Chapter 4: The Hidden Kingdom
Author's Note: This chapter takes place after the events of "The Floating Palace" (obviously).
Sofin chewed thoughtfully on a potato as he thought about the days ahead of him. On their very first day of vacation, so much had already happened! The royal family, along with Baileywick, Cedric, and lots of other servants, had visited Merroway Cove as a vacation, on a boat named The Floating Palace. But when they arrived, Sofin had seen a real live mermaid, and when he helped her untangle her fin, his amulet had gifted him the power to turn into a mermaid anytime he wanted! The mermaid girl, who was named Oona, was the princess of an underwater kingdom. But she was soon captured by a sea monster, and neither the king nor queen had believed Sofin when he told them the news. They had almost conjured a storm big enough to sink his whole family's ship! But thankfully, with the help of Princess Ariel, Oona's sister Cora, and a friendly seahorse named Sven, Sofin was able to rescue Oona just in time to stop his ship from being destroyed. Then his family had been able to meet the mermaids, and afterwards they had gone to eat dinner, which was where Sofin was at this moment.
Sofin swallowed his potato. He was sitting at a dining table in one of the large cabins of The Floating Palace. Seated around the table were his siblings Amber and James, his mom Queen Miranda, and his dad, King Roland II. Clover and his animal friends were waiting somewhere outside. While no one was looking, Sofin made sure to swipe a carrot from the table and stuff it into his pocket, then do the same with a handful of strawberries. His animal friends had helped out so much today; they definitely deserved it.
Munching and swallowing another potato, Sofin decided to ask about the vacation. "Mom, Dad, now that we've met the mermaids, what are we going to do for the rest of the vacation? Are we going scuba diving?" He wished he could show his family the mermaid kingdom. It was just so pretty! Even if they hadn't brought diving equipment, he'd certainly be looking forward to spending the vacation exploring the mermaid kingdom with Oona. Just thinking about it brought a smile to his face…
King Roland looked up from his own food to meet Sofin in the eyes. "What do you mean, Sofin? Our vacation was only for one day. We're going back to Enchancia Castle later tonight."
Sofin's smile broke instantly. "What?" he squeaked in shock.
Amber nodded at the surprised prince. "Yes, the vacation was just for one day, Sofin," she agreed. "You didn't know?"
Sofin could only shake his head in shock. "But I thought we were going to stay here for longer! I mean, we got to meet mermaids! Can't we stay a couple more days?"
His dad shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sofin," he said. "I still have royal duties back at the castle. Even finding time to take a day off was difficult. There's no way we'll be able to stay any longer."
"But, but…" Sofin could feel his perfect fantasy of a vacation shattering before his eyes. Fumbling for some sort of excuse to get them to stay longer, he latched onto the one mermaid that came to mind. "But I never got to say goodbye to Oona!"
"Uh, yeah, you did," interrupted James. "Like, three times earlier, when the mermaids left."
"But those were goodbye-for-the-day goodbyes, not goodbye-for-a-long-time goodbyes!" argued Sofin. "It's gonna be wintertime soon, and then we won't be able to come back to Merroway Cove for months!"
The king sighed again. "I know leaving friends is difficult," he said, "but I'm afraid my decision is final. We have to go home tonight."
On some deep level, Sofin knew his dad was right. He knew that being a king meant responsibility, and that you couldn't give up on your responsibilities just because you had found something fun to do. But at the moment, he was too angry, and too sad, to care. He'd just met Oona! There was still so much they didn't know about each other. And now Sofin had to leave and not see her again for months? It was totally unfair!
His mom seemed to notice the tension between Sofin and his dad. "Both of you," she said, "please, calm down. We don't need to start an argument about this."
"We don't?" asked Sofin. Because that's what it looked like was happening: He didn't want to leave Oona, but his dad said they needed to leave Merroway Cove.
Queen Miranda looked Sofin in the eyes. "No, we don't," she said. "Sometimes, the best way to deal with a disagreement isn't by starting an argument, it's by compromise."
"Compromise?" asked Sofin. He'd never heard that word before.
His mom nodded. "Compromise is when instead of arguing, both sides agree to do something that isn't exactly what they want, but is close enough. That way, everyone walks away a little bit satisfied. In this case, Rollie wants to leave now, and you want to see your mermaid friends again. How about instead of either of those, we stay for a little while, so that you can see Oona again and say goodbye to her for real?" She looked at a clock hanging on the wall. "You can see your friend again, as long as you're back in two hours. It's not perfect, but compromise helps both sides be happy."
