Chapter 2: Born Out of the Depths of the Sea

The Beginning of King Elieon's reign upon the moon, year 570

The sea of Poseidon, Neptune

The Vessel Alteron

It was a dark night, but not frightening or macabre in any way. It was in fact a night for celebration. Fire of all different colors and tinges exploded in the sky as the explosive rockets we set off from the deck of the royal vessel the Alteron. The royal three master was truly a work of art, with all of her ivory sails filled to their seams with the nightly winds abundant energies.

The emperor of Neptune sat upon his wooden throne, as his sailors and mariners danced and made merry upon the deck below him. His dark sapphire hair was windswept and as unkempt as the waters of the tides and as were his eyes in the same fashion, as deep and unpredictable as the seas themselves, scanned the deck for some familiar figures. There in the center of the deck near the base of the main mast their sat the emperor's young brother, Prince Taranis, upon a stool watching the dark horizon of the sea off in the distance while others danced around him to uplifting tunes of the violins and flutes.

Why is it that out of all of those upon this boat who sing and make merry, my brother is the only one not among them? the Emperor thought as he leaned his head upon his hand, weathered from days at sea in his younger years. This celebration was being held in honor of the king's brother after all.

Prince Taranis' wife had only recently given birth to their first child, a baby girl, whom had only been born one week ago. The emperor had ordered celebrations upon the departure of the royal vessel despite the fact that he was journeying to attend diplomatic meetings on the isle of Pella and also despite the fact that his brother's wife had died in the birthing of the baby girl.

Prince Taranis had grieved more at his wife's demise than he was overjoyed at the birth of his child. Throughout the festivities, the young prince had moped about, the posture of depression filling his limbs. The Prince was Neptune's foremost adventurer and mariner. Never before had the he abandoned the chance to dance and yet here he was sitting slumped and very heavy hearted instead.

The emperor removed his inquiring gaze from his brother and toward the sight on the deck below him. Sitting upon two barrels and conversing excitedly, were two of the women whom normally served and cooked all the meals on the royal vessel. They turned and smiled politely as two approaching sailors disturbed their conversation.

A young sailor, no older than in his late teens removed his tattered black sailor's hat and wrung it with his hands nervously as he looked down upon one of the women whose eyes were

"Um…Excuse us misses, but we…Brian and I, that is…we think you ladies are very pretty, that is…we were just wondering if you ladies would like to come…out onto the main deck, that is…and…and," the stuttering young man was nudged forward a little by his indigo eyed companion of the same age, "dance with us." the green eyed young man finished nervously as he tousled his short ebony hair with one of his hands while his cobalt haired companion nodded his head up and down approvingly.

The young woman the nervous sailor was addressing was gazing up at her new suitor, choicely biting her lip as she tried to decide whether to dance or not. The young man was tall and well enough looking, but his nervousness worried her.

"To dance or not to dance, that is the question." The young woman's companion, Anna, feigned dramatically as she put her hand up to her forehead in a theatrical gesture.

"What?" The cobalt haired young man remarked as both of his eyebrows knitted together in confusion and his mouth formed a perfect circle in surprise.

The young woman first addressed giggled slightly and stood up, extending her hand to the ebony haired young sailor, "Ann and I would love to dance with you two." the woman nodded to her companion who stood up also.

The two sailors stood up a little straighter and with a spring in their steps as they led their dance partners out onto the main deck where a small ragged band of musicians were playing folk songs upon their violins and flutes and whatever other instruments they carried.

An older sailor, perhaps in his thirties, jumped up onto a box carrying a half full wine bottle in his hand.

"Hey boys!" The man yelled enthusiastically as he struggled to keep himself balanced upon the barrel top. "Let's have a song!"

Yells of approval sprang out from the crowd who had stopped dancing and who were now excitedly jeering for a song.

The drunken sailor on the barrel waved his hands ravenously for silence, his balance wavering dangerously as he did so, " And who would we be if…if we didn't ask our dear old Railey to sing it for us! Old man Railey, would…you do us the honor of a song!"

A lively old man ran up to the barrel and stopped just before it, as the drunk man on top of it lost his footing and dropped behind the barrel with a slight yell. The crowd cheered as the old man began dancing, his feet poised and light, his arms alight and flailing and singing.

Her ma still tries to keep me at bay,

But that never stopped us rolling in the hay.

Oh! Eh.

