"Are you ready, little brother?"
Lukas sweetly slid on the younger Prince's arm band. The gold band that firmly hugged his upper arm glittered against the sunrays that beamed into the water. Emil patiently waited as his tail bracelet was fastened, too.
His tail had just been polished yesterday, and he quietly admired the shining luster of his scales. He loved sliding his still a bit chubby hand over them when they were smooth and not so slimy. The eldest smiled gently as he finished adjusting the golden jewelery on his brother before resting his head against the other's.
The latter nodded assertively, his little cheeks puffed out and red. His brows were furrowed and he looked up at his brother.
"I'm big! I'm grown up! Of course I'm ready, Lukas!" Emil insisted.
Lukas exaggerated an impressed gasp before hiding an even wider smile behind his hand.
"And you're not even scared or nervous?" he questioned, beginning to lead the child out of the castle.
Emil squeezed Lukas's hand tightly, trying to keep a hearty and brave expression. He shook his head defiantly as they swam through the corridors.
Just like he had been taught, Emil tried to keep his little tail in an even-paced up and down motion. He made sure not to flick his fins too hard in one direction. He kept his back straight and tried to disrupt the water as little as possible, as royals should swim, you know.
"I'm too big to be nervous or scared! I am very brave, remember? That's what Mother always says!"
"Mother is right, dear brother. You are very brave."
As the younger one swam in a slight effort to keep up with the elegant glide of his brother's, he continued to keep his head high. Today was a very special day! Emil wouldn't mess this up, he promised himself. He was going to make Mother, Father and most importantly, big brother Lukas oh so proud!
The little mermaid Prince was determined and strong willed. He wanted to prove himself! He would master it in the first day!
Emil clung to the larger hand, the hand that always seemed to hold and protect him. He kept his expression serious and concetrated, creases forming between his brows.
The two noble Princes continued on their way. They greeted a few servants and Emil extrovertedly announced his upcoming triumph. The servants were very impressed and many wished him luck.
Lukas ushered his younger brother to the gates of the castle, keeping a hand on his back as Emil requested permission to leave the castle property. The guardsmen bowed to the very young Prince, smiling fondly at the child.
"Hey! Hey! Wait up!"
Lukas groaned, his eyes rolling into the depths of his skull. He knew that voice anywhere. With a heavy sigh, he turned himself around.
He was met with the biggest smile that existed beneath the waves. The merman had a wide and curious gaze that accompanied that beautiful-er...that crazy smile. He had an iconic gold shell that armored his right shoulder. A sword was attached to his back.
He made an unnecessary loop in the water before twirling into a deep bow. He sprang back up and beamed at his beloved Princes.
"So! What are you two up to? You look awfully determined, young Emil," the boisterous knight beamed.
Emil smiled almost a bit smugly, keeping his posture and placing his hands on his hips.
"I am going to swim in open waters for the first time! Brother is going to teach me!" the small child announced.
Mathias placed his large hands on his own hips, almost mimicking Emil. He laughed fully.
"Grand! So grand indeed! Why, I can't think of a better teacher than your dear Lukas. Say, why don't I tag along, hm?"
The head Knight floated a bit closer to Lukas, reaching out to place his hand on his lower back to pull him against his side. The Prince fought down an uprising blush.
"You idiot. Don't you have some kind of knight-ly duties to attend to?" he scoffed, but didn't retract from the embrace.
"Is protecting the two Princes in open waters not knight-ly enough for you, my love?"
Lukas rolled his eyes again. He was going to get a migraine, he knew it.
"Come on, big brother! I want Mathias to see me swim!"
Emil liked the idea of showing off his new lessons to the head Knight, notoriously one of the most skilled battlers in their kingdom's history.
Stories say one of his most notable accomplishes was when a Southern kingdom attacked their borders, Mathias, strong and smart, did not dive head first into the massive instead, he stole one of the enemy's armor from one of their dead and used it to sneak through the battlefield to the back where he took out the leading general.
Lukas blinked at his brother and sighed, lightly glaring at his dear Mathias.
"Fine. He can come with us. Now let us be off."
The trio journeyed West, weaving through the massive Capital city. Mathias occupied most of their time chatting up a whirlpool. He'd talk about this before abruptly switching to that and back again.
Emil was transfixed by the ongoing talk of the Knight, wondering just how long he could keep talking until his gills collapsed or something. Lukas periodically drilled holes into his head with an icy, impatient glare.
"Don't you ever shut up?" Lukas finally spat.
"In my sleep!"
A hand smacked the back of his head. The knight was too chipper for his own good sometimes.
As they were almost there, the deep blue of the open ocean almost in sight, Lukas noticed Emil's mood shift. He stuck a bit closer to his side, and he timidly held Lukas's hand with two instead of one. Two big lavender eyes would glance up at the elder Prince periodically, only to dart back down if Lukas met his gaze.
His swimming became more sluggish, as if trying to prolong their time getting there. Sometimes he'd notice Mathias smiling confidently at him, and he'd only look down again.
Curious, Lukas stopped and faced the young boy. He sank to his eye level. Only now did he notice his little Prince was shaking.
"Are you nervous?"
