Page 43 of The Noble's Merman

“Viscount Fareham? Wilson, I know that name. Aren’t you the first son of the Earl?” another crewman chimed in. “What are you doing leaving England in the first place?”

Kent stiffened his face, holding back a sneer. These men meant no harm, but were simply curious, he reminded himself. No one knew of him or his situation yet. “If I wish to leave, I’m within my own right. My father still holds the title of Earl. And I have agency over my own life. Just because of my nobility doesn’t mean I cannot live how I see fit. I will inherit the title when it is time, and that is not now. Now, I wish to journey out to sea.”

Brooks clapped after Kent’s words, giving him another genuine smile. Soon after, more men clapped; a gentle round of applause. It warmed Kent’s heart. “Excellent, Fareham,” said Brooks. “Here, let’s sit.”

Kent did as he was asked, wincing a bit as his bottom hit the wooden chair, and Davies and the captain followed. Brooks then asked each man to introduce himself, and they went in a circle around the table, saying their names and their job on the ship. While there were only twelve other men here, the entire crew consisted of well over a hundred. Davies and a few of the other men were to relay anything important from this meeting to the rest of them—deckhands, riggers, and swabs.

“Have you been following along, Fareham?” asked Brooks.

“Yes.” There was something important that he needed to say now, before anything more was solidified about his position. “Though, if I may, I have… an important request. If you do not accept, unfortunately I do not think I will join your crew.”

“What? You made no mention of this before, when we talked!” exclaimed Davies.

“Well, with the nature of everything, it all happened so fast.” He let out a small chuckle, hopefully to ease any growing disconcerting mood. “But, as the sailors you are, I assume there shall be no problem for what I ask for.”

“And that will be…?” Brooks tilted his head.

Kent clenched his fists on his lap under the table, gulping down the lump forming in his throat.

“There is a merman I wish to bring along with us. If he cannot come on board the ship, I will not set foot on it either.”

Gasps were heard all throughout, and more gossip sprang from everyone’s lips. “A merman? Are you mad?” one said. “Merfolk don’t even exist!”

“Yes they do,” another man, Edward Walker, replied. “You’re new here, so you wouldn’t remember the mermaid Brooks invited before.”

“A mermaid? Seriously, Captain? I don’t believe it—these men tell lies.”

Brooks nodded, and curiously grew a tad redder in the face. “It is no lie. Many of you remember Lyla. She was a welcomed guest on The Sterling Mer. Our ship is even named after merfolk. Did you think it was all for show?”

“Well, there are also ships named after sea monsters, was I to think they’re real too—? Actually, don’t answer that. I’d rather stay ignorant,” the crewman said. That got a chuckle from the surrounding men.

“But Fareham,” Brooks addressed Kent again. “To answer your request—yes, by all means, bring your merman on board. He is welcome on our ship.”

“You mean it, Captain?” He felt a smile grow on his face.

“I absolutely mean it. Having a merman on board means we’ve been blessed with a navigator. Someone who knows the ocean and can steer us away from dangerous waters. And—if you are as friendly as I take you two for, if you’re asking him to come along—he shall value the crew and trust us as we shall trust him.”

Kent kept grinning with Brooks’s words. It was similar to what Mo had said to Katherine, how no matter what, Mo would do everything in his power to keep Kent safe.

“Are you sure he’s not a siren, though?” a redheaded man, Thomas Allen, asked. “If this merman were to have the Song, it could put all of us at risk, especially out at sea with him, if we brought him on board.” Two men nearby him nodded, considering what he’d said.

Kent waved his hands in front of himself. “He is not! I can assure you. Sirens do not befriend humans; they hate our kind. He’s just a regular merman. Besides, I’ve heard him sing, myself. And there was no magic in his voice. I would’ve felt something strange, given what is known of what the Song can do to you.”

“That is true,” Brooks backed him up. “The Siren’s Song is one where if heard, a human loses control over their mind and body. I’m certain if Fareham had heard it, he would know instantly.”

“Precisely,” said Kent.

Allen bowed his head toward the table. “I am sorry. You are correct, I’ve not ever heard of a siren befriending a human.”

“You are forgiven.” Kent smiled. “The merman is nothing to fear. His name is Mo, by the way. I sincerely mean it when I say he’s a dear friend of mine.”

“A dear friend, huh?” Davies chuckled, elbowing Kent’s side.

Kent’s cheeks burned with such intensity, he almost couldn’t speak. Could he trust telling them the truth of their relationship? He supposed he’d need to, for Mo and him to truly be together. But the words were caught in his throat, clogging it from coming forward. “Yes, we’re friends…”

“That’s enough, that’s enough.” Brooks waved his hand at Davies. “But yes, Fareham, by all means. Bring your merman along, I’d love to meet him.”

Kent grinned—his heart fluttering in his chest. “Absolutely.”

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