The Tale of the Sea Prince

Many aeons ago, there once lived a kingdom by a sapphire sea. Its cities were expansive and beautiful, built from the purest white marble and adorned with coral. Its rulers were wise and good, and the kind people lived in happiness for a long while until a Prince was born to the noble Queen.

At the Prince's birth, a Xatu prophesied that if the Prince should ever love, he should lose the extraordinary power the legendaries had blessed him with. For the young Prince, from the very instant of his birth, had the knowledge of others' hearts, and could slip into another's body as easily as removing a tunic. She also warned of the terrible punishment that they would inflict for such a heresy. His parents therefore resolved to keep him hidden away in the palace, with no contact with anyone save themselves, in order to protect him from this terrible doom.

The Prince grew and prospered, with a kind and friendly nature. All his lessons were taught to him by his parents alone, and he was occupied with many exotic Pokémon, toys and books. But for all the splendour of his surroundings, the Prince was not yet content. He longed for the ocean, which he could not see but for a small high window, but inhaled its deep scent and heard its beauty described. Rippling white waves entered his dreams each night, and his thoughts were borne away on the clear water.

One night, when the full moon hung in the sky, the Prince glanced out of the window at the palely lit sea, he noticed a slender figure, dark against the tide. Fruitlessly, he rattled the bars of his cage, but could not escape. Nonetheless, he was intrigued by the figure, having seen no other humans save for his parents, and determined to somehow escape.

With the aid of his loyal Pokémon, by tooth and claw he slowly carved his way through the thick iron bars, being careful to work only at night when the Palace fell silent. As he strived away he saw the slim shape silhouetted against the silver-lit waves, and hoped.

Finally, many months after he had first seen the figure, the last bar fell to the cool stone floor. Standing on the shoulders of his faithful Machoke, the Prince lifted himself through the small space and descended the marble tower on a rope made from his bedsheets. As his boots touched the damp sand, he noted that the figure was a young and elegant woman, with eyes the blue of the deepest oceans, robed in a simple white cloak. He paced across the sand and took her in his arms, and at last dared to hope for something beyond the confines of his chamber.

They spent that night together, neither dreaming of the consequences. As the first glimmer of gold on the waves began to appear, the Queen looked out from her window and saw her son lying in the sand, embracing an unknown girl. She gasped out loud and her delicate hands gripped the ledge tighter.

As the Xatu had prophesied at the Prince's birth, there would be a reckoning for his sinful actions. The legendaries, seeing the lovers stand before them at the Court of the Gods, were inclined to be merciful, but still had to obey the laws of the world. Therefore, they elected to bestow upon the Prince and the girl a powerful curse. For following his own will, the Prince's offspring would be cursed to spend their entire lives drifting, carried this way and that by the whims of the ocean currents. They could love, like their parents, but only when the sea brought them together in the early spring to breed, leave ocean-coloured eggs lying amongst the seaweed, and to drift far apart again.

Sharing one last embrace, the Prince and his companion accepted the judgement of the legendaries, and stepped into the water, never to be seen again.

Contrary to popular belief, the small "review this chapter" link will not release a swarm of angry crocodiles over your head when clicked. The only thing it will release are feelings of happiness and joy in the author. The first person to review can request a chapter on any subject they want- the origins of Reshiram and Zekrom, how the Pokéthlon came to be… the list goes on and on. I'm that desperate. Have a nice day. - Arcanus