Chapter 2
Lavisnare paused in the entrance hall of the palace, seeing a familiar face. He swam over to speak to his good friend Garajnare, who was talking to General Affabnare nearby. His friend taught youngsters how to fight, and was much respected among his people. There was no better instructor around than Garajnare; he understood the young very well. He turned out classes full of splendid warriors of both sexes. Garajnare caught sight of him, and displayed his teeth in a sharp smile as he held out his hand for Lavisnare to clasp.
“My friend!” he called. “How was the surface world?”
“The usual,” Lavisnare drawled. “Only worse. I came back with something more than the usual trade goods this time.”
Garajnare looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Lavisnare explained to him and the general about his human hostages. Both men listened in silence to this recital, but they were also both dazzled by the riches within the casket. “Do you think that my father will be happy with this trade agreement?” Lavisnare asked with a toothy grin.
“I should think so,” Garajnare said, still staring at the gems. “They are wondrous, Lav.”
“I know, Gar. When I saw them I was astounded. For these I will put up with that arrogant human brat for however long is necessary. Actually, though, I came over partially to ask you for a favor.”
“Of course. What is it?” his friend asked.
“You’re a very good combat teacher, Gar. You teach the young and vulnerable how to fight. I was hoping that you might take a look at our two humans and see if you could perhaps teach them the rudiments of how to protect themselves. I can’t be guarding and babysitting them every moment of every day. If they could defend themselves even a bit, that would be better than now.”
“I see. Yes, I’ll stop by and look them over in awhile,” Garajnare promised him.
“Wonderful. You have my thanks, Gar,” he clasped his friend’s hand again, and then sighed. “I have to go and speak to Father now. Wish me luck.”
“You have it,” Garajnare told him, and the mer prince swam away toward the throne chamber to speak with his inimitable father, Rovarinare King of the Mer Folk.
Lavisnare swam through a short archway and into the throne room of his father Rovarinare. The room was enormous, and filled with mer folk. A huge mass of glowing crystal on the ceiling lit the entire space, showing him the far end where His Majesty Rovarinare lounged in a hollowed-out stone seat that had been shaped to the contours of his body, flanked by his two faithful attendants on either side. These two males served his every need and/or whim, and were with him for every second of every day except when he visited his harem of concubines. It was considered a great honor to be an attendant to the king, and one day Lavisnare would have his own faithful, dedicated pair as well. That is, if he managed to hold onto his position as Crown Prince.
He had at least forty siblings who would gladly take his position from him if they could. And Lavisnare could ill-afford to lose his title and the throne – if he did, he’d either be exiled completely (if his father was in a generous mood) or he’d be killed outright. Neither prospect appealed to him, so he would do whatever he had to to remain the Crown Prince until his father’s death when he could ascend to the throne. The casket that he carried in his hands would go far toward helping him in that quest – his father was sure to be enthralled by the jewels inside of it. Here, at the bottom of the sea, anything that displayed unusual or bright colors was heavily prized by his folk. After all, they lived in a world of greens and grays, creams and pinks. Some of the fish were spectacularly colored, but his own people’s skin tones varied little. So they liked to decorate themselves with colorful gems and metals whenever they could, imitating the other sea creatures.
Lavisnare took a deep breath through his gills and swam slowly toward the throne. His father looked bored; that was actually a good thing. This situation should divert that boredom and appeal to the King, which would please him. Rovarinare’s lidded eyes glanced up at his offspring as Lavisnare approached, and he frowned slightly. “What brings you here, my son?” he drawled.
Lavisnare bent his body in half in the mer folk version of a deep bow. “Father. I bring news from the surface world,” he told the King.
“Oh? Something interesting I hope. I’d hate to think that you are bothering me for no good reason,” his father replied in a silky, dangerous tone of voice.
“Of course not, My Sire. I k now how valuable is your time,” Lavisnare shot back smoothly. The King glared at him, but he diverted his father’s potential wrath by lifting the casket in his hands in front of him and presenting it to his father. “A new set of humans wishes to trade with us for our pearls...and what they have to offer us in return is extraordinary,” he said, his fingers opening the casket and lifting the lid. “These,” he added smugly.
The King drew in a deep, startled breath when he saw the quality of the jewels resting in the casket. Such beauty! Most likely he was imagining the reception he’d get if he gave some of them as gifts to his favorite concubines. Lavisnare thought dryly that he’d soon have even more siblings to contend with, if the look in the King’s eyes was anything to go on. His father expelled a long breath, the small bubbles rising up from his neck and dancing in the air as his gills expelled the water after taking in the oxygen he needed.
“And these humans would trade gems such as these for our pearls?” he questioned.
Lavisnare fought not to smirk. He had his father completely. “That is correct. There is only one small stipulation, however,” he continued calmly.
Rovarinare’s eyes rose from the gems to study his son’s face. “Stipulation? What do you mean?”