King Roland nodded. "If you need to say goodbye, I'd be willing to let you stay up for two hours before we go," he agreed. "That way, I can still get home tonight and fulfill my royal duties, and you can see your mermaid friend."
Sofin sighed. His mom was right—two hours definitely wasn't perfect. But it was more than nothing. And it was at least enough time to visit Oona and explore the mermaid kingdom. "Okay," he agreed. "I'll be back in two hours." He shot one longing look at his half-eaten plate of food. No time to lose, though. "I'm going to find Oona now," he said, pushing away from the table, leaving half his meal, and standing. He headed towards the door of the cabin, ready to go find the mermaid kingdom.
"How are you going to find her?" asked James. Right. They didn't know he could turn into a mermaid.
"Oona showed me a place I can swim to. I can meet her there," responded Sofin. That was technically true. With those final words, he opened the door and exited to the deck of The Floating Palace, closing the entrance to the cabin behind him.
As Sofin stepped out onto the open deck, he could see the beautiful twilight sky in every direction. He could see the faint outlines of some faraway stars in the dark blue sky, telling him night was coming. He didn't have much time to wait around, though. With quick steps, Sofin crossed the deck, his dark purple shoes tapping against the hollow wood. In just a few moments, Sofin arrived at the edge, and without wasting a second, he dropped to a sitting position, dipping his legs into the slightly chilly water. Immediately, he could see the magical white light swirling around his legs, easily visible in the blue sea. As they spun, Sofin felt his legs come closer and closer together until they finally merged together into a mermaid tail, decorated with purple scales.
Now fully transformed into a mermaid, Sofin closed his eyes and slipped into the water. For a moment it was icy cold, but within just a few seconds Sofin's body adapted to the chill, and when Sofin's eyes opened, he was completely submerged. He took a deep breath in, then out, breathing oxygen despite being totally underwater. Sofin let out a joyous laugh, and tiny bubbles floated from his mouth towards the surface. He was a mermaid again! Even though he'd just spent the entire day as one, it was still super fun to twist and twirl through the ocean. Sofin could imagine this was what flying felt like. But there wasn't any time to spend playing in the ocean. Sofin needed to see Oona again! So he turned, and swam in the direction he remembered the mermaid kingdom had been.
His fin propelling him forward, Sofin dove deeper, though the dark, inky water. Without the sun shining overhead, he couldn't see much at all. He just had to hope he was going the right way. But after just a few minutes of swimming, Sofin's patience was rewarded. He could see a pale green light, shining brightly far in the distance. With renewed purpose, the Enchancian prince swam towards the green light he remembered came from the mermaid kingdom. As he came closer and closer, the light grew brighter and brighter against the expanse of the dark ocean. And when Sofin finally came close enough to see the kingdom in all its glory, his jaw dropped open.
If the mermaid kingdom was beautiful during the day, it was gorgeous at night. The green light, a beacon in the dark sea, illuminated the inside of the kingdom, which was walled with dark yellow stones resembling a golden crown. The light traced out from the crown in huge cracks along the ocean floor, as if the kingdom sat atop a pulsating green rune. The golden walls were adorned with pearls and gems of all sizes, shining brightly in the green luminescence. At the center of the crown stood a tall golden spire which Sofin knew to be the mermaid castle, home to Princess Oona and her family. And the whole kingdom, bathed in green light, had a sort of enchanting, ethereal beauty to it, conveying a sense of deep mystery locked within the pretty kingdom.
With rapid swishes of his fin, Sofin sped up, approaching the castle. On his first visit, he'd only come to the very peak of the spire, where a dark green throne sat upon huge lily pads, suspended above the kingdom. But by now, the throne where the king and queen once sat was empty. The various helpful sea creatures which had helped guide Sofin to the mermaid kingdom were also absent. They must have all turned in for the night, now that the waters had turned dark.
But the green light, coming from somewhere deep below the mermaid kingdom, was more than enough to see by. Instead of directly approaching the throne, Sofin swam down to the entrance of the castle, still raised well above the rest of the kingdom. Two strong-looking mermaid guards, holding tridents, stood at the entrance to the castle. Behind them, two pale gray doors formed an arch, fitted with a golden outline the same color as the walls of the kingdom. The castle was fitted with pillars, upon which golden spirals resembling seashells stood. As Sofin approached, the two guards clenched their weapons tightly.
Sofin came to the entrance and bowed deeply. "I am Prince Sofin of Enchancia," he said, just like he had learned at royal school. "I'd like to meet with Princess Oona of Merroway Cove."
