Zell Vega

The compliment comes from nowhere, awkwardly making its way through the man's lips.

"Oh, thank you." I smile and accept the compliment with a graceful nod. "How has Duchess Lazurin been fairing?"

I tilt my head in confusion, eyebrows furrowing at his question. I knew mother was beloved by many nobles in the court and had many admirers, but to be as bold as to ask about her while in front of the Queen...

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't believe we've met before?" I asked with a bewildered smile, and he seems to catch himself.

"My apologies..." His eyes dart towards the Queen before looking at me. "My name is Nuidis Vulko, Vizier to the throne of Atlantis. You may address me as Vulko."

"Nice to meet you, Vulko." I say as I curtsy. 

"Well, I wish I could stay and chat, but the Queen was escorting us to our vessels."

I look over to the Queen, giving a subtle twitch of my brows to indicate that I would like to exit from this awkward conversation. "Ah, yes. Unfortunately, you've caught us at a poor time, Vulko."

I nod in agreement and smile regally.

"However, I'm sure the princess would be fine with a little extra time to view the recruits' sparring sessions." I do a double take and give a baffled look at the Queen.

What is she doing???

She looks at me with an amused grin and I scream internally at the sudden betrayal. What's going on right now?

Vulko looks at me, hopeful while still maintaining a degree of stoicism. "Of course, I would be honored to attend...along with Princess Mera."

She shoots me a glare. "I didn't–"

"Well then, it's settled. We'll meet here after classes end." The Queen interrupts, and Mera mirrors what I had been feeling prior.

It made me feel reassured to have company. Vulko's first impression was a bit unsettling. Though, from the Queen's insistence, he may not have meant for it to be so.

I feel a nudge on my shoulder and look next to me to see Princess Mera with a candid look in her eye. "I'm going to get you back for that."

She said so— as sure as her hair was copper red. I held back my remark, holding back a smile from her. 

Best not to push her further.

.  .  . 

The next day, after classes, the Queen leads us to the training hall. Entering, we notice that recruits are seated while two others stand at the center of the room.

They acknowledge each other with a bow.

"Begin!" Vulko's voice booms through the room, causing me to jolt slightly, and the two recruits begin to fiercely spar with each other. 

It was hand-to-hand combat. The two warriors carefully throw attacks and dode with trained precision.

As the blonde haired one swings to attack, their brunette opponent lifts their right leg to attempt to kick. Narrowly, the brunette's adversary blocks the kick with their left forearm.

Blonde hair backs away to regain some space, but is followed relentlessly. They circle each other— like true predators and launch towards each other once again.

The both of them seemed to be easily matched, so the winner of the fight wouldn't be easy to determine. The fight held all of my attention, my breath hitching at the sight of a minor slip up as it would be the determining factor of the victor.

The brunette slips, sending me to the edge of my seat as the blonde goes for the kill.

The brunette quickly turns and pins the blonde under them, a large thump as their bodies crash onto the matted floor.

It was a feint!

Realizing that physical attacks weren't going to get them anywhere, the brunette resorted to out-thinking their opponent.

The match was finished and after giving pointers to both of his pupils, Vulko proudly walks up to the three of us. Queen Atlanna is the first to speak.

"That was an excellent match, Vulko. I see that your students have improved greatly since I was last here."

Vulko bows. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Pearl and Nilkis have been eager to learn and even more so to properly serve their homeland; so have the rest if the recruits.

"I was sure that the brunette would fall after that move. Never thought that I would be happy to be wrong."

"Thank you, Princess."

Lastly, Vulko looks towards me, awaiting my opinion on the fight. 

"I've never seen anything like it before. I've only ever seen the siren knights of the duchy spar, and they don't have usually fight with...legs. It was an excellent fight, truly."

Vulko smiles proudly and bows towards me. "You flatter us, Princess." 

I open my mouth to say more, but stop myself. 

I'd seldom sought out anything for my personal interests and yet, the thought of learning to fight like the Atlanteans do, intrigued me to no end.

How would I bring up such a selfish request? The Queen notices my contemplation and nudges me.

"Is there anything more you would like to say, Princess Leora?"

My gaze flits from Queen Atlanna to Vulko, before steeling myself to ask. 