“The human King asked that his son live as a hostage to our good faith,” he explained. “Apparently it is something that is often done on the land. Lord Rokkar tried to talk the prince of that human land out of trying to come here and dwell with us, but he would have none of that argument. He was determined to come, so I brought him with me.”
Startled silence. Rovarinare stared at his offspring like he thought that Lavisnare had taken leave of his senses. “You brought a human HERE?!” he exclaimed at last. “What warped thinking would lead you to do THAT?!”
Lavisnare bared his teeth just a little. “Only the thinking that the human King would not make this deal with us if we didn’t take in his son,” he replied sharply. “Do you wish to acquire more of these gems or not? This is the only way to do so, Father.”
King Rovarinare pursed his thin lips. “I see,” he remarked. “Very well. How is the human prince surviving under the water?”
“He brought a human wizard with him. The wizard has created a space where they can live and breathe, and can also give the prince and himself gills when necessary. He will see to all of the prince’s needs so that we will not need to attend to him ourselves. After a time, when our trades are going smoothly, we can send this prince back this people.”
Rovarinare considered his word’s. “Very well,” he said reluctantly. “While I do not approve of having a human living here among us, if this is the only way that this trade can go forward, then I will simply have to accept his presence. But I charge you with his care, my son. If he causes trouble you will be the one who will be punished. Do you understand?”
Another bow. “Of course, My Father.” Was all that Lavisnare said.
A wave of the royal hand. “If that is all, you may go. But leave that here,” he pointed a clawed finger at the open casket in Lavisnare’s hands.
He nodded and handed the casket over to one of the King’s attendants. Lavisnare swam from the court, feeling that he’d done very well in his presentation. His father was somewhat disgruntled about the human prince’s presence here, but he wasn’t actively angry. And the gems would soothe any irritation that he was feeling, especially when he remembered that having Prince Raddyth here as a hostage was the only way for them to get more of those amazing jewels. It was never easy being the Crown Prince, balancing between keeping his father happy and satisfied with him and fending off his other siblings in their attempts to grab his power. Prince Raddyth should be happy that he was a younger son of a human King, because apparently the humans didn’t have the same system as his folk did. The eldest sibling always inherited their thrones and power. Of course, if they had that same system HE wouldn’t be Crown Prince; since at least a dozen or more of his siblings were older than him. Perhaps he should just be happy with the system that allowed him to take the throne despite his age.
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Lavisnare paused in the entrance hall of the palace, seeing a familiar face. He swam over to speak to his good friend Garajnare, who was talking to General Affabnare nearby. His friend taught youngsters how to fight, and was much respected among his people. There was no better instructor around than Garajnare; he understood the young very well. He turned out classes full of splendid warriors of both sexes. Garajnare caught sight of him, and displayed his teeth in a sharp smile as he held out his hand for Lavisnare to clasp.
“My friend!” he called. “How was the surface world?”
“The usual,” Lavisnare drawled. “Only worse. I came back with something more than the usual trade goods this time.”
Garajnare looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Lavisnare explained to him and the general about his human hostages. Both men listened in silence to this recital, but they were also both dazzled by the riches within the casket. “Do you think that my father will be happy with this trade agreement?” Lavisnare asked with a toothy grin.
“I should think so,” Garajnare said, still staring at the gems. “They are wondrous, Lav.”
“I know, Gar. When I saw them I was astounded. For these I will put up with that arrogant human brat for however long is necessary. Actually, though, I came over partially to ask you for a favor.”
“Of course. What is it?” his friend asked.
“You’re a very good combat teacher, Gar. You teach the young and vulnerable how to fight. I was hoping that you might take a look at our two humans and see if you could perhaps teach them the rudiments of how to protect themselves. I can’t be guarding and babysitting them every moment of every day. If they could defend themselves even a bit, that would be better than now.”
“I see. Yes, I’ll stop by and look them over in awhile,” Garajnare promised him.
“Wonderful. You have my thanks, Gar,” he clasped his friend’s hand again, and then sighed. “I have to go and speak to Father now. Wish me luck.”
“You have it,” Garajnare told him, and the mer prince swam away toward the throne chamber to speak with his inimitable father, Rovarinare King of the Mer Folk.
Lavisnare swam through a short archway and into the throne room of his father Rovarinare. The room was enormous, and filled with mer folk. A huge mass of glowing crystal on the ceiling lit the entire space, showing him the far end where His Majesty Rovarinare lounged in a hollowed-out stone seat that had been shaped to the contours of his body, flanked by his two faithful attendants on either side. These two males served his every need and/or whim, and were with him for every second of every day except when he visited his harem of concubines. It was considered a great honor to be an attendant to the king, and one day Lavisnare would have his own faithful, dedicated pair as well. That is, if he managed to hold onto his position as Crown Prince.
