Anna was in a restful sleep state for two hours. During those couple of hours, she had a short series of dreams - One where a human Eric was at her university, another dream where she was about to pick up a gold rock from the Tide Bed, and a final dream where Anna’s older brother was trying to look for her and found himself in front of an empty park - He was about to touch the gates when Anna found herself being woken up by Eric.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. ” Eric said with a grin as he gently shook his lover’s body awake.
Anna woke up with a yawn. “Welcome home, Mister Hot-Fins,” She said with a tired but warm smile on her face. “Oh wow, you brought a lot of fish,” Anna exclaimed as she saw the three big bags that contained a logo of the village’s marketplace.
Eric nodded with pride. “I know. I told you that I was going to bring back as many fish I could carry. I wanted to make sure there was a bag of fish for each of us, plus another bag of fish just in case we suddenly go hungry.”
“Wow,” Anna said, impressed. “You really thought ahead, Eric. How was the shopping trip, anyway?”
“It was alright - Although that what I would've said if a few mermen didn’t get jealous.”
“Oh, what happened?” Anna asked curiously.
“Remember when I told you that nobody liked how aggressive I seemed for wanting Clia?”
Anna nodded.
“Well, a few of the mermen around the store didn’t believe me when I told them that I was buying fish for a mate - They couldn’t believe that someone like me would ever find someone.”
“But you did,” Anna said as she swam up to Eric and kissed him on the cheek. “Did anything escalate between you and the other mermen?”
“Actually, yes. We and another merman decided to have an outside duel using tridents.” Eric saw Anna’s eyes becoming concerned. “Nothing to the death, however. Duels are just something mermen do to prove that they’re right about something.”
“Oh,” Anna said quietly. For some reason, the idea of muscular mermen randomly dueling for honor in the streets kind of made sense to her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to be in a fight with any mermaid anytime soon. “How did the fight, go?”
Eric grabbed his trident and twirled it around before striking a pose with it.
“I won.” He said with a smug grin.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief as she clapped for her mate. Eric flicked his tail to one of the bags, pulled out something, and swam to Anna.
“Oh? What is it?” Anna asked.
“It’s a souvenir that I got after winning. I think you’ll like it.”
Anna looked closely to see that a bird figurine was in Eric’s hands.
Eric smiled when she saw the awe in Anna’s eyes. “I thought it might help you feel a bit more comfortable at the sea by giving you a reminder of your human world.” He points to Anna’s nest. “If any of the eggs were to hatch, you could use the bird to tell our kids about the land’s animals.”
Anna could feel her eyes getting misty-eyed again. Eric embraced her. “There, there. It’s alright. Once we find a magic necklace, you could call your parents and let them know you’re okay. We’ll find one. I promise.”
Anna wiped her eyes and sniffed as she remembered what Clia told her. She was most likely never going to find a necklace for another year. “I feel like I’m not going to find one for a good long- ” Anna was interrupted by Eric kissing her.
“Don’t let it get to you. I used to think I was never going to find a mermaid and have kids, yet here we are. I’ll try my best to make sure you’re at home here and find a way to connect you to your family to give you closure. I want you to be happy. I love you, Anna.” Eric said with the most loving tone Anna has ever heard.
“I love you, too,” Anna said as she started to calm herself down. She cuddled her head against Eric’s chest as her mate replied with a series of soft kisses on her hair. “I won’t lie. It’s going to be a bit awkward calling my parents.”
“I can see why,” Eric replied.
“I mean, think about it. Imagine being a mom and getting a call from your daughter that she’s a mermaid with a mate and fries.” Anna said with a slight giggle.
Eric playfully shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, at least I would know my daughter has made it in life. Better to be a mermaid than an accountant, yes?”
Anna raised her finger to open up a mock-snarky reply but could only laugh as she couldn’t help but agree with him, and hugged him.