Merlicious 1 Read online

  "It's okay, Ceph,” she whispered, urging him on.

  As he slowly worked his way inside her, Marina felt a little uncomfortable, but Ceph was so gentle she soon rocked her hips and was thrilled at the feeling. Ceph thrust quickly, and Marina felt a second of burning pain and then, as he breached her, nothing ever felt so good.

  "Marina ... so tight. I can't hold back.” He thrust twice more, and Marina felt her shudders of enjoyment start again. Ceph pulsed inside her, and this time he cried out. Holding him, still fully in her, Marina felt like a princess with her prince.

  Ceph kissed her slowly, passionately. His lips belonged on hers. “Thank you. Marina, I don't think I can ever let you go."

  "You don't have to let me go. I'll be yours as long as you want me."

  He pulled out of her then and looked serious for a moment. “I have to tell you something. Maybe I should have mentioned it before."

  "You're scaring me here. What?"

  "Our parents ... they know each other. In fact, our fathers used to be best friends."

  "They did? When? How?"

  Ceph explained all he knew and sounded a little concerned. “So, us being together could cause trouble."

  "Yes, I see. To be honest, I don't want to cause trouble.” Ceph looked crestfallen, so Marina kissed him on the lips, “But ... my parents have always taught me to stand up for those I love and what I believe in."

  "That's exactly what I told my dad.” He laughed, and Marina thought it funny as well.

  "I think it's time they practiced what they preached and showed some forgiveness and compassion,” she continued.

  "Too true. I mean, that all happened so long ago, and if our fathers weren't being stubborn they could have made up way back.” Ceph agreed. “So what do we do?"

  She wrapped her arms around Ceph's neck. “We do them a favor, help them solve past regrets and live their lives with a clear conscience."

  "In other words, we tell them to build a bridge and get over it because we are going to be together no matter what.” Ceph laughed again.

  "I like the way your mind works, Ceph"

  "I like the way all of you works, Marina. Come here."

  Ready to explore even more depths with Ceph, Marina let herself get lost in his kiss once more. Something she intended to enjoy for the rest of her life.

  The End

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Bridghid Parkinson

  By Air and By Sea

  by

  Bridghid Parkinson

  Raging storms brought Hansen and Mariah together. Now, the magical moonlight holds the power to bring the two hearts in sync, shaping their lives forever.

  bridghidparkinson.blogspirit.com

  Also by Bridghid:

  Novel: Initiation to the Legend

  Phantom Vindication

  Digest containing Bridghid's stories:

  Pagan Pleasures

  Egyptian Realms

  Spellfire Hearts 2

  Spellfire Seasons

  Harvest of Heroes

  Spellfire NYE

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  By Air and By Sea

  by

  Bridghid Parkinson

  "I can still see the pain in her eyes!” Hansen paced the bowery floors, careful of where he stepped because of the water that still dripped from his wings. “I'm telling you she's real. She was as real as you are to me now!"

  "Fish people have been a legend on the Selion continent shores since the dawn of time! I heard about an elaborate city under the sea where fish live like royalty. But, you were running through the naval docks ranting about a fish woman!"

  "In all the times you were sailing, Father, you never once saw a woman in the waters?"

  "On a boat?” The King of Farnal stood proud, unshaken by his son's adamant questions. His white, perfectly groomed wings didn't flutter, nor did his stance offer any suggestion that he might be concealing information. However, Hansen also knew all royals were taught to reveal nothing.

  "Father, it wasn't a dream.” Hansen continued, “I heard cries for help. I ran out, afraid that the storm had soaked one of the guards, or they could have possibly been hit by a branch and injured a wing."

  "It wasn't a bad storm."

  "If someone needs help, would you turn away just because you are the king?” Hansen demanded.

  "No."

  "Neither can I.” The young prince took a deep breath. “The cries I heard were the sounds of strangling. I heard the waves crashing over the rocks of the breakers near the lighthouse, and the screams came all over again. I thought one of the citizens had fallen in the water and the waves were pushing them against the rocks."

  "Where were the guards?"

  "They sought the safety of castle walls, just as you ordered,” Hansen eyed the man warily, “...even though it wasn't a bad storm."

  The old man nodded.

  "I heard the cries from my window. The shutters blew open under the force of the gale and I had to go around to the veranda to secure them again. The cries were agonizing. I could imagine broken wings and twisted legs from the way the sobs sounded."

  "But you found something else.” The king paced the floor during the tale. “You could have been killed!"

  The admonishment fell on deaf ears. “Father, she was at the base of the lighthouse. Her skin was the same color as ours, but she possessed fins along her limbs and on her back. Her hair shone a brilliant golden red, but it was tangled with seaweed. She couldn't speak, her mouth kept opening and closing until the next wave came. When the water washed over her, she screamed again and then held her hand out. She pointed at the water."

  "So, you picked her up and took her into the waters pummeled by gale force winds and crashing waves that could have carried you out to sea in seconds?” The old man rapped his cane on the marble floor. “You could have drowned!"

