Chapter 11 Merfolks
An excerpt from The Guardians Book 1: Formation of the Guardians
The next morning, Bernard awoke up with a bit of a start. He opened his eyes and then smiled. He was tangled up with Adelaen and they were still fully clothed. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
“Morning. You can stay here. I should probably get up and check on patients.”
“Okay, I’ll stay. I’m still sleepy.”
They disentangled themselves and he sat up. Soon he was standing up and left the room. He closed the door and checked on Julio and Lady Penelopi. Merlaen was still up.
“Good morning, Bernard. I trust you slept well.”
Bernard smiled at Merlaen. “Good morning, Merlaen. Yes, I did. How are the patients? I see the children are gone.”
“The children are playing in the courtyard and doing great. It’s so good to see them so happy again.”
“Yes, I see them. Children can be fairly resilient.”
She nodded. “Lady Penelopi is feeling better this morning. She was smiling and nursing her baby.”
“Good. And Julio?”
“His fever is gone and he’s resting peacefully. He may wake up soon. I did request that food be brought for all us this morning.”
“Good idea. Have you seen Hugo, yet?”
“No. Is he usually here by now?”
“Well, no, but we do have patients. Hmm, maybe he got distracted last night.”
Merlaen raised her eyebrows. “By whom?”
“Greg.”
“The inventor, I’ve heard so much about?”
“Yep, that one.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I’m a bit old for romance, but the rest of you can enjoy yourselves.”
Bernard laughed. “I wasn’t expecting any. Before this, I wouldn’t even admit to myself how miserable I was living under Lord Plaesance’s rules. Then I met Adelaen and things changed completely. Lord Plaesance actually got jealous of me and plotted to kill me. I had to leave with her. I’m lucky she’s a warrior. I’d never made it here without her or my old friend, Darius.”
“I’m happy for you. I’m glad you took the birth control when Hugo mentioned it to you.”
“So am I, even though it wasn’t needed.”
She laughed. “Well, maybe next time.”
“Well, perhaps. I wish she were my wife.”
“Then tell her.”
Bernard looked at Merlaen. “I said something like that to Greg last night.”
She laughed. “It’s good advice. You deserve to be happy, Bernard. She looked pretty happy with you.”
He nodded. “Alright, I’ll tell her.”
Hugo walked into the clinic. “Am I needed before breakfast?”
“Good morning, Hugo. Of course, you are needed. Ah, it looks like our patients are all awake.” Bernard, Merlaen, and Hugo went to Julio, Penelopi, and Luka.
Julio blinked. Lady Penelopi smiled as she held Luka.
“Good morning, Bernard and Hugo. Bernard, is Adelaen in your room?”
“Yes, Lady Penelopi. She’s sleeping.”
“I’d protest, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to marry her regardless of what you did or didn’t do with her last night.”
Bernard smiled. “I’d happily marry her. No worries there. I don’t know if she wants to get married.”
“She knows she can still be a warrior, so that won’t be a barrier.”
“I certainly don’t have a problem with her being a warrior. Now how are you feeling this morning?”
“Much better. I needed that pick me up you gave me last night.”
“If you need more, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Okay, I won’t.”
A few of the domestic staff arrived with some food for everyone. Hugo went to them and served the patients. He helped Julio sit up.
“Julio, how do you feel this morning?” asked Bernard.
“Better. It still hurts. Am I allowed to do any work?”
“Certainly, as long as it doesn’t involve standing or walking. You need to stay off the leg as much as possible.”
“Good.” Julio smiled and ate his breakfast.
Merlaen found a spare sheet and looked at Bernard. “Is it alright to use this as a baby sling?”
“Sure.”
Merlaen went to Lady Penelopi and helped arranged it so she could hold Luka without her arms. Lady Penelopi then ate her breakfast.
“That’s a good idea,” Hugo said.
