Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
    I rolled over and faced the wall, palming a hunk of hair and tugging. Something had to stop the madness and soon. The shell of my psyche was cracking and at any moment, I knew it would shatter to pieces.
    “ Why don’t you come out and spend some time with me in the living room?” he asked.
    I moaned but didn’t move. He waited a minute and sighed, then shut the door.

47
FIN

    “ Phaleon, what is this all about?” A loud voice boomed from the doorway, interrupting the ceremony.
    Everyone turned to stare at my father. I watched, my adrenaline trying to press past the drug barrier and kick in some liquid courage.
    The King swiveled around, startled. “Jack, so nice of you to join us. Please—” he gestured, “take a seat.”
    “ No. I will not,” Dad said with hard eyes. “Why wasn’t I told my children were being promised today?”
    “ I’d sent word. Obviously you got it.”
    “ Word?” Dad laughed derisively. “Was this the same word that was supposed to be sent back to my family about my wellbeing?”
    “ Your messages weren’t being delivered?” The King looked towards my mom with raised eyebrows. “I’m going to have to check into that. But still, let’s not ruin this joyous affair—” He faced forward and motioned to the attendant. “Oberon, continue—”
    “ No, we will not.” Dad moved into the aisle, taking a sympathetic look at each of us. “Fin, Tatiana. Do you wish to be here today?”
    I gulped and shook my head. Tatiana remained stiff and bleary-eyed; she didn’t respond.
    Dad tightened his eyes and looked back at the King. “My children don’t agree and I won’t allow them to make a life decision under duress.”
    The King bristled. “It’s not up to them anymore. They’ve broken the law.”
    “ And what law is that?”
    “ Leaving Natatoria unchaperoned and without permission.”
    Dad’s painful glance darted between Tatch and me, catching the glint of gold from the bracelet on my arm. My gut quivered. “Since when is the punishment an arranged promising?”
    The King took a deep breath and flared his nostrils. “I know we are friends, Jack. But you’ve got a lot of nerve arguing with me. This is what I want to happen.”
    “ With all due respect, I am still their father and get to decide who they are promised to. That is the law. Did you even ask why they’d left? Maybe they were concerned because they hadn’t gotten word from me.”
    The King’s face turned red with anger. “It matters not. They’ve accepted and will be promised today.”
    “ And Maggie agreed to this as well?” Dad gestured to Mom who stayed frozen in her seat. “She probably wasn’t aware that the parents’ desires trump everything else in this situation and I’m stopping this ceremony right now. Don’t press this, Phaleon.”
    “ You are treading in dark water, Jack.”
    They stared at one another in silence, neither moving as the King’s chest rose up and down. Dad stood firm, unwilling to cower in his presence.
    When neither backed down, Dad lowered his head. “I have been a faithful servant to Natatoria and to you my entire existence, even when you were prince. You and I both know this goes further back than my children breaking the law. Even if you are King, you cannot break your own laws voted in by the people—your parents saw to that.”
    “ Are you lecturing me?”
    They drifted closer, now only a foot or two apart. The royal guard snapped up from their previous relaxed stance and poised themselves for an attack.
    “ So be it,” Dad finally said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Maggie, Finley, Tatiana, let’s go. We’re leaving.”
    “ No!” the King shouted. “You will all stay where you—”
    Dad moved to get into the King’s face; his personal guard held him off. “You’ll what? Have us banished? So be it. I resign from the Council. Me and my family will be leaving now.”
    Dad signaled us to leave the room, but the royal guard moved between us.
    “ Arrest them!” the King yelled.
    The guards rushed in all directions. Dad let out a cat-call and mers dressed entirely in black charged into the room with spears drawn. The King’s guards were outnumbered two to one, pinned against the wall.
    The King bristled. “This is treason!”
    “ We have no wish to fight,” Dad said while taking Mom’s hand. “We only want to leave in peace.”
    A scuffle broke out at the door as more of the King’s soldiers tried