Ocean Song Beneath the Waves

Two weeks have passed since the arrival of Prince Alankar of Mandara. Naturally, his sudden arrival sparked quite an uproar amongst the servants as they raced about to prepare suitable accommodations. However, Prince Alankar didn’t care in the least. As far as he was concerned, he fulfilled his obligations and simply waited for a response to the message he bore. Now, the only thing he seems to care about is...

“Is...there any particular reason that you come seeking me out each and every day?”

He flashes a smile and proceeds to swim closer until he is swimming beside her. “Lovely Serena, do I need a reason to gaze upon your beauteous visage whensoever I please?” Again, she is thrown off by his blunt flirtations and it is clear as to how vastly unfamiliar she is with such treatment. When everyone treats you like the plague like those in high school or possesses a personality like Prince Oceanus’s when they first met, you tend not to know how to handle it when someone openly flirts with you and desires your undivided attention. As far as she’s concerned, this is uncharted territory that seems dangerous to traverse with as little knowledge of it as she seems to have.

“Again, is there a reason that you come seeking me out every day?” She tries her best to ignore her current situation as she keeps to her present destination.

Prince Alankar sighs as he swims into her peripheral vision. He pushes his dark hair from his face, somehow managing to make even that action seem almost sexual. “I am drawn to you. Your presence alone stirs my innermost desires into a frenzy that leaves me with naught save thoughts of you.” Serena rolls her eyes as she turns the corner to pass through an empty corridor illuminated by magic glowing balls of light.

Another turn has her in the hallway containing the portraits of the royal family. She passes the portrait of Prince Oceanus’s and Princess Arcelia’s mother to proceed into the Queen’s Chamber of Stars. Any effort she made to try and shake off the Mandaran Prince ended in failure which left her little choice but to bear his presence in order to keep to her timed meeting with the Aquarian Prince.

“You are late,” he says impatiently as he turns to her with a sharp look in his eyes, but that lasts for but a few seconds before his gaze focuses on the intruder that followed her into this room. “And you are not supposed to be here.” His tone is sharp and clearly displeased as he glares at Prince Alankar with irritation evident within his stone gaze.

“I merely wished to keep company with this lovely Siren. Had I known she was to meet with you, well...” He trails off as he flashes the irritated prince a mischievous smirk. “I would have taken her elsewhere to sing songs of love.” Though he’s clearly amused, the same cannot be said of the Aquarian Prince as he struggles to maintain a calm façade in the face of another kingdom’s Prince.

“I would ask that you leave Alankar. This place is forbidden to those not of the Aquarian royal family.”

Prince Alankar’s eyes widen in mock surprise at this as his voice takes on a dramatically surprised tone. “Is that right? Then am I to believe that this sea flower is Aquarian royalty?”

Prince Oceanus’s gaze suddenly turns to ice that causes a shiver to run up Serena’s spine as though the very air around her had suddenly grown cold. “She has my permission to be in this room. You do not,” he says coldly as Prince Alankar puts his hands up in surrender with a sigh slipping past his lips that are still upturned in that ever-present smile of his.

“Very well, Prince of Aquaria. I did not come to worsen relations between our kingdoms so I shall leave in respect of the royal family of Aquaria. Though, once outside of this room, the Siren is fair game, yes?” He asks with a grin as Prince Oceanus scowls and flashes an irritated look in the Mandaran Prince’s direction. “Fine, fine. I shall be leaving your company now my dear Siren, but know that I shall see you later. Hopefully in more...cheerful company.” And with that, he leaves the room before Prince Oceanus can say anything further. Not that he’s going to, seeing as he’s contented himself with inward seething over having to deal with such a womanizing merman.

“Alright Prince Oceanus,” she begins as she fully turns to him after Prince Alankar’s departure. “What is it that you called me for?”

He studies her for a moment as she does him. His gaze lingers on the unique patterns of her tail before tracing back up to gaze into a pair of mysterious eyes the color of the sea. They stare at him patiently with an inquiring glint that somewhat urges him to speak and reveal to them the reason for summoning her. Then, he blinks. Once, twice, and his eyes remain closed for but a second before he opens them again whilst managing to wipe any trace of emotion from them.

“I have news from Calder. It regards a few humans that may be of interest to you.” Serena appears thoughtful at first before her eyes briefly widen in surprise.

“He must be referring to my remaining brothers on land! Has something happened to them?!” She asks urgently as that same foreboding feeling falls upon her as it did in Nautica.

