The Endërland Chronicles: Book of Serena Read online

  Back from their visit to Tálas and their short stay in Endër, Daniel and Hëna began preparing for their imminent departure. Daniel was on edge; the more time he wasted getting ready, the farther away Serena felt from him. He was anxious to get going as soon as possible, but there were still a few matters to sort out; that of a travelling companion for him, and more importantly, the means for him and his companion to travel with.

  Regarding the former, he had no doubt Nemo would insist on tagging along, but he still had to actually ask. And though highly unlikely, there was always a small chance his friend might actually say no. Nemo was no longer a free agent after all, and his duties as the Sea-King, as well as his relationship with the lovely Íro, meant that he might not be able to join him.

  As for the second part, he had built a small sailing boat, which he often used to go far from the shore and enjoy the sea, sometimes even for days at a time. It was a good little boat, suitable for the mostly serene Endërland waters, but not good enough for long cruises or troubled seas. He needed something bigger, stronger, but there was nothing else. His little boat would just have to do.

  Sitting silently on the beach, not too far from his little house, which was built on a small bay facing the sea, Daniel kept watch for the familiar dark red hair of the Sea-King. It was always great to see his friend; Nemo had become such a big part of his life that sometimes he felt more like family to him than Damien ever did. Daniel loved his older brother and was thrilled to have him back in his life after so many years apart. They spent a lot of time together and had become closer than he ever thought possible, but with Nemo it was different. His heart always felt a little bit lighter whenever his merman friend was around. Even his lips smiled of their own accord whenever he saw Nemo, much to Hëna’s amusement. She’d often tease him that Nemo was the other great love of his life and that they would make such an adorable couple.

  ‘He was mine before you came and ruined everything,’ Nemo had fired back at the moon girl once, to the surprise and amusement of all. This had caused Daniel to blush a little, something which did not happen very often. Then they had all burst into laughter, while the joke was made even funnier by Íro’s confused face. She apparently had failed to get it.

  The beautiful blonde and the Sea-King had been going steady ever since they’d first met, though their relationship wasn’t without its problems. Recently she’d grown tired of the unresolved status between the two of them and was beginning to lose hope in a possible future together.

  Nemo did not blame her; he was quite frustrated with the situation himself. His heart was torn between his love for her and his devotion to the sea. The responsibilities he had as the king of the mermaids did not make it easy on him and for a while now had been driving a wedge between the two lovers. He had a job to do and a people who loved him to govern; he could not easily give that up to be with the one he loved. After all this time though, he knew that something had to change, or he would lose Íro forever.

  The sea finally stirred in front of Daniel, and out of its depths emerged its young ruler. The small elegant crown over the red hair appeared first, followed by the perpetually pale skin and dark lively eyes which brightened at once upon seeing Daniel. Nemo swam smilingly towards his friend and stopped by his feet. He proceeded to lay on his back right next to him and leaning on his elbows, while his tail he kept under water. His trident he put on the side, an heirloom that along with his crown completed his royal insignia set. Nemo had adopted it after taking over from his mother and disposing of the crossbows and all other weapons ever produced and used in his kingdom. How he ever came up with the idea, Daniel never asked, he guessed it was another one of those dreamworld things. In his eyes, however, this Nemo was a far cry from the boy he had met on that first fateful day on this same beach.

  He’d changed a lot since Daniel had met him. He was physically bigger now, though not by much, his tail was longer and his hair darker, now reaching shoulder length. His face had lost that childish innocence and cheer that characterized him back then, being replaced instead by a more mature and even royal look, most likely a result of being king of the mermaids for almost twenty years (by human reckoning). It was overall a good change, Daniel thought. His friend had grown in practically every way.

  ‘So, what did Alfie say?’ Nemo asked him once settled, not one to beat around the bush. Daniel had kept him well informed on the situation.

  ‘I have to go, Nemo,’ Daniel answered, in his tone an audible note of anxiety. ‘I’ve got to try and look for her.’

  He went on to tell Nemo pretty much everything that Alfie had told them and the plan that he and Hëna had come up with. Nemo lay there and listened without interrupting, until Daniel was done talking.

  ‘Wow, other dreamworlds. Who would have thought? I mean, the mermaids have always known that there’s something beyond the dark canyon; after all, where do our former queens go when they give up the crown and leave the kingdom? We’ve just never ventured any farther than that; we’ve never had a reason to.’

  ‘Well, now we do,’ said Daniel. ‘I am sure what I’m looking for is in that direction and I intend to find it.’

