The Endërland Chronicles: Book of Daniel

  The cold salty water on the face did the trick alright; Daniel woke up with a start.

  ‘Finally,’ Nemo exclaimed just a few feet away from him. ‘I’ve been calling you for ages, man. You sleep like a rock.’

  Daniel yawned and then smiled at Nemo as he got up.

  ‘Hey Nemo. Where were you? You said you wouldn’t be gone long.’

  ‘I know, I’m sorry,’ Nemo said. ‘Mother wouldn’t let me go without me telling her the whole story and making sure that I was alright and no longer in danger. And then she had to think about what to do next and get advice from her counselors regarding the wingmen. And then she wanted to take time and prepare for a proper introduction. I came ahead to let you know.’

  ‘She’s coming to meet me? Now?’

  That was rather unexpected. Daniel didn’t think he would have to meet the Queen of the Seas so soon. What would he say to her? How does one act in front of a real queen?

  ‘Did she say why she is coming to see me?’ he asked, fishing for tips. He must have looked or sounded a bit anxious though, because Nemo replied:

  ‘Relax. She said she wants to thank you herself for saving me, and give you the information you need in person. I think she’s coming. Here, come and stand on this rock. When you see her, bow down, but do not speak. Let her address you first.’

  Daniel moved nervously to the place Nemo showed him; a rock that rose higher and stretched further into the sea from the rest of the shore, like a small cape. The water beneath was enough for Nemo to be immersed neck deep.

  Soon they noticed movement farther in front of them. The water rose higher for a very brief moment and then a small silver crown broke the surface, followed by long dark red hair falling down the beautiful face of what looked like a woman in her thirties. Like Nemo’s, her skin was pale white and shiny like alabaster, while her eyes were a fiery red, deep and sharp.

  She was nothing like Daniel had imagined. She wore armor and had a fighter’s appearance, strong features, and a piercing look in her eyes. A strange looking crossbow hung on the back of her shoulder, seemingly made out of an unusual material, kind of transparent with a hint of blue. Daniel thought he was seeing a Greek goddess gliding towards him.

  There were four other mermaids following the queen, all clad in similar armor. He bowed low on one knee, and remained like that until he heard the queen stop right in front of him and speak.

  ‘Arise, Visitor.’

  Daniel got up and faced her. She was mesmerizing from up close. The features that he had come to find in Nemo, were present in her as well. But while Nemo was still a boy, uncertainty and innocence still predominant on his young face, she radiated strength and wisdom beyond her youthful looks. Her stare was authoritative, yet gentle. And there was something there that Daniel could not read, some sort of realization that only she was aware of.

  She took a long look at him and then spoke again.

  ‘I am Eleanor, third Queen of the Seas of Endërland and lady of the mermaids. My son has told me how you saved his life, and I am here to personally thank you. For what you have done, my people and I will always be at your service; the sea will always be your home and the mermaids your family. You have but to name your reward, Visitor, and I will see it done.’

  Daniel felt overwhelmed. Her voice was so powerful and her presence even more so. But he wanted no reward. He lowered his head respectfully and spoke.

  ‘My lady, I have done nothing to deserve a reward and even less so, your service. In fact, it is I who offer you my services, for whatever they’re worth. Order me, and I shall obey.’

  He could barely believe the words that came out of his mouth; he had never spoken like that before. He guessed he had picked up a thing or two from all the books he had read after all.

  The queen seemed pleased by his reply. She came just a bit closer and spoke this time with a softer voice.

  ‘You speak like royalty. Tell me, Visitor; are you a prince or a king in your world?’

  Daniel laughed at this.

  ‘No, my lady; I was born of common people, and if there is any royalty in my blood, my father never told me about it.’

  This seemed to entice the queen’s interest even more.

  ‘Your father. What about your mother? Surely she must be a queen.’

  ‘Only to my father and me, my lady, and only in our memories. She is no longer with us; she died when I was only little.’

  His voice faltered at the last words, while his eyes touched the ground. Thus he failed to see a strange light in the queen’s eyes, and the sorrow that shadowed Nemo’s.

  ‘I am sure she would be very proud to see that her son has grown up to be a fine young man. But tell me; is there nothing that this queen can do for you? My son told me that you seek the counsel of other Visitors that have settled here from long ago.’

  ‘That is true, my lady. It is only my second day here, and there are a lot of things that I need to know and understand. Nemo told me that they might be able to help me, but not many know who they are.’

