After over a month of RP-ing on a forum, I've finally put the role-play into story form. The RP, Battle Royale Pichi Pichi Pitch, the link of which can be found in my profile, is the deciding factor on how this story will go, which is why there is going to be unusually timed updates.
Here's the prologue, and enjoy the story.
"I solemnly swear, on my divinity and blood, on my people and my kind, to protect this world and fulfill my most sacred duty, to the utmost limit of my ability."
Lucia, blonde and blue-eyed in her mermaid form, repeated the lines of the sacred oath after Aqua Regina, her hand dutifully clasping her pink necklace. Inside, her pearl pulsed with resounding light and energy as she spoke each word, seemingly getting even brighter and brighter with each line.
The regal woman smiled down at the Mermaid Princess. "With heart," she announced, "I relinquish my throne of power to the princess of mine blood." Her hands reached up and removed the silver tiara encrusted with jewels and held it out with her hands. "By the Fates' power, I crown you the Ocean Queen."
Lucia's crystal blue eyes moved over to the three misty figures in the corner of the room, surrounding a glowing crystal sphere. She looked over to her beloved husband Kaito, smiling encouragingly beside the rest of the seven Mermaid Princesses and steeled her resolve. She lowered her head to the older blonde, repeating the words that had been drilled into her mind by the queen for the past few hours. "This one solemnly accepts the throne."
Aqua Regina lowered the bejeweled tiara onto her head, and once the fine silver touched her blonde locks, power thrummed through her form, turning her to her idol form. Her long blonde hair fell in golden waves down her back, her dress vanishing and replaced by a long, powder-blue gown identical to the one Aqua Regina wore. A thin, gauzy blue sash appeared around her arms, cascading smoothly to the floor.
"Aqua Regina," the former queen announced, her voice loud and echoing around the room. "This power I bequeath to you, from predecessor to successor, from one queen to another. My regime ends thusly, and here yours shall start. My queen, thy servant bows to you!" She released the tiara onto her head, stepping back and sinking into a low bow.
Lucia looked up, exhaling shakily, and she stood straight. With ribbons of light, Aqua Regina's golden staff appeared into her hands and she slowly walked towards the throne of the Ocean Queen. Unused to the light, airy feeling that filled her, she took careful steps to the throne and gently sat down. Steeling herself, she raised her staff to the sky and proclaimed, "So mote it be!"
The seven seas could feel the change of power to another's hand, and all across the oceans, mermaids sank into low bows in a show of respect.
Lucia's blue eyes flicked over to her friends and Kaito, and inhaled sharply. So began the reign of the next Ocean Queen.
Battle Royale Pichi Pichi Pitch
Years passed since the era of the Guardian Princesses, as Lucia and her fellow Mermaid Princesses were known as in the history logs. Soon after her ascension, the much-widely beloved queen set to work. Lucia as the new Aqua Regina began to start trying to re-introduce Panthalassans and Demons back into the marine world, slowly at first, while trying to balance out her new duties as the ruler of the oceans.
As she did her job, the years flew by. The Guardian Princesses were replaced with various successors through the generations, from good rulers to bad ones; from politicians to war-thirsty warriors. During these years, Aqua Regina succeeded in her goal, though not without much trial and error.
After so many years, she had done it. The Panthalassa Clan and the Demons were finally reunited with the sea, as they should be.
Not all was to be, however. The Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic steadfastly refused to accept the two races in society, and a wedge was quickly driven between them and the other kingdoms, who had welcomed them with open arms. One day, the Arctic started a massacre of the Panthalassans and Demons in their waters, making many flee. Those who had not, died at the hands of the Arctic ended up requiring more supplies to fuel their rampage, but when they asked the North Atlantic for aid, the green kingdom refused, shutting them away for their 'nonsensical' mass killings.
The Antarctic, with a bond so close to the Arctic that the kingdom's people were angered by the refusal, had no choice but to re-open old wounds from the time of the Guardian Princesses. The kingdom of purple started war against the North Atlantic, and in the midst of the battle, got the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean caught in the crossfire.
The Indian Ocean tried their best to recoil from the war, while the kingdom of light blue joined forces with their northern counterparts against the southern-most kingdom. The Arctic Ocean eventually joined the war to lend support to their southern sisters-in-arms. As a result, when the war ended, the Atlantic's people held deep grudges against those of the Arctic and the Antarctic, a hatred so deep-seated that time could not wash it away.