"I'd hoped if there was a possibility that I could learn to fight like the recruits here?" Vulko's mouth opens slightly as he stares at me, at a loss for words before excitedly accepting.

"That could be arranged. I would be honored to teach you."

He looks to the Queen, eyes sending a message I don't quite understand.

.  .  .

"Hurry up, Ora!" Amara shouts at me as we swam towards tonight's meeting place.

After returning home from classes, I bid my time until mother was asleep. I would frequently sneak out of the estate to join my siren friends.

Amara is the daughter of the Ambassador of the Fishermen Kingdom. Her mother is the director of our school. We've been friends since we could talk.

"Shut up, Amara!"

She was also the only one of the few people I could be real with.

"Don't get mad at me when you know you're slow!" She smiles, relishing my annoyance.

"They should be around here somewhere..." Amara spots the other sirens, and we swim over to them.

After settling on a bed of coral, Amara calls for our attention.

"Watch this!"

Amara begins to sing, a harmonious melody erupting from deep inside her. The song is carried by the currents, coaxing sea creatures from their coral homes.

The fish dance in uniform, hypnotized by Amara's song. They form intricate patterns and do flips and turns when commanded. The singing stops and the fish pulled from their daze, quickly swim away to their homes.

The group applauds Amara, and she turns her head with a smug smile.

"My mother taught me that today!"

Amara had always been a natural when it came to her siren abilities. I, on the other hand, often needed help to hone my talents.

Seeing how much better she was than me formed a heavy weight of jealousy on my heart.

"I bet you wish you could do that!"

My eyelids lower at her. "Don't get a big head!"

I playfully shove her and suddenly. The atmosphere gets tense, chills running up each of our spines on instinct.

We quickly look around and see nothing until there it was, heading towards us.

"Shark!"

Another member of the group shouted as we dove out of the way. It narrowly misses us, its tail swatting Amara on the arm.

It circles back, its jaw ready, sharp teeth shaking us to the core. It misses again and as it readies to attack once more, I shout at Amara.

"Amara, do something!"

She yells back, voice cracking with fear.

"I can't! I'm too...I–"

Sirens had to maintain a level of composure when singing otherwise the song would be jumbled and off key. For a beginner like Mera, in a situation like this, there was no way she was singing.

The great white shot forward, sensing Amara's fear as it headed towards her while she squeals out notes, attempting to sing.

"Focus, FOCUS!"

I say as I close my eyes and remind myself of my lesson with Queen Atlanna.

"Breathe..."

My hands snap forwards and I breathe out, encasing the shark in a ball of currents. Amara immediately gets out of the way and my magic wavers.

The shark is released, looking to catch the closest prey...

Mother seemed conflicted that I was given the chance to become one of Queen Atlanna's disciples. It was jarring. Usually, she would have been elated to hear that I got this opportunity.

I shifted uncomfortably as I sat in the Lazurin Duchy's transport ship. Mother, of course, was busy with the management of her businesses in the city and the welfare of the Duchy.

I made a mental note to apologize on her behalf as I adjusted the tiara on my head. The queen had given me a brooch with the Atlantean royal crest to show the guards at the castle gates.

After showing them, I was personally escorted by two other guards towards the east wing of the castle.

As I glided through the ivory halls with them, I notice how different the architecture is compared to the castle in the Fisherman Kingdom.

It opted for a more sleek, modern design with white marble floors and art etched subtly into the walls. At the Fisherman Royal Palace, everything was in your face-everything being drowned out by the extravagant, gold decor.

Fisherman royalty regarded gold highly and as such, have it everywhere; on the walls, on the floor, in their rooms, even what they wear.

The Caerulius family, however, was always known for their simple elegance, using only small details of gold in their pieces. The halls of the Atlantean castle reminded me of home, I suppose, and it served to alleviate my nerves a bit.

We finally reach the east side of the palace where the Queen is already speaking to someone in the castle gardens. The colored fluorescence of the flowers served to give her white dress an ethereal glow.

The Queen spoke to the red haired girl who had attended the gathering yesterday with King Nereus. Her name was Mera, and she had also been learning sorcery under the Queen.

I was older than her, however, she had experience with the subject and thus, the bigger advantage.

The queen looks over and smiles, thanking the guards before dismissing them to their previous posts.

I bow towards her.