The guard on the left of the doors scoffed. "Prince Sofin of what?" he asked. "There's no other mermaid kingdoms in this cove. Why should we let you see the princess at this hour?" Sofin didn't remember seeing him earlier today. It seemed news of what had happened in the morning hadn't reached the whole kingdom yet.
The guard on the right glared at his partner. "You idiot," he said, "that's the kid who saved Oona from the sea monster." The guard on the left looked slightly ashamed. The guard on the right turned back to Sofin. "Of course we'll let you see her," he agreed. Sofin smiled. At least someone knew about what had happened.
The guard was about to go fetch the princess, but that proved to be unnecessary. Just as he finished his sentence, the wide double-doors to the castle flew open, revealing Princess Oona. The guard on the left, who had been standing in the wrong spot, was hit on the shoulder by the door opening. He rubbed his shoulder in pain, but said nothing.
"Sofin!" exclaimed the mermaid princess excitedly. She looked just as pretty as she had that morning. The princess wore an aqua shirt which matched the magical blue comb in her long blond hair, which was tied into a ponytail. Her tail was made of bright golden scales which shone in the light of the kingdom, and her tail was fitted by a pale green fin. Like before, she wore an aqua bracelet around her right hand. She swam at Sofin enthusiastically, and the two embraced.
Eventually, Oona pulled away from the hug. "I'm so happy to see you," she said, with joy in her voice. "But why did you come back so soon?"
Sofin's face fell. "I thought we'd be on vacation for a long time, but we're actually leaving tonight," he said. "We have to go back to Enchancia, where I can't come visit. And it's about to be winter, so we probably won't come back to Merroway Cove for months! I just wanted to say goodbye."
Oona gasped. "You're leaving today?" she said, shocked. "But we only just met!"
"I know, I don't want to go either!" exclaimed Sofin. "But my family has royal duties back at home that they can't ignore."
Tears began to form in Oona's eyes. "I don't want to say goodbye, Sofin," she said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Me neither," agreed the prince. He was about to start crying too. "My mom said I could stay for two hours—well, maybe a bit less than two hours, now. But after that, I have to go back. I thought we could maybe spend that time getting to know each other? Having fun?"
Oona wiped away her tears. "Okay," she said. "Two hours isn't a lot, but at least we can spend it together." Her face suddenly lit up. "Oh, I have an idea of where we can go first! Come on!" She started swimming in one direction, grabbing Sofin's hand and pulling him forwards. "Let's go!"
Sofin swam alongside the mermaid as they headed away from the kingdom and out into the dark sea. "Where are we going?" he asked, swimming beside his friend.
Oona grinned. It was the kind of fierce smile that made Sofin's heart skip a beat in anticipation. It was a daredevil grin that Sofin loved seeing on his friend's face. "We're going to Whirlpool Canyon."
Sofin could already feel the adrenaline building. "What's Whirlpool Canyon?" he asked.
"Only the most awesome canyon in Merroway Cove," responded Oona. "It's where we hold whirlpool racing competitions. They're pretty simple: just like any race, you start at the starting line, swim across Whirlpool Canyon, and finish at the end. The trick is, Whirlpool Canyon is home to a lot of stray currents and tides. Lose your concentration for just a second, and you might get pushed straight into one of the walls of the canyon by a current. To be a good whirlpool racer, you've got to be a fast swimmer, sure, but you also need to be super focused and prepared for anything."
"Cool…" breathed Sofin. Whirlpool racing sounded awesome! It was like flying in the derby, but instead of being in the air, the mermaids were competing in the sea. But he still had one question. "Why is it called Whirlpool Canyon?"
Oona grinned that daredevil grin again. "That's the best part," she answered. "If the currents in a part of Whirlpool Canyon are just right, they'll merge together to form a whirlpool, a vortex of rotating water that spins super quickly and rapidly. If you get caught in one and you're not careful, you'll get sucked right down into the center of the whirlpool, and you'll get really dizzy. Get sucked in during a whirlpool race, and you've got no chance of winning anymore. But if you control your movements in a whirlpool super carefully, you can build up a ton of speed by following the whirlpool, and then if you push out at just the right moment, you can get a huge speed boost, and overtake other racers. But it's really tough to do, and most racers just avoid all the whirlpools they see."
"Just like a flying slingshot," whispered Sofin to himself. The flying slingshot was a trick in the flying derby where two teammates rotated in a spiral, and one of them pulled apart at the just the right moment to go slingshotting forwards. It was pretty much legendary in the sport as a super-difficult maneuver. Sofin had never even tried it himself. "Are you any good at whirlpool racing?" he asked Oona.
