have your training! I’m sure I can hold my own!”

“Do you think this is a joke, Evander?“, Amias hissed, “You think the Tenebris are not a threat? Those bloodthirsty rogues are completely mad! They don’t have an ounce of logic! That makes them more dangerous than you can ever imagine!”

Bright purple eyes met glowing amber ones.

“You’ll never take me seriously, will you?“, Evander asked bitterly, “I’ll always be your younger brother, won’t I?”

“You are my family, Evander”, Amias growled frustratedly, “I refuse to let you die in the hands of those rogues! If I have to train you for the next decade so be it! I’m not allowing you to attend a battle unprepared!”

His eyes had an orange glow as his emotions got the best of him.

“You’re treating me unfairly, Amias”, Evander sighed in defeat, “You allowed less-skilled warriors to join you in battle. I have the same age as them!”

“These men don’t share the same blood and flesh with me”, he explains yet again.

“Why don’t you trust me?“, Evander yelled in frustration.

“I never said I don’t trust you”, Amias ran a hand through his dark locks, “I’m trying to protect you. You don’t understand what war does to a person. It makes him unrecognizable -fucks with his head. I need to make sure you’re ready.”

Evander hissed in frustration, before pushing him away. His powerful tail moved quickly, leading him away from the training fields -away from the city of Atlantis. Amias watched as his brother’s green tail -identical to his- disappeared from sight. He didn’t make any move to follow him. Evander needed time -he needed to be away from everyone and think in silence. A familiar presence appeared on his side.

“General Osmond”, he acknowledged the blonde merman.

“Captain”, he replied, “You’ll just let him go?”

The merman sighed in defeat.

“I’ll have to”, he mumbled, “Eventually.”

While the two men left the training grounds, Evander left the city of Atlantis behind. He needed to clear his mind and get rid of his anger. He knew if he stayed for a few more moments, he’d say something he didn’t mean. He hated when this happened -when he fought with his brother. He knew Amias only wanted what was best for him, but his overprotectiveness got on his nerves. Damn it, why did he have to be the older one? If he was the one who was a decade older, he wouldn’t have to deal with this.

His tail moved graciously through the clear waters of the ocean, guiding him to the one place he always seemed to return. He didn’t know why he found the pond so alluring. Its depths provided him with a comfort he couldn’t explain. A long time ago, he had saved a human girl from drowning in these waters. Since then, his instincts always guided him back to the same place. Perhaps, it was the silence that brought him peace or the beauty of the seashells that surrounded its walls. He didn’t really care -he just enjoyed the comfort.

By the time he arrived at the familiar waters, the rays of the sun had disappeared from the surface. The moon had taken its place above the pond as Selene caressed with her rays the beautiful seashells. He curled himself on the rocky bottom, allowing his back to rest against the rough walls. He hissed at the pain and was immediately reminded of his bruised back. Growling in frustration he made himself comfortable. His figure becoming one with the darkness surrounding him.

Evander tried to calm himself down, but he was so furious. He always wanted to become a royal guard. Even as a child, he was set on being a warrior when he grew up. He could clearly remember his father returning home each afternoon -his armor always infatuated him, his trident was enough to make his eyes widen. It was a great honor to serve the royal family -to protect the King of Atlantis. He wanted to fight for his homeland, to defend Atlantis from all enemies. Why couldn’t his brother understand him? He needed this. It was his duty.

He was always close to Amias, despite their age difference. His brother was always there for him, no matter what. He was quick to take the blame, when Evander did something wrong. He was always looking out for him, being weary of his friends and the people he chose to surround himself with. He was the one who taught him how to fight -for Selene’s grace, he even persuaded their mother to let him join the army. They have shared their hopes and worries together, dreaming of their future. How would it be to fight side by side? To find their destined soulmates? To have a family? It was easy to share their most personal thoughts with one another.

Damn it, he hated it when they fought.

