It had been a long day for Absalon. He didn't know what to expect from Atlantica when he was traveling, and now that he was there he wasn't sure what to make of the place. No matter how much he strained it, everything was too topsy-turvy for his taste.

He lay on his bed staring upwards at the ceiling. He had been given a guest room in the palace, high above the rest of Atlantica. It was pitch black outside, with only the light of the pale moon to pierce the darkness. Absalon could not sleep though; there was too much on his mind.

First, there was the matter of his plans. Absalon had hoped to gain the queen's favor and convince her to follow through with some of his plans for the fishfolk; now he wasn't sure if it would be that easy. For all he knew, he may as well just end up involved in a scheme he didn't mean to get into. The other representatives would be coming tomorrow and it would probably be best for Absalon to take a back seat tomorrow and let them do the talking. He'd probably be able to dance around them better than the queen.

Second; there was the matter of the polyps around the kingdom. They unnerved him, and Absalon wasn't sure what exactly to make of them, mostly because he didn't understand who they were and why they were put on such display. The ones in the garden he somewhat understood, but the once distributed around the kingdom were ones he would have to look into. He hoped that they were all fish-folk, but he had no idea what had been going on the past several months in this kingdom. If any of his suspicions turned out to be true; he'd be in serious danger.

Third; there was the queen. Absalon had really no idea what to think of her. In many respects she was completely insane, but at the same time seemed to have wisdom unlike any Absalon had ever seen. She was both intimidating yet was not an open demander; she had other ways of extracting information out of people with her sheer presence. To an extent Absalon had to wonder if her garden was set up for the purpose of getting others to let down their guard. It certainly was effective on him.

Still; for as frightening as she ways, Absalon couldn't help but feel a level of admiration for her. He looked back on the rumors he heard of her crumbling down rebellions, and it seemed almost obvious that she could do it. He could see her worming her way into the hearts of those who opposed her and bending them to her will. In that way, she was an excellent ruler. She was no brute like Triton who constantly tried to display his power through sheer force. For Ursula's harsh conduct though, Absalon could see softness there, but it was far from a softness built on intimacy, but more built on responsibility and care. She was an oddfish alright.

She also seemed to have a level of interest in Absalon that he found curious. What exactly was she trying to pull with him? Would she have him as a puppet on strings? Or perhaps she was earnest in asking for her help. The way she could manipulate herself back and forth made it difficult to truly decide, because there was no immediate reward for dedicating himself to the queen. The most he could do was wait and see until the best moment arrived.

Whatever the case was; at least his people were happy. Absalon could never forget the pure joy he got from seeing his people in such high spirits. The queen was a touch insane, but that insanity was steering their people in the right direction. It would be Absalon's duty to make sure things continue to go in that direction. One the fish folk were dealt with, that would be no issue.

The best thing to do now was to let the madness continue and eventually shape into the new order where cecaelians had the reigns and the queen was instrumental to that future; he knew it.

Absalon could feel tiredness begin to overtake him the more he slumped in bed. His mind began to slow, and the heavy thoughts that plagued him began to drift away.

"I have a feeling; things are going to be fine," He muttered out loud. "Weird, but fine."

With that final thought, Absalon shut his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep. However, he wondered if he would be waking to reality, or another dream?

I thought it best to end the whole thing on a quiet note, after the whole goobly shmock of yesterday's chapter. It felt only appropriate at this point.

So yeah! It's over! Or is it? Though the main story is over now, that doesn't mean the whole story has ended. I've got more on the way with bonus chapters. So feel free to stay tuned! Bye!