Chapter 7
Maren
Iwoke up with my throat sore and my eyes puffy from all the crying. But I had slept well enough to feel rested and energized.
Despite all the turmoil of last night, I managed to fall asleep after Kye had calmed me with his singing. And what a song that had been...
I lay quietly in my bed, with my eyes closed, reliving the echo of his voice in my head.
He had an unusually powerful voice, rich and deep like dark chocolate or a smoky, decade-old whisky. Yet it surged effortlessly to any height the melody demanded from it, and it flowed smoothly with the tenderness of the lyrics, warmed by emotions I hadn’t expected from the siren king.
I never knew talent like that existed. And now, all I wanted was to hear him sing again and again.
I slipped from under the covers, then peeked out from behind the screen.
It was sunny outside. Daylight flooded the room, brightening the never-ending kaleidoscope of light and shadows bouncing through the glass walls of the palace. The sun had already risen high over the horizon, spraying the ocean waves below with golden bursts of light.
It was hard to believe this was the same place that had reduced me to tears last night.
A cold shiver ran through me at the memory of the slimy, otherworldly appendage wrapped around my leg.
It didn’t even feel like flesh of a living being but like a blob of congealed mud.
Thankfully, in the bright sunlight of the morning all of that felt like a passing nightmare now.
Wrapping a sheet around me, I stepped out from behind the screen and...almost tripped over the man stretched on the floor in front of the screen that separated my sleeping area from the rest of the room.
Kye was sleeping peacefully, about two steps away from my bed. With his arm under his cheek, his luminous hair strewn over the glass floor, and one of his legs bent, he lay on his side, snoring softly.
I understood his bed wasn’t softer than the floor, but still the floor didn’t seem like a suitable place for a royalty to sleep on.
Yet there he was, lying on the floor between my bed and the exit from the room.
Was it to stop me from escaping at night?
Or to protect me from the monster in the great hall?
The lyrics from his song echoed through my mind once again:
“You will never face the darkness alone.”
Regardless of his reasons for sleeping on the floor, I felt safer with him closer to me. I still wasn’t sure why Kye’s was the name I called for help last night, but I was grateful that he came when I called.
He didn’t move as I stepped around him to get to the trunk with the dresses.
If he had chosen to sleep on the floor to stop me from escaping, he did a poor job of it.
I could run all the way to the ocean right now, and he looked like he would just keep on snoring.
Except that running wouldn’t do me any good.
The vast ocean all around the reef kept me locked in this palace far more effectively than any locks or chains ever could.
Hugging the sheet around my naked body, I sneaked past Kye to get some clothes.
The breeze blew freely through the palace.
It puffed my sheet out, sliding its edge across the smooth glass floor.
A corner of the sheet skimmed along Kye’s shin, and the fabric immediately stiffened then crumbled in my hands.
The sheet burst into shards all around me, raining down to the floor in thin glass splinters.
Kye sat up, then scrambled away from me, his eyes unfocused and filled with primal terror.
“Maren?” His voice was small from fear. Uncertain.
“I’m here,” I said quickly. “Still alive.”
It shocked me again how fast the transformation happened. One moment, I clutched the soft fabric in my hands, the next, my fists were filled with cracked glass.
Kye ran an anxious gaze down my body.
“Fuck, you scared me, little butterfly.” He ran a trembling hand through his hair, then jumped to his feet in one smooth, fluid movement. “Are you hurt?”
“I...I don’t know,” I mumbled, opening my fists.
The shards in my hands kept the smooth shape of crumbled fabric, only the broken edges were sharp.
“Careful. Stay where you are.” Kye reached for me but kept the safe distance of a few steps between us. “Don’t move. I’ll get the servants.”
“Um...I’m naked,” I reminded him, trying to cover myself with my hands the best I could, but there was no use. He’d already seen me.
He paused. His features softened with a cheeky smile.
“I noticed,” he assured me.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that. “I mean, I’d rather not have a large audience here right now.”
“I understand. I’d much rather keep this view all to myself too.”
“Oh God, spare me...” I groaned through my teeth, carefully stepping behind the screen and out of his sight.
“Fine, I’ll get just one servant. A woman,” Kye conceded before rushing out of the room.
A few moments later, he returned with a woman who followed him at a safe distance. She brought a broom, a bucket, and a dustpan with her and promptly started sweeping the glass into a pile in sure, practiced movements.
