Chapter 15

AURORA

“There are places down by the beach and around the cliffs where the water’s a bit more peaceful, especially near the caves. I’ve got the tides down pat, so I know when it’s safe to swim into those caves without getting stuck,” Rin explained.

“It still sounds dangerous, but I can see why you’d risk it. I bet there aren’t many who can reach the plants and stuff you find,” I said.

Rin moved closer to me. “No, there aren’t. And it’s not like I don’t take risks, especially when the Sirens or Lamia are around. I know how to fight them off and not get drawn in, but they’re a real pain in the ass to deal with.”

“Sirens? You mean like mermaids?”

“Pretty much. That’s what humans usually call them, right?”

I nodded, moving to a spot near the entrance to sit and take in the view of the endless ocean.

“I read a fairytale a few years back about a mermaid. She fell for a prince and sold her soul to a sea witch so she could be human and be with him. But the witch took her voice, and her new legs caused her terrible pain. In the end, the prince married someone else, and the mermaid threw herself into the sea to end her suffering,” I shared.

“Oh, I know that one. My mom used to tell it to us when we were kids, along with a bunch of other fairytales. The Little Mermaid, right?” Rin asked, sitting next to me.

“Yeah, that’s the one. I found it in a book of fairytales in our attic, and I hid it from my parents so I could read them,” I said.

“I bet they wouldn’t have been too happy about you reading fairytales with all their religious stuff. I’m surprised they even had a book like that in their house,” Rin remarked.

I shrugged. “Believe me, I found a lot of things you wouldn’t expect in that attic. I used to sneak up there all the time once I realized they were hiding stuff. I totally agree with you, they were hypocrites. At least one of them didn’t practice what they preached, and kept things they said we shouldn’t have.”

“Well, we both know they didn’t practice what they preached when it came to you. If sex was such a sin, they wouldn’t have done it in the first place,” Rin pointed out.

“That’s true,” I agreed. I watched the moonlight dance on the water. “But you know Rin, I couldn’t stop thinking about that story for a long time after I read it. Even though I read the other stories, and some of them were just as sad, there was something about that poor mermaid that stuck with me. She wanted so badly to be with the man she saved and was so sure she loved him that she was willing to make a deal with a witch who knew how much having legs would hurt her.

“But that prince never loved her and married someone else without ever considering how it would hurt her. Maybe he never cared about her feelings at all. Then she ended up choosing to die instead of living with what she’d become.”

“I can’t say I blame her for that. I always thought that her fate with the angels was better than any mortal one she could’ve had. It’s funny how those stories can get to us though. There are certain ones that you can’t help but remember because they touched you,” Rin admitted.

I turned my attention back to him, taking in his thoughtful expression as he gazed out at the water.

“Did you hear stories that stuck with you too?”

Rin nodded. “Yeah. I think a lot of them did, in the back of my mind. My parents told me and my brother that these stories were lessons for children centuries ago in the human world to keep them safe or from getting into too much trouble.”

“Guess it stuck with you when you got into trouble too,” I teased.

“True. I won’t deny it.” Rin chuckled. He let out a soft sigh. “But there was one story that Jekia told me, Rayne, and Selenia years ago that has always stuck with me. It was called ‘The Foolish Faerie Prince.’”

“The Foolish Faerie Prince? I haven’t heard of that one,” I said.

“I wouldn’t think so. I think it’s more of a story told on this side,” Rin said. “The story goes that there was once a very prosperous Faerie kingdom, ruled by a powerful Faerie King. He had only one son, the prince, who he planned to give his kingdom to when he passed away. But no matter how hard he tried to teach the prince to rule the kingdom wisely and kindly, he couldn’t keep his eyes off one particular Faerie girl. The two had grown up together, as her mother worked in the castle, and they had quickly become friends in secret.

“But this Faerie girl was only out for herself. She was very cunning and greedy, often tricking the prince into doing whatever she wanted. As they got older, she became beautiful, and easily seduced him, begging him to marry her. The only thing stopping that from happening was that the King refused, saying that the prince couldn’t marry a simple servant girl.”

“But he ended up marrying her anyway, didn’t he?” I guessed.

“Yes, but not in a good way,” Rin confirmed. “The story goes that the girl started whispering to the prince that the King was a terrible ruler. She talked about how the lands outside were suffering under his rule; how the people lived in poverty while the King and prince lived in luxury. Needless to say, this made the prince furious, and he eventually took her suggestion, and killed his father in his sleep, taking the throne afterward.”

“That’s why he was a fool. He fell for a girl who was just using him, even killed his own father for her. Then she probably used him to maintain her power,” I concluded.

It was a familiar enough tale, even from my Bible studies. Women like her craved absolute power, and they wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate men to get it.

Rin shook his head. “There’s more to it.”

“More?”

“After the prince took over, he did marry the servant girl, despite many objections. But no one could really protest because he was the ruler. Things got worse when he declared that his queen would have equal power over the kingdom. Needless to say, she was a tyrant, forcing everyone to bow to her or face swift punishment. The prince started regretting his marriage within the first year and began contemplating ways to get rid of his queen to end the chaos she’d caused.

“But he didn’t get that far. He died suddenly one night about a year and a half after they got married, leaving everything to his wife. Now, she rules over the Faerie kingdom, and they call her The Golden Queen.”

~What a story~, I thought. ~It’s even more twisted than some fairytales and Bible stories.~

“Do you think she killed her husband?” I had to ask.

“Probably. It sure seems like it,” Rin replied. He let out a long sigh, pulling his left knee up and resting his arm on it. “But that story stuck with me. I kept thinking about the prince, how he was so blinded by a girl who clearly just wanted to use him. But I couldn’t entirely call him a fool. Everything he did was out of love for her. It made me question if love was really a good thing.”

“I guess it depends on the kind of love. I believe there is real love out there. We just need to be careful about who we love, and we should look out for certain signs,” I suggested.

My words made Rin’s ears twitch and a soft smile spread across his face.

“You sound like my father,” he confessed.

“Huh?”

“I questioned it a lot, and eventually, I talked to my father about my thoughts. He told me I was right, love isn’t foolish. What’s foolish is ignoring the signs that the person you love doesn’t truly love you back. If the prince had used his head instead of his heart, he would’ve seen she wasn’t right for him just by her early actions. If he had opened his heart to someone else, he might have lived peacefully and happily with real love. Not doing that was what made him a fool, and caused all that pain not just for him but for everyone under him,” Rin explained.

I looked down, thinking about our situation.

“I know it’s a bit different, but are you sure about us? We’ve only known each other for a little over a month, and you chose me as your beta so quickly.”

Rin’s response was unexpected.

“Have you ever asked me for anything unreasonable?”

“No.”

“Would you want me to return to the palace and claim my rightful place with you just so you could enjoy the luxuries of being the beta to an alpha heir?”

“No. I don’t need any of that. I’m happy just being here with you.”

“And that’s all we need to know,” Rin concluded. He wrapped an arm around me, resting his head on mine as I leaned against him. “I know I’m not being foolish with you. We make each other happy, and that’s all I need to know to be sure you’re the one.”

I relaxed against him, content with his words. If Rin cared about me this much, then that was enough for me.

But I also felt a bit guilty. I still couldn’t bring myself to tell him about seeing Rayne, or that Rayne wanted to come back and see me again. Was it really okay for me to do that without Rin knowing?

I didn’t know the right answer yet, but I hoped I’d make the right choices when everything inevitably came to a head.