Chapter 64

Mariel was approximately a day's ride way from the castle when she met the king's forces. She had her army gathered, and they were steadily making their way to the capital. As she rode atop the bear, she briefly wished to be a mermaid once again, under the sea. She loved the infinite mysteries of the ocean, how there was always something new to explore. She felt that she would trade everything as a human to be able to go back to the sea. For one moment, the homesickness hit her so hard that tears sprung to her eyes.

She missed the beautiful, blue-green waters, the endless expanse of waves. She missed the multi-colored corals, the swaying algae, the playful fish and dolphins splashing. She missed warming herself on a rock in the middle of nowhere, then diving back into the cool, silky water. through the shallow zones. She even missed the deadly sharks, whom she taunted and teased, then outswam when they tried to catch her in their frightening jaws.