"Amelia, please Slow Down!" came the whispery yell of a young maiden with beautiful blonde hair that was flowing behind her as she swam as fast as she could, her arm out stretched to catch an unseen being.
A streak, almost as fast and unseen as lightening, of red blue and white can be seen as the two rounded the coral towards their underwater cave, the other blonde, whose hair is much shorter and lighter in color and has blue and green strands in it, was at a much slower pace and barely trying to keep up with her charge.
"Oh have some fun will ya," Yelled the other girl, in a very attention attracting voice that shows her demand to be heard type of personality, as she stopped and spun around and began swimming up to the shimmering white surface of the water and once she jumped ad broke through the surface she leaned back and went head first back into the water as the perfect back dive as she swam with her head first, heading down then pulling herself up in an upright position to meet her darling servant, Madeline.
Amelia has short dirty blonde hair that goes to her shoulders and deep blue eyes, bluer then the ocean herself, that seem to sparkle with life and natural curiosity. On her chest is a bikini like top that has a mixture of blue and white scales on it, the white scales seemed to make star shapes, She has a long tail that starts at her hips and ends about 5 feet down; her tail is red and white which are in the form of misshaped stripes. She has a bold and demanding aura that seems to make all life stare and listen to her; she is a born leader with the confidence to back it up.
Madeline stopped and held her right arm with her left hand making her look shy and incapable of doing any harm. Madeline has long blonde hair, a few shades lighter then Amelia, which goes down to where her knees would be, if she was human, in curls; amongst those curls are blue and green strands that spiral around blond strand at random points on her hair, there are very few strands like this though, maybe eight pairs in all. Her long blonde hair is normally held back out of her eyes with a red sea shell that acts at what humans would call a 'clip'. Madeline's soft rounded face makes her look innocent and kind, this is add more to effect when you count her large purple blue eyes that show of an amazing indigo color, truly this is the only noticeable trait she has, or she believes she has, her "bikini top" has straps on it that cross each other in the front and on her back, unlike Amelia's whose is more of a strapless "bikini top", with and amazing red color on them with one white spot on her breast that look like a maple leave and her tail, which is a foot longer then Amelia's, is a bright red color except for the caudal fin and the tip of the caudal peduncle in an almost splatter like fashion is white.
"If you don't slow down you'll hurt your dorsal fin again," Her voice is soft but firm and full of true concern as she points to the red dorsal fin jutting out where her back turns into her caudal peduncle and ends half way down her "butt".
"You're just jealous of my beauty and all around amazing scales," Amelia's loud voice rang as she started to swim again "now let's hurry and get to the cave!" Her laughter could be heard throughout the whole sea, bring a light of joy to even the darkest of depths.
Madeline shook her head and followed, since it is her job as the personal maid and good friend of Amelia, the daughter of Lord Poseidon, ruler of the sea. Soon Madeline reached the purple coral cave and swam through the small hole to see Princess Amelia sitting on a gray rock holding round object with numbers on it and two more circular objects on top of it. Though on the outside the cave looks small it has rather large inner walls and goes all the way to the surface where there is an opening just large enough for a small Mermaid, such as Madeline, to pull through to the dry land above, not that she goes up there that often.
"What's that Miss Amelia?" Madeline asked as she moved her tail to get closer to Amelia and peer at the shiny object that had two a still arrow inside it.
"This is a clock," Amelia explained "I heard some scavengers talking about it."
"I believe they are called sailors mistress Amelia," Madeline corrected gently "what is it used for?" Madeline already knew what it was used for but she enjoyed hearing Amelia's creative ideas on what they are. Amelia doesn't know but Madeline watches the humans and listens to them speak, un-like Amelia who just assumes and takes what she likes from the ships at sea, so Madeline there for learns and understands more of the strange creatures without fins that walk on piled high sand and strange coral reefs with green plantation everywhere.
Amelia's smile brightened at the question Madeline had just asked "The Walkers use them to see when someone is coming if they fall into slumber, it rings and they open their eyes then leave their caves." Amelia had only gotten it half right yet she was smiling like someone who had just won a bet on a Swordfish fight.
"I heard that they use it to tell what they call time." Madeline timidly told her, if she was not so timed and shy she would have laughed.
"Time? That sounds about as right as the Loch ness Monster coming all the way over here from the Celtic sea to eat dinner with my family in the Mediterranean Sea." Amelia laughed at the impractical idea.
"Didn't Nessie eat with you one time though?" Madeline again remembered from her early years in the castle.
"oh, flounder, Madeline, that was her cousin Lizzy." Amelia rolled her eyes as if Madeline had just said something wrong that even a guppy knew the right answer to, but honestly all the Loch ness monsters look the same to Madeline.