Merlaen nodded. “I bet Lady Penelopi will want to leave soon and check on everyone. She’s quite the mother to everyone around here.”
“That she is.” Bernard went to the food and served two plates. He set them on a tray and went to his room.
Hugo and Merlaen served themselves and ate at the table.
“I take it, I’ll be allowed to resume my duties after breakfast,” said Lady Penelopi between bites.
“Sure. Just don’t overdo it. You’ve just given birth. Just take it slow. The rest of the staff is recovering as well.”
Lady Penelopi nodded. “I’ll be careful. Luka will need plenty of diapers right away. I do like this sling for him. He’s asleep again. Thanks, Merlaen.”
“No problem.”
Bernard set the tray down on the table and sat down on the bed next to Adelaen. “Hey, sleepyhead, breakfast is here.”
She opened her eyes and sat up. “I’m hungry.”
“Good.” He got up and handed her plate to her. He went back and grabbed his plate and sat back down next to her.
“Bernard, did you really hand out birth control to many people and then take some yourself?”
“Yeah. Lady Penelopi was shocked, but she understood the need. I really don’t like to perform abortions.”
“You’ve done that!”
“Yeah, it was either do that or watch the young women suffer. Many of them weren’t able to take good care of themselves, let alone a baby.”
“I see.”
“I’d keep taking birth control, if you want me to.”
“I can’t believe how much Darius, Jazmin, Berri, and Elaen encouraged me to see you after Greg left the clinic. I was so exhausted that I didn’t argue. I probably should have.”
“Why? Nothing happened. I slept well. Did you?”
“Yeah, but we’re not married.”
“I’d love to marry you. It was wonderful to wake up and see you first thing.”
Adelaen smiled and looked at her plate. “Then let’s get married.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
They kissed. They finished their breakfast and Bernard took the dirty dishes on the tray back to the table with the other ones. Adelaen followed him out.
Everyone looked at them. They noticed.
“Alright, we might as well tell them, Adelaen.”
“We’re getting married.”
Hugo clasped his hands and laughed. Lady Penelopi and Julio smiled.
Merlaen smiled. “Congratulations. When will the wedding be?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We haven’t set a date.” Bernard smiled.
“How about tomorrow? We need a big party after what we’ve all been through.” Adelaen smiled.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Bernard.”
Lady Penelopi smiled at them. “Good, I’ll announce it at lunch today. People will love it.” She stood up. “I’d like to resume my duties now.” She hugged Adelaen and then Bernard. Then Lady Penelopi left the clinic.
Julio looked at everyone else. “I’d like to work, too. Can you call Maegin and Boe?”
Hugo answered, “I’ll call them.” He ran to the communication screen and punched in Boe and Maegin’s personal codes. They answered immediately.
“Julio would like you two to come down to the clinic. He wants to work, but he’s not allowed to be on his broken leg very long. Otherwise, he can do whatever needs to be done.”
Boe and Maegin nodded.
Maegin said, “Not a problem. There’s plenty he can do right there in the clinic. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
The screen went blank. Hugo turned to Bernard and Adelaen. “I’m so happy for both of you.”
Adelaen smiled. “You seem happier today. How long did you hang out with Greg last night?”
Hugo laughed. “Wouldn’t you just love to know.”
“Hugo?”
“What? We talked last night in front of the fire and watched the stars together. It was fun. Darius seemed drunk last night, but I know we don’t have alcohol around here. He was probably exhausted after all the fighting and disposing of dead bodies.”
Adelaen laughed. “He was pretty bad last night.”
Maegin and Boe arrived with papers, scanners, quills, and ink. They walked straight to Julio.
“Hey, can we use the table?” asked Boe.
“Sure, go ahead.” Bernard and Hugo cleared the dirty dishes and set them on the floor.
Hugo and Boe moved the table to Julio’s bed. Adelaen grabbed the chairs and set them down next to the table. Boe and Maegin put their things on the table. They got to work with Julio.
