Chapter 9

It didn't take long for May to arrive at the palace, and she swam through the front gate into the main hall. As she looked around at the royal merfolk swimming about their usual business, a thought occurred to her. "I should probably tell Mother what happened," she mused. "She must be worried." with that, she swam through the hall and quickly made her way over to the royal chamber. There, she saw her mother sitting on her throne, looking down at her fins.

"Mother!" May said, swimming up to her. "I'm home!"

"Hm?" Cynthia blinked, looking up. "May? Oh my, where have you been? You were out late!"

"I know," May said. "I got a little sidetracked. Sorry about that, but don't worry: I'm perfectly fine."

"Perfectly fine?" Cynthia repeated, floating up from her throne and slowly swimming around May. "Look at yourself! You look like you were caught in a tsunami! What in the ocean happened?!"

May wasn't sure what she meant at first, but as she looked at herself to see what her mother meant, she realized that she was right to be concerned. She had some bruises on her torso, no doubt from the chase with Gyarados, and a couple of scratches on her arm. Her tail was also missing a few more scales than she thought, not counting the scale she pulled out to help Gyarados.

"Oh my," May muttered, surprised. "I guess I got into a little more than just a scrape. But hey, it's like Dawn always says: no need to worry! I'll just have to –"

"You swim to your room right now, young lady," Cynthia suddenly ordered.

"What?" she blinked, startled. "It was just a little scrape, Mother. I'm perfectly fine. I'll just patch up my tail and –"

"Not another word!" Cynthia shouted angrily, shocking May. "Go to your room, and don't leave there until I say so! Understood?!"

May had no response, except to turn and swim away. Cynthia watched her go and sighed, sinking back into her throne. "Oh dear," she moaned, lowering her head into her hands.

When May arrived in her room, she found her sisters there getting ready to sleep.

"May?!" Dawn exclaimed, swimming up to her. "What in the ocean happened?!"

"It's a long story," May shrugged. "Anyway, Mother's a little paranoid right now, so I gotta swim to my room. Why don't I tell you girls tomorrow evening before you swim to the surface?"

"Okay!" Dawn agreed. "I love it when you have great stories to tell."

"They're a lot of fun to listen to," Misty nodded, also agreeing. She turned to their youngest sister. "What about you, Serena?"

"Fine," Serena mumbled as she finished working on her hair. "But we swim for the surface as soon as she's done. Deal?"

"Deal," her older sisters said. With that, they swam to their rooms and quickly went to sleep.

The next evening, May emerged from her shellbed with a yawn, stretching and flicking her tail. After going through her usual evening routine – checking her hair, tending to Popplio, etc. – she swam out her shelldoor to find her sisters waiting for her.

"Looks like you got yourself all patched up," Misty smiled.

May looked down at her tail and smiled as she rubbed her finger over the spots where she lost some scales in the chase with the Gyarados. Before she went to sleep yesterday, she'd pushed the scales surrounding the gaps in her tail together until they connected, protecting the gap until a new scale grew back. It wasn't comfortable, but considering the alternative was leaving a hole in her tail that could get infected, she didn't mind so much.

"How'd you do that without any help?" Serena blinked, swimming around the tail as she inspected it closely.

"I just used the technique Mother taught us when we were younger," May smiled.

"What technique?" Serena blinked.

"The one where we push our scales together to protect a gap," May reminded her. "Don't you remember that?"

"Uh…" Serena stammered, trying but unable to recall what her sister was talking about.

"Oh yeah!" Dawn said, her eyes lighting up. "I remember! Ha! We completely forgot, didn't we?"

"I mean, we've always had Mother to help us patch our tails up," Misty shrugged, "so it wasn't like we ever had a chance to use it."

"Anyway," May said, "I'm sure you're all eager to hear my story now?" Her sisters immediately gathered around, eager to hear it. Seeing she had their attention, she regaled her little adventure in the open ocean where she was swimming about, minding her own business, when she accidentally got on a Gyarados' bad side. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get Gyarados off her tail, so she swam to a particularly deep part of the ocean and tricked it into getting itself trapped.

"Ha!" Serena grinned. "Serves it right, trying to eat my sister like that!"