"Greetings, Queen Atlanna. It is my regret to inform you that my mother will not be joining us today." "Raise your head, Princess. I'm sure we have many other opportunities to meet."

I raise my head and look at Mera. She wore a teal colored dress, decorated with white pearls. Her hair seemed to be an even more intense red as it drifted against the light from the flowers in the garden.

She gives a slight bow as she introduces herself. "Princess Y'Mera Xebella Challa."

I do the same. "Princess Lelazora Euphonia Caerulius." I smile at her, hoping to make nice. "You can call me Leora or just Ora." She nods and smiles back. "You may call me Mera."

She stared at me, eyes darting to the fins at my ears to the tail that swung below. She catches herself staring. "Sorry for staring, Princess."

"It's alright. Fishermen aren't common in Xebel or Atlantis, much less a siren."

I couldn't blame her for staring. Sirens were quite foreign and "exotic" as most would advertise.

"Mera has been studying under me for almost two years now." Two years was a large gap between Mera and I...

The Queen notices my anxiety and reassures me. " I have no doubt you'll be able to make up for lost time. Shall we begin?"

She smiles and turns to lead Mera and I to a gazebo at the center of the garden.

We are both seated across from the Queen as she begins, her silver trident laying against the wall of the gazebo behind her.

"Today, we'll be going through the basics; breathing, control, and manifestation." At the mention of breathing, I am reminded of what happened the other night and take a sharp breath.

"Remember to breathe in when pulling and exhale when pushing. Breathing holds a part in controlling your powers and water. It affects your form. Start with this exercise, pulling and pushing the water while breathing at the same rhythm."

Mera starts, her eyes closed as she breathes in and out, the light current synchronizing with her breathing.

I follow her lead and shut my eyes. Pull and inhale, push and exhale. I tell myself as I take a deep breath. The currents are shaky in their intensity at first, but it later synchronizes with my breathing.

"Good. Remember to relax the body. We want to be able to move fluidly."

Moments pass as we breathe with the currents. The anxiety from before is a memory as I feel finally relaxed.

"Now, Mera, I need you to be my example." "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Create an orb using this technique."

I look at Mera as she cups her hands out in front of her. She breathes calmly as the currents circle in front of her, becoming stronger as they form the small orb of air in front of her.

"Make it bigger." Mera expands the ball of air. "Alternate from big to small."

The orb grows and shrinks continuously.

"Good job, Mera. Now, Leora."

Mera's ball of air disperses, and she opens her eyes to look at me. They both were now waiting for me to start.

I shut my eyes and remember the breathing exercise from before. Holding my hands in front of me, I bring the currents in.

"Good, now alternate" I continue my breathing and visualize the ball of air growing and expanding before shrinking and compressing.

"Slow your breathing."

I do as the Queen asks. Everything goes well until the memory of the night before flashes in my head-the night when I'd lost control. The currents waver as my body becomes more rigid.

The ball of air disperses.

"You hesitated. What happened?" My hand twitches up to the gills at my neck as I looked at Queen Atlanna.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty...I was fearful I would lose control like before..."

She puts a supportive hand on my shoulder while looking at me with a motherly gaze. "I don't doubt you, Leora, so neither should you. Be confident in yourself..."

I nodded at her, my lips thinned from uncertainty.

.  .  .

"That should be all for today."

Mera and I rise from our seats after her and bow. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Mera and I thank her, and she eyes me with an expectant smile.

"This is only the beginning, Leora. I expect good things from you—from both of you."

She smiles at Mera and offers to escort us to the castle gates. We graciously follow and on the way, we hear the clattering of steel against steel and collective shouts.

Looking through the spacious room, I see a group of Atlanteans spar with each other while a single one observes them.

He notices the three of us at the entrance and calls everyone to attention, tapping his trident on the marble floor.

"We are in the presence of the Queen!" The entire room moves to salute the Queen, and she acknowledges them with a smile.

The recruits are given permission to resume and the Atlantean man approaches the Queen, Mera, and I.

He greets the three of us before looking at me and awkwardly saying....

Today, dignitaries and royalty from remaining kingdoms come together to discuss their usual, boring drivel. Mother thought that it would be better to strengthen alliances with other members of royalty.

Funny, how the people of Atlantis find sirens to be so glamorous when the Fishermen see us as fearsome monsters.

