Chapter 3
Prince Raddyth stood with his hands on his hips and surveyed the room. Jarrox had done his work well – the formerly empty space was now filled with some comfortable but elegant furniture(including a huge four-poster bed for the prince and a smaller bed for himself) bookshelves full of books for him to read when he got bored; a table with decanters and glasses so that he could have a drink whenever he wished one; a huge rug on the floor to cushion the hard, smooth stone; a rack full of weapons so that he could practice his sword work; a bowl full of fresh fruit on the table in the center of the room ready at hand for him to eat; and a wardrobe full of clothes to one side of the bed. He himself was wearing an elegant velvet tunic and suede breeches, and Jarrox was redressed in the plain robes of a wizard. This was more like it, he decided.
Both of them startled and turned toward the tunnel that was the exit to the room when something big flowed out of it. They saw a huge mer man, bigger even than Prince Lavisnare. His hair was a darker green than the prince’s almost black. His face was broader as well, and he gave them both a toothy grin as he stepped lightly out into the air bubble and closed his gills. “Who are YOU?!” Raddyth demanded rudely, glowering at the intruder.
The mer man looked faintly amused. “I am Garajnare, Prince Raddyth,” he replied easily. “A friend to Prince Lavisnare. He sent me to see if either or both of you could be trained to fight so that you could more easily defend yourselves while you are here.”
Prince Raddyth looked indignant. “I don’t need to be taught how to fight”! he spat furiously. “I have been using a sword since I was six!”
Garajnare cocked his head to the side. “And can you fight with a sword underwater?” he asked politely.
Raddyth sputtered for awhile, but the mer man waited patiently until he was done. “I have visited your upper lands, and have seen the way you fight,” Garajnare remarked. “It is far different than our warriors, as you do not have the weight of water to contend with. I can help you to modify your fighting style to accommodate our ways. The wizard,” his eyes slid thoughtfully to Jarrox, who looked nervous, “Does not need to learn to fight with a physical weapon, nor does he look strong enough to be able to even heft one. But I can teach him to use his spells more efficiently under water. Do not look so anxious,” he chided Jarrox. “I am nothing to be afraid of. I am as gentle as a baby porpoise, I promise.”
Jarrox turned rather red under his teasing. “Umm…” he began, clutching his staff.
Garajnare chuckled. “You humans are peculiar. Why do you turn red like that? Is it a sign that you wish to mate?” he asked curiously.
Jarrox turned scarlet at this question. He sputtered helplessly, unable to answer coherently. Prince Raddyth snorted and replied for him: “The red color is called a ‘blush’. We do it usually because we’re embarrassed or nervous. In this case, he’s both. Now – if that’s all that you wanted, could you please leave?”
Garajnare grinned widely, showing his sharp teeth. “I can see that you and Lavisnare are going to get along well,” he said dryly. “You’re much alike. Very well. I will return for your first lesson tomorrow, as I’m sure that you’ll wish to settle in tonight. Farewell, Prince Raddyth, Wizard Jarrox,” he nodded briskly to them both and turned to pull himself up into the water tunnel and swim away.
Prince Raddyth sniffed. “These mer folk are very forward,” he said in disgust. “They have no respect for my position.” He turned around and walked over to the rack that held his weapons. He pulled out a finely balanced sword. “I’d like to take that one on here in MY world,” he said darkly. “I’d show him what a real swordsman is.”
Jarrox was still staring at the tunnel, but he pulled his attention away to look at the Prince. Raddyth had assumed a fighting stance, with the sword out in front of him. The wizard sighed silently. It was not easy, he thought wistfully, being the lowest wizard on the totem pole due to his youth and low rank. That’s why he’d ended up with this assignment, because none of the other wizards had wanted it. After meeting both Lavisnare and Prince Raddyth, he was definitely beginning to see just why that was.
Lavisnare slid through the tunnel and into the air pocket inside the building, closing his gills and opening his lungs automatically. He was met by a scowling human prince and a nervous-looking human wizard. Raddyth lowered the sword he was holding and turned on Lavisnare. “About time you returned,” he sniffed.
Lavisnare bared his very sharp teeth in an approximation of a smile. “Oh? Did you miss me?” he asked quasi-innocently. “You could not live without my presence, is that it?”
The wizard looked away abruptly, and the mer prince could see that he was struggling not to laugh openly. Raddyth gave him a death glare. “Of course not!” he snapped.
“Then why are you so overjoyed to see me return to you?” Lavisnare asked, still in that same tone of voice.
