The sceptre and crown floated towards Sharla's lair and all her past spells were unravelled as the polyps in her garden were showered by sparkles from the dissolved foam, which turned them into the merpeople they had been before they became victims to the sea witch's deals and false promises.
Delighted to be free, the merpeople swam back to their homes and families and the sceptre gently landed next to the remaining polyp who turned back into the rightful ruler of the ocean- Queen Daisy of Aquaria and with a small smile, she took back her sceptre and her kingdom.
Lily felt the familiar and warm rays of the early morning sun on her face as she bobbed up to the surface, the waters now calm after the storm and the waves were lapping lazily against her as she swam towards the beach, hoping that Ben was alright even though she knew he was a very strong swimmer and would've made it back safely.
She was also feeling horribly guilty about her lack of contribution to Sharla's defeat as Ben and her mother had risked and sacrificed their own lives to save her, while she did nothing but be the vulnerable little mermaid.
Yes, she did make Sharla misfire the sceptre and destroy her eels when they had nearly drowned Ben, but it was a mere thing compared to what he had to do to save her from the evil sea witch.
Her mother wasn't supposed to have turned into a polyp to protect her, Mermaid Beach wasn't supposed to have been witness to Sharla's brief rise to power and takeover of the ocean and she wasn't supposed to have been a damsel in distress after vowing to keep fighting Sharla by being trapped in a whirlpool while Ben drove that ship into her.
Lily's eyes filled with tears when she saw Ben lying on the sand unconscious, like he had been when she rescued him, and surrounded by the debris from the ship that the waves were washing up onto the beach and she threw her arms around him, relieved to hear him breathing.
'Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry,' Lily whispered into his ear and brushed his hair out of his eyes, 'I'm sorry that you had to find out that the girl you love with all your heart and had risked your life to save hers by killing the most dangerous creature in the ocean, has fins instead of feet.
I'm sorry that I put your wonderful world in danger and I didn't do enough to help defeat Sharla and that my mum sacrificed herself for me by giving Sharla her sceptre, proving how much she loves me..'
Lily paused at the last sentence as she thought of something. Ben wasn't the only one that deserved an apology.
Her mother had shown how much she loved her youngest daughter by giving up her soul and kingdom so that Lily would be safe and she had caused the queen great worry and anguish over her disappearance.
She needed an overdue apology and an explanation about Lily's decision to run away and become human by taking a dodgy and dangerous deal from the sea witch that led to grave consequences for both the merworld and the human world.
Not to mention her sisters, who would also be worried sick about her and Lily knew she had to do the right thing. She wanted to make things right after doing so many wrongs, and it was inevitable that she had to face the consequences of her actions, sooner or later.
For now, she had to go to her ocean home and tie up loose ends, with the uncertainty of returning to the world and boy that she loved.
Giving Ben a soft kiss and one final hug, Lily quickly dived back into the ocean just as he regained consciousness and he groaned as he sat upright and squinted against the sun as he saw the brief flash of Lily's tail as it disappeared into the waves.
Having to get used to swimming with her tail again, Lily headed towards the familiar royal blue buildings and the grand palace of Aquaria as many people came out of their homes to see the lost princess return and they smiled at her, in stark contrast to the angry glares they gave her when she had missed the concert, which seemed a long time ago now.
Lily gave them a small smile as she reached the palace and sighed heavily as the guards, shocked and relieved to see the princess alive and well, let her in and she swam down the great hall to the throne room.
She swam past the portraits of Aquaria's kings and queens that hung on the walls, from Aquatia, the very first queen, to her grandmother, Jasmine whom she never met and her mother and she also saw the portrait of her father and she smiled sadly as she gently kissed it.
She then saw that the door to the ballroom was open and when she peeked inside, she saw her sisters sitting in a circle, having held a vigil for their lost sister and were crying softly as they held each other close.
Lily felt guilty for thinking that her sisters, apart from Marigold and Daffodil who were like mothers to her, didn't care about her when it was obvious that they did and had been greatly distressed about her disappearance.
No matter how angry she had been with her family when this whole thing started, she didn't mean to cause them so much worry and anguish.
Before her sisters saw her, Lily quickly swam away just as Marigold looked up and gave a small smile at seeing the flash of her little sister's tail in the hallway.