"You're talking to the two-time Merroway Cove whirlpool racing champion," she responded with a proud smile. Sofin's jaw dropped open. The mermaid explained, "I might not be the fastest swimmer, but whirlpool racing isn't just about speed. It's about daring and guts, too. It's about trusting your own instincts. It's about—"
"—lots and lots of practice," Sofin finished. It was just like flying derby.
Oona smiled at him. "Exactly!" she agreed. "And tonight? You're gonna try out whirlpool racing."
"Me?" said Sofin. But even as he said it, he knew this was something he really wanted to try with Oona. It just sounded so exciting! Whizzing through currents and tides? Speeding through a canyon? That did sound like a good way to have lots of fun. "Okay," he agreed. "I'm ready to be a whirlpool racer!"
Oona laughed. "That's the energy I like to see. Now come on, what are you waiting for? Let's get to Whirlpool Canyon!"
"Not so fast," came a voice from behind the two. Sofin and Oona stopped. Letting go of Oona's hand, Sofin turned to look at who had said that.
There, floating just two feet in front of them, was Oona's older sister and the heir to the throne, Princess Cora. She wore a red seashell headband around her dark hair, and wore a pink shirt to match her fin. She had one hand on her hip, and sternly gazed down at her sister.
Cora shook her head disapprovingly. "Oona, you can't just take Sofin to Whirlpool Canyon without asking me or mom or dad. Especially at night! It's way too dark to see: how is Sofin going to learn whirlpool racing if he can't even see what to avoid?"
"But tonight is all we have!" retorted Oona. "Sofin's family is leaving for Enchancia later tonight. If Sofin doesn't learn whirlpool racing now, then he won't get to whirlpool race for months!"
"Then it's just something Sofin will have to look forward to when he visits again," said Cora, not at all convinced. "It's too dangerous to go out, anyways. We don't know everything that might be hiding in the dark. You shouldn't even be out of the castle this late."
Oona groaned. "It's not like anything bad is going to happen," she said.
The older princess crossed her arms. "The last time you and Sofin went out, you got captured by a sea monster. I think I have every right to worry something bad is going to happen." Sofin bit his lip. She did make a good point.
Oona didn't seem to think so. "Cora, why can't you just let us go?" she exclaimed. Sofin could hear a hint of anger in her voice.
"Because it's not safe," said her sister, about to start shouting. "You need to come back to the castle with me, right now!"
Sofin was torn. He didn't want to side with either of the two sisters. Even though he wanted to go whirlpool racing, Cora's argument that it was too dangerous in the dark made sense. And Oona was his friend: he couldn't just tell her no! But if he did nothing, then the two sisters would start fighting, and Sofin definitely didn't want that. In a moment, Sofin remembered what his mom had told him earlier that day. 'Compromise is when instead of arguing, both sides agree to do something that isn't exactly what they want, but is close enough. That way, everyone walks away a little bit satisfied.'
"Why don't we compromise?" suggested Sofin. Both of the sisters stopped their arguing to turn to him. "Instead of going to Whirlpool Canyon or going back to the castle, how about Oona and I explore the mermaid kingdom? That way, there's still light so it's not dark and it's not dangerous, but Oona can still show me some of her favorite stuff before I have to go." He tried giving both of them a convincing smile, hoping his suggestion would work out. He really didn't want a fight to happen.
Cora was the first to respond. "I guess as long as Oona stays within the kingdom, it's okay," she agreed. "You're not really supposed to stay up late, but I guess that's fine as long as you stay within the kingdom."
Oona was silent for a moment, and Sofin started to worry she would disagree. But then the younger mermaid princess sighed. "I guess it beats going back to the castle," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you whirlpool racing, though."
"It's okay," said Sofin. "We can find something else to do."
Cora turned back towards the kingdom. "In that case, come on, you two," she said. She swam off towards the kingdom.
Sofin and Oona followed her in silence. The exciting mood from earlier had broken, and neither royal really knew what to say now that their plans had fallen apart. So instead of talking, they spent the short swim back to the kingdom quietly, following the green light back to the kingdom. Once they reached the golden spire, Cora turned to look at her sister once more.
"Please, Oona, stay within the kingdom. I don't want to have to chase you down again. Just…find something else fun to do here," said the older princess. With those words, she swam off, towards the castle entrance. Sofin and Oona watched her go.