Alpha’s Second Choice

Sea kingdom

Jolene was born in spring. Spring in the sea world was different. It was the season when the ocean was calmer than usual. The tides were gentler, brushing against each other. The sight of different schools of fishes swimming together became more prominent during this calming season. Afterall, it was the perfect season to welcome anything and everything in life, especially the birth of a young bub.

But Jolene’s welcoming was not joyous as it had been for the other daughters of the sea king, Pierce Ledger. Pierce was on his wit’s ends by the time his seventh born child was revealed to be a girl as well. He had been hoping for a boy, someone he could pass his legacy on and crown as his next successor. He would be considered a mad king in the realm if he announced any of his daughters as his successor. Female rulers were considered weak in all realms. The recent werebear female ruler was mercilessly killed by the fox king. It was a signal to all kingdoms that a male ruler was significantly important. And Pierce could not risk his kingdom in the mere delicate hands of his daughters.

So, the sea king decided on the day Jolene was born that he would marry all of his daughters to powerful realm leaders or someone of noble lineage at the very least. And the most powerful husband would be crowned as the next sea king. It was a gamble Pierce was willing to take on for the sake of his kingdom.

From a very young age, all of the seven daughters were groomed by the finest teachers in the kingdom. From learning the right etiquettes to knowing how to sow, play instruments, cook, the king wanted his daughters to make the perfect wife. The only thing lacking in the lessons taught was physical combat. Pierce forbid any of his daughters from partaking in combat classes, simply because he claimed that was a man’s job.

By the time, Jo was 12 years old, she knew she was different from her sisters. They all had blonde hair taking after their father Pierce. She was the only one with vibrant red hair which she would try hide it constantly. Jolene would try to use lemon water and rub it on her hair to lighten it, in a bid to look alike to the rest of her sisters. But the lightening effect merely lasted a few minutes and she would be back to her red hair.

Rumours were already widespread in the kingdom that Jolene was born out of the king’s affair with a palace maid who had the same vibrant hair as Jo did. But the maid vanished soon after Jo was born and so the mystery remained.

This was also why the Queen Lorna and Fiona disliked Jolene extremely. Queen Lorna was Pierce’s first wife and Fiona was the second. While Lorna gave birth to the first four daughters, Senna, Tina, Patricia and Anne; Fiona gave birth to the younger two daughters: Alysia and Catherine. Jolene was the only one without a mother and the sea king never explained why. One time, he warned Jo that he would slit her tongue if she did not stop asking the same question about her biological mother. So, the little scared girl nodded and stopped asking the burning question to her father. It did not matter to her if her biological mother was a maid or not, she just simply wanted to know.

Jolene gave up trying to fit in by the time she reached 16 years old. It was futile anyways. Her elder sisters Patricia and Alysia would see to it that Jo was constantly reminded she was different. They would beat her and call her names, and the other sisters would watch and do nothing. Sometimes, she could hear snickers but a few of them would look at her pitifully, as if she was not their sister by blood. It did not matter if they had different mothers, Pierce Ledger was still all of their father.

The only sister that came close to being nice to Jolene was Anne. Anne was the fourth born child and had shoulder length blonde hair. She had the similar blue eyes as their father did. Jo considered Anne comparably ‘nice’ because Anne would try to initiate small talks with Jolene. But that was it.

The small siren would keep to herself and often frequent visits to the library getting lost in the virtual world of many books. The echoes of different authors resonating in her young mind and helping her escape the reality. It was a moment of euphoria for her.

One time, Jo was in the library as usual, having just finished her history class before that. She flipped the pages in the quiet library, she was reading a book about the demon and their classes.

‘Are you not scared of demons, little one’, she heard a curious deep voice.

A 16-year-old Jo looked up to find a dark stranger gazing at her. How did she not even realise or feel the presence of someone else?

Without saying a word, she stood up, gathering her books in a haste.

‘Did I say something wrong?’, the voice had lightened up a little, though the stranger still had his eyes intently on Jo’s every move.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

‘I do not speak to strangers. Please excuse me sir’, she replied trying not to give any eye contact and waiting for him to move aside and let her pass.

‘Well I am no stranger but a guest in your kingdom. Surely you treat your guests better than this?’, there was hint of tease in his voice now.

But it was enough to make Jolene lose all colours in her face. Her father was strict on hospitality and maintaining their kingdom’s reputation. Also, if any of her older sisters ever found out that she ignored a potentially important guest, they would not spare her. The last time Jolene pissed Patricia, the third eldest sister, she was made to sleep on the stone-cold floor for a week. It was no wonder Patricia was still unmarried even though she was already in her 23 and considered of age. She had the worst temper amongst all of the sisters and even Pierce had given up on controlling her anger outbursts. Senna and Tina were already married off to noblemen from the wizard kingdom. However, the noblemen were nowhere close to becoming the next successor of the sea king. So, he kept his hopes on the younger daughters for now.

‘I did not mean to scare you’, the voice now sounded concerned as Jolene was visibly shaking now.

Jo hated how her body reacted whenever she thought of her bully sisters, Patricia or Alysia.

‘To answer your first question sir, I am not scared of demons and now I bid you farewell’, Jo responded still avoiding his gaze.

‘Wait’, the stranger grabbed Jo’s arm making her freeze instantly. ‘What’s your name?’.

‘Jolene’, she said back as she gently shrugged from his firm grip and finally looked him back in his eyes.

‘Pleasure to meet you, Jolene. I am Victor’, the man introduced himself and finally let go of Jolene completely.

Jo gulped hard as she bowed and dashed out of the library.

Victor. Victor. Victor.

How did she know this name? It sounded so familiar but she could not quite remember.

