Chapter 4: Emily and the Merfolk

Emily awoke the next morning in a peaceful forest glade. She stretched and sat up, yawning and brushing blades of grass from the skin of her back. Her cloak and boots were long gone, but she still felt the reassuring weight of the Stoneshell around her neck. She glanced around and soon caught the stone gaze of Aria, standing to one side, ever watchful.

“Good morning,” Aria said. “The ocean is not far from here.”

A salty tinge in the air confirmed Aria’s words. Emily took a deep breath in and out and rose to her bare feet. Her stomach growled.

“There is a goldapple tree right here,” Aria said, pointing out the slender tree with green and yellow leaves she was standing next to. She elbowed the tree and three large, golden fruits fell to the ground.

Emily picked up one of the fruits, which was almost too big for her hand, and took a bite. Then she took another bite. “Sho ghood,” she said between mouthfuls, goldapple juice dripping down her chin. The fruit had a rich, wholesome taste that made her feel warm inside.

“Be careful of the sap,” Aria warned, pointing to a large patch where it spilled out of the tree’s trunk. “It’s extremely sticky.”

“Is it now?” Emily asked, taking a break from her meal to glance up at the tree’s leaves and then down at her body. “That gives me an idea.”

After five minutes of fiddling with sticky sap and different-sized leaves, Emily presented herself to Aria. “What do you think of my new beach outfit?” Goldapple leaves were now firmly affixed to her breasts and crotch with sap, affording her the slightest amount of modesty.

“The wood elves dress entirely in leaves, and make the most elaborate outfits with them,” Aria said. “I’m not sure your design would be up quite up to their standards, but you look lovely, Emily.”

“Thank you,” Emily said, blushing slightly. “But I’ve never worn such a skimpy swimsuit to the beach before. I ran out of sap before I could do the back.” Emily glanced nervously over her shoulder. “Though with some of the fashions these days...” Back on Earth, she had never been comfortable with bikini bottoms that exposed a lot of cheek.

Following a brief digression on Earth swimsuit fashions, Emily asked Aria a question she’d been pondering since the previous night. “Do you really think I can turn you back, Aria?”

“I do,” Aria said firmly. “The bearer of the Stoneshell is master over all its enchantments, and the curse on Castle Elid is merely one such enchantment. Merely by accepting your place as the Stoneshell’s bearer, you all but destroyed the curse. As your power grows, you will be able to lift it fully.”

Emily bit her lip. “If I manged to lift the curse, will you be okay? After all, you’re hundreds of years old. If I turn you back to flesh, will—will you die?”

Aria was silent as she gazed off into the distance, and she stood still as an ordinary statue. Then she said, “I may. Or I may not. I have lived, as you say, many centuries, but it was a half-life, bound in stone and trapped in an abandoned castle. I was still young when I was transformed, and I feel that the rest of my natural life is owing to me. Lifting the curse shall restore me to what I was.”

Emily thought of the painting in House Odonata. “Then I will do my best to lift your curse, Aria.”

“I know you will, Emily. Come, if you have finished your breakfast, let us go to the sea.”

Emily took a final, delicious bite of goldapple and wiped the juices from her mouth. She looked down at her very daring leaf bikini—after everything, it made her feel quite well covered. “I’m beach ready,” she said, following Aria out of the glade.

The forest gave way to grassy plain, which itself gave way to sand, and the blue, blue ocean expanded before them. Emily bounded down a sandy slope that led to a small beach, eyes taking in the rolling waves, lungs filled with the fresh sea air. The sand was warm against her bare soles. Aria followed behind her, appreciating the ocean’s majesty but unable to experience the sensations of touch or smell in her marble body.

The wind whipped up Emily’s chestnut hair as she gazed out to sea and she felt it across her skin, covered only in a few spots by goldapple leaves. She found herself wondering what had happened to Stuart, back at House Odonata. He had gotten into a lot of trouble to create a distraction for her. She hoped he hadn’t suffered too much on her account. Perhaps they should have found him and brought him with, had there been time. He might have given Emily his tunic.

