Behind the mermaids were around ten males, who were trying to convince her to leave the clam alone.
The female, however, didn't seem to care, "I'm the most beautiful female here, he should be honored to gift me this clam. Go, tell him. Tell him I want this clam or I will not be happy! And you said my happiness matters more than anything!"
I have never thought I would be able to see such a female in my life. Madam was first, and now this one. I thought she was more like Michael, wanting to get her way no matter what. Gold had to close up my gaping mouth with his finger.
"What? Why are you all so silent?" The female finally noticed us, and her eyes landed on me first.
Her beautiful face turned into a frown. She was like a blooming flower that was suddenly stomped on, and the way she looked at me was like I was the one who stomped on her.
"Leader! You brought a new mermaid? Why didn't you tell me?" She walked toward us, leaving the males behind. Her walk was confident, her head held high. "If you had, I would have dressed up to welcome her! There are not enough females to bear the burden of making a new generation, so it's a good thing you finally decided to do your duty."
She skipped lightly over to Madam, her hands stretched out for her, but Michael's tail stood in the way, stopping her. The tip of it was like a blade, ready to pierce her if she dared get any closer.
She glared at Michael. "Leader, why are you letting him mistreat me? You don't let anyone treat me badly, and yet you are letting this male treat me like I'm an intruder?"
"Intruder? You are an intruder here, you rotten female," Michael hissed. "Get out of my sight before I pluck them out."
"I am Snowflake! The most beautiful and desired female here! My beauty has no equal! I am the New Queen of the ocean! You dare stand in my way?" she yelled at Michael.
I had to cover my ears and noticed the males also had to cover theirs. It summoned all the mermen in the vicinity, and they rushed toward the clam farm in waves.
"Snowflake," Gold finally spoke, and it stopped the female from using the sound waves. "Get back to the palace. Now."
"Not without the clam!" she crossed her arms, and her large blue eyes glared at the giant white clam she liked.
"You will not get it," Gold said, and she gasped, offended by his words. "Go back, before I return you to where I found you."
"NOOO!" The mermen protested, shaking their heads, and hands, "Please don't send Snowflage back! Leader, she is the most beautiful female! She will produce the most beautiful offspring! We can't lose her! Please, give her the clam. We will do anything!"
They came to kneel in front of Gold, thousands of them, begging on her behalf. They pressed their foreheads to the ground, their hands shaking as they pleaded.
I had never seen anything like it. So many males humble themselves for just one female. I wondered how it felt to be in her place. To be so loved and wanted by so many, and to be worshipped.
Snowflake puffed out her chest. "See? Even your mermen want to give me the clam. Why can't you?"
"I want the clam too," Madam suddenly spoke, and everyone froze. She didn't speak loud, but her voice carried far in the silence.
Snowflake turned to face her. "You? You want the clam?"
"Yes, I want it." Madam nodded.
"Then you can't have it," Snowflake replied, her mood changing instantly. "Let's play with it together. It's been so boring here, and all the other females are either pregnant or sleeping. I am the only one awake and bored."
Her anger was gone as quickly as it came. That's when I realized that she was sick of being surrounded by males and was making it hard for them on purpose. Because she was bored.
Michael covered Madam's mouth while Gold placed me on the ground.
"This is Little Miss," he introduced me to her. "You can ask her to play with you instead." He then tapped my back, making me move forward, toward her.
"Little Miss?" Snowflake looked at me, up and down, and then her face brightened. "You are so tiny! I can't wait to dress you up! You have the loveliest hair! It's so black, it will make my dresses pop! Come, let's go!"
She took my hand and pulled me along, her mermen following behind us. "I will get so many dresses for you! You will look like a princess! No, better! A queen! You will be a queen too!"
She giggled and hummed, very excited.
I looked back at Madam and the owners, confused.
Gold was beating up his males, for failing to keep her under control. "How could you let her wander off?" he asked, his voice cold as he grabbed their necks and threw them across the farm.
They all whimpered and begged for forgiveness, "But she is so beautiful, we wanted to make her happy!"
Madam and Michael followed behind Snowflake and me, leaving Gold to handle the mermen.
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Snowflake took me to her personal space, which was a part of the palace that was dedicated to her. The walls were covered in different fabrics and colors, and there was a large mirror that took up the whole wall. The floor was soft and had many pillows and blankets scattered around. Some were even hanging from the ceiling, like a canopy over a bed.
She had a large water basin that was like a pool, filled with water plants and corals.
"Come, sit with me," she pulled me to the basin and sat down at the edge, dangling her feet inside. "I've never seen a female with black skin. For how long were you kept in your cave?"
"Cave?" I sat down next to her, unsure of what she meant.
"Where you used to live before Leader brought you here," she explained. "All the females that came here were kept in a cave, deep in the ocean, where no one could find them. They said I was very special and that's why they kept me hidden. They said my beauty was too much for the world to handle."
Her eyes sparkled when she talked about her beauty, like she was proud of it. And she should be, I thought, she was indeed very beautiful.
"I...used to live in a circus," I told her.
"Cir...cus?" she tried to repeat, but couldn't say it right. "What is that? Is it a pretty place?"
"It is...colorful," I answered, remembering the tent, "and very...entertaining."
"Ooh, that sounds fun!" she clapped her hands. "We should ask Leader to take us there. I love to have fun."
"There will be lots of males there," I warned her, and her expression fell.
"Oh," her interest was gone. "No fun then."
I felt bad for ruining her mood, so I tried to lift it up, "But you will get lots of attention. You will be the star of the show.... Everyone will want to see you, and...and they will cheer for you."
That was the most I could say to make her feel better. It seemed to have worked, because she smiled again.
"Let's recreate the circus! We can make the males perform for us, and we can be the judges! Whoever does the best will get a kiss from me! What do you think?"
I immediately shook my head. I didn't want to be the one to judge the males.
"Right, who would want to kiss them anyway?" She changed her mind on her own. "We will give them something else, like a pat on the head, or a nice word, yes? That will make them try harder."
Madam and Michael sat on the pillows behind us. Gold showed up soon after and took a seat as well. They were talking about something, but I couldn't hear them over the splashing sounds Snowflake was making with her feet.
"How many mates do you have?" Snowflake asked me, making me look at her.
"I don't have..." a pain in my back made me flinch, and I looked over my shoulder, "Any..."
I barely finished my sentence when my surroundings changed, and the last thing I saw was Madam and the owners rushing toward me.
The next moment, a large hand grabbed my neck, squeezing the air out of my lungs. It was hard to breathe, hard to see, and hard to think. But I knew the hand didn't belong to any of the owners, nor Madam.
Yet, it still felt familiar.
I was back.
Back in the circus.