"I'm sorry...", Melody apologized as she kissed his forehead once more. "I...", Melody glanced away, looking shameful, and Tazio was having his suspicions, but obviously he wasn't going to bring them up in front of the children.
"Why don't you let him go, Melody, before you crush him in your tight grip there?", Tazio teased as Melody eased up but still hugged him.
Melody exhaled deeply and looked at Guido, "You can call me Melody and big sister any time, okay?", and Guido widened his eyes, his smile ear to ear, "Really?".
Melody smiled warmly, "Yes, my little brother.", and Guido cheered, hugging her back, as the others joined, swimming, with Bascus asking, "Am I dreaming?".
Arcadia spoke, "Nope.", before pinching his elbow, earning a yelp of pain, and Tazio chuckled, "Wait until Mom and Dad hears about this.", relieved that his older sister has now resolved her issues.
A few minutes of chatting and making sure the egg was safe and that nothing would get close again, Arcadia and Bascus were watching over the children while Tazio took Melody aside for a talk.
"So... how you feeling?", Tazio asked as Melody sighed. "Alright, I... I was so scared for a minute there... losing my child to that animal...", Melody closed her eyes tight as Tazio nodded.
"Yeah... thankfully Guido noticed something wrong and was fast enough to allow me to get there and stop it.", Tazio replied in relief. Melody looked ashamed, "I thought he was like her...You didn't see her in him like I do...or formerly did...".
"Her?", Tazio raised an eyebrow as he quickly nodded in understanding. "Lucia...", with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry...", Melody apologized. "Mom and Dad may have been able to look past and moved on... but... so much of this family now... you specifically, is because of me being fooled by her.".
Tazio exhaled deeply, "I understand why you'd look that way with Guido but look at this another way...if it wasn't for Lucia, I wouldn't even be here. All grown up, with a fiancée, two wonderful children, and an incredible family both on land and under the sea.", with a smile at Melody who widened her eyes, having never realized it that way before.
"I know... it's just... that day really messed me up, for months, not knowing where Mom and Dad and you were... you could've all been dead, and it was all my fault. Don't try to be like our parents and say that it wasn't there, it was... I could've just... tried to make a run for it... sprint to our grandfather and quickly tell him what had happened...", Melody shook her head.
Tazio sighed, "Melody, there were so many what ifs on that day, and it is now in the past. Listen, on my travels, I saw and knew things I had never known before...a wise man once told me that the past can hurt, but the way we can see it, we can either choose to run away from it, or learn from it.", gently looking at his sister as he squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"Yeah... well, I still feel some guilt... I mean, everything did work out, but just the fear that I basically got you all killed somewhere, somehow... that doesn't go away.", Melody said.
"Have you been having nightmares about it going wrong?", Tazio asked as she nodded, "For almost two decades now...".
Tazio sighed heavily, "Oh, Melly...", using his old secret nickname, "You could have come to any of us. You're not a coward or anything like Lucia or Cetus said...Look, have you ever thought that traveling all over the Atlantic was actually you running away from the past? Please, just think about it...Maybe if you decide to settle in Atlantica after your egg hatches, you could feel better, knowing that you have family literally next door under the sea, and on land...".
Melody shook her head as she took a deep breath, "I don't know... maybe... maybe you're right there... about my travels... I always thought it was just me wanting to explore much of the world and ocean once I knew the truth about our family... but... maybe you have a point.".
Tazio smiled softly at Melody, "You're my sister, and we're family. And besides, who else would beat you in our tickle fights?", with a playful smirk as he tickled Melody's sides, and Melody shrieked with laughter, "Tazio!", the tension and heavy discussion dissipating away.
And so, Melody thought long and hard, talked with her husband, and had a long, deep, heavy discussion with the whole immediate family in a meeting when the children were sleeping during a nap under Mira's supervision, staying close to the egg, of course, while in the lagoon a week later, and her parents were stricken with shock, holding Melody like a baby, and she finally let go of her long-holding stress and all when all her siblings and parents hugged her in a huddle.
It obviously felt good for her to get that off of her chest, even if she didn't realize she needed to do that in the first place, but it really did help quite a bit as she felt a weight lifted from her.
Then two weeks later, it was finally time for the egg to hatch, revealing a fully developed merbaby, lively and active, witnessed by Melody and her husband first, and then Melody made Guido the first one of the family to meet the new arrival.
Melody peeked out of the surface, smiling at Guido, "Wanna meet my baby?", as Guido sat upon the shoreline of the island above, next to his parents, and Guido widened his eyes, "Yes!".
The merbaby broke the surface, crying out, taking in the fresh air in its lungs before quieting down with gurgles, blinking at Guido as Melody stroked closer to him, "Guido, meet my daughter. Sweetheart, this is your nephew, Guido.".
Melody's daughter has the trademark ocean blue eyes, dark brown hair in little curls, tan skin, her father's nose, and Melody's smile, and an adorable little tail of periwinkle lavender blue.
Guido gasped softly and smiled, "Hi, baby...She really pretty, Melody.", and Melody beamed happily, speaking warmly, "Your brother-in-law and I decided to give you the choice of picking a letter for her.".
"Letter? Like ABC?", Guido asked curiously, and Ariel chuckled, "That's right, darling. What do you like in the ABC song?".
Guido blinked before smiling brightly, "P! Because she pretty and a princess!", and Melody smiled with a nod, "I see.", before looking at her daughter, "Well, you are certainly pretty, and you are certainly a princess...", and her daughter gurgled at her.
"Primrose...What do you think of that, sweetheart?", Melody smiled, and she gave a coo, and Melody glanced at Guido, "You like it too, Guido?".
Guido gave a clap of approval as Melody chuckled and rubbed his head, "Well, you clearly like it too.". Melody looked back to her daughter. "I'm a mother... I can't believe it.", with an awed smile. "Feels amazing, doesn't it?" Ariel chuckled as she walked over to her.
Melody nodded, "Yeah...Sure does...Now I know how you feel, Mom...It strangely feels like the more things change, the more things stay the same.", and Eric chuckled, "Our daughter is definitely like you, Ariel.", as he joined in, sitting down.
"Here, Daddy, hold your first granddaughter.", Melody smiled, passing Primrose into her father's arms, as Primrose's tail twitched, staring up at her grandfather, and Eric smiled tenderly, his heart filling up with love and joy, "Hello, Primrose, I'm your grandfather...You look like a mix of your mother and your father... You have a big family, you will find out, and it may be crazy at times, but it's filled with love and laughter.".
Primrose blinked, gurgling, and Ariel giggled, "I think she will have to grow up first before realizing your words, my love.", and Eric chuckled warmly, "I couldn't help it...", before smiling as he gently passed Primrose over into Ariel's arms.
"Hello, little one...I'm your grandmother...I know Melody has sung to you when you were in your egg, but I hope she continues it still when you are sleeping in your crib...After all, the lullaby is part of this family forever and ever, just like you...", Ariel smiled gently, bopping her nose softly, and Primrose cooed before blinking at Guido who peeked over Ariel's arