Deejae looked up from her place on the bed and saw her mother standing in the doorway. She dried her eyes, knowing that shedding so many tears was not behavior befitting a princess. The queen entered the room and proceded to the side of the distraught princess. "What troubles you so, my child?" she asked.
The question was not an easy one for Deejae to answer. There were many things that disturbed her, yet she could not pinpoint exactly what the reason was for her tears. She considered her reply carefully, so as not to offend her mother. "I am not certain. Sometimes I feel as though there is another time and place where I should be. Nothing here seems to be familiar, even though I am told that I have lived here all of my life." She picked up the photograph that was on the bed beside her. Gazing at it once more, she aked her mother, "How is it that I know this man's name? I cannot even remember my own father, yet everything about this man seems so clear to me."
The queen was quite pleased with her "daughter's" reply. The time of initation for the crown princess was drawing near. She sought to reassure her that her feelings were normal. "It is quite reasonable that you do not remember your father, child. He was gone before you born into the Sirenian life. As for this other man, the one you call Matthias Jabs, he is destined to be your first lover. Your heart calls out to him. This is why you seem to know him so well. Do not worry, he will be here soon."
Deejae pondered the queen's words. How could her mother know that this man would be her lover? The thought of it reassured her, yet left her even more confused about her life. "You say that he will be my first lover. Does this mean that there will be others? How can you possibly know this?" she asked her mother.
The queen threw back her head and laughed at the princess's words."Of course there shall be others, my child. You are a siren. This is our way of life. He will come to you because he hears the call of your heart. Never has there been born anywhere in the universe a man who could resist the call of a siren. He will provide what you need, and then he will be gone. You will move on. There must be others. This is our way. It may seem confusing to you now, but when the time comes, you will Understand and do what you must."
Deejae had heard these words from her mother many times, yet they still made no more sense to her than they did the first time she heard them. If this man was to be her lover and provide what she needed, why should he have to go away? She wanted to ask this of the queen, but yet she remained silent, fearing that such a question would anger her mother.
Sensing the doubts in the other woman's heart, the queen continued, "I do not expect you to understand this all now. The time is yet too soon.Your feelings blind you to the truth. No one man can meet your needs as a siren. You must have many lovers. Without them you would wither away and die all too soon."
Deejae wondered if whether withering away and dying with this man at her side would be such a bad thing, but did not mention this. She supposed that she would eventually do as was expected of her. She was a crown princess, destined to become queen herself one day. She knew that she must fulfill her responsibilities as such.
"I did not come here to speak of these things," the queen told the younger woman. "I came to bring you a gift." She removed a long black velvet box from the pocket of her gown and offered it to the pricess. "This will be used in your initiation ritual. You will not yet understand its purpose, but you will in time.It has been crafted especially for you. Open it at your leisure." With those words, the queen left the room.
Deejae stood staring at the box in her hands. She wanted to open it and peer inside, but somehow feared seeing its contents. She slowly lifted the lid. Inside the box was a dagger. She ran her finger along its blade. It was cold and hard. The brilliant gold plating did nothing to dull its razor sharpness, the princess discovered as she saw the tiny droplet of blood upon her fingertip.When her gaze reached the hilt, she felt a slight stirring of fear within her heart. It was also crafted of brilliant gold, diamond cut in the shape of a creature that the princess recognised to be a scorpion...