*********************
At lunch, Lady Penelopi made the announcement of Bernard and Adelaen’s engagement. She also told everyone about the Goddess Stefani’s message. Greg played it for everyone while they ate.
People were stunned, but they felt more united than ever. They began talking about it. The domestic staff felt respected and loved to be led by Lady Penelopi.
Many wondered what other kinds of people lived on the same planet with them. What would they look like? People weren’t sure.
Darius sat at a table with Jazmin, Bernard, and Adelaen. Hugo sat with Greg and his crew.
“Well, Bernard, I’m shocked!” Darius told Bernard.
“I am, too. I’m very happy at the same time.”
“Wait a minute, you took birth control like most everyone else. You don’t have to marry her.”
“No, but I want to.”
Adelaen beamed. “Bernard, keep taking the birth control. At least for now.”
“Okay. I’ll take some as soon as I get back to the clinic.”
Jazmin smiled. “Wow, I don’t know if I could go and get married that fast.”
“Well, we don’t need to.” Darius ate some more food. “Unless you want to…”
Jazmin looked at Darius. “Let’s not rush it. I like the way things are going for us right now.”
“Okay.”
Bernard looked over at Hugo and Greg. He smiled. Greg and Hugo were talking and it looked like they were getting along. Hugo looked over at Bernard. Bernard raised his glass to Hugo and nodded. Hugo raised his glass and nodded back. Hugo was beaming as much as Bernard was.
*********************
The next day, the wedding arch was set up again. The domestic staff was busy setting up tables and chairs. A nun walked over and stood at the wedding arch.
People were gathering around, waiting for the couple to show up. Life was returning back to its routine and people were adjusting. Bernard was getting more requests for birth control. He handed it out without asking any questions.
Soon everyone was ready and waiting. Bernard and Adelaen meet in the courtyard. They smiled at each other and reached for each other’s hand. They walked to the arch together.
They faced one another and held hands. They exchanged their vows with the nun. They exchanged a kiss. People cried. People smiled. People laughed.
Hugo and Greg stood next to each other and smiled at the couple and then at themselves. Darius yelled. Jazmin laughed. Elaen and Berri flew around the wedding arch and laughed. Bernard and Adelaen laughed.
People ate food and danced the rest of the day. Adelaen moved into Bernard’s room in the clinic.
*********************
Darius, Jazmin, Elaen, Berri, and Adelaen were practically near the cliff. Adelaen was showing them how to do gymnastics while holding their weapons.
It took time for Darius and Jazmin to get the hang of it. Elaen and Berri didn’t have any problems, even with their broken legs.
They were laughing and have a great time, until Adelaen slipped and fell off the cliff.
Darius was stunned. “Bernard is going to kill us.”
As he and Jazmin watched, Berri and Elaen dove after Adelaen. Adelaen took a deep breath just before she went under the water. She was still going down pretty fast.
Then she saw them. They looked like they were half elf and half fish. Her eyes grew round. A few of them swam towards her. There were men and women. They tried to talk to her, but she couldn’t understand them. She couldn’t talk.
A young mermaid, Raelon, was still just a child when she first saw the elf Adelaen under the water. Before that, Raelon had no idea there were people living on the land without fish tails. However, she was grateful to learn other people existed on Platinum.
For the young mermaid, the great adventure of her life was just beginning…
Adelaen tried to think hello to them. They seemed to understand. She started to float upwards until she broke the surface of the water. She was gasping for air when the fairies found her.
“Adelaen! Here we are!” Each fairy grabbed one of her arms and they flew up to the cliff where Darius and Jazmin were waiting.
Jazmin looked at Adelaen. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, there are people in the water.”
“What?”
“They look like elves from the waist up. From the waist down, they are fish.”
“I think that fall has damaged your head.”
Adelaen laughed. “I don’t think so. They tried to talk to me. I couldn’t talk, so I thought to them a, ‘hello’. They seemed to understand me.”
