Chapter Ten - Battle

She shot out of the water, leaping off of the Tylosaur's back and landed on one of Orm's ships which had surfaced. Moments later Orm landed beside her. She knew he had her back just as she had his. Together, they would end this.

A storm raged around them, almost poetic of the battle that had been raging below the surface, now brought to the surface itself. The storm stirred the sea, complete with lightning and thunder. If it was this bad out here in the middle of the ocean, Aurelia could only imagine how bad it was on the surface. They needed to act fast and end this as soon as possible.

Orvax himself emerged from the water, striding towards them on the back of the ship.

"Father," Orm addressed him. "Surprised?"

"Yes. You stand with the half breed now?"

"Yes. I always should have. We stand together. And her name is Aurelia, and she is your Queen."

"She is no queen! That trident won't change who you are!" he spat.

"Maybe not," she admitted.

"Half breed bastard! Atlantis will never accept you - much less as its Queen."

"We'll see about that. What's the saying?" Aurelia asked Orm.

He knew exactly what she was referring to. "Then by bloodshed, do the gods make known their will."

"Well then by bloodshed, do the gods make known their will."

Meanwhile, inside the royal prison, Mera used her hydrokinesis to disarm the guards standing before Vulko and Aria's cells. Orvax had kept them both heavily guarded.

"Vulko, Aria, come on, they need our help."

"The future king and queen fighting together for the good of the kingdom. The people need to watch, to see. They must witness. And so must we."

The whole of the kingdom had stopped fighting and began to watch the showdown take place.

Aurelia and Orm both attacked at once. Orvax pushed Orm back towards the giant spinning propellers of the ship - any further and they would slice his head off! But Orm stood strong, straining, even as the blades of the propellers skimmed the spikes on his helmet.

"Yield the throne," he ground out.

"Never!"

A flash of white and silver caught everyone's attention. Atlanna entered the battle then, all suited up herself, her entrance allowing Orm to escape his father's attack.

Atlanna faced a shocked Orvax. "You should have killed me. Now step away from my daughter!"

"TRAITOR!" Orvax swung at her. "You're all traitors!"

"Go Mom! Kick his ass!" Aurelia cheered before jumping in herself. "Stand back - I have an idea..."

Teenage Aurelia was training on a beach with Aria and Vulko. She had mastered the art of spear-training with Aria, and now it was time to move to trident training with Vulko. Tridents, the weapons of Atlantean royalty since the beginning of Atlantis itself.

Vulko launched the trident towards her, she catching it between both palms before the tips stabbed right through her head.

He spun his weapon around with ease, spinning it in a perfect circle, harnessing the water from the nearby sea spray, creating a protective field before and surrounding him.

"How are you doing that?" Aurelia cried with awe.

"I'll teach you once you've mastered the trident."

"Master? There's nothing to master about the giant fork. You just swing it around and stab with the pointy end."

Vulko chuckled. "There's a lot more to it than that."

He continued to swirl the blade around and around and around, strengthening the water forcefield. It was making Aurelia dizzy.

She swung at the field, her trident bouncing off of it. She tried again, this time the field so strong it knocked her right off her feet. She dropped the trident and crashed down to the sand, and the field burst apart into thousands of tiny droplets of water.

"It's not fair," Aurelia grumbled. "This thing's so big and awkward. Why can't I just use a sword?"

"That was your mother's own weapon, a traditional weapon of royalty. She left it to you. You'll never be a queen until you've mastered it."

"I already told you, I don't wanna be Queen."

She beat the end of her trident against the ship, creating a loud metallic ringing which got Orvax's attention. When he turned to face her, she began swinging the trident around and around, spinning it in a perfect circle.

Slowly but surely, the trident collected the water at her feet, gradually forming a water-field of protection around her. She wished she could see Vulko's reaction. I've been practicing, old man.

Orvax swung, making the same mistake her teenage self had, and he bounced off the surface of the field. He tried again, this time being knocked back with such force, the Trident of Atlan fell from his hands. Orm hurriedly scooped it up.

Aurelia raced forward, trident outstretched - and paused right before she would have plunged it right through the tyrant's neck.

"Finish it!" Orvax spat after a long, tense silence. "FINISH IT!"

"Yield the throne."

"Mercy is not our way."

"Well, you said it yourself, I'm not one of you." Aurelia drew back, peering down at the man in disgust. "You killed and hurt innocent people. You ask the sea for mercy and see how forgiving she is."

As if on cue, as though Poseidon himself was listening in and watching, a huge wave came crashing in. When it fell away, Orvax was gone.

The wave was the last of the angry storm - the clouds cleared, the sea calmed, and the sun shone over them.

Everyone stared in shock and awe at the former Queen, risen again.

"It's a long story," Aurelia explained. "We'll tell you later."

"My Queen." Vulko, Aria, and Mera, as well as the guards who accompanied them, knelt before Aurelia.

She nodded in response.

"Queen Atlanna," they also addressed.

"Vulko, Aria, Princess Mera. Good to see you."

"You as well, My Lady."

Aurelia turned to Orm - he was looking at the spot from which the wave had carried away his father. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes," he said. "For maybe the first time in my life, I feel, well, free..."

She smiled. "And, how does it feel?"

"Amazing," he breathed.

Mera addressed the amassed crowd. "People of Atlantis! Today began in bloodshed, now let it end in joy! I give you your new ruler, Queen Aurelia of Atlantis."

"Make that Queen Aurelia of Atlantis and the Surface!" Hey, that actually had a pretty nice ring to it, if she did say so herself.

"Hail to the Queen!" Orm raised his trident into the air.

"Hail to the Queen!" everyone chorused. "Hail to the Queen! Hail to the Queen!"

Aurelia just stood there, kind of awkwardly, the centre of attention, grinning.

"So, now what?"

"Now, you be their Queen," Orm told her, giving her a smile that she would describe as warm and proud.

"Huh... This is gonna be fun!" She raised her own trident and cheered. The Karathen even emerged from the depths and gave a great bellow.

Time to be their queen. She looked to her mother. "But there's something we've got to do first."

So intense! I really wanted Atlanna to take part in the final battle, but as it was against her son in the movie, it makes sense that she didn't. But here she sure does!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)