My heart sure cried when we had to say goodbye,

My mind reeled as I heard that cherished sigh.

While her mother tried to beat me nigh.

Oh! Eh.

The men danced and sang along to the old man's familiar tune as the violin and accordion brought the cherished tune to life. Prince Taranis sat slumped over his stool leaning his chin on his arm which was held up by his knee. The prince was not in the mood for the festivities continuing on around him.

Look at them all so gaily dancing and singing, the prince thought in disgust, no one would ever have guessed that their princess had died only weeks ago. Then he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. Taranis adverted his gaze upward and recognized his elder brother standing behind him.

"It does not do well to dwell on the past, Taranis." the Emperor stated bluntly, "Forget and live on, those are the ways of the wisest men of our world. It would be prudent to let go of all of you have lost."

"You speak as if you were a wise man and yet you know nothing of loss!" Taranis pushed the heavy hand on his shoulder away coldly. "You know nothing of death's cruel grasp. Nothing of the pain of loss. Nothing of the abstraction of everything you hold dear. Nothing of the absolution that comes with feeling all of your hopes and dreams slip away beneath your feet. You know nothing."

The Emperor cleared his throat loudly, stared his brother sternly in the eyes and said, "You are my brother, yes, but I am also your Emperor and you shall treat me with respect. What right have you to defy an Emperor?"

Taranis removed his gaze from the Emperor's stern eyes and turned it to the Badge of Standard which hung upon a golden chain strung around the ruling royal's neck. He reached up and held the amulet, heavy and golden in his hand. Engraved upon it was the sea god's trident surrounded by a sea serpent, mouth agape. Taranis looked from the pendent to his brother's stern face and then he ripped the pendent from its chain, severing the golden link which had held it in place with a clank.

The sailors stopped in their merriment and turned to their Emperor whom was glaring at his younger brother, a light akin to rage burning in his blue eyes.

"As always I have to live in your shadow, brother." Taranis said bitterly, "Too long have you overshadowed me. Too long has your legacy haunted my ambitions. Perhaps you are not deserving of your status, not deserving to wear this pendent."

The Emperor stepped forward, "Do not degrade my reputation in the presence of my countrymen, Taranis."

"The humiliation is not yours, it is mine." Taranis said. He dropped the royal pendent onto the deck with a thud. "The experience of ruling a planet has made you more prudent than I had expected. I am only venting my misfortune out on you because of my grief and for that I apologize."

Taranis gazed around him and took in all of the amazed expressions and agape mouths that were poised in his direction. Letting out a deep breath, Taranis turned around and walked towards the Captain mariner's cabin, his cabin; in defeat.

The Emperor bent over and picked up the pendent which had fallen on the deck surface and looked around him at the sailor who were still watching him in bewilderment.

"Go back to your festivities." The Emperor ordered, "Start up the music, continue with the dancing, minstrels play!"

The music started up again, this time at a hurried pace while the sailors wearily began to converse amongst themselves. A few of the more light hearted sailors and mariners began dancing again as if nothing had ever disturbed them in the first place. The Emperor returned to his wooden throne up the stairs above his brother's cabin on the Quarterdeck. He placed a hand upon his brow and held the bridge of his nose in an attempt to put an end to the throbbing in his head.

"Like a wolf among sheep." The emperor commented as he let his hand fall from his forehead and gazed out over his sailors, dancing and laughing once more, "A prince must learn to conquer his grief as a wolf conquers a herd of sheep or else his path in this life will be paved with sadness and pain. What then could he hope to offer his only surviving child? Loneliness and fear too. His ways must change, that much is certain, or the fate of his family will die as his wife did."

The emperor leaned his head back and slumped down in his seat, "Whatever shall I ever do with him? He is the people's hero as he is the most beloved mariner and adventurer upon all of Neptune. He must be disciplined, that much is certain."

"Uncle would make a very useful ship." a little boy wearing blue garments and a cloak of deep blue and a circlet of gold a top his head raced up to the emperor, "Whenever he becomes disobedient you can send him out to the sea and when he tires of doing that, then you can call him home."

The Emperor laughed heartily as he bent down and picked up his small son in his arms. "I thought we already did that."

The little boy's shinning face suddenly became worried, the light from his marine blue eyes fading slightly, "Papa, what is wrong with Uncle? Why is he sad?"

