Far down in one of the deepest trenches of the seven seas, where no ray of sunshine ever shone, there has always been a very special city of the underwater world. A city that was surrounded by the deepest darkness and yet shone all the brighter. No other underwater metropolis reflected the pulsating life of its population better than Düstrigar did. With an almost breathtaking light show that put the darkness in its place around the clock, the city had quickly gained a reputation for never sleeping. The capital of the Deep Sea Empire had managed to become the hub of life in one of the most challenging environments. Its inhabitants were masters at bringing light into the darkness. Technically adept as they were, the Düstra had transformed the blackness into a shining jewel with a number of luminescent materials and the handling of the electricity that was theirs. The centrepiece was the palace of King Tajo. It looked like an oversized blue octopus clinging to the steep rock face with its arms. The eight corridors arranged in a star shape around the main complex, with pulsating chains of light, drew the eye to the throne room in the middle and gave the impression of a living being.
In that very throne room, a small select group of statesmen had gathered around the king at that moment.
"The failure of the electric eel power station, in the last few days, has unfortunately caused a prolonged stoppage of the machinery, Your Majesty. The damage caused by the stopping of the treadmills and the failure of other facilities in the city's supply districts, calculates to 130,000 pearl shells, Sire. Our engineers are working flat out on a new backup that should prevent the power plant from failing again," King Tajo's advisor read the reports on the current state of the empire to his ruler as he skimmed over a transcript of the last council meeting.
"Did the emergency generators work as requested?" the king asked without lifting his eyes. With an octopus stylus, he jotted something down on a small piece of pergament and handed it to the merman on his right.
"The most important things could be intercepted by this, yes, Sire," the reporter answered.
"Good, arrange for them to be checked again so that they will work properly in the event of a possible next failure. Also, I want it double-checked that all areas that are vital to our city's survival are indeed covered," Tajo ordered another of the men gathered around him. The man addressed bowed deeply before he also took up the task assigned to him and swam away.
"On with the agenda, Lumio," the king demanded quickly, after all the list was long and the day, as always, far too short.
"Of course, your majesty. The next item, would be the preparations for the annual Festival of Lights," the advisor named the new topic.
And so the council meeting went its usual course. Several hours passed before the king was informed of everything and gave new instructions.
Tajo said goodbye to the remaining council members with a handshake and waited until the last one had left the throne room and he was alone with his loyal advisor Lumio. Then, exhausted, he slumped down on the throne and took a deep breath for the time being. These sessions were really tiring.
The advisor only allowed his king a short breather before turning to him again.
"Your Majesty, forgive me, but there is something else I would like to discuss with you," he remarked.
Tajo opened one of his eyes and looked critically at the other. He guessed what this would amount to once again.
"Speak up, and we'll both get it over with sooner," he urged him to get his point off his chest.
"Your Majesty, I have not had the opportunity to inform you that Princess Aquata returned from Atlantica this morning. She requests a personal interview with you," the advisor explained.
"That is good news. Tell her that I will dine with her this evening," the king replied, hoping that was the end of the conversation. But after Lumio assured himself of his attention with a quick clearing of his throat, he knew that all hoping was in vain. Once again he would have to listen to the speech his advisor had been preaching ever since the Atlantean princess had come to his kingdom.
"My King, I have always been a great help and advisor to your parents. You know that I only want what is best for you," he began, but then got to the point, "We both know that you still have most of your reign ahead of you. But in light of this unfortunate incident, we know only too well how quickly a reign can come to an end. So I beg you, let us think of the future. Talk to her about it before she changes her mind. Use this unique chance and claim your birthright," he spoke to his king.