'She's back,' Marigold whispered as the others swam behind her and also smiled, albeit with tears in their eyes as they left the ballroom and followed their little sister to the throne room.
Daisy was sitting rather listlessly on her throne, her sceptre hanging limply from her hand and was thinking about what had happened the previous day and from what she had heard from Senna when she had found the crab swimming towards her in an urgent matter, the human boy who Lily loved and had saved her, the kingdom and the ocean from a terrible tyrant.
Her daughter, who reminded her of her beloved Holley and who she had tried so hard to hold on to, was obliviously slipping away from her into another man's arms and she could imagine what Holley would be saying to her if he was still here,
You got to let her live her own life, Daze, his handsome and lively voice said and Daisy smiled, thinking of her long-forgotten nickname that only he had been allowed to call her,
She's not going to be your little girl forever and she truly loves this bloke. It doesn't matter if he's human, Lily deserves to be happy and free with the boy she loves.
'You're right, Holley,' Daisy said, as if sensing that her late husband was in the room with her, just as Lily swam into the room and Daisy looked up as her youngest daughter swam towards her and threw her arms around her as Lily sobbed loudly, her tears blending in with the water and Daisy simply held her tight and gently rubbed her back.
'Oh, Mum,' Lily sobbed, tears falling freely down her face, 'I'm so sorry that I hurt you and caused you all this trouble!
I honestly didn't want anyone to get hurt but I felt so trapped in the ocean and I wanted to be happy and free and be with Ben, but I never imagined that it would lead to Sharla nearly taking over the ocean!
Can you ever forgive me for what I have done?'
'Lily, sweetheart, it's alright, she tricked you,' Daisy said, gently, 'although you did make the rather poor decision to give up your voice and tail for a human boy that you barely know.'
'That's not true, Mum, it's you that doesn't really know him,' Lily said, although she didn't mean to sound rude but Daisy simply stared at her.
Like she had been earlier, Lily was shocked to see her beautiful, youthful and vibrant mother look five years older with her haggard appearance, worry lines on her face and her limp, unwashed hair.
'Ben is really a kind, caring, sweet and funny boy, who is very athletic and loves swimming, surfing, playing with a passamawhatchit and he loves to eat as he has such a bottomless stomach and will eat anything except broccoli, which he calls a 'vile weed.'
He wants to study business at university later this month and he also really loves mermaids, as did his mother and they used to pretend that they were merpeople, since it's one of the precious memories he has of her..'
Daisy didn't say anything when she heard Lily describe the human boy in detail, which was in stark contrast to the 'spineless, savage, ocean-polluting fish-eaters' she had believed them to be and she was especially stunned when Lily said something that she herself could relate to,
'Ben's mother died when he was five and he still misses her after thirteen years since he loved her so much, they were best friends and they lived in their own little world. She was a famous model who everyone in Australia loved just as much as Ben and his father did.
He hardly sees his father for most of the year, as he's a famous and well-loved footy coach and former player and he was never the same after his wife died, just like you were after Daddy's death.' Lily said.
'And I love him, Mum, with all my heart and he loves me too, even when he found out I was a mermaid, he still came after me and defeated Sharla. That proves how much he loves me.
Not all humans are bad, you know, as I kept telling you. I found that out for myself as every human I met was kind and decent and were very friendly to me, especially Ben's housekeeper, Melinda and his friend, Mia.'
'But they didn't know who you were,' Daisy said.
'I know, until the sun set at the wedding and I also know that your opinion of humans may or may not have changed with what I have just told you, but it hasn't changed my love for Ben.' Lily said.
Daisy sat in silence, slowly trying to take in what she had just heard as she looked at her youngest daughter, her heart tugging at the strings that she was soon going to let go of her.
But like Lily, she wanted to rectify her mistakes and as painful as it was for her, she wanted Lily to be happy and if it meant her living in the human world, so be it.
'Actually, Lily, it's me that should be apologising to you,' Daisy said, 'I know that I have hurt you, especially after what happened in the grotto, but for all your life, I have seen you as my little girl who reminds me of your father and you then grew up in a blink of an eye.
In a way, if anything had happened to you, it would be like losing your father all over again but I now see that you really do love this boy and you need to be free and to live your own life.'