"Ugh, I hate Gyarados," Dawn muttered. "They're so terrifying, and they're never good news."

"I wonder what it would be like if we could tame one," Misty mused. "Part of me's always wanted to have a Gyarados by my side as a loyal companion."

"Good luck with that," Serena mumbled.

"Thanks for sharing, May," Dawn smiled at her sister. "That was a great story."

"Indeed, it was."

The sisters whipped around and found that they were not alone. There, floating in the doorway outside their room, was their mother, arms folded across her chest as she stared at May, a stern look in her eyes.

"A-Ah," May stammered, "H-Hello, Mother! How are you today?" Cynthia didn't budge, prompting May to sigh in defeat. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything," her mother replied simply. "Swim to my chamber. I will meet you there shortly."

"Yes, Mother," May sighed sadly as she started to swim away. Her sisters frowned as they watched her go.

"It was a great story," Dawn said to her mother.

"That's no concern of mine," Cynthia replied, turning to her eldest daughter. "Now Misty, regarding what you asked me about the other night…"

"Oh, right!" Misty exclaimed suddenly, her eyes lighting up. She turned to her sisters. "Dawn, Serena, feel free to swim up to the surface. I'll meet you up there shortly."

"Huh?" Serena blinked.

"Uh...okay," Dawn shrugged, and the two younger sisters swam away.

"What could they be talking about?" Serena wondered.

"I have no idea."

May sat next to her mother's throne, leaning against it as she idly gazed around the room. It wasn't a large chamber, but it wasn't small either. It was just what she'd expect for a Mertriarch, especially one of her mother's caliber. It also provided a magnificent view of the ocean outside, so much so that May managed to catch a glimpse of her younger sisters swimming to the surface.

She raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Did Misty swim ahead of them?" she wondered aloud. She continued to sit there, sighing to herself as she waited for her mother to come in and formally discipline her. After a few minutes passed, she caught a glimpse of Misty swimming to the surface. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she seemed to be swimming faster than normal. Before she could think about it anymore, however, the shelldoors leading into the chamber opened. Cynthia, flanked by two guards, swam in. She then dismissed the guards, and the shelldoors closed behind her. Recognizing this was her cue, May floated up and swam forward to face her mother. She had an unreadable expression on her face, which made May even more nervous.

"Was that story you told your sisters true?" she asked finally.

May sighed and nodded. "Yes."

"Completely?"

"Of course it was. I wouldn't make something like that up. Heck, I don't think I even could make it up if I wanted to."

"Then why were you hesitating?"

May blinked, confused. "What?"

"You looked like you were carefully choosing which details to share so that you didn't accidentally say something you didn't want to say. You're hiding something. What is it that you're hiding?"

Hearing this, May sighed. I should've known she would see through that she thought. She's always been able to see through it. "Okay," she nodded. "Yes, I did leave out some details, but aside from that, everything I said was true. I did get attacked by a Gyarados, and I did have to outsmart it to get rid of it."

"I see," Cynthia nodded, floating closer. "If you don't mind me asking, what details did you leave out?"

"Well…" May stammered, poking her index fingers together nervously. Cynthia floated even closer and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"You can be honest with me, May," she assured her. Before May could respond, Cynthia suddenly noticed something. "Wait...your tail...what happened?"

"Hm?" May blinked. "Oh! My tail! Yeah...after I saw what happened to it yesterday morning, I went to my room and fixed it myself using that old technique you taught us when we were younger."

Cynthia's eyes went wide. "You remember that?"

"Of course!" May grinned. "How could I forget? My tail is really important to me, and I want to make sure it doesn't get infected. Not to mention I want it to look presentable for any occasion."

Hearing this, Cynthia smiled slightly. "That's...actually impressive. I thought you'd all forgotten."

"Can't blame you for that," May shrugged.

"Now," her mother said, resuming her formal demeanor, although she was more relaxed than she was before, "regarding those details you left out…"

"Right," May nodded. "See, I was swimming out in the open ocean just enjoying myself. Then I heard something and wanted to see what it was. I couldn't find it, though. Later, after I outsmarted Gyarados, I started to swim away from it, but when I heard it roaring in pain and calling for help, I...well, I don't know what came over me, but I just couldn't leave it there. So I swam back, pushed the boulders away, and used one of my scales to heal a wound on its side."