"I will not push her into anything, Lumio. Grant her the time she needs to get used to everything here. And if she does decide that she can't manage to spend the rest of her life in this environment, then I won't force her either. She grew up in a realm where she was greeted every morning by the warm rays of the sun. Here, all light is artificial and cool. Our ancestors chose this life and we no longer know it any other way. But our dark home is anything but home for her. If I could, I would spare her from living here, but we can't stay up there for any length of time without being harmed, so we have no choice in the matter. You and all the others who think badly of her should consider all this before you judge her. She gives up so much and that is your thanks!"
"That was by no means my intention, Your Highness. But, a kingdom without succession is doomed. Please bear this in mind. We have been looking for a consort for you for so long, please do not let her go now."
"The conversation is over. Go!" clarified Tajo. The advisor, however, did not move from the spot.
"I will not repeat myself, Lumio," the ruler hissed, punctuating this with a few flashing electric shocks that flashed around his night-black body. The unmistakably threatening gesture made the other back away.
"My apologies, Sire," he begged for forgiveness for his misbehaviour.
Tajo did not reply, but only continued to glower at him mercilessly.
"I will have everything prepared for your communal supper," Lumio hastily remarked and then swam away.
It annoyed the young king immensely to be repeatedly reminded of this vexed subject, and yet it could not be dismissed. He knew the state of his kingdom and after having had to ascend to the throne at such an early age, the Düstra had the omnipresent fear that the last member of the royal family might also leave them too soon, thus plunging the kingdom into chaos without a leader.
A fruit-bearing marriage with a princess from one of the other kingdoms had been the number one topic among the courtiers and the population since his coronation. But none of the princesses had wanted to give up their homeland at the prospect of living in the darkest corner of the oceans. Tajo himself had often wondered what could have motivated the first Düstra to settle in this place. He did not understand how they could have burdened themselves with living in such a hostile environment. Surely their standard of living had improved a lot by now. With their technologies, they were even superior to the Light Kingdoms in many ways, but they had had to pay a high price for it. Over the generations, their bodies had adapted better and better to life in the depths of the oceans. They had produced light and electricity, but had lost resistance to natural light and the difference in pressure. Their senses were highly sensitive, provided they actually took on the ordeal of travelling the long way to higher realms. Tajo was aware that they were lucky to be able to make these rare journeys at all. For years he had been pursuing the plan to bring his people back to the surface bit by bit. And to some extent he had already been successful. They no longer lived only at the bottom of the deepest part of the trench. He had extended the city to the outskirts and deliberately had the palace built on the rock face, so high that it only took a few minutes for the most persistent of the sun's rays to reach you again. But something that had developed over decades or even centuries could not be reversed within a regency. Tajo himself felt this all too well in his own body every day. The Düstra were not made to live in these heights. It tugged immensely at the young ruler's strength. This also seemed to play a big part in his advisor's worry. His migraine attacks and fatigue were clear signs that he was asking more of his body than it was prepared to do, and yet Tajo persisted. Not least to hold out the prospect of another life with Aquata.
So she was back. A smile crept onto his otherwise serious features. He had missed her, he became painfully aware of that all at once. Considering his previous statement, sadness settled over him. Yes, he didn't want to force her to stay here, but he wished immensely that she would do just that. Stay here. Here with him. By his side. As his queen. As the ruler of the Düstra.
Tajo could not deny it, he had fallen in love with the mermaid, who was so different from him and his people in her nature. After all these years of searching, he had almost given up hope.
He was looking forward to finally seeing her again tonight, but he still had a lot to do before this meeting. So he too left the throne behind and swam out into the darkness of his realm, which instantly absorbed his equally dark form.
It was not necessary to take a guard with him on one of these forays through his realm. The blackness offered the best protection anyway. When Tajo did not want to be seen, the shadows hid him like a cloak. In addition, his people were extraordinarily well-disposed towards him. They loved their young king, who in their eyes gave his best at all times. He simply had no enemies down here, so why have unnecessary company hanging around him.
Everything seemed calm and the instructions of today's council meeting seemed to have even been partially implemented. The city lay quietly and it filled Tajo with pride to see how it continued to flourish under his reign as it had in the days of his parents. Immersed in one of his favourite activities, he completely forgot the time and only became aware of how far the time had gone when the clock tower sounded loudly.
