Tristan was only five years old and was just chased out of a bakery for stealing some sweet bread.
"Please?" he begged the baker.
"I'll have the palace guards come get you next time!"
"So, what? I don't care!" he yelled, a little over three and a half feet tall.
He couldn't go back to the water because of a shark that was circling around, waiting for him. The skies became gray, and it began to rain. He watched as the people in the town scurried about into their warm, safe homes. He tried to stand underneath the doorway of a flower shop.
"Hey, get out of here!" a man shouted at him and pushed him away. The thunder grumbled in the distance, soon followed by a flash of lightning. Tristan was terrified; thunder scared him. His mommy, Serena, and sister, Celia, were gone for the winter.
He walked out to the docks and sat on the ground against the old tavern.
"Mommy!" he began to cry, curling himself up in a small ball. He was wet, shivering and hungry. "Mommy! Where are you?! Mommy, please!" The lightning grew nearer and the seas raised up into the air and slammed against the dock. Tristan got up and lifted an empty barrel over his small body to shield him from the hostile waters. "Leave me alone!" he screamed, sobbing into his lap with his arms wrapped around his knees. "Mommy!"
"Eric, what was that?" Ariel stared worriedly outside of the castle window at the storm flashing before her eyes.
"Ariel, shut the window! It's just a storm."
"Something is wrong; I can feel it," she paced around the room, panicked.
"You always get like this when it storms."
"Is it Melody? Let me check on Melody," Ariel rushed out of the bedroom. Eric chased behind her down the hallway.
Ariel found baby Melody resting in her crib peacefully, sound asleep.
"See darling? She's fine."
"Something is wrong, Eric! Listen to me!" Ariel yelled as she closed the door to Melody's room.
"I brought some tea," Carlotta rushed down the hallway, almost on queue, "I had a feeling she'd need this today."
Eric knew that Carlotta's special storm brew would calm Ariel down and put her to sleep until the storm passed.
"I have to go outside!" Ariel exclaimed, hearing the storm intensify.
"Perfect," he said, "Here darling, drink this before you go."
It was a few moments later when Carlotta was helping Eric put a sleeping Ariel to bed.
"I don't know why thunderstorms work her up that way," he wondered aloud.
"Well, the last few years they've been occurring more frequently than anticipated."
Eric looked out at the waters and wondered what it could be.
"Tristan, stop! I'll go with you!" Melody shouted, pulling on his arm.
"No, stay here!" he told her, "I'm serious, Mel! I'll meet you back at the castle."
They all watched as Tristan walked into the woods and toward the ocean.
"We can't let him do this alone."
"Princess, we're not entirely sure where she is or how to get to her. Wouldn't she have drowned by now?" Harrison said to Melody. He looked at Elizabeth for agreement, but she only looked down at the ground.
"Let's just pack up for now and start heading back to the castle," Elizabeth told the group. They quickly began to disassemble their tents and pack up their items.
"Did they think they could banish me forever?" Morgana cackled before shooting a purple bolt at Celia, restraining her flippers and tails against a smooth, arctic cave wall. Celia's eyes watered as she lowered her head and began to cry silently. Even when crying, she was never able to utter a sound.
"There he is, right on time," she smiled to herself as she looked into her crystal ball
"Em," Melody pulled Emmett to the side as the others packed up the camp.
"What is it, Mel?"
"Take Carpet and bring everyone back to the Castle on two trips. Then when you're done, send her to me- she'll know how to find me."
"What? No way. I can't let you go out there alone."
"Please, I have to help Tristan. You know about me and our family's secret. Tell my mother that I went to get my Grandfather."
"Are you sure? Can I come with you?" he asked worriedly, taking hold of both of her hands.
"No," she smiled, "But, thank you." Emmett leaned forward and gave her a deep, wet kiss on the lips.
I love you, he thought. Melody felt as if she would melt. She wished Emmett could come with her.
"Send her back to me as soon as you all return safely," she reminded him, pulling away.
"What do you mean, 'Melody took off'?" Adam howled back at the castle at the group of panicked young adults.
"What? No, no!" Ariel hurried out of the foyer, up the stairs, and to her bedroom with Eric following closely behind her. She pulled the magic mirror from a drawer and grabbed it intently.
"Show me my children!" she shrieked hysterically.
"Ariel, it's alright," Eric told her as he went over to see for himself.