'You mean…' Lily said.
'Yes, Lily, I'm letting you be part of Ben's world, especially since he saved my life and the kingdom,' Daisy said, smiling and Lily let out a squeal of glee as she hugged her mother, 'and I think it's time that we established relations with our land neighbours.
For years, we've escaped their notice and now that they know we exist, it seems that we must pay them due attention.'
'That would be wonderful, Mum,' Lily said, although she knew it would be a while before her mother and the kingdom fully accepted humans and vice versa but this was an encouraging start.
'But there is just one problem,' Daisy then said.
'What is it, Mum?' Lily said, 'that I still have fins?'
'No, it's not that,' Daisy said, as tears started to form in her eyes, 'It's..just how much I'm going to miss you but never forget who you are and your royal heritage as a princess of Aquaria.
Whether you have fins or feet, you are still my daughter and I love you very, very, very much, darling,' she said, hugging Lily tightly.
'I love you too, Mum,' Lily whispered as she hugged her mother, having seen how much she loved her by sacrificing her life for her and Lily then felt a pang of sadness as she was leaving her family, friends and her life in the sea behind.
'But that will mean that I'll never see you or Rose, Marigold, Daffodil, Fern, Bluebell, Violet, Aurora and Senna again.' Lily said, sadly.
'That is true,' Daisy said, 'but I think we can find a way for you and Ben to have the best of both worlds at some stage. But for now, go on, darling, Ben is waiting for you.'
'Thank you, Mum,' she said as she hugged her mother one last time before she made her way towards the surface while Daisy and her remaining daughters, who had just swum into the throne room, watched with sadness as they had missed the chance to say goodbye to their baby sister.
'Aw, she's leaving again,' Bluebell said, 'just as she was coming back to us. Mother, are you sure that you're doing the right thing? Letting Lily live with a human boy she's only known for a few days in a world that you abhor and forbade us from?'
'Yes, I am, Bluebell,' said Daisy, sadly, 'and while it may take some time, I have faith that our worlds will come together and we can co-exist peacefully.'
'How bold of you, Mother,' Rose said.
'And that human boy saved us from Sharla!' said Daffodil, 'he single-handedly skewered her with a ship and turned her into foam! How cool is that? Lily definitely has good taste in men unlike a certain mermaid we know,' while giving Violet a hard stare.
'Hey!' Violet said, punching Daffodil in the arm.
'But now that Lily has left, I'll be the youngest in the family now and we didn't even get to say goodbye to her. I know that we haven't been close but she's our little sister after all and we'll all miss her dearly.' Violet then said, wistfully.
The girls murmured and nodded in agreement. Where once there were seven daughters, there were now to be six.
'But she'll be okay, I know she will, she's a good girl,' Marigold said.
'Even if she does silly things now and again,' Rose said.
'But she has good sense when she needs it the most,' Bluebell said.
'Even if she is a whiny, spoilt brat,' Fern said and her sisters rolled their eyes at her.
'But I just wish that she could come back and visit so we can meet this Ben who is our saviour and a total hunk from what I have heard,' Violet said, sighing dreamily.
'Don't get any ideas, Violet, he's Lily's beau and keep your flirting to yourself and your many loser boyfriends,' said Daffodil and Violet punched her in the arm again, while wincing at a nail she had broken and quickly filed it.
'Are you sure that you want to do this, Mother?' Rose said, putting her hand on Daisy's shoulder, seeing the sadness in the queen's eyes but she managed a small smile as she looked at her eldest daughter.
'Yes, it's what Lily wants and I don't regret my decision,' Daisy said, 'but we're not really saying goodbye to her and we'll soon have a son and brother in our family,' as she used her sceptre and a scale from her tail to create something that resembled a necklace.
The girls looked at her confusedly but followed their mother as she swam to the surface for the first time in eleven years, all of them eager to see Lily and to meet the human boy that had stolen her heart and would soon be the brother they never had.
While the residents were getting on with their day as normal and putting last night's storm behind them, Ben was sitting on the beach by himself, his shirt and trousers soaked and torn and hanging off his body like rags and his hair was damp and tangled from the water.
