I dream of a man with eyes as blue as the northern sea. His hair is the color of the obsidian stone cliffs along the shoreline. As I lay on the beach, he leans over me, his gaze studying mine with an intense look of love and devotion.
He reaches down and gently strokes my cheek. “You are my heart, Halla,” he whispers. “And I am yours.”
I awaken with a start. The fog of my dreams recedes. The images retreat like tides from the shore, but one thing remains—my desire to find this man.
I reach up and place my hand over my heart as if that will somehow help dull the ache in my chest. Although it is only a dream, it always feels so real.
But when I close my eyes, I can still hear his deep voice and feel the whisper of his touch across my skin. “You are my heart, Halla. Fate led us to each other.”
I sit up in bed and grab my legs, pulling them over the edge of the bed. Carefully, I stand, mindful that I have my balance before I slowly make my way out to the balcony, overlooking the sea.
I can walk for short distances, but it is difficult. I still have not regained the full use of my legs, and more days than not, I am bound to my chair when my pain becomes too great.
I wish I could walk normally, as I used to. I remember the joy of running along the beach and then diving into the water for a swim to cool myself after. It has been so long since I swam. Perhaps I’ve avoided it for fear that I am not strong enough to navigate the current without the full use of my legs. But part of me suspects it is that I worry it will not be the same.
I watch as the blue moon slowly rises over the sea. It is full this night, casting shimmering reflections among the rolling waves. The crisp, saline breeze blows through my long, scarlet hair and I inhale deeply.
Something about the ocean calls to me. As if my soul is searching for something out among the waves. My thoughts turn to the man that haunts my dreams and the memory of his glowing blue eyes as he stares down at me.
He must be Mer. Their eyes glow as his do.
Moonlight spreads out across the ocean; its silver rays shimmering across the waves. I scan the surface. Many nights, I’ve noticed a pair of glowing blue eyes observing me from the sea. I know there are Mer in these waters, and I often wonder if the man in my dreams is among them.
Lowering my gaze, I push down these errant thoughts. Tomorrow, I will marry Henrick. He may not love me, but he does care about me in his own way. He has offered me a place to rule by his side and a chance at a life of my own, with children and family.
Gerold has tried to dissuade me, insisting that I should wait for love. But after Prince Edwyrd’s rejection, because of my injury, I doubt I’ll have any other offers. Besides… a marriage to Henrick would also mean a permanent alliance between our kingdoms, which would only benefit our people.
And yet, even as I think on all the reasons I have agreed to this marriage, my thoughts keep returning to the Merman’s blue eyes. Why can I not stop thinking of him? In my mind, I know he is just a dream, but my heart insists that he’s real.
I turn my gaze once more to the ocean and whisper aloud as his image surfaces in my thoughts. “If you are out there, find me.”
With a heavy sigh I turn back to my room. Tomorrow, I marry Henrick beneath the light of the full blue moon. Once we are wed, I resolve to leave behind these ridiculous longings and fantasies. They are simply dreams… no more.