"For no reason you need feel concerned about." The Emperor assured his young son. "It is an adult problem, Mariner."

"But why?" Mariner asked with an innocence that belonged to the age group of children alone, tears bordering on the edges of soft cerulean eyes. "Why can I not help him?"

It was not hard to gather from this display that the young prince and his uncle were very close and that the boy was not faring well with being alienated from Taranis. The emperor noted that from the moment his son had been born, Taranis had taken to being in his company well. He would treat the young prince as more of a younger sibling than his nephew, easing the fact away that Mariner was an only child.

His brother had always had a childlike and unique temperament, but over the years as the storm season began and fierce tempests raged over the waters of Neptune, Prince Taranis had been beginning to display some interesting characteristics. For one, he had become increasing irritable and restless from, the emperor had guessed, his being confined to dry land and not being able to sail freely upon the sea as his heart desired. Taranis's wife, however, enjoyed this short time, as while her husband was at sea she hardly saw him and now she could spend every waking moment with the prince she adored.

Taranis took solace in his wife's company, but he could not steer his mind away from the mistress who held both his heart and his every waking consciousness: the sea. Within the month, Taranis had been informed that his wife was with child and nothing could have made him happier, than to be a young father, but fate did not see things his way. He was a father indeed, but without his wife and partner to help him.

"What made him suddenly angry, papa?" Mariner asked.

The emperor decided to indulge his son and play along with him as if it were a game, "Oh, I do not know, it just hit him like a rock from the sea…with the speed of lightening."

As the little boy's eyes widened and the emperor's laughter filled the air, a sound like barrels rolling across a cobblestone street sounded and a flash of light shot across the sky. The dancing and merrymaking stopped as the storm came.

The watchman on duty called down from his post on the main mast, "Storm coming! Tie down the sails! Holdfast the helm!"

The sailors on deck set about their tasks and the waves battered the sides of the ship, causing it to bounce and groan. The winds were tearing the sails from rift to rift, as the wind soaked the deck and the uniforms of the sailors running to their posts. The emperor had taken his son down to his brother's cabin in safety and had begun calling out orders.

The top men climbed the treacherous heights up the masts and began to stretch themselves out across the slippery ropes upon which they stood. Two men sat precariously upon either end of the topsail log, bending down and tying ropes around the bunched up sails as to get them out of the wind. The harsh rain belted their faces and the raised winds assaulted them relentlessly as they struggled to tie the sails down securely and still get down from their positions to stand safely on the deck.

Two men lost their balance upon the slippery rope and plummeted to the sea. Suddenly the main topsail was struck by lightening and split right down the middle, half of the mast falling into the sea and taking all of its top men with it. The wreckage itself was heavy and was causing the ship to lean dangerously to one side and take on water.

As the ship began to flounder, Prince Taranis emerged from his cabin with his nephew asleep and covered in a navy wool blanket, testimony to what he had been doing for the last hour. He had been trying to sooth the young boy to sleep so that if they did die he would not have to be awake to face the horror of death.

Many of the sailors were holding onto the masts or sides of the boat. Others were hanging, without much hope of rescue, from the topsails where they had been working diligently to save them.

A uniformed officer holding onto a rope for leverage as the ship leaned, called to his prince, "Sir! We are loosing her! The wreckage is pulling us down to meet the waves, we will not survive this!"

The prince looked around for his brother as he stumbled from rope to rope trying to stay on balance. Then spotting his brother he called out to him. The emperor hold onto the mast as his son was handed to him. On the opposite side of the floundering boat he had had the crew prepare a small skiff for him and his son.

Taranis lead the way and laid the child into the swaying boat. Then he turned pleading eyes to his brother, "I apologize, the better man shall live this day, I only hope she realizes that same fact with you raising her as a better father than I could ever have been. "

With that last statement, Taranis pushed his unwilling brother into the boat and cut it loose. The small wooden skiff landed in the ocean waves, struggled to stay upright, and then righting itself. The emperor clung to his sleeping son as they drifted farther and farther away from the floundering ship. Finally with three final flashes of lightening the other masts collapsed and the ship floundered completely, leaving behind in the stirring waves only wreckage and waste as the sea claimed its prize.

The waves tossed the surviving skiff mercilessly, causing the emperor to cling tighter to his only son. Lightening illuminated the wind barren dark blue sky and thunder rumbled the heavens with the force of the gods. It was done. A horrible fate for one of Neptune's most noble of men.