Since stepping out of her bathtub and into Castle Elid, she had wanted little more than to find a dress, or trousers and a tunic, or even one of those chainmail bikinis so often featured in fantasy art. This had proven surprisingly elusive, and her journey through Thessolan had so far been marked by near-constant nudity. She had read plenty of books about people who were transported to fantasy worlds, and none of them seemed to have this problem. If only the magic hadn’t caught her bathing!

But she had been given a full outfit by Lady Elara, complete with undergarments and a bonnet. Of course, it turned out to be imbued with a powerful enchantment that enslaved her mind and body, forcing her to give up the Stoneshell and serve at Elara’s pleasure. The constricting, controlling fabric of the dress had moved her arms and legs and the tightness of the bonnet had suppressed her thoughts. Compared to that, there was a certain freedom in her current, unencumbered state. The leaves didn’t leave much to the imagination, and Emily still felt the need to dive behind Aria at the slightest unexpected sound, but it was better than losing her free will.

Perhaps if she found another tree, she could get some more leaves for her butt. Or if she encountered the wood elves Aria had spoken of, perhaps they could help her to create a dress from the leaves. That could look quite good, she thought, glancing down at the vibrant green-yellow of her coverings.

Emily strode across the sand, towards the sea. The tide lapped at her feet, a refreshing feeling after hours of walking barefoot. She continued forward, enjoying the sea’s cool touch. When the water was knee-deep, Emily stopped at the sight of a yellow flash on the horizon. “Did you see that?” she asked Aria. “What was it?”

“I believe we shall know shortly.” Aria remained some distance behind Emily, eyes focused on the ocean.

There was a disturbance in the calm sea some way ahead of them, and then, with a massive splash, the torso of a man emerged from the water, whipping back a mane of long blond hair. He smiled winningly at Emily and Aria and said in a booming voice, “Hello there!”

Emily blushed and fidgetted with her fingers. Facing the man, she was covered in the essential places, but there was still a whole lot of skin on display. He didn’t seem to react, though, maintaining an easy smile and holding steady eye contact with an icy blue gaze. His torso was bare and quite muscular, and the lower half of his face was covered by a well-trimmed blond beard. Wet hair hung down to his shoulders.

“Hail, fair damsels, I am Caelum,” he continued, edging slightly closer to where Emily stood. “May I have the pleasure of your acquaintance?”

“My name’s Emily,” said Emily, and then, gesturing behind herself, “and she’s Aria.”

“Beautiful names, fitting for beautiful women,” said Caelum, reaching out a hand. He had now come close enough for Emily to smell the saltwater on him. “Well-met, Lady Emily and Lady Aria.”

“Just Emily is fine.” Almost automatically, Emily gave him her own hand, which he took and kissed. The water was now up to her mid-thigh, but she still had to look down to make eye contact with Caelum. Was he really so short?

“Hail and well-met, Caelum Merman,” Aria called from the shore, her voice loud and resonant. “As the land greets the sea, so we greet you.” Here she curtsied.

A merman! Of course! Emily glanced down at where Caelum’s torso met the water, and caught a glimpse of shimmering blue just beneath his chiseled abs, before quickly bringing her eyes back up. Several questions occured to her.

“Well-met, Lady Aria,” Caelum replied. Then, to Emily, he asked, “Why does she remain behind?”

The statues at the bottom of the the Labyrinthian Pool flashed through Emily’s mind. “Aria is too heavy to swim. A curse turned her to stone. So she keeps a safe distance from bodies of water.”

“Ah,” said Caelum, with a sad nod. “I did think she appeared unnaturally pallid.”

“We’re trying to lift the curse, actually,” Emily continued. “It’s related to the ... Stoneshell.”

Even before the words left her lips, Caelum’s eyes had caught sight of the stone seashell pendant hanging from Emily’s neck and were staring fixedly at it. Emily blushed and bit her lip in the renewed consciousness of her outfit’s inadequacy.

“Th-the Stoneshell?” Caelum repeated, unable to take his eyes off Emily’s chest. “Do you mean the Stoneshell which belonged to Evangeline? Carved by King Irontail’s own hand? Is this ... is this it?”

“Yes,” said Emily, glancing down at the necklace.

Caelum let out a low whistle. “It is an inestimable honor to meet the bearer of the Stoneshell, the heir of Evangeline, the Queen Who Never Was. After all these years! My people have not set eyes on the King Irontail’s greatest work for generations!”