Not really one to lie to his brother, not much of a liar at all really, Emil could only shrug. He looked into Lukas's understanding eyes and managed a small, "Would you be mad at me if I was?"
The older Prince was taken aback by this feeble reply of uncertainty. He nearly scoffed.
"What? Are you serious? Emil...brother...of course I wouldn't be angry at you! Why in the world would I be mad that you're nervous?" Lukas petted his hair, pulling him into a tight hug, "Don't think I'd ever get mad at you for that. Don't think I'd ever get angry at you at all."
"But, but it's supposed to show I'm getting bigger and stronger! And if Mother said I was brave-a brave person shouldn't be nervous!" Emil exclaimed, hugging Lukas tightly, "Look at Mathias! He's really brave and probably isn't nervous or scared about anything..."
Mathias jumped a bit, a small blush dusting his cheeks. He took a second before he too lowered himself next to the child.
"And I know you're never scared, Lukas..."
"First off, Mathias is an idiot. Idiot's are too stupid to be scared sometimes, so they rush into all sorts of situations without thinking," Lukas informed matter-of-factly.
He paused, "Although...that doesn't mean brave people haven't been scared. You know...when Father took me to the open waters for the first time, I cried. I didn't want to leave the ledges. They seemed so safe. In the open water you cannot hide. Looking down, the bottom looked dark and endless. I didn't know what was down there at all. In my mind, something could have come up and grabbed me. That terrified me to the core.
But Father was patient with me and he let me cry out my fears and nervousness. He told me every young mermaid is scared of the open waters, that it was normal. He said to respect the open waters instead of be afraid of it. He taught me to take it one stroke at a time. So I did. It took me a bit of practice, but by the end of the day I wasn't scared anymore."
Emil nodded slowly, soaking in every single word his brother relayed. He thought to himself, rearranging his emotions and trying to rebuild his dampened confidence.
"You know, I was scared of the open waters, too. Even now, as an adult, I still get scared...and nervous," Mathias calmly cut in.
That caught Emil's attention. Even the head knight got scared?
"Really?"
The knight nodded in confirmation.
"Mmhm. When I go away for a mission, or for battle, I am nervous that something will happen to you and your brother when I'm gone. If I'm not there, who will protect you two?" he admitted honestly, "I would be so angry and upset with myself if you or Lukas were hurt and I couldn't protect you because I was gone."
Lukas blinked, his heart swelling a bit as this information was new to his ears as well.
"Everyone gets nervous and scared, Emil. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Mathias rubbed his back before crushing him in a hug.
"And we'll be with you when you do swim," Lukas reminded, "nothing bad will happen."
Emil nodded, fully believing in every word said by Lukas and Mathias. He took a deep breath. The open waters was just over that reef...
The three swam to the end of the ledge.
Emil's eyes widened and he gasped in awe. His mouth hung ajar as he took in the sight.
"Wow...!" he breathed.
The older two smiled at the little boy's reaction.
The open ocean was grand, marvelous, divine. The blues that gently blurred together created a vast and endless canvas of the sea. You could see for miles into the ocean.
Emil peeked over the ledge and jumped, exclaiming. He looked up at Lukas before creeping to the edge again.
Below was a dark inky blue. It was beautiful, but ominous. Emil found a rock and dropped it over the edge. It tumbled into the depths, never to return.
"That's...deep..." Emil whispered under his breath.
He looked upwards next. A wide grin stretched across his mouth.
Above was a sparkling lightshow of sun, glittering like watery stars. A few fish darted overhead. It was bright and colorful up there, and Emil could have sworn he saw some sort of creatures land on the water's surface! He pointed at the specs.
"What are those?"
"Those are called birds. The ones we see now are probably puffins," Lukas squinted upwards, "just like there are different types of fish, there are different types of surface animals, too."
Emil's eyes gleamed, "Puffins!"
"One day, when you're ready, we can go to the surface to see them. Does that sound nice?"
Emil nodded happily, clapping his hands, "One day, I'll pet a puffin."
His attention shifted when Lukas and Mathias swam outwards into the open water. They were only about four feet away, but they seemed much too far for Emil's liking. He shrank against the ledge, gripping some coral.
All his nervousness and uncertainty suddenly crashed back into his system. He swallowed.
"Brother..."
"It's alright, Emil. Take your time. All you have to do is swim out towards us."
"Just swim like normal, kiddo. Nothing special."
The child collected his scrambled thoughts and took another deep breath. All he had to do was swim out right? He didn't have to worry about technique or speed... It shouldn't be too difficult. And anyways, Lukas and Mathias will be there for him!
Yeah...he could do it!
Slowly, the young Prince inched outwards. He slowly watched the rocky reef disappear beneath him, and he gasped. there was nothingness below. He glanced at Lukas.
Lukas was smiling!
Emil reached outwards as he swam carefully into his brother's awaiting arms. He held his breath until he was hugging him. His little heart was racing.
"Exactly! Just like that! Good job, Emil," Lukas grinned.
Mathias swam further into the ocean. Now he was about ten feet away. Emil looked upwards at Lukas. His eyes still so wide.