If looks could kill…and the wizard’s skinny shoulders were definitely shaking. Lavisnare folded his arms across his chest, now thoroughly enjoying himself. This human was going to be fun to play with. “Overjoyed?! You think me overjoyed because some slimy, overgrown fish monster has returned to my quarters?!” Raddyth snarled. “You are far from the mark, Prince Lavisnare. I can barely stand the sight of you and your kind.”
“If that’s so, why did you say that it was about time that I returned?” Lavisnare asked, tilting his head to the side a little. This gesture clearly infuriated Prince Raddyth.
“Because I don’t like being left to cool my heels!” he snapped. “Especially by one such as YOU! I’ve already endured the company of your disrespectful subordinate…”
“Do you mean Garajnare? He was here? What did he say?” Lavisnare asked.
Raddyth shrugged, fuming. “He said that he meant to give us lessons on how to fight underwater. As though I don’t already know how to fight,” he sneered.
Lavisnare blinked innocently. “Oh? You know how to fight underwater already? Why didn’t you say so? I wouldn’t have sent him if I’d known that,” he drawled.
Raddyth looked like he might combust at any moment. “No, I don’t know how to fight underwater! But I do not enjoy being treated like a know-nothing child just because I haven’t lived under the sea all of my life!”
“Did Garajnare treat you that way? That doesn’t sound like him,” Lavisnare said thoughtfully. “Tell me, Wizard Jarrox – did you feel that Garajnare was being condescending or disrespectful toward you?”
The wizard glanced fearfully at the human prince, but then shook his head. “No, My Lord. He said that he had been to the upper world and had seen how our warriors fought, and that it wasn’t anything like the way they fight under the water. He said that he would teach Prince Raddyth how to fight the way your people do it, and that he would teach me how to use my combat spells more effectively underwater. That is all,” he said softly.
Raddyth turned his glower on the wizard, as though Jarrox had betrayed him somehow. The wizard flinched, looking nervous. Lavisnare broke in to say smoothly: “Thank you, Wizard Jarrox. Prince Raddyth – please remember that you are not a prince of the realm here. You are merely a guest, a hostage to our good faith as we broker a trading deal between your kingdom and mine. So even if we wish to treat you disrespectfully we have the right, although so far it sounds to me as though you’re imagining things that are not there. Garajnare is a good friend of mine; he doesn’t look down his nose at people, either our own or other species. Please treat him with the respect you would your own weapons master, who I’m sure does not kow tow even to a prince. Also, do not even think about taking your ill-temper out on your companion, because if you cannot treat the wizard well then I will return you to the surface and send you home. He is the only reason you can remain here – it behooves you to remember that. Do you understand?”
Raddyth’s face was red, and his eyes were sparking. He looked like an angry puffer fish. But he met Lavisnare’s cool stare and finally backed down. “Very well,” he said stiffly. “But I will not forget this, Prince Lavisnare.”
Lavisnare laughed, his rather high-pitched chuckle grating along the human prince’s already frayed nerves. “I’m sure that you will not,” he replied humorously. “Now where were we before we got sidetracked? Oh, yes. I thought to take you on a tour of the city in the morning. As long as you can behave yourself, that is,” he added sounding rather doubtful about that.
Raddyth’s sword twitched, and he looked as though he were contemplating murder. Jarrox gave him a wild glance, then looked at Lavisnare. The mer prince let one of his membranes slide down over one eye in an imitation of the human gesture called a ‘wink’. The wizard blinked, then looked hurriedly at the floor to conceal his expression. Lavisnare said aloud to Raddyth: “I will return to personally take you both on that tour tomorrow. Garajnare will probably get you up earlier than that to begin your lessons, so you had best go to sleep as soon as the lights dim,” he pointed to one of the glowing stones in the wall. “Each of them has a spell on them, and they begin to dim when the proper hour for sleep approaches. Of course you could have Wizard Jarrox conjure you lights from the surface world, but if you don’t want to try to learn underwater fighting methods while dead tired I would not suggest that you do so. Also, my royal Father has approved your presence here as a hostage, and has put you in my charge. I’m sure that makes you very happy, does it not, Prince Raddyth?”
The human pressed his lips together and continued to give the mer prince the same deadly glare. Lavisnare smirked. “I will wish you both a good evening, then,” he said casually. “And I shall see you in the morning to begin the tour of the city.” He gave them both an equal nod, which made Raddyth look even more outraged, then departed back through the tunnel. He was laughing as he swam away, thinking to himself that the human prince was going to be a very amusing plaything indeed.