  There was no point in trying to describe the rescue efforts. Hansen could see the selfishness in the old man's comment. In his anger, he felt it wasn't real concern for his safety; his father worried over the throne. Hansen was the firstborn of seven children and the only son, first heir in a lineage of kings that stretched back a thousand years. His father's protective streak was countered with his adamancy in insisting that he marry. “Father, I am still Captain of the Fen Fleet. I will sail, just as you did. I will fight the Gordwok when they breech our borders, and I will still lend assistance if I think a citizen is in distress. Do you ask any less of me?"

  "No."

  "Have I ever given you reason to distrust me?"

  "No."

  "Then hear me loud and clear. The woman I saw on the rocks was not capable of breathing air. She clung to the rocks, her wounds bled, and the only thing I could do was return her to the water. I watched her swim in the protected area. She spoke to me. Whether you choose to believe it, or not, doesn't make it any less real to me."

  "Could you please stop spreading talk through the guards? They all think you suffered a head injury when you started talking about sea creatures.” The king sagged against his walking stick.

  "Very well, but I would like one week's leave, with no questions asked about how or where I spend my time."

  "As you wish. I will have an entourage arranged to escort you."

  "No! No spies, no entourage, not even a valet!"

  The outburst caught his father by surprise.

  "Father, I said ‘no questions.’ I mean that I don't wish to report, and I don't wish to have any staff that would report to you about the way I have enjoyed my leisure time. I think you have heard the details of every lady that has ever caught my eye, or sat on my loins. I want to enjoy a bath and not worry about the valet watching over me when my penis gets hard."

  "But the girls should service..."

  "And, if I were interested in them, I might let them. You hire the flattest women in the land. Some of the girls are so small I am afraid of breaking them. They have tiny breasts, and I don't even see how they
can fly!"

  "Come with me to the bathhouses..."

  "That's not the point! I want more than just services.” His father used the bathhouse daily but kept the services of several women to assist with his grooming needs. His mother never complained, and she kept the services of several men to assist with her grooming needs. “I asked for a week—alone—can you grant me that, or not?"

  "I'll grant it in three days. You may leave on the day after the cotillion. The Queen of Ardenia will be here with her daughters..."

  Hansen groaned. “Ugh! Those girls can't make a decision about their pajamas without a fleet of advisors."

  "You can go to the dance, smile warmly and at least make some diplomatic efforts to be kind to these young women."

  "The bright colors on the ends of their wings isn't real, their feathers are just as bright as their wit."

  The king's patience wore thin, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. “These comments to me may be cute, and I may even share your opinion, but so help me, if you say anything like that in public, I'll have you flogged in the tower at dawn."

  Hansen laughed. This was simply his father's concession that he agreed with the statements poking fun at the rituals they endured in the palace, but it was also the signal that his father would not continue with the discussion and the matter was now closed.

  * * * *

  "Mariah! Hold still!"

  "Ouch! Mother! Oh, Mamma, make him stop!"

  "Honey, one of the tears in your fin has to be stitched shut. The doctor doesn't know if it will heal on its own!"

  "Mother, can't he bind it with the mistcata grass?"

  "Not this time! That rock almost cut your leg to the bone!"

  Through the tears and sobs, her mother held her tight. “The storm was awful, Mamma. I couldn't get out of the current, I swam so hard.

  "We told you to stay away from the shallows. The Gods make the reef to keep us safe from the land and the harsh sun,” she said, soothing Mariah's fins.

  Mariah flinched as the doctor made the last of the stitches to her fins. “I love the boats there. When they sink and the people are gone, they leave behind all kinds of things that sparkle."

  "They have such a hard way of life. They are brutal killers and that is why we made sure you know what to look for with the nets. That's easy enough to avoid, but they also lay traps in the shallows."

  "I know, Mamma. We eat small animals, too, but we aren't killers? I didn't know there was a storm. The current caught me before I could see the churning waves on the surface."

  "I'm so glad you are safe."

  "When I hit the rocks, every bone in my body felt broken. I couldn't move. The water would come up to me on the rocks and I would gulp up as much as I could and hold my gills closed as long as I could. Air burns my throat and nose.” Mariah sobbed over the painful memories of her ordeal.

  The doctor quietly swam out of the room when he finished.

  "You rest here tonight and then we can take you home tomorrow and you can rest a little more. I don't want to hear that you have gone to the shallows anymore."

  "Mamma, the man that got me off the rocks was so beautiful."

  "Mariah! You never said you saw a man!"

  "I didn't want to say it in front of the doctor. A man with wings came and lifted me off the rocks. He put me back in the water."

  "Honey ... wings? You saw a man with wings?"

  "Yes."

  "Did he speak to you?"

  "Yes."

  "Did you understand what he said?"

  "Yes!"

  "By the Gods, it's true!” Her mother's voice dropped to a whisper. “The elders tell stories that we are connected by magic to the Selions, the winged people."

  "I must go back!"

  "No! You must never go back!” Her voice held the tone of a dire warning. “If you go to him under the light of the full moon, you will become like him, and you can never return to the oceans. Your body would breathe air instead of water."

  "I can't go to him during the sunlight hours...” The consequences were too horrible to comprehend.

