Page 110 of Mermaid on Heels

Liriya stood aghast.

Time seemed to fly. Perhaps even hours have gone by as she stared at her papa in paralyzing shock. Itwasher papa. But, never in her wildest dreams had Liriya ever thought she would ever see him with a pair of legs, or his hair and beard that he had always kept long trimmed. In fact, she hadn’t thought she would everseehim again.

But he was here, in flesh, for real.How?

Liriya had seen him captured in the pirates’ net and dragged up, with her own eyes. Sure, he must have transformed, but he had survived? She thought that the pirates were under Faelina’s enchantment and that she wanted them to end him.

“My Liriya…”

Liriya’s guard crumbled. A fitful sob ripped out of her chest. She rounded the table and went to Papa as he did the same. They met halfway and Liriya fell into his open arms, crying hard against his chest as he held her to him in a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh, my Liriya, my little angelfish…”

The room fell silent during their reunion, the only sound resonating through the air being both of their sobs.

Papa kissed her hair and pulled away to look down at her, his aquamarine eyes glistening and his cheeks tearstained. Liriya looked up at him, blinking the tears from her eyes. Oh, if only she could speak now!She had a lot to tell him and ask him. How many things she would have said by now if she had her voice!

Papa brought his hand to her face and wiped away her fallen tears. “Say something, little fish, Papa wishes to hear your voice. Oh, I never thought I would ever get to hear your voice again, let alone see you.”

There was obviously a lot he wanted to ask, about Ella and Sessa, but he was waiting patiently, eager to hear her words first.

Liriya’s heart clenched at her disability. Her eyes watered more as she reached her hand for her throat and shook her head.

Papa’s eyebrows furrowed deeply in concern. “Liriya, what is wrong?”

“Her voice has been stolen, Your Majesty, by Faelina,” Aeira answered for her from behind. She probably put together the pieces and realized that he was her father. Yet, she asked to confirm, “You’re Liriya’s father, am I correct?”

Papa’s eyes widened at Aeira, and Liriya wondered which shocked him the most. Being addressed by his kingly title or Faelina stealing Liriya’s voice? She waited for his reaction, a part of her hoping it was Faelina’s action that shocked him the most. Liriya wanted to see her papa’s protective side burst forth desperately.

“Yes I am,” he said slowly and then glanced down at Liriya. “ButFaelina?How?”

Liriya’s eyes pained, and Papa realized that she couldn’t answer him. He rushed to add, “Oh, I am so sorry you cannot talk, angelfish. But, I cannot—I cannot believe it…” He struggled with his words, looking equally desperate and frustrated.

“Please, Your Majesty, I can tell you everything Liriya told me—she wrote it down for me in the sand before we came up here. After Liriya has been fed, maybe she can communicate with you using ink and paper,” Aeira offered.

Liriya peered at Papa’s face, expecting his eyebrows to furrow in confusion at the mention of ink and paper. But he appeared perfectly aware of what those were. She was surprised; how long had he been here?

“Sure, Your Highness.” He nodded gratefully at Aeira, before adding, as he threw a nervous glance around the room at their astounded audience, “But please, call me Magnus.”

“We have akingworking as a servant in our palace?” King Titan composed himself from his shock and asked, blinking at Papa. “Why did you never tell us?”

“I…” Papa started nervously, sparing a glance at down Liriya whom he held to his side like he wasn’t ever going to let go. “I did not know I could…”

“We have underwater heritage too, King Magnus. Though we are quite different from each other, I promise you, we are allies,” Queen Waverly said, assuredly. She turned to her husband and added with a smile, “Perhaps it is time we rewrite history and change our people’s belief about these myths, do you not agree, dear?”

“I do, darling, but I also believe thatnowis not the right time.”

King Titan dismissed the servants and motioned to everyone to take their seats at the table. Aeira began telling Papa about what had happened to Liriya, everything she had learned from her.

Liriya watched Papa’s face for his reaction as Aeira told the story whilst eating. Every bit of information shocked Papa to the core, Liriya was sure, but he was good at hiding it.

Therefore, Liriya couldn’t make out which part shocked him the most; them breaking the rules and going to the surface or her falling in love with a human and getting engaged to him. All she received from him for a reaction was the brief look he spared her, though she failed to read what it meant.

“I have a question, King Magnus,” Aeira began once she was done telling him Liriya’s story. “Were you in that pirate ship our naval crew captured four months ago? You must’ve been one of the captives they brought here thinking you were slaves and gave you work for wages, right? Because I remember seeing you a few times before. And all those times… I can’t believe you are a mer-king!”

Papa nodded solemnly, his lips pursed. “Yes, Your Highness, you are correct. It was the same ship I was held captive—rather,sentto be captive by my oldest daughter I did not know existed until that day.” He glanced towards Liriya and continued, “Apparently, Faelina had told the pirates only to keep us captive, not to kill us; they did nothing to harm me. They even gave me clothes. However, a few hours later, there was an attack. The Garbian naval ship captured the pirates and saved me along with a few men and women who were slaves.

“They took good care of us and brought us here. I tried to jump into the ocean and come find you, but unfortunately, they kept us down in the hold and away from the deck. I promise, little fish, I kept trying to come back even after I arrived here. And I did it one day. I searched everywhere I could, but I failed to locate you.

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