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Prince Raddyth stood with his hands on his hips and surveyed the room. Jarrox had done his work well – the formerly empty space was now filled with some comfortable but elegant furniture(including a huge four-poster bed for the prince and a smaller bed for himself) bookshelves full of books for him to read when he got bored; a table with decanters and glasses so that he could have a drink whenever he wished one; a huge rug on the floor to cushion the hard, smooth stone; a rack full of weapons so that he could practice his sword work; a bowl full of fresh fruit on the table in the center of the room ready at hand for him to eat; and a wardrobe full of clothes to one side of the bed. He himself was wearing an elegant velvet tunic and suede breeches, and Jarrox was redressed in the plain robes of a wizard. This was more like it, he decided.
Both of them startled and turned toward the tunnel that was the exit to the room when something big flowed out of it. They saw a huge mer man, bigger even than Prince Lavisnare. His hair was a darker green than the prince’s almost black. His face was broader as well, and he gave them both a toothy grin as he stepped lightly out into the air bubble and closed his gills. “Who are YOU?!” Raddyth demanded rudely, glowering at the intruder.
The mer man looked faintly amused. “I am Garajnare, Prince Raddyth,” he replied easily. “A friend to Prince Lavisnare. He sent me to see if either or both of you could be trained to fight so that you could more easily defend yourselves while you are here.”
Prince Raddyth looked indignant. “I don’t need to be taught how to fight”! he spat furiously. “I have been using a sword since I was six!”
Garajnare cocked his head to the side. “And can you fight with a sword underwater?” he asked politely.
Raddyth sputtered for awhile, but the mer man waited patiently until he was done. “I have visited your upper lands, and have seen the way you fight,” Garajnare remarked. “It is far different than our warriors, as you do not have the weight of water to contend with. I can help you to modify your fighting style to accommodate our ways. The wizard,” his eyes slid thoughtfully to Jarrox, who looked nervous, “Does not need to learn to fight with a physical weapon, nor does he look strong enough to be able to even heft one. But I can teach him to use his spells more efficiently under water. Do not look so anxious,” he chided Jarrox. “I am nothing to be afraid of. I am as gentle as a baby porpoise, I promise.”
Jarrox turned rather red under his teasing. “Umm…” he began, clutching his staff.
Garajnare chuckled. “You humans are peculiar. Why do you turn red like that? Is it a sign that you wish to mate?” he asked curiously.
Jarrox turned scarlet at this question. He sputtered helplessly, unable to answer coherently. Prince Raddyth snorted and replied for him: “The red color is called a ‘blush’. We do it usually because we’re embarrassed or nervous. In this case, he’s both. Now – if that’s all that you wanted, could you please leave?”
Garajnare grinned widely, showing his sharp teeth. “I can see that you and Lavisnare are going to get along well,” he said dryly. “You’re much alike. Very well. I will return for your first lesson tomorrow, as I’m sure that you’ll wish to settle in tonight. Farewell, Prince Raddyth, Wizard Jarrox,” he nodded briskly to them both and turned to pull himself up into the water tunnel and swim away.
Prince Raddyth sniffed. “These mer folk are very forward,” he said in disgust. “They have no respect for my position.” He turned around and walked over to the rack that held his weapons. He pulled out a finely balanced sword. “I’d like to take that one on here in MY world,” he said darkly. “I’d show him what a real swordsman is.”
Jarrox was still staring at the tunnel, but he pulled his attention away to look at the Prince. Raddyth had assumed a fighting stance, with the sword out in front of him. The wizard sighed silently. It was not easy, he thought wistfully, being the lowest wizard on the totem pole due to his youth and low rank. That’s why he’d ended up with this assignment, because none of the other wizards had wanted it. After meeting both Lavisnare and Prince Raddyth, he was definitely beginning to see just why that was.
Lavisnare slid through the tunnel and into the air pocket inside the building, closing his gills and opening his lungs automatically. He was met by a scowling human prince and a nervous-looking human wizard. Raddyth lowered the sword he was holding and turned on Lavisnare. “About time you returned,” he sniffed.
Lavisnare bared his very sharp teeth in an approximation of a smile. “Oh? Did you miss me?” he asked quasi-innocently. “You could not live without my presence, is that it?”
The wizard looked away abruptly, and the mer prince could see that he was struggling not to laugh openly. Raddyth gave him a death glare. “Of course not!” he snapped.
“Then why are you so overjoyed to see me return to you?” Lavisnare asked, still in that same tone of voice.
