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King Graham took a deep breath and smelled the scent of the sea. Finally, he was here in the beautiful land of Kolyma. Here, he knew he’d find her.
Ever since he first saw her in the Magic Mirror, he’d dreamed of her. Of her sweet face, her shining blue eyes, her fiery auburn locks. He saw her trapped within that quartz tower, her eyes showing so much sadness and loneliness, that even if he wasn’t searching for a wife, he’d have been motivated to rescue her regardless. Because damn it, he was King Graham of Daventry, and he wouldn’t let anyone suffer such sorrow while he still breathed.
He just hoped that she felt the same way about him as he did her. For a moment, his heart faltered at the thought of rejection, then he became overwhelmed by nervousness. What would he say to her when they finally met? How would he propose? How would they escape? Would he be able to come across as a gentlemanly sort, and not a bumbling fool? What if she was like his predecessor and unable to have children? What if she said no? What would he do then?
Those horrific thoughts were forgotten, as a sudden blast of salty sea spray came up and blasted him from behind, almost like a slap upside the head, the wind nearly knocking off his hat. Graham whirled around but saw nothing but the shoreline. That was the wakeup call he needed, really. He clenched his fists, put on the bravest and most determined face he could muster, and began his walk towards adventure. He’d deal with it when the time came for it, for now he needed to reach that tower.
For just a moment, however, he swore that he heard… something within the waters. Some sort of melodic sound echoed in his mind, when he’d looked at the sea, reverberating in his head even when he looked away. Normally, he’d satisfy his curiosity immediately out of habit, but no. Not today. He had a goal, and he wanted no distractions.
He ignored the angelic notes being sung in his ear. He ignored the lingering smell of the sea.
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With a final click and turn of the key, Graham finally managed to open that final door. As he stepped through, he found himself in a strange land. The skies were pink, the sands were a deep blue, and the sea itself was magenta. In the distance, the quartz tower loomed over a lonely island in the middle of it all. He reached it in moment after a ride on a golden fish, flung open the door and began his ascent.
Finally, after a precarious climb up a spiraling staircase, and dealing with a vicious and hungry lion, he reached the top. He opened it to reveal a blue floored room, barren of any homely comforts at all. A tiny room, with nothing but a balcony to look out of, the sight being of course of the beach and the sea. But while it did bother him, Graham knew that soon it wouldn’t matter.
For there she was. The princess, the lady of his dreams. She stood with her back to him, and she didn’t seem to notice that he was there, as she let the wind brush her long hair gently. Graham ran through his thoughts again. Introduce yourself. Talk to her, get to know her a bit, if she’s willing to. Let her see you’re not a threat, don’t be too forward…
Then all that was forgotten when she turned to look at him, and she smiled. She faced him then, revealing her full figure, and Graham tried not to stare. She giggled and came closer, and Graham just stood there. So, it was she who wished to make the first move, then? Unusual. Unexpected. But, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes deeply, he couldn’t find himself saying it was unwanted.
“Hello there, my dear,” the princess purred. “My name is Valanice.” Graham couldn’t help locking eyes with hers, those eyes of ocean blue. Her auburn hair tumbled in waves down her back, framing her face perfectly with the sunlight on her back, and the shadows framing that.
Her voice was soft and bell-like, almost melodic in how soothing it was. “The birds and fish have told me of you, my King. They’ve told me of your quest, your journey here to Kolyma, of how you seek a wife, a companion to warm your bedside and bring life and joy to your kingdom.” Graham just nodded silently, and slowly a smile creeped onto his face. This was going better than expected.
He failed to notice the shadows outside had changed, that the sun’s position had moved to where he could no longer see it through the window. “Well…” Valanice looked thoughtful, “If I may be so bold as to ask you a question?”
“Anything, Princess!” Graham replied.
“Very well, then. Why must I go home with you?” Seeing Graham’s concern and confusion, and his answer about to erupt from his mouth, she shushed him by abruptly clapping a hand over his mouth and continued, “Your kingdom is so, so very far away from mine. Why not rule here?”
Graham’s heart skipped a beat, and his eyes darted about in worry. At first, he wondered if she was merely talking about Kolyma itself, there was an empty castle ripe for the taking in the lake. But to abandon Daventry when she’d just gotten back steadily on her feet? Graham wasn’t sure he could do that so soon after gaining his crown. They needed him back home.
But then he thought about her wording. Rule HERE. As in this island itself, within perhaps another world, with it’s blue beaches, pink skies and magenta sea all around. Within this quartz tower would be their throne room, their subjects the birds, the fish, the crabs on the shore, with the lion as their guardian.
His worry deepened, as he noticed the pink skies turning purple before his eyes, rapidly fading to a blue that was as dark as the sands. It was getting dark, that was all, right?
Valanice was awaiting his answer. Graham tried to remove her dainty hand from his face, and found it oddly hard to do, as if something was weighing him down. She wasn’t resisting his touch either. Yet the question weighed heavily on him, like a great burden on his back.
Still, he made his decision. He shook his head. “No.” Graham firmly stated, mentally urging himself to deny his love’s request, no matter how hard it was to choke out his words, let alone his dignity. “I cannot abandon my duty, my kingdom, my home. Please,” he wrapped his arms around her, “I ask only this: Come home with me. I’ll make sure you’re never sorrowful or lonely again.”
Valanice rested her head on his shoulder, her face turned away. Graham felt her shaking and heard soft sounds from her. “There, there.” He rubbed her back in comfort. “It’ll be alright, I promise.” The soft sounds grew louder. Valanice held him tighter, almost crushing his ribs. Graham was surprised at her strength.
Then, he glanced out the window, beyond the balcony, towards the dying light of the sunset. Except, it wasn’t setting at all. It just shrunk and then winked out of existence, bathing the world in cobalt. Graham’s heart pounded faster as things began to unravel, as the sounds from Valanice grew louder, higher pitched. He suddenly felt pressure surge over his body. The sounds of the world grew muffled, except for Valanice’s. He realized that she was not weeping at all. She was laughing.
Her voice rippled through the thick air around him, clear as a bell, with a melodic tone. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure of that, Graham. I promise I’ll take care of you.”
The King then realized, as the water caved in the illusion of the tower, that he had been a fool. A fool who’d decided to follow his old habits, his fatal curiosity in the world around him, that he’d been drawn into the open water and been dragged all the way down here to be the next meal of a siren. For as the illusion was dispelled, the woman of his dreams disappeared to be replaced by a creature of fins, scales, and seaweed. He’d been trapped in her embrace and found that he couldn’t move if he tried.
Cold, darkness, loneliness, all of it embraced him in that moment as his world faded away quickly. In his final moments, he swore he could hear congratulations, sorrow at his failure and a wish for good luck next time. He didn’t have time to ponder what any of it meant before it all went dark.