“Sirens?” Kimorra gasped and the seer nodded. Kimorra couldn’t find the words to speak. The answer she got was certainly not what she was expecting. “I thought they were myths,” she thought aloud.“Thought so too, but apparently they exist,” the old man answered her. “Then how come we haven’t heard or seen any of them?” Kimorra asked him.“I am not supposed to tell you this but I will because your father is a very good friend of mine and it would be wicked of me to watch his only child suffer, but you must promise that you will handle this information wisely,” he said and she bopped her head almost immediately. “I will, I promise,” she assured him.“The existence of sirens was long wiped from the memories of mankind because of a certain greedy king,” he started.“Who?” Kimorra asked curiously.“You know him. The ruler of Greake, King Edwardo,” the seer revealed and Kimorra was beyond shocked.“My father-in-law? How is that possible?”“I’ll tell you the story.”22 Years Ago.There wa
Adora stared at the woman before her with shock and pity. Her husband, King Edwardo had a different expression on. It was a thrill mixed with greed and mischief. Adora didn’t appreciate that look. She watched him eagerly pay the sailors for her after they showed him how easily her tears formed pearls. “Your Highness…” She tried intervening but he raised a hand, cutting short her protest. “You have done us proud. I employ to work harder on the search…”“Your majesty!” Queen Adora gasped and Edwardo stopped with an inward groan. He threw her a scolding glance and she retreated. “Well, as I said, you have done well. You have made Greake proud. I employ you not to relent in this heroic act. With time, our city will rise to an enviable height,” he continued.“Thank you, your highness. We shall continue to make Greake proud,” Harold bowed. “Go with the guards. As promised, you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts,” King Edwardo replied with a smile.“We are grateful, your highn
The king was enraged on hearing the news. He summoned all the guards and ordered them to search every nook and cranny of the palace for the siren. The gates were shut so she couldn’t escape the palace and go into the city. The men also had their ears blocked with wax to prevent a repeat of earlier.Adora walked to her room, ignoring the chaos. She was internally grateful that the siren had been smart enough to seek escape. Pushing the doors shut, she took off her royal attire and went in for a long hot bath.After dozing for a short while in the shower, she got out and picked a sleeveless knee length gown. The plan was to nap all afternoon and listen to her husband’s complaints later. If they couldn’t find the siren that is. Just as she climbed into bed, she heard a muffled sneeze from underneath the bed. At first, she wanted to ignore it but then there was another sneeze and she got off the bed and got on her knees to check under the bed. Just as she suspected, the injured girl was
The next time Adora saw the siren, it was a heart-wrenching sight. Her skin lost its glow and gave off a dusty white color. Her eyes were swollen with glaring eye bags. She was covered in bruises that Adora suspected were infected. She could barely walk on her own as her legs wobbled from exhaustion. “What have you done, Ed? Are you trying to kill her?” Adora asked the king furiously. Edwardo remained unfazed by her outburst.“In the past few days, she has cried to us about five baskets of pearls. Do you have any idea how much it is worth?” Edwardo went ahead to ask like she hadn’t said anything important. Words could not describe the rage that stirred within her.Ahead of her, the siren was held down, the whips hitting her like she were an animal. Even animals did not face such cruelty.“Enough! Let her be!” Adora ordered and the guards froze. Even the king was shocked. “Step away from her, are you deaf?” she snapped and the men quickly stepped back before throwing glances amongst t
Adora felt a strange energy throughout the day. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something disastrous was coming. She became more paranoid by the minute. It extended to snapping unnecessarily and crazy mood swings. It made the king worried for her. "Dora," he called fondly, a small smile touching his lips. Adora rubbed her trembling fingers together, struggling to control her labored breaths.Edwardo sat next to her, pulling her into a warm embrace."Do you want to talk? What's making you so paranoid and jumpy, my love?" he asked softly.Adora sucked in a breath. If only she had the answers to his question. "I… I don't know. I can't explain it…" her voice trembled. Her dainty fingers unconsciously gripped his shirt. Edwardo didn't let it bother him as he was more focused on calming his wife. "Talk to me, Dora, I'm listening," he said soothingly. "I don't know. I just feel this strange energy. I don't know what it is but it's
Greake was in absolute chaos. The people fled without aim, fought against each other, and killed themselves one after the other. The sirens walked past, unfazed by the unrest as they searched for their queen. Several times they called out to her but got no response in return. Each unanswered call made them more furious, stirring an uproar amongst the people. The killings continued until dawn when they retreated into the sea. At sunrise, the once beautiful evergreen city was covered in blood and bodies. The event shook everyone in the city. Mnt lost their sons, daughters, wives, husbands, name them. Everyone living in the region close to the sea felt the impact. Almost half of the east Greeke population was slaughtered. It wasn't a situation the King could overlook no matter how small the region was. So while the people were mourning their dead, there was a heated argument between the King and Queen in the palace."This is all your fault! Your greed has cost the lives of so many
"Rule number 1?", He barked, thrashing the boy with a whip; His screams erupted in place of an answer; Dante's tiny body wiggled in a struggle to break free from the strong arms that held him and escape the cruelty of a man he'd known as his father.The piercing screams did nothing but only agitated Edwardo to exercise his arms more. "Answer me, boy!" He bawled, raising the whip to go in for another mighty lash. "Never call you father, I am sorry, I won't, I promise; Don't hit me anymore, please, I beg you, your Highness," the boy pleaded helplessly.His small body was soaked in sweat. "You are a monster. The day I met your mother, I expected she would birth a fine child, but look like you! You've got hair all over you like fur. Can you blame anyone for treating you like an animal?" Those cruel words pierced through his fragile heart. He dropped to the floor with a loud thud as the soldiers released him.Prince Dante curled into a ball, sobbing. The cruel words of his fath
Cold water drenched him on the spot he lay. He gasped, jerking up from sleep with a shiver. "Sleeping around like an old hag, do you not have duties to perform? Today is the Prince's wedding. You should be clearing the dirt around the palace!" The harshness of the man's tone made Dante shiver. "I am sorry I overslept, sir. I did pick all the dirt around yesterday. I only need to sweep the floors", Dante managed to reply, between scampering off the floor, and squeezing the water off his wet clothes. "Move, boy! We do not have time", the head cleaner, Guirello said impatiently, shoving him out of the room. Dante quickened his steps to avoid being manhandled. The years had gone by with increasing hardship. Imagine struggling to feed in a palace filled with food. Hell, even the dogs fed better than him. He worked as a slave, possibly lower if there was something like that. He received no wages as it was believed keeping him alive was enough payment for his services. Dant