The Legend of Alexandros: Belen (19 page)

Alexandros said little the entire time they were at sea, and with the slow pace they were sailing, things were beginning to become awkward. After killing the goblin king, Alexandros spent most of his time to himself.

Is this what I am now? Will my life always be filled with anger and hatred for all time?

The silent sea gave them little peace, and while they may have had a small victory, they soon faced an overwhelming battle. The sky turned grey, so grey it turned black.

“Winston!” cried Alexandros. “Come down here now!”

Winston splashed into the water then climbed into the overcrowded goblin boat with Alexandros. Alistair glanced up to the darkening sky. Thunder echoed and ripped through the air; huge bolts of lightning exploded into the sea. The haunting sound of Barbarious’ laugh engulfed the sky. The bolts of lightning slammed down almost hitting the two small boats.

“He has done it,” said Alistair. “He has found the staff, Belen!”

“Keep away from the water,” said Alexandros, scooping out water that had flown in from the sea to keep the old wooden boat from sinking. Just then the grey clouds began to swirl and twist as if preparing for something horrific. Alexandros held Elora in his arms; she placed her head against his chest and closed her eyes tightly.

“Whatever you do, princess, Do not let go of me…”

An enormous bolt of lightning crashed down in between both small boats, smashing them into pieces, causing them to sink. The waves came down hard, crashing against them like stone walls. Elora held on tightly to Alexandros as he kicked hard to stay afloat. Winston swam with ease and held onto Bixbin as he started to sink. They all held onto one large part of the wrecked boat and watched as a tsunami-like wave roared into the air—but right as the wave came down, a whirlpool opened up in the water and swallowed them beneath the sea…

The blue sea surrounded them with a surprising peaceful calm; although they were deep beneath the surface, relaxation ran through their bodies. Alexandros drifted as if floating through the air in the sea. From all around he could hear a most calming melody that seemed to pull him in, and as he gazed forward he saw the figure of a woman swimming towards the group at a fast pace. She circled them, and just as quickly as she came four more of her seemed to appear, speaking in voices so captivating they did not seem real. She swam up to Alexandros and gently placed her hand over his eyes—and from that point all seemed to drift and fade away until Alexandros fell into unconsciousness.

The warmth of the sun poured down onto Alexandros’ face, and the soothing sound of the ocean waves could be heard as it gently washed onto the shore. Alexandros slowly opened his eyes. He found himself sitting in a marvelous lagoon. The lagoon was large and shaped like an octagon; it seemed to go on for miles. Two large mountains surrounding the lagoon, seemingly hidden by thin-stemmed green vines, stood at the far end of the lagoon with a triangle-like opening that separated it from the ocean from it. Four tall sea trees grew up from the lagoon and stretched over the large resting rocks underneath them. Peacefully asleep beside him were Princess Elora and Winston.

The lagoon was not as large as a normal beach area but still had enough room for a small forest area where beautiful colorful flowers grew. Long thin vines with glamorous flowers reached down from all the trees. Alexandros got to his feet feeling a bit dizzy; the sunlight was extraordinarily bright and reflected off the light blue water. Staring off into the sea were Valchor, Raphael, Bixbin, and Alistair.

“How did we arrive here?” Alexandros asked in a dazed voice but was ignored. “How did we arrive here?” He asked again, but this time more demanding.

Still being ignored, Alexandros turned his attention to the direction they were gazing off to and saw exactly what they were fixated on. A single Mermaid rested on the rock underneath the sea tree several feet away from the shore. Her skin was light aqua blue and flawless; her eyes were round and a light blue-green; her lips were full, and her long light-blue hair fell down her back. The Mermaid’s figure was perfection; she had a deep-blue tail covered with scales and light-blue almost transparent fins she was absolutely radiant. She closed her eyes and gently tilted her head back, allowing the warm sea breeze to caress her body. A gentle breeze blew back her hair, revealing her immaculate breasts. And she sang a most alluring song.