  ‘I’m afraid I do not have that knowledge either, Visitor, but I can point you in the direction of one who does. And since you require nothing of me for saving my son’s life, I decree that his life is yours, from now until such time when you no longer need it, or his debt is properly paid. He will accompany you wherever you need to go and help you do whatever you need to do.’

  Daniel had no idea what she meant, but by the look on Nemo’s face this was good news, at least for him. He looked as happy and excited as he’d ever seen him. He swam towards his mother, looking at her straight in her fiery eyes, like a little child who had just been promised his favorite toy.

  ‘You mean; I can go? Really?’

  ‘Yes, Nemo; the day has finally come my son. It’s either now or never.’

  Nemo screamed from joy and jumped as high as he could out of the water. He then dived deep down, where Daniel could not see him. Three of the mermaids accompanying the queen chased after him, save for the fourth one, who with an indifferent look on her face remained where she was. He figured they were congratulating Nemo, but he still didn’t understand what for.

  The queen read the confusion on his face and decided to explain.

  ‘It is our tradition that upon reaching a certain age, each one of my mermaids has the choice to walk upon land and experience the life outside the sea for a time. If they decide to stay there forever, their wish is granted and they become one of the people of the land. And if they decide to come back, they remain mermaids for the rest of their life and devote themselves to the sea. My son’s time for this has come for quite a while, but I have been reluctant to let him go, until now. I feel now is the right time for him to take this journey, and something tells me that both your paths go together from here. Will you accept this, Visitor?’

  Daniel looked at her sovereign face, and then at Nemo, who just resurfaced, still looking pretty excited. How could he refuse? Did he dare reject the queen’s request? Or spoil this for Nemo, who clearly wanted it?

  He realized that he wanted this as well. He wouldn’t have to be on his own while searching for the other Visitors; Nemo would accompany him wherever he would need to go. This was indeed good news. He bowed to the queen once again and spoke.

  ‘It would be my pleasure, my lady.’

  ‘Very well,’ the queen smiled and then turned to her only son.

  ‘Nemo. Forgive me for not having a proper ceremony for this occasion, but I would delay our Visitor no longer. Come to me, son.’

  Nemo swam again towards her, full of anticipation and joy. She took him in her arms and hugged him tight. Daniel now saw the soft maternal side of her, and could not help but think of his own mother.

  ‘This is your journey, my little one, your chance to discover who you will be. You’ll have all the time you will need and all the support you can get from your sisters and me. If you decide to come back to us, there will be a place prepared for you in our kingdom. And
if you decide to stay, our love and blessings will stay with you for all time.’

  She gave him a kiss on the lips, where she lingered a little, as if she was passing on something to her son, and then she let him go. Nothing seemed to be happening at first, but soon Daniel noticed a change in the way Nemo was trying to hold himself on the surface. Until that moment he had been perfectly at ease staying afloat, but now he seemed to be struggling a bit. He started to swim towards the shore awkwardly and that’s when Daniel noticed them. His beautiful tail was gone, and two skinny white legs had materialized instead. Nemo was still trying to use them as he would use his tail, but it wasn’t really working. He managed however to swim until he reached a shallow place, where he tried to stand on his new legs, but failed and fell back in the water. Laughing out loud he got up again and fell again.

  One of his sisters swam up to him and handed him something that Daniel could not make out what it was. Soon though, he understood; the queen had come prepared. Looking a bit embarrassed, Nemo struggled to wear a pair of trousers that were prepared for him. He would have looked very stupid, if Daniel didn’t know this was the first time he was actually doing this. Eventually Nemo managed to wear them and tried again to walk out of the water. Daniel went to him and helped to keep him steady.

  Another one of his sisters swam towards them, this time handing something to Daniel. It was a bow and a quiver full of arrows, made of the same material as the weapons that the queen and her companions were carrying, except for the tip of the arrows, which looked like silver. A beautiful golden ‘D’ was carved on the body of the bow and on every single arrow.

  ‘So you can find them easy and claim them back,’ she explained. ‘It is my gift to you. We have never had to use them so far and I hope you never will, but something tells me you might come to need it one day. So keep it with you, and may it never be of service.’

  Daniel thanked her and bowed his head down again. Then he shouldered the weapon, and helping Nemo, made for dry land. Once out of the water, they both stood on the shore facing her.

  The queen mermaid had tears in her eyes.

  ‘The Queen of Endër is the one you need to see; she has the information you seek. I will send word to her that you are coming, and she will welcome you like her own sons and tell you what you need to know. Go now and may the Great Lord lead your way.’

  She waived, as did the four mermaids around her, and then the sea swallowed them back in.