  "You can't go to him at all! You won't come back! I don't believe the claptrap about the women that are whisked away to the surface in wildly romantic tales of the way they can fly to the heavens with a winged lover. I'm a skeptic, I think they die and this is just a means to console the people they have left behind."

  "Mother, he saved my life. His name is Hansen. At least I can go and thank him?"

  "No! Don't go there!” Her plea became frantic and demanding. “You can't leave us!"

  Before she could answer, her mother left the room and Mariah lay on the clear pebbles of the bed. Fresh water entered the room over her head, making the frills at the ends of her fins flutter. Her entire body hurt and she could only lie still and let the aches begin to heal.

  * * * *

  "Father, may I have a word with you?” Hansen asked.

  "Of course!” The king turned to several Ardenian diplomats. “Please, excuse me. I think the stag is likely not grilled to his liking. It's hard to please a hunter."

  Hansen waited for the myriad of bows to the Ardenian men and women that was required in their customs. He gave a final bow per the traditions of Farnal before retreating.

  "Thank you! I couldn't have been any less interested in the trade value of their gemstones in the eastern market places. Braggarts! To hear them tell the tales, they could shovel pebbles off our beaches and sell them as crown jewels!"

  "I have endured the indelicate steps of the darling princesses, and I pray one of the advisors they employ can give them dance lessons.” Hansen gave his father a quick glance to see how he regarded the trials of the evening. “They don't know I hear the endless tittering giggles about the way my sash hangs under my belt."

  The king nodded, “Your attire is ... traditional?"

  No undergarments. Hansen nodded and grinned. “I figure they should have long arguments on the way home simply for the way I was dancing. If I really wanted to stir up a fire, I would sneak around to all four of them and nail them at night until they whimpered and begged for more and then disappear in the morning. There would be a fight before breakfast."

  "And a war between our countries by lunchtime! Don't you even think about it! You have stirred enough trouble just by dancing. You know their protocols!” The mirth glistened in the king's eyes. “But I do love that thought."

  "I would like to retire early so I may start my leave by morning."

  "Very well, I shall see you at breakfast,” the king answered.

  "No offense father, but I hope not.” Hansen answered. “I want to be riding out along the top of the plateau by the time the sun rises."

  The king seemed astonished but pleased with the news. “You didn't say you were planning to hunt!"

  "I'm not planning on anything. I think that is simply a good place to start and I'll send word at the end of seven days if I should be late."

  "I hope you won't be much later! I don't want to ask Gerid to make a fleet decision! He's second, and he's dying to take command, much to the dismay of the ship commanders."

  "He also has orders to refrain from unnecessary posturing on the borders. Ship disciplines are only the authority of the individual ship commanders, and all tactical strategies are to be cleared through you. I'll return quickly, Father."

  The king said softly, “I hope you find her."

  Hansen stopped. “You were the one that said she was a myth."

  "I said it was a legend of our race, not a myth. You have never lied to me, and I know your determination when you pursue what you feel is right. You are your father's son. I would be foolish not to let you seek her."

  "You believe?"

  "Good luck on your journey.” The king bowed formally and returned to the diplomatic group.

  Hansen could already hear the declarations of the superior pelts and horns of the Ardenian crandi, which in Farnal were mere mountain goats.

  * * * *
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  "Mother, I'm going with Christa, and I'll be at her cavern this evening.” Mariah said. She carried only a small purse.

  "Are you well enough?” Her mother's fins tickled when she began inspecting her wounds.

  Mariah had to work hard not to flinch when her mother touched the bruised leg. Any lingering signs of injury would mean she would be forced to stay home.

  "I told you, I'm fine.” Mariah waited patiently for her mother to complete the inspection.

  "How are the stitches doing?"

  "They itch.” Mariah made a claw like motion to her leg.

  "Don't touch! That means it's healing. The doc will remove the sutures in a few days. You won't have to put up with it for long. I don't know if that fin is ever going to look the same."

  "Can I go? We are going to go to the trades market and dancing. The FlatFin group is singing in some festival."

  "What time are you coming home?"

  "I don't know, Mamma. Surely I'm old enough to leave this silly cavern for a few days without you sending a search party for me, aren't I?” Mariah whisked out of the cavern opening before her mother could answer.

  As a last effort, her mother called out, “Stay away from the reef!"

  Mariah swam out to the edge of the ridge, out of sight from her mother, and then doubled back to the higher caverns where she collected the hidden the pouch holding her prized treasures.

  In the next few days, if she couldn't find Hansen, she would return home. If she found Hansen, she had to take the chance that she could become like him, just by loving him under the light of the moon.

  She only regretted not telling her mother the full details of her rescue; nor had she been able to find the words to describe the net.

  Mariah couldn't mention the huge wave that crashed over them both, and the way he used his body to shield her.

  She never said how Hansen scooped enough water into her mouth when he couldn't free her from the net.

  She couldn't describe the songs Hansen sang to calm them both.

  Nor did she say anything about the way he talked to her as the storm dissipated and finally let him work on cutting away the netting that trapped her.

  She never admitted that the strips of fabric binding her wounds were his clothes, which he ripped to pieces. He stood in front of her with only his belt and she wanted to feel his cock inside her body. Indeed, he had shown that he wanted it, too.