“In this isle men come to find

The lusful feelings they

Wish to hide…

As men they know

They cannot hide, their lustful

Thoughts from far and wide,

All men’s eyes are always mine,

My beauty is truly divine…”

All eyes were fixed on the Mermaid as several other Mermaids gracefully rose from beneath the surface—all of whom had different shades of lavish, light-colored skin in light pink, bright yellow, sea green, and violet. Their tails matched the color of their skin, but were darker and covered with scales. Their long hair as light as their skin. Alexandros stepped into the blue lagoon and swam calmly towards the Mermaids, which made most of the Mermaids retreat beneath the water. But the Mermaid on the rock beneath the sea tree remained.

“You truly are something else brave warrior. Most men who lay their eyes on a Mermaid become paralyzed by our beauty. You must be in love; our spell will not work on a man that sees with the eyes of love.”

“How did we arrive here? Were you responsible for our rescue?”

The giggled blissfully.

“Yes. My sisters and I brought you all here from the wreckage. My name is Lucinda…what is your name, warrior?”

“Alexandros, Belen Alexandros, son of the great Mabruk. Will you please release my friends from whatever spell you may have them under?”

“In a moment, I wish to speak with you some more first. I have never met a man whose eyes are filled with love. You are a rare breed. I saw how you held the young woman you were with. I knew right away you were not like the rest, and I had to help…I see a hero when I look into your eyes, Belen Alexandros.”

She lifted her hand, placed it into the water, and made a trickling motion. The Mermaids who had fled resurfaced and circled Alexandros.

“Enro randar uhrd ludok Belen Alexandros, anfarc velpar rysdan uhrd pildoor agnar, corda, lupin elmut.”

The Mermaids mermaids gasped then smiled while caressing him all over.

“What have you told them? Tell them to stop now,” said Alexandros, seriously.

“Ritic,”
Lucinda said softly. The Mermaids stopped and swam backward slowly.
“You have passed the test, Belen Alexandros.”

Lucinda slid into the water, taking Alexandros by his hand to bring him into shore, while the other Mermaids vanished beneath the sea. She remained in the shallows while Alexandros approached his spellbound friends.

“Will you release them?” Alexandros asked Lucinda.

Lucinda flicked her long soft wet hair behind her and chanted.
“Hildandi Tuscan kildar.”

The trance wore off immediately, and the men returned to their normal selves. Valchor gazed at Lucinda with eyes of lust. He got down on one knee in the shallow water. He gently kissed her hand.

“I am Prince Valchor…what might your name be, you lovely being.”

Lucinda glanced over to Alexandros and saw him kneeling down beside Princess Elora calmly waking her. Lucinda smiled and looked back to Valchor.

“I am Princess Lucinda…
“Lucinda replied to Valchor.

“She is royalty…” Vdchor mouthed to Raphael and Bixbin.

“I shall take you all to my mother Queen Priscilla, once you are settled. There is no hurry. Please feel free to roam about the lagoon…we will not bite.”

Lucinda splashed back into the water.

“She is absolutely…perfectly…amazing…” Valchor said to himself as he watched her swim off. Valchor excitedly jumped up and ran over to Alexandros and yanked to his feet causing Alexandros to drop Princess Elora as she was awakening back to the sand.

“Do you have a death wish, elf prince?” Alexandros asked sternly.

“Tell me all you know about the Mermaid princess,” Valchor said with childlike impatience.

“I do not have the time for this, Valchor,” Alexandros replied as he turned back to help Elora to her feet.

“Please tell me,” Valchor pleaded.

“Well she did mention something,” said Alexandors. “… she told me when she saw you she felt a most fond attraction.”

“I knew it,” Valchor said with glee and walked off to brag to the others.

“Did she really say that about Valchor, Belen?” Elora asked as she dusted the sand from her gown.

“Of course not,” Alexandros replied as he checked Elora for wounds. “The Mermaid never even mentioned him.”

Alexandros and Elora woke Winston as well then joined the rest of the group.