“This is Elina,” Kye introduced the woman to me as I peeked from around the screen. “She used to be a maid at the palace long ago. And this is Maren, my guest.”
Elina’s dark-purple hair was braided on the sides and tied on the top of her head with white and silver ribbons that created an intricate weave. Her snow-white dress with a flowing gossamer skirt complemented her pale lavender skin. She looked beautiful and ageless, just like the siren she was.
“Good morning, my lady,” Elina greeted in a melodious voice, sweeping a path in the glass shards to get to me.
“My name is Maren,” I reminded. “No ‘lady’ is necessary. Would you mind passing me a dress please?”
Elina glanced at Kye. For permission? Confirmation? I wasn’t sure. He didn’t seem particularly pleased by my request for clothes, but if he thought I’d be joining him in running around naked, he was sorely mistaken.
“Go ahead if you must,” he conceded with a heavy sigh of disappointment before walking out of the room.
I watched him go back to the grand hall, then out toward the main entrance, probably to bring in more servants to clean the glass remains of the tentacle monster in the hall.
“Which dress would you like, my la...um, Maren?” Elina inquired, standing by the open trunk.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Something easy enough to put on, I guess.”
“A lady is not supposed to put on her own clothes,” Elina pointed out.
“It’s a good thing I’m not a lady then, isn’t it?”
“But all these dresses are made for a lady, one with chambermaids to help her get dressed.” She took a pale pink dress from the trunk and turned it to show me the intricate lacing on the back that I would never be able to straighten and tie on my own.
“It’s a good thing that I have you here this morning,” I agreed, coming out from behind the screen and letting her dress me.
Kye sauntered in when Elina was almost done tightening the lacing on my back. At the sight of him, she hastily yanked at the laces, then promptly stepped back to the wall and as far from him as possible.
“Elina, would you like to work in the palace again?” he asked her.
The woman’s lavender skin paled, taking on a grayish hue. She blinked rapidly, not meeting her king’s eyes.
Kye shifted his weight to another foot, looking severely uncomfortable at her silent rejection. I noticed he stood to the side of the entryway, taking care not to block her escape if she ran. Neither did he make any attempts to come closer to her.
A king shouldn’t be begging a maid to work for him. He should be able to just order her to do it. And maybe he could, but he seemed to prefer not to pressure her, waiting patiently for her to accept his offer on her own.
When she didn’t say anything, he spoke again.
“You don’t have to live at the palace. Just come over in the morning to help Maren dress and do whatever else she may need your help with.”
Elina glanced at me uncertainly.
“I’d love that very much,” I said, suddenly wishing to spare Kye another rejection.
He clearly didn’t want to order Elina into submission, trying to talk her into it instead.
“I really don’t need much,” I assured her. “Just some help with tying all these ribbons, scarves, and laces and even that won’t be unnecessary if you find me something less complicated to wear.”
“You’ll need someone to do your hair too.” Elina cast an unimpressed glance at my disheveled tresses.
“Well, I fear it’s beyond help now.” I ran a hand over my hair that was both frizzy with humidity and mussed from sleep.
“It seems to have life of its own,” Kye muttered under his breath. “Like a sea urchin.”
Elina stared sympathetically at my chaotic do.
“Alright,” she exhaled determinedly, as if about to jump off a clif into a raging surf. “I’ll do it. I’ll come by every morning before breakfast to help you get dressed and to do your hair. And I’ll leave before His Majesty gets up.”
“What time do you normally get up?” I asked Kye.
“Um...” He scratched the bridge of his nose with a finger. “I haven’t been paying attention to the time lately.”
“Around noon,” Elina offered, then lowered her voice, “or later, whenever he gets hungry.”
“Oh. Well, I’m an early riser,” I said. “Maybe we should sleep in different rooms, after all.”
I regretted the suggestion the moment I made it, remembering last night.
“No,” Kye protested promptly. “I’ll get up with you. But I will stay out of your way, Elina. You won’t even see me until you’re done getting Maren ready.”
“Alright then.” Elina inclined her head. “We have a deal, Your Majesty. I’ll be here every morning, as long as you will kindly stay out of the room I’m in.”
Kye’s shoulders dropped with obvious relief at her answer. “Thank you.”