THE STORY OF MOIRA AND TEMPUS

Once upon a time, so long ago that it has been forgotten by all except maybe the sun itself, humans and merpeople lived in harmony. They did not live together, for naturally humans were restricted to land and merpeople to the sea, but there were no barriers between them save the physical, allowing the kindest and most generous of friendships to exist between the land and sea, neighbours and equals in every way. They played together and talked together and every week held a market in a shallow lagoon where both their kingdoms intertwined together.

But like all neighbouring kingdoms, a fundamental barrier stood between them. Land and sea could be friends, but friendship was where it ended.

It wasn’t a rule, not exactly. It was a thing that just was – legs and tail could never be together save the few feet where the borders came together in a thin line between water and air.

For years that was enough. But as it happened, as it happened before and will always happen in the future, there came those who dared to challenge the status quo.

A girl and a boy, young enough that the sun still made them smile and the surf still made them laugh. From when they were children they met at the market every week without fail, and found additional time together in between. In the early years it was a friendship born of understanding and kinship, but soon they fell in love, and no longer saw the fact that she had legs and he had a tail.

Beautiful Moira had bright red hair that shone almost gold in the sun, and long fair legs that almost made her as good a swimmer as any mermaid. She had deep brown eyes laced by long eyelashes that always fluttered unnaturally whenever Tempus was present.

Brave Tempus was fair-haired and an excellent swimmer, with a dark green tail that was longer than most and easily wrapped itself around his favourite swimming companion’s waist. He had a laugh that could make many a young mermaid swoon, but he only shared it with Moira.

They fell in love without consciously realising it. They spent time together whenever the sun and sea allowed; sometimes they swam through the reef in play and sometimes they sat on rocks and talked. Tempus was the first to realise that they had fallen in love, though it did not surprise him. Moira took longer, but it did not surprise her either. It made sense.

Unfortunately, young love is short-sighted, so they did not see when those around them started to whisper.

The whispers grew louder as Moira and Tempus’ love became more obvious; it was difficult not to notice when they glowed with it every moment that they were together.

The time came when Tempus’ mother could ignore it no longer. Being a mother, and Tempus her eldest son, she had foreseen it from its earliest stages. There was a part of her that wanted her son to be happy, but the rest of her knew that the truth was that there could not be happiness between a merman and a human girl.

One day she called Tempus before her. For she was not one to beat around the bush, she came straight to the point. She told him things he already knew; that he was her eldest son, that there were things expected of him, that he was a prince.

But she is a princess, he protested, rebutting with something that his mother knew equally well. Moira was princess of the land, the second of four children and the fairest in the land and sea.

But you will be king, his mother said. And your kingdom will need you one day.

One day is not right now, Tempus said, for he was young and thought the carefree days of youth would last forever.

Queen Rhode, for that was the name of Tempus’s mother, knew that she would never be able to talk sense into her son. She raised her trident and called upon the sea its most horrible storm. The merpeople hid in their city, while all around them water swirled and roared.

The storm lasted for days, for Queen Rhode was determined that her son would not leave the city. On land the people were confused, but none were as confused as Princess Moira herself, who could only stand on her balcony and watch the angry waves crash endlessly upon each other.

Finally King Radnor, Moira’s father, had had enough. He walked to the shore, and summoned Queen Rhode to speak with him. The Queen agreed, rising to the surface, but she still did not stop the storm around her.

What is the meaning of this, King Radnor asked, wanting to know what was vexing his neighbour.

Queen Rhode raised an arm and pointed to the balcony of his castle where Moira stood, watching the sea with open yearning. There is your answer, said Queen Rhode, for your daughter has bewitched my son with promises of a love that can never be. Queen Rhode spoke of how her eldest son had refused his kingship because of the human princess.

King Radnor was shocked, and summoned his daughter. He ordered her to explain, and she did, for the truth always came easiest to her. With each word King Radnor’s anger grew to match that of Queen Rhode’s, and together the storm of their two kingdoms grew fiercer.

You must break his heart, said King Radnor, for legs and tail can never live together. Moira’s tears did nothing to gentle her father’s heart, and in the end she was forced to agree. Queen Rhode was satisfied and withdrew the storm, promising to escort her son there the next day so that Moira could end their impossible love.

But unknown to them, Moira had planned something else in her heart. That night, under the cover of darkness, she crept to her father’s room in the highest tower of their castle. As her father slept peacefully, Moira reached under his bed and took the sceptre.

+++

The what? Melody said, interrupting the story.

“The sceptre,” repeated the Sorceress, exchanging a pleased look with the Manta. “Weren’t you paying attention to the beginning of the story? Land and sea, neighbours and equals in every way. In EVERY way.”

The Sorceress smiled when she felt Melody realise what that meant.

“Yes. King Triton’s trident had a twin,” the Sorceress said.

+++

Though she had never held the sceptre before, Moira was a royal princess and was able to summon its magic to conjure a tail for herself. Sceptre in hand, Moira travelled for the first time to the undersea realm of Atlantica. She was careful to not wake any of the merfolk that slept, and found her beloved in the grand palace at the centre of the city.

Tempus was overjoyed to see her, for he had almost lost hope. When Moira showed that she had been able to steal the sceptre with little trouble, Tempus decided that he should steal the trident as well so that they would be able to protect each other.

Together they crept to Queen Rhode’s room, where the trident stood proud next to her grand bed. It was just as easy to steal to the trident, so off they fled together into the wilderness of the sea.

King Radnor awoke first, and was enraged when he found that his sceptre was gone. Without it, there was no way to contact Queen Rhode or any of the merfolk.

Queen Rhode woke next, and when she found that her trident was gone, she sent her swiftest soldiers out into the sea to hunt down the wayward prince and princess. They swam and searched as fast as their fins could carry them, but the lovers could not be found.

Unknown to all, Moira and Tempus had used the magic of the sceptre and trident to create a home for themselves underground. They had built a system of tunnels in the solid rock, with its openings hidden amidst wildlife camouflage. In their home of rock they were happy together.

Weeks passed, and the pair still had not been found. It was only by chance, one day, when Tempus emerged from their underground home in search for food that he was spotted. Queen Rhode wasted no time in sending her soldiers to their hiding place, which they broke in to with their spears and sword.

Tempus did not have the heart to hurt his own people so he surrendered the trident to the soldiers, who returned it to their queen.

Moira, however, saw no reason in giving up the sceptre which did not belong to the merpeople. When the soldiers rushed into the underground tunnels to capture them, she declared that she would not allow outside forces to tear their love apart. Summoning the magic of the sceptre, she sealed the opening permanently, shutting off the underground tunnels from the outside world forever.

+++

“*Almost* forever, anyway. Here we are,” the Sorceress said, stopping their journey in front of a large octagonal crack in the sea floor that had longer cracks branching out from every side. “The source of the seaquake and opening into the underground tunnels supposedly carved by Prince Tempus and Princess Moira.”

You didn’t finish your story, Melody said.

“Oh, it ends the way all love stories do,” the Sorceress said. “They died.”
 

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