Hi guys!I hope you like this story about our two favorite ladies...

The silver-haired woman tilted her head back and inhaled the rich smell of the salty ocean. The sounds of waves crashing on the ship were soothing, and birds were circling the air. Crossing her arms, the woman closed her eyes and felt at home. This is where she belonged. Out on the sea, with no distractions. Nothing could possibly ruin her mood-there were no maids or servants fussing over her, and no weight of ruling an entire kingdom by herself without a partner by her side.

She was in love with a boy once many many years ago…Joseph was his name, and her naïve young self thought that they would grow up and ultimately rule their land together. Instead, he used her, broke her heart, and left without saying a word. It wasn't until two months later that she realized she was pregnant, and it wasn't until five months later that she learned that Joseph had used her because he wanted to tell the kingdom that he had screwed the royal princess. Angry and humiliated, she hunted him down in the village, and set his horse free, causing him to have to do all the farm work manually. The pregnant young woman watched silently in the bushes as his mother boxed him in the ears. The horse had cost their family a fortune, and the mother was angry that Joseph had been so careless. The twenty-one year old felt guilt curl deeply within her, and settle itself in her stomach. She quickly returned the horse the following day, and never spoke to him again. She never was the same after that. She became distant, cold, and closed off from her people. There were few people who still were privileged to see the real woman behind the mask, and frankly, she had no problem with it.

And now, twenty-six years later, she was wealthy and was the queen of her own country, but there was something missing. The beautiful woman sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She was feeling old and lonely, but her icy façade had scared off any potentially suitors. Didn't matter…She was done with men. They were nothing but pigs who wanted one thing. She sighed and finally accepted the fact that she was probably going to be alone for the rest of her days.

"Mother, the celebration is about to start," a young redheaded woman in her late twenties gently shook her out of her musings.

"Thank you Caroline," she said, turning away from the side of the ship, "I will be there shortly."

Caroline beamed and walked down the ship's steps to join her husband. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they continued having a conversation with Cassidy and her husband. The woman watched their interaction with a hint of jealously, wishing she had somebody to call her own.

"A penny for your thoughts?" a voice asked.

The silver hair turned to the side, and the usually icy voice softened when she realized it was her long-time friend and confidant, Nigel. "No," she sighed.

"Come now Miranda," Nigel said gently. "It's your birthday, and you should celebrate."

"What's there to celebrate?" Miranda spread her arms out to the side, gesturing as she spoke, "I'm 47 and have nothing to show for it. My children are married with lives of their own, and I'm old with no spouse to speak of."

"First of all, you're not old," Nigel leaned against the railing, taking extra care in not ripping his new dark blue suit on a splinter, "and you're the mother of two incredible, beautiful, wonderful children. You've helped them become the women they are today. As for the partner thing, well what's to say that you're not going to find the perfect man out there someday?"

"I don't want another man," Miranda said through gritted teeth. She copied Nigel's position and rested her bare forearms against the ship's wood railing.

"You've dated twice since Joseph," Nigel commented. "Maybe try a new fellow?"

"I don't want to date a man Nigel," Miranda breathed out a large gust of air.

"Then perhaps a woman?" Nigel asked cautiously.

There was a pause. The salty air blew Miranda's short white hair around as she stared at the dark water below. It lapped gently around the ship's bottom, and she stared at it for a while before answering.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, a stout man who was on the poop deck yelled loudly, "Happy birthday Queen Miranda! I'd say that King Richard must be in a good mood today!" His words were slurred and he waved his right hand at her, which held an empty beer bottle in it. A sloppy grin was plastered on his face and he hiccuped noisily.

Miranda rolled her crystal blue eyes and looked at the inebriated sailor disdainfully. "Remind me next time Nigel…no alcohol."

"Yes Miranda."

He hurried away to fetch the drunk fool before he could make an even bigger spectacle out of himself, leaving Miranda to ponder the words that were crassly shouted at her. King Richard. The king of the merpeople. She scoffed, but couldn't help but peek over the edge of the railing again. Miranda stared once more down at the waves as if trying to make the sea spill its secrets, and then shook her head with a small smile on her face when the ocean revealed nothing.

"If there really was a King of Mermaids, then there certainly had to be a perfect match for me somewhere out in the world," Miranda said somewhat wistfully.

TBC...