A Mermaid's Tale:

Chapter 11:

Serenity and Darien sat at the coffee table an hour later eating meatloaf. They were talking about different things until Serenity felt like she should tell him. She was nervous, but felt like she needed to tell him. "Um, Darien. Can I tell you something?" She asked him.

Darien looked up from his dinner and over at her. "Of course." He told her after he swallowed a piece of meatloaf.

She smiled slightly at him before clearing her throat. "I've told you almost everything about me except for three things that I want to tell you now." She started to say. "I am a princess, I am engaged…"

Darien couldn't believe what he was hearing. First he found out that she was a mermaid, but she was also a princess and engaged a merman that was probably rich and better off then he was. He wanted to ask her why she was telling him this and decided to ask after she told him the third thing.

"And finally," She told him as she took in a deep breath. "I love you."

Darien looked at her with a surprised look on his face. She loved him, but why? "You love me?" He asked her.

Serenity nodded as she bit her lip. "I do and I'll understand if you don't feel the same way."

Darien sighed as he looked at her. "I do feel the same way. I love you too. I'm just confused of why you love me." He explained to her. "I mean I'm not rich nor am I a prince."

Serenity smiled sweetly at him. She was happy to hear him say that he loved her too. "I know that, but I love you because I enjoy being with you and even though even known each other for only a day or two but it feels so right being with you."

Darien smiled at her. "That's how I feel too."

…

Queen Darya started at Mina. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Mina had just said that Serenity was on land. Though the bigger question was how did she even turn human again. "Why is she on land?" She asked Mina sternly.

Mina flinched. She didn't want to lie to the queen, but she didn't want to betray her best friend either. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at the queen. "I promised Serenity that I wouldn't tell anyone." She told the queen.

The queen glared at Mina. She wanted to know why Serenity was on land. She knew that her daughter's friends would never betray her daughter, but still she had to try and get something out of them.

"Alright, alright." Mina said as she took in a deep breath. "She's on land because she wants to tell a human boy that she loves him."

"WHAT!" The queen yelled at Mina.

"Uh, you're not going to tell king, are you?" Mina asked Darya. She knew that if they told the king that the consequences could be dire for Serenity.

Queen Darya looked at Mina. She didn't want to tell her husband what was going on, but she didn't like lying to him either. It was a though decision. "Yes, we are." She told Mina.

Mina felt a knot form in her stomach when they reached the throne room. She had a feeling that she was going to have to be the one to tell the king where Serenity was and why. When they swam inside the throne room the king was talking with the duke. They were talking about the wedding. The only part of the conversation Mina heard when Diamond asked if Serenity was still pure.

The king was about to answer when the door shut. They both looked in the direction of the door. "Hello ladies, is something the matter?" King Nereus asked the queen and Mina.

"Yes, Serenity is gone." Queen Darya told Nereus. "She's on land."

"WHAT!" Both of the mermen yelled.

"Why is she on land?" The king yelled.

The queen pushed Mina in front of her. Mina tired to swallow the lump in her throat. "She turned human to tell a human man that she loves him." Mina explained to the king.

King Nereus raised an eyebrow. He then began to laugh. Hearing his daughter was in love with a human was the funniest thing he had ever heard. There was no way that Serenity could be on land. "No really, where is she?"

When the expressions on Minako and Queen Darya's face didn't change he frowned. Why was his daughter on land? And why was she in love with a human? "Come on, we're going on land and getting her back." King Nereus told them. "How'd she become a human, Mina?"

Mina wanted to cry. They promised Lita that they wouldn't say that her mother practiced magic. She knew that she could get in big trouble if she didn't tell the king, however. She finally sighed. She hoped her friends could forgive her. "Alright, Lita's mother, Kiya gave her a potion to turn her human for a week."

The king then looked at the duke and the queen. They knew that they were going to have to get a potion from Kiya to turn themselves into humans. The three of them then swam off to see Kiya. Mina then began crying; afraid her friends would hate her for telling the king and queen everything.

Kiya set some bottles on a table in front of a pot with her latest potion inside. When she heard a knock on her door she opened it. "Your highness'" She gasped when she saw them. "How can I help you?"

"We need a potion." King Nereus told Kiya.

Kiya gasped. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She told them nervously as she tried to hide her books.

King Nereus glared at Kiya. "We know you made Serenity a potion that turned her human again. If you give us a potion to turn us human then we'll pretend we never saw this."

Kiya bit her lower lip. She wanted to keep practicing magic. She knew if she didn't do as they say that they could take it all from her. "Alright, I'll make you each a potion."

Kiya gathered all the ingredients from the cupboards and began mixing them together. When she was finished she poured them into three vials. "Here." She said, handing them each a vile.

"Thanks." The king said, snatching the bottle from her.

The three of them then swam up to the surface. When they were sitting on the beach they all popped off the tops of their vials and drunk them. A few minutes later they were wearing human clothes and had legs. Yes, they were human. Darya looked around the beach and sighed. They had a lot of ground to cover when looking for Serenity. She hoped they could find her in a week.

AN: School has started everyone. That means slower updates. Anyway, please review.

Princess Cornelia