"Did you find anything new me-lady?" Madeline asked in hopes of changing the subject.
Amelia's head turned down ward in despair to the bottom of the cavern so all could see her soft sandy gold hair "No not today," she quickly perked up and slung her tail fin from side to side in excitement as something came to mind "Though I did see someone today," she smiled brightly as her blue eyes shinned "a Rough Scavenger." Amelia specified.
"Their called Pirates in the above world," Madeline informed then at Amelia's angered looked of being interrupted Madeline rushed out "Please go forth with the story."
"He was on the biggest floating reef I had ever seen! He had blonde hair, a lot like mine, funny eyebrows as if two blonde Zoathnids crawled on his face and sat there above his eyes." Amelia leaned in close as if telling a dark secret no one should hear "and his eyes," she spoke as if she was in a dream and much softer and gentle then Madeline had ever heard "are a bright green color that seem as if it was taken out of all the sea weed in the world." she pulled away "Methinks I'm in love with this strange man that walks instead of swims."
"Be careful your father doesn't hear of this," Madeline warned then her gazed softened out of worry into compassion "that is wonderful, maybe we can find a way to give you legs and you two can meet." Madeline told her fueling Amelia's hope.
Amelia busied herself with all the other trinkets from the surface and Madeline, in Amelia's absent minded fumbling, rose to the top of the cavern and pulled her upper body through the tight opening and took a breath of surface air.
Looking around Madeline could see the glittering blue of the Ocean's surface as the bright noon sun shinned down on her (reference to the ocean being a person) and Madeline, looking to her right she saw the high risen sand that formed into what the Walkers traveled on with its green algae that stands up straight as the Air blows her breath gently on the world above. After a moment longer staring and observing the strange world that is nothing like her own, she swum back down to find her charge is gone.
Quickly Madeline races back to the castle as if she were a fish darting from its predator. As soon as Madeline saw the stone castle she went to the front gate and opened it wide before going down the hall and searching every cold stone room. Too many others this large palace seems like the warmest and brightest place to live, but to Madeline it is cold and dark, darker than any dungeon, and even though she could not explain it, she felt as though something was missing as if this bright home was a dark abyss that left you wanting light even though you didn't know where to find it.
Not long into her search she heard her name being thundered through the halls as if an underwater volcano had erupted. Madeline swam nervously to the large iron doors that left her feeling weak, she knocked with the lightest of touches and the door threw itself open to allow her to see her faith. Madeline stared up then quickly downed as well as any mermaid could bow "Your Lord Ship." She said softly.
"Rise." The Kings voice bombed as the door closed shut with a deafening boom that rattled the cave walls. The poor indigo eyed woman looked up at King Poseidon who stood more than ten feet tall with a golden crown adorn on his head, his tail a glistening blue green color that out did the Sea herself. He has a strong bare chest with large muscles that would scare all, his black eyes that showed wisdom, and the mighty trident was in his left hand.
Poseidon sighed with his hand on his face as he fell into a slouching position in his chair and spoke softly to the much smaller mermaid "Why is it," he started off "that my daughter came into the castle alone after her journey around town?"
Madeline held her arm and looked down, but tried to speak loudly so that the king may hear her plead "She out swam me and in her play I lost her your lordship."
Again a loud sigh, that sounded as tho the very waves of a raging storm were crashing on top of the world, came from the king's large mouth and a loud thump could be heard throughout the whole world it seems as Poseidon lost all posture of that of a king and went limp in his thrown out of pure exhaustion of the situation that is almost an everyday occurrence. "Leave me at once." He commanded and Madeline did as she was told retreating out of the room with grace until the huge stone doors closed and she darted out of sight.
Madeline lay rested in her soft sleeping comfort of the Green Anemone. Her eye lids are too heavy to keep up so she quickly closes them and just as she was about to fall asleep Amelia swam into the room with a loud voice, well more of a high pitch squeal that could put a dolphin to shame! "I saw him again!" were the words that infiltrated Madeline's ears and sleepy head.
Slowly Madeline sighed and sat up watching the younger mermaid swim around in circles as if she was some type of Orca playing with its food. "Where was he this time?" she asked her politely.
"By the docks!" Amelia sat beside the tired Madeline and looked at her with excited eyes "He's going to be staying here for a full Lunar Day (27 days so basically a month) so he can get supplies and more scavengers for his vassal." She paused and looked at Madeline with hope "Can I show him to you? Please we'll only watch him for a little while and daddy doesn't have to know." she begged her eyes big and pleading, shinning in the light are her magnificent blue eyes.
