Aila ended up getting her chance completely by accident the day her father went to the main palace to speak with the merking along with some of the other concerned members of the nobility. She went along with him so she could look around the palace gardens.
She got lost on the way there and ended up overhearing something she wasn't supposed to. "…we can just blame it on Zale. From what I gather, the nobles are catching on to there being problems on the surface that are affecting the ocean and that's his fault anyway because of his idiotic jewelry.
"You need to be the one to take charge when the merking fails. He is old and set in his ways. You can use this as an opportunity to boost your popularity when you become merking. We can clear out the palace and get rid of the rest of those horrible concubines once you're in charge."
Aila's breath caught in her throat. She had only met her once but that was the merqueen speaking!
