Legends of Belariath
Tsunami
Nereid Grace Part One
In her room in the tower of magic, named Unigo, three stories up the stairs, first hallway to the east and four doors on at the left hand side, is the nereid known at Tsunami, who has seen times fly by. She behind her working table and holding a quill in her hand. Writing with a delicate grace on the parchment on her desk as she writes up for her diary. Already having worked often on it to write up what she sees around in the lands of Nanthalion while she graces the lands with her presence. A sigh slips over the nereid’s lips as she ponders on writing up some of her older memories of years ago before she reached the area of Nanthalion, of when she traversed the lands of Nuyga to the far south of Nanthalion. So much has happened with the nereid in two thousand years, but many things she could not put down for a lot of it goes above mortal kin’s comprehension. She did not want to let others read of things she did in the past when her self was of higher status. The fallen one chuckles a little as she thinks back deep into the past. Then shakes her head and focuses on writing up something of the more recent past when she got together with other nereids only shortly after having become mortal in those lands of Nuyga.
In times long ago, well, for most it is already long ago, for me it’s a mere moments gone, yet still it is a long time since the taking away of my powers divine. I and Katsumi both hate that time a lot. We were confused and really weak back then. The transformation from higher being to a mortal form is painful and tiring. We were stranded in the lands of Nuyga, the lands which shores were flooded by our ocean. I recall that back then I was a raging mass of fury for having lost our powers. At the same time Katsumi was a serene beauty who took it in stride and was happy to be free from responsibilities. I hated her for that back then, but now I think she was right. Power is nothing when you do not have the ability to be responsible with it.
We were taken in then by a trio of younger sisters of the ocean, but they had been mortal their entire existence. Three ordinary nereids who each were not older then fifty summers. Uime, Hezze and Ai’Noriko. All three part of the same ocean of where I and Katsumi came from, but having only small patches of ocean to look after. To my knowledge they are still there taking care of their waters. Working on removing the dirt left by fishers and other sailors. Making sure the fish schools are big and healthy and that the sharks do not cross to the wrong territories. But also doing the harder tasks of regulating currents and making sure that water hazards are found and that the other sea beings know of the dangers that are to be found. The three of them thought us on how the mortal nymphs of the salt waters lived.
Uime, one of the tallest of nereids I ever seen, even standing taller then me and Katsumi. A slim figure with a narrow face with small and nearly always squinted dark green eyes. Long light green hair of the kelp appearance. Small breasts for her size… I believe that humans name is size B. Like me and Katsumi then, none of the sisters wore clothing. The area of Nuyga is rather warm for it’s in the tropical areas of this world. I recall Uime quite well. Most likely also the most aggressive nereid I ever seen. She hates fishers with all her heart. Seeing a fish die makes her more furious then a banshee. To show fishermen her hatred and to make it clear each of her nipples is pierced with a barbed fishhook. I remember seeing her go to land where fishermen had started to get ready to go set sail. She wandered up to them and stood there looking down at the humans. Each of the darker of skin tones and most surely had taken my interests with their fine build, but they were not for me to have. They cowered as she walked to them with a fury in her eyes that would scare off even a furious troll at that moment. A fury of words was addressed to them and an ultimatum given in terms of what they could take instead of their usual take as much as you can way. When they protested that sister who already had been to see O'sheana, the mistress of water magic, started to raise her hands and weave powerful magics of water, summoning a large wave. The humans quickly gave in to her demands and the wave was dissipated. When Uime left them I saw them try to attack her in the back. But… that didn’t work out as they had planned for the moment they reached her they found their feet encased in ice and were stuck. She looked back at them and they cowered in terror as she readied a lance of ice and aimed it at them. Carving a rune of misfortune into each of their chests before we left to go back to the sea.
Hezze was very different and I miss her dearly. Her departure still saddens me, even more now that I have more care for others. She has been my and Katsumi’s teacher of the nature magics. A very kind and gentle soul so pure of mind that a person like ShaKa would simply kill her for making him feel ill with her presence. A girl who was of human sizes, looking a bit older then most for that is how she chose to look, at a human equivalence of thirty years old. Long flowing hair in the same style as I and Katsumi wear. Two long ponytails. Her arms and legs were entwined with wooden roots that did not spoil in the salt water. She had a lot of patience with me, which was needed to get me to learn from a common mortal as I thought about it back then. Now I realize how foolish I was then and regret having given her so much headache during the teachings. Especially with me being alive thanks to her efforts. It was her who saved me from that brutish minotaur that raped me when I was on land. Managing to distract the minotaur long enough that my battered form could escape him. But I didn’t look back at what happened when the minotaur got her. A few hours later Katsumi had found Hezze’s broken and dead form, I won’t mention how she found her, but it makes me still ill when I think of how she lay there… And all my fault. I give my praise to her for her teachings and patience and one day I will find a proper way to honor her.
Finally the one who took care of putting me down on earth and get rid of my mind being still convinced to be of divine levels. Ai’Noriko. A prankster and jester of the worst kind. She ridiculed me time and time again with luring me into situations where I could have solved things with ease as a power, but had the hardest times to solve as a mortal. The small nereid with cut down hair that was riddled with anemones and holding onto a cane at all times was probably the greatest teachers I had. I remember how she put me to the task of gathering clams. On the most remote of reefs while there were the most powerful of currents possible. I managed to get to the clamps after hours of struggling with the currents. But I couldn’t gather them and hold onto them at all. Then I remembered the joke she had pulled on me. I woke up that morning with clamps on my nipples. I still wonder how she put them on me without me waking up in my sleep. Anyway… I took to making the clams open and then simply bite down on me to let them keep hold on me while I swam back which again took hours and hours. Of course madam jest had once I returned a basket in hand with that nice note of ‘Why did you not take this along?’. Oh Gaea, how much I hated her.
They took care of me for a few years, Katsumi… she more lived along and was useful to them. I think she learned far more of them then I did. I’ll rethink of what I experienced during those days a bit more soon and write up the more interesting analogs I had with the three sisters.