If looks could kill…and the wizard’s skinny shoulders were definitely shaking. Lavisnare folded his arms across his chest, now thoroughly enjoying himself. This human was going to be fun to play with. “Overjoyed?! You think me overjoyed because some slimy, overgrown fish monster has returned to my quarters?!” Raddyth snarled. “You are far from the mark, Prince Lavisnare. I can barely stand the sight of you and your kind.”
“If that’s so, why did you say that it was about time that I returned?” Lavisnare asked, tilting his head to the side a little. This gesture clearly infuriated Prince Raddyth.
“Because I don’t like being left to cool my heels!” he snapped. “Especially by one such as YOU! I’ve already endured the company of your disrespectful subordinate…”
“Do you mean Garajnare? He was here? What did he say?” Lavisnare asked.
Raddyth shrugged, fuming. “He said that he meant to give us lessons on how to fight underwater. As though I don’t already know how to fight,” he sneered.
Lavisnare blinked innocently. “Oh? You know how to fight underwater already? Why didn’t you say so? I wouldn’t have sent him if I’d known that,” he drawled.
Raddyth looked like he might combust at any moment. “No, I don’t know how to fight underwater! But I do not enjoy being treated like a know-nothing child just because I haven’t lived under the sea all of my life!”
“Did Garajnare treat you that way? That doesn’t sound like him,” Lavisnare said thoughtfully. “Tell me, Wizard Jarrox – did you feel that Garajnare was being condescending or disrespectful toward you?”
The wizard glanced fearfully at the human prince, but then shook his head. “No, My Lord. He said that he had been to the upper world and had seen how our warriors fought, and that it wasn’t anything like the way they fight under the water. He said that he would teach Prince Raddyth how to fight the way your people do it, and that he would teach me how to use my combat spells more effectively underwater. That is all,” he said softly.
Raddyth turned his glower on the wizard, as though Jarrox had betrayed him somehow. The wizard flinched, looking nervous. Lavisnare broke in to say smoothly: “Thank you, Wizard Jarrox. Prince Raddyth – please remember that you are not a prince of the realm here. You are merely a guest, a hostage to our good faith as we broker a trading deal between your kingdom and mine. So even if we wish to treat you disrespectfully we have the right, although so far it sounds to me as though you’re imagining things that are not there. Garajnare is a good friend of mine; he doesn’t look down his nose at people, either our own or other species. Please treat him with the respect you would your own weapons master, who I’m sure does not kow tow even to a prince. Also, do not even think about taking your ill-temper out on your companion, because if you cannot treat the wizard well then I will return you to the surface and send you home. He is the only reason you can remain here – it behooves you to remember that. Do you understand?”
Raddyth’s face was red, and his eyes were sparking. He looked like an angry puffer fish. But he met Lavisnare’s cool stare and finally backed down. “Very well,” he said stiffly. “But I will not forget this, Prince Lavisnare.”
Lavisnare laughed, his rather high-pitched chuckle grating along the human prince’s already frayed nerves. “I’m sure that you will not,” he replied humorously. “Now where were we before we got sidetracked? Oh, yes. I thought to take you on a tour of the city in the morning. As long as you can behave yourself, that is,” he added sounding rather doubtful about that.
Raddyth’s sword twitched, and he looked as though he were contemplating murder. Jarrox gave him a wild glance, then looked at Lavisnare. The mer prince let one of his membranes slide down over one eye in an imitation of the human gesture called a ‘wink’. The wizard blinked, then looked hurriedly at the floor to conceal his expression. Lavisnare said aloud to Raddyth: “I will return to personally take you both on that tour tomorrow. Garajnare will probably get you up earlier than that to begin your lessons, so you had best go to sleep as soon as the lights dim,” he pointed to one of the glowing stones in the wall. “Each of them has a spell on them, and they begin to dim when the proper hour for sleep approaches. Of course you could have Wizard Jarrox conjure you lights from the surface world, but if you don’t want to try to learn underwater fighting methods while dead tired I would not suggest that you do so. Also, my royal Father has approved your presence here as a hostage, and has put you in my charge. I’m sure that makes you very happy, does it not, Prince Raddyth?”
The human pressed his lips together and continued to give the mer prince the same deadly glare. Lavisnare smirked. “I will wish you both a good evening, then,” he said casually. “And I shall see you in the morning to begin the tour of the city.” He gave them both an equal nod, which made Raddyth look even more outraged, then departed back through the tunnel. He was laughing as he swam away, thinking to himself that the human prince was going to be a very amusing plaything indeed.
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