Darius laughed. “Okay, I know Stefani said we would meet other people who live on this planet with us. But do you know how crazy this sounds?”
Adelaen smiled. “We are Guardians. We deal with the crazy and oddballs all the time.”
Everyone laughed.
“Let’s go find Greg. He can think of way for us to communicate with them.”
They went to the castle courtyard asking and looking around for Greg. Berri and Elaen found him in his workshop. They flew to the window and right into the room. Darius, Jazmin, and Adelaen, ran into the castle and up the stairs to the workshop.
Elaen flew right up to Greg. “Hey, Greg, we need your help.”
“What’s up?”
“Adelaen fell into the sea and met some strange people. They tried to talk to her, but we can’t stay under the water long enough to understand their language.”
“Oh. Maegin says there’s oxygen in the water, but we can’t breathe it as we can the oxygen in the air.”
“Okay. So what does that mean? We can’t stay under the water long enough to even try communicating with those people?”
“No. It means you need gills.”
“Gills?”
“That’s what fish use to breathe oxygen from water. So, I need to make you gills so you can breathe under water. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to talk.”
“Talking under water probably isn’t a good idea.”
“No, you don’t want water in your lungs.” Greg floated to the ceiling. He came back down to his desk and turned on the communicator. He punched the code for Maegin.
She appeared immediately. “Oh, it’s Greg.”
“Maegin, the guards are requesting that I make gills for them so they can breathe under water. Do you understand how gills work so I can make them some?”
“Oh. Gills filter the oxygen out of the water, so you would need to have a filter, but there must be a way to keep the water out of their lungs. I’m not sure how you could do that part. The filter just needs to free the oxygen from the water, then they could breathe normally.”
“Okay, I think I got it then. Thanks.” They shut the communicators off.
The guards looked expectantly at Greg.
Greg looked at them. Then he grabbed some paper, a quill, and some ink. He began sketching a filter with a membrane to keep water out. It took some time, but he was able to get the idea down. “Alright, so the filter just needs to allow you to breathe oxygen. So, the water will go through it and you should be able to breathe normally. You’ll hold the gills between your teeth. The water should just flow freely.”
The guards blinked.
“I’ll make one and then we can test it out.” Greg stood up and looked around at the spare parts. It didn’t take him long to find what he wanted. He worked fast and soon he had a set of gills to test out. “Let’s go to the water.”
The guards and Greg went down to the shore. Greg put the gills between his teeth. They stuck out, but he didn’t care what he looked like.
“Greg, shouldn’t you take your communicator out of your pocket? Won’t the water damage it?” asked Jazmin.
Greg took the gills out. “Oh? That’s probably a good idea.” He pulled out the communicator and handed it to Jazmin. He put the gills back in his mouth and walked out into the ocean.
The five guards stood and watched. Greg went under the water for several minutes. The guards tensed and waited.
Greg came up out of the water. He walked back to them and took out the gills. “Wow! It works. Anyone else want to try them?”
“Uh, could you make us some of our own? I’d rather not put those in my mouth after you used them.”
“Oh, sorry. Yeah, I’ll make some more. Let’s go back to the workshop.”
An hour later the five guards were about to go into the ocean, when Bernard strolled over to them.
“What’s this I hear that you five are going into the ocean? How will you breathe?”
Adelaen smiled at him. “Honey, Greg made us gills.” She showed him her set.
“Oh! I should have realized. I’m sorry. I heard you fell in the ocean today and I just panicked.”
“I’m fine now. If you want to come, just ask Greg to make you set a of gills.”
“I will.” Bernard ran back to the castle to see Greg immediately. He came running back shortly. The guards were waiting for him.
“Okay, is everyone ready? At least we have some people with us who can talk with their thoughts. That should help with these people.” Darius put his gills between his teeth.
