Smoke and Mirrors (12)

Twelve

A Long Story

---

So the thing is, when a big dude that happens to be the king of all the water everywhere tells you to sit down and tell him your story, you kind of freeze up. Well, maybe you personally don’t, but I did. Then, after realizing that I froze up, I stuttered and tried to form a coherent sentence in my head.

I guess what I mean to say is that when you need to speak to someone important, stop and gather your thoughts before you speak.

“I--uh--didn’t know--and she just, well, you know, like, um, showed me stuff--um--you know? I didn’t know. Still don’t, really. It was all so fast! Then there was fire. Um. Like, a lot of fire. Everywhere. I’ve never been in a volcano before, have you? Well I’m sure you haven’t--since you’re the king of water. Uh, so, did you know who she was when you married her? No, that’s a dumb question, of course you knew. Unless you didn’t. That’s, uh, always a possibility.”

I needed to stop talking. Where was a mute button when you needed it?

He blinked and watched me curiously. “I think she’s broken,” he commented to one of the nearby bodyguards.

I inhaled and laughed softly at the joke. “Not broken, just nervous.”

We sat in a beautiful garden, with grape vines crawling down the stone walls. Waterfalls poured from giant crystal vases beside grand archways. The archways stood over silvery ponds of koi and other types of fish.

The ground where we sat was a window into the blue expanse of the ocean, but other places in the room were filled with stunning views of lush gardens. Jasmine, sweet ferns, damp mosses, and moist earth perfumed the air with such a refreshing, dreamy scent. This was easily my favorite room in the castle.

“Would it help if I ask you questions?” His eyes were the color of seaglass I’d collected years ago. They were misty and grey, and I’d glued them to the top of my dresser in hopes that I could cover the whole thing with seaglass. I never did, so to this day, there were just four pieces glued hap-hazardly to the top of my dresser.

“Yeah--sure.” I forced myself to stop staring at his eyes and thinking of my dusty dresser.

“Good. Where were you born?”

“Do you want what I was told or where I was actually born? Because I don’t know where I was actually born. Apparently Mom lied to me about my entire life.” I smiled politely.

He raised an eyebrow. “Where did she say you were born?”

“My father was a fireman--until he died putting out a fire--so he was rarely home. When I was born, he was at work pulling a little girl out of a burning basement. I was born in the back seat of a taxi cab because my mom didn’t make it to the hospital in time. The cab guy was going crazy trying to get to the hospital, but it didn’t matter, I was determined to be born a week early.”

I stopped and sucked in a breath.

He started laughing. And laughing. And laughing.

Finally, he stopped. “That was a good yarn. Now, do you want to hear how you were actually born?”

I shrugged. “I guess so.”

“You were born here, in this very palace. It was night, and the moon filtered into the waters around us, as if it was joining us for your birth. Everything seemed to glow. Your betrothed’s family was here to celebrate your birth with us, but they were not the only royals who had come from around the world to meet the daughter of the sea. The kingdom was alive with dancing in the streets. People cheered at the announcement of your arrival--of their future queen.” He paused and gazed off into the distance. “And when you were born, you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. You weren’t bald or ugly and red like most newborns are. You were perfect. You had a head full of golden curls, and your skin was the color of lilies.”

I hadn’t realised it, but a tear had formed in my eye while he talked. I hurriedly blinked it away. I had grown accustomed to the fact that I never had a dad who was there for me. How could I have known anything else?

I wanted to know my dad. I wanted to have a real relationship with him. Yeah, he was huge and scary, but he obviously loved me. The expression in his eyes now told me so. It wasn’t his fault mom decided I’d be safer in the real world than here.

“Woah,” I whispered. Then I laughed. “That sounds way cooler than being born in a taxi cab.”

“Next question. Why did Adara leave with you?” He looked directly at me now. Behind his eyes, there was anger.

I ducked down. “You mean mom? She has another name too?!”

You think you know someone for 18 years and they pull a name swap on you!

His eyes widened. “What name did she give you?!”

“Elizabeth.”

He snorted. I didn’t know kings could do that. “I don’t even know why I let that woman surprise me anymore.”

“Did you ever love her?” I asked quietly.

He looked curiously at me, but slowly, he nodded. “At one time I did. I was supposed to marry her sister, the heir to the fire throne, but she always had a mean streak about her. I never liked her. Adara and I. . . we fell in love. Adara was sweet and caring. She went out of her way to make others feel loved.”

Mom was great at that. That’s what shocked me that she managed to keep this entire world hidden behind her facade of love and care.

He continued talking. “And she was so beautiful--nothing at all like her sister.” He looked at me. “You have her chin, you know. Strong and pointed.”

I almost laughed at his comment. Mom looked like a runway model; I looked nothing like her. Her hair was dark like a raven’s wing, mine was just barely dark enough to always look like it needed a good wash. Even if all I inherited from her was her chin, I would be happy.

“Back to my other question. Why did she think you would be safer on Earth with just herself to protect you than here with me? Why did she leave?” His tone sounded so pained, and for a moment, I saw a glimpse into how sad and wounded he must have been when his beloved wife took their newborn and left.