"You saved it?" Cynthia said, eyes wide.

"Like I said," May shrugged, "I don't know what came over me. I did warn it that if I had to do that again, I wouldn't save it next time."

"Smart girl," Cynthia smirked, and she started to swim past her daughter. "I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from one of my daughters," she said as she floated onto her throne.

"No, I guess not," May shrugged, turning to face her. She looked down and sighed. "So, are you gonna confine me to the palace for a week? I guess I should –"

"That won't be necessary."

May looked up in surprise. "What?"

"I think I owe you an apology for yesterday morning, May," she said. "I should've known you could handle yourself out there. I overreacted, and for that, I apologize."

Hearing this, May smiled and bowed to her mother. "I accept your apology," she said with an air of formality. She floated upright and raised a curious eyebrow. "Though if you don't mind me asking, why did you react so strongly? It didn't seem like you at all." At this, Cynthia's face softened into a frown as she looked down, crestfallen. May tilted her head to the side, confused. "Mother? Is something wrong?"

Cynthia slowly looked up at her daughter, a sad gaze in her eyes. "May," she said quietly, "something terrible has happened."

"What?" May breathed, eyes wide.

"The storm that came to the edge of our villages just a few days ago...didn't come from nowhere."

"Wha –" May started to say, but her mother went on.

"It came from Alola."

May gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Alola?"

"Yes," Cynthia nodded, her voice trembling. "That storm...blasted through Alola...and utterly destroyed the kingdom. Thousands of merfolk lost their lives...and the survivors lost their homes." Tears were forming in her eyes as she spoke, and she brought her hand up to her mouth in an attempt to stifle a sob. "They've lost everything," she said before her sobs took control of her.

May's eyes were wide with shock and horror. She'd never been to Alola herself, but they would occasionally get a visitor from there, be it for diplomatic matters or something more leisurely. Whenever visitors did come, they were always kind, and May often found herself enamored with their exotic features. Hearing that this kingdom had been destroyed...she almost couldn't believe it.

"Mother," she whispered compassionately, swimming up to her and sitting on the arm of her throne. She put her arms around her mother in a compassionate, if somewhat awkward, embrace. Cynthia shot up from her seat and pulled May in, hugging her tightly. May could feel her shoulders shaking as she returned the embrace. She looked up and noticed tiny sparkles floating up from them. It was her mother's tears. For contrary to what humans believe, a mermaid does have tears. Humans simply never see them, as they quickly dissolve in the water they're shed in.

"So this is why you were so concerned yesterday," May whispered. "You were worried that something similar would happen to me."

"Yes," Cynthia said, pulling away, though she kept her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "A kingdom destroyed is grief enough, but to lose one of my daughters to a sea monster...I would never forgive myself for letting that happen."

"I understand," May said, smiling softly. "Don't worry. I promise from here on out that I'll be more careful when I'm out scouting the ocean."

"You don't need to promise me that," Cynthia replied, smiling at her daughter's concern. "I know you take good care of yourself out there."

"As long as you know I'm safe," May said, pulling her in for another hug. After a moment, they separated again. "So what're you gonna do?"

"I don't know," Cynthia admitted. "Alola's survivors have nowhere to go. I intend to meet with the other Mertriarchs to discuss what must be done for them."

"I hope we can find new homes for them," May said quietly. "I'd hate for them to spend the rest of their lives drifting aimlessly in the ocean."

"Oh, May," Cynthia smiled tenderly, stroking her daughter's cheek, "you have such a good heart: a pure love for your people, and for the sea." She pulled her hand back and floated back a bit to smile proudly at her daughter. "I hope you never lose that. There aren't many mermaids like you."

"I know," May nodded, looking down with a small frown.

Serena swam into the outer chamber, looking around for her sisters. "Looks like they're swimming late today," she mumbled as she floated over and sat herself in front of the mirror. She started working on loosening her hair for her beauty sleep. Seeing as she had no one to talk to, she started singing to herself about her desire to be part of the human world.

