It was amazing how long the days lasted here. Yes it was one thing to say a day in Kingdom was a month on Earth, but it literally did feel like she’d been awake for days.
Paved sea stones meandered around the castle, fish swam freely between them. Moving through the water was a little like walking through a pool. There was a feeling of weightlessness as she moved. And everything down here seemed brighter, colors and shapes more focused. There were hut style homes everywhere, their dun coloration letting her know they were built of sand.
Smoke billowed from chimneys, which how that was even possible was beyond her, but she wouldn’t question it. Very little of this world followed any sort of rules she was used to. The only humans she saw walking around were males, and they were staring at her like they couldn’t understand what in the hell she was doing here.
She chuckled beneath her breath, because she had no idea either. A few mermaids swam between the streets, but none of them paid her any mind. Her novelty had clearly worn off, but what surprised her most was that none stared at Hook either. In fact, they seemed to make a concerted effort to not even glance in his general direction; it was so obvious she was curious why.
Several yards away she spotted the Jolly Roger. A constant stream of mermaids drifted in and out of the ship; hopefully the men were having a good enough time that they’d leave her alone a while longer, at least until she was able to get back home. She had no desire to befriend an entire ship of pirates.
The entrance to the garden loomed before them finally and the sight of it made Trisha’s jaw drop. Several years ago she’d traveled with a friend to the redwood forest in California. The towering trees had been a marvel, but that had nothing on this. Each strand of swaying kelp was as thick as one of those trunks had been, their jade color gleaming neon, lighting up the darkened pathway with a sort of ghostly ambience. She wasn’t sure whether she really wanted to enter after all, but Hook didn’t stop or look back, just continued down the path leaving her to herself.
Shrugging, she decided to just do it. If she died here, maybe she’d finally wake up from the weirdness. The moment she stepped foot inside, a flicker of light caught her attention. Blue mushroom looking things were stuck to the undersides of the kelp and they were glowing too.
“Wow,” she breathed, touching one, and then yelped when it crawled off.
“Sea snail.” Maiven’s voice sounded much more sweet than it had earlier with Hook.
“Slippery little buggers,” she muttered, wiping her hand on her gown with a shudder. Snails were so not her thing. At Maiven’s odd look, Trisha waved her fingers. “Just a joke. I’m Trisha.”
Maiven took her outstretched hand, hers were soft and warm and when Trisha looked at their clasped hands, she noticed she didn’t have the black talons like Sirenade did. It looked as human as hers, except maybe for the little bit of extra webbing between the fingers.
“I keep hoping I’ll see her.” Her words echoed with a hint of great pain, enough to make Trisha’s heart clench in her chest.
“I’m sorry to be such a disappointment.”
“No.” Maiven smiled softly. “I’m sorry to make you feel so. It is only that, I never got the chance to tell her I loved her. We had a fight that day you see. I was so angry that she’d chosen to leave us, leave me. I cursed her name, told her I’d never forgive her.” Large tears gathered at the corners of her eyes again. “I’ve lived with the pain of that forever. I loved my granddaughter and I’ve only ever wanted,” she swallowed hard, knuckling tears from her eyes, “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be forced to listen to this.”
Her laugh was bitter and all Trisha wanted to do was help her heal that pain. Gathering her courage, she took Maiven’s hands in her own and squeezed. “Then tell her.”
“What?”
“Tell me. If it’s true, that her soul lives inside me, then surely she hears you, right?”
“I…I,” she blinked, “are you sure? May I?”
Biting her lower lip she nodded, and braced herself to hear the mermaid’s deepest wounds.
“Talia, my beauty,” Maiven began, brushing a knuckle across Trisha’s cheek, “I’m so sorry. I cannot lie and say I’ve forgiven him, but I did you a great wrong. I could never hate you my sweet little maiden. Please say that you forgive me.”
A lump gathered in the back of Trisha’s throat. She had to clear it twice before she trusted herself to speak and when she did, she knew just what to say. The words had been on her tongue forever, waiting for the chance to be spoken.
“I forgive you and I’ve always loved you, great mother. My love for him never diminished my love for you.”
Maiven gasped, her hand shook as she covered her mouth with it.