The mist from the waves spit across Triton's face and the salty sea air mixed with the salt of another kind: his tears. The sea was, at times, a cruel temptress which destroys the thing it most loves to compensate for a greater good. The emperor wept bitterly then, as a child would at the loss of a toy, for his lost brother, for his lost crew, and for his now parentless niece: Entarais

They had spent one night at sea and were found in the morning by a large fishing ship, its triangular wine colored sail contrasting with the dark blue of the rolling waves, as the Emperor and his son remained clinging to the small boat they were in, the emperor's son still soundly sleeping. Not another soul had survived the sinking, not even Prince Taranis, the once resilient and infamous mariner of Neptune gone; lost to the furry of the sea. The Emperor ordered the ship to return to the Isles of Isabella.

"There is one very important task I must complete before I return home." He had said, not starring any of the fisherman directly in the eye, but gazing seemingly interested into the light blue of the sky above his head.

The Emperor's son, Mariner, sat on the deck still wrapped in the navy blanket; trying to absorb the news of his uncle's unfortunate death. The little boy appeared shaken and sniffled, hiding his tears from all on looking sailors.

They dropped anchor just off shore of the island of Cresbo, the center island in the archipelago that made up the Isles of Isabella. They lowered a skiff down into the shallow water carrying only the Emperor and one sailor to row him to shore. The aqua waters licked the boat he was in as it banked on the sandy seaside. Triton stepped from the skiff his armored body making tiny noises as he stepped. His hair color matched the sea and shone in the brilliant sunlight as he gazed at his destination, squinting his cerulean eyes to do so.

It was a small house on the slopes of Rous. It was a humble abode of stone, not as small as that of a commoner, but of a Mariner; of a captain of men. The roof was of clay shingles and the windows were of glass set into iron frames. A tiny herb garden, furnishing the occasional spices for a meal was off to the side, the smell of jasmine beckoning to the visitors below. It had been Taranis's dwelling place, where his infant daughter awaited a father who would never return to care for her.

The emperor tore his eyes from the welcoming house and fixed them on his rower ,whom clad in blue and was starring into the aqua water, watching tiny silver fish swim in small schools around the ivory bulk of their skiff.

"Massimo." Triton called, immediately startling the navy haired young man and gaining his full attention. "I will transcend the slopes alone, wait here for my return."

The rower nodded as the emperor removed his heavy woolen cloak and the cuirass of iron which covered his chest to reveal a simple linen tunic below. It would be a somewhat steep climb up the slope and he did not need the extra weight his armor and cloak created to off set his balance or else he may also never return home. Triton knelt down and began unbuckling the leather straps of his greaves from around his leather boots and of arm guards, discarding them in the same pile as his breast plate and cloak. He tightened his leather belt around his lithe form pulling his loose fitting cobalt tunic closer to his body.

He then stood up and walked over to the base of the rocky slope. Triton took one deep breath and began to climb the slope. He slid without silliness as a large stone gave way underneath his bottom foot while he was half way up the slope. He fell, but caught himself as he slid, with strength worthy of royalty; pulling himself up again. Finally, Triton emerged at the top of the slope, fresh sweat steaming his brow and a new sense of fulfillment living in him that he had not been aware he would feel.

He stood away from the ledge of the slope, gazing over the stony way he had just climbed, before walking, with an exasperated sigh; to the stone house just paces away from his position. He turned and jogged up to the stone house, standing before the wooden, iron hinged door. Triton leaned his head against the stones of the house, the warmth from his sweating forehead against the coolness of the dry stone. With the desperate and exhaustion fit for a weary traveler, Triton rapped his knuckles loudly against the door. He continued knocking faster until he noticed that his knuckles had shed blood over the splintered wood of the door's surface. Finally the door swung open and a frightened woman with silvering hair the color of the sea starred at him.

"Yes sir, what may I do for you?" The woman asked still slightly weary of the man before her, but somewhat put at ease by the fact that his clothing showed his status to be of noble birth.

"I…have come for…my…niece." Triton stammered as he still preceded to capture his breath from the long climb he had endured up the slope.

Recognition registered on the elder woman's face and she dropped something heavy she had been holding in one hand, presumably the object she had been intending to beat off an offending intruder with, behind the door with a clang.