He kept looking at the ocean, longing to see his little mermaid again, the one that had brought him good luck and happiness like his mother had said and he hoped with all his heart that she was alive, although there was a great possibility that she would never come back to him.
It was tearing Ben up inside as the familiar feelings of loneliness and heartbreak came back to him as he took Lily's bracelet out of his pocket and held it close as he pulled his knees up to his chest and sobbed quietly, having fallen victim to his heartbreak and hopeless love yet again.
'What would I give to live where you are?' a hauntingly beautiful voice then rang out from the ocean and Ben looked up warily, not wanting a repeat of what happened with Sharla who had tricked him into marrying her by using that beautiful voice.
'What would I pay to stay here beside you?' the voice sang again as clear and beautiful as the day Ben first heard it.
He then sprang up, with his heart beating madly in his chest and ran towards the ocean as the shape of a very familiar pink tail and long, flowing blonde hair started to emerge from the waves as they carried her towards him.
'Lily!' Ben whispered excitedly and he had the biggest smile on his face as he saw the source of his song as his little mermaid and true love rose up from the ocean, smiling at him and she was truly alive and real.
She was bobbing up and down against the waves from a short distance but Ben didn't care that he would get soaked again as he waded through the water to his love.
'What would I do to see you smiling at me?' Lily sang again as Ben got closer to her,
'Now we can walk, now we can run, now we can stay all day in the sun!
Just you and me and now I can be part of your world,'
Ben's eyes flooded with tears as he gathered Lily up in his arms, her tail flicking in the air as she put her arms around his neck and the two held each other close as Ben planted soft kisses on Lily's shoulder and forehead and she nuzzled against his neck and shoulder, both of them crying happy tears.
'This is just like my dream,' Lily whispered, remembering the dream she had the night after she rescued Ben, 'I dreamed that we met on the beach after I rescued you from drowning,' which made Ben blush slightly.
Only it was real and she was in the arms of her love, whom she fought hard for, won him and now nothing was going to stop her from being with him..except for the fact that she still had fins.
She had wished that her mother had given her legs when she was still in the ocean but quickly remembered what had happened when she had first transformed into a human while in the water as she struggled to get to the surface before Aurora and Senna helped her up.
'So,' Ben said, after a moment of silence, while still holding Lily like the precious thing that she was, 'you really are my little mermaid, the one who has brought me good luck and happiness, like Mum had said and she'd be so happy to see that she was right.'
'Yes, I guess she was,' Lily said, 'and I'm sorry that I didn't do more to help you defeat Sharla and that she put Mermaid Beach in danger with her terrible storm.'
'Oh, don't blame yourself for that, Lily, there was nothing that you could've done and besides, you did make that sea witch destroy her eels who nearly drowned me and allowed me to escape from them, so I consider that heroic!' Ben said, chuckling and Lily gave a small giggle.
'And we've been through worse storms and cyclones in Queensland than that, although not ones created by devious half-women, half-shark sea witches!' he then said and both of them laughed.
'Still, we live to see another day and I'm glad you're safe, Lily. I love you so much, my angel and I never want to be apart from you again.' Ben said and his eyes were misty with tears as he held his love, his little mermaid close to him.
'I love you too, Ben,' Lily said and they leaned towards each other, foreheads touching as they shared their long-awaited kiss, forgetting about their two different worlds and there was no sea witch to stop them this time.
And their soft, passionate and tender kiss told them that they were meant to be.
From a short and safe distance from the beach near the shallow waters, Queen Daisy, her remaining daughters, Aurora and Senna watched the young couple kiss and there wasn't a dry eye to be seen as they shed happy and sad tears.
Senna smiled to herself, pleased that all the mishaps she had endured in the four days she was on land so that she could help Lily with her goal, had not been for nothing after all, while Aurora shed a few tears for her best friend.
With her sceptre glowing, Daisy gave a small smile as she dipped it into the water, sending rainbow-coloured ripples across the waves, which found their way towards Lily and encased her in a warm, gentle light, while she was still in Ben's arms.
They soon broke apart from their kiss when Lily gave a small gasp of delight as she felt a tingle in her tail but it was soothing, gentle and warm as opposed to the harsh and suffocating magic of Sharla's potion and Ben stared in amazement as her pink scales gently melted into skin and her tail changed again to human legs.
