One day, the King had taken ill and was not expected to live much longer. The Prince was very sad and went into a state of depression. He and his father were very close and it was hard for him to accept it. The Queen became concerned for her son's health. She decided to try and focus his attention on something she thought he would enjoy. Hence, she came up with an idea to look for a wife for his son. After all, he would eventually be King and would need a Queen by his side. She would have to ensure that her son choose the right woman. She put out a proclamation, announcing to all young maidens in the Kingdom, that her son was looking for a wife. Each young maiden was to bring to the Prince an object of special meaning to them. They would then give it to the Prince as a token of their love. If the Prince chose the item, the owner of that item would be the wife of the Prince.
The Queen informed her son about the plan. He was delighted with the Queen's plan and it helped him quickly emerged from his depression. In the following few days, all the young maidens of the land visited the castle with their gifts. Some brought beautiful jewellery, some brought family heirlooms and others brought rare coins. The Prince was amazed by the beautiful maidens that were in his Kingdom. For weeks, he looked through the different gifts that were brought by the maidens. He grew weary and disappointed as he could not find a gift to please him. One by one, the maidens left the castle. The Prince thought that he would never find a woman to sit beside him on the throne.
That evening, Prince Adiere sat in the garden and watched swans swim in unison in the pond. The night was dark except for the light of the moon and the twinkle of the stars. He heard someone step up quietly behind him. He turned quickly and noticed a woman. Her face was covered except for her eyes. She wore a long silk garment that shimmered brightly under the moonlight. Her eyes were black as coal and she spoke softly to him as she handed him a gold sceptre. It had a silver band that intertwines around the sceptre starting at the bottom and ending at the top. At the top of the sceptre was the head of a dolphin with ruby eyes. She told him it belonged to her father and when he died he gave it to her as a gift. She told him the sceptre had mystical powers but it could only be used by the person who possessed it. She went on to say that the sceptre grants three wishes to the owner. She warned him to use the wishes wisely because once they are chosen, the sceptre must be returned to her. She then turned and ran into the darkness of the forest. The Prince chased after her but she continued to run. He chased her to the edge of the forest leading to the beach. However, she had disappeared without a trace. All he noticed were footsteps on the sand leading to the sea.
Who was this strange woman? She had a voice that sounded like the Sirens who summoned the ships with beautiful love songs. He was enamoured with just the hint of her eyes. Where did she go? As he walked back to the castle, he tried to remember what she had said about the sceptre. He thought about the three wishes of his choice and quickly ran to his father's bedroom. He joined his mother, who kept a constant vigil at the King's bedside, leaving only to check on her son occasionally. The Prince knelt by the bed and looked at his weak and feeble father. He took his father's hand and held the sceptre over his body. He asks for his father to recover as his first wish.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy vibrating in the sceptre and it began to glow. A blue light enveloped his father's body and the aura widened until it filled the entire room. He looked down at his father and watched in amazement as the King's eyes opened and a healthy red color came back to his cheeks. His father sat up and looked at his son and wife. He was puzzled because he was completely healed. The Prince was ecstatic. He told his parents about the strange young woman who visited him earlier that night and explained how the sceptre would grant him three wishes.
Prince Adiere became obsessed with finding the mysterious woman. He called upon his royal foot soldiers to search the kingdom for the elusive woman. Weeks passed and he still could not find any trace of her. He began to give up hope.
One evening, he went back into the garden and sat with the sceptre in his hand. He was hoping to see her again. He looked at the sceptre and asked to see the woman again as his second wish. He stood up and looked around waiting for her to walk out from the forest. Unlike the first wish, there was neither a glow of light nor vibration of the sceptre. He waited patiently until midnight and she still did not appear. He grew tired and headed back into the castle.
As he lay on his bed, a cool wind blew the curtains apart, revealing the figure of a woman. She stepped into the room and walked slowly towards him. He sat up in his bed and she floated into his arms. This time, she wasn’t wearing the garment that hid her face and contours of her body. Instead, she was wearing a white chiffon gown that revealed her beautiful copper complexion. Her hair was long and black and they flowed with the thickness of softened wool. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She reached up and softly kissed his lips. They made love into the morning light. He learned that her name was Cadeera.
The Prince fell madly in love with the mysterious Cadeera and wanted to marry her. He thought she was the one. However Cadeera had a secret that she did not want the Prince to know. She thought he would no longer want her if he knew who she really was. When the birds chirped a song to welcome the morning, Cadeera knew it was time for her to go. The Prince begged her to stay, but she insisted on leaving. She told him that she loved him and he would see her again soon.
Cadeera made her way through the forest as she did before. Unknown to her, the Prince was following behind. The Prince watched her walked to the edge of the sea. He could not believe his eyes when he saw her walked waist deep into the water and her legs slowly transformed into the tail of a fish as she floated on her back. She dived into the water and disappeared into the waves with a flip of her tail. The prince looked in amazement. He had heard of legends about Mermen and Mermaids but he had always thought they were just myths told to children as bedtime stories. How could he marry her now? He still loved her but how could she become part of his world?
When the Prince returned to the castle, he informed the King and Queen that he has already chosen a wife but there would be some complications. He told them she was a Mermaid. The King and Queen looked at their son in bewilderment. However, they trusted the Prince. They knew he had never lied to them and they could see that their son loved this woman deeply.
That night, Cadeera returned to the Prince again. After they made love, the Prince told her that he had followed her after she left the last time. He knew who and what she was. Cadeera became frightened because the Prince knew the truth. Before the Prince could tell her he loved her and wanted to marry her, she jumped up and ran away. The Prince chased after her but before he could catch up with her, she transformed and leaped into the waves of the sea. The Prince was heartbroken as he was afraid that he had lost her forever.
Prince Adiere would go back to the beach in the day and stay in his garden in the night hoping that Cadeera would appear, but she never did. With every passing day, he became weaker. Soon, he fell into a deep depression and became very ill. The King and Queen tried everything to nurse the young Prince back to health but it seemed that he had no will to live. The King and Queen gathered at the Prince's bedside and began to pray as it became certain he was dying. They held the Prince's hand till late evening. The Prince's breathing became very shallow at midnight and the Queen began to cry.
Suddenly, a cool wind blew open the curtains and Cadeera appeared in the shadows. She walked over to the bed, kneeled down, took the Prince's hand and began to cry. The Prince slowly opened his eyes and called out her name. He looked at her and told her he loved her and wanted her to be his Queen in a weak voice. He reached for the sceptre next to his bed. However, he was too weak to hold it. Cadeera put it in his hand and held her hands over his. The Prince asked for Cadeera to be human as his third wish. He reached for her and they kissed. A beautiful bright blue aura surrounded them and slowly engulfed the entire room.
The Prince recovered fully in a few days. The King and Queen invited everyone in the kingdom to attend the wedding for the Prince and his new bride. It was the most beautiful wedding in the Kingdom. Prince Adiere and Princess Cadeera lived happily ever after.
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