Somewhere in the Sea

Chapter 06

Marjan was standing from behind the wall and couldn't believe what she had just heard.Her mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts. Princess Sanho, her older sister Sanho, killed all those humans. She wouldn't hurt a shrimp, let alone kill somebody. A kind hearted person like herself couldn't possibly do any of this. No, they're lying! 

King Fadel stood there unable to say anything. King Fadel, a symbol of power and courage, was now a broken man. The council looked at him for any response but there was none. Then finally, he replied in a broken voice, "If.. If this is the case and... and Princess Sanho is the reason for all these killings then, she will be dealt with accordingly. Once she is captured, she will be charged with murder and sentenced to death" and then left. 

At dinner, everyone was quiet. The king just sat there with his head in his hands. The queen was devastated beyond belief, muttering "That is not true" or "they are lying" every now and then. Marjan was sobbing softly but didn't utter a word. She knew Sanho couldn't do anything like that. Sanho was kind, brave and loved by all. There must be something else going on that nobody else knows. She had to do something. "Father, I don't think Sanho is responsible for these killings." The king hung his head low. "There has to be something else. Sanho can never do it." Marjan continued. "I think someone else is behind all this." The king replied, "There were a dozen eyewitnesses there. They all saw what happened. The evidence is overwhelming. There's nothing more I can do about this." "But Father, we know Sanho can't do this. She's not a cold hearted mermaid. She just can't", pleaded Marjan. "Let me go and find out. I can assure you that it's not her. "No, you are not going anywhere and that is final. I already lost one daughter. I am not losing you too!", replied the king angrily. "What if it's not her? What if it's the humans and-" "ENOUGH!", shouted the king. "Enough! No more talk of this ever again. You hear me?" "Yes Father", replied Marjan shortly. 

Marjan couldn't sleep that night. She kept thinking about how to save Sanho. Her mind was racing with thoughts but she couldn't think of a plan. She needed to escape somehow but how? She then went to meet the queen. "Marjan!", exclaimed the queen and hugged her. "Mother please tell Father to reconsider this. Sanho can't do this. We know that..." The Queen looked at her sadly. "I know dear. But you know your father. The rules and principles he lives with." "Why does Father hate humans so much?", Marjan asked. 

"It was centuries ago", the queen said. "The humans and the merpeople worked side by side to live together in harmony. The humans would protect us from the threats from the lands and in return, we helped them in their daily works. But gradually, things started to change. The man on land became greedy. He started to take our things by force. Our food, our belongings, our homes, everything. His greed got the better of him. He destroyed our colonies just so he could build his own. He used the sea as a dumping ground, suffocating our people. Our ancestors had paid a price for trusting them. Especially Sir Orius. His entire family was all killed by those humans while protecting the kingdom. No wonder he's angry" 

"But not all humans could be bad. They can be good and bad ones too", said Marjan. "Yes, my dear but the damage was done and since then, our people have lived in secrecy. We now only exist to them in their stories. And if that wasn't enough, those sirens started raking havoc. "Sirens?", asked Marjan. "Yes, my love", replied the Queen. 

"You see, everyone is welcomed in the kingdom of Haft Talar. Everyone except... the sirens. Sirens once lived alongside the mermaids in the same kingdom but there they were not the easiest creatures to live with. They would lie, cheat, steal and in general made things problematic. We tried to manage it at first but then the unthinkable happened. The sirens teamed up to stage a coup to overthrow the kingdom but thankfully it was stopped. The frontrunners of the coup were charged with treason and executed while their entire community was banished to the deep seas. It's been peaceful so far now that they are gone. Those creatures knew dark magic and used it to control it." "Dark Magic?", thought Marjan and was trying to put two and two together. "Mother, is it possible that... the sirens are behind this?" Sanho is innocent and was probably being controlled by them. If we prove that she is innocent, we can get her back!", exclaimed Marjan. The queen replied sadly, "I wish it were that easy. Your father is convinced that Sanho is behind all this." "But there's got to be a way. Please Mother, there has to be", cried Marjan. 

The queen sighed. She was about to say something but was reluctant. "Please Mother, tell me, what is it?". The queen said, "If you can find Sanho before the guards do and get her to confess before the king, he will reconsider. He knows when someone is telling the truth. That's why when the messenger gave the news, he was devastated." "There has to be a way to prove it. We have to." said Marjan.  The queen went and took out a box. Inside there was a necklace with a pink spiral shell with white markings. "This is for you". "What is it?", asked Marjan. "When a mermaid of royalty reaches a certain age, they are given the "Power of the Seas". This will guide through your journey and protect you from harm. We were waiting for you to come of age but given the circumstances, I think now is the time." Marjan took it and wore it around her neck. It was very beautiful and when she wore it, it glowed slightly and she felt protected. "Thank you Mother!" The Queen embraced her and kissed her forehead. "You're welcome dear and good luck!"