The image was of Tristan as a merman, swimming in crystal blue water. His hands and body were shaking as he swam, following a purple light that seemed to be guiding him.
"Where is he?" Eric asked.
"He's in the Arctic. It's Morgana!"
"Morgana? But your father froze-"
"He didn't kill her but I will." Ariel huffed angrily.
"Where's Melody?"
"Show me Melody!" Ariel commanded to the mirror.
They both watched as they saw Melody from behind, hiding behind a bend so that Tristan couldn't see her. She was also cold and shaking.
"Oh, no!" Ariel started to cry.
"It's ok, at least they're together. Let's get the ships ready and we'll send word to your father."
"Oh, Eric!" Ariel embraced him tightly, "My children! I'm a terrible mother to have allowed this to happen."
"Ariel, it's not your fault. You're an amazing mother."
"Children?" Adam asked at the doorway, puzzled.
"Here he comes!" Morgana said with a smirk. She swallowed what seemed to be a white flower pedal and slowly began to clutch her stomach. Her body began to morph right in front of Celia's eyes.
Morgana's pale, purple skin became a shade of rich brown. Her wiry, gray hair grew into long, tight, silver curls down her back. Her octopus lower-body transformed into a smooth, brown seal tail. Celia's eyes grew wide. Morgana had morphed into her human form with a seal tail, a Selkie.
"Time for you to go away," Morgana chuckled, creating a frozen wall around Celia, hiding her from sight.
"You can stop hiding now, Mel. I know you're there," Tristan shouted into the clear, Arctic waters. Melody swam up behind him.
"We have to go back and get help," she begged him, "We're hours north and you don't understand. This is Morgana's lair. She loured me here when I was 12, turned me into a mermaid."
"What do you mean 'turned you into a Mermaid'? Your entire family is made up of Merpeople!"
"I wasn't a Mermaid at first- it's a long story. She's evil, trust me," she tugged on his arm.
"I have to find Celia, she's my sister- the only family I have," he pulled away.
"We're your family, too. We love you, Tristan. My whole family loves you. And we're going to freeze to death out here," she made out choppily, hugging her body and as her teeth clattered.
"Then go back, get help," he said and continued to swim toward the purple glow that teased him.
He had been following it for nearly 3 hours north and surprisingly enough, there was a current that took him nearly the entire way. The light led to a frozen cave in the distance on the ocean floor.
"Tris, please!" Melody shouted but Tristan swam even faster toward the light.
Elizabeth overlooked the water as the ship glided across the ocean shore. She was ready to fight, ready for action. She was meeting with her father and brother not too long before, discussing various battle tactics- their only blind spot was that they didn't know what they were dealing with. Elizabeth couldn't help but let her mind wander to other things, feeling feelings she had never felt before. She held on to the railing tightly and felt the ocean breeze hit her face.
"You're pretty quiet," she heard beside her. She knew who it was. Harrison placed his hand beside hers, gripping the wood and touching the side of her hand with his. The touch of his skin made her shudder. "You must have a lot on your mind."
"Just hoping I get to kill someone," she smirked.
"I don't want you getting hurt out there. We don't know what we're up against," he told her.
"That's the best kind of battle," she said as she turned to leave.
"Wait!" he grabbed her by the arm and stared longingly into her eyes. Elizabeth felt frozen in place. "I want us to discuss our future together," he added.
"We don't have a future-"
"I'm asking your father for your hand in marriage," he informed her eagerly.
"My father doesn't decide what I do with my life," she jeered, snatching back her arm.
"Then, marry me!"
"No!" Elizabeth shouted back.
"What's going on here?" Adam appeared from out of nowhere.
"Your majesty," Harrison said and bowed, "I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."
Elizabeth moved in closer to Harrison and slapped him clear across the face. Harrison exhaled sharply and clenched his jaw. He was so handsome when he was angry, she thought
"You're so uncivilized," Harrison told her. Adam was stunned at Harrison's response, the boy was brave. Elizabeth turned around and stomped off below-deck.
"Good luck to you, son," Adam said to the young prince, raising his hands in the air as if he was staying out of it completely.
Harrison ran off after her.
Adam fastened his jacket as he felt a cold chill in the air. They must've been getting close. Suddenly, an old, bearded merman rose out of the ocean and beside the ship.
"Your Majesty," Adam bowed graciously at the sight of King Triton.
"Your Majesty," Triton bowed his head as well.
"What's the news?" Adam said as he walked over to the King of the Seas.
