Chapter 76 - Far Too Short

Talori woke up early the next morning because of her restlessness and discovered, to her great delight, that Brennan was up early too. They would finally have a chance to talk without anyone else around!

"Brennan! What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," he said with a shrug. "You?"

"Same. Do you want to come see more of the kingdom since it isn't so dark out anymore?" she asked eagerly. 

The water fairy smiled at her. "That sounds great. Lead the way."

Talori told him more about what she had been up to while they were apart and he listened as intently as he always did, asking questions now and then. This was how things had always been with him. She had missed this!

The only other fae who had ever listened to her like this was Zale but it was different in a way she couldn't fully explain. He was her brother. He had to listen to her ramble. 

Brennan didn't have to be nice to her but he was anyway. He genuinely cared about what she had to say and had from the moment they met. 

He was her favorite fae to talk to. She hadn't realized exactly how much she had missed this until she was able to do it again. Being able to talk to someone like him every day up on the surface had spoiled her. Having a friend like him in general had. 

No wonder she felt so off after coming back home. There wasn't anyone like Brennan here.

He was her first friend. That must have been why he set the bar for all future friendships. There was something special about firsts. 

Talori showed him the oyster farms, the dolphin stables, and where all the food was grown. His eyes widened as he swam forward to get a closer look. They were different in the light, as most things were. 

"This is so cool! I'm glad I'm able to see it better this time," Brennan said happily. 

She beamed at him. "Me too."

Her friend appreciated her culture the way she appreciated his. It was what had originally helped the two of them become friends in the first place and it never changed. 

It was different from the way the witches were interested in it. They wanted to research things. He simply wanted to know because he loved the ocean and everything in it. Fairies were tied in to nature. He had told her that more than once. 

Brennan felt the ocean calling to him the way his friends felt called to lakes, rivers, ponds, or streams. His home was gone so he had latched onto another body of water. One that they happened to share a love for. 

Talori was sad that he lost his home but so glad he loved the ocean. It was what allowed her to meet him and set all of this in motion. If not for that, she would be at the bottom of the ocean right now having the life drained out of her. She found out after her return that someone else had been sent in her place and felt horrible about it. 

Zale had done his best to reassure her and after a while she tried to push it out of her head. Still, she worried about the mermaid who had taken her place and hoped she was doing alright down there. 

With her love of the surface, Talori never would have survived in the place that was the farthest from it. Hopefully someone who didn't share her passion wouldn't have the same problem even if it was dark and cold in the deep. 

At least Chief Indra had been nice enough when she talked to him. He hadn't been angry enough about her supposed death to treat his replacement wife badly, had he?

No. She couldn't think about that right now. Not when she would have to say goodbye to her best friend again so soon. 

Talori looked at the additional light coming in and realized that her brother's mermen might be looking for them. They should head back to the main palace. She told him so and he agreed quickly enough before swimming behind her. She slowed down so they could swim side by side and talk more easily. 

Brennan's wings slowed him down a bit when he swam. His speed could never compare to someone with a tail. Not that he was super slow or anything. He swam faster than the witches did in their scuba suits. 

On their way back they ran into Sir Seaton, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Princess! We've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?"

"Brennan and I both woke up early so I decided to show him around," Talori said sheepishly. "I apologize for any inconvenience our absence may have caused. Where is Zale?"

"The throne room. He's holding another meeting with the witches. I'll escort you and the surface liaison there."

"Are we in trouble?" Brennan asked her a few moments of swimming in silence later. 

He didn't speak Mermish so he hadn't heard what was being said but he seemed to catch onto the tone of the conversation anyway. That remained to be seen. She wasn't sure how upset Zale would be that she disappeared but he would at least know she had been safe with Brennan, right? He trusted him. 

"I don't think so?" Talori replied more uncertainly than she intended. "Zale should have been able to guess I was with you since we were both missing at the same time."

"Aha."

They arrived at the throne room and Zale didn't seem angry. He seemed relieved she was back. 

"Where were you, Tali?" 

"I was showing Brennan around. He hasn't been able to see much of the kingdom and we were both up early. I'm sorry I lost track of time and worried you."

"I see. Still, you should have told someone where you were going so it would have been easier to find you," Zale scolded before addressing Seaton in Mermish. "Thank you for bringing her back."

"Of course. I'll return to my duties now," Seaton said before saluting Zale and swimming off. 

"We were discussing what we left off on last night," her brother informed them. "The potential magical applications for cleaning up this part of the ocean." 

That had been an interesting conversation. The trick would be finding the right magic item to do exactly what they wanted it to do. Some sort of trash catcher that would collect the debris to dispose of it before it could hurt any of the animals.

Magic could do a lot of things but you had to know exactly what you wanted as a starting point before seeing if it was possible. This would take a lot of work…and a lot of merfolk tears and information exchange in order to pay for it. Witches never did things for free. Talori had learned that in her time on the surface. 

This was supposed to be mutually beneficial. Brennan's motives were much more altruistic than the witches' since he genuinely cared about what happened to the ocean. 

She couldn't judge her witch friends for that though. He was a special case. 

They continued discussing the problem with occasional breaks for Zale and Talori to eat or for Zale to tell those who came looking for him that he was busy. Before she knew it, it was time for her friends to head back to their boat. 

She wasn't ready to say goodbye but at least she had the ride back to the boat to talk more. Taron was sent with them this time since he was closest to the throne room when Zale called for someone. 

"Brennan," Talori asked hesitantly once they were on their way. "Is it okay if I call you even when there isn't business to discuss?"

He seemed surprised but smiled warmly at her. "Of course! I'd love to hear from you."

She was relieved. She had thought he wouldn't mind but it was nice having it confirmed all the same. The last thing she ever wanted to do was be a bother. She already felt like enough of one to Zale and his mermen. 

Unfortunately, the promise of being able to talk to him more later didn't make saying goodbye when they arrived at the boat any less difficult. The witches were less sentimental about it, wanting to get out of their scuba suits after being in them for a couple of days. 

Talori couldn't help but laugh. It faded quickly though when she turned back to Brennan. 

"When will I see you again?"

"In person? Not sure. If your brother wants another meeting or if the witches need to collect the tears. Whichever comes first. You'll still see me though when you call me."

That wouldn't be the same though. He was trying to make her feel better so she didn't say that despite thinking it. 

"Yeah. Take care, Brennan," Talori said as she threw her arms around his neck. 

Hugging him like this was better than hazarding a guess where his wings were and hitting them by accident. They were glamoured the way they always were when others were around, which was a shame because they were beautiful. 

Brennan hugged her back tightly. "You too. It was good seeing you, Talori."

It had been good to see him too. Wonderful, in fact. But it didn't feel like enough.. His visit here had been far too short.