  ‘You mean “we”, don’t you?’

  ‘Nemo, you can’t,’ Daniel started to protest, though what he really wanted to do was give the merman a big hug and a “thank you” card. The fact of the matter was that he could not imagine going on this new quest with anyone else but his best friend and was so relieved that he didn’t even have to ask.

  ‘Sure I can,’ Nemo replied. ‘You don’t think I’ll let you go on another adventure and have all the fun, while I stay here playing kings and duties, do you? Together until the end, remember?’

  ‘What about the mermaids? What about Íro?’

  ‘The mermaids? Listen, Dan, if I don’t let Vanessa play queen for a while, I’m afraid I’m gonna wake up one day with my trident sticking out of my back. And if it’s not Vanessa, it will certainly be Íro to do it, since she’s not my biggest fan right now. I’ve been dragging things for far too long with her and I’m running out of excuses. I’m telling you, man, I really need to get out of here for a while. Besides, you need me; you know you do. I’m going, and that’s that.’

  Nemo stopped speaking when he noticed Daniel's big grin. He knew then that he didn’t really have to convince his friend.

  ‘Of course, you are,’ said Daniel. ‘I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without you.’ He then added. ‘Now, we just need to figure out how to make that little boat of mine strong enough for the ocean.’

  He hadn’t even finished speaking, when they heard three loud horns coming from around the bay to their right. Puzzled, Daniel stood up, facing in the direction of the sound. Soon, he saw with his own eyes what he could not believe his ears. A small white yacht about 9 feet long with its sails rolled down, made its way towards them. Everything about it screamed “just out of the factory”; it shone like a brand new penny. Daniel couldn’t see the man at the helm yet, but he had a pretty good idea who it was.

  With his mouth wide open, Nemo barely moved an inch, his eyes glued to the shiny new boat, the likes of which he’d obviously never seen before.

  ‘Whoa, what is that?’

  ‘That, my friend, is our ride,’ Daniel said, grinning like a child inside a huge candy store. ‘It’s called a yacht and it should help us get to where we need to go smoothly and fast.’

  The yacht was getting closer now and Daniel was able to finally make out the helmsman. Damien stood behind a massive steering wheel, smiling and waving at the two friends as the yacht slowed down and came to a stop, not too far from where they were. Still in shock, Daniel headed in its direction, followed by the Sea-King.

  ‘So, is this what being the Great Lord gets you these days?’ he called.

  ‘Among other things,’ Damien replied, laughing. ‘No, this one’s for you; it’s the least I can do for sharing that privilege with me. I think it will serve you well.’

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; ‘I think it just might,’ Daniel agreed, admiring the vessel. ‘But, how did you do it?’

  ‘Well, these past few days I’ve been racking up my brain as to how to help you get safe and fast across the seas to whatever other world lies out there. We both know that pathetic excuse for a boat that you’ve built couldn’t handle such a journey. So last night I just happened to catch a documentary on the telly about this baby and I thought this might be exactly what you need. It’s small enough, fast and sturdy, it’s got a motor engine and of course the sails, so you can use both. I talked it over with Sam in the evening, and she agreed that I should definitely give it a try. So, here we are. Come on board, man, you’ll love it. It’s got everything you could ever need and more.’

  Daniel climbed on board to get a quick tour of the vessel from his brother, while Nemo proceeded to inspect the yacht from the outside, both above and below water.

  ‘Hey, Nemo, you should see the inside of this thing,’ Daniel called down to him shortly thereafter. He seemed as excited as Nemo had seen him in a very long time.

  ‘I will when we’re on our way,’ Nemo replied. ‘Do you think it’ll do, Dan?’

  ‘It’s our best bet, Nemo; it definitely beats sailing on my little one.’

  ‘Nemo's going with you?’ Damien didn’t miss that little fact. ‘That’s great. Hey, thanks for looking after my little brother, Nemo,’ he called to the merman, who was still circling the yacht.

  ‘You can thank me once we’re back in one piece, with Serena on board. Until then, I think “good luck” is more in order.

  ‘Well, listen,’ he continued before either of them could say anything else. ‘You guys go on exploring this thing and getting it ready for sail. I’ll go back down and make my own preparations. When do we leave, Dan?’

  ‘Now that we have the means, I believe we’re good to go. Tomorrow at first light, I think; I’m not waiting for anything else.’

  ‘Cool. I’ll see you here tomorrow morning then. Later, guys.’

  ‘See you later, Nemo.’

