Chapter Nine: Icy's Evil Storm
Icy dragged Princess Layla of Andros back under the waters of the sea as the mermaid princess struggled in her grasp.
"Don't worry Princess," The evil mermaid witch reassured her, "I'm not after you specifically, but a more powerful mer-person-" But before Icy could finish her statement, she was stopped in her tracks by King Teredor himself.
"Hold it right there, Icy!" He demanded sharply as Saladin stood on the ground beside him.
"Well, isn't it the mighty King of Andros?" Icy laughed, "Teredor, who are you these days?"
"Let my daughter free this instant, Icy!" Teredor boomed furiously.
"I can't do that, Teredor." Icy told him, "She belongs to me now, she signed a contract."
"Dad, I'm really sorry, I didn't know she was going to trick me like this!" Layla protested while Stormy and Darcy held her back. King Teredor tried to take off his daughter's signature from Icy's contract, throwing Icy against a stone wall in the process, however he was unsuccessful.
"I told you!" Icy cackled, "This contract is legit, completely unbreakable, even for the most powerful merman in all of Andros." With this, Teredor was getting very ticked off with Icy, and increasingly worried about his youngest daughter's freedom.
"However I always was a woman who could find a good deal." Icy continued to Teredor, " Your youngest daughter is a very valuable and precious jewel..." And with those words, Icy trapped Layla in a block of frozen ice, so she would not be able to talk her father out of him bargain with Icy.
"But I am able to make a trade off," Icy continued, "for someone even more valuable."
Meanwhile on the surface, it had gotten stormy that night because of the negative energy radiating off of Icy's dark powers. Nabu had jumped off the Royal Wedding ship onto a life boat and began rowing towards the middle of the water to try and find Layla.
"What are you doing, Nabu!" Riven shouted, "It's dangerous down there!"
"I've lost Layla one time too many!" Nabu protested.
Back with Icy and Teredor, Layla watched her father from her frozen position, scared of his final decision.
"So what will it be Teredor," Icy pressured, "can we make a deal?"
"Yes, we can." Teredor answered evenly as he used his powerful staff to sign his own contract, he would take Layla's place as Icy's prisoner for all eternity. He knew that Layla was young and still had a lot to learn, and her determination to meet Nabu was stronger than anything her father could do as a punishment towards her. He also knew that this was a mistake Layla did not intend to make, and as much as he wanted to punish her for going off and signing a contract with the most evil mermaid known to Andros, he never wanted to lose his youngest daughter, for she resembled her late mother the most, and she still had a lot to learn. On the other hand, he could learn a lot from her as well, he could learn that not all humans were bad, and perhaps one day humans and mer-people could live in harmony, Layla could just as well be the key to the union of both worlds. So Teredor decided, with or without him, his little Layla could find a way back to Nabu, and find peace both in her heart, and between the underwater kingdom of Andros, and the land bond kingdom of Magix.
"The deal has been done!" Icy laughed as the ice around Layla disappeared, and reappeared around King Teredor, leaving his crown untouched.
"Dad, no!" Layla cried out, "Dad!"
"King Teredor?" Saladin asked sadly. One the surface, Nabu could sense the evil magic being used at the spot down below where Icy, Layla and Teredor were located, and he jumped down to see what was happening, and save Layla. With Layla, Saladin and Icy, the princess of Andros was shocked to discover what her father had done for her, and with terrified of the events that would follow.
"Dad?" She asked once again in horror.
"Finally, they are mine!" Icy laughed wickedly, "The crown and staff of Andros are mine!"
"You are an evil, heartless creature!" Layla screamed, lunging at Icy defensively.
"Don't you mess with me you pathetic little pixie!" Icy shouted, "Rather I have a contract or not I-" Suddenly, Icy was hit by a blast from Nabu's magic staff.
"Nabu, watch out!" Layla shouted, "She'll destroy you!"
"Why you little!" Icy shouted, "Sisters, after that meddling prince!" So Stormy and Darcy swam up, chasing after Nabu as he swam to the surface. He made it up for a minute, only to be pulled down again by the two evil mermaids.
"I'll help you!" Saladin offered as he and Anne began attacking Stormy and Darcy, and while they were distracted, they set Nabu free. Saladin pinched Darcy on the tail as Anna began fighting with Stormy. When they let go, the two evil sisters looked stunned.
"Say goodbye to your prince, Layla!" Icy laughed, turning King Teredor's staff towards Nabu who was swimming there, losing air quickly. Layla gasped in terror as she pulled Icy back before she could attack, and instead of hitting Nabu, she hit both her sisters.
"My sisters, my lovely sisters!" Icy snapped, "You are going to pay for that, Princess!" And while Layla began swimming Nabu to the surface so he could get some air in his lungs, Icy used her dark powers combined with the power of Teredor's staff to make herself grow with fury and hunger for vengeance from the defeat of her two sisters. Anne and Saladin could see the power surrounding Icy and gasped to wonder what would happen next.
On the surface, Nabu and Layla swam toward each other as the prince of Magix held the mermaid princess of Andros in his arms.
"Nabu, you have to get away from here, you won't be able to fight against Icy!" Layla protested.
"No, I finally know exactly who I was looking for this entire time, and I'm not going to leave you!" Nabu told Layla with fierce determination. Just then, the water below them began to light up and bubble with dark energy, and Icy emerged from the water, making Layla and Nabu separate in between the points of the crown on the gigantic evil ice powered mermaid as Icy laughed triumphantly. Knowing they had to be together no matter what, Layla and Nabu jumped a far distance from the top of Icy's head to the surface of the water and began their embrace once again, Nabu holding Layla for dear life as Icy's booming laugh surrounded them.