His thoughts were cut short when a sound echoed through the silent depths. He strained his ears, trying to understand what was it. Whatever it was, it seemed to move frantically. Its movements disturbed the waters, making him annoyed that his peace was broken. It didn’t last long though -it seemed to have moved away. Evander sighed to himself, before closing his eyes once again. Only for his peace to be disturbed again by a louder sound. He growled in annoyance, his purple eyes burning in anger.

He stood up abruptly, deciding to investigate. The walls had a few openings that allowed him to swim from the bottom to the top without being noticed. He didn’t like that his place was violated -he was a territorial beast after all. He would scare whatever found his haven, so it would never set its scales in these waters. He could feel his eyes glowing brightly as the predator in him awakened. His movements were fast and silent as he swam between the openings of the walls. His ears strained, hearing his victim panic as he slowly approached it. His lip curled up, revealing a set of sharp fangs ready to pierce flesh. He was ready to attack.

Until a scent reached him.

His nostrils flared taking in the enticing fragrance. He had never smelled anything like it -he couldn’t get enough of it. He groaned as he tried to fill his lungs with more of the amazing aroma. His entire being felt as if it was on fire and this time, his injuries had nothing to do with it. His eyes widened when he felt a tug in his heart. His palm rubbed the flesh above the painful organ.

“The Call ”, he whispered shocked.

Before he realized it, he left his hiding place. His tail moved rapidly as his eyes tried to find the source of the scent. He looked almost crazed -his eyes were frantically searching every corner of the pond. He couldn’t help himself, he knew what the Call of Thalassa meant. He had found his soulmate, the person his Goddesses bound him to. The person he was destined to spend his life with. His other half.

A movement caught his eyes -something was swimming in the depths. He approached silently -he didn’t want to scare his destined one. As he came closer, he was redeemed speechless. She looked ethereal -like an angel swimming in the deep. Her long locks were caressing her cheeks like soft feathers. Her face had a peaceful expression as if she was sleeping. Her luscious lips were slightly parted, making him yearn to kiss them. She was so beautiful -he couldn’t believe his eyes.

When he snapped back to reality, he understood something wasn’t right. She wasn’t moving -she was just sinking towards the bottom. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion -why didn’t she use her scales? His eyes widened in panic when he realized she was a human. He could feel his heart ready to burst when he registered that she was drowning. He swam frantically towards her form, having never felt so scared in his entire life.

Merpeople mated for life. Their mates meant everything to them. Their two Goddesses, Thalassa and Selene, granted them only one fated love. If they ever lost them, they had to spend the rest of their long lives alone and in misery. Mermen were territorial and very protective of the people they loved. They believed that it was their responsibility to keep their beloved always happy and safe. To lose a mate meant that they weren’t good enough to protect them.

Evander had just met her.

And he would be damned, if he let her die.

Her skin was soft as he engulfed her form. He felt sparks of electricity wherever his flesh touched hers. He didn’t think too much about it. He was too worried about the slow pace of her heart and the water in her lungs. He was well aware humans couldn’t breathe underwater. He moved his tail quickly, guiding them towards the surface as fast as possible. However, even when they broke through the surface, her body seemed limp. She was still unresponding, unconscious.

With trembling hands, he guided them towards the rocks that surrounded them. He realized he’d need to somehow get the water out of her lungs. He laid her gently on the rough surface, caressing the wet strands away from her face. A sharp pain erupted in his heart -he didn’t like to see her in this lifeless state. He felt responsible for her condition. He wasn’t fast enough. He had failed her.

His hands reached for her chest -he needed her to breathe. He needed her to spit out the saltwater. Something rough touched his palm, instead of the softness of her skin. He looked down in confusion.

His heart stopped.

No, it couldn’t be.

And yet, the blue seashell had another story to tell.

He caressed the blue shell before he whispered in disbelief.

“Aide?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 9!!

Latin translations:

Tenebris= The dark ones (They are similar to the rouges that appear in werewolves stories.)

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