Authors: Sheri L. Swift
Later that evening, Titus asked Lana, “Are you sorry that you cannot celebrate Christmas like the humans?”
“I miss my dad, but being here with you and Rose is like having Christmas every
day. Now that I’ve had a child of my own, I think I can understand the true meaning of Christmas even more,” she said as she nestled in his arms and Titus was thankful for the wife he was blessed with.
~~~~~
It had been nearly a week since Lana had spoken with her father. She was enjoying a swim in the coral reef gardens with little Rose and Princess Cassandra. Rose had insisted that Tempest come
along and she held on to his dorsal
fin as he slowly glided along next to Lana.
“She does seem rather taken with him
.
”
S
miled Princess Cassandra.
“They are inseparable,” laughed Lana as she watched Rose getting frust
rated at Tempest for not
going
as fast as she thought he should. That was one word she knew well.
“Where is Titus?” Cassandra asked.
“He is meeting with King Titan in the Hall
.
”
Just then, they heard shouts from the guards at the entrance of the city and Lana looked to see Sirene swimming quickly towards the Hall. “Mother, would you please watch Rose, I must go,” sa
id Lana as she
took Rose from Tempest and handed her to Cassandra.
“Yes Dear, please do be careful,” said Cassandra with concern as she watched Lana swim towards the Hall.
When Lana arrived in the Hall, Makoa and another guard was holding Sirene and keeping her from getting any closer to King Titan or Titus.
King Titan rose from his throne with his staff in hand and looked sternly at Sirene and said, “Let her come before me, I will hear what she has come to say.”
Then Makoa and the other guard released her and she swam and laid herself at King Titan’s tailfin.
Lana saw the glance that Titus gave Makoa and he quickly left. She knew that Titus must be worried that there might be others with her.
Sirene kept her head
bowed
low and said, “Mighty King Titan
, I have returned to my people
from where I wish I had never left. I am most sorry for the pain I have caused to Prince Titus and Princess Lana. Darious had captured my parents and said that he would surely kill them if I did not bring the Princess to him. Even after I had, I tried to go and find Prince Titus to tell him, but Damon came and forced me and my parents to leave with him and his guard. For over three winters, my parents and I have been held in the dungeons below the city of
Tiselius
. I would still be there now if it were not for one of their guard
sman
, a Prince, who helped me and my family to escape. My parents were trying to warn you,” she began to sob.
“Warn me of what child?” King Titan asked compassionately.
“The secret that Damon has withheld from you is that King Tiberius no longer lives. He died four winters ago. His son Thaddaeus now reigns in his place. He was the one that named Darious as head of the guard and made him and Damon Princes. Now Damon is the head of his guard. King Thaddaeus has been preparing to make war on you for some time. Some of his guards are already in the deep of the South Pacific awaiting further orders to siege the city of
Tullius
. It cost my parents their lives; they were caught halfway coming to the city. I and my friend barely escaped,” she said sobbing once more.
T
here were shouts heard
again
as Makoa and another guard
sman
brought in a young merman
.
Lana could tell
that he
was one of the others. He did have the white hair, but it was tied in the one long braid. He wore the golden circle upon his head. Instead of his eyes bein
g silver, they were a deep blue, even the white of his eyes were light blue.
Lana remembered that Titus had told her before that their eyes were different because of their environment.
King Titan and Prince Titus gave a look of disdain as he was brought before them.
Sirene shouted, “Please do not hurt him, he is my friend! His name is Prince Tristan; he is one of King Tiberius’ many grandsons. He is the one that helped me and my family.”
“I am sorry Sirene, but we must hold Prince Tristan until I can speak with him further,” said King Titan as he waved to Makoa and the other guard
sman
. They turned and
swam
him to the jail.
“Please King Titan, I promised him that he would find a life of peace among the mer of Tullius. He hates the ways of King Thaddaeus and Damon and never knew that there was another way to live; like the sacred ways of our people,” said Sirene as she clung to King Titan’s tailfin.
“Get up my child, if what you say is true, then we shall know of it and he shall be set free,” said
the
King as he lifted her up by her hand.
Lana could take no more and she went before the King and beside Sirene. “I could tell that she was sorry when she brought me into the cavern,” said Lana in her defense.
