Page 102 of The Noble's Merman

“That’s something that you never told me about: the pain,” Mo said in French. “I thought I was dying at first, especially when I wasn’t expecting it.”

“I’m so sorry, such a thing slipped my mind!” She chuckled. “But either way, here we are. The pain should go away soon, and shifting between forms will become easier and easier. If you’re like me, I’ve already gotten quite used to walking.”

“Yes, I’ve gotten used to it, too. But about that—how does one become a mer again? Did your grandmother ever tell you?”

“She had, yes.” Wenta nodded, then turned her head to smile at Seth, who was simply staring at her in awe. Kent was doing the same to Mo, and it made his cheeks warm. Wenta addressed Mo, still speaking French, “To regain your tail, at least half of your body will need to be submerged in saltwater. Then, you think of life under the sea, and concentrate. Focus on what your tail felt like, and imagine swimming with it. It’ll hone the magic to take hold, and you’ll become a mer again. Personally, I’ve never tried it—I’ve only just recently become human the same time you did, you know—but I witnessed Grandmother transform years ago, so that should suffice.”

“All right. Yes, that’s good. What about becoming human again? Is it the same sort of sentiment?”

“Yes, but you’ll need to be completely out of the water, on something dry, whether it be land or a boat. Think of having legs, living in the human realm, and especially what will help expedite the magic process is to think of the human you connected with.” Her happy expression faded slightly, pouting her lips with a tinge of sadness. “Grandmother’s human lover had died whilst she was pregnant with my father. But she still thought of him any time she used the magic to become human. She was so young when it had happened, but she never remarried.”

Her words struck a melancholy chord in Mo, but it also told him something more. The magic that granted him legs was something that changed him forever—it was an ability that was always stored within him, something that shook his core, something that was hidden in his mer-blood that was locked away, and all he needed was the key. His key was Kent. Oh, he would do everything in his power to ensure that Kent and him would not meet the same bittersweet fate.

“I’m sorry about your grandmother,” said Mo, “but thank you for telling me.”

“I could understand that! Merci beaucoup,” said Kent with excitement. “I know a few words of French. And I know you’re being sneaky because we’re in public, but you’ll need to tell me what you’ve been talking about later.”

“Certainly,” Mo said in English, finally.

“What I find so fascinating,” said Allen, “was that I understood it all. I’ve never taken a French lesson, but suddenly, I’m fluent in it. I could even understand your clicks.”

“That is fascinating,” said Mo, his eyes widening.

“Gwendolyn,” said Seth, “I cannot begin to describe how alluring your voice is when you speak French. Please, when we’re alone, you’ll need to tell me the filthiest things you can imagine whilst using that language. Oh, it’s already riling me up.”

“Seth, please!” She blushed, and swatted the air in front of him. “You are such a lecher. But I’ll humor you. When we’re alone.”

Mo couldn’t help but laugh at that, and Kent and Allen joined in as well. They kept talking for some time, Kent promised to the trio that he would write to them, and that they would keep in touch. Allen suggested that whenever The Sterling Mer landed in Portsmouth again, they should all get together in a reunion. It was a splendid idea, and Mo’s heart swelled with relief that they truly had found their friends again.

THIRTY-FIVE

Afew days later, Kent suggested to Mo that he try shifting back into a merman to see if he could retrieve his things from his old grotto home. Not just that, Kent told him that if he had any ties or acquaintances with other merfolk, it was only proper he said his goodbyes. While Mo never was that close to any mer below the sea (aside from Wenta, who he could now visit on land), he could think of a few merfolk he should speak to. He’d never quite called Mahs a ‘friend’, but with how often he saw them and their family in the bazaar, they were the closest to it.

But there was another sea creature that held the most prominence in his mind: Noon. He hadn’t seen her since he climbed the sides of the John Beaut, and desperately wanted reassurance that she was safe. While he didn’t know where she would be, if she swam far off into the middle of the ocean or stayed nearby, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to call out for her, in case she was near Portica like when he initially found her. Perhaps she nested around here.

It was morning, and Kent walked with Mo through the woods by Fareham House, down to the same beach where they had met for the first time. Memories rushed through Mo’s head, remembering when he first heard Kent’s voice, how he hid behind the rock in the water, and how they talked, sitting on these very shingles for hours on end. The pink and orange colors painting the sky was similar as well, although the chill of the morning air felt different while he was wearing human clothes.

As he removed his clothes and set them in a pile by the trees, he thought of swimming. That was what he had to do, right? Focus on that, his tail, breathing through his gills. It would only be a quick trip, he told Kent, and Kent reassured Mo that he’d wait right here for him. Reading was Kent’s favorite pastime, and he would keep himself busy with a book he’d brought, along with staying sated with some food he’d packed. Mo smiled warmly and gave him a chaste kiss, now fully naked aside from his sea crystal necklace, and ready to enter the water.

Shifting back into a merman surprisingly wasn’t painful at all. His body glowed blindingly white, his legs fused together, and the magic flowed all throughout him, filling him with warmth and comfort. This was the form he was born as, the one he was most familiar with. But while it was familiar, it wasn’t how he longed to stay. The life he wanted to live was as a human. Though, it was relieving to know that if need be, his merman form wasn’t gone completely. It was in his blood, after all.

He waved to Kent, smiling so sweetly, and dove under the waves.

After walking with legs for a bit over a week, it felt odd to swim again. Odd, yes, but not impossible. A few kicks of his tail, a deep breath through his opened gills, and he was able to move along easily like he had before. He could do this. This might be one of the last times he swam down to Portica, so a little bit of peculiarity wouldn’t bother him.

His grotto was exactly as he’d left it, and he figured as such, as robbery wasn’t really a problem when living as far away from the city as he did. Though if he was living with Kent on land now, he didn’t have a use for his grotto at all anymore. He could clear it out, sell his old possessions, and perhaps use the coin he gained in the human realm. While he thought the paintings he kept were very beautiful, they didn’t hold any sentimental value.

He swam to Portica, and he’d left most of the larger items behind, figuring they could stay there, if he ever decided to return (besides also not wishing to take the time and effort to haul everything). At the bazaar, he found Mahs just like he expected at their stall, buying and selling human goods, along with Pazi at her own tapestry stall. The two merfolk were chatting, and startled when Mo approached them.

“Mo, I’d wondered what had happened to you!” chirped Mahs. Their long brown hair fanned over their shoulders as they straightened their back. “It’s been well over a moon since I last saw or heard from you.”

“I know, I know, it’s been a while. But, I’m moving, actually.” That seemed like the best way to put it.

“Moving where?”

“Ah, well… far enough to where I won’t be able to visit much.” He gave a shaky smile. Should he tell them of his transformation? Perhaps he could, despite Mahs’s opinions on humans. “I won’t be living in the water at all anymore.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

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