  The two brothers waved as the young king pointed his trident towards the depths of the sea and disappeared underneath the calm clear waters. Then, they turned their attention to the yacht, with the older brother taking the time to show the younger one all the bits and pieces he needed to know for a safe and easy sailing. The connotation of this moment was not lost on Daniel, who’d grown up with only his father to teach him the way of things. A single afternoon might not make up for all those lost years of brotherly time, but it was still a good memory to add to the collection.

  ‘It is not that much different than driving a car,’ Damien told him. ‘I’m sure you remember what that’s like.’

  ‘Vaguely,’ Daniel replied. ‘I’ve only ever driven a few times and it’s been so long, that it feels like I’ve forgotten all about it.’

  ‘Well, in any case, I’m sure you remember the feeling. The difference here is that, the “car” is much bigger and so is the wheel. But, here, why don’t we have some practice; it’s the best way for you to learn.’

  They spent the next few hours sailing around the bay area, with Damien teaching him everything he needed to know. It came as a surprise to Daniel to learn that boats were something of a passion for his older brother and it dawned on him that they still did not know each other nearly well enough. But he was happy to see that Damien seemed to enjoy this time with him just as much as he was. Hopefully they would have more of these moments to look forward to.

  By the end of the training, he felt comfortable that he could sail the yacht to the end of the world and back, literally. When they were done, the two brothers sat down on the deck, relaxing and enjoying the view.

  As soon as he sat down, Damien seemed to remember something and got right back up with an excited look on his face.

  ‘Have I got a surprise for you,’ he beamed at his younger brother. ‘You’re gonna love this.’

  He disappeared for a moment inside the cabin and came back holding two chilled bottles in his hands.

  ‘Is that beer?’ Daniel asked, barely believing his own eyes. ‘Where did that come from? Gosh, I haven’t had one ever since I left home. How did you do this?’

  ‘Same way I managed to create an entire yacht, I guess. I couldn’t sleep last night; I kept thinking about this yacht and how I wanted it to be and everything else I wanted to go in it, until I finally dozed off. I guess at some point I must have thought of the beer in the fridge, because when I opened it this morning, there it was.’

  ‘Well, I for one am glad you couldn’t sleep last night.’ Daniel raised his bottle to meet Damien's and then put it to his lips, taking a long gulp out of the ice-cold drink. The sensation that followed took him back years and for a moment he allowed himself to forget about all else and just enjoy himself.

  ‘I do miss certain things from home,’ he said thoughtfully when the moment passed. ‘Life there had its charms, despite all the rest. Do you ever regret going back?’ he asked his brother.

  Damien looked at him pensively. They’d had similar conversations before, but Daniel had never asked him this. But now that he did, Damien found that he’d never actually thought about it.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ he admitted. ‘I like my life the way it is now. I got Sam and dad there, and I got you and mom here; the best of both worlds really. What more could I want? Okay, things haven’t been that great with Sam recently, but it’s all part of life. I lost a great many years locked up in that dungeon, Daniel, and you gave it all back to me. I’m just trying to make the most of it.’

  Daniel had to agree; his brother had a good arrangement, to the point that he felt just a tiny bit envious of it. Only a tiny bit though, the part about him having the best of both worlds; for the most part he was more than happy with his own life.

  ‘How is Sam doing?’ he now shifted the focus of the conversation. He had only seen her and his dad a couple of times through Damien's portal, since neither of them was able to visit like his brother did. But while he understood this about their dad, Daniel had initially been mystified as to why Sam had been locked out of Endërland again.

  The answer had come not long after the events of the Dark Winter. After Daniel had finally claimed his place as the Great Lord, Alfie’s magic hold on Sam had broken, and her insomnia gone. But when she had finally slept and dreamt for the first time, she had ended up in her own dreamworld, a replica of Daniel's one, thinking initially that it was actually Endërland. She’d soon found that that wasn’t the case, but there was nothing she could do about it. No one knew how these things really worked and in the end, she was happy that she ended up having a world just as beautiful and magical. So she’d named it New Endërland and made a life for herself there among her new people.

  After his last conversation with the oracle, Daniel could not help but wonder if her world bordered with his and if he might be able to visit it someday.

  As far as Damien was concerned, creating and visiting her own dreamworld had been Sam's way of subconsciously distancing herself from Daniel. He had been honest with her from the beginning and had confessed that he was the one inhabiting Daniel's body, but they had still gotten together. For a long time, he had been unsure whether she loved him for who he was, or simply because he looked like Daniel. Eventually though, he had accepted their weird situation as the reality and allowed himself to be happy.

