Ocean Song Beneath the Waves

(Here’s a bonus! Enjoy!)

Lockdown.

That’s the conclusion the king and prince came to upon their return. Prince Oceanus had made a beeline straight for the throne room as soon as they entered the palace. And he wasted no time in explaining Serena’s current situation to King Neptune.

Which leads to her current predicament. They decided that it was best to keep her confined within her room until such time as Calder summons her or comes up with an explanation for her presence here.

It’s been a day since then. As usual, Serena took her breakfast at the table on the right side of the room. Princess Arcelia joined her for breakfast and stayed for about an hour until she was called away by a servant.

Since then, Serena has been sitting upon cushions in the alcove window, watching the gardens outside. Not that there’s anything interesting happening there worth keeping her attention.

Aaralyn hasn’t had the time to show her around, busy as she is with her own palace duties. There’s also the matter of their being palace guards stationed outside her door to prevent her from leaving. Courtesy of Prince Oceanus, of course.

Serena’s lips work themselves into a frown as she racks her brain for a way to escape. If there’s no obvious way for her to return home as a human, then she should at least be allowed to go where she pleases. Sitting in a room all day with no one to talk to is maddening.

Serena’s gaze briefly flickers over every part of the window. It’s mainly comprised of intricate, curvy white grilles that form a lovely pattern across the crystal glass.

But her eyes abruptly stop upon a latch located between the two panes. It’s golden color attracting her eye as it catches the light filtering in from outside.

Then her hair floats into her face, and she suddenly remembers that she’s underwater. If she were to leave out the window, there’d be no cause for concern. She wouldn’t fall if there isn’t any gravity.

A wicked smile curls its way onto her lips as she unlatches the window and pushes them open. She turns back to face the doors; afraid the guards might come through and stop her. However, nothing happens.

And then she hears it. That familiar song, growing persistently louder. Yet the voice is familiar—sounding so much like her elder brother’s—like Rodion’s. But such a thing isn’t possible, and yet it compels her towards it.

She mindlessly leaves her room, darting through the water to follow that haunting song filled with such sorrow. And she doesn’t question it. Surely it must be her brother, no matter how impossible it seems otherwise.

And yet, she knows that she shouldn’t just idly follow disembodied voices. One would think she’d learn after the last time since that’s what landed her in her current mess, to begin with.

Though, she has no more control over her body. The song calls to her—its pain and sorrow reaching inside to dredge up her own variations of those feelings.

So, she keeps following the voice—wary of the danger, but desperate for the singer. After all, if no one else here will help her, then her family surely will.

This is significantly farther from where she had woken up three days ago. She had followed the voice at a preternatural speed that she hadn’t become aware of until she was standing before a seawall.

Serena tilts her head up—gaze tracing up the wall that seems to continue for miles.

She takes a minute to rack her brain. She vaguely recalls there being some kind of importance to seawalls.

Her brows furrow in concentration; eyes sliding shut as if that’ll help her remember. It comes to her. She opens her eyes—a memory of physical science coming to mind. Serena barely recalls her teacher mentioning something about seawalls being the division between land and sea.

So if that is correct, then this wall must be where the land begins. But she’ll still have a few miles to swim before she reaches the shore.

She starts swimming at a rapid pace—quickly scaling the wall like a torpedo cutting through the water. The light of the sun grows brighter and brighter the closer she gets until she reaches the top of the wall and vaults herself over it.

The water is a little shallower here, not that the nearby group of stingrays seem to mind. A few crabs scuttle about below her while an orange starfish slowly moves along the sand to her left.

There aren’t as many fish here, not like there is in the deeper parts. But then it would be strange if there were.

Her thoughts pause. The song grows louder, and she’s all but certain of it. For a moment, her thoughts deviate back to Aquaria and the royal family. She had been traveling for at least two or three hours and they’d probably noticed her absence by now.

Hesitation festers within her as she struggles over the decision to continue forward or turn back. If she keeps going she’ll be in all sorts of trouble when she returns, but if she goes back then nothing will change. They’ll still spend copious amounts of time trying to figure out how this happened, and she’ll remain locked away in her room.

Serena swims to the surface, peeking her head out of the water. She gazes at the shore, a single silhouette standing amidst the debris of a storm. Her family is waiting for her on those sandy shores.

And all that waits for her back there are strangers. She clears her head, focusing once more on the song. That’s what’s important right now. That other world has nothing to do with her regardless of the circumstances.

With this in mind, she dives back beneath an oncoming wave and continues towards her destination. If that voice really does belong to Rodion, then what could happen doesn’t matter. She needs to see him, consequences be damned!