He had at least forty siblings who would gladly take his position from him if they could. And Lavisnare could ill-afford to lose his title and the throne – if he did, he’d either be exiled completely (if his father was in a generous mood) or he’d be killed outright. Neither prospect appealed to him, so he would do whatever he had to to remain the Crown Prince until his father’s death when he could ascend to the throne. The casket that he carried in his hands would go far toward helping him in that quest – his father was sure to be enthralled by the jewels inside of it. Here, at the bottom of the sea, anything that displayed unusual or bright colors was heavily prized by his folk. After all, they lived in a world of greens and grays, creams and pinks. Some of the fish were spectacularly colored, but his own people’s skin tones varied little. So they liked to decorate themselves with colorful gems and metals whenever they could, imitating the other sea creatures.
Lavisnare took a deep breath through his gills and swam slowly toward the throne. His father looked bored; that was actually a good thing. This situation should divert that boredom and appeal to the King, which would please him. Rovarinare’s lidded eyes glanced up at his offspring as Lavisnare approached, and he frowned slightly. “What brings you here, my son?” he drawled.
Lavisnare bent his body in half in the mer folk version of a deep bow. “Father. I bring news from the surface world,” he told the King.
“Oh? Something interesting I hope. I’d hate to think that you are bothering me for no good reason,” his father replied in a silky, dangerous tone of voice.
“Of course not, My Sire. I k now how valuable is your time,” Lavisnare shot back smoothly. The King glared at him, but he diverted his father’s potential wrath by lifting the casket in his hands in front of him and presenting it to his father. “A new set of humans wishes to trade with us for our pearls...and what they have to offer us in return is extraordinary,” he said, his fingers opening the casket and lifting the lid. “These,” he added smugly.
The King drew in a deep, startled breath when he saw the quality of the jewels resting in the casket. Such beauty! Most likely he was imagining the reception he’d get if he gave some of them as gifts to his favorite concubines. Lavisnare thought dryly that he’d soon have even more siblings to contend with, if the look in the King’s eyes was anything to go on. His father expelled a long breath, the small bubbles rising up from his neck and dancing in the air as his gills expelled the water after taking in the oxygen he needed.
“And these humans would trade gems such as these for our pearls?” he questioned.
Lavisnare fought not to smirk. He had his father completely. “That is correct. There is only one small stipulation, however,” he continued calmly.
Rovarinare’s eyes rose from the gems to study his son’s face. “Stipulation? What do you mean?”
“The human King asked that his son live as a hostage to our good faith,” he explained. “Apparently it is something that is often done on the land. Lord Rokkar tried to talk the prince of that human land out of trying to come here and dwell with us, but he would have none of that argument. He was determined to come, so I brought him with me.”
Startled silence. Rovarinare stared at his offspring like he thought that Lavisnare had taken leave of his senses. “You brought a human HERE?!” he exclaimed at last. “What warped thinking would lead you to do THAT?!”
Lavisnare bared his teeth just a little. “Only the thinking that the human King would not make this deal with us if we didn’t take in his son,” he replied sharply. “Do you wish to acquire more of these gems or not? This is the only way to do so, Father.”
King Rovarinare pursed his thin lips. “I see,” he remarked. “Very well. How is the human prince surviving under the water?”
“He brought a human wizard with him. The wizard has created a space where they can live and breathe, and can also give the prince and himself gills when necessary. He will see to all of the prince’s needs so that we will not need to attend to him ourselves. After a time, when our trades are going smoothly, we can send this prince back this people.”
Rovarinare considered his word’s. “Very well,” he said reluctantly. “While I do not approve of having a human living here among us, if this is the only way that this trade can go forward, then I will simply have to accept his presence. But I charge you with his care, my son. If he causes trouble you will be the one who will be punished. Do you understand?”
Another bow. “Of course, My Father.” Was all that Lavisnare said.
A wave of the royal hand. “If that is all, you may go. But leave that here,” he pointed a clawed finger at the open casket in Lavisnare’s hands.
He nodded and handed the casket over to one of the King’s attendants. Lavisnare swam from the court, feeling that he’d done very well in his presentation. His father was somewhat disgruntled about the human prince’s presence here, but he wasn’t actively angry. And the gems would soothe any irritation that he was feeling, especially when he remembered that having Prince Raddyth here as a hostage was the only way for them to get more of those amazing jewels. It was never easy being the Crown Prince, balancing between keeping his father happy and satisfied with him and fending off his other siblings in their attempts to grab his power. Prince Raddyth should be happy that he was a younger son of a human King, because apparently the humans didn’t have the same system as his folk did. The eldest sibling always inherited their thrones and power. Of course, if they had that same system HE wouldn’t be Crown Prince; since at least a dozen or more of his siblings were older than him. Perhaps he should just be happy with the system that allowed him to take the throne despite his age.
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