"My lord! By the gods' praise, my lord!" The woman cried overjoyed as she threw her self at the emperor and embraced him tightly. The overjoyed and over protective middle aged woman squished the emperor's head to her bosom uncomfortably and wept. Had the emperor not been on the receiving end of this flood of emotions, he would have found the sight comical, "Oh my lord! You would not believe the trouble I have seen. Oh, the horror of it!"

"Deloras!" the emperor exclaimed trying desperately to pull himself from the suffocating grip of his brother's servant. "Truly, I have no doubt as to the misfortune you have suffered, but I require use of my muscles to climb back down the slope and air to be able to return to my court and rule there."

The woman pulled back from him and regarded him with a suspicious look, her tears ending.

"There now, Deloras, as I was speaking to you of beforehand, I have come to-oomph." The emperor was sharply cut off by the wailing woman servant as she threw her arms around him again.

"You have changed so much, my lord! Can you not even spare the time to speak with old Deloras for but a mere moment." this she said scolding him as she stared down at the struggling man in her arms. "No notes. No forewarning of your visit. No requests of meals. No respect for educate." The elder woman shook her head with a sigh, "What stock these royal men come from today. No manners, no respect for their elders, no remorse for impulsive actions. Is that not right, my lord?"

"Yes!" the emperor croaked out hastily.

"Good boy!" the woman praised as if she were speaking to a small lap dog as she freed the stunned and suffocating emperor from her grasp. "Come in, my lord! Come in!"

The woman grabbed the emperor's sleeve and ushered him into the house, pushing him the rest of the way through the doorway with a shove. The emperor's gaze landed on the wood planked floor and the large iron handled pot laying lopsided in the space behind the door. The woman followed his gaze and smiled.

"One can never be too cautious in these times, my lord." Deloras replied to the unspoken question as she shut the door and latched it behind her. "Had you not been the ruler of these lands, then I am afraid that you may have found me very unwelcoming to encounter, indeed."

The emperor nodded wearily, while nodding his head to himself as if he were agreeing with the turmoil in his mind. Then he gentle touches on his hand.

"Oh, my lord, look what you have done to your hand." Deloras stated, the emperor not having to gaze up at her to notice her surprise for it was apparent in her tone. "I will mend it for you."

Triton had not really noticed the injury after it had been made for it had gone numb, but at its mention, the afflicted area now throbbed as a small stream of blood flowed freely from the small gashes. She led him to a table and pushed him down to sit in the chair next to it while lay his hand gently on its polished wooden surface. Deloras then scurried off in another direction and had returned not one moment later with a corked blue glass bottle, a wooden bowl, and a hand full of cloth bandages.

Triton took this time to take in his surroundings. They were different than he had expected, then again, his brother's woman servant was different than he had remembered also. She was more motherly now, scolding and embracing. He surmised that she had been changed by the sudden loss and then sudden addition to the family. That of course did not make the news he had to bring home today about his brother's untimely, easy tidings to relay. This would not be easy.

"Deloras?" Triton asked as the elder woman began cleaning his wounds with the clear elixir from the blue bottle in the wooden bowl where she had placed his hand.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know why I have come on this day to see my niece?" The emperor asked, his mind swimming with different types of word combinations on how to answer her.

"No. I can only assume that Lord Taranis has sent for you to watch over the babe. The gods only know, what type of suffering he has been through since Lady Bella's death. He wailed like a child lost in a storm, as if his very soul had been wrenched from him and for a time, he completely ignored the fact that he had a child at all; until his wits came about him and he spent one day bonding with the babe, before shipping out to sea. Did you come to fetch the child for him?" Deloras asked pouring the stinging liquid over his hand.

"No." Triton replied gazing straight into the elder woman's now very attentive eyes. "Last evening the ship on which my brother and I sailed, floundered and sunk in a storm; claiming him along with the lives of all of my crew."

There was silence between them. Shock had registered on Deloras' face, but then registered as sadness as she bent her head lower to inspect the tiny abrasions on Triton's hand.

"That is terrible." Her voice was a petrified whisper, but what she feared, the emperor could not place. "How awful a price the sea has demanded of us, to take its greatest mariner to a watery grave before his time."

She wrapped his hand in the dry bandages, without saying one audible word, not willing to speak on the matter. Feeling pressed for time, Emperor Triton felt compelled to finish his dealings here.

"Where is my niece?" Triton asked.