The others all put their gills in. Then they walked into the ocean. Soon they were all under the water and breathing normally. They looked around, but no one saw the other people.
They kept walking. Soon the fish people saw them and approached. Bernard and Adelaen thought to the people, ‘hello, we’re here to meet you and learn about you and tell you about us.’
The people called themselves merfolks. They weren’t speaking the same language as the elves and fairies, but between Adelaen and Bernard with some of the merfolks, they were able to communicate.
It was slow, but eventually they had established an alliance. The guards knew the merfolks would need some communicators. They made a mental note to tell Greg once they were done.
The guards got hungry, so they told the merfolks bye for now and left to eat in the great hall with everyone else. As soon as they were out of the water, they took their gills out and put them in their pockets. They arrived just in time for dinner, dripping wet.
Everyone watched them. They sat down together. Lady Penelopi, Hugo, and Greg joined them.
“Why are you all so wet?”
“Lady Penelopi, we were in the ocean talking with the merfolks,” answered Darius.
“Merfolks?”
Adelaen smiled. “Yes, they live in the ocean. From the waist up, they look like us elves, and from the waist down they have fish tails.”
“Oh!”
“They are friendly. Greg, can you make water proof communicators? We think the merfolks could use them,” put in Bernard.
“Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll make you all some water proof ones as well. I’ll work on it tonight.”
“I thought we were going to watch the moon rise tonight.”
“Oh, right, Hugo. Sorry, we can still do that. I don’t think it will take me long to figure out how to make them. Then the crew can take over.”
Hugo smiled.
“You may have to come with me to remind me when it’s time to watch the moon.”
“I’ll do that.”
“How have you been communicating with them?” asked Lady Penelopi.
“Adelaen and I thought to them. We can’t talk with the gills in our mouths.”
Lady Penelopi nodded. She made an adjustment to her sling to nurse Luka. “I’m not sure how you do that, but that’s okay. I’m glad you established communications.”
Jazmin spoke up, “They don’t speak the same language as we do, so we will have to learn each other’s languages to be able to fully talk with them.”
“Ah, that’s not surprising. Sometimes we have trouble with that around here even though the language is fairly similar.”
*********************
After dinner, Greg and Hugo went to Greg’s workshop. He was right, it didn’t take him long to make a water proof communicator. Soon the rest of the crew was making more water proof communicators, large and small, and they also made gills for themselves.
They would eventually go into the ocean and assemble the communication equipment for the merfolks.
Greg and Hugo left to sit in the courtyard to watch the moon. They sat down on a bench and cuddled and held hands. The moon was full and bright. It shined down on them. Neither spoke for some time. It was a quiet time before they went to sleep.
For them, it was a great way to end a day. Sometimes they would fall asleep and wake up later. They hugged and kissed goodbye and then would go to their respective quarters.
***********************
The next day, Darius, Jazmin, Adelaen, Bernard, Berri, and Elaen were given water proof communicators. They went to the ocean with Greg and his crew, who all had gills and water proof communicators. The crew also carried large and small communication equipment to give the merfolks.
It wasn’t long before the group found the merfolks. Greg and his crew worked with some of the merfolks to set up the communication equipment. Darius, Jazmin, Berri, Elaen, Adelaen, and Bernard showed many merfolks how to use their own personal communicators.
It was a long day for everyone, but soon the equipment was set up and they tuned into the hold and the monastery. The merfolks were amazed. Some thought it was magic, but they worked with the Guardians to develop a common language they could all speak.
It took a long time, but when once they created the language, everyone was happy to share their culture and ideas. The merfolks didn’t hesitate to join the Guardians.
Many merfolks were scientists in their own right. They could share with the land Guardians all about the sea and sea life. Other merfolks were interested in the technology and they would spend hours working with Greg and his crew to learn new things. The merfolks were able to exchange ideas, which later helped everyone improve the technology they already had and to create new forms. Raelon became a scientist and was given her very own portable communicator.