Damn it all. The little siren thought as she walked back to her room. Patricia was turning 24 today and their father had called potential suitors to the ball tonight in her name.

Jo knew better than anyone that Patricia probably will ward of anyone even remotely interested in her the moment her sister opens her big mouth.

‘Miss, you are still not ready’, one of the senior maids scolded Jo. ‘The ball will start at soon’.

‘I know. We still have like three high ocean tides to go. Plenty of time’. Time in the sea kingdom was measured by waves of high ocean tides. Each tide represented an hour in the universal human world.

‘Outrageous! You have to bathe, dress, do your hair, my goodness. We barely have any seconds left to spare. I will draw you a bath right away’, the maid left without waiting for a response.

Jolene rolled her eyes at the dramatic maid. She hated getting her hair done in intricate braids that took hours to do but it was a tradition for the ball.

After hours of trying to sit patiently through the horrible ordeal of getting ready, Jolene was finally considered done by the grooming maids.

She had a lilac-coloured knee length dress and had all of her hair up in a very ‘complex’ hair do. Jo called it complex because she could never remember the different types of braid names.

Jolene was ushered to the carriages outside. But she noticed that there was none waiting at the bay like they usually did.

‘Where are all the carriages?’, one of the maids ushering her yelled loudly at the guards nearby.

‘The last carriage just left. They said everyone was onboard’, the guard answered puzzled.

Jo just heaved out a tired sigh. It was probably Pat or Alysia who deliberately told the guards all of the princesses had onboarded the carriages. She knew she had to make it to the ball in time or Pat would tell on her father and she could get punished for her tardiness, even thought it was not her fault.

Much to her maid’s dismay, Jolene quickly grabbed some running shoes from her room, putting it on hurriedly in a not-so-ladylike manner. She carried her heels by their lace and started running.

The ball was taking place near the grand centre. It was the only place where oxygen was present for guest who were of different beings. It was located not too far off from the royal palace.

Halfway there, Jo heard a weird cry. She paused in her track for a quick second trying to figure out what it was.

There it was again. Jolene heard the cry again, she definitely was not imagining it.

‘Hello? Who’s there?’, she asked, facing the darkness of the forest.

Even though the Sea kingdom was far beneath the ocean and its bed. Once you reached the portal on the ocean bed and crossed it, it was hollow and looked exactly like the habitations on earth except for one thing. There was no oxygen here.

Jolene heard another cry and it sounded more desperate than scary. So, the little siren made her way slowly in the direction of the cry.

There was a tiny blue creature, it was emitting off a blue glow around its tiny, injured body.

The creature made some hissing sound which were unintelligible. But for some weird reason, Jolene understood it.

‘Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt ya, little fella’, she said kneeling down to closely inspect the injury.

The creature had a very odd shape, it had a long body and protruded jaw. It had small claws on its four limbs. It looked almost like a mini baby sea dragon. There were thousands of creatures in the sea realm, so the appearance of the injured creature did not catch Jolene off guard.

Jolene heard bursts of fireworks lit up the sky in the distance, she knew the ball had now officially started. But she hesitated to leave the small creature and let it to die on the side of the pathway.

So, Jolene tried summoning the tiniest magic she had. Sirens possessed magical powers, not powerful as a merman though like her dad. But nothing assembled at her fingertips and the creature only cried louder.

It was odd but she understood the creature again.

‘I am not hurting you’, Jo reinstated herself as she traced her hands on the creature’s bleeding neck and fixated her hands there instead to examine the wound.

‘Well, it does seem like you are strangling the poor thing to a bystander’, a familiar voice chirped in, instantly alerting Jolene.

‘You again? What are you doing here?’, she eyed the same library guy from before who claimed to be Victor or whoever. She had never seen him in the palace before and if he could roam outside of the grand centre, it probably meant he could survive without oxygen. ‘I thought you were a guest. The ball isn’t here’.

‘Oh, I know’, Victor laughed as he kneeled beside her. He had a very intoxicating sandalwood scent and Jo only realised now that the stranger was downright the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes upon.

Victor had the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen on someone. Even lighter than her sisters, which was then contrasted by the darkest jet-black hair. The pitch blackness of its colour was so rich that it was hypnotising.

‘Stop staring at me Jolene’, Victor commented but his eyes were on the small creature, trying to figure out what was wrong with it.

Jolene turned the reddest shade of pink as she realised that she had been shamelessly checking Victor out.

‘I found it crying on the side of the pathway’, Jo silently said trying to break the heavy air between them.

‘It probably escaped the jaws of a bigger monster by the looks of it’, Victor replied, as he rested his slender long fingers on the creature’s fragile neck.

‘Well, what do we do? We can’t just leave it to die’, Jo let out a small frustration, partly also because she missed yet another important ball. And she would hear the last of it from her father.

Victor chuckled lightly as dark magic started appearing beneath his fingers, floating around the creature for a few seconds.

As soon as the dark clouds disappeared, the creature’s wound had all healed like it never existed. Not even a single scar was left behind.

‘Wow, how did you do that?’, there was clear admiration in Jolene’s voice and she couldn’t help it. This guest was definitely from the wizard world. This probably made more sense as he could cast a spell and breath in this habitat with magic. ‘Are you from the wizard world?’.

Victor watched the siren’s eyes lit up with excitement. It was not the saddened gaze like he had previously seen her with in the library. He felt a weird attraction to this siren, something he had never felt before.

‘Yes, its magic’, Victor told a white lie.

‘Rayleigh says thank you’, Jolene’s mouth moved on its own. She surprised herself at the mention of the name.

‘Rayleigh?’, Victor’s voice echoed hers.

Rayleigh started purring as it brushed its scaly skin against Jo’s bent knees. ‘Yes’, her voice was more confident now. ‘Its name is Rayleigh’.