“We have to hurry and leave here,” said Alexandros. “The Amazons we rescued must have reached Evedsatu by now. We told them to rest there then to meet us at Siruac.”

“Unless we swim through an ocean that Barbarious has clearly taken over there is no way,” said Raphael.

“We are all ignoring the major problem here,” said Alistair. “Barbarious has found my staff.”

“No, he has not,” said Alexandros. “If he had the staff he would have killed us in an instant; he is trying to throw us off course and is succeeding significantly. The staff will not give him the power he truly yearns for as long as you are living, Alistair. If he had the staff he would have killed you first to unleash its true potential.”

“Belen Alexandros!”
called Lucinda from the lagoon. “My
mother will see you tonight; she has given me a message for you. She says you are welcome for however long you wish to stay and hopes you will enjoy your time here. Tonight at sunset she will allow me to bring you to her.”

“Very well,” said Alexandros, bowing. “Thank you, Mermaid princess.”

She then vanished into the water once more.

The day went on exceptionally slow. The lagoon Mermaids rested on the rocks underneath the vine-filled sea trees. Lucinda rested on her stomach while relaxing her head on the warm sand. She flicked the water with her fins every time the small waves washed up against the shore.

“How long have you known Belen Alexandros?”
Lucinda asked Valchor.
“You do not seem to have as much of a bond with him as the others seem to have.”

“I have only known Alexandros for about four days or so. He and I do not seem to get along too well. He sees me as a spoiled prince, and I see him as a brute warrior, but we keep our distance and things are well.”

“And are you a spoiled prince? You seem kind enough…or is this a mask to how you really are?”

“No. I am far from spoiled. I give to the needy all the time; just the other day I gave my most beautiful royal ruby to an old crazy woman.”

“How did it make you feel? Did you miss your most beautiful ruby after?”

“Well…of course. That ruby has been with me since birth. I have never parted with it before. I am happy that the ruby will give her a little joy, and I hope she will remember it was I, Valchor, prince of Evedsatu, that gave her the ruby.”

“You cannot view it that way. Do not do things for what they will get you. At the moment you gave her the ruby it must have been an important moment for her and a moment she will cherish for many years to come. Do not tarnish it by adding selfishness to it; view it as gift you gave to her from your heart.” She
gently caressed Valchor’s face.
“You have much to learn, elven prince.”

“I am much more than a prince, Lucinda. I am a warrior. I am a living being in this world. Giving Gertrude my royal ruby gave her a chance at new more rewarding life. She can sell the ruby and have a most relaxing existence. Now that is what matters most. Gertrude is happy, and for that I will never regret giving her the ruby. I will always miss my ruby, yes; but other jewels will come along and will fill the old one’s spot. I will never be a monster.”

“Prince of Evedsatu…you just removed your mask. You are now speaking with actual real emotion. Continue this way and you shall forever soar.”

“Was my father’s death quick?” Raphael asked Alistair as they gazed into the lagoon.

“Your father was a brave soul, Raphael. He did his best at everything, and most importantly he knew you would one day be a most promising king.”

“That is not what I asked. Was his death quick?”

“In a way, yes, but only he can know for sure.”

“I cannot do this, Alistair. All I want is to go home.

My people need me now more than anything, and here I am standing in a lagoon filled with Mermaids.” Raphael dropped his sword and shield on the sand. “I must go home.”

Alistair made the sword and shield rise up from the ground and return back into the centaur prince’s hands. “Your father fought till the very end…and so will you.”

Raphael lifted his head and said, “For Tobias.”

Alistair nodded proudly and answered “For Tobias.”

The lagoon was now filled with Mermaids of all sorts of bright colors; they splashed and happily played in the water. One Mermaid swam to the shallow part of the lagoon. She was light pink in color and had luscious, light-pink curly hair. Her features were that of a goddess; her beauty was something no being could put into words. From afar, Bixbin saw she was alone.

“Leith,” the
Mermaid said to Bixbin as he approached her.

“Huh?” Bixbin responded in confusion.

“It means hello,” she
giggled.