Titus glared at Lana and let his thoughts tell her to be careful.
“It is alright Prince Titus; I do not blame you for not trusting me. I am so sorry for how Darious treated both of you. I really was trying to save my parents. Prince Tristan will confirm all that I have said to you,” Sirene said sadly
as she bowed her head once more
.
“Princess Lana, will you take Sirene to her former home, for I know she must be tired,” said King Titan lovingly.
Lana looked to Titus and let her
thoughts tell him;
it’s alright, I want
to do it
. Then she spoke to the King, “Yes my King, I will.”
Sirene smiled at Lana and then she led the way back to her home.
King Titan looked to Prince Titus while gritting his teeth, “So, it has finally come to this. Now I know why Damon was so guarded with his thoughts when I asked about Tiberius.”
“We must call all
of
the guard back and I must send word to Micah,” said Titus.
“Yes, do it quickly. I will speak with this Prince Tristan and see if anything further may be gained,” said
the
King as he
swam
towards the jail.
Lana could feel the deep sorrow that Sirene was having for the loss
of her parents.
How
sad that they’ve
been imprisoned all this time and no one ever knew
.
“Thank you for your kind thoughts for
me and my family,” said Sirene
with a slight smile.
“I’m just so sorry Sirene, we never knew. We thought that you and your family
wanted to join with the others.”
“That is what Damon wanted you to think. There were other families that held out for a
while and then came around to Damon’s way. They are enslaved to him now in other ways,” said Sirene sickened by the thought of it.
“I’m so glad you had a friend like Prince Tristan to help you
.
”
Lana smiled.
“Yes, he is a true friend and has lost everything to help me. Damon will surely kill him if he ever gets the chance.”
“I’
m sure that King Titan wi
ll see the good in him and he’
ll be free to join you soon,” Lana said as she read her thoughts that he was more than just a friend.
“I know how foolish I was before with my feelings for Prince Titus. Now I have learned the real meaning of love and sacrifice. Prince Tristan and I hope to have King Titan join us in union
.
”
Sirene smiled.
“I’
m sure that he must love you to make such a sacrifice, and
I’
m also sure that King Titan will be more than happy to perform the ceremony,” said Lana as she hugged Sirene.
Titus was glad that when he got to his home, Tempest was there alone. He knew that his mother must have made him stay when she took Rose to her own home. He had not been looking forward to having to pry the dolphin from his little daughter. He needed Tempest for an errand.
Titus took a small red flag and waved it in front of Tempest, “See this boy; I need you to take it to Tarra. Can you do it?”
Tempest clicked as he shook his head up and down. Titus placed the stick of the flag across the dolphin’s bottom teeth and Tempest closed his mouth and held it tightly.
“Tempest, take it to Tarra, go boy!” Titus said as he gave him a shove and Tempest took off out the doorway as quick as he could. Titus knew that Micah would know the signal. Then he went to rejoin King Titan at the jail with Prince Tristan.
When Titus arrived, he could see that the Prince Tristan was tired and somewhat scared. He was speaking to the King
.
“That is when I knew that I must help them to escape, not only to help to warn your people, but I also knew what Damon had planned for Sirene. He only delayed these past few winters to get her parents to join with him. Now he no longer cared when it was announced that King Thaddaeus was going to lay siege to Tullius.”
Prince Tristan bowed his head.
“You love her, do you not?” King Titan asked with such compassion.
“Yes, I cannot deny it. I even came to love her parents as my own. I had never learned the sacred ways until I saw the way they treated others; even the guards. They were so kind and their thoughts were so filled with love. I was reprimanded once for feeling pity towards them. I had to keep a tight rein on my thoughts when I was near the others. It was becoming even more difficult as I helped to plan their escape. We nearly made it, I still cannot believe that her parents made me leave and take Sirene, while they held off the guard that had tracked us. They bought our freedom with their very lives,” he said as he began to sob.
“There now my nephew, they gave all they had to protect their daughter and to warn their people. It was good of you to help them
.
”
“I would rather serve you King Titan, without my crown, than to serve King Thaddaeus with it,” said Prince Tristan with conviction as he dropped to the mid joint of his tail and removed his golden crown and placed it between the bars of the jail and laid it at King Titan’s tailfin.