“Thank you,” said Emily, though she certainly didn’t feel like the heir of a legendary queen, or any other such highly esteemed personage. She was just a lost girl from another world with severe wardrobe challenges.

“Please do not be insulted by my fixation on the Stoneshell,” said Caelum, finally redirecting his gaze to Emily’s eyes. “It is a legendary artifact for my people. I still can scarcely believe my luck in meeting its bearer by chance upon this remote shore!”

“That’s okay,” said Emily.

“Do not think that I do not also notice and appreciate the gentle hills which hide the Stoneshell in their valley. You have beautiful breasts, Emily.”

Emily’s eyes widened and she blushed furiously, at a loss for words. The merman was quite handsome, but she did not expect to be complimented on an intimate part of her body by a man she’d just met.

Aria, clearly having witnessed the scene, spoke up at once “There are many differences between our people, physical and cultural, but I hope that the Stoneshell may inform our common purpose.”

Cultural differences. Perhaps merpeople complimented each others’ bodies the way humans compliment each others’ faces. Once Emily recovered her composure, she recalled the mission. “Aria and I were hoping to meet a merperson who could help us learn more about the Stoneshell. We’re trying to lift her curse.”

Caelum brows furoughed in thought. “The scholars of Aquius could help you. I will take you to them. The city is not far from here.” He gestured out to sea with an index finger.

“Underwater?” asked Emily.

“But of course!”

“I can’t hold my breath that long!”

Caelum tossed his head back and laughed. “Yes, that would present a difficulty for any ordinary human, but you are an heir of Evangeline. The Stoneshell’s magic will allow you to breath the water, just as we do. It was intended, after all, to bind a merman and a human woman in lifelong companionship.”

Emily glanced back at Aria, who nodded, and then down at the Stoneshell. “So I just ... follow you?”

Caelum reached out a hand. “If you would do me the honor.”

Emily looked down at the expanse of water below her, feeling giddy with fear and excitement. Was she really about to do this? Dive down into the ocean and visit a magical undersea kingdom with a handsome merman? This was even better than being an heiress who took the fancy of a roguish pirate captain!

The only trouble was that Aria would not be able to accompany her. She glanced back at the shore and caught her friend’s sad gaze. “Wait,” she said to Caelum. “I must talk to my companion first.”

“Take as long as you need.”

Emily smiled at Caelum and turned around to walk back to shore. Only belatedly did she realize that she was giving him a full view of her exposed backside. She blushed and hurried her pace towards Aria, but then found herself uncertain about what mermen thought about legs and butts anyway.

“You must go,” Aria said to her. “If I am to have any hope of becoming flesh again, we must know all we can about the Stoneshell. And perhaps such knowledge will also shed light on the reasons you were plucked from your world, and the method for your return. I will wait for you here, as I waited before.”

Emily smiled and wrapped her arms around Aria’s smooth marble form. “I’ll miss you, Aria.” To be separated again so soon after House Odonata was heartbreaking.

“And I, you,” Aria said, gently touching the skin of Emily’s back with her marble arms. “We will be reunited soon. Remember, the Stoneshell binds us to each other.”

“And I’ll lift the curse,” said Emily, resolute. “After all, you still owe me a turn in that gown.”

Aria chuckled. “I have not forgotten. It will be nice to feel the sun on my skin again.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

After saying their goodbyes, Emily parted from Aria and returned to the ocean, wading until the water reached her waist. Caelum awaited her, his hand still outstretched. “Ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Emily replied, taking his hand.

Caelum squeezed her hand, smiled again, and immediately vanished underwater.

Emily barely had time to hold her breath before her whole body was submerged and shooting down and forward through the water. Years of swimming practise kicked in and she propelled herself through the water with her legs, keeping pace with the merman just ahead of her. She marveled at sight of the strong, cobalt blue tail, which met his torso just below the belly.

“Emily,” he said, glancing back at her. “Try to breathe.” Bubbles escaped from Caelum’s mouth as he spoke, but he was just as audible down here as he had been above the waves.

