The Cursed Doubloon Page 3

“What? Is that supposed to be a compliment of sorts?”

  “It was supposed to be but it sounds as if it came off wrong.”

  “It did,” I laughed. “But I’ll forgive you this once.”

  He laughed and nudged me back. “What’s your father up to this evening?”

  “Indulging himself in the local tavern’s rum. He’ll be loaded to the gunwalls by morning.”

  “That’s okay with me.”

  “And why is that, exactly?”

  “Because it affords you the time to get away and see me.”

  “That it does,” I smiled. “And what have you been up to today?”

  “Well,” he sighed in thought, “I heard my brother’s been looking for me.”

  “Why? Is something wrong?”

  He shook his head. “I doubt it. My father is most likely concerned that I’ve been roaming around too long.”

  “Oh. Well, I hope it’s not because of me. I don’t want to be the cause of any family issues.”

  “Believe me, you’re not. Our issues came about long before you did.”

  “That’s sad that you have issues in your family.”

  “Yes, but you feel my pain, unfortunately.”

  I nodded and looked down at the length of my dress that was sucked to my legs. “I need to find some other attire to meet you in. These dresses will not do.”

  “Why don’t you steal some of the crew’s clothing?”

  “Ugh,” I moaned. “How disgusting! All they do is sweat in them all day and they never wash them. Although I do take pity on a choice few and will launder some of their clothes. But most of the men are quite smelly and I won’t touch anything that belongs to them.”

  “That is disgusting,” he laughed. “How can you stand to live among those pirates? Especially as a woman?”

  “It can be quite tasking.”

  “I’m sure it is. Aren’t you worried they might take advantage of you? They must be starved of a woman’s touch from being at sea for so many days on end.”

  “Yes, they can be dirty at times. But they’ve been spending a lot of time with the town prostitutes, so that keeps them occupied. And they know to leave me alone. If you bother the Captain’s daughter he would surely cut your head off and hang it from the bowsprit as his trophy.”

  “That would be quite a sight. One I have seen, actually.”

  “So have I. Bloody murderous pirates.”

  “That’s one of the things they do best.”

  “Yes, I know it all too well.”

  He leaned back on his elbows and looked out at the sea. “Your father hasn’t pillaged any ships recently,” he pointed out.

  “I know. He doesn’t like to plunder other vessels with me on board, and I’ve been on board a lot lately. And he’s been spending his loot wisely, actually. Well, besides all the rum, of course.”

  “I’m glad he chooses to refrain when you’re on the ship. It worried me sick when that cog came upon you a couple of weeks ago. I thought a war was going to break out with you amongst the crew.”

  “Ha, yes I know. Luckily it was my father’s old companion Jack Timber paying him a visit. It would have been very bad if it were someone different.”

  “I agree.”

  A chuckle escaped him. “Oh, those pirates.”

  “What?” I copied his mood.

  “Just thinking about them with those dirty prostitutes. How could any man do that?”

  “Oh really?” I said, pulling my head back with surprise. “This talk coming from you, the male wench of the seas?”

  He gathered some water in his palm and splashed it across my legs. “Whatever do you mean? I am no male wench. Just because I have had my fair share of mermaids, doesn’t mean I am even close to a prostitute. For one, I never took them for any money . . .”

  “That’s because they all threw themselves at you. You didn’t have to pay, you dirty merman, you.”

  His head dropped back with a laugh. “Well that’s over and done with anyway. I am a new man.”

  “A new merman?”

  “Sure, whatever you want to call me. I’m new.”

  “Okay then.”

  He shook his head in disgust. “Ugh, you humans and your barbaric mating,” he said under his breath.

  “Barbaric mating did you say? What’s so barbaric about humans doing what God intended them to do, huh?”

  “I’ve heard plenty of you humans, growling and banging around.”

  “Ha!” I laughed. “You must be taking your example from a pirate.”

  “No, I’ve heard many human men behave in the same way.”

  “What do you do, spy on everyone?”

  He smiled and laid back on the sand with his hands behind his head. “Yes, I do. It’s the only way I’m going to learn.”

  “Well, you’re wrong, I can tell you that. And I bet Merfolk are much more barbaric when they mate, fins and tails splashing around everywhere . . .”

  He looked over at me, his expression intrigued. “Is that really what you think?”

  “Well how else am I supposed to know? I can’t spy on you all like you do to us.”

  “Would you like me to enlighten you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Okay,” he said, raising back up and propping himself on his side. “I make love in the same way that I sing.”

  “You mean loud and incessant?”

  His face fell into a frown. “Oh stop that.You fancy my singing.”

  “Awe,” I laughed. “Don’t hang the jib. I was only joking.”

  “Hang the jib? Who’s the pirate now?”

  “Arrr, not I, says me,” I graveled with a laugh, giving the best impersonation of my father that I could muster.

  “This is a very serious subject,” he laughed back. “Now, how do you really think I sing?”

  I drew in a deep breath and met his gaze. “Hhm, well, seductive, for one.”

  “Oh I am very seductive.”

