She then yawned lightly, "Perhaps it's best to seek an old nursery place, so you can be safe...I don't trust the shoreline yet as I don't want to put you in danger.", and Tazio gurgled as he fed. Ariel smiled softly, and swam on slowly, heading to the shallows, but still far away from the shoreline, and discovered an old nursery clearing, with a little cavern.
Tazio gave out a burp again as Ariel settled in the cavern, murmuring, "Sorry that I have no blanket for you, but this sea is at least warm, and I will keep you safe...", kissing Tazio on the nose, and Tazio gurgled, kissing her on the cheek sloppily. Ariel smiled happily, "I love you too.", curling up with Tazio nestled in her arms, falling asleep.
"Your majesty.", Melody glanced back to see Grimsby bowing to her as she stood on the balcony come the next morning after the previous day of whirlwind events. "There's no need to be so... cordial, Grimsby. I'm not the Queen.", Melody said.
"For now, you may be...", Grimsby said as she sighed. She walked over to him and looked up. "How's... the reaction from... my... subjects... about Aunt Attina's... predicament?", Melody asked.
"The news appears to at least be... understandable at the moment from the city. The rest of the kingdom will still probably take a few days before we can truly get a better understanding from the people.", Grimsby informed her. "Of course, it may be wise for us to quickly get a ceremony-".
"No. No ceremonies... not for her and certainly not for me... not so soon, Grimsby.", Melody sniffled as she tried to wipe her eyes. "Grandfather's confident they're still alive right now... we... we can't be so quick to... bury... and preparing to put the crown on my head.".
Grimsby exhaled, "I suppose you're right...Still, you know me, Melody. I have to stick to tradition...", and Melody nodded, giving out a little sob, "I know, Grimsby...Could you at least calm the court, tell them that I am just 12, and give me a year or two? Until I get a real hand on things...This is like the ball all over again, and I can't breathe...".
"I...I can try, but I can't promise, princess...I only can pray that your parents and...god above, your brother get home safely.", Grimsby replied, still a bit dumbfounded by the fact that the lost prince isn't lost anymore, but alive.
Melody smiled a little, "That's all I can ask for, Grimsby, thank you...", before sighing, "I guess breakfast is on, then?". Grimsby nodded, "Indeed.".
Melody nodded, and joined him, heading down to the dining hall to have breakfast...First time to be without talking with her parents about plans over breakfast...She has a feeling that the journey for her parents would take a long time, but she prays that they will be together soon...
And so, the next two months came and went, with Ariel slowly gaining knowledge of the new surroundings as she and Tazio headed north, and to her shock, lately, without needing fennel, her breasts are growing larger than usual.
She has a growing suspicion that she might be pregnant as she now remembers that she had truly forgotten to take the anti-pregnancy herb during the planning of the ball of the entire two weeks, and she has a feeling that the time on the desk was the big one to impregnate her as Eric was truly bent up that day unlike the other few times when Melody was asleep.
Eric's wish might be coming true, yet Ariel worries that Cetus won, and fears for Melody's life, and her husband as well...After all, Cetus had magicked her and Tazio here to the New World...
Meanwhile, Eric has been awake almost every day, trying to escape, but the orb within the locket felt like a prison, with a complete lid like a container yet the orb has artificial lighting, which was kinda annoying at first, but he found ways to sleep like finding shaded spots of the mini city.
He gets ready when he feels things touching the locket but gets disappointed when it was only plants or fish, and he is getting worried as he doesn't want to go insane...All the projected merfolk wouldn't talk, only singing and laughing, with the lullaby on and off.
Eric wondered if this was to be his fate, trapped in what now was practically a living hell for him. Not what he had always suspected. No fire and brimstone and the screams of the damned but rather peace amongst the merfolk who were pleasant, but Eric was just getting tired of the singing and laughter being on repeat.
Honestly, the only reason he stayed sane as much as possible is his memories of his family; his beautiful, amazing wife, his brave, wonderful daughter, and gods, even his strong and remarkable son...There was no mistake of his son alive, healthy, and so bright-eyed, loud from his lungs...
And somehow from the few glimpses he had of him that sunset, Tazio had grown up to a 1-year-old, perhaps by Melody's desire as he hadn't seen the hologram of him anywhere near that sea turtle he was usually with.
Gods, he prayed that his wife and son is safe together...Cetus may have lied about them being misplaced, but he knew in his heart that she and Tazio is alive, along with Melody...Melody...he knew that she didn't want to be Queen, but she will have to be...he knows the fear of her failing him and Ariel, but he would be proud of her either way...
He sighed heavily as he sat on the windowsill of Ariel's bedroom, his tail twitching here and there...One thing for sure, he's glad that he has his bracelet on, otherwise he'd have either suffocated or drowned...He never asked Triton about the specifics of this locket when he made it for Melody...