The pressure on Emily’s lungs was becoming quite intense, as she hadn’t taken a very deep breath before diving down. Panic surged at the thought of opening her mouth so far underwater, but a warmth against her chest reassured her. And so she released her breath with a deep sigh. Then she breathed in.

The sensation was almost indescribable. Emily could feel water filling her mouth, but it seemed gentle, almost imperceptible. Breathing felt natural, no different from how it had moments before. She took a few more experimental breaths in and out, and felt just fine. “This is incredible,” she said, watching the bubbles rise from her mouth. “Oh wow!”

“Welcome to my world, Emily,” Caelum said, looking her intently in the eyes. “There’s just one thing. Your leaves appear to have dislodged in the dive. You may want to recall them.”

“My ... oh!” Looking down, Emily noticed that she was no longer adorned with goldapple leaves. She glanced around frantically, seeing nothing but empty ocean. “W-where did they...”

“I’ll wait for you to recall them,” Caelum said, turning his back to her.

But the leaves where truly gone, leaving only a swiftly dissolving residue on Emily’s nipples and crotch. Realistically, there had been little chance the sap would stay sticky underwater. “Th-they’re gone,” Emily stammered.

“What do you mean? Just recall them.”

Emily frowned. The way Caelum kept repeating the word “recall” was very confusing to her. “I–I don’t know what you mean. They’re just leaves, and they’re gone now.”

Caelum was silent for a moment. “Are you saying that those leaves were not your alkayi?”

Emily made a face. “What’s an alkayi?”

Caelum gasped. “Do human women not have alkayi?”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” said Emily. “Although I’m, well, not really from around here.”

Caelum took a moment to gather his thoughts. Then he said, “When a mermaid comes of age, she takes a three-day journey into the kelp forests. While there, she experiences many visions and revelations. She also discovers, and is discovered by, her alkayi. The nature of the alkayi is different for every mermaid—some wear seashells, some starfish, some intricately woven strands of kelp, patterned coral or living sand. But each mermaid finds and bonds with an alkayi which will accompany and clothe her all the rest of her life. She can summon this alkayi at will, and it will always protect her.”

Emily drew her arms across her breasts. “Sounds nice. Wish I had something like that, but I don’t.”

“I see,” said Caelum. “And those leaves were all you had?”

“Y-yes.”

Caelum slowly turned to face Emily, unsure where to let his eyes settle. “It is highly unusual for a grown woman to have no alkayi, but it is not unheard of. Hopefully my people will be understanding.”

“Maybe I can borrow something,” Emily said hopefully.

Caelum’s eyes widened in shock. “Borrow an alkayi! Do not say such things, Emily! Using another’s alkayi is a grave insult, an unpardonable offense. No, each woman’s alkayi must choose her.”

Emily bit her lip. “Sheesh, I really didn’t think mermaids would be hung up about clothes. Surely someone can give me something to wear in this Aquius place. It doesn’t have to be one of these alkayi things. Or even real clothes. I’ll settle for a bedsheet!”

Caelum fidgetted and avoided Emily’s eyes. It looked like he was about to say something, but then thought better of it. Finally, he reached his hand out once more. “Come, let us continue. Aquius is not far.”

Emily tentatively took Caelum’s hand, angling her crotch away from him and keeping her other arm across her breasts. His story about alkayi had been thoroughly depressing. After meeting this bare-chested merman, Emily had hoped that nudity would be common and unremarkable among the merpeople, but now that appeared not to be the case. Even in this magical undersea kingdom, she would be thoroughly underdressed.

“I suppose mermen don’t have anything like an alkayi,” said Emily, casting her eyes down Caelum’s bare back and tail. Technically, he was just as naked as she was, but it didn’t feel like it. Emily decided it would be impolite to ask the question about merman anatomy that had just jumped to the front of her mind.

“No, it is not part of our initiation. We are called to fight and kill a beast when we come of age. That is the source of the scar across my right shoulder.” The scar in question was a large, white slash, mostly visible from the back.

As they swam, Emily tried to put thoughts of her discomfort out of mind by enjoying her surroundings. They were going quite deep, but could still see where shafts of the sunlight pierced the deep blue water to illuminate a cross-section of the ocean floor. Emily marveled at the multi-colored coral reefs around them and giggled as fish swam around her, sometimes lightly tickling her skin. The Labyrinthian Pool had had some wonders, but it had also felt dark and artificial, and at times very menacing. The open ocean, by contrast, gave her a deep sense of freedom.