So he finally found himself sitting at one end of the huge table of the dining hall and regarded Aquata, who was sitting opposite him, with shy glances. One would really think he knew how to deal with women better, since he had had so much involuntary practice in the meantime. But it was different. She was different. So he really wasn't very adept at talking to her, time and time again.
He cleared his throat to break the silence and then tried to start an unbiased conversation by asking the first question that popped into his head.
"How...how was your journey?" he wanted to know from her, quickly lowering his gaze back to his fingers, which were vigorously busy chopping up the food on his plate.
"Long...I think," Aquata replied uncertainly. Her voice was so low at that, Tajo almost didn't hear her across the long table.
"Of course. Forgive me for asking. How silly of me to ask about something so obvious," he replied hastily.
And again they lapsed into their shared silence. How long had they both been avoiding the obvious now? Was it weeks, or even months, that they clumsily as they gave themselves did not get off the ground.
"The food is really delicious, kudos to your chef, your majesty," Aquata now tried, with an equally banal change of subject.
Why did she make such a fuss? Among her sisters, she had never been one to mince words, and now this. Aquata no longer understood herself. She wanted to please him! But if she continued to behave like this, he would get the idea that she wasn't interested in him at all. But was the interest reciprocal? Maybe he tolerated her presence in his town out of pure politeness towards her father and was just waiting for her to go home again. Had he perhaps not expected her to return from Atlantica at all?
So many questions were buzzing through her head that she didn't even notice that he was looking at her with interest. His gaze captivated her and the only thing she was able to say was a tentative smile. The next moment, the eye contact between them was broken.
Had she done something wrong?
Aquata felt more uncertain than ever before in her life. This kingdom was so different from Atlantica, its inhabitants so wondrous and this young king before her so enchanting.
Lumio, lingering behind a pillar, could not believe it. Stunned, he buried his face in his hands. How could his king be so stupid? But the princess of Atlantica was truly in no way inferior to him in that respect. Something had to be done. Someone had to act, and that someone would have to be him. After what he had seen here, that was certain. Without further ado, he swam away to get some support.
It wasn't long before he arrived back in the dining hall, followed by a small group that he told to keep a low profile. The two highborns were still sitting in front of their mostly untouched plates, absently poking at them. Hunger really didn't seem to be on either of their minds. Lumio therefore saw this as the appropriate moment to put his plan into action. He signalled to the troupe and a few seconds later a soft melody flooded the room.
Tajo and Aquata raised their heads at the same time and looked around in amazement. Neither could make out where the music suddenly seemed to be coming from.
"Come on," the royal advisor whispered imploringly from his hiding place, "ask her."
"Princess Aquata?" the king asked into the room.
"Yes?", Aquata assured him of her attention hopefully.
"Will you...will you...," Tajo searched for the right words.
Aquata guessed what he was about to do and she was not at all comfortable with it. Why had that music had to start! She was a miserable dancer and even if her sisters had encouraged her to do it again and again, it hadn't changed anything. She would never be able to convince him of herself like that. What was she supposed to do now?
"Will you give me this dance?" he asked the question she had been dreading more than anything else at that moment.
"I... well..." she stammered to herself, looking for an excuse, but she just couldn't find one.
"Please, princess, don't leave me stranded," he tried to cover his uncertainty with a turn of phrase and a wry smile.
Aquata didn't know what she was doing when she actually accepted his invitation to dance.
"I must warn you though, I'm really not good at this, your majesty," she warned him.
"Let me worry about that," he encouraged her, and came swimming towards her.
She grasped his proffered hand and a little later they were spinning gingerly to the notes across the room. Dancing had never come so easily to her, never felt so right and good as it did at that moment.
Lumio exhaled deeply at the sight of them.
At last.
A beginning had been made.