"It's alright. Now, I'm going next to Mathias. You have to swim to us again. Remember, it's just like before. Swim."
Lukas let Emil go and he swam over next to the knight. Emil was left frozen, glancing behind him before glancing forward. He had nothing to hold onto, nothing to touch or feel. He didn't want to move. He was too scared. The ocean was dreadfully empty.
He looked over at Lukas and Mathias.
"Awe he looks so tiny," Mathias whispered.
"Well, he is tiny. Poor boy looks so scared. Look how pale he got."
"Ah, you're right. He'll get over it soon."
Lukas called out, "Focus on us, little brother. Don't worry about looking anywhere else."
Emil nodded. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. If he could swim to them from the ledge, surely he could swim to them from open water. It wasn't hard the first time, it'll just be a bit longer of a swim.
"One...two...three..."
He pushed off with his tail. He glided easily and within seconds he was met with a warm hug. He didn't focus on the scary depths below at all.
"Perfect! Just like that."
"You're doing so well, Emil!"
"Are you ready for the third one?"
The young Prince nodded hesitantly. Lukas let go of him. He and Mathias swam away even further this time. Emil looked at the murkiness below, and the light fogginess above.
It didn't take too long for him to push off the third time. He was a bit more relaxed as he swam towards his family. He didn't need to extend his arms, and his form was much more comfortable. He reached Lukas with ease.
This exercise continued the rest of the morning. They went so far into the ocean, that the ledge was merely a silhouette in the distance.
"Alright this is the last one!" Mathias called from afar.
This was the longest swim Emil will have done today. Lukas and Mathias were at least one hundred feet away! They were hardly visible. Emil was worried he wouldn't be able to make it that far. He was growing tired, as any tiny mermaid boy would be after a morning of open water swimming would be.
But he had to make it all the way! It was tradition. And he didn't want to let his big brother down. He wasn't so much nervous about swimming in the open water anymore as he was the distance.
He now understood why so many lone travelers became lost in this watery desert... It was long, tedious and hard to tell where you were going, let alone knowing where you were.
He shook off his growing fatigue. Maybe he could swim really fast towards them, that could take off some of that pressure, right?
He flicked his tail. He sped towards his mentors, hands puncturing the water. His breathing became a bit heavier as he made his way across the openness.
"He's going really headstrong."
"He is, and he's doing wonderfully," Lukas praised.
Emil began to laugh as he grew even closer. Something suddenly switched within him. When he looked below, he didn't feel cold or lonely. He didn't see an ominous darkness. The darkness became almost welcoming and kind. Comfort and familiarity soon replaced fear and uneasiness.
It was like the water below watched him curiously, waiting to see what he'd do next. It was adventurous and thrilling, adrenaline pumped through him from head to tail. A new sense of freedom and independence washed over him, and the child smiled. Everything was beginning to feel different.
Emil was having fun.
He twirled a bit and even dove a few feet downwards, corkscrewing and looping around. Lukas and Mathias watched him proudly, their hearts nearly exploding with happiness and relief.
"Oh my God... He learned! Mathias he learned!" Lukas covered his mouth as his eyes almost watered.
Mathias pulled Lukas close and dropped a kiss on his cheek, "Be proud of yourself, too, Lukas. You taught him. He learned from you."
Lukas relaxed in his wonderful Knight's arms as he watched his little brother soar through the water. He hadn't seen Emil this giddy in quite a long time, and it was a phenomenal feeling to see such happiness and joy bloom within the young Prince.
Emil finally swam back up, arms reaching out for Lukas. Lukas's expression was cool, but his eyes glowed with overwhelming joy and pride. He scooped up the boy.
"I did it! I did it!" Emil bellowed, "I can swim in open waters!"
"I know, and I am so proud of you! Look how you conquered your fears. Look how you embraced the ocean. You are growing up so fast, my dear brother," Lukas allowed a small laugh to escape his lips as he surrounded Emil.
"Did you see me, Mathias? I can swim like you now."
"Yes you can, kiddo! And to think this is your first time trying. You'll be a master at this in no time!"
Mathias ruffled his hair and planted a kiss on his forehead. The little Prince couldn't have been happier in that moment. Their happiness was suddenly paused when a grumble sounded from deep within Emil's tummy.
All three of them looked down at the slightly pudgy little thing. Lukas poked at it.
"Hungry are we? Do we need to go back home for some food?" Lukas flushed bright red as his own hungry stomach growled.
Mathias laughed and they began to swim towards home.
"I can't wait to tell Mother and Father!"
"The King and Queen will be delighted to hear about what you did today, Prince Emil!"
"Expect to come back tomorrow, because they'll definitely want to see you do it."
"I still wanna pet that puffin..."
"Next time, Emil. Next time."
The little boy independently swam alongside his brother and their knight all the way back to the castle.
Based off of my photo from tumblr: post/120717516347/mermaid-anko-family-the-best-kind-of-family-there
I received a wonderful anon asking me if I was going to write a fanfic for said photo, and I said sure! So here it is!
I have a special place in my heart for this AU ajsdklfajsdlf.
Ice is probably around five or six years old in this by the way. He still a baby. -u-