"You pathetic, powerless insects!" She laughed in a bellowing voice as she shot the couple with a shard of ice.
"Watch out!" Nabu shouted as they swam in either direction of the iceberg.
"Now that I am the rule of Andros, the waves will do all of my bidding!" Icy continued loudly as she created huge waves, making Nabu fall away from Princess Layla.
"Nabu, no!" Layla screamed out.
"The ocean and all they occupy it will be force to bow to my unmeasurable powers!" Icy proclaimed, now making a whirlpool on the surface of the water, lifting ships from the bottom of the ocean back to the surface. Layla tried fiercely to get back to Nabu, but the ships that returned from their wrecked states were making it hard, and with the huge waves, she saw Nabu get pushed under the water.
"Nabu!" Layla cried out worriedly, however, he was able to grab onto the ropes of one of the wrecked ships and pull himself up, rolling onto the deck. The princess of Andros was near the whirlpool, and Icy used the opportunity to bring her to an end by using Teredor's staff on her. She shot Layla back as she fell deep down into the bottom of the whirlpool on the ocean floor. Nabu saw what had just happened and began running toward the wheel of the wrecked ship. Layla looked up at the gigantic mermaid witch that was about to destroy her as Icy continued to blast her with her father's staff. Nabu carefully steered the ship toward where Icy was located, and then, Icy was about to deliver the final blow to Layla.
"It looks like true love won't conquer this time!" She laughed viciously as she lifted Teredor's staff and aimed it right at Layla as the Princess of Andros's eyes widened in total fear. On the wrecked ship, Nabu let down a spear, and rode the boat right into the heart of the evil ice powered sea mermaid. And with the multiple lightening strikes in the sky, one hit Icy's huge body as well, and she began glowing with electricity and sinking before finally dissolving into ocean's depths as both Anne and Saladin watched the event occur. Nabu managed to climb back on the shore while the wrecked ships returned to the bottom of the sea, and Teredor's staff dropped from the surface of the sea toward Icy's lair, and with its power, it released all the mer-people who Icy had held captive in ice for so long, and they all swam away happily and relieved to be free. And then the staff fell to the bottom of the sea, right where it's rightful possessor was trapped, and the positive energy of the staff set the King of Andros free at last. Now he was once again ruler of the oceans, and everything was back to its normal glory.
On the surface, Princess Layla of Andros watched the exhausted Prince of Magix, and wished to be with him once more. Teredor, Anne and Saladin watched Layla sadly stare at her beloved from afar, and it made Teredor sad to see his daughter unhappy.
"I suppose she really does love Prince Nabu if she was willing to go through all this just to be with him." He began.
"Not to mention he really does love her if he was willing to save her life." Saladin pointed out, " But I just figured out that young teens just need to be free to lead their own paths and make their own mistakes."
"Then I guess there is one problem left to solve." Teredor sighed sadly, "How much I'm going to miss my little Layla." And so, he used his own staff to send a spell toward sad and heartbroken Layla to turn her back into a human permanently. Layla looked up as she saw the bright light in the water, and smiled brightly at her dad.
"Thank you, Dad!" She shouted happily as she jumped into the water, and when she rose up again, she was wearing a beautiful sea green dress that sparkled wonderfully. Nabu was amazed and quickly sat up when he saw her walk out of the water. He ran straight for her and twirled her in his arms before they shared a passionate kiss.
Princess Layla of Andros and Prince Nabu of Magix finally got married, and they shared the beautiful kiss of matrimony, however, Milly just had to interfere, and Layla was happy to let her. Everyone, both fins or feet, was invited to this wedding, and just like Teredor had thought, his youngest daughter would bring about a whole new union between the land and ocean occupants. Everyone cheered, and even Faragonda began crying happily. All of Layla's sisters waved happily at her from the surface of the water, and Chatta tried to fly Anne up toward Layla so that they all could share in a friendly hug. Meanwhile, Saladin managed to get on top of the wedding cake, and watched as the castle chef, one of the very few in Magix who liked to eat fish, began to chase him once again with a cleaver. As he dodged the attack, the chef cut the cake down the middle, but did not wreck its beauty. The chef continued to chase Saladin across the deck of the Royal Wedding ship, until Saladin got an idea. He snipped a rope which was attached to a pole, and the pole hit the chef right in the face, knocking out all his teeth. When the chef was distracted, Saladin jumped back into the water with Anne and Chatta.
"Yes," He shouted, "he'll think twice before messing with me!" On the ship, Layla walked up to the edge of the boat in her beautiful wedding dress, and Teredor used the waves of the surface of the ocean to lift himself up to see her. He looked at his daughter proudly, and embraced her in a hug.
"I love you so much, Dad," Layla whispered, "thank you for everything." And once she got her hug, she turned back toward Nabu, who bowed before the King of Andros, and as Teredor departed, Layla blew him a kiss. Nabu walked up to Layla as they both waved to the people of Andros. In joyous celebration of the union of the land and sea, Teredor created an incredibly colourful rainbow in the sky with his staff for all to see. And as the Royal Wedding Ship set sail for their honeymoon, Nabu pulled Layla in for a romantic and passionate kiss.