"Anchor your ships near that glacier up ahead," King Triton said as he pointed, "Be alert, stay close. We're ready to strike down below."
"We have medics onboard, if necessary," Adam informed him.
"Thank you, son," King Triton nodded.
"Eric, Ariel-?"
"They're fine. They're with me down below."
"Thank you," Adam said and bowed his head before turning around to direct his captain.
"Oh- King Adam," Triton called out, "Congratulations on your expectancy. Let's hope for a boy."
Adam beamed from ear to ear.
Tristan was at the door of the cave, unsure what he'd be up against, but he didn't care. There was a long, narrow passageway made entirely of ice. The walls all around glowed with pulsing flashes of purple light. He thought about calling out but didn't want to announce his presence. The passageway led up to a large cave with walls of ice.
He gasped in shock, seeing his beloved Sienna lying on the icy floor, unconscious.
"Oh, no!" he swam to her immediately. Her top-half was human, and her bottom half was a seal. "No, no! Please, wake up, Sienna- Celia! Celia, please!" He lifted her up and patted her cheek a few times. Sienna's eyes began to flutter open slowly.
"Tristan?" she made out, barely a whisper, "You came."
"Of course I came!" Tristan held her close to him, "I'll never leave you." He buried his face into her neck, and she tossed her arm over his shoulder, pulling him near. "You're very warm." He was so glad to have found her again. He pulled his head back and looked deep into her sparkling, brown eyes while her fingers wrapped around the back of his neck.
"Tristan! It's a trap!" Melody shouted from above, suddenly appearing.
Before Tristan could look up, Sienna pulled his head toward her and planted a deep kiss on his lips. He tried to pull away, knowing that something was horribly wrong. Sienna's nails grew long and black as they dug into the flesh of his neck. Her tongue grew long, traveling deep inside his mouth and to the back of his throat.
Tristan's eyes widened nearly out of his skull as a look of terror came upon him. His veins all over his face and body began to swell and pulse and they slowly turned a dark shade of purple. The lights all around began to flash even faster and a dark cloud formed above their heads.
"Stop that! Leave him alone!" Melody screamed in horror.
Melody heard clanking coming from an adjoining room and swam to it as quickly as she could.
"Celia!" she shouted, surprised- finding a chained up Celia against the icy wall. "I'll get you out of here, girl." Melody fastened the fixtures to release Celia from her prison. "We have to help Tristan!"
The two of them swam as quickly as they could back to where Sienna had Tristan in her grasp with her tongue down his throat. Her face was slowly aging and her skin was turning purple. Tristan tried his best to fight her and push her away, tugging at her hands and face but to not avail.
"Get off of him, you demon!" Melody lunged at Sienna and what seemed like a force-field bounced her away. "Oh, no!" Melody cried, "She's killing him." Celia also tried to reach Tristan but the invisible barrier wouldn't allow her to.
The cloud above them grew bigger and bigger purple lightning began to flash all around as Sienna completely transformed back into Morgana's true Octopus form. Tristan's fins turned into legs and his body struggled wildly. Then, suddenly, she released him with a big gasp followed by a maniacal, eerie cackle. His body fell lifelessly against the floor.
"Oh, no! Tristan!" Melody called to him. Sienna and Melody rushed over in an attempt to wake him. "He's a human. He's drowning!"
"The powers of Poseidon are finally mine!" Morgana screamed, "Poseidon's heir was the key!' The lightning flashed so brightly it was blinding. Drunk with power, Morgana ignored all else.
"Let's get him out of here!" Melody told Celia and they began to lift him up together like they had the day they all met.
"Not so fast, princess!" Morgana sent a purple bolt to freeze her in place.
"Go!" Melody called out to Celia, who didn't want to leave her behind but also didn't want Tristan to drown.
"We have some unfinished business."
"What was that?" Ariel asked Eric as she sat up and became alert, "Do you hear that? It sounds like-"
"Thunder! We have to hurry!" Eric commanded.
"We're almost there," the Delphin squealed.
Celia popped her head out of the water, with a collapsed Tristan on her side. He was too heavy for her and she worried she wouldn't keep him afloat long enough to reach the nearest glacier.
"Sienna!" someone called out from a distance. Celia looked around to see who but she didn't understand where the voice was coming from.
She heard something splash into the water beside her and then lifted her and Tristan up into the air. Emmett suddenly fell onto the magic carpet beside her.