“Not long now,” said Caelum, indicating the crest of a coral cliff up ahead.

As they crested the cliff, Emily gasped, releasing a watery breath. The city of Aquius lay nestled in a large valley, protected on all sides by high coral cliffs, and it was like nothing she’d ever seen or imagined.

It was a true city, with tall and densely packed buildings carved from luminescent coral and mother-of-pearl. Rather than boxy modern skyscrapers, the buildings were smooth towers that tapered towards their tops, some of them bending in shapes that looked almost organic. Below the buildings, the streets of Aquius were alive with the hustle and bustle of merfolk. The people of Aquius transformed from colorful specks into real half-human, half-fish people as Caelum led Emily by the hand, down from the cliffs, down from the tops of the buildings, into the heart of the city.

Streets and pathways were lined with flowering sea plants swaying rhythmically in the current, and the ambient glow from bioluminescent algae painted the city in hues of blues, greens, and purples. Schools of fish darted between the buildings and people. Emily could see a few dolphins and manta rays with mermen and mermaid mounted atop them, moving smoothly and purposefully through the city streets.

Emily’s feet touched the cobbled stone floor of what appeared to be a large plaze in the center of the city. Her eyes were drawn to an enormous structure, larger, grander and more intricate than the buildings around it, which dominated the plaza. From a wide base, it spiraled upwards, and was crowned by a dome of translucent sea-green glass. The whole building shimmered, with different parts pulsing through the whole spectrum of colors as Emily watched.

“That’s the Coral Palace,” said Caelum. “The one-time residence of Thurseus Irontail. Welcome, Emily Stoneshell-bearer, to Aquius.”

While Emily had been standing looking up at the Coral Palace, a crowd of interested merfolk had started to form around her, and were whispering to each other animatedly. The mermen, like Caelum, had bare torsos, and the mermaids were bedecked by a variety of what Emily took to be alkayi. These ranged from a couple of seashells clinging to one woman’s breasts to an intricate wrapping of kelp that had the appearance and coverage of a poloneck sweater. Emily could see another woman wearing two thick pieces of coral on each of her sides, which left an expanse of skin from the neck to the navel. All were dressed quite differently, but all were dressed, with nipples covered. All except Emily.

“A human! Can it be?”

“Ah, so that’s what legs look like...”

“Where’s her alkayi? Do humans not have those?”

“She’s a little old to parading around like that, I think.”

“Is that necklace? No, surely not...”

Blushing and squirming to cover herself with her arms, Emily cast a desperate glance at Caelum. As frequently as she’d been naked since arriving in Thessolan, she’d managed to mostly avoid these kinds of extremely public scenes, and so it was a new and unwelcome experience to have her unclothed body at the center of so much attention.

Caelum acknowledged her glance with a curt nod and cast a foul look at the crowd surrounding them. Then, almost before Emily knew what was happening, he hoisted her into his arms and swam upwards with a powerful thrust, leaving the cacophanous crowd to choke on his trail of bubbles.

“Sorry about that, Emily,” he said, looking her in the eyes. “I should have taken you straight to the palace to begin with. As the first human visitor to our city in generations, and the current bearer of the Stoneshell, you must have an audience with King Trilato as soon as possible.”

Emily was grateful to have been rescued from the crowd, but the notion of appearing naked before the King of the Merfolk didn’t seem a whole lot better. “Please find me something to wear first. I’ll settle for a few strands of kelp!”

Caelum looked embarrassed again, and avoided eye contact. “I have told you of the grave crime of taking another’s alkayi, have I not?”

Emily nodded.

“A less severe, but still grave crime, is the use of a false alkayi. Appearing before the king in such a manner would be a grave insult.”

Emily was stunned. “What are you trying to tell me, Caelum? That I’m not allowed to wear clothes?”

“Well, when you put it like that ... yes. Anything from Aquius that clothes would be considered a false alkayi. This ... is not usually a problem. Most visitors to our realm arrive with their own clothing.”

Emily curse the goldapple tree. If only its sap had been stickier!

