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The last thing she saw while being dragged to the waters was Tyrill frantically running towards her. Her fingers dug to the moist soil in hope she could stop the powerful hands that pulled her to the amiss.

She forgot to take a deep breath as she sunk down the waters.

She looked down at her captors.

Her eyes widened in shock. The merfolk she had seen in books were a complete lie. Beautiful, elegant creatures with glimmering fins, that is what she had expected to see.

The merfolk that pulled her deep were...horrid. Their eyes pulsating and bulging within their sockets, were deep mustard. Their hands consisted of these slimy slippery flippers that heldfast to her legs, wings and torso.

She was losing her breath fast.

Their heads were decorated with seaweeds and shells and a long tail and shiny scales.

The one thing similar to them and the books were the mesmerising sounds that echoed from their mouths. Their gills elongating and contracting while breathing.

She tried to kick and pull herself from their strong hold but all fight in vain. In fact their hold only got stronger and she let out bubbles of gasp.

She held onto a hand of a merman, she saw that mermen had a naked torso while the female covered themselves with weeds.

The merman looked at her with one glowing golden eye. But he did not let go.

She was being taken deep down. To her doom.

Her chest now aching with the lack of oxygen. Her mind flooding with memories oh so wonderful and awful. With one last bite of fear she let out what she held in her mouth. The small amount of oxygen that sufficed her for a few moments.

"So this is how I die..." she thought to herself.

She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

But something in her stirred. A feeling of peace from somewhere afar. Her heart still beating and warm blood still flowing through her frayed nerves.

The merfolk suddenly screeched like banshees in pain. Aerona felt as if her head would burst, their tight hold only got tighter but Aerona felt no pain. She lost her breath and was hanging in life by a thread.

Her eyes feeling heavier on its own accord. Slowly drifting in suffocation, she blacked out.

A voice somewhere afar. A melody of faeries of midsummer's night. A gentle calling of love.

A slow stroking felt inside the womb. A child stirring and gave a tiny kick. The mother laughed, her voice ringing throughout her room like bells of fantasy. A hoarse chuckle caused the lady to turn around in surprise.

But she hid her surprise with a grin of joy. Her husband, with a crown of gold nestled upon his golden hair, walked towards her while beaming and his huge wings dragging on the ground behind him.

He placed his hand on her protruding stomach and caressed his palm against her silken of cloth and received a kick in return.

His smile grew wider and he bowed down to her abdominal level and spoke to his child that lay curled aganist her womb.

'Oh little one. Daughter of my descendants. May you grow in power as our Kingdom and flourish in beauty-' he looked up at his wife '-as your mother'. She smiled gracefully, her dimples evolving in her pale cheeks as deep pools.

Without breaking the eye contact, he stood up, slightly towering over her. He placed a tender kiss on her thin lips and she responded back, he spoke while his lips still on hers 'Rindel....My love. How can I ever thank thee for a gift so precious, that I do not even deserve?'.

'Protect her' she said, 'We shall protect her till she grows to be able to hold the burden of our glorious kingdom'.

As they parted, the face of the mother grew in clarity.

A high cheeked proud face, with dark eyes and dark hair where a white queenly crown lay on her head. Her thin lips a nude shade of pink and her cheeks glowing pink. The feathers of her wings swayed in the direction of the mild breeze.

As she smiled, a wild recognition dawned and pulled Aerona back to her consciousness.

'Glrgggh!!' Aerona breathed and still finding herself in a state of delimma.

The awful shrieking hadn't subsided and the merfolk seemed struggling while pulling her down.

Aerona felt quite strange too. Her body tingling of a wild energy and she closed her eyes tight as she felt her chest bursting pain due to lack of oxygen. She mumbled something in her mind, without the consent of her conscious.

And now the shrieking grew louder and louder until the merfolk let go of her. Their yellow eyes wide in pain and shock.

Aerona was somewhat relieved that they had let go but she still was in death's door. She did not know how to swim, therefore in danger of drowning.

But now she felt death was much better option as the pain was getting was unbearable.

Suddenly she felt an arm tug around her waist and pull her up. She did not have the energy to check who or what, but she decided it was the merfolk trying to kill her again. But why would they take her back up.

Either way she blacked out again.

''Co....back! Aer...stay awake!' a muffled sound shouted in a distance.

Aerona suddenly shooted up while gasping for breath. Water dripping from her mouth, she coughed.

'Lady Aerona! Your awake... You gave me quite a fright' Tyrill muttered in anger and relief. Both of them dripping wet and mosses sticking to their shirts.

'Tyrill. I- I am alive' gasped Aerona while she touched herself to make sure she was in one piece. 'I am alive' she sighed while she hugged herself. 'Thank you Sir Tyrill' she muttered.

'What happened in there?' he asked getting up. 'I don't know. The merfolk got frightened of me all of a sudden and let go of me after destroying the life out of my poor ears' she replied not letting herself go.

'They got afraid of you?' asked Tyrill in a bewildered tone. 'The only thing that scare them is foreign magic-' his eyes shot up in the truth and said '-but of course. You must have developed your magical powers and somehow they felt it'.

'Magical powers?' asked Aerona. 'Like witches?'.

'Magical powers are not only limited to witches and wizards Lady Aerona. There are ancient Elven magic, merfolf magic, Almeris magic and so on of vast varieties' he said 'And you must have found your powers'.

'So I can do magic?' asked Aerona and received a nod in reply.

She lifted her fingers to her face and felt the similar tingle.

'Aye. I do feel something' she muttered 'But how do I use it?' she asked.

'There is one place where we can find a gremoire for basic to advanced Almeris magic' he said while thoughtfully gazing at her face.

'Gremoire? Like in summoning spirits?' she asked looking back at him in surprise.

'Spirit summoning is extremely advanced and difficult to do. But yes' replied Tyrill after pulling himself from her pool of dark eyes, 'We need the Gremoire of La Baque Almeriase'.

'And where do we find this Gremoire?' she asked while squeezing the water from her dress.

'Elleóin' he said while giving a heave of air.

'The village of Elleóin? Let it be Sir Tyrill, our main conquest is to reach thy kingdom. And to thy kingdom shall we march' she said.

'Nay my lady. Thee need to accumulate the powers properly so it might help you in our forward expedition. You did struggle with the merfolk did you not? My magic and yours together will be a valuable asset in our journey' he said while getting up and helping Aerona to her feet.

'So to Elleóin, is it?' she asked.

'To Elleóin it is' he said and held the reins of his horses that stood a distance.

He suddenly turned to face her and said in a deep commanding tone 'Do not disturb the waters'.