"Wow, great catch, girl," Emmett petted the carpet that was now bone-dry. Celia felt a huge sense of relief for him to help them this way.
"Let's get him on his side," Emmett said and they both turned him over. Emmett shook Tristan several times roughly and patted on his back. "Let's go upside down, girl." The carpet quickly did a loop with them onboard. Celia didn't hold on so carpet caught her in mid-air.
Tristan finally coughed up thick, black tar-like water.
"That's it, bud, just let it out," Emmett coached him, slapping his back. Tristan coughed more and more and suddenly gasped for air. The carpet came upon the glacier and gently laid them on it. Tristan was unconscious but breathing.
"Where's Melody?" Emmett asked Celia and Celia shook her head. "I have to go get her." Emmett jumped on the carpet and took off. The carpet could sense where Melody was and hovered over the water above her. "I'll hold my breath. Let's dive down, get her and come right back up."
Emmett took a deep breath and braced himself, pulling on the front of the carpet. Once in the water, he noticed a cave glowing purple and flashing out of control. Melody was in there and he was afraid something terrible was happening to her. Right as the carpet reached the halfway mark, the cave exploded and he watched as a dark cloud expanded out below him- almost in slow motion.
"Up ahead!" Adam commanded, "Prepare for battle, men!" He watched as a big burst from beneath the ocean emerged explosively while thunder flashed in the sky.
"Anchors away!" Elizabeth called out.
"What is happening?" John wondered curiously, looking down at the flashing purple lights below them
Morgana had now outgrown her dwelling, destroying it with her size. She held Melody tightly in her grasp.
"Morgana!" Triton bellowed, making the waves clap.
"Triton! You fool! Did you think a little ice could stop me?"
"Morgana, let her go!" Athena threatened, coming out from behind him and holding her arm outward.
"Athena! Back from the dead!"
"I will murder you with my bare hands!" Athena screamed and let out a bolt from her hands. Morgana swiftly dodged the bolt and chuckled.
"The power of Poseidon runs through my veins- straight from his male heir. Your powers are a joke," Morgana laughed. She made a tight fist and everyone watched in shock as the Trident in King Triton's hand disintegrated into small pieces.
"What now, Triton? You old fossil!" Morgana squeezed Melody tighter. "Ariel, where are you, dear?"
Eric swam in front of Ariel to shield her from harm.
"There you are. The dumbest of the lot. How do you let me capture your daughter for the third time? What kind of mother are you?! And your son?! Don't get me started. How do you misplace an entire child for twenty years!" Morgana let out a big belly laugh.
"Shut your mouth, you monster!" Melody screamed, trying to squirm out of her grasp. Morgana ran her sharp nail down the side of Melody's fin, cutting deeply into her.
"Aaahhh!" Melody shrieked in pain, "Daddy!"
Eric grabbed a sword and swam up to Morgana bravely. Morgana snapped her fingers and Eric suddenly clutched his neck. He couldn't breathe. His fins turned into legs and he tried desperately to swim up to the shore.
"Eric!" Ariel followed after him. Morgana froze them all into place in one swift movement.
"Pathetic!" she shook her head. Suddenly, a longbow flew near her head and three more pierced her straight in the heart.
It was John from above. He let out some bubbles as he tried to dive deeper and reload his steel crossbow.
"Fool!" Morgana screamed and the bows pulled themselves out of her chest and reversed themselves toward John.
"Cousin John, look out!" Melody shouted.
John dodged the first two and the third grazed the side of his stomach. He quickly swam up to the surface.
"Ahhh!" Morgana howled fiercely. Elizabeth had taken a sword and plunged it deep into Morgana's wrist all the way through making her release her grip on Melody and unfreeze everyone from their place.
"You human vermin!" she screamed and with a tentacle, slapped Elizabeth down to the ocean ground, holding her in place.
More arrows rained from above the waters and a few harpoons. Athena sent more lightning bolts her way consecutively, doing as much as she could.
Prince Harrison wasn't far behind Elizabeth as he sneakily swam behind Morgana and sunk down to the floor. He watched as Elizabeth struggled to get free. With all his might, he drew his sword and sliced the tentacle clear off. He took hold of Elizabeth's hand tightly and the two swam up to shore.
"No more!" Morgana screamed, filled with rage, "I'm done toying with you all!"
