The Siren Queen

Epilogue

Six years later, when Zale asked Nerissa to marry him, he broke tradition by presenting the Crown Princess of Pacifica with a bracelet instead of the customary pearl ring. It was identical in every way to the handcrafted pearl bracelet she had reluctantly given to Hannah, the pirate captain's daughter, in exchange for her own freedom years ago. He had assumed correctly that the bracelet would mean so much more to her than any other piece of jewelry under the deep blue sea.

Queen Melinda had told her daughter about the old human tradition that a bride should wear "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue" at her wedding for good luck. Nerissa's bracelet happened to be uniquely both old and new at the same time.

Nerissa borrowed an emerald tiara from her Aunt Thalassa, who wore it at her own wedding to her beloved wife Coral. The lovely tiara complimented the Crown Princess of Pacifica's blue-green eyes beautifully.

"Some of the scales on my mermaid tail are blue..." Nerissa had pointed out to her mother. "Does that count...?".

"I'm not sure..." said Melinda with an amused laugh. To play it safe, Nerissa's "Something Blue" was her custom-made SeaSatin wedding top, which was in a shade of pale blue so light it looked white to the untrained eye and trimmed with iridescent pearls that had been grown on Zale's family's estate.

Crown Princess Nerissa's mermaid of honor, MerLisa, wore a top in the same style, except in lavender, her favorite color. Over the past few years, MerLisa had been promoted from tailmaiden to head Lady-in-Waiting. MerLisa's own husband, Dylan, was in the wedding party as well, as one of Lord Zale's groom's mermen.

All five of Nerissa's bridesmaids had been good mermaid friends she had made in her four years at the University of Pacifica. She had majored in Archaic Pacifican, and graduated with the highest honors.

The wedding ceremony was held outdoors in the palace of Pacifica's picturesque royal gardens. Royalty and other dignitaries from all around the seven seas were in attendance, including the arrogant Prince Everett of Pugetia and his pretty fiancé, Princess Adella from the faraway merfolk kingdom of Atlantica.

Nerissa swam toward the coral altar at a leisurely pace, escorted by her proud father, King Poseidon. A choir of mermaids, well-trained by none other than Miss Shelley, sang "Mare Pacificum", their sweet, crystal clear voices reverberating through the seawater. The old folk song was admittedly a somewhat unusual choice for a wedding, but for the happy couple, it would always and forever remain "their song".

Nerissa and Zale were the first Pacifican royal couple in history to write their own wedding vows. As they held hands, gazed into each other's eyes, and promised to be each other's "confidant, anchor, and partner on this adventure", a familiar black giant sea-stallion unexpectedly crashed the wedding, his joyful whinnies echoing through the bright blue water.

"Stormer!" the young couple gasped together. After six long years, the giant seahorse had finally found his way back home to Lord Zale and Crown Princess Nerissa. Following the ceremony and reception, Nerissa and Zale eagerly hopped onto Stormer's back. As they rode off into the vibrant hues of the underwater sunset, they knew their adventures had only just begun.