  My face flushed with the heat of my embarrassment. I was thankful it was dark out.

  “Well, go on,” he urged me.

  “Okay then. Your singing is also romantic, enchanting, and beautiful.”

  “Yes, yes, and yes.”

  “Smooth.”

  “Very.”

  “My word, Ladarius . . .”

  “What?” he chuckled. “You wanted to know what it’s like to make love to me.”

  “To a merman in general,” I corrected him.

  “Well that’s what I am.”

  “Yes, but I’m sure they are not all like you.”

  “You’re right about that one, love.”

  I pulled my legs up and rested my cheek against my dress-covered knee. He was quiet, staring at me softly. “What?” I asked, desperately wanting to know what was on his mind.

  “When I make love,” he began, “I move with the ocean’s current. When the sea is calm I move gently with its tide. When there is a storm I move zealously with its waves.”

  “So what you’re telling me is that you let the ocean do all the work for you?”

  “The sea is at peace at the moment,” he continued, ignoring my joke. “If I were to make love to you right now I would move slowly, taking my time exploring the curves of your perfect body. I would run my fingers through your hair and kiss down the length of your neck until I am met with your breasts . . .”

  “Ladarius,” I laughed shyly, “that is quite a vivid account.”

  “I wasn’t finished.”

  “Well maybe you should be.”

  “And why is that? Am I embarrassing you?”

  “Why yes, quite frankly. And besides, you can only go so far with your story of the love making you would be able to do with me. We are of different species, remember?”

  “Of course I remember; it pains me every day.”

  “Yes, it pains me as well.” Our lips rose together with feeble smiles. We both knew that the reality was that we were falling in love with each other, two diffe
rent species who could never even live in the same place, let alone experience the wonderment of making love.

  Ladarius nudged my arm. “I’ve got a present for you.”

  “A present? What’s the occasion?”

  “I don’t need an occasion to do something nice for you.”

  “But I didn’t get you anything.”

  “That doesn’t matter.” He reached behind him with one hand and pulled it back over, holding an oyster shell in his fingers.

  “Oh, a shell! I love shells!”

  “It’s not just a shell. Open it.”

  I took it from his grasp and carefully pulled the two pieces apart. Inside was a single rose-colored pearl. “Ladarius,” I gasped, “it’s, it’s absolutely breathtaking! Is it for me?”

  “Of course it’s for you, silly. I cleaned it up a bit, took the oyster itself out of its shell. I wouldn’t want to hand something like that over to you.”

  “Well,” I smiled, “I would have loved it anyway.” I leaned forward and planted a kiss on the shimmering skin of his cheek. He smelled of fresh ocean water and crisp sea air. The mixture was intoxicating.

  I drew my mouth away but stayed close, locking my eyes together with his. His face was serious and his eyebrows knitted together while he searched my face, looking as if his mind was reeling with a thousand different thoughts. “May I kiss you, Grace?” he finally asked.

  I didn’t answer, but instead moved in and closed the gap between our lips. He quickly took over, kissing me gently at first and then more deeply. My heart raced faster as he slid his fingers through my hair, just as he said he would do if he were to make love to me at that moment.

  A glass bottle broke in the distance and startled us away from our kiss. “Bloody pirates,” I said, looking over in the direction of the sound.

  With his hand still in the thick of my hair our eyes met once more. “How was that?” he breathed against my lips.

  “It, it was amazing. You taste just like a man.”

  “I am a man, Grace. I’m just a different kind than you’re used to.”

  A splash broke out of the quiet water. “Ladarius!” Our heads shot over toward the deep voice to see a merman in the shallowness of the tide in front of us. “What is it that you are doing, exactly?” the merman demanded.

  Ladarius took his hand away from my hair and motioned at the stranger with a sigh. “Grace, meet my brother, Callisto.”

  Callisto was extravagant. He resembled Ladarius quite a bit in the face and body, both of them exceptionally muscular and dusted with shimmer. One of the exceptions to their similarities was Callisto’s hair: his was long and golden and was slicked down over his shoulders. He had a fin on his head as well, and was wearing a crown of what looked to be gold.

  “Oh wow,” I perked up. “Your brother? It is so nice to meet you Callisto. I’ve heard so much about you. You are an extremely beautiful—”

  “Father wants you home,” his deep voice interrupted me. “He wants to know what you’ve been up to. I’ve known the whole time but didn’t tell him to spare you his punishment. But that will change if you don’t stop interacting with this human at once.”

  “I can assure you I cause you or your brother no harm,” I told him.

  “It’s bad enough that this human has seen my face. She should consider herself fortunate.”

  Callisto did not want to acknowledge me at all. But I knew it was only because mermen hated humans. Except for my Ladarius; he loved humans. Or, more rightly so, he loved me.

  “I’m not coming home,” Ladarius told him. “You should know that by now.”

  “Am I right in the fact that you gave this human a rose pearl?”

  “Yes, I have.”

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  “No, in contrast I have found my mind. For once I finally feel alive and respected by someone.”

  “That’s nonsense. And where is your crown?”

  “Your crown?” I asked looking over at him.