The North Pacific, ever the peacemaker, though maybe just because Aqua Regina was begging for them to help the others see reason, requested for peace talks to settle the conflict without violence — well, without further violence. Even as the kingdom of the pink mermaid tried — and failed — to settle the brewing war, the Indian Ocean was stirring up a storm.
Furious at being dragged into the middle of a war, the orange kingdom took up arms against the Antarctic. Unexpectedly, the South Pacific joined their orange counterparts in the war as well. Both kingdoms requested help from the Arctic, hoping that the northern-most counterpart to the southern-most kingdom could help against the purple kingdom, but to no avail, as the Arctic flatly turned them down, on the only grounds that the two kingdoms both accept Panthalassans and Demons in their society.
Unfortunately, the attempts on behalf of the North Pacific did nothing but worsen the condition of the impending war. The two halves of the Atlantic Ocean got involved in a full-scale war with the Antarctic Kingdom, with the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean caught in the crossfire, gladly joining forces with the Atlantic. As a result, the North Pacific, fearing the consequences of the war, retreated fully from it, residing in seclusion and choosing to remain neutral, not willing to lend support to any party that came for aid.
With no choice left, Aqua Regina had to intervene, stopping the war with her unfathomable power, and returning the situation to normal. The strained relationships between all of the kingdoms forced her to orchestrate peace talks, making the kingdoms sign treaties to maintain the barely there peace and ensure that wars would never happen again. Not during Lucia's reign, at least.
Not all was well and good after the peace was returned to the oceans. Everything had consequences, and Lucia was lucky to have even been able to stop the war in the first place.
The South Pacific rejected further Panthalassans and Demons from their society, straining the already tense relations with the North Pacific.
The Antarctic and the North Atlantic's relations became permanently strained, and the Arctic and Antarctic turned from merely hating the Panthalassans and Demons to straight out murderous, killing every one of them without care. However, the Atlantic kingdoms did just the reverse, opening their doors wide to those who sought refuge from the two kingdoms out of spite and not a little resentment.
The Indian Ocean returned to neutrality, but their welcome towards the Panthalassans and Demons dimmed, to the point of where it was total neutrality, as if no active encouragement of the acceptance of both races existed. Racism started festering, especially near the Indian-South Pacific border.
Only the North Pacific had suffered the least losses. The pink kingdom returned to mermaid society, though with a heavy wariness towards all factions. All were still welcomed, but they were always viewed with suspicion.
Battle Royale Pichi Pichi Pitch
Aqua Regina paced the length of her throne room nervously, her staff gripped in hand. Her long blonde hair flowed in smooth waves that contrasted starkly to her panic and the discord within her mind. The young woman chewed on her lower lip, deeply worried. The situation now was bad. Very bad.
From behind, a voice cleared their throat, making the sound echo eerily in the empty throne room.
The blonde jumped, then turned around. Once she saw who it was, her blue eyes locked with a shadowy mist that filled the room, and her grip on the staff tightened. "Please," she started wearily, "I need more time. The War just ended barely two decades ago — you can't expect the Princesses to be able to deal with its aftermath, run a kingdom, and save the world at the same time, can you?" she begged.
A voice snorted from the mist, cold and serious. "We don't have any more time to give you, Ocean Queen," it stated coolly, the low, though clearly female voice sounding impatient. "Evil rises, and it is already choosing and corrupting its avatars."
The voice changed, rising in pitch and changing in tone, turning sassy. "Them Princesses won't be able to do nothing now. We've picked our choice o' the Champions this time."
Another change, with a soft, sweet tone, and the lightest voice of all three. "As is tradition, we've chosen seven champions in our name."
Lucia physically slumped, trying to argue, but finding no words to express it. "Very well," she muttered, defeated. "There is no choice now, is there?" she whispered to herself.
The voice changed to the first one again, and said one more thing, the mist gathering around the base of the powder blue gown, "If you truly wish for your Princesses to be of use, they had better get their act together soon."
Aqua Regina watched as the mist vanished, and shaking, she trudged back to her throne, slumping into her seat. "And so… it all starts…" she whispered, holding her head in her hands.
Yes, Lucia, so it starts.
Now, this is the real start for the story. The end has yet to be decided for our future heroes, so if you want to see a change in the plot, join us at the RP forum!