Deloras stood quickly, squeezing Triton's hand painfully as he cringed, leading the way to a room off to the side. It was well lit from the sun streaming through the windows. In an ivory crib, lay a small baby. Triton cocked his head incredulously, I do not remember Mariner ever being that small as a babe. On her head were light strands of auburn hair, that trait belonged to my mother's family, Triton thought as he smiled at the thought.

"She is so small." Triton whispered as he stood at the base of the crib watching the tiny infant sleep peacefully.

"That is what Lady Bella said, that is…" Tears sprang to the usually carefree woman's eyes. "Before she passed on."

Triton only nodded still gazing at his niece, an instinctual urge to protect filling him as he watched the vulnerable babe sleep. He had always been convinced that Mariner would be his only child, but this small baby, Entarais was her name, would need him now; more than ever. How could he turn not fulfill his brother's dying wish? Even in childhood, Triton had always been the protective sibling, trying to deflect harm away from Taranis as much as possible. That was no longer the case. His brother had given his life to save him, and all he had asked in return was for Triton to raise his only daughter. How could he deny him that?

A light touch became present on his arm, causing Triton to lean forward a bit.

"Where will you take her?" Came the old woman's timid inquiry.

"To my court, to be raised as one of my heirs." Triton replied firmly, no questions in his resolve.

"Take good care of her, my lord. She does not deserve the hand dealt to her." Deloras said tearfully. She then clung to the emperor's arm and wailed, "Do not let her be harassed for being an orphan, my lord! You have no ideal to the cruelty of children. Keep her safe within the palace walls, to a place of safety. I could not bear it, if I heard she had to suffer!"

Triton tried desperately to dislodge his arm from within the woman's grasp, but to no avail. She instead held on to him tighter, squeezing the life from him.

"Listen, Deloras I will personally see to the child's upbringing myself so do not worry yourself about her well being, I assure you it will be taken care of." Triton reassured trying to pry the wailing woman from him.

She only wailed louder, causing the entirely awkward moment to escalate to one of the purest embarrassment.

Indigo clad sailors sat on the edge of the large fishing ship, anchored just off shore, awaiting the emperor's return.

"Do you see him?' One anxious soul asked.

Another used his hand to shield his eyes as he gazed off at the shore, "No, he is still up on the cliff."

"No, there he is!" A young cabin boy pointed to the skiff being rowed slowly towards them, the emperor and a tiny marine wrapped bundle in his arms held within it.

The small boat rowed up to the side of the ship as its occupants grappled to climb the rope ladder which had been lowered toward them. As the emperor reached the top of the ladder he handed his precious bundle to the captain who held the tiny child with reverence. The baby woke with a start, deep cerulean eyes opening halfway and staring astonished up at the unshaven face hovering above her. Captain Sejanus turned his gaze back up to Triton, whom was now standing beside him.

"She is so small." Sejanus commented, light blue eyes gazing back to the child in his arms with awe. "I have four children of my own and yet never have I seen a babe so small as this one, nor one so light to hold. It will be hard for one so small to make their way in this world. Take good care of her, my lord."

"Sejanus, have more faith in me than that." Triton reprimanded with a light heart and a smile as the captain expertly handed the small child over to the emperor, "I have gotten enough of that type of speech from the child's maid."

Sejanus chuckled and then turned back to the task at hand, "Make ready to depart!"

The sailors scrambled across the deck, rushing to their tasks. The lieutenants were yelling orders to the sailors, pushing them into their responsibilities leaving no room for any argument. The sails were let out, the wind filling them quickly. The vessel began on its way from the island set in a straight course for the isle of Atlantis, the second largest island that made up the archipelago of Isabella, not a day's sail from the island of Cresbo they were leaving.

The day at sea was monotonous. The crystal sea was calm, a token of good fortune that their journey may come to an end without incident. He would come home on sparkling waves. His wife came to greet him at the docks, greeting both him and Mariner with living embraces, but to the small child, she glanced at her wearily.

"Triton." The emperor's wife, Rhiannon, asked curiously. "Who is this?"

Triton walked up beside his wife and handed her the sleeping child, then leaned closer to her so only she would be able to decipher what he was going to tell her, "Her name is Entarais and she was my brother's daughter. Taranis died when the Acheron capsized in a storm at sea."

The queen gasped in shock, but did not loose her hold on the precious bundle in her arms.