Unbeknownst to her, May was sitting on the floor in her room. Hours had passed since her mother told her what happened in Alola, and she still couldn't get over her shock. Popplio tried to comfort her, but to no avail. As May sat there, feeling helpless, she heard the sound of singing outside her door. It didn't take her long to recognize the singer's voice. She smiled softly as she listened and quietly swam to her shelldoor, opening it slightly as she floated out. Serena had finished with her hair and was now floating around the room, continuing to sing. As her singing grew more passionate, so did her swimming, as she went from floating about to doing flips and twirling, her golden hair glowing in the early morning light. Finally, she finished her song and slowly floated down, her hands over her heart as she held the last, longing note.

"Mother always said you had the most beautiful voice," May said, making herself known. Serena gasped and whipped around, her hair flying into her face, but she quickly brushed it aside.

"How long were you floating there?" she asked.

"Pretty much the whole time," May said, floating forward. "You have such an enchanting voice. It's hard not to stay away from it."

"Oh," Serena smiled shyly, blushing. "Thank you."

"Of course," May returned the smile. "Women are really gonna be jealous of you when you sing for them."

"Women?" Serena blinked. "You mean mermaids?"

"No," May shook her head. "I meant women. I mean, you're gonna live on land as a human one of these nights, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but –"

"Then you'll be spending the rest of your life singing for humans," she went on.

"I mean, I guess so," Serena shrugged. "It's just that it feels so far away, and...I haven't really thought much about what would happen after I became human."

"No, hm? Well, you should probably think about that a little more. Time flows faster than you think." At this point, she noticed that it was just the two of them. "Where are the others? They get caught in a current or something?"

"No," Serena shook her head, "we had an independent night where we each did our own thing, although we didn't split up too far."

"Ah!" May grinned. "That explains it!"

"Yeah," Serena nodded. "After the sun rose, I went to the shore to get a closer look at humans; I've only seen them from a distance so far. Unfortunately, there weren't any around."

"No?" May blinked. "That's odd. Could you see their settlements from there?"

"Yeah, I could," Serena said. "They were moving about through the city in their...um...vehicles, was it? But no one came near the shore."

"Huh," May mused, putting her hand on her chin. "That's not normal."

"Hey girls! I'm back!"

They turned and saw Dawn swim in, bright and chipper as she sat herself down in front of the mirror. "Dawn!" May exclaimed, swimming over and hugging her from behind.

"Hi May," she giggled as she worked on her hair. May loosened her grip and floated back. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Oh yeah!" Serena exclaimed, remembering the events that transpired earlier. "I forgot, Mother was mad at you. What happened then?"

"Oh, nothing really," May shrugged. "Turns out, Mother was overreacting because of…" she started to explain, but she trailed off as what her mother told her flooded her mind once again. As it did so, her face fell.

"May?" Dawn said. "Is everything all right?"

"Hm?" May blinked, looking up. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Mother overreacted out of concern, so she let me off the hook."

"That's good," Serena smiled.

"Yeah," Dawn agreed. "Being stuck in the palace is no fun."

"No, it isn't," May agreed. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get ready for bed. See you girls in the evening!"

"Sleep well!" they called back as she swam into her room, closing the shelldoor behind her.

"Hey Dawn?" Serena asked, "Why couldn't we see the sunrise? The sky looked so gray and gloomy; why was that?"

"Ah, it was cloudy," Dawn muttered, pulling her second shell out as she finished with her hair. "Clouds covered the sky, so it was a little colder than normal. That's why there wasn't much human activity tonight."

"Oh," Serena mumbled. "I guess that explains it." She floated towards her shelldoor. "Anyway, I'm gonna go to sleep, too."

"Same," she said. With that, the two of them swam into their rooms. Everything was quiet as the mermaid princesses slept soundly...all but one, who had yet to return.

Eventually, when the sun reached its apex, Misty swam in, looking thoroughly exhausted. Needless to say, she wasn't surprised to find the outer room quiet, knowing her sisters had gone to sleep hours before. Without a word, she swam to her room, tired but happy.

It won't be long now she thought as she drifted to sleep.