Chapter 9: A Merman Of Few Words

That was what Zale thought anyway. She had been executed on false charges when Talori was only seventy-nine so she didn't have many memories of her mother. He had already seen his half-brother poisoned at that point and had developed his stupid, frivolous persona to protect himself.

He hadn't been interested in the throne. All he had wanted was to live his life in peace with his mother and sister. Her death was what pushed him over the edge and set his plan into motion.

He was not someone anyone sane should want to provoke. He was both cunning and ruthless but acted as harmless as a sea cucumber to deflect suspicion.

Talori was certainly glad Zale wasn't her enemy as she watched him spar against his mermen. He was a brilliant strategist who never lost a fight after training himself in secret after watching the royal guard train for decades.

He was excellent at spear fighting, grappling, and knife fighting. Hadn't so much as gotten nicked by a blade in years.

The only one who ever came close to beating him was Beck, who was as strong but not quite as cunning. Zale was a lot stronger than he looked. He didn't have the same physique as Beck but that came in handy because it strengthened his cover.

Everyone thought he was an idiot incapable of doing anything right. Which was exactly how he liked it. He couldn't wait to show them all how wrong they were.

Talori looked forward to that day too. She wanted her brother to be able to be himself but she also really, really wanted to be able to freely leave the coral palace. To be able to interact more freely with other merfolk and with the surface-dwellers.

Talking to Brennan about his home made her all the more excited for her future collaboration with the witches. She especially wanted to meet his friend Harmony after hearing about some of her exploits.

She had met Gar so it wasn't unlikely that she would meet Talori at some point once she took over his duties. She couldn't wait!

She also couldn't wait to show Brennan her cave of treasures tonight and finally figure out what they were. He had done his best to explain things when she asked earlier but not having visuals to match to certain objects made it difficult at times.

Talori had a hard time believing there were magic—no, technological—items that could answer any question or show moving pictures. She desperately wanted to see such things for herself.

Her mind stopped wandering when she saw that her brother had managed to pin one of his men to the ground with a spear at his throat. No surprise that he won again.

Zale immediately removed the spear and reached out a hand to help Nerio up. The fallen merman clasped his hand and used it to hoist himself up, shaking his head with a smile. "Maybe I'll beat you if I keep training for the next three hundred years."

Her brother laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, my friend. Who's next?"

You are reading story MerMade For Each Other at novel35.com

All of the merman gathered exchanged glances. After seeing how easily Zale took down Nerio, who was one of their better fighters, no one seemed too eager to volunteer.

Beck ended up being the one to do it. He was a stoic merman who had been with her brother the longest. He was the son of one of the royal guards and had been assigned to be Zale's personal guard in the future when he was still just a fry.

Those two had been raised together and had been stuck to each other's sides for nearly two hundred years. It was the merfolk way. Princes were assigned guards when they turned fifty and raised together so their bonds of trust were unbreakable. It didn't hurt that they were able to take in all of the lessons meant for their charges either. Though English was only taught to the royal family directly Beck had picked it up.

Princesses didn't receive the same treatment because their roles were to be married off, not to make real contributions to the kingdom. Talori's guards had been rotating out her entire life and they were always adults. She didn't have a built-in confidant like Zale did.

Not that she minded. Her brother fulfilled that role very well.

Talori was friendly with all of her brother's mermen because of how often she saw them but they were all a bit wary of her. They knew the rumors that she was crazy were cultivated by her brother and helped perpetuate them but they still thought she was weird for being so obsessed with the surface.

Besides, they didn't have time to do much more than say hi to her in passing. They were always so busy. Zale only made time for her because he loved her.

Of all his attendants, she knew Beck best because he was around the most often. And she really didn't know him all that well because he hardly ever spoke and when he did it was very basic.

He barely lost to Zale in their sparring match and stepped back for someone else to take a turn, swimming over to sit next to her.

"Good morning, Princess."

All of her brother's mermen called her that. She had told them a million times that Talori was fine since they called him by his first name but they refused out of respect for their leader's precious treasure.

Holding back a sigh, she smiled at him. "Good morning, Beck. You almost got him this time."

"I suppose so."

He went silent, which she had come to expect from him. He was a merman of few words and rarely made any facial expression. She had always wondered what went through that head of his.

His seriousness was somehow enhanced by the thick black stripes under his dull black eyes, contrasting against his white skin.. His hair and fins were black as well and his tail was white with black stripes.

You can find story with these keywords: MerMade For Each Other, Read MerMade For Each Other, MerMade For Each Other novel, MerMade For Each Other book, MerMade For Each Other story, MerMade For Each Other full, MerMade For Each Other Latest Chapter