I stifle a yawn as my mother and I approached the King and Queen of Atlantis.

It was the fifth time in a row I had done so, and mother had sent me subtle glares to hold them at bay while in the presence of our peers.

"King Orvax, Queen Atlanna...it is the highest honor to meet your majesties again..." I formally greet the two monarchs of Atlantis.

The pair were polar opposites of each other. While the Queen gazed at my mother and I with a warm smile, her husband seemed indifferent to the both of us.

"It is our honor, Princess. You're stunning as always; just like your mother."

She looks over to mother, who's been standing next to me while I introduce myself. "You humble me, your majesty. I see Orm is also becoming very handsome; like his father."

The king looks at my mother and smirks. "Hopefully, he will make an even better ruler. I have some other guests to intend to. If you will excuse me..."

The king leaves us three, and I roll my eyes. "It seems he grew tired of the sweet talk."

I say in a yawn, and mother snaps to look at me. "Leora..." She emphasizes my name as she glares at me, jaw clenching slightly.

These days have been truly hard on mother. She's a duchess in charge of the Fisherman Kingdoms's only duchy of sirens.

Though my father was the king, I never expected him to pass down the position to me. He only showed interest when it suited him and unfortunately for mother, her daughter couldn't help but speak her mind.

Truly, I am tired of it; the politics, the fake smiles. I'd rather cut to the point. The thought of all this boring campaigning made me yawn once more. This time I held it at bay, before I gave mother a reason to explode.

"It's alright, Duchess. Her honesty is refreshing at this kind of event." Atlanna smiles at me like she does her own children; warmly and full of familiarity.

"Still, she is a member of royalty. She must learn to carry herself accordingly.."

My mother's always been a traditionalist. I haven't had the time to have fun or be normal since I was 8.

I was 13 now, older that the Atlantean Prince, and too clever for my own good as mother would often say.

Wanting to be away from the estate, I would sneak out and meet with the other sirens in the nearby town, which was why I wasn't able to sleep so well last night.

"Would you mind if I talked to her in private?"

Atlanna asks my mother and knowing her, she's probably thinking that the Queen would impart some sort of profound wisdom.

However, despite my expectations, she shockingly showed a slight hesitance before accepting.

"Not at all, your Majesty." My mother bows and gives me a worried, conflicted look.

"Come with me, Princess." I follow the queen as she leads me out towards the balcony, away from the party.

I notice a pair of eyes on me and look back to see a girl, younger than me, with bright red hair glancing at us as she stood by King Nereus.

Exiting the crowded room, the Queen breathes in fresh water. "Isn't it marvelous to get a nice breath of fresh water? You try it." I do as she says and breath in and out.

"Better?" She asks me and somehow, I feel like a slight weight has been lifted off my shoulders. "I think so..."

I couldn't help but think why we were out here on the balcony. Surely, it wasn't to breathe the water outside.

The Queen always struck me as peculiar. She was nicer and more genuine than the other nobles, dedicated and considerate—the model ruler.

I look up at her and am struck by her radiance as the fluorescent lights of the city color her features. She was truly beautiful. Enough to make me feel somewhat self-conscious of my own looks.

I've spent my entire life in the Caerulius Estate, and it always dawned on me—the part that I was to play.

My father, King Ricou, had always been a figure who spoke of peace and sharing knowledge with other kingdoms. However, he did not truly accept me as his daughter.

Though most of his ideals were in the right place, there was always this wall separating me from him. That wall being that I was a siren, something dangerous; an abomination.

And yet he had no problems flaunting our power to his peers. Ha, what a self-righteous hypocrite.

"You are stunning, Princess." The statement caught me off guard and I looked up at the Queen. "What?"

"You are the spitting image of the duchess. She must be very proud of you."

I was absolutely shocked, the only one who's ever called me that were other sirens and my mother. The comment came so abruptly that I sputtered for words to say.

"I-I....Your Majesty, I'm...I don't...You flatter me..."

"Raise your head, Princess. A member of royalty lead with confidence." I take her advice and straighten my back, raising my head to look at her.

"Now, how have your studies been going?"

She was truly a weird one.

"I have tutors at the estate who've taught me everything I know thus far. After that, I learned how to control my powers with Councilor Andredia..."