Melody popped her head out of the water and looked around in panic as she watched the massive storm in action. She saw as thunder and lightning roared in the sky and the commotion of the ships and the soldiers readying their weapons.
She suddenly felt lifted out of the water.
"Lottie!" Emmett shouted beside her.
"Oh!" she threw her body over his and embraced him tightly. He was relieved that she was safe and in his arms.
"Girl, we have to help my dad!" she said hurriedly, still in her carpet took a sharp turn and found Ariel and Eric floating in the water. The carpet swiftly added them to the flight.
"Oh, Melody, thank heavens!"
"Melody!"
Ariel and Eric hugged her tightly. Ariel felt as if she could cry.
"Where's Tristan?" Ariel asked.
"I don't know," she answered, "Celia and I pulled him out but then she caught me. Girl, find Tristan! Take us to him."
The carpet glided across the dark skies, avoiding lightning on the way to the glacier where she had left Tristan and Celia.
Morgana suddenly grew out of the ocean, popping up right in front of them.
"Hahaha!" she laughed, making the skies flash. The carpet darted around her to avoid her, but her tentacles popped out of the water, trying to swat the carpet down. The carpet weaved through tentacle after tentacle.
"Now!" Adam yelled and the ships fired off the canons into the belly of the giant octopus.
"You'll never stop me! Never!" Morgana sent a massive tidal wave toward the ships, sinking two of the three. Adam jumped into the water before it came and so did everyone else on the ship.
"Ughh," Tristan's eyes began to open. Celia quickly nudged her head on his shoulder. "Celia," he made out before spitting up more black tar. "I think I'm dieing girl." He turned his head toward the noise and saw that a giant Morgana had emerged from the sea and sent a wave to sink the ships. He didn't realize that others had arrived. He got to his side and then on his stomach as he began to crawl his way up. His body was numb and freezing. He knew that as a merman, he could withstand the cold a lot better. But, he merely collapsed against the ice.
"Is this what you're after?!" Morgana teased the family on the carpet, she removed all of her tentacles from their view so that they could watch as she shot a bolt of light straight toward a weak Tristan.
"Noo!" Ariel screamed in horror.
Celia noticed the bolt coming and darted in front of it, shielding Tristan from its strike. It struck her down instantly, smoke coming off of her smooth, seal body.
"No," he made out weakly, "Celia! No!" He moved over to her and stroked her face. "Please, wake up, Celia," he cried, "I can't lose you. You're all I have. Please-" Tristan coughed.
The carpet glided beside them and off jumped Ariel, Eric, Melody and Emmett.
"Please, Celia, I love you," he sobbed and laid his head on her chest. Celia didn't breathe and her heart was no longer beating.
"Darling," Ariel placed a hand on Tristan's back.
"No!" he screamed, not wanting to accept the fact that she was gone. "No, no, no!" He didn't want to let go of her. His breathing became heavy.
Melody noticed that lightning flashed even more violently in the sky. She dug her face into Emmett's chest and he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
Tristan's blood began to boil with rage, his fists clenched and he felt everything inside him come alive.
"NO!" he roared, making the thunder clap and the lightning strike like it never had before. The sound made Morgana stop in her tracks.
Tristan's eyes glowed gold as all of the poison that coursed his veins pooled at the base of his neck in a big black spot.
"AAHH!" he stood as he screamed with his fists out and his head up toward the sky. The black ink rapidly crept up his throat and out of his mouth in one quick motion.
He faced Morgana, filled with anger and fury and everyone watched as his body became enlarged. He grew bigger and bigger. A stream of water shot out of the ocean and raised him up higher, morphing him back into a merman, a giant merman. Everyone stared in awe, shocked by Tristan's abilities.
"Eric," Ariel yelled because the storm was so loud, "We have to get the people out of the water and back on the boats."
The carpet went around rescuing humans out of the water and to the safety of the last remaining ship. Triton and his men were already transporting humans out of the water and to the vessel with Adam's help.
"You can't stop me, boy!" Morgana bellowed and shot off bolts that only bounced off of Trsitan's massive form. Tristan grew much larger than she. Everyone watched as he became three times her size.
He took hold of her with his giant hands and crushed the bones in her shoulders.
"AAAAHHHHHGGGHHH!" Morgana screamed in agony.
"Yes! Get her!" Elizabeth cheered from the ship.
"You will die now!" Tristan's voice was strange and deep, like that of a monster.
