Today, dignitaries and royalty from remaining kingdoms come together to discuss their usual, boring drivel. Mother thought that it would be better to strengthen alliances with other members of royalty.
Funny, how the people of Atlantis find sirens to be so glamorous when the Fishermen see us as fearsome monsters.
I stifle a yawn as my mother and I approached the King and Queen of Atlantis.
It was the fifth time in a row I had done so, and mother had sent me subtle glares to hold them at bay while in the presence of our peers.
"King Orvax, Queen Atlanna...it is the highest honor to meet your majesties again..." I formally greet the two monarchs of Atlantis.
The pair were polar opposites of each other. While the Queen gazed at my mother and I with a warm smile, her husband seemed indifferent to the both of us.
"It is our honor, Princess. You're stunning as always; just like your mother."
She looks over to mother, who's been standing next to me while I introduce myself. "You humble me, your majesty. I see Orm is also becoming very handsome; like his father."
The king looks at my mother and smirks. "Hopefully, he will make an even better ruler. I have some other guests to intend to. If you will excuse me..."
The king leaves us three, and I roll my eyes. "It seems he grew tired of the sweet talk."
I say in a yawn, and mother snaps to look at me. "Leora..." She emphasizes my name as she glares at me, jaw clenching slightly.
These days have been truly hard on mother. She's a duchess in charge of the Fisherman Kingdoms's only duchy of sirens.
Though my father was the king, I never expected him to pass down the position to me. He only showed interest when it suited him and unfortunately for mother, her daughter couldn't help but speak her mind.
Truly, I am tired of it; the politics, the fake smiles. I'd rather cut to the point. The thought of all this boring campaigning made me yawn once more. This time I held it at bay, before I gave mother a reason to explode.
"It's alright, Duchess. Her honesty is refreshing at this kind of event." Atlanna smiles at me like she does her own children; warmly and full of familiarity.
"Still, she is a member of royalty. She must learn to carry herself accordingly.."
My mother's always been a traditionalist. I haven't had the time to have fun or be normal since I was 8.
I was 13 now, older that the Atlantean Prince, and too clever for my own good as mother would often say.
Wanting to be away from the estate, I would sneak out and meet with the other sirens in the nearby town, which was why I wasn't able to sleep so well last night.
"Would you mind if I talked to her in private?"
Atlanna asks my mother and knowing her, she's probably thinking that the Queen would impart some sort of profound wisdom.
However, despite my expectations, she shockingly showed a slight hesitance before accepting.
"Not at all, your Majesty." My mother bows and gives me a worried, conflicted look.
"Come with me, Princess." I follow the queen as she leads me out towards the balcony, away from the party.
I notice a pair of eyes on me and look back to see a girl, younger than me, with bright red hair glancing at us as she stood by King Nereus.
Exiting the crowded room, the Queen breathes in fresh water. "Isn't it marvelous to get a nice breath of fresh water? You try it." I do as she says and breath in and out.
"Better?" She asks me and somehow, I feel like a slight weight has been lifted off my shoulders. "I think so..."
I couldn't help but think why we were out here on the balcony. Surely, it wasn't to breathe the water outside.
The Queen always struck me as peculiar. She was nicer and more genuine than the other nobles, dedicated and considerate—the model ruler.
I look up at her and am struck by her radiance as the fluorescent lights of the city color her features. She was truly beautiful. Enough to make me feel somewhat self-conscious of my own looks.
I've spent my entire life in the Caerulius Estate, and it always dawned on me—the part that I was to play.
My father, King Ricou, had always been a figure who spoke of peace and sharing knowledge with other kingdoms. However, he did not truly accept me as his daughter.
Though most of his ideals were in the right place, there was always this wall separating me from him. That wall being that I was a siren, something dangerous; an abomination.
And yet he had no problems flaunting our power to his peers. Ha, what a self-righteous hypocrite.
"You are stunning, Princess." The statement caught me off guard and I looked up at the Queen. "What?"
"You are the spitting image of the duchess. She must be very proud of you."
I was absolutely shocked, the only one who's ever called me that were other sirens and my mother. The comment came so abruptly that I sputtered for words to say.
"I-I...Your Majesty, I'm...I don't...You flatter me..."
"Raise your head, Princess. A member of royalty lead with confidence." I take her advice and straighten my back, raising my head to look at her.
"Now, how have your studies been going?"
She was truly a weird one.
"I have tutors at the estate who've taught me everything I know thus far. After that, I learned how to control my powers with Councilor Andredia..."
"And your sorcery classes? How do you feel about your tutor?" The queen asks me and I think to Tutor Palin, who would get angry at the smallest mistake.
"His teaching methods are...unique..." I joke with a wry smile.
Looking back at the queen, I see she is holding an orb in her hand. The surrounding water circles around, encasing a ball of air. "Would you consider learning under me, then?"
I've practiced sorcery like this before, but the way she held the ball in her hand was different. While I struggled to control the currents, she seemed to do so as if it were an extension of her very self.
I poke my finger out at the orb, the tip feeling the light nothingness of the air inside it. The orb disappears, and I retract my finger, looking at it before glancing back at the Queen with fascination.
"I've heard stories about your clan. The Caerulius' are said to have a proficiency in swordplay and sorcery, correct?"
"Yes, we take great pride in them." I say sourly as I remember the countless blunders I've had at practice.
"Give me your hands?"
I look up at her and hesitantly place my hands in her outstretched ones. She clutched them in front of us and closed her eyes. I follow her lead.
"Now...feel the surrounding water on your skin, in your lungs. Feel how it flows with the currents and bend it to your will. You are the force that shapes it to your design."
I try doing what the Queen did before and imagine an orb in between us. Slowly, I feel the similar pull of the currents between us. "Yes, continue like that."
I follow her instructions and hear a gasp. "Princess, this is..."
I remember the sensation on my finger, wanting to see it expand. Slowly, I feel the tickle of the water up my arms, followed by the empty, dry feeling of air as it passes over my gills.
"Hrrrrk!" My eyes snap open, clawing at my throat as the water escaped my lungs. I fall to the ground, no longer being supported by the water, coughing and gasping.
"Princess!" The queen gets down and holds me up.
I let go of the field and the water comes crashing down on us, the feeling of water entering my gills is a relief as I gasp in breaths of water.
The doors to the balcony slam open, guards coming to see what the commotion was. "Leora?!" Mother's face contorts with worry as she helps me up.
"What is the meaning of this, Queen Atlanna?" My father walks in, infuriated at the scene.
King Orvax and King Nereus look on with hard faces. Mother and the Queen help me up as I catch myself.
"Explain yourself..." Father commands, and Queen Atlanna apologizes. "My apologies, Your Majesty. My curiosity got the better of me. I'd wanted to test the Princess' sorcery for some time."
"...And were the results fruitful?" He looked on with curiosity, just as the others did. "Yes..." Her Majesty looked at me with a proud smile.
"It seems it was better than what I had hoped for. The princess is gifted with raw talent. I wish to nurture it personally."
She sounded so sure of herself, confident and poised with her head held high.
That moment solidified my growing admiration for Queen Atlanna.