Calista struggled to remember the mermaid’s name, but she didn’t have to guess for long.
“I am Ianthe, and my family has always lived in Arelia. With respect for your throne and sub-mate, how do you plan on bringing us back to glory? We have lost so much under… I mean…” She lowered her head and sunk to her knees. “I’m at your mercy, Queen. I should not have spoken in such a manner about our lost queen.”
Calista walked to the stairs and descended to her court floor. She strolled over to Ianthe, who remained in a submissive position. Most merfolk would lose their lives over such a statement, but Calista wasn’t that type of queen.
“Rise, Ianthe of Arelia.”
The mermaid slowly lifted her head and stood, her legs trembling and eyes filling with tears. Her head remained bowed. “I beg you, my queen-“
Placing a hand on Ianthe’s shoulder, Calista said, “There is no cause to bow to me for your words. Although you caused disrespect to fall upon my mother, I will not fault you.” Calista stepped back and spoke louder so all her subjects could hear. “My mother failed you all. She failed me. She failed my father. I understand that many of you are upset with her still, even after her death, but this is the last time we will speak poorly of her.
“I promise you all, I will restore our region.” She turned to Ianthe. “You asked me how, and that is a fair inquiry of your new queen. I will tell you how.”
Calista whipped around and majestically stalked toward her throne, frantically wondering if she had the right idea, but she knew of no other way to restore Arelia. They had fallen too far.
She climbed the stairs, held her hand out to Jergen, and he stood with her. Facing her subjects once more, she squeezed Jergen’s hand for strength.
“I am challenging Queen Tethys for reign over the entire kingdom on Silent Night.”
“Y ou cannot challenge the Queen for rule,” Jergen said once they were back in their chambers. “You’ll not survive.”
Silent Night was held every thousand cycles to allow queens from all regions to either affirm or challenge the reign of the current queen over all merfolk. A challenge meant to the death, which was why it rarely happened. No one had challenged Queen Tethys since her reign began almost ten thousand cycles ago. But then again, no region had ever needed a change in the regime as much as Arelia.
“Silent Night is only thirty-two cycles from now. You’ve just become queen.”
“Exactly. She won’t expect a challenge, especially from a new queen.”
“I won’t allow it,” Jergen said.
Calista laughed. “You are my sub-mate. You are not to allow or disallow anything.”
“I may be your sub-mate,” he said, walking over to her, “but I will not allow – nor suffer – your death.” He combed his fingers through her long, strawberry-blonde hair and pressed his lips to hers.
Her body reacted to his kiss, and the need to secure their union again overcame her. He may have been her confidant her entire life, but they had always shared an undeniable attraction, one they hadn’t been able to indulge until her mother returned to the sea.
While they continued their kiss, she lowered a strap from her queen’s gown off her shoulder. In their human-esque forms in their underwater city, they wore clothing. When they left the city for the waters of the ocean, their legs fused into flukes, and fine scales covered the upper parts of their bodies, eliminating the need for clothing. Calista much preferred her merform, as she loved soaring through the water and exploring, just as when she was a child.
When she dropped her other strap, allowing the gown to fall to her breasts, Jergen broke their kiss and returned the material to her shoulders.
Calista sighed. “And my father thought you would corrupt me.”
“Oh, I plan on corrupting you, my queen. Just later. We still need to discuss Silent Night.”
“No need. I’m not changing my mind. Council is in less than two cycles. We shall go and reclaim our seats. Then, in thirty-two cycles, I will arrive at Council, challenge the queen, and take her place.”
“I cannot let you die.”
“And, you won’t have to. I will reign as Queen over the Kingdom of Merfolk.” She ran a sharp, pointed fingernail down his king’s robes, stopping at his belt. “You’re accompanying me to Council, right? You are the King of Arelia. It’s your duty.” She untied his belt and let it fall to the floor.
“I have a lot of duties, my queen,” he said, “and the most important one is to protect you.”
“Your most important duty is to do exactly as I command,” she said.
Stepping back from him, she pulled the straps down from her shoulders once more, and her gown floated to the ground, leaving her naked and most confident in front of him. Moving back to him, she whispered, “You will accompany me to Council, and you will stop questioning my rule.”
His breath shuddered, and his muscles tensed as she pressed her body against his robes. “Yes, my queen. I will join you at Council, and I support your challenge of Queen Tethys on Silent Night.”
Her lips lingered close to his. “Good. And now, my sub-mate, you will remove your robes and serve your queen as she directs.”
As he fumbled with his robes, she walked to their bed, turned around, and stood in front of it, her hands behind her on the mattress her legs crossed at her ankles. Once he was freed of his royal garb, she signaled with a finger for him to come to her. When he stood in front of her, she pointed to the floor and uncrossed her ankles.
“Time to kneel before your queen,” she said, smiling as he descended to his knees.
C alista and Jergen swam mostly in silence to Council, the Queen’s Guard trailing half a kilometer behind. They had left early to spend some time alone to prepare, away from the eager ears of her court. The region knew of her departure to Council – a huge step in regaining their status in the kingdom – but she did not want anyone to eavesdrop on her plans. She would bring in others as needed and much closer to Silent Night. Until then, she and Jergen were on their own.
With just over a hundred kilometers to go until they reached Council, Calista signaled for her guard to drift away to a respectable distance so she might spend time with her sub-mate. They found a small cave where they could rest and keep their conversation private.
Inside the cave, Calista stared out into the ocean. “This will all be ours very soon,” she said.
Jergen pulled her back into his arms, his chin resting on her shoulder. “It will be. Are you nervous about Council?”
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