Talori didn't hold any ill will toward this merman. It wasn't as if he went out seeking a wife with bad intentions. He probably didn't realize that a coral reef mermaid would never survive living in his cold, dark home without losing her mind.
The merking definitely knew that though. He had never cared about Talori but this proved it without a doubt. He knew that anyone he sent would go insane. So why not send the crazy princess?
She had wondered why her father never tried to use her before now but thought it had been because he thought she was completely useless. That wasn't it. He had simply been waiting for the right opportunity to strike to get rid of her like he had the others.
"You are as beautiful as I was told," Chief Indra said in an emotionless tone.
"…thank you," Talori replied uncomfortably.
The only compliments on her appearance she ever got were from those who worked in the coral palace. She was fairly certain they only said such things to flatter her but it wasn't as if she cared about her looks.
Why would she? They didn't serve any real purpose. Everyone only said things like that because she was Zale's precious little sister and they all loved him.
He was the kind of leader who inspired devotion. Part of it was natural charisma and the other part was the way he treated them. He was very good to his merfolk. Everyone who worked in the coral palace was indebted to him in some way, which was exactly how he had planned it.
"I have never seen so many colors in one place," Chief Indra continued. "Your kingdom is beautiful as well, though I must admit it is a bit overwhelming. Mine is much simpler but still has its own beauty."
How could such a cold, dark place be considered beautiful? She knew very little about the deep sea aside from its distinct lack of light.
Her part of the ocean wasn't as pretty at night when you couldn't see it. She was willing to bet she would hardly be able to see a thing down there so she wouldn't exactly be able to admire the view.
Not that Talori had any intention of actually going with him. She knew Zale would die before he let that happen, even if he had to conduct a coup by force. He wouldn't let the merking do this to her. Her brother had her back.
Even now as he was engaging in his usual tomfoolery somewhat nearby, he was keeping an eye on her. He was subtly letting her know that he wasn't about to let anything happen while he was here.
She appreciated that more than she could say. Knowing she wasn't alone was the only reason she hadn't crumbled already.
"I am sure it does," Talori said belatedly, realizing she should say something back to the merman her father wanted to sell her off to. She needed to bide her time until she could get out of here so she didn't arouse any suspicion.
Chief Indra was somewhat awkward in his conversational attempts—he probably didn't speak to mermaids often if he had to go to a different kingdom to find a wife—but he was making an effort. He really didn't seem that bad but that didn't mean she was willing to go with him.
She dreamed of the surface. The deep ocean was about as far from the surface as you could get.
Talori wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She was trying to keep up with his small talk as best she could but wasn't sure if she should play up the crazy act or not in the hopes that he would call this off of his own accord.
It was probably suspicious that she had acted this well thus far. It wasn't as if the merking could punish her more than he already was by banishing her to the deep.
She decided the best course of action was to begin babbling about the surface as much as possible. Unfortunately, Chief Indra didn't even react. Had he been forewarned? Did he not care? What was going through that merman's head?
This wasn't working. He didn't so much as bat an eye to the things she was saying that normally freaked out the nobles she interacted with.
It occurred to her that it was possible he thought this was normal for a coral reef mermaid since he wouldn't know much about them. This was his first time traveling up from the deep. How would he know what other merfolk in her kingdom thought was crazy?
Talori was in serious trouble. She barely managed to keep up her end of the conversation until she was blessedly allowed to leave. Aeces bowed to Chief Indra before explaining that he needed to escort her back to her quarters.
He nodded before flatly wishing Talori goodnight and saying that he would see her in the morning. She really wasn't looking forward to that. She had no idea how soon these deep-sea merfolk would act on taking her down with them. It probably wouldn't be long though considering how uncomfortable they seemed in the light. They had been much more relaxed since the sun went down.
"I'm doomed," Talori moaned once they were out of earshot.
Aeces shook his head. "I would not say that so soon, Princess. I am sure Zale has a plan."
She had to believe that. But what could her brother actually do aside from starting a war he might not win? He had been garnering support from the shadows for decades but it was slow going because he didn't have enough power yet and was afraid to make a move too soon.
Talori trusted her brother with her life but she honestly couldn't see a way out of this one. They were in serious trouble. What could they do to stop this when the merking had clearly been planning it for quite some time?