Damon gasped at the huge edifice in front of her. The castle may not have looked very large from far away, but only due to the large crater in which it sat which gave those far away only a view of its top half. Now seen from the edge of the vast caldera, the structure stood taller than any human castle Damon had ever seen. In addition to this, the castle seemed far more organic in shape, seeming to have grown from the surrounding rock rather than having been built from individual pieces. Adding to that natural appearance, numerous carvings of oceanic wildlife decorated the outside, monstrous fish, spiraling sea-dragons, and at the very base of the whole structure, the tentacles of a kraken. Meanwhile, not a seam could be seen as one part of the structure simply flowed into the next.
“Amazing!” She exclaimed. “How was such a thing built!?”
The other mermaid smiled. “Many years of carving. Unlike you humans who build upward by laying stones on top of each other, we dig downward.”
“So, this entire valley…”
“Was once a mountain. Yes.” The mermaid’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “You never thought mer-people would make good stone workers, hm?”
“There is a lot about the mer-people we don’t know,” Damon admitted. “Hopefully, peace between our kingdoms will cure my people of such ignorance.”
Her guide nodded. “A worthy goal, one that gives me great hope for our two peoples. Let’s go.”
Together, they swam over to the castle. Instead of heading for the base, they went to one of the towers where a large sculpted fish with a wide open mouth served as an entrance. Next to the opening, a merman guard stood ready. The other mermaid approached him and exchanged a few words, and he moved aside to let them pass.
“Do the guards let just anyone enter the royal castle?” Damon asked in astonishment.
“Only those with important business. And I’d say your business is pretty important.”
Damon still thought this was kind of fishy, er, suspicious. Back home, a guard would at least ask for some kind of verification: an official summons, or someone within the castle to vouch for her. Unless…
“Um, forgive me. I seem to have forgotten my manners and failed to ask your name.”
This got a giggle in return. “So formal all of a sudden? You may call me Relia.”
“Very well. Thank you for your help, Relia.” Damon eyed her carefully. “Do you come to this castle often?”
“Often enough,” Relia answered without looking back.
“And what, if I may inquire further, is your position within this-”
“Ah, here we are!” Relia announced, ducking through a wide opening in the wall.