Nimuena

In the depths of the ocean lives a faery called Nimuena, and a very powerful faery she is. She was beautiful, but her eyes are distant and sad. She has the tail of a mermaid and a unicorns horn. This horn is like an antenna, receiving psychic signals and knowledge from the world. She sits on a rock under the water, holding a globe of despair, and looks out longingly into the dark depths of loneliness that the ocean holds for her. She was not always so sad and lonely though, her tale is one to be told. So we shall start from the start.

Nimuena was born into the ocean like a thought, seemingly appearing out of nowhere but really spawned from the environment around her. She had no mother or father but the ocean itself. She was happy, and mischievous. She would wait on the very edge of the shore for any unsuspecting travelers who made their camp. And when they were asleep she would drag them into the labyrinth of Faery. She would delight in watching them try in vain to escape, and, when they were so close to the exit, she would turn the maze around so they would find themselves at the start again. This was how she past her time. Soon she was known to humans as the queen of the labyrinth. This was not, of course, true. There was no ruler of the Faery maze. Although Nimuena played a large part in its existence.

As is the case with most beautiful, humanoid faeries Nimuena soon fell in love. While she was hiding beneath the waves she caught sight of a handsome man, with long dark hair and fathomless eyes. She called to him from the ocean and he could no more resist her sweet voice than her beautiful face. Nimuena had disguised her horn and tail for him to notice her. Dressed in a frock the color of the ocean she danced with him till sunrise when they parted, but promised to meet again the next night. That day Nimuena took no prisoners, and tricked no humans. Instead she began to weave a dress out of the ocean and the sand, and the stars and moon in the sky. She planned to wear the dress on her wedding night.

The next night they met on the shore, Nimuena still disguised as a human, and went into the village. The man’s name was Dar’in. And he was as much in love with Nimuena as she was with him. They feasted and danced and talked till the sun rose, when, once again, they promised to meet the next night and Nimuena retired to her ocean home and continued to weave the garment.

And so it went on like this. Every night Nimuena shared her time with Darin and worked all day on her wedding gown. Until at last Dar’in asked Nimuena to marry him. And of course she agreed. There would be months of planning before it would take place so Nimuena spent all day, as well as night with Dar’in. Although one day a week she would disappear to the ocean and return to her true form.

Time went by. The wedding was to be on the beach. Dar’in had already invited all his relations and friends. When he asked why Nimuena had not invited hers she lied and said her family didn’t want to have anything to do with her after she left a few years ago. Really she had spent weeks on her faery invitations. She had invited all of her sisters of the ocean, And the most important faeries. She didn’t worry about most of the lesser faeries for she knew they would invite themselves anyway.

So on the night the sky and sea was filled with faery folk, all in invisible forms. But the most beautiful of all was Nimuena, in her dress of sea and sky. She shone like a star on that magic night. Dar’in didn’t think it was strange that she wore a dress that was humanly impossible to make, for he was too much in love to notice.

Although not all the guests were happy at this wedding. One of Nimuena’s sisters, Shaljin, was very jealous for she could not win love herself. She uttered a curse to Nimuena that was so ancient and terrible it slithered through the air like a serpent and befell itself onto her lips.

Nimuena was oblivious to this and the ceremony was performed as usual. Until the vows had been said and the couple lent over to kiss. But as soon as Nimuena’s lips touched Dar’in’s he turned to stone, and Nimuena to her faery form. With a cry of shock and dismay she leaped into the sea, where she still sits now. Sadly looking onto the past. The globe of despair she holds spawned from her sad thoughts. She is afraid to love again and will not talk to anyone, or return to the shore for the curse is still upon her lips.

The statue of Dar’in remains on the beach to this day. Every year people crowd around it and they tell the story of Nimuena, Queen of the ocean and the Labyrinth, who found her way to the center of the labyrinth of love but could not find her way back.