"By tomorrow morning this news will be no secret, but for now let it stay between us." Triton said, "I swore to my brother, as the ship was sinking, that I would raise his only child as my own and so I have taken that responsibility upon myself. All of the arrangements have been made, she will be our daughter from this moment on."

Rhiannon nodded, her gaze softened as she regarded the child in her arms. Perhaps, this one would not be so hard to raise as Mariner was. The Neptunian queen smirked at the fond memories flowing through her mind of a little prince who took particular pride in terrorizing the servants of the palace. And so it was, that the Emperor and his wife took in small Entarais and raised her as their own daughter. She lived, learned, and grew within imperial walls, but she was not sheltered. Her uncle would not allow her to be.

Neptune was a democracy and therefore the people ruled. In fact, it was the common people who elected the royals themselves. At any time or moment a royal could be overthrown without consequence and another put in their place. Because of this, a royal had to be beloved in order to preside over Neptune. Triton's family was the longest ruling imperial family of Neptune, for they had been in the people's favor for over one thousand years. In order to remain so popular, the royals were raised from birth to serve the people. If a disturbance or dilemma is reported to the royal court, the royals themselves ride out to deal with it personally. The disturbance could be something as large as a public unrest or something as small as a family dispute, but none the less, the royals tended to their people's problems personally.

Entarais had done this many times. She would ride out with her uncle and his guards to mend the people's troubles and had learned the skills essential to holding the favor of people: charisma, a jubilant sense of humor, and a knowledge of when to hide emotions from those in your company. Entarais had become exceptionally good at the latter of these skills, and used it often to allow herself the privacy she so desired. But this sort of privacy did come at a price. It allowed her to hide her emotions, to a point that it became very difficult for others to discern what it was that she was feeling. Such was often the tragic case of royalty. So young, and yet she was already subject to the royal condition. There was no normality for the royal children, for there was always expectations to live up to, precedents never succeeded, but not to be broken by any youth or monarch alike.

She grew up with the knowledge that to become a true ruler in the eyes of the universe, she would have to sacrifice her individuality to become like them, but in order to rule her people she had to maintain her charismatic charm as well as some element of uniqueness in her personality, other wise her people would write her off as drab, dull, and not the right type of royal for them. Although Entarais knew that other royals were, or seemed to be, content with their lot; she could not help but want something better. She wanted adventure and a life that was morally irresponsible by royal standards, to drop all restraints and live life as everyone else did. Perhaps she could join the local tower guard, become something that would have to fight to protect. No, her uncle, although lenient with her, would not allow that. She was also aware of this strange urge within her to help others, to see that they lived freely, as was their birth right. But how? To accomplish all of that, such a life was extraordinary even by royal standards.

"Entarais." Triton's voice broke her from her ponderings as she sat on a rock on the cliffs of Antos which over looked the waves of the azure sea, beating against the rocks with vigor. "What are you doing?"

"Watching the wave roll by." Was the whispered answer as Entarais pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin upon her drawn up knees, "Uncle, have…have you ever wanted more than what it is you have in your life?"

Triton was almost thrown off balance by the question as he knelt beside his niece in an attempt to better hear her words, "No. What makes you inquire about such things?"

Entarais shook her head, refusing to meet the emperor's questioning gaze and instead decided to watch the sun set over the horizon, "I do…I do not know."

Triton kept his thoughtful gaze upon his niece for a moment longer. She was certainly an odd child, often withdrawn and confined upon her own behalf to her chambers. She was strong for someone her age, for she had already learned one complete hardship of being a royal: that one must learn to be lonely. Neptune was a free planet, but not an anarchy. No where is its laws was it stated that a royal may act irresponsibly or carelessly for their own self indulgence, as the emperor's of Uranus once had. The Neptunian royalty had learned from their mistakes. Their whole governmental system was a complete opposite of that of the other twin planet, being that on Uranus laws were enforced with beatings and executions, which often caused its two crowns more trouble than they could handle. Neptune was not like that. For disobeying a law, once may be fined or thrown in prison for a night, but no further punishment would ensue and amazingly, Neptune sported less national crime because of it. Uranus was a planet of strict oppression of the common people where king's ruled supreme, but on Neptune the people clearly ruled and it did not matter if the royal heir was a male or female, for the firstborn on Neptune always received the crown.

