* Hello, viewers. Sorry about taking so long here and there on this story. I have been in a slum, but luckily, my fellow writer, SquidbaggerOfWoomyAndNgyesness, has helped me out with ideas I haven't thought of, and I so much appreciate it! So, enjoy the latest chapter! -Traveler.
(Ariel's P.O.V.) - 4 days later- On the way back to Zelavia.
I was so relieved to see Melody mostly unharmed, even through she got nasty bruises from being thrown against the wall a couple of times. Yet on the other hand, I was so upset that she didn't tell me directly that she was heading to fight Morgana! King Kai had to tell me immediately after he noticed that his older/younger sons disobeyed his orders to stay and sneaked out to find Rafferty and help out.
I had a feeling that the boys will be grounded one way or another, but that doesn't deter me from making a couple of new rules toward Melody as she's only 15, for goodness sake! She's more powerful than me, granted, but not very experienced as I am.
Looks like I have to teach her the highest levels of magic if she's ambitious to fight Ursula later on. But first, I have to get her to help me to change one of our family back to normal as changing Morgana into an shrimp gave me a great, hopeful idea.
After all, I or Melody are able to wield the Trident, thanks to our bloodline through Daddy, but we don't have the experience to bring out the powers of the Trident, so that leaves Daddy or Attina, being the heir to the throne.
"Melody!", I called out to my daughter who stopped swimming next to Eric, having been talking about the battle, and after a communicative look between Eric and me, he nodded, and headed into the band and Sebastian's direction of place.
I swam next to her, sighing, "Have you realized that you scared me, young lady?". Melody looked ashamed, twitching her shark tail, "Sorry, Mother. I didn't think about telling you first about all of this, but you should have seen the band and Sebastian, they were so lost and shocked...I wanted to help...".
She rubbed her arms, looking down momentarily, and I blinked slowly, realizing what she meant. I smiled, raising her chin with a hand, "You're really brave, my darling, but you're still young. You should have sent a messenger, at least. Rafferty's father had to tell me, didn't you know?".
She blinked in surprise, "No...Are you mad?". I chuckled, "Mad? No, darling, I am actually proud of you.". She gasped at me, and I nodded, "You are more powerful than me in magic, Melody, but you are not experienced. Morgana was easy between both of us, but Ursula, she's dangerous.".
Melody nodded, "I know, Mom. She cursed you, Daddy, Grandfather and Aunts Arista and Attina.". I smiled, "You have listened to me well all those years, and now it's up to you to listen more carefully and deeply for you are to accept the most challenging goal to help yourself beyond your limits in magic.".
She gaped, "Does that mean you are going to let me look at the hardest stuff in the book?". I chuckled, "That and much more. Do you remember your emotions and your strength when you transformed Morgana into a shrimp?".
She nodded, "When I saw you helping me, I realized I needed my family, then I remembered all the times I spent with you guys and my friends, I felt way more stronger...". I nodded, "That's it, Melody. I have done the same with my fireball spell back in that lair with the cells. I felt hope, love, faith as I got stronger, and I successfully did the spell when prior to that, it was weak, pitifully weak.".
Melody seemed to glance over to Eric, and she pursued her lips in thought, realizing what she's thinking. "I'd love to help your father, but he's not the key, darling. We need the Trident to take Atlantica back and destroy Ursula.", I replied quickly.
She then gasped, "Grandfather and Aunt Attina!". I sighed lightly, "Did you remember how exhausted we were after changing Morgana? We were out for a couple of days...Gods, Eric was so frantic...".
"Then, if I do it or you do it, by oneself, we might be out longer, say...four days?", Melody confusedly replied, and I shook my head, "More like a week. You remember how long I was out after I did that spell for storms?".
She groaned lightly with a grimace, "A week.". I nodded, "Exactly. So, it's up to us to work together to change one of them. But before that, I want to get you to have a sense of how the harder spells attune to your affinity. The longer you practice, understand, the easier you'll be able to control your power in magic, and gain more experience as I have.".
Melody hummed in thought, "Mom, I have always dreamed of seeing Atlantica from your stories, but to do it real, we need help. Big help.". I grinned softly, "That's where King Kai comes in. Once we get into Zelavia, I and your father will have to ask Kai to offer his army, and perhaps more allies as well. As for myself, I will have to ask my old customers and such to see if they want to fight alongside.".
She looked back the way we were swimming from Shushan's Peak, "What about the Great Woomy? I mean, she can offer her army and her powers!". I shook my head, "She said that she needed to secure her kingdom, she can't afford to loan any officers or anyone as you know, Morgana had created much chaos and horror in the kingdom. They need to know that the Great Woomy can protect them as long as the kingdom recovers.".
Melody's shoulders slumped down as she weakly nodded, "I guess I understand where she's coming from...Do you think Daddy's old kingdom is the same too...Broken and stuff?". I closed my eyes, remembering Eric's emotional rants, his feelings about his old friends, his family.
"I have never told you before about that, but now...you need to know...You were simply 2 years old when we were checking out the surface...There was a group of seagulls flying from Denmark, scared about the creepy darkness upon the coast...One of them knew Scuttle...He was killed by Ursula when she came to the docks, demanding gold and such in trade for Eric's life...She lied about it as I and the others had escaped a while before that.", I murmured softly and painfully...
Melody blinked in shock, "You mean, Daddy's people was put in submission, never rebelling, all because they thought Daddy's life was in threat by Ursula's hand, and if they didn't submit to her, Daddy would have been killed?".
I nodded heavily, "Yes...And that's not the worst of it...Ursula showed them a memory projecting of Eric's transformation into a shark...Oh, gods...Eric was devastated to know that his people was afraid, screaming and such just like how my people reacted toward my transformation into my current Cecilian form.".
"And I don't even know if Grimbsy or Carlotta are still alive. Max would have passed already. You see, he was almost two years old when I last saw him as dogs like him only live for 14, 15 years.", sighed Eric as he swam up past me slightly, and I patted his side gently, frowning lightly as I remembered Eric's roar of heartbreak, angst, shock when he felt the loss of his kingdom.
He really lived, breathed, and loved the kingdom with all his heart, and it broke him that day...He eventually moved on with my love and support for him. It really tied him and Daddy so much as Daddy lost Atlantica too.
"Dad, we can get your old kingdom back! We just have to fight Ursula...", Melody shouted, looking determined, and I smiled softly, seeing that familiar stubborn fire in her eyes. Eric nuzzled her warmly, "And that's why you're our daughter. We just need to make a plan, and from there, anything's possible.".
Melody smiled brightly, and hugged us warmly, "I love you, guys!". I murmured softly, "I love you too, Melody.", hearing Eric's sentiment echo as well. As long as there's hope, we will be alright.