“We’re here,” Caelum said, swimming over the railing of a balcony set into a high part of the Coral Palace’s spires and gently releasing Emily from his cradling hold. “I will seek the king at once.”

Emily’s feet touched the smooth floor, and her eyes took in the opulent palace interior, walls carved with intricate scenes featuring merfolk and fish. Caelum waved to her and then vanished through an archway with a single flick of his tail.

Alone now, Emily turned to look at the city beyond the balcony. At times, she would almost forget she was underwater, but the stillness of this current moment brought her focus to the way the water enveloped her and carressed her skin. Every inch of exposed skin, which would seemingly need to remain so for the duration of her stay. She allowed her arms to fall at her sides, and tried to accept it.

Emily’s eyes scanned across the spires of the city and came to rest on a kelp forest at its borders. That must be the place where young mermaids found their alkayis. What if she were to go there? Would she find a perfect, magical outfit, which would fit and suit her better than any other? Something indestructible, that could be called to cover her whenever she was parted from it. Emily imagined a shimmering dress made of turquious fish scales, enveloping her in a silky embrace from neck to mid-thigh, producing an effect not unlike a mermaid’s tail. She sighed at the mental image, passing a hand down her bare hip.

“Emily!” cried Caelum, making her turn her head to the archway in surprise. “My gravest apologies, I had forgotten that today is the day of the Coral Gala, and that our king and all his noble subjects are deeply esconced in preparations. There will be no opportunity for your audience before then.”

Emily let out a relieved sigh. She hadn’t precisely been looking forward to meeting royalty in her birthday suit.

“We shall have to seek an audience during the Gala. I have informed the palace officials of your attendance and received their assurance that you shall be an honored guest.” Here, Caelum looked a little unsure of himself, but only for a moment. “Please, grant me the honor of accompanying you.” Caelum closed his eyes and bowed his head following this request.

Emily blushed. “A gala! But I don’t have anything to wear! Literally!”

Reopening his eyes, Caelum waved a hand nonchalantly. “Do not worry, that shall all be taken care of. The palace servants will be only too happy to attend to your toilette.”

Did that mean ... clothes? Could there be a loophole in the alkayi rules after all? Emily’s heart jumped into her throat. “Yes!” she shouted, surprising herself with her own enthusiasm. “I’ll go with you to the gala, Caelum!”

Caelum’s face lit up, beaming, as he held eye contact with Emily. “Then I shall call the servants at once! Coraline! Pearla! Nerissa!”

Caelum swam back into the depths of the palace, calling out the three names, and Emily felt her whole body relax. She was about to be dolled up for a gala in a magical palace, attended to by servants like an honest-to-goodness princess. Perhaps that shimmering gown would become a reality.

In a few moments, three mermaids appeared from the archway Caelum had disappeared behind. Their eyes widened initially at Emily’s appearance, but each one quickly calibrated her expression to a professional pleasantness as they introduced themselves. Emily smiled back at them sheepishly, hovering her arms in front of her body.

Nerissa was the tallest one, with a turquoise tail and long hair done up in a thick braid of blue and purple. She wore a couple of large white seashells across her breasts. “Nerissa, hairdresser, at your service.”

Next was Pearla, with a silver white tail and pale blonde hair to match. She wore a cleavage-enhancing corset that appeared to be made of red and pink living coral, ending just above her navel. “Pearla, jeweler, at your service.”

Finally, Coraline’s tail was red and gold, and her head was topped with a mass of curly red hair. Her torso was loosely wrapped with green seaweed, exposing her milky, pink-tipped left breast. “Coraline, perfumer, at your service.”

The servants led Emily to a dressing room not far from the balcony and sat her down on a plush stool in front of a coral-framed mother-of-pearl mirror. All around her hung jewelery pieces, ornate bottles containing multi-colored liquids and a wide variety of brushes and combs. The servants set to work at once, chattering pleasantly.

Nerissa took Emily’s chestnut hair in her hands and began to comb it out. Pearla glanced between Emily and the various jewelery pieces on the walls, picking up and putting down different ones. Coraline began fussing with perfume bottles, picking different ones and spraying them in front of Emily’s nose, asking her which she would prefer. She chose one in a green-blue that smelled of ocean blooms.