"Well, let us move to other matters." Triton cleared his throat as his voice became more raspy from overuse, "You have always been educated in the palace alongside Mariner, but as you well know, there is a time a youngster's life when they must learn what it means to travel the galaxy on their own, to pick and choose their own friends and to take their destiny into their own hands. Granted you are still young yet, but I think it is time." Triton cleared his throat again. "Your education is limited so long as you stay in this castle, for there are some things about this galaxy that you cannot learn from books and papers, but from your own personal experiences. I am sending you to the other planets for the remainder of your education."

Entarais nodded solemnly, cerulean eyes darting a glance at her feet before turning to that of the uncle. She knew this day would come. "When will I come back home?"

"The gods only know." Triton replied laying a comforting hand on his niece's much smaller shoulder, "Though your education will ensue for a few years, it will eventually cease and when it does I do not want you to feel compelled to rush back home. You need to spend some time living within the cultures of other planets, experiencing life the way their citizens do." The Neptunian emperor's expression became woeful,"I think you will find that there are many differences in the way we live our lives and in the way the peoples of other planets live. There are many injustices that you will see, maybe even experience, which may unsettle you. Our world, although at peace at the moment, is not a perfect place. It is very important that you come to realize and deduce this for yourself, Entarais, for your judgment later in life will depend on your experiences. I will not hide that fact from you. I have never shielded you from the harshness of reality and this new experience will be nothing different."

Entarais nodded this time hastily. An unsettling feeling was growing in his stomach. She was afraid. Entarais had always been one to wander off on her own, even once signing onto a merchant ship as a able seaman, before her uncle had found out; but never had she left for another planet and certainly not on her own.

"I know this is daunting for you, but it is something you must do." The emperor said as Entarais shrank down into herself, pulling her knees closer to her chest, if it was at all possible. "You will depart tomorrow morning for your first destination. You tutor is a Plutonian liberal named Anshar of Ampuria, a most revered scholar in his native land. Treat him well and do as he instructs. Listen well for, as one of his formal pupils, I can tell you from experience that he never says a word without meaning, but he loves children so you have nothing to fear. " Feeling awkward with nothing more to speak to his niece on he promptly cleared his throat in the thick silence that hung around the two of them like a fog. "Be ready at dawn. Good luck and may the gods go with you."

Entarais remained silent, having nothing to add to the conversation. Triton stood and readied himself to walk back along the shore to his castle, but he was stopped by a slight sound like the coo of a dove. He looked down to seen one of many silver tears making its way down Entarais's cheek.

He immediately engulfed the tiny girl into a tight hug, her body shuddering from painful sobs.

"My little fish, what is wrong?" The Neptunian emperor asked as he rubbed the child's back soothingly.

"I do not want to do this alone. Perhaps I cannot do this alone." Entarais whispered as her fears escalated and her sobs subsided. "What if I fail. What if I cannot become the person the court expects me to become."

"My dear girl." Triton soothed. "You should be inspired to do well in life, but do it for your own satisfaction, not for the court's. If nothing else, do what your judgment tells you is right and follow what your heart tells you. No real greatness is ever achieved by living a life solely for others. I know what I tell you confuses you, because we as royals, are taught from a very young age to place our lives in service of the people; for the good of the people. But my darling girl, in doing only what is expected of us and going no further, you are not living at all. My point is Entarais, live life for your own satisfaction, for whatever you choose to do; our family's love and support will go with you. Do not worry so about failure, because failure is like beauty, for it is only discernable in the eyes of the beholder. Any one of our planet's many artists and musicians will tell you that. Are you feeling better now?"

Entarais pulled out of her uncle's comforting embrace, drying the remainder of her tears with her sleeve. The emperor also stood, brushing the dirt from his knees.

"Now, I wager that the first one of us to reach the castle walls will be allowed the honor of eating dessert before dinner." The playful glint in Triton's eyes sparkled as he prepared for a race. "We race under only one rule: do not tell your aunt I condoned this behavior."

Entarais smiled, "Or that you started it."

"That too." Triton chuckled, "Now ready set g—Hey!"

Entarais had sprinted off before the final count, laughing as she sped out of her uncle's reach. Triton took off running after her as the two enlightened souls raced to the castle walls, the sun setting over the watery world of Neptune for the evening.

Author's Note: This gives Entarais her background and explains her close family ties to the Neptunian royal family. I hope this chapter was able to gain your interest. I also hope you enjoyed reading it. R & R!