  She had seemed happy with him too, that is until they had to come to terms with the fact that they were unable to have children together. From that day on their life had definitely taken a turn for the worse. Sam kept withdrawing from him little by little, finding more solace and comfort in her own dreamworld, as he did in his.

  ‘I wish I knew what to tell you, Dan,’ he finally remembered to answer to his brother. ‘Not being able to have children has been harder for her, I think, than me. We barely speak anymore; we’ve turned into two roommates that have very little in common.

  ‘But it’s not ju
st that,’ he continued. ‘Lately I feel like she’s changed a lot. She’s struggled with depression before, but never like this. She’s in bed most of the time, doing nothing, neither asleep, nor awake. And when she’s not in bed, she walks around the house in the garden, and sometimes I could swear I hear her talking to herself. She refuses to see a doctor, and every time I bring the subject up, she gets angry. I’m getting desperate, Daniel; I’ve never seen her like this. I don’t know how to help her.’

  Daniel could hear the sadness in his brother’s voice and see it in his eyes. Damien had never been so open, so exposed with him like he was being today. He wished there was something he could do for the both of them, but what could he do? This was something Damien and Sam had to sort out for themselves.

  ‘Don’t despair yet, brother. Sam is a fighter; she will not give up on you guys just like that. You will get through this, you’ll see.’

  Damien said nothing. He really hoped his brother was right; he was just worried that his wife wasn’t as strong as Daniel thought she was. But he still loved her very much. He’d been trying for so long to mend things with her and make her happy again, but had failed at every attempt. And now, he was much closer to resigning than he cared to admit to his brother, his wife, or even himself.

  They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and having a couple more beers, until evening came and Damien departed, wishing his brother a safe journey and good luck. Daniel for his part thanked him for the yacht and promised that they would see each other again.

  The sky darkened and the stars began to appear one by one, when he made his way home to give Hëna the good news. Everything was now ready and they would waste no more time to begin their journey.

  Hëna sent word to Séraphin that they would be setting out first thing tomorrow morning and then they began to make the final preparations for the next day. Only a backpack each, with a change of clothes and some personal belongings; they wouldn’t need much more than that, or at least so they hoped.

  When everything was prepared and the day was finally done, they both headed towards the bedroom. Neither of them said it out loud, but setting out into the unknown carried with it risks that made them both more anxious than they cared to admit. If something were to go wrong, this could very well be their last night together and they both shuddered just thinking about it. But their daughter was worth that and any other dangers they might face, and on this they both agreed.

  She was still in his arms, her back turned to him and his naked and burning hot body encapsulating hers, when Daniel chuckled behind her.

  ‘What?’ she asked without turning, her gaze lost somewhere in front of her.

  ‘You know what I just remembered?’ he said. ‘The first time I ever saw you by that small lake. There you were, coming out of the water all wet and completely naked and I just didn’t know what to do. And I’m trying my best to hide the fact that it’s making me feel uncomfortable and that you should put something on, but you keep on pretending not to understand and act like there’s nothing wrong.’

  ‘Ha-ha,’ it was now Hëna who laughed, ‘that was the most fun I’d had in a very long time. You should have seen your face. You were as red as a poppy.’

  ‘I didn’t have to see my own face; I could feel it. I was practically burning. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen; you still are.’

  Hëna now turned around and faced him.

  ‘But I don’t turn you red as a poppy anymore, do I?’

  ‘Well, maybe not red; more like pink, perhaps?’ he teased and laid his lips on top of hers yet another time. He just didn’t seem to get enough tonight. They stared at each other’s eyes for a while after that, both wanting to say something, but neither daring to. Finally, it was Hëna who found the courage.

  ‘You know there’s a chance this may be our last night together, right?’

  ‘Don’t say that,’ he said, his fingers brushing her beautiful hair.

  ‘Please, let me do this; you know I’m not very good with words. I just want to tell you that from the moment you walked into my life you have made me the happiest woman in the world, in any world. Having you and Serena as my family has been the best thing anyone could ever wish for, and if I was to die tomorrow, I would die fulfilled and without regrets.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I don’t want you to die. I don’t want to live without you or Serena, so promise me you will look after yourself and will come back to me.’

  Hëna smiled the biggest smile she could manage, though her eyes glistened with renegade tears.

  ‘I promise. Now, you.’

  ‘I promise, too. I love you too much to leave you behind.’

  ‘I love you, too,’ she said, and hid her head in his chest, more tears daring to penetrate her brave façade. They finally fell asleep like that, drowned inside each other’s arms one last time.