"No, no, no, pleas-"
He clasped her head and ripped it clear off her neck, squirting black ink down her body.
"Aaaghh!" Tristan continued to roar as he held her decapitated head up by her hair. He flung her head far into the arctic waters and continued to scream.
The storm didn't seem any calmer, instead it only became worse.
"Settle down now, son," King Triton appeared beside him on a stream of water. Tristan swatted the tiny king away and continued to stir the waters to dangerously high altitudes.
One wave overtook the ship completely, clapping down on it violently, nearly turning it over.
"Fire!" one of the soldiers yelled and 3 canons blasted in Tristan's direction. Tristan had hardly noticed or felt a thing.
"No, please! Don't hurt him!" Ariel cried,
"Ariel, we have to stop him!" Adam yelled, holding onto the ship for dear life, "He's going to kill us all."
"Melody! I have an idea. Where's the carpet?" Ariel asked.
"Mom, no. Are you sure?"
"Yes, dear. I have to."
"I'm coming with you."
Ariel and Melody flew up to giant, angered Tristan- hovering around his head.
"Tristan!" Ariel shouted, "Please, stop!"
"Tristan, please, stop this!" Melody pleaded.
"Leave me be!" he yelled, conjuring lightning from the skies and shooting them off in random directions. The waters around him continued to swirl, destroying everything above and below the water.
"Son! You're my son!" Ariel screamed, tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm not your son! My parents abandoned me!"
"What, mom? Is that true?" Melody asked Ariel.
"No, sweety. We lost you, we lost you and now you've- you've found us!"
"You're lying!" he hissed, triggering a big clap of thunder in the skies.
"No! We just found out ourselves! Your father and I- Eric is your father!"
"No!"
"Yes! We- we found your letters. I've read all of your letters, baby."
"My - letters?" Tristan asked puzzled. The waters seemed to begin to settle.
"Yes, I've read about all of your adventures and your seal mother who raised you and your sister, Celia. I can see why you love her so much."
"Mom?" Tristan's eyes began to water.
"Yes, darling," Ariel responded.
"You're my mom?"
"Yes!" Ariel cried, "Yes, my sweet boy! I love you, I love you so much. I love you more than words can express. Your father loves you, too. We loved you before we knew, Tristan. You were always part of our family. You belong with us, son."
"Mommy?" Tristan began to cry. His giant size soon began to shrink down to normal and the dark clouds started to part.
The carpet scooped him up once he got down to normal size and dropped them off on the glacier.
"Oh, my baby!" Ariel cried, tears rolling down her face and embraced him tightly. Tristan hugged back, digging his fingers into her desperately. He was so thrilled with emotion that he couldn't form any words. Instead, he sobbed in her arms, crying as he had never cried before.
He cried for all of those lonely nights he spent, hungry, cold, and frightened. He cried for every letter he dropped into that hole where he was found. He cried for his seal mother, Serena. He cried for Celia, his seal sister and for Sienna, his human love. He cried for being found and for having the best people he could think of to be his birth parents. He cried for what just happened and the destruction he had just caused.
"Did you tell him?" Eric appeared, jumping off the carpet.
"Dad, is this true?" Melody asked cautiously. Eric nodded and Melody looked worried.
"Dad?" Tristan opened his red, swollen eyes. Eric extended his arms out to him with tears in his eyes and the three of them hugged each other tightly, rocking back and forth.
Melody had never witnessed her father crying in that manner before; she was still in shock from the news.
"I'm so sorry," Ariel pleaded, "Please, forgive me."
"Forgive us," Eric added, "We love you so much, son."
"I'm just so glad it's been you all along. I feel so fortunate to have found you," Tristan said. They continued to hug, with no signs of letting go. "I truly loved her, mom." He cried again, thinking of Celia.
"I know, sweetie, I know," she said soothingly, patting his head.
"Tristan," Athena and Triton appeared from the ocean, "I do have some news for you."
Tristan let go of Ariel and Eric and looked over his shoulder, drying his eyes. The clouds were completely gone and the mid-afternoon sky was bright blue and beginning to orange.
"Celia is below with us. She is not awake but she's alive and breathing again. We'll have medical staff tend to her at the palace," Athena informed him.
"Really?!"
"That's fantastic!" Ariel beamed.
"Ariel, I can't leave her," Tristan told her.
"Mom- I'm your mom, sweetie," she touched his cheek.
"Mom," he smiled, "I need to stay with her."
