"Wake up", there was a small, gentle sound in my ear, "Cinnamon, it's time to wake up."
I swiped my hand through the air trying to get a grasp of reality and almost hit Em, who was floating in the air next to me.
"Oh", I mumbled, still half asleep, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's ok", the fairy said, "But you do need to get up. We have a lot to do today. We need to move the camp."
"Why?" I asked, finding some clothes someone had apparently laid out for me during the night. I began to dress.
"We need to meet with the fish", the fairy answered.
"The fish?"
"The merfolk", Em said, "We need to move the camp to the sea. Come out once you're done, get some breakfast. We're leaving as soon as everything is ready."
I nodded, and Em flew out of the tent. I finished dressing and braided my hair to make it easier to hide. I pulled on a huge, blue cap and stuffed the braid and all the loose hair under it the best I could.
When I stepped out of the tent I was blinded by the daylight. It had been dark in the tent, behind only a thin layer of cloth... Oh, right, faerie magic. There was a fuss all around me, the packing of tents and equipment, some creatures eating breakfast. I walked through what was left of the tents back to where the fire had been the previous evening. I ran into Azer on the way.
"Good morning, Cinnamon", he said in his low, liony growl, "Go just around the corner there, Em will give you something to eat."
I nodded and headed the way I was showed. There were only a couple of people around the fire that looked like it had just been put out. I was handed something like bread to eat. I sat on a big, fallen tree and watched the chaotic disappearance of the camp. Well, I supposed it wasn't actually chaotic. Just looked that way.
I wondered how I had gotten there. From getting ready to get ready for Christmas to being some kind of hero from a prophecy in a land that's not supposed to exist. I didn't have a long time to think, though, because soon I was told the crowd was ready to go. Everything was packed and ready. So the journey began.
A couple of hours into the walk I spotted Hizi. He walked up to me (and Azer and Em, who had insisted me to travel with them), looking apologetic.
"I'm sorry I disappeared on you", the goblin said.
"It's ok", I said. I had hardly noticed him missing, with all the being a future hero and all. I had someone keeping me busy all the time.
"I was ordered to go and work with the other goblins. But from now on I will stay where you are."
I smiled at him. I was getting tired. We did, luckily, have a break soon after that. Some rest for the feet and food to keep us going. Most of my time I spent hoping I could be alone for even a while. That I would have some time and space to think through and actually understand what was happening to me. I never got the time.
After another five, six hours I saw the sea. It was huge and blue and turquoise. Soon we were by the shore, but not quite on the sand yet. About twenty creatures gathered around us and Azer gave them orders. The tents were to put back up. Fires started to get everyone some food.
I walked to the waterline with Azer, Em, Hizi and a bunch of other creatures in the higher places of command.Azer let out a sound I can't quite describe, other than it was a sound I never thought could come out of a lion. Something appeared twenty meters off the beach and started towards us. I could soon make out it was a merman. The skin was greenish and there was skin between his fingers, but otherwise he looked surprisingly much like a human. Well, the top of him at least. He was holding a spear in his hand.
"You're the Freedom Fighters", he stopped a few meters away from us, "The ones on the land."
"Yes", Azer answered, "I am Azer, and I lead these people. This is Em", he gestured to the glowing fairy in the air next to him, "My second in command. We would like to speak with your king."
"Regarding what?" the merman asked in a doubting voice, "We cannot do anything to the evil Prince. He walks on the land"
"He terrorizes you too. And you can do more than you think. All help is needed. That's why were here. That, and her", Azer pointed at me. I waved awkwardly at the merman.
"Is that...?" he began, eyes widening.
"Yes", Azer said, "Would you be so kind and go tell your king we would like to speak with him?"
"Yes, sir", the merman disappeared into the waves. We were all silent, staring out into the sea, for some minutes, that seemed to last forever. Then the merman appeared again.
"My king says he will meet with you. At sunset, come to the Bay."
"We will. Thank you", Azer nodded and the merman turned and disappeared once again.
"The fish seem nice. A little mistrustful, though", I said to Em when we walked back to the tents (that someone had put up for us).
"They are both", the fairy said, smiling, "Although you might want to avoid calling them fish when they are around. They don't like it very much, though they do understand that it is not meant for hurting them", I nodded.
The house elf cook was making something on a fire. We had just time to eat before we had to leave again. The Bay wasn't far away, and it wasn't much of a bay either. It was a place where the beach stopped being a sandy beach and the bedrock came out. The shore just ended and the water began. It was like a cliff, but the drop to the water was barely half a meter. I could clearly see why this would be a place to be chosen for the creatures from the land and the sea to meet.
Hizi started a fire, to give us light when it would come dark. I sat on a log with the other creatures staring into the fire. Others were chatting about something, possibly serious business. I wasn't listening.
The moment the sun first hit the horizon out at the sea, something appeared to the surface of the water. Many somethings. Six or seven. I shaded my eyes with my hand to see the merfolk swimming towards us against the sun. When they got close, I saw two of them were wearing something that were probably crowns. Unlike in the little mermaid, the mermaids were not wearing a seashell bra. They simply had long hair and seaweed that stuck to their wet bodies like clothes. The seven of them jumped to sit on the edge of the cliff.
"I understood you wished to speak with me?" said the one in the middle that was clearly the king. He looked like a king in every way.
"Yes", Azer said, bowing, "I thank you for coming."
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Try to be a little earlier next time. Preferably have the post on the right day for us too. Though I know, writing every second day is surprisingly a lot of work, so I'll ignore the hour you were late. Just don't do it again.
I don't think I have anything else to say today. Have fun with the fish.
Your topic for tomorrow is Lemons.
~matu
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