The light then wrapped around her body, clothing her into a beautiful pink dress, the same shades as Lily's tail, before the light faded and Daisy's sceptre dimmed down to its usual colour.
Lily smiled as she looked at her legs and felt the wet sand on her feet as Ben gently put her down and pulled her close to him, while digging her bracelet out from his pocket and put it on her wrist.
'Now I'm part of your world, Ben, with my voice,' Lily said, as he smiled at her.
'You sure are, Lily,' Ben said just as Queen Daisy and Lily's sisters swam up to the sand, careful to stay in the shallow waters and Ben gasped in amazement at seeing the regal mermaid before him.
'Oh, Ben, this is my mother, Queen Daisy of Aquaria,' Lily said, as the queen smiled and nodded at him and Ben looked at her in surprise, learning more about his little mermaid with each passing second.
'You're…a princess?' he said and Lily nodded as Ben walked towards the queen, while also seeing the six mermaids behind her as they smiled at him while Violet coyly batted her eyelashes at him.
'Violet, cut it out!' Marigold hissed and hit her on the shoulder while the younger mermaid scowled at her older sister but Ben simply chuckled and said to the queen while being slightly intimidated by her,
'Your Majesty, I want you to know that I love your daughter with all my heart and I promise that I will take good care of her. I've loved her ever since I heard her voice singing to me after she rescued me from drowning and her love is all I ever need and I'd gladly give my life for her.
She has brought me good luck and happiness and I will treasure her forever.' Ben said, while Daisy smiled at him, moved by his speech and his genuine and passionate love for her daughter.
'I know you will, Benjamin,' Daisy said, while Ben slightly blushed at hearing her use his full name, 'I can tell that your love for Lily is pure, sincere and true and that is all I ever want from anyone who becomes the consort of a descendant of the queen.
And you don't have to be formal with me, dear boy, you can call me Daisy and I want to thank you for saving my daughter, myself, my kingdom and the ocean from that terrible Sharla with your bravery and all of Aquaria thank you as well.
Lily belongs to your world now, Benjamin, please take good care of her,' Daisy said, as Ben smiled and bowed to her.
'I promise with all my heart,' he said.
He was then introduced to Lily's sisters, who welcomed him with open arms, even Fern who managed to give him a small smile, while Violet flirted with him again, which made Ben chuckle.
'Wow, Lily, Ben is so handsome and cute! You sure picked a good one!' Violet said, fondly, as Lily smiled at her boy-crazy sister, 'it's such a shame he has to be human; otherwise he would've made a great merman!'
At the mention of the word 'merman', Daisy suddenly remembered the necklace she had made earlier and she signalled to Rose to bring a shimmering gold clam, which the crown princess duly did and the queen opened it to reveal a gold necklace with a gold shell in the middle and two maroon-coloured pearls on either side of it.
'Mum, what is this?' Lily said, as Daisy put it on her.
'This is a special necklace that you can use to transform both you and Ben from human to merpeople and vice versa anytime you wish when you point it at the sunlight or moonlight. You can also use it to summon me or any of your sisters whenever you need us. In a way, you can visit us more often while still living in his world.'
'Oh, Mum, that's wonderful, thank you so much!' Lily said, hugging her mother and sisters while Ben was totally chuffed that he could experience Lily's world and was curious about having fins and being able to breathe and swim freely in the ocean.
Cody would be green with envy if he were to find out!
'Thank you, Your Ma-Daisy,' Ben said, 'It'll be great to see your kingdom and to be able to swim with fins and breathe underwater.'
'It's my pleasure, Benjamin, it's only fair since Lily has legs, you can have fins whenever you like.' Daisy said.
After many final hugs and goodbyes and promises to visit, the royal family of Aquaria dived back into the ocean, leaving the young couple on the beach feeling the waves lap against their feet as they shared another tender and passionate kiss.
And from above the sky in heaven, King Hollis of Aquaria and Lara Burgess-Steele sat with serene smiles and tears in their eyes as they watched their beloved children start a new and wonderful life together.
Aw, what a happy ending! And there is only one more chapter left, which will be an epilogue and I'm so glad that my little mermaid not only gets her happy ending, she has many followers that love her so much!
Read and review! (for the second-to-last time!)