"Of course," Eric said.
"We'll be with you the entire time," Ariel told him.
"Really? Thank you!" Tristan hugged them both tightly before diving into the icy waters.
"So, I guess you're going under the sea for a bit?" Emmett asked Melody, regretfully, hoping she'd say 'no'.
"Yeah, I guess so," she shrugged. "Keep carpet, though. She can sense when I need her and if you're free, come along."
"Of course," he smiled and gave her a long, tender hug. He pulled away a bit, lifted her chin, and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.
"Melody-" Eric began to stop her, but Ariel held him back and shook her head.
"Eric, why don't you go thank Adam and the crew," Ariel told him. Eric gritted his teeth.
"Welcome to the family, Prince Tristan," Adam tossed his arms around Tristan on the deck of the ship. Tristan felt a tear escape his eye, and he quickly wiped it away before any of them could see. He felt sick of crying.
"Thank you so much- Uncle," he smiled as he pulled away.
The twins, John and Elizabeth, both surprised him with a tight embrace. They were both wrapped in big fur pelts.
"Thank you, both," Tristan told them, enjoying the warmth of their bodies on his skin.
"You'll have to come visit us at the Palace soon," John told him. Tristan pulled back his head and gave John a hard kiss on the cheek and the same to Elizabeth.
"Of course, I will!"
"Your highness," one of the soldiers held opened a large pelt jacket for him to put on.
"Thank you but, I'll be traveling back below," Tristan told him.
"We should get going before we freeze to death out here," another soldier told the King.
"I can help with that," Tristan smiled and looked up at the skies. A warm wind current blew in from the south and began to move the ship south with it. "Goodbye! Thank you, all!" Tristan cheered before diving into the chilly waters.
Before he could hit the water, a carpet blew by and swept him up into the air.
"Woah!" Tristan was startled, "Emmett! Thank you so much. We wouldn't have made it without you."
"My pleasure," Emmett told him, "I'd like you to keep an eye on Melody for me."
"Yes, of course."
"I love her, Tristan. I really love her," Emmett said sternly.
"I understand," Tristan smiled, a little surprised by his words.
"Now that you're her brother and all-"
"Oh! That's right! I didn't even think that far! Melody is my sister!" Tristan cheered, "Ugh, no wonder!"
"No wonder what?"
"It's not important. I have to go. Are they all down below?" Tristan asked, Emmett nodded.
"Thanks again, man. You saved us all," Tristan hugged Emmett and then dove off of the carpet and into the waters.
"Mom, I just don't understand," Melody was telling her parents as they waited on the clam below.
"We didn't know that I released the egg, sweetheart. Tristan was conceived externally to me."
"And he grew up all abandoned by himself?"
"Yes, isn't that terrible?" Eric lamented.
"He had his seal mother in the springs and summer. He wasn't able to keep up with their migration patterns so sometimes he'd become a human on land and lived right in town," Ariel explained.
"All by himself? That's awful…"
Melody suddenly felt two large hands pull her from her torso and scoop her up. It was Tristan, beaming ear to ear. She wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his chest.
"My sister! You're my sister!" he held her tightly.
"This is unreal," she told him.
"You saved me, Mel, in so many ways. Thank you so much," he almost felt like crying again.
"I'm so happy you're safe," she told him.
"I love you, Melody. I knew we had a special bond, but I wasn't sure what that was until now. I knew it was more than friends."
"I'm glad we know now," she giggled, thinking of the night when they kissed, "And I love you, too. I'm glad you're part of our family- but you always were, you know that."
"All ready?" Triton called out before leading the Delphins on the journey home.
The family of four now sat on the large clam together, eager to learn about their newest member.
Elizabeth watched as the sun was setting in the West. Her braid was loose and her long, wet, auburn hair dripped down her fur pelt.
"So," Prince Harrison appeared beside her again, "Are you ready for our next big adventure?"
Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled, lunging toward him and planting a deep, wet kiss on his lips. His instinct was to push her away, considering that they had an audience of over 80 men, including her father. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back.
"Thank you, for saving me from that Octopus tentacle," she said warmly. Harrison was in shock.
"Well, it's my duty- uh," Harrison began stuffily, but Elizabeth grimaced, "Your welcome, Lizzy." she kissed him one more time before she pulled away and began to walk below deck.
"So, is that a yes?!" he asked eagerly, chasing after her.
"No!" she called out coyly.