Mia was sleeping sound like a baby in Lin’s arms. He too had been asleep for how long was beyond his grasp. There was no way of telling time in the mer-world. Only those in tuned with the aqua sphere were able to tell the day from the night and the dusk from the dawn. But it wasn’t the time that was bothering Lin.
He sat up scratching his throat as his windpipe started swelling. Was the effect of the flower wearing off already? Was he drowning. He hectically searched the puch he used to carry the flowers around. He gobbled one piece and then looked around. But nothing changed. There wasn’t even any improvement.
” What are you doing Lin? ” Mia was already sitting up staring at the struggling Lin, ” What’s wrong? ”
She hurried in his direction and sat beside him, patting his back.
” Lin, what happened? ” She kept repeating but he was already out of words. The waters were gushing down his systems and the pain was profound.
Mia yelled for help but every second was precious. She tried pressing the water out of his system, pinning him flat down. She pressed and huffed but it was no avail. They were surrounded with water, did Mia understand to fail.
” Hold on Lin. Hold on. I will not anything happen to you I swear. ” Mia constantly kept promising but Lin knew she was trying in vain.
Mia closed her eyes placing her thumbs on his chest . Lin could see those faint shimmering of the bluish hue he had earlier seen her emit. Lin smiled as his eyes closed with heaviness, as if relishing last night’s after taste.
But his eyes weren’t closed long enough. A jerk brought him back to life. Water gushed out of his system as a trasparent bubble trapped him inside. Lin floated upwards like a balloon with a string. Mia had the other edge in her hand that prevented him from escape.
” Lin I got the water out of your system. This is a air pocket. It will help you for the time being. Let’s rush to the queen. She might be able to help. “Mia explained from outside placing her hand on the wall of the bubble as he placed his and nodded in agreement.
A few mer-maids had also arrived by then drawn by the commotion. Mia made her way through them as she advanced towards the palace herself.
It was like Lin was watching a new Mia. She had been his little love. Timid and scared. He had always been the one protecting and taking her under his care. But this was a role reversed. She cared about no one and needed nobody’s help. She was comfortable in her skin like she said, her true self. She was more confident even when she didn’t have the upper hand.
Mia made her way through the heavily guarded palace hall. Nobody dared stop her as she glared at them from afar. Mia went straight inside the assembly where a meeting was clearly in progress, but everybody stopped in their place as they saw Mia at her best.
” Mia is it again? ” The queen said looking at Lin inside the ait bubble. ” What happened there? Did you trap him in that bubble? ”
The others too looked at eachother murmuring under their breath.
” Please help him with whatever techniques you have to breathe underwater. ” Mia requested but with an air of authority that made the queen frown.
” Help him breathe. Wasn’t he breathing just fine a few hours ago? What technique was he using? ” One official asked from the right side of the queen.
Lin took out the rest of the flowers from his pouch and showed them. One of the guards grabbed it from him and passed it to the official asking the question. She sniffed it and looked at the queen with a stare. The queen took it from her and then looking at Lin asked, ” Where did you get this from? ”
” The messanger you had sent me, showed me this plant in the human world, ” Lin answered truthfully.
” The messanger? ” The queen looked at Lin and then gave Mia a glance.
” You were lucky enough to have Mia by your side. Had you not been inside that bubble your body would have explored with the after effect of this plant. Didn’t the messanger warn you of the stance? “The queen smirked.
Lin shook his head indicating he was unaware of what she meant.
” This is the Water Breather native only to these Royal parts. The one in the human world is but a replica. It was a generous gift from our part. ” The queen couldn’t help but laugh at seeing Lin in such a sorry state that he was in.
Nevertheless she called for a real Water Breather plant.
“Take this Mia. You would need to keep giving him a refill every quarter of a day. “The queen gave her the vase as Mia bowed with gratitude, ” By the way Mia, when did Crystal teach you the Air filling technique? I thought she never returned to the sea from land? ”
Mia looked as puzzled at the question as the queen herself.
” What technique? Mother never could teach me anything neither did she get to tell me about my true origin, ” Mia answered shyly but the Queen could not tell.
” This technique that you used to trap Lin inside the bubble, ” The queen pointed .
” Technique? I don’t know. I just used the way my mother taught me to concentrate on the energy around. That’s how I could help him. ” Mia had obviously given a dissatisfactory answer and the palace was abuzz yet again.
” Don’t try to tell me you just learnt this your self? This is only passed on from one Royal member to the other, that too through rigourous training. ”
Mia was as speechless as the rest of them. She didn’t teach herself the technique. She had just done it in desperation . Mia guessed it was better to stay mum as it would be even worse for them to digest.