  “I am done with my crown and I am done living under the ruling of our father.”

  Callisto stayed silent for a moment before nodding his head. “Alright then. You have made your choice.” He turned around and dove into the water, his large tail making a quick appearance before disappearing completely from view.

  “I must say I am a bit confused,” I said, being the first to break the silence.

  “I can explain everything.”

  “Yes, I believe I deserve to know what’s going on here. Your crown? Your father’s rule?”

  He dropped his head back and gazed up at the stars, releasing a heavy breath. “My father is King Xander, ruler of our kingdom Orbellika. I am his son, Prince Ladarius.”

  My mouth fell open at his confession. “Prince?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, Prince. Second in succession, behind my brother. You see, he is older so he will rule first after my father’s—”

  “You lied to me!”

  “What?” he asked, his eyebrows rising. “What do you mean I lied to you?”

  “You never told me you were a prince! You have known me all this time and never revealed your true identity. You are a liar!” I jumped up from the sand and stomped into the ocean with the oyster shell gripped in my hand. I could feel the sea soak back into the fabric of my dress as I pushed through the water toward my father’s ship. Within seconds, Ladarius was at my side.

  “Where are you going?” he demanded desperately.

  “Back to the ship. I’ve had enough of you for tonight.”

  “What do you mean? I didn’t lie to you, Grace. You’re overreacting.”

  “Overreacting?” I choked out, taking some sea water into my mouth. “I’m not overreacting!”

  “You need to calm yourself or you’re going to drown.”

  “You won’t let me drown.”

  “Yes, that is true,” he smiled.

  I stopped in place and kicked my legs below me to keep my body afloat. His smile could stop whatever ill mood I was in. I both loved him and hated him for it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I wanted you to like me for who I am. All the people in my realm are infatuated with my royal bloodline. You’re not.”

  “But I would like you for who you are anyway. I am not a mermaid, and your royalty does not affect me in any way.”

  “Yes,” he sighed, “I know. I am truly sorry I kept it from you. Now will you please go back to the beach and lay with me on the sand?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I do not want to be cold again. I am warmer here in the water.”

  “Oh,” he nodded. “Then I shall hold you here for as long as you will let me.” He took my wrists and pulled me against him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “There. Safe with me once more.”

  “As I always am,” I said, smiling up at him. “Well, I suppose now would be the time to tell me more about your family. And tell me everything; don’t leave anything out.”

  “Are you sure you want to know everything?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Okay then. Well, my father rules his kingdom with an iron fist. I love him, but we don’t get along at all. I’m more of a free spirit and he hates that about me. My brother is just like him, although he can be much kinder than my father. He is next in succession but if something were to happen to him I would step in and become king. If that were the case I would rule my kingdom the opposite of the way my father does.”

  “And what about your mother?”

  “She’s a harlot.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Come on Ladarius, quit with the joking.”

  “I wish I were joking.”

  “Your mother is a prostitute? You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. My father is king; he has been with many mermaids that have birthed royal heirs.”

  “So he has many children?”

  “Yes. I have many brothers and sisters. But Callisto and I share the same mother and fa
ther.”

  “So doesn’t that mean your father has many sons in line to rule after his death?”

  “Yes but Callisto was his firstborn, and I was the next male that was born after him.”

  “Callisto. He didn’t like me much,” I pointed out.

  “Don’t take it personally. He doesn’t like any human, beautiful or not.”

  “Well he was quite beautiful himself.”

  “The mermaids think so as well.”

  “Not as beautiful as my Ladarius, though,” I said, skimming a hand over his hair. “You are much manlier than he is. He comes off a bit feminine in my taste.”

  “It’s the long hair. The mermaids go crazy for it.”

  “They do?” I laughed. “But your hair isn’t long. Do they not go as crazy for you as they do for him?”

  “Oh the mermaids love me, long hair or not.”

  “You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Ha, yes I guess I am. But Callisto is a PearlWeeper. That makes him very attractive in our realm.”

  “A PearlWeeper?”

  “Yes they are extremely rare in our species. He literally cries tears of pearls.”

  “Cries tears of pearls? It sounds like something out of a dream. Are the pearls of any worth?”

  “Well, yes in a way. He only cries two per Merfolk, and he has to want to cry them for you. And if he does then he considers you to be a close friend and trusted companion. He hasn’t given very many out.”

  “Has he cried any pearls for you?”

  “No, but I haven’t asked him to. I already know I am his trusted companion.” He looked off for a moment, gazing far out into the black sea as if he were looking for his brother. “He showed you his face tonight, which is something I never expected him to do. If a human were to catch him his pearls would be a fine prize.”

  “I’m sure they are worth a lot to humans.”

  “Yes but not in the way you may think. There are certain legends that Merfolk believe about the pearls that he cries. I guess I believe them as well. One day I hope to ask him to cry them for me so I can see if one of the legends can be proven.”

  “What do the legends say?”

  He looked back at me with a smile. “They are only legends that I wish were true. But, I fear they are most likely not. I will tell you them someday, but for now the stories would be a waste of our precious time together.”