Eric then perked up when he felt something picking up the locket, and anxiously swam from the windowsill, heading up, and his heart panged in excitement when he saw that it was human hands...He bit his lip, waiting for those hands to open the locket...
Sure enough, the locket opened, and he saw the face of a 9-year-old girl with adorable dimples, dark brown hair, and dark green eyes, and she was enraptured by the lullaby, staring at the city, as Eric exhaled, swimming up to the edge of the orb.
She saw him, blinking in confusion, and Eric waved to her, "Hello.", and the girl screamed, dropping the locket, swimming away, with Eric calling out, "I don't want to scare you! I...Great...", as he realized that the locket is still open, and he tried to get out, grunting and slamming his tail, but it was no use...
He realized that the only way to free him is the trident, but he doesn't want to know if Triton is killed by Cetus...Cetus wouldn't free him out...He sobbed, collapsing, his memories of his family running through his mind...hiding his face in his hands...
Eric then felt the locket being picked up, and he looked to see the face of the girl staring at him, and he gave a small smile, "Hello again...".
The girl's concerned face turned into an amazed, relieved smile, speaking, but to his ears, it was a foreign language, and Eric shook his head, "I'm sorry, I don't understand you...", gesturing with his hands and expressions.
The girl frowned before an idea seemed to come to her mind, and she then smiled, flickering her glossy purple tail, and she carried the locket, as she swam on, and Eric saw the sea, yet it seems off...Almost like the fish swimming around in groves and packs is different...And there's a few more colors to the undersea floor...
But one thing was for sure, this was clearly another mermaid that had found him for sure, and maybe she could bring him somewhere where maybe someone could understand him or at least know of his plight... if Cetus was defeated, then Triton or his family certainly would've spread the news of his missing family across the oceans if need be.
The young mermaid swam on, with Eric relieved at least to see a change of scenery in a way even if he's trapped in the orb...He might develop a case of claustrophobia when he gets out of the orb...But at least, it wasn't the darkness.
After several minutes, the young mermaid made it to a dwelling, almost like a rock/mud hut, and she called out to her parents who was making lunch, starting to talk excitedly, showing him, and Eric smiled, waving, "Hello. I would like to thank her for saving me in a way.".
The woman was shocked and quite a bit frightened, with the man commanding the girl to put the locket down, protective and sharp, and the girl put the locket down on the table, with Eric pleading, "Please, don't close it! I've been trapped for so long that I lost count!", gesturing with his hands.
The man narrowed his eyes, spoke in rough Italian, "Who you? Why you in there?", and Eric sobbed in relief, hearing his language, even if it's rough, and he replied, "I'm King Eric of Tirulia, in Italy! I got trapped by a sea monster named Cetus! King Triton is my father-in-law!".
"Italy... Triton...?", the man questioned as Eric nodded. "It's a long story, but... I promise you; I speak the truth... where are we first though, who are you?", Eric asked.
The man replied, "I coven leader of merfolk tribe. I from Channel of England. Name Houde. I moved far, met wife Dinah and had daughter Fern. We in New World, in British colonies, near islands. Humans call sea Caribbean.".
"I see... Caribbean... I know of it, lots of pirates around these parts though stronger colonial control has been breaking them.", Eric said as he sighed. "Has news from the Mediterranean reached here? Have you heard of anything from there?".
Houde replied, "Sea turtles travel. Not much news. Caribbean know of King Triton and Atlantica, but I sorry.", and Eric sighed deeply, "That's okay, Houde...I'm just happy to talk to normal people again...".
"How you trapped, King Eric?", Houde asked, and Eric sighed, "You better sit down. Some of the parts you may have to downplay for ah, little Fern...It's a long, intense story...And I don't need to eat, strangely enough, so I'm okay...I just want to talk...".
Houde nodded, talked to his wife and daughter in their foreign language. Dinah, his wife sure looks like a copper-skinned native of the New World like rumors, except with a tail of silver, having black hair and dark brown eyes. Houde has dark blonde hair, tan skin, and dark green eyes, along with a dark blue tail.
The wife and daughter nodded, sitting down on their makeshift sponge seats on tall chairs, and Houde nodded at Eric who exhaled, smiling, glad that he might have found a new friend, a few new friends, and started to explain his story.
Another month passed as Ariel and Tazio kept traveling north, with Ariel delighting in Tazio's every little milestone during the trip, and to her expectations, she soon felt familiar punches and nudges, along with a familiar weight as her belly grew and swelled up...She realized that she is having twins again...
She has been slowly weaning Tazio off, wanting to keep plenty for her future twins, and she is having food cravings, real human food as her diet isn't enough...She knew she cannot risk herself in changing back to human for the babies within her has been far developing, and she has a feeling that they aren't human for she can feel fins fluttering around in her, which is a first for her since her particular kind of race grows eggs in the womb, and upon a month after birth, they hatch into merbabies, but this, this is new, and scary for her...