"And your sorcery classes? How do you feel about your tutor?" The queen asks me and I think to Tutor Palin, who would get angry at the smallest mistake.

"His teaching methods are...unique..." I joke with a wry smile.

Looking back at the queen, I see she is holding an orb in her hand. The surrounding water circles around, encasing a ball of air. "Would you consider learning under me, then?"

I've practiced sorcery like this before, but the way she held the ball in her hand was different. While I struggled to control the currents, she seemed to do so as if it were an extension of her very self.

I poke my finger out at the orb, the tip feeling the light nothingness of the air inside it. The orb disappears, and I retract my finger, looking at it before glancing back at the Queen with fascination.

"I've heard stories about your clan. The Caerulius' are said to have a proficiency in swordplay and sorcery, correct?"

"Yes, we take great pride in them." I say sourly as I remember the countless blunders I've had at practice.

"Give me your hands?"

I look up at her and hesitantly place my hands in her outstretched ones. She clutched them in front of us and closed her eyes. I follow her lead.

"Now...feel the surrounding water on your skin, in your lungs. Feel how it flows with the currents and bend it to your will. You are the force that shapes it to your design."

I try doing what the Queen did before and imagine an orb in between us. Slowly, I feel the similar pull of the currents between us. "Yes, continue like that."

I follow her instructions and hear a gasp. "Princess, this is...."

I remember the sensation on my finger, wanting to see it expand. Slowly, I feel the tickle of the water up my arms, followed by the empty, dry feeling of air as it passes over my gills.

"Hrrrrk!" My eyes snap open, clawing at my throat as the water escaped my lungs. I fall to the ground, no longer being supported by the water, coughing and gasping.

"Princess!" The queen gets down and holds me up.

I let go of the field and the water comes crashing down on us, the feeling of water entering my gills is a relief as I gasp in breaths of water.

The doors to the balcony slam open, guards coming to see what the commotion was. "Leora?!" Mother's face contorts with worry as she helps me up.

"What is the meaning of this, Queen Atlanna?" My father walks in, infuriated at the scene.

King Orvax and King Nereus look on with hard faces. Mother and the Queen help me up as I catch myself.

"Explain yourself..." Father commands, and Queen Atlanna apologizes. "My apologies, Your Majesty. My curiosity got the better of me. I'd wanted to test the Princess' sorcery for some time."

"...And were the results fruitful?" He looked on with curiosity, just as the others did. "Yes..." Her Majesty looked at me with a proud smile.

"It seems it was better than what I had hoped for. The princess is gifted with raw talent. I wish to nurture it personally."

She sounded so sure of herself, confident and poised with her head held high.

"Centuries ago, Atlantis was a vast and technologically advanced society that resided above the seas. Through greed and ambition, we were cast below, but gifted the ability to breathe underwater. While some devolved, others evolved. And so, the 7 kingdoms were founded: Atlantis, Valor, Xerbel, The Brine, The Fishermen, The Deserters , The Trench. And although the Kingdom of the Deserters is no more, it's blood still runs in the sirens, our people."

"Is that why we look different from the fishermen?"

My mother looked down at me with a smile. "It's also why we are gifted with our abilities. Metamorphosis, mimicry, the power of the voice."

"Father doesn't like it when I sing. We're not scary. Everyone in Lazurin is pretty nice, so why is he scared?"

"Sometimes people are scared of what they don't understand. That's why we have to exercise caution and train ourselves."

"If I do that....will I be able to sing to father?" I shift under the covers and a crease forms between my mother's brows. "Our voice gives us power, Leora. It is a gift and if your father doesn't accept that, then you shouldn't change to please him. Do you understand?"

My lips thin and I nod my head. "Yes, mother...."

"The moment you hide who you are from someone you love, you are ensnared in fear and self-doubt. Only keep people who will accept you for who you are around you."

"You need people who you can trust. The moment you look around yourself and are surrounded with people you trust more than anything—that is a feeling not many in the royal family have experienced."

She smiles down at me as she tucks a stray hair behind my ear.

"Have you ever felt that way, mother?"

She hesitates before smiling as she recalls the distant memory.

"I have...a very long time ago."

"I can't wait to make more friends..." I yawn. "Now, make sure to rest. We have early vocal training in the morning."

"Okay...mother..." I say, eyelids getting heavy.