The Heart of the Ocean
A Tenebris' Past

“But we cannot simply

sit and stare at our wounds forever.”

-Haruki Murakami

As the days passed by, Aide started to notice the small details she had missed before. Her Nana seemed more relaxed and extremely happy -she had never seen her like this before. She laughed more. Her eyes had a fiery spark in them -they seemed to glow. She had more energy to do things and she seemed to be always in a good mood. She put more effort into how she dressed and how her hair was styled, obviously wanting to make a good impression on her grandfather who hadn’t seen her in so long.

It felt as if a heavy burden had been removed from her and she could finally take a step back and breathe again. No one could deny that her grandmother didn’t have the easiest of lives. She was a single mother who raised on her own not one but two children, including herself. She had no family to turn to for support and yet, despite all these difficulties, she did an amazing job raising them. And she never complained, even though she had a million reasons to do so. She was always so strong. Well, she could finally let go.

She didn’t have to be strong anymore.

She wasn’t alone.

The way Colvert was looking at her -she had seen that look before. It was the same look Evander gave to her. A look filled with adoration and love. Aide was happy for them -Alexandra deserved to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. She had grown accustomed to his form around their house too.

Colvert had tried to come close to her, even though it was painfully obvious he didn’t know how to approach her. Their conversations were a bit awkward at first, but Aide didn’t mind. The man hadn’t socialized in years and yet, he made an effort to get to know her. He would ask her about her day and if she would like to eat -making sure both of the women in his life were being taken care of. As the days passed by, they discussed her childhood and her friends -about school and Alexandra being her grandmother. They laughed at certain memories and they cried at others.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask-”

Her voice was silenced at the sight in front of her. Her Nana had fallen asleep on the couch for her midday nap. Colvert had shushed her gently, warning her not to wake her up. He took hold of the soft blanket that rested beneath the couch’s pillows and made sure Alexandra was warm and comfortable. After leaving a soft kiss on her forehead, he motioned for Aide to follow him to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry”, she whispered, “I didn’t know she had fallen asleep.”

“It’s okay. She’s just tired”, Colvert smiled at her, shaking his head at her words.

Aide nodded in agreement. She turned around and rummaged through their cabinets until she found what she was looking for. Taking two mugs from the counter, she made two steaming cups of coffee. She passed one to her grandfather who smiled at her thankfully, before taking a seat across from him on the kitchen table. She laughed as he took a sip and gasped in surprise.

“It’s strong”, was all he said.

“If you don’t like it, I can make you something else”, she reached for his mug.

“No, no. It’s strong but nice”, he assured her while tapping her hand in comfort, “I just wasn’t expecting the taste.”

Aide nodded in agreement, before taking a sip of her own coffee.

“You wanted to ask something, mea fillia?“, he gazed at her patiently.

“Oh, yes! I had a few questions about...well”, Aide sighed deeply, “The whole situation.”

“You mean merpeople?“, Colvert raised a bushy eyebrow.

“No, not about merpeople”, she rubbed the back of her neck nervously, “About you, actually. I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable. Perhaps, this isn’t a good idea-”

His hand took hold of hers, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

“You can ask me whatever you want, my dear”, he smiled at her gently, “Always remember that.”

“Okay”, she took a deep breath, “You were the one who saved me in the water. I remember your eyes. They were red and then, green-”

“I didn’t save you, my child. Your mate did. He pulled me away from you, remember?”

“Yes, but your eyes changed colors. And you were ready to attack me but you stopped. And you tried to get me to the surface when you understood I couldn’t breathe”, she mumbled to herself, “What happened back there?”

His green eyes gazed deeply at her chocolate ones.

“Do you know that you’re a splitting image of your grandmother when she was your age?“, he asked quietly.

“Really?“, Aide asked in disbelief, “I mean I’ve seen some pictures and yes, there is a resemblance. But I never thought that we looked alike so much.”

“It was a shock -seeing my mate in the middle of the battlefield after so many years”, he shivered at the thought, “My brain froze and then, your scent hit me. It made me confused. It wasn’t the same as your Nana’s but it was mixed with hers. I didn’t know who you were but I knew you were important to me.”

“And then, you tried to pull me to the surface”, she nodded her head.

“And your mate got a really good punch at me in the process”, Colvert let out a laugh, “Good man -he’s an excellent soldier, I can tell you that with certainty.”

Aide winced at his words.

“I’m sorry about that, Grandpa”, she shook her head in shame, “Evander-”

“Evander did what every merman would do in his place”, Colvert cut her off quickly, “He was in the middle of a battlefield and saw a rogue dragging his soulmate around. I would be livid too.”

Aide let a sigh of relief escape her. She didn’t want her grandfather to have an awful opinion of her mate. He wasn’t there for her for a big part of her life, but she wanted him to be there for her from now on. They were starting to grow on each other and spend some quality time together. And even though, in the end, she would do whatever felt right for her -whether her grandfather agreed or not, she still wanted him to be on her side.

“How did you turn into a Tenebris in the first place?“, she finally asked.

Colvert flinched at the unexpected question.

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to overstep your boundaries”, she quickly explained, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel comfortable.”

“N-no. You have every right to know”, Colvert cleared his throat and took another sip of his warm coffee, “It just -it brings back bad memories.”

Aide nodded in understanding. She didn’t push him further, giving him the time, he obviously needed. They sat in silence for a few moments -the ticking of the clock was the only sound that filled the empty room. The old thing hung on the white wall for so many years -it started to get on Aide’s nerves.

“I used to be a part of the Royal Guard of Atlantis. Our role was to protect our city and the royal family. In the beginning, we didn’t have any problems -it was a peaceful period”, Colvert started to explain, “King Neptune was a strong and just King, always looking out for his people. His brother though wasn’t as kind as he was.”

“Sethelious?“, Aide huffed in annoyance, “Yeah, he’s a pain in the ass, isn’t he?”

“How do you know his name?“, Colvert asked in bewilderment.

“Well, it’s a long story”, Aide sighed deeply, “Let’s just say you’ve lost some episodes.”

“What’s an episode?“, he asked in confusion.

“Chapters”, Aide corrected herself, “You’ve skipped the chapters of the first book and now, you have no idea what’s going on in the second one.”

“I’m confused”, the man watched her wearily.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!“, Aide nodded in agreement.

“Anyway -as I was saying, things started to get dangerous”, Colvert chose to ignore her words, “We were sent on a mission to bring the King’s brother back to Atlantis so he could be judged for his crimes. It was an ambush we never expected.”

“I’m so sorry, Grandpa.”

“He knew some of us had mates, waiting for us. The man was so evil -he didn’t kill us. He wanted us to suffer. He wanted to create his own personal army. Do you know what happens to a merman that stays away from his beloved for too long?”

Aide shivered at his words.

“They turn insane?“, she asked in a small voice.

“Exactly”, he nodded, “It was pure insanity, my dear. Knowing your mate is out there -alone, unprotected, waiting for you. Knowing that you could have it all and someone is keeping you away. I- I...I didn’t last.”

“No one would, Grandpa”, Aide tried to reason with him, “You did the best you could.”

“Yet, it wasn’t enough”, he whispered bitterly.

Aide stood up slowly and made her way to him. He stiffened as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Her head resting against his own. Hot tears ran down his cheeks before returning the warm hug.

“You have us now”, Aide whispered against his skin, “We aren’t going anywhere.”

Colvert took a deep breath as he attempted to calm himself. He let a small kiss on Aide’s cheek, making her blush. He couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll make sure of that”, he stated firmly, “I’m never letting go.”

“Never again”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 30!!

Latin translation:

Mea fillia = my daughter

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