“I’m not sure,” I replied slowly. “I know she didn’t want me to marry Sterling, since the prophecy says I’ll die. Speaking of which, why does that thing have so much weight? How does anyone know it’s even true? It’s such a dark twist on the whole ‘chosen one’ cliche.”

“Chosen one? What do you mean?”

“Ah, nevermind.”

He ran his hand across his blond, greying beard. “Sterling’s add-some-greats grandmother wrote the thing. The prophecy was an old scroll listing things that would lead up to the destruction of our existence, which would mean Earth’s as well. If the ocean’s queen, meaning you, can’t hold the sea back, the sea will overflow her bounds and destroy the land. If the mirror’s king can’t hold back the monsters that live in the mirrors, chaos will ensue. Every ruler is in place to ensure their element stays controlled.”

“How do we know it’s real?” I asked.

“Because many of the things it described have already come to pass. When the child once stolen returns. When the ground once thought solid cracks. When war breaks out between Winter and Summer. There were many things she listed that have been coming true.”

“Wait, so the child is me?”

He nodded. “And the ground once thought solid was the land we hold the Testing on. We used to have such faith that going there could only result in peace with the nations. That land has--symbolically speaking--cracked. After your mother pulled what she did, nothing has been the same.”

“What changes?” I leaned forward.

“Everything. She never should have taken matters into her own hands.”

I hummed in thought. “Wait, so can you teach me how to use water? I can barely use fire. I mean, it’s there, but I can’t control it or anything. Maybe water is easier.”

His eyes widened. “You--you can use fire?” His tone sounded alarmed.

I nodded slowly. “Yes? Is something wrong? This won’t affect me being the ocean’s queen or anything. Mom said I can do both.”

“Oh, that woman is going to be the death of me.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “You shouldn’t be able to use two powers. You were supposed to inherit mine and mine alone.”

Oh. I knew why he was upset now. “Mom hid her powers during the Testing,” I replied quietly. “She told me she did.”

His misty eyes snapped to mine. “How?! That’s impossible!”

“Not for her.”

“But she was Talentless. Everyone knew that. How did she--” He cut himself off with a shake of his head. “This changes everything.”

“How?” I scooted forward anxiously.

“There hasn't been a person born with two Talents in ages. To top it all, you’re going to marry Sterling, which means you’ll have three. That’s not good at all. It’s not natural!”

I blinked. “What did people do with their powers before the Testing and stuff? Doesn’t that distribute powers? Also, Sterling and I are not on good terms. No marriage to worry about there.”

He snorted. “I wish I could make you promise that, but it’s already been prophesied. One way or another, it will happen.” He stroked his beard. “Before the Testing was invented, people freely had powers. Sometimes a person could easily have eighteen if the genetics were strong enough. It was awful. People were able to get away with murder and no one could stop them because they didn’t have as many powers as another person did. The Testing changed all of that. It balanced everything. Everyone was on an equal ground because everyone had one power, maybe a second weaker one if they married a Talented.” He looked at me. “You cannot be an exception to the law. We’ll have to get you Tested as soon as possible.”

I swallowed. “I guess so. It just stinks. I mean, I’ve never had a cool power before, and now I can do two? Fire and Water? That is so cool. And it saved me from Sterling hauling me back to his dungeon, but that’s another story.”

He raised his bushy eyebrows. “He did what?”

I shrugged. “He said he wouldn’t kill me under his roof if I told him something, so to spare my life, I told him. Well, instead of killing me, he threw me in his dungeons. Which is actually kind of fun until you get tired of smacking your face against the glass a hundred times.”

He shook his head. “Well, that’s another problem we have to figure out. Soon. You can’t marry someone who is trying to kill you, Tanwen.”

I winced at the name. Mom had said it meant Holy Fire, but it felt so. . . foreign. “Just call me Tessa. That’s what mom called me for years.”

“Ah, so that’s why you said your name was Tessa.” He sighed. “That really threw me off, you know? You looked so much like my mother. The hair, the eyes, everything. I desperately wanted you to be--well, you--yet I couldn’t let myself hope. Too many people claimed to be you and weren’t. I almost gave up. Eighteen years is a long time, you know.”

I gave him a smile. “But I’m here now. That’s all that matters. We can do things to help build our relationship. And there’s so much I want to ask you! Especially now that I know my dad is the king of water. That’s so cool!”

He chuckled. “Sometimes it sounds cooler than it actually is.”

I threw a look around the magnificent room we were in. “Somehow I doubt that’s entirely true.”

Suddenly, a lady came rushing into the room. She wasn’t young, but she wasn’t old, either. She was dressed in a dress of blue gauze, with fluttery sleeves and layers of fabric that rippled like ocean waves as she hurried into the room.

“Ah, Naira! Thank you for coming.” He looked at me. “Tan--Tessa, I asked Naira to come and talk with you about putting together a ball. Since you’re back, it should be one of the first things we do to announce your presence to the other kingdoms.”

My jaw dropped. “A ball?! Me? Oh no. I would die. I would trip on my dress and someone else would die. It wouldn’t be good. Besides, I’m not a very social person, okay? I get headaches when I have to deal with too many people at once.”

“It’ll be okay, you’re only dealing with royals. Most of them aren’t too pushy.”

Oh, that would be better. If it was only a ball full of royals, there couldn’t be that many people there.