“Araxie!”
She turned to find Theia rushing towards her. “You're awake, thank the gods. When Proteus found you and brought you back we were all so worried.”
“Proteus?” Araxie asked.
Theia nodded. “When you hadn't returned for dinner, Father sent out everyone to find you. I suggested the reef, and he found you wrapped in kelp. You've been asleep for six days.”
“Graduation?” Araxie asked.
“Tomorrow, but don't you dare think you are going.”
“I'm not sure what happened, but I feel fine.” She did feel fine. She wasn't dizzy, she could breathe just fine. The eye color thing was strange, but if anything she felt rested.
“Come sit, the others will want to see you too. We’ve all been staying here while we waited for you to wake.”
Araxie hurried out to her sitting room, and gave it a quick glance to assure herself that Aquata and Amarine hadn’t changed it. The triplets sat on the white couch with black anemone cushions on the far side of the rug. Their postures and white scales are identical to each other.
Since living on a ship, Amarine had adopted a more human wardrobe. A headband made of linked metal flowers kept her hair from swaying in front of her eyes. She’d colored it some shade of brown instead of the pearly white she’d been born with. Black wire was twined delicately into a series of loops that resembled a lace necklace around her throat. She even wore a loosely fitting white shirt with a red corset overtop.
Once, when Araxie had gone on the ship to visit her sisters, she’d tried on a corset. It had left her ribs sore for days.
Next to Amarine, Aaralyn read from a book that was spelled to repel the water. Aquata, sitting at the other end of the couch, was the first triplet to notice Araxie. She was also the first to bring up the lack of color or decoration in Araxie’s rooms.
“You really need to add some color here. It’s like a museum in here.”
Museums were Aquata’s least favorite thing to see, and they’d all heard Aquata incessant complaining when the youngest triplet Aaralyn dragged them all to see.
Looking around at her room, Araxie had to admit to herself it did look a bit like one. Her favorite books were lined up neatly on the black shelf above her white desk. She was particularly proud of the fact that in her four years of study at the academy she’d never dropped a speck of ink on the marble desktop. The black chairs with white anemone cushions were next to a small table on the side of the white rug closest to her.
Araxie shrugged her shoulders, “I like black and white.”
Not one to give up, Aquata suggested, “A quiet blue or magenta would be lovely.”
Amarine got up from the couch, “She’s always had black and white, a mild coma won’t change that.”
Theia snorted at Amarines comment, but tried to cover it up with a cough.
“What’s this?” Amarine asked as she pointed at a large black chest.
Araxie swam over to the chest, excitement bubbling inside of her as she unlatched it. She had been waiting months for this delivery. Almost reverently she lifted the lid. Gold filled the chest, but it wasn’t coins or crowns. Armor, her armor that she’d worked for years to earn was inside. The custom made chest plate, and sword were on top.
“That’s it?” Amarine asked.
“Hush,” Aaralyn said to Amarine as she looked up from her book. “Is that for graduation?”
Lifting the sword, Araxie could only nod to answer. The hilt of the sword had a custom carved seahorse on it. She’d picked it in honor of her mother, and as a reminder of what she was fighting to protect, family.
Aquata drifted over. “Let’s see you in it.”
Araxie set her sword aside and pulled out the chest plate and pressed the rune quickly without showing her sisters where it was. She’d told the armorer to place the rune so it would meet her collarbone when she wore it. The armor lifted out of the chest of its own accord and Araxie lifted her arms high. The bracers, chest plate, and other pieces of her armor swirled around her until they reached the spot they were meant to be placed.
Ten minutes later, Araxie was sliding her sword into her scabbard.
“Very nice,” Aaralyn said. She’d put her book aside for a moment.
Aquata squinted her eyes at the shiny armor. “It’s so plain.”
Theia elbowed Aquata. “She means it’s simple and elegant.”
Amarine snorted and held up a mirror for Araxie. “No it’s boring, and you should let us fix it.”
“The last time I let the two of you be in charge of anything I wore, you put me in yellow stripes. I looked like one of those stingy things from the islands.”
Aaralyn laughed. “You did resemble a bee. Where’s the helmet?”
“I’ll get it at graduation.” Araxie looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Dressed in the shiny smooth armor of a knight not yet tested in battle. Araxie couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like after her first real task. She curled a finger around the top of the chest plate and pressed the rune once more. The armor clasps at her side released, and it fell to the floor.
She cringed at the loud clanging, and hoped nothing was damaged. Next time she’d ensure that she was ready for the armor to fall.
The outer door to her rooms opened, and Alea entered with their Father. Alea squealed and wrapped her arms tightly around Araxie for a long moment. When her sister finally let go, Araxie bowed her head to their father.
Triton motioned for a team of healers, and they began to poke and prod at Araxie. The more they spoke to each other and ignored her, the more she found herself upset. She clenched her jaw, and tried not to fidget.
“Enough!” Araxie yelled when one of the healer’s went to poke her with a white urchin spine for the twelfth time. “I’m fine.”
King Triton looked at the oldest healer with greying scales.
The healer nodded. “We don’t see anything wrong with her now. The young princess probably just needed a good rest after too much sun.”
Araxie looked at her father, “May I still attend graduation tomorrow?”
Her father studied her, and she thought she saw a hint of worry lingering in his gaze.
Alea placed a gentle hand on their father’s arm. “Father, the healers said she needed rest and she’s had that.”
After a long pause Triton said. “Commander Calder will be at your side for the entire event. If he thinks you feel the tiniest bit sick you’ll leave immediately.”
“Yes Father,” Araxie said.
A few minutes later the healers and her father were gone.
Alea had to fuss over Araxie along with her sisters who were all settling into her room for the night. Servants brought beds in for her sisters to sleep in and moved the furniture around much to Araxie’s frustration.
They were all lounging in the room, eating tiny cakes Theia had requested from the kitchen. Amarine was entertaining them all with a story about the triplets singing to avoid a fight with a nasty group of sailors at a port.
When Amarine was finished, Aquata added, “Yuran helped.”
Amarine glared at Aquata, and Araxie knew there had to be more to that story that she hadn’t yet heard.
“How’s Jett?” Alea asked.