Of Fate and Choice

Light tapping on the door drew Amicia from her thoughts. Disregarding the door, she sat forward and picked up one of the parchments she had previously written. Touching the ink to ensure that it had dried, she then folded it over twice before securing it with the ribbon that was draped across her lap.

The door creaked open behind her. "Apologies for disturbing you, my lady," one of her ladies said, making her glance towards her. "Your bath is ready and we are already running late."

"All will be fine, Maira," she replied, folding the other parchment. "Fetch Devinia. I would like to speak with her privately."

Her lady nodded and closed the door. She turned back to her bureau and picked up both parchments before rising from her chair. Two of her ladies were sprinkling scented petals in the tub as she entered the small bathroom that was adjacent to her chamber. She placed the parchments on the vanity table that sat against the wall before allowing her ladies to help her undress. They unlaced her bodice and pinned up her hair, and just as Maira returned with Devinia, they helped her out of her skirt so that she was left in only her underclothes.

"Leave us," she commanded, and all her ladies aside from Devinia bowed and hurried out of the room. She removed her underclothes and stepped into the tub, gently pushing the petals away from her neck.

Devinia stepped forward. "Would you like me to wash your hair, my lady?"

"There's no need to keep up the façade. You are not one of my ladies and after tonight, need not consume yourself with the duties of one," she said, motioning for her to sit on the vanity's chair. "Read the top parchment."

Amicia closed her eyes and relaxed into the water as Devinia read what she had written. "'I, Princess Amicia, former princess of the Mer, wife of the beloved fae Prince Kalen, give permission for Lady Devinia, Mer, to venture through the kingdom unaccompanied in order to retrieve a gem of the sea. With Prince Kalen's consent, she is to be given help when sought and shelter when needed. As per royal protection, any harm that befalls the Lady shall be punishable.'"

"What do you think? I spoke with Kalen so that he knows that you shall be absent from my presence. But for this to succeed, you must tell me everything. Spare no detail, for I must be able to account for each action you make and each path you take."

"Of course, princess," Devinia replied. "What shall be my reasoning for being fluent in Almsh?"

"From infancy you had been taught for you had already been chosen to accompany me here. My real ladies had been chosen mere weeks before we departed so if you need to elaborate further, say that it is a new tradition we are employing. I myself am not entirely fluent so emphasise that your studies had been entirely in preparation for your life here as a lady."

She gave a nod. "I will move swiftly and carefully."

"The other parchment contains your instructions. You should not encounter a fae who can understand our tongue but that means nothing. Never divulge its contents to anyone."

"I am no amateur, princess," she reprimanded.

Rising from the water, Amicia gestured for her robe and slipped it on, lacing it together. "When was the last time you fully submerged?" she asked, stepping from the tub and over to the vanity table. She faced Devinia as she unpinned her hair.

"Perhaps five days ago."

"I want you to submerge tonight. Go out into the garden, to the far end, and you will find a lake there. We have been given permission to have use of it and the small cottage that resides near by for whenever we must submerge, in order to obtain privacy," she explained, bringing her hair over her shoulder to plait. She knew that her ladies would want to have her hair curled for the union and with how they were running late, also knew that they would not be able to achieve their desired curls within that time. The waves the plait would create should suffice.

Devinia nodded, slipped the parchments up her sleeve and stood. As she opened the door, Amicia called out, "You may send my ladies in."

Her three ladies rushed in and begun preparing her for the union. They doused her feet in salt water in order to soften and revive them, as the feet were the worst affected whenever one would leave the water in favour for the land, and applied salt salve to the base of her nails for strength. Applying the necessary ointments was often time-consuming and tedious, but she knew it was going to be necessary each time she submerged as she needed to look exceptional, no matter the situation. Her mother had taught her from the moment she knew she was to wed a fae that she would represent the entire Merinia kingdom once married. There was no room for errors.

She had always imagined that she would eventually retire into the water full-time for the land did not hold much fondness for her. As a princess, she had been required to spend half the year on land and half the year in the water, for it was thought to only be fair that the king and his family should frequent both places that his people inhabited. Amicia had never understood why some mer would forsake the water and choose to live on land for most of their life, and once she had been told that she was the princess that would be leaving her kingdom and wedding a prince of the fae, she had envied their ability to have that choice. If she'd had any say in the matter, she would have declined the union and suggested that her sister instead take her place, but the decision had been made long before she had gain awareness of it and could not be broken, under any circumstances.

When her feet were smooth, they moved into her chamber and seeing her dress for the union draped on her bed made her stop. "I would like each of you to dress first. We are running late, but it is far more acceptable for it to be because of I and not because of my ladies needing to dress," she said, holding her hand up when one of her ladies went to protest. "Do not question me. I shall be able to partly dress myself while you are gone, but please hurry. We can still be ready close enough to the union's beginning, but only if you go. Now."

Her ladies scurried from the room and gave Amicia the well-needed solitude. She sat on the trunk that had held her clothing and put her head in her hands. By sunset, she was to be wed and by night she was to be bedded. Her mother had stressed the necessity of getting with child as soon as possible, in order to solidify the union between the two kingdoms. She had also heard Kalen's mother encourage him to get her with child as soon as he could, and Amicia could not help the nerves that came from her duty. She had known Kalen all of fourteen days, and had spoken to him perhaps half a dozen times. He seemed nice enough but they were too different, and she did not want a child just yet. She had barely arrived in the kingdom and did not want to spend the next few months settling in while heavy with child.

