Emily awoke the next morning in a peaceful forest glade. She stretched and sat up, yawning and brushing blades of grass from the skin of her back. Her cloak and boots were long gone, but she still felt the reassuring weight of the Stoneshell around her neck. She glanced around and soon caught the stone gaze of Aria, standing to one side, ever watchful.
"Good morning," Aria said. "The ocean is not far from here."
A salty tinge in the air confirmed Aria's words. Emily took a deep breath in and out and rose to her bare feet. Her stomach growled.
"There is a goldapple tree right here," Aria said, pointing out the slender tree with green and yellow leaves she was standing next to. She elbowed the tree and three large, golden fruits fell to the ground.
Emily picked up one of the fruits, which was almost too big for her hand, and took a bite. Then she took another bite. "Sho ghood," she said between mouthfuls, goldapple juice dripping down her chin. The fruit had a rich, wholesome taste that made her feel warm inside.
"Be careful of the sap," Aria warned, pointing to a large patch where it spilled out of the tree's trunk. "It's extremely sticky."
"Is it now?" Emily asked, taking a break from her meal to glance up at the tree's leaves and then down at her body. "That gives me an idea."
After five minutes of fiddling with sticky sap and different-sized leaves, Emily presented herself to Aria. "What do you think of my new beach outfit?" Goldapple leaves were now firmly affixed to her breasts and crotch with sap, affording her the slightest amount of modesty.
"The wood elves dress entirely in leaves, and make the most elaborate outfits with them," Aria said. "I'm not sure your design would be up quite up to their standards, but you look lovely, Emily."
"Thank you," Emily said, blushing slightly. "But I've never worn such a skimpy swimsuit to the beach before. I ran out of sap before I could do the back." Emily glanced nervously over her shoulder. "Though with some of the fashions these days..." Back on Earth, she had never been comfortable with bikini bottoms that exposed a lot of cheek.
Following a brief digression on Earth swimsuit fashions, Emily asked Aria a question she'd been pondering since the previous night. "Do you really think I can turn you back, Aria?"
"I do," Aria said firmly. "The bearer of the Stoneshell is master over all its enchantments, and the curse on Castle Elid is merely one such enchantment. Merely by accepting your place as the Stoneshell's bearer, you all but destroyed the curse. As your power grows, you will be able to lift it fully."
Emily bit her lip. "If I manged to lift the curse, will you be okay? After all, you're hundreds of years old. If I turn you back to flesh, will--will you die?"
Aria was silent as she gazed off into the distance, and she stood still as an ordinary statue. Then she said, "I may. Or I may not. I have lived, as you say, many centuries, but it was a half-life, bound in stone and trapped in an abandoned castle. I was still young when I was transformed, and I feel that the rest of my natural life is owing to me. Lifting the curse shall restore me to what I was."
Emily thought of the painting in House Odonata. "Then I will do my best to lift your curse, Aria."
"I know you will, Emily. Come, if you have finished your breakfast, let us go to the sea."
Emily took a final, delicious bite of goldapple and wiped the juices from her mouth. She looked down at her very daring leaf bikini--after everything, it made her feel quite well covered. "I'm beach ready," she said, following Aria out of the glade.
The forest gave way to grassy plain, which itself gave way to sand, and the blue, blue ocean expanded before them. Emily bounded down a sandy slope that led to a small beach, eyes taking in the rolling waves, lungs filled with the fresh sea air. The sand was warm against her bare soles. Aria followed behind her, appreciating the ocean's majesty but unable to experience the sensations of touch or smell in her marble body.
The wind whipped up Emily's chestnut hair as she gazed out to sea and she felt it across her skin, covered only in a few spots by goldapple leaves. She found herself wondering what had happened to Stuart, back at House Odonata. He had gotten into a lot of trouble to create a distraction for her. She hoped he hadn't suffered too much on her account. Perhaps they should have found him and brought him with, had there been time. He might have given Emily his tunic.
Since stepping out of her bathtub and into Castle Elid, she had wanted little more than to find a dress, or trousers and a tunic, or even one of those chainmail bikinis so often featured in fantasy art. This had proven surprisingly elusive, and her journey through Thessolan had so far been marked by near-constant nudity. She had read plenty of books about people who were transported to fantasy worlds, and none of them seemed to have this problem. If only the magic hadn't caught her bathing!
But she had been given a full outfit by Lady Elara, complete with undergarments and a bonnet. Of course, it turned out to be imbued with a powerful enchantment that enslaved her mind and body, forcing her to give up the Stoneshell and serve at Elara's pleasure. The constricting, controlling fabric of the dress had moved her arms and legs and the tightness of the bonnet had suppressed her thoughts. Compared to that, there was a certain freedom in her current, unencumbered state. The leaves didn't leave much to the imagination, and Emily still felt the need to dive behind Aria at the slightest unexpected sound, but it was better than losing her free will.
Perhaps if she found another tree, she could get some more leaves for her butt. Or if she encountered the wood elves Aria had spoken of, perhaps they could help her to create a dress from the leaves. That could look quite good, she thought, glancing down at the vibrant green-yellow of her coverings.
Emily strode across the sand, towards the sea. The tide lapped at her feet, a refreshing feeling after hours of walking barefoot. She continued forward, enjoying the sea's cool touch. When the water was knee-deep, Emily stopped at the sight of a yellow flash on the horizon. "Did you see that?" she asked Aria. "What was it?"
"I believe we shall know shortly." Aria remained some distance behind Emily, eyes focused on the ocean.
There was a disturbance in the calm sea some way ahead of them, and then, with a massive splash, the torso of a man emerged from the water, whipping back a mane of long blond hair. He smiled winningly at Emily and Aria and said in a booming voice, "Hello there!"
Emily blushed and fidgetted with her fingers. Facing the man, she was covered in the essential places, but there was still a whole lot of skin on display. He didn't seem to react, though, maintaining an easy smile and holding steady eye contact with an icy blue gaze. His torso was bare and quite muscular, and the lower half of his face was covered by a well-trimmed blond beard. Wet hair hung down to his shoulders.
"Hail, fair damsels, I am Caelum," he continued, edging slightly closer to where Emily stood. "May I have the pleasure of your acquaintance?"
"My name's Emily," said Emily, and then, gesturing behind herself, "and she's Aria."
"Beautiful names, fitting for beautiful women," said Caelum, reaching out a hand. He had now come close enough for Emily to smell the saltwater on him. "Well-met, Lady Emily and Lady Aria."
"Just Emily is fine." Almost automatically, Emily gave him her own hand, which he took and kissed. The water was now up to her mid-thigh, but she still had to look down to make eye contact with Caelum. Was he really so short?
"Hail and well-met, Caelum Merman," Aria called from the shore, her voice loud and resonant. "As the land greets the sea, so we greet you." Here she curtsied.
A merman! Of course! Emily glanced down at where Caelum's torso met the water, and caught a glimpse of shimmering blue just beneath his chiseled abs, before quickly bringing her eyes back up. Several questions occured to her.