Madeline thought about this for a while and smiled gently "Yes, but we have to wait for the high tide to come in so we can get closer and leave by low tide okay Amelia?" It would be nice to learn a few more things of the surface and write done her findings.
She hugged Madeline tightly "Got it, I'll wake you up just as the black sky starts it slow burn into blue! (Dawn) so we can finish both our duties as fast as possible!" Amelia then bolted out of the room and Madeline, deciding she wasn't going to sleep, went to the cavern of Knowledge.
Quietly Madeline swam through the dark cave passage ways until she came upon a set of large stone doors with carvings on them telling the tale of the sea. The door told the tale of Poseidon and the battle of Trojan. On one door it showed Poseidon sneaking behind Zeus and then talking to the Akhaians to be strong and courageous and lust for victory over the Trojans who was winning the war. In the middle were the two doors met were the carvings of the Akhaians fighting on top of the dead bodies of fallen warriors. At the top it showed Zeus was being seduced by Hera and was lounging in the afterglow of love on Mount Ida, and then Zeus looking over the edge of the clouds and watching with anger as Poseidon screamed from the ground in pain as he was attacked. Zeus was anger because he had warned the Immortals not to go to Troy and Hera had tricked him along with Poseidon, disobeying his words.
Then at the other door it showed Zeus, instead of lashing out at his brother, pointing down to his brother as Iris, the messenger, flew done to Poseidon. Next Picture was Iris talking to Poseidon and him going back into the sea with the words Έφυγα λόγω του σεβασμού για τον Δία, όχι επειδή του Φόβου (I left because of respect for Zeus not because of fear) above Poseidon's head.
Madeline stared for a while longer before pushing open the stone doors that loom darkly over her. Inside Madeline went to the fish tail section; the Past hunts section, and the Magic section. Once seated on a comfy a stone bench she laid her scrolls on the gray blue rock the surface walkers would call a table. Madeline began her secret pleasure of looking for ways to get legs and where treasure has been hidden, thanks to being the maid of Amelia she can go into the King's personal Knowledge cave and read his works so she can find all the jewels and gold she could. Tho she never does go in search of these artifacts she just keeps the locations in her head, like she said it is a secret pleasure of hers. After reading and writing down her own notes she snuck back into her room for some slumber.
Amelia woke with an excited start as she hopped out of her cocoon of comfort and ran to her reflector so she could use an old coral to pull through her hair so it didn't look like a crab had buried itself in her golden tresses. After looking over and getting done with polishing her scales she swam off to Madeline's room in recorded time, bursting open the door she yelled "WAK-" her sentence was cut short as disappointment filled her at seeing Madeline already awake and laying on her bed studying an old fish tale about three sharks and a small turtle (Goldie locks and the three bears.). "What are you doing already awake?" the teen whined.
Madeline looked at her shyly with her indigo eyes soft on the smaller mermaid and spoke softly to the royal child "I'm sorry mistress you sounded so excited about today I got up early and went ahead to finish up most of our responsibility. All that's left is your studies for today."
Amelia dropped her head in in despair at hearing that word but look up with determination a light as fire flickering in her blue eyes. "Let's finish this fast then," she jumped with a swoosh of her tail and renew excitement, "What are we learning today?"
"We are learning some advance Ocean Culture today." Madeline recited from a scroll that she pulled from under her green seaweed head rest.
"Didn't we do that last rise?" Amelia asked as Madeline smiled with mischief.
"It will be a basic review for this will be important for the future queen of the Ocean." Madeline told her.
"Where's Mrs. Crooken?" Amelia asked, shuddering at the name of the old crab and also at the mention of here being Queen. If there was anything Amelia hated more than anything was the fact that she could not control her own future or act like what she wanted for she had to be proper and lady like. Always to be someone else and never herself, for she will one day be queen.
"I told her it was only a review and I could go over that this rise." Madeline answered, her voice never rising above a whisper.
They were quick to go over everything and stopped for a while for some snacks of snails and clams while waiting for high tide to come back around.
What happens when they go to the docks and spy on humans? Will they make it back in one peace? Surly the waves are rising and a storm is coming, though a small one for considering what the future hold for the two mermaids. Join me next time in Human Voyage and Captured Secrets!
3,060 words.
I hope you enjoyed this and please give me some review and tell me how to improve what I've already written and for the future. I'm sorry this starts off slow and kind of confusing but I hope you will stick with this and read the next chapter.
IMPORTANT: I'm hoping to make this a book and thought it would be easier to start as a fanfic were people will encourage me to write and help me along the way, I do not have a beta reader so if someone wishes to volunteer I would be very happy with it, please review!