After a few moments, she rose and dropped her robe before stepping towards her bed. She picked up the underclothes and slipped them on, making sure they sat right on her body before she plucked the bodice from the bed. The fabric and detail was elegant and the deep blue sequins that adorned the main material made her realise that it had been altered to accommodate her own home. She wondered who had decided to do such a thing as she had never expected her union gown to encompass her own kingdom - in fact, she had never heard any stories of it happening to any mer princess that had left the kingdom.

All too soon her ladies hurried back into her chamber, dressed in the loose blue dresses that she had decided upon back in their own kingdom. Amicia had started fixing her hair so all her ladies had to do was lace up her bodice tightly and hook the skirt onto it, making sure that it looked as if it was one piece, before finishing up her hair. Maira laced flowers through her locks while her other ladies found her footwear and headdress that she was required to wear.

"What do you make of Kalen?" Amicia asked, breaking the silence that had fallen. "Be honest, ladies, for I do not know him well enough to find offence in anything that you may say."

Maira draped a chain down the left side of her face before speaking. "He appears to be nice, but... he is a fae. My father used to tell me stories about fae and since then I have not held any trust in their kind," she said.

Her other two ladies wandered back over to the vanity and placed the footwear on the floor and the headdress on the table. Her youngest lady fiddled with her fingers when she spoke. "He seems nice, my lady, but I do not want to obey him for he does not understand us mer."

Amicia smiled and took one of her hands. "Do not fear, Naia. He may become my husband but only I will direct you. Our tongues are not the same and it is only I who was educated in theirs, so have no fear. You are under my protection."

Naia smiled. "Thank you, my lady."

"And Sirena, what are your thoughts on Kalen?" she asked, turning to her final lady.

"He is better than the vampire prince. I heard that he is not an ideal husband for any kind other than his own," she said.

"I heard that he is bad-tempered," Naia piped up.

Amicia smiled and stood from her chair. "Well, let's thank the goddess of the sea that my husband is fae and not a vampire. Now, we should hurry," she said, slipping into her footwear. Sirena placed the headdress on top of the flowers and let the netting fall against her face.

There was a knock at the door and Maira hurried to open it. A fae servant stood there, bowing his head when he noticed Amicia. "The union is about to start, Your Highness. Your absence has been noticed," he said.

"I am ready now. We shall be along shortly," she replied in Almsh.

He nodded and left, allowing Maira to close the door and return to Amicia. "Their tongue is strange," she said.

"I wish the union would be spoken in ours," Sirena complained, adjusting her skirt.

Maira adjusted the headdress. "Are you ready, my lady?" she asked.

"Ready for my union with a fae prince? No, I could never be ready for something like that," she admitted, glancing between each of her ladies. "However, it is not my choice but rather my duty to uphold the peace between our kingdoms. With the three of you by my side, I am confident I may succeed."

She left her chamber and allowed the fae guards to escort them to where the union was being held. Instead of being taken to a vast room, they were taken to a room that was smaller but still large enough to hold the entire fae Royal Family, the necessary members of both the Seelie and Unseelie courts, and the five overseers that came from each of the kingdoms. Had she remained in Merinia, the affair would have been grand and festive, for a marriage was celebrated greatly even if the couple had no royal ties. Becoming one under the blessing of the sea was always welcomed and many more mer would have been in attendance. Fae unions held no such celebrations, to her knowledge.

The guards positioned themselves by the door as her ladies guided her into the room. The man she was presented to was her own kingdom's overseer, a mer called Aqunis. His green hair was a familiar greeting for her as her ladies retreated to the side, taking their places as witnesses. He offered his hand to her and she placed hers atop his before allowing him to guide her into the middle of the room. The fae were directly ahead of her, where Kalen stood beside his kingdom's overseer and his family to the side.

"I stand with the Princess Amicia Maris Ianthe of Merinia, daughter of King Cetoia the Second, for the witnesses before to accept Merinia's token of alliance," Aqunis announced in Almsh, addressing the fae's overseer.

She watched as he turned to face Kalen. The fae prince gave a short nod before the other turned back towards them. "On behalf of Almac, we accept this token."

Her fingers tingled as she watched the fae overseer bring Kalen towards her. In mere seconds her hand would be given over to the fae prince and she would lose her allegiance to Merinia. Almac would be her home for the rest of her life and she would never return to her family's kingdom, not because her husband wouldn't allow it but rather the union forbade the returning to their original kingdoms. Permitting such an action could potentially cause problems.

Aqunis passed her hand over to Kalen's and she stared at the contrast of skin. Hers could be mistaken for human skin but his was a dull grey with markings running up his fingers. Had she never met a fae, grey skin would have been reserved solely for death. She felt a light squeeze on her hand and drew her eyes away, turning with him to face the three other kingdom's overseers.

"The alliance has been forged," Aqunis announced, stepping away from the pair, "and now must be consummated."