Instead, she hated to do it, but she stole during the nights when there is a civilized town or something on the shorelines, when the ships are anchored and tied up to the docks...She has been hearing only foreign languages, and she saw how many men has treated the native women around in those towns or villages...
The cruelty of colonization was not unheard of to her back during the years living as a human. Eric was very much opposed to it, but there was little that could be done since Tirulia didn't hold any colonies in the New World nor could truly contest with the larger powers who did in terms of what they did amongst their colonies. Ariel just closed her eyes tight and tried to at least focus on getting herself, her son, and her own unborn twins to somewhere safe as soon as she could.
Back in the Mediterranean, in the palace of Atlantica, King Triton sighed deeply as he had just finished listening to his inner court, talking about the progress reports of agriculture with all the underwater gardens and farms, and now he's in his throne chair, talking with Flounder.
Flounder has been informing him almost every day of how Attina and Melody's been doing up there in Tirulia. "And still no news?", Triton sighed as Flounder looked guilty.
"No... nothing of anyone matching their descriptions... the news has gone around looking for them, but...", Flounder shook his head. "How much longer before we start to really lose hope?", he asked as Triton closed his eyes.
"I don't know... I know Melody's barely holding together for sure... feeling guilty of what had happened.", Triton frowned heavily.
Flounder sighed, "At least Attina's working hard...She will be a great queen of Atlantica when the time comes, your majesty.", with a small smile.
Triton gave a little smile of warmth and approval, "I already know she will be. I am proud of her.", before one of the guards came swimming in, "Your Highness, we have a dolphin messenger from over the Atlantic.".
"The Atlantic! That's really far!", Flounder whistled in shock, and Triton raised an eyebrow, "And what is the message about?".
The guard replied, "Sire, it's about King Eric.", and Triton widened his eyes, "Bring the dolphin in!", and the guard saluted, turning around and swam out to get the dolphin messenger.
The dolphin got in so fast as Triton nodded. "Please... speak... tell me it is good news about Eric.", he said as the dolphin nodded.
"Well, it is... sort of. The king is alright, but apparently, and this is where the message might have been a bit mistaken, but... he's trapped in a locket?", the dolphin explained.
"A locket?", Triton asked in surprise and confusion, and Flounder exclaimed, "Sire, did Melody say that she lost the locket in all the chaos that day? Cetus must have sent the locket far away!".
Triton widened his eyes, "Yes...That sounded like something he could have done...Where is Eric?", and the dolphin exhaled, "He's in the Caribbean, sire.".
"Golly!", Flounder gasped in shock, and Triton narrowed his eyes, "And Ariel, is she, and their son with him?", praying that Ariel is safe too, along with Tazio.
The dolphin shook his head. "No sign or word of anyone like her.", he admitted as Triton nodded. "Thank you...", Triton said as the dolphin headed out. "Do stay around though for right now, proper location in that Caribbean will be needed.".
The dolphin nodded, "I'll do my best to help you, sire.", before leaving the throne room, and Flounder looked anxiously relieved, "I'm sure glad that Eric is alright, but I'd go insane if I was trapped in a locket like that! And Ariel...I really hope she's okay, along with Tazio...".
Triton replied, "Me too. You go ahead and tell the news to Attina and Melody.", and Flounder nodded, "Yes, sire!", before swimming as fast as he could, heading straight for the surface.
In the dining hall, Attina replied, "No matter how many times I eat here, it's amazing how humans come up with so many incredible foods.", having lunch with Melody, eating some cheese souffle, and Melody giggled, "Well, Mom lived here for 13, almost 14 years, and she still gets a surprise when we get something new from up north past Italy or something.".
"I'll give you that.", Attina smiled warmly before Max barked excitedly, something through the windows catching his attention when he was starting to doze off, and Melody looked, "What is it, boy? What are you looking at, Max?", before seeing Flounder splash and jump out of the sea, "Oh, it's Flounder...He looks like he's excited.".
"Oh, maybe it's about your parents, Melody!", Attina gasped hopefully, and Melody widened her eyes, "Let's go!", getting up from her chair, running as best as she could in her dress, with Attina following, down to the ocean steps, with Flounder instantly swimming, reaching the last step.
"Melody, Attina, we got news, good news! Eric's in the Caribbean, but he's safe and alive!", Flounder announced quickly, and Melody gasped, her eyes widening, giving out a sob, "Daddy's okay?".
Flounder nodded, "Yeah, but he's in a rather sticky situation. He got trapped in your locket, thanks to Cetus.", and Attina gasped softly, "Oh, my Poseidon! And Ariel? Tazio?".
"She's not with Eric...Cetus was right, he totally separated them off...But we all know Eric, and Eric wouldn't leave a place without knowing that Ariel and Tazio are okay, so we can have faith. Don't worry, Melody, they will come back home.", Flounder replied, and reassured firmly.