THALASSAR
N early a week had passed since Lucy's arrival, a week that had shifted the foundations of my world. In my study, the morning brought a new wave of worries. My fingers drummed lightly against the surface of the table as I watched the play of light across my scales. The old ones had gathered - my advisors, mentors, those who had advised me following my mother's death.
Maris, my oldest advisor, sat across from me.
Her pale green scales glimmered from the window as she leaned forward.
“Your people talk of nothing else but the human woman.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not in the way you think.” She picked up a glowing fruit from the bowl on my desk, turning it in her hands.
“They say you smile more.”
“I do not.”
“You’re smiling now.”
I wiped the expression from my face.
“The situation is complicated.”
“Life often is.” Maris set the fruit down.
“Which is why I’ve arranged something.”
“What did you do?”
She stood, moving to the window.
Beyond, the twin suns painted the water in streaks of gold.
“A picnic. Near the jeweled grottos.”
“Maris-“
“Your mother would want you to be happy.”
The mention of my mother hit like a physical blow.
“My duty is to our people.”
“And what good is a leader who denies himself joy?” She turned back to me.
“The meal is packed. Your afternoon is clear. Show her our world, .”
I started to argue, but my response died on my lips as movement at the doorway caught my attention.
Lucy stood there, wrapped in a gown of the deepest blue, her curves making my heart skip a beat.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked.
“Not at all.” Maris glided past her, eyes twinkling with unspoken understanding.
“I was just leaving.”
Lucy watched her go, then stepped into my study.
“Your advisor?”
“Since I was young.” I stood, drawn to her like the tide to shore.
“She’s arranged an outing for us.”
“Has she?” Lucy’s lips curved up.
“And what does the mighty Storm King think about that?”
“The Storm King thinks his advisor is meddling.” I moved closer, caught by the way the light played in her hair.
“But he’s not entirely opposed to the idea.”
She stepped toward the window, looking out at the water.
“Where would we go?”
“There are places here you’ve never seen. Things that would amaze you.”
Lucy turned toward me, and my pulse quickened at her nearness.
“Like what?”
I held out my hand.
“Let me show you.”
She placed her hand in mine, her skin warm against my scales.
We walked through the winding halls, past groups of my people who bowed and whispered.
But their whispers held no malice - only curiosity, and perhaps a hint of approval.
The path to the grottos wound down through stands of glowing coral.
Lucy’s fingers tightened on mine as we descended.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, reaching out to touch a delicate purple frond.
“Wait until you see what’s below.”
We emerged into a vast cavern, its walls studded with crystals that caught and refracted the light from the glowing algae plants.
The effect filled the space with dancing rainbows.
Lucy inhaled sharply.
“How is this possible?”
“The crystals grow here naturally.” I led her deeper into the cavern.
“When the light hits them just right...”
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
As Lucy moved deeper into the cavern, admiring the crystals, my hand unconsciously went to a second pendant hidden beneath my robes---another pearl, but unlike the breathing pearl I’d shown her.
This one swirled with colors that shifted like living ink in water.
I hadn’t shown it to anyone in years.
“What’s that?” Lucy asked, catching my movement.
Her observant eyes missed little.
I let the pendant drop back against my chest, concealed again.
“Just another pearl. A different kind.”
“May I see it?” Her curiosity---that trait I’d first noticed about her in the shallows---shone in her eyes.
“Not yet,” I said softly.
“Some gifts require the right time.” I changed the subject before she could press further.
“Come, the meal Maris prepared awaits.”
A group of ribbon-like creatures drifted past, their translucent bodies trailing streams of light.
Lucy reached out, and one wrapped briefly around her wrist before darting away.
“Thalyshka,” I said.
“They’re drawn to movement and warmth.”
“Do they live here in the grottos?”
I shook my head.
“They travel with the currents. Sometimes they find their way in through the underwater passages.”
We settled on a ledge overlooking a pool where more thalyshka played.
I unpacked the meal Maris had arranged - fruits, delicate pastries filled with spiced meat, and bottles of sweet wine that glowed faintly blue.
Lucy picked up one of the pastries.
“Your advisor thinks of everything.”
“Maris has always been...” I searched for the right word.
“Determined.”
“About what?”
I looked away, studying the play of light on the crystal walls.
“My happiness.”
Lucy’s hand touched my arm, and heat bloomed under my scales.
“Are you? Happy?”
The question echoed in my chest.
Happiness.
The word felt foreign, yet.
.
.
looking at Lucy, bathed in the crystal light, it felt.
.
.
possible.
I turned back to her, caught by the warmth in her eyes.
“I don’t know. But I think I could be.”
She leaned closer, and I held my breath.
“...”
A splash from the pool interrupted the moment.
We turned to see a massive creature rising from the depths, the size of a small boat, its shell gleaming with iridescent patterns.
Lucy gasped.
“What is that?”
“One of our oldest residents.” I watched the creature settle on a rocky outcrop.
“The zymphos have lived in these waters since before my people came here. We leave offerings of food sometimes.”
“It’s incredible.” Lucy stood for a better look.
“On Earth, they’re tiny. But their eyes - they can see colors we can’t even imagine.”
“These are peaceful, unless threatened.” I reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a wrapped package.
“Care to feed it?”
Her eyes lit up.
“Can I?”
I unwrapped the package, revealing strips of raw fish.
“Hold very still.”
The zymphos’ compound eyes tracked our movement as we approached.
Lucy held out the fish, and the creature delicately plucked it from her fingers with one of its feeding appendages.
“That was amazing,” she breathed.
I reached into my pocket, feeling the smooth surface of the pearl I’d brought.
“There’s more to see, if you’re willing.”
She turned to me.
“What do you mean?”
I held up the breathing pearl.
“Like the one I used when I saved you. It’s old technology, from when we traded with land dwellers.”
“You carry them with you?”
I looked away, memories of my mother surfacing.
“My mother made me promise. To always be prepared to help someone in need.”
Lucy’s fingers brushed my cheek, turning my face back to her.
“Your mother sounds like she was remarkable.”
“She was.” I caught her hand, holding it against my face.
“She would have liked you.”
Lucy smiled.
“Would she?”
“Brave. Curious. Unwilling to back down.” I turned my head, pressing a kiss to her palm.
“Yes, she would have recognized a kindred soul.”
Her breath quickened.
“...”
I should have pulled away.
Should have maintained distance.
But Lucy rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to mine, and all thoughts of should faded away.
The kiss was soft, questioning.
When she started to pull back, I caught her waist, drawing her closer.
She made a soft sound against my mouth and wound her arms around my neck.
Heat raced through my blood as I deepened the kiss.
Her lips parted under mine, and I tasted sweet wine and something uniquely Lucy.
My hands slid up her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin silk of her gown.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
Lucy’s fingers played with the hair at the nape of my neck.
“We should probably talk about this,” she said.
“Probably.” I pressed my forehead to hers.
“But not yet.”
She laughed softly.
“No. Not yet.”