She spends the next ten minutes darting in and out of the water to get a good understanding of how close she is. Eventually, she starts to run out of water. She now sits in the shallows, raising her head just a little to peer out the water. Her body barely touches the sand. Sealife, moving away to avoid contact with her.

Her gaze focuses on the shore and is nearly overcome by tears. Sure enough, the silhouette she had been watching so intently is Rodion.

Though, he’s seen better days. Her clothes are slightly disheveled and covered in a light layer of dirt or ash. The same substance coats his silver hair which appears to be a darker shade as a result.

His hands are shoved into his pockets—the last notes of the song fading from his lips.

She wants to get closer, but there’s not enough water to do so. And he’s still a good few yards away. Yet her heart beats erratically as a mirthful feeling spread through her.

Serena raises her body, cups her hands around her mouth, and shouts, “RODION!”

He had no intention of coming here—he didn’t want to. This place is nothing but danger and bad memories, yet here he is. Every overwhelming thought of Serena drove him to come here.

Rodion glares at the ocean steadily. What is there to love about this place? He can’t recall—it’s been so long since he’s even had a remotely positive feeling about the place.

Even now, he recalls the last time he had spent a full day here. Back when his mother still lived. That day they had lost her. The bright sky becomes darker, and the seas more turbulent as he recalls that day.

Serena had only been 4 years old, but even then, she had an intense love for the sea. A storm had been rolling in and their parents had been urging them to pack up to go home.

But no one was watching her, and Serena returned to the water without a second thought. The waves got stronger and they noticed Serena’s absence. Their mother called and called until her calls were answered with a high-pitched scream.

Their frantic gazes found Serena’s tiny form bobbing in and out of the water. Powerful waves dragged her under again and again while she flailed about.

Rodion’s throat chokes up as his eyes begin to sting. Briefly, he sees his mother’s form running across the beach to leap into the water.

She was the first to move and got to Serena within seconds—clinging to a rock to keep above the water. Their father moved in to pull them out while the four boys waited at the edge of the shoreline. Their father got Serena first, but their mother was pulled further out.

A shuddering breath escapes him, and his forehead feels damp. There’s a cold chill on his skin as though he can feel the winds from that day.

He saw his mother’s smile—like she knew what was to happen. She lost her grip on the rock, a large wave came, and then...she was gone.

Rodion sinks to the sand with a violent gasp. His heart squeezes painfully. He battles ceaselessly with the tears that threaten to escape—gaze focused on the sand he’s squeezing tightly between his fingers.

He can hear agonized screaming somewhere far away. Yet he quickly realizes that it’s his own. He forces his mouth shut to quell the awful sound and focuses on trying to calm his erratic heart.

He swallows thickly a few times to chase away the clog that’s formed in his throat.

For a moment, it doesn’t feel like he’s in his own body. Everything feels foreign and that tightness in his chest isn’t so noticeable.

In his mind, he can hear his mother’s voice. Urging him to be calm—a soft melody of her lullaby on her lips. He can feel the ghost of her hand, running up and down his back soothingly.

And the image of her gentle smile combined with her phantom touch serves to pacify his agitation.

He takes a few deep breaths, willing the emotions away. He regains control of his body and pulls himself back until he’s sitting on his knees.

A strange sense of calm settles over him. He stares blankly at the sea. It’s been days since he’s been this calm.

“Dammit,” he mutters as he stands up—dusting the sand from his jeans. I can’t believe I fell apart like that. He grimaces, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

He shakes his head and stands up straighter. He came out here for a reason.

He starts singing again—starting the lullaby from the beginning. He can’t be with her, can’t protect her wherever she is. All he can do is offer her this quiet lullaby wherever she may sleep. For her, he’ll chase away the nightmares to light the way for sweet dreams. And if death has taken her, then he shall pave her way with the light of this song.

The song ends, and a grimace remains. “I’m getting to be too damned sentimental,” he huffs. It’s not like him to behave like this, and a shiver runs across his skin. Despite his sharp words, a small smile comes to his face. It’s okay for him to be sentimental once in a while. He’s allowed to think of the good times with his sister no matter how painful it may become. What little light there is left he’ll grasp onto it and hold on for all he’s worth because after knowing it for so long there’s no way he can go without it.

Softly, Rodion says, “Rest now Rena, wherever you may be.”

“RODION!”

He pauses—wildly looking around for the source of the voice. Surely his ears are just messing with him, right? Or maybe...

He looks all around him but sees nothing. An irate scowl settles over his lips as a growl rumbles in his chest.

“That’s it! I need more sleep...” he grumbles, stalking away with tense shoulders.

He doesn’t even turn back when an audible splash—too large for a fish—comes from behind him.