Prince Oceanus releases a sigh as a glimmer of sympathy briefly flickers within his eyes before being replaced with something a little more apathetic. His gaze remains as such as he opens his mouth and says, “Three humans resembling yourself and your brother, have gone missing from the surface some few moons ago. Unfortunately, Calder is unable to locate them as their presence has all but vanished.” Serena’s mind goes blank as she processes this information. Three people can’t just up and vanish! Surely they must be somewhere! Maybe Calder just overlooked something... Her mind races with all kinds of reasons as to rationalize the thoughts blazing through her brain but the more she tries to do so, the more reality sets in with the irrevocable logic that, Calder, in all his power, has never made a mistake in the time that she’s known him. This realization makes it clear to her mind that her brothers really did disappear and Calder really is unable to find them. As soon as these thoughts are clear in her head, she feels a sting in her eyes as a shriek and a sob tries to wrench itself from her throat.

“So...they are just...gone,” she says slowly as Prince Oceanus remains silent.

He waits a few moments more for her to compose herself as best she’s able before continuing. “I would rather you explain things to your cantankerous brother. Seeing as his ill-tempered behavior makes it thoroughly difficult to assemble any kind of dialogue between the two of us, I would rather avoid it if it is not imperative I converse with him.” Serena nods, albeit a bit numbly, before rushing to change the topic to something that would take her mind away from the things that’s happening around her.

Serena, having somewhat recovered from the news, releases a small chuckle possessed of what little amusement she could gather from within. Admittedly, the Prince finds that he knows not what to make of it. Usually any interaction with her was void of such expressions and sounds, but he finds that...he doesn’t necessarily dislike the sound. Then there’s the other matter eating at him as he recalls the other information that Calder’s message entailed.

“Oh and before I forget, do stop being such a crab and tell Serena about that special little ability that all merpeople possess, but do not use,” said Calder as he sent a pointed look the Prince’s way through the magic orb sitting before him. “It may not be safe for her and her brother in the sea, but at least on land Proteus exercises little power.”

He, however, wasn’t the least bit convinced. After all, it’d be pretty troublesome if something were to happen to the pair that would only succeed in empowering Proteus.

“Oh, do not look at me so! I am quite certain the poor girl misses the world she grew up in, and you have done little to make her feel welcomed in the palace, other than getting over your attitude in order to understand her!” His sharp words caused the fins that are his ears to twitch as they took notice of the sudden change in the sorcerer’s tone.

“You will forgive me my reservations if I choose to withhold such information. My first and foremost concern is the safety of Aquaria and her people. Should Proteus get his hands on those two there will be hell to pay,” he said sternly as Calder rolled his eyes with an unconvinced look on his face.

Suddenly, his face erupted into a mischievous grin as Prince Oceanus suddenly put up his guard. The Prince didn’t miss the accusing tone amidst Calder’s amusement as he said, “Or could it be that you are worried about Serena going to the surface without protection? Have you begun to develop some affections for her?”

A sharp glare and an annoyed tone are what greeted Calder as the Prince harshly said, “Do not be foolish Calder. I bear no such ‘affections’ for her. I do not wish for my kingdom to perish because of my own failure to keep them out of Proteus’s grip.”

Calder sighed as he resumed his earlier expression with a heated glare. “Fine, fine! Just inform her! Send guards with them if you must, but tell her! Otherwise I shall be taking your voice for the duration of several moons!” And with that, he orb was gone and the conversation over.

“Prince Oceanus?” He’s suddenly brought forth from his thoughts to find that Serena has moved closer and is peering into his face with a confused look in her eyes. “Are you alright?”

It takes him a moment to gather himself. He doesn’t typically delve so deeply into his mind when he is in the middle of a conversation but the subject that he’s planning to broach did require such though, may hap when he didn’t have company.

“I am fine. Merely lost in thought,” he says dismissively before releasing an inaudible sigh, preparing himself for what’s to come next. “Calder has asked that I inform you of an ability we have that you should be able to utilize.” She stares at him silently, waiting for him to continue with an earnest flicker in her eyes. “We have the ability to walk upon land by trading our fins for legs, but only for a few hours at best.” Her eyes widen at this.

“You mean, I could have gone to see my brothers any time I wanted and you never thought to tell me before now?!” That wasn’t a pleasant sound. He briefly cringes after that brief shriek her words developed towards the end of her sentence. Just imagine if she figured out how to use the full power of a merperson’s voice... It hurts his ears just to even imagine such a thing!

“Yes, but I need not remind you that your life was, and still is, in danger. You cannot just go whensoever you please, especially not without the appropriate protection.”

“Alright then. It seems a small price to pay to be able to go home for a little bit.” The smile on her face is bright with joy, but somehow he finds that he’s not quite pleased with where that joy is directed. “So can I go tomorrow then?!” She asks excitedly as her expression brightens even more like a small child receiving a gift on her birthday.

“I suppose. I shall need to assign a guard to you first.” And with that, her plans have been set. She finally gets to go home tomorrow, and hopefully find some trace of her missing brothers...