Ocean Song Beneath the Waves

“It was January 16th of 1497,

The seas were tumultuous with the cries of the anguished and those of the damned. The humans had invaded Aragonite Lagoon, the gathering place for the denizens of Vilmaris, Mandara, and Zivaria. The three kingdoms that made up the Aqueous Alliance. The attack came without warning, for the lagoon was a closed off space save for an underwater passage that reveals itself with the lowering the tide. The humans had managed to scale the surrounding mountain armed with their deadly weapons that they fire from a distance. They also carried nets, for the whole purpose of capturing us.

Amidst this chaos, I stood with my husband, King Neptune. His facial expression was grave, and his eyes held a seething rage to them. Never had I seen such a look upon his face, but the horror brought about by the humans instilled such an effect.

Suddenly, the beauteous visage of the Vilmarian Queen came into view. “Neptune! You have arrived at last!” Her trident already carried upon it the blood of her enemies that had dared to draw near, and yet her crown still sat atop her head untouched. Her eyes held a fierce fire that promised vengeful fury upon the humans that dared to attack.

My husband spoke, with rage seeping into his tone. “Normally I would not respond to your summons, but I would name this a special case,” he murmured gravely just as a shield of water suddenly rose up to stop a rain of deadly metal balls from hitting us. A shield, created by Queen Amphitrite who was blessed with the powers of the ocean.

“Nor would I call upon you were this not the case,” she spoke in amusement despite our current situation. The screaming deafens my ears, and my gaze is drawn to the sight of unarmed merpeople trying to force their way through an entrance that is not big enough for such a large group.

In the distance I could see another merman making his way over to us. I had not seen him until now, but this dark-skinned man was the Zivarian King, Khnum. “Thalassa, our peoples are unable to escape the lagoon! The size of the entrance is hardly capable of getting everyone out of the lagoon!”

Queen Thalassa’s face contorted into one of frustration as her gaze ran about the battlefield. The shallow pool of the lagoon hardly allowed us any room to swim about, and merpeople were climbing atop each other in an effort to escape the danger making its way into the waters.

One of the humans cried out, “Nab as many as you can lads! These watery demons will make us rich!” The humans surrounding him gave a loud cry of agreement as warriors of the Aqueous Alliance stand in their way with weapons drawn. Though our spears and swords hardly did much against those strange weapons of theirs’.

It was then that I turned to my husband. “Neptune, there may yet be a way to get everyone to safety,” I explained as he turned to me to listen to what I had to say. “In absence of the Earth Warriors’ ability to move through space, Calder had explained to me that there should be a gateway somewhere beneath the lagoon.”

Thalassa’s eyes widened as recognition flashed across her features. “Of course!”

King Khnum, however, didn’t seem to know what it was that she had been thinking of as he asked, “What is it Thalassa? What do you know?”

Thalassa turned towards the middle of the lagoon as her gaze searched for something we could not see. “The remnants of Virgo’s magic flows through the lagoon. If we could somehow tap into it, we may yet have a chance.” However, then her facial expression became grim, and her lips dipped into a frown. “But given that we do not possess power over space, it may prove something of a challenge to open a gateway and direct it to a safe location,” she muttered softly before turning to look at me. “I will need your assistance. Meanwhile, Khnum and Neptune, you shall take care of the invaders.” Just then, a cry rang out as the pool suddenly started to turn red. It didn’t take much for us to locate the source. Unfortunately, it was not one of the humans that fell, but rather a young warrior haling from Vilmaris. “Pelagios!” Queen Thalassa cried out with anguish in her features as more warriors began to fall around him.

Neptune then said, “You must do what you must quickly my love. We will take care of things over there.” I nodded my head as I focused my attention on his soft features rather than pained expression on the Vilmarian Queen’s face. I had heard rumors that she could feel the deaths of her people more keenly than others, and I could not even begin to imagine the unbearable pain that must come with it.

Yet she doesn’t show it as she steeled her expression, and instead began to emit a soft amethyst light. A light that expanded to reach every corner of the lagoon in search of the remnants of Virgo’s power. Though a question burned in my mind as to how Virgo’s power ended up here to begin with. From what I could recall of the legends, there was never any mention of Virgo coming to this lagoon. And Virgo would had have to have come at least some thousand years or so ago for the power to remain like this. The warriors have been absent for a very long time, and the kingdoms have been at war with another for centuries.

But now isn’t the time for questions and speculation.

“I have found it!” Queen Thalassa exclaimed just as a particularly powerful burst of energy surges through the lagoon. Though it was an energy I’m quite familiar with. Neptune had released the power of his trident to keep the humans at bay while King Khnum moved in with spear in hand to run through those that had been stunned by the attack if they hadn’t been reduced to ash. The carnage flowed into the water, and the sight of scales that had been ripped from flesh nearly caused me to gag. The lagoon had been thoroughly tainted, and it would never again be a beautiful vision of tranquility as it had been. “Aegaea!” Queen Thalassa cried out sharply as my vision is obstructed by a wall of bloody water. I watched as more of those metal balls hit the wall before it dispersed back into the water.

I quickly uttered out an apology. “Forgive me. Now is not the time to be lost in thought.”

“Indeed. You will have such time for that after we have quitted this place!” She moved to a far wall to the right of the entrance and raised her trident. “This had better work,” she mumbled fiercely as she slammed the trident down into the sand, causing a wave of water to splash out around it as a result. Once again she’d been enveloped in that amethyst glow as it overtook her trident and created a pillar of light. “Come Aegaea! I cannot do this alone!” I nodded my head as I moved forward. I hesitated to grab her trident as weapons such as these were considered of the greatest import to the rulers that wielded them. But one sharp look from her and I quickly wrapped my hands about the trident and closed my eyes to better call forth my own power. Although, I wasn’t prepared for the shock that came with it! The sheer force of Virgo’s power was enough to send me recoiling, but I maintained my concentration as the ancient warrior’s power tried to repel us. I definitely wasn’t strong enough for a task of this undertaking. Neptune would be more suited to such a task, but even I must admit that my battle prowess wasn’t exactly as excellent as I would have liked. And even my own magic wasn’t enough for what I had to do. If it were, then maybe I could’ve did something sooner to stop them.

If I had only known what I did now. If I had known Lord Aquilus’s hand in all of that. It took me eighty years to figure it out. Eighty years after the birth of my beloved Oceanus and young Arcelia. Maybe I could have prevented all of this from befalling my family... If I had just remained in the kingdom, then maybe I would have lived to save them."

“And then what? Why does it end there?!” Serena asks in shock as she flips through the pages to find the continuation, but the book gives her none. The letters never rearrange themselves, and so she’s left staring at a rather vivid illustration of Queen Aegaea’s death. “I only answered one question, but now I have so many more! This is ridiculous!” She mutters in frustration. Suddenly, the book snaps itself shut, causing her to jump out of her seat in surprise. She stares at the book before trying to open it again, but it won’t budge. It stubbornly remains shut before flying from her hands and disappearing amongst the shelves of books. Seeing this, she quickly exclaims, “Hey wait!” However, the book has already gone, leaving her to slump back into her seat with a tired sigh.

So even back then, Lord Hallmar was working for Proteus? Then what happened at the Aragonite Lagoon? And what became of everything after that? Yet, no matter how much she ponders on it, no answers come to mind. Her thoughts are just lost in a sea of questions with no answers in sight, and it frustrates her beyond all belief.

It’s then that Prince Oceanus emerges from the endless shelves of books as he fixes his stare on the mermaid languishing in the seat before him. “So this is where you have been,” he states casually as he draws closer.

Serena’s gaze flickers to him, but she remains as she is due to her own irritation at having so many thoughts running through her head. Her only saving grace is that Proteus seems to be busying himself with other things rather than deigning to disturb her mind once more.

Finally she says, “I did not expect for you to willing search for me on your own.”

A sigh escapes his lips. “Well, your brother is running himself ragged in search of you. Yet it never occurred to him to search here.”

“Hardly explains why you have come searching for me,” she sings numbly as she studies the strands of hair dancing in her face.

He clears his throat. “Ahem. Well, were you not the one to suggest we try to establish a friendship?”

A mirthless laugh slips past her lips as her thoughts suddenly turn to sadder ones, as they are wont to do. “So I did.”

“And yet you seem most displeased, and I would dare to say that it is not with me.”

“No, not you. I have...some things on my mind. Just an endless wave of questions that I cannot seem to find answers to.”

“Is that so?” He actually manages to express a little interest in his usually blank tone. “And what troubles you to the point where you have no energy to come at me with your usual wild spirit?”

She would’ve laughed at that question were it not for her current mood along with the added bonus of Proteus’s earlier disruption of her thoughts. Although her first instinct is to tell him about everything that’s going, she goes against it. Now wouldn’t be a good time to tell him of the Aquilus’s treachery or Proteus’s involvement in this wedding. Least of all the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death. That’d be a tough pill for anyone to swallow, and past interactions with the prince dictates that now would be an absolutely terrible time to spring all of this on him out of the blue. Especially with the wedding being in two days. Two days, that's all she has left to try and do something. But what? And why? That question has been gnawing at the back of her mind since yesterday, and the approaching date isn't doing her any favors. Nor is Prince Oceanus's sudden appearances. All things considered, she shouldn't even care. This isn't her world, these people don't concern her in the least, and the only reason she ended up down here was because of some stupid hallucination of her missing father! And yet... She does care, whether she wants to or not. She cares for this world, its people, and its troubles-troubles that happen to concern herself as well. Not that she's going to admit any of this to him of all people. Not after everything they've been through to reach this point.

So she decides to vent her annoyance with Proteus’s constant presence instead. “Proteus has been clinging to my mind like a bloodsucking leech for the last few days. His irksome voice leaves me with no peace, and I must constantly listen to his insults all day long!”

His expression hardens, and a flicker of rage dances in his eyes. It’s not a wonder either, given that Proteus is Poseidon’s brother, and a constant shame to the Aquarian Royal Family. Somehow they feel responsible for his current actions and the evils he would deliver on the sea and surface alike. Although it seems to be more than that for Prince Oceanus, who expresses the mildest of concerns for the wellbeing of the person in front of him. Try as he might, he cannot shake away these bothersome emotions that he knows not of. These are the kinds of things that he would usually go to his mother for, but that reminder alone leaves a bitter feeling in his heart. She’s not here, nor will she ever be again. Therefore he must try to work through the goings on of life on his own without anyone’s assistance.

And yet... His gaze almost softens when Serena turns her head to him after he suddenly falls silent. She stares at him with a curious look in her gaze that he would almost deign to call concern. This girl, who has caused him no end of headaches, makes him feel things that not even he understands. She’s always been something of a mystery, but now so more than ever. So that begs the question: What makes her so special as to have all of these things happen to and around her?

“Prince Oceanus?” Her voice disrupts his thoughts causing him to refocus his attention back on her. Now she has risen from her seat in favor of peering into his face from a bit of a distance.

He clears his throat once more and says, “Come. Your brother searches for you, and it will not be long before Arcelia sees fit to seek you out as well.” She nods her head and follows him, all the while allowing her gaze to dart across the shelves in search of something. In search of what? He’s not quite certain, nor does he ask. Something more bothers her, but she doesn’t see it as being necessary to explain at the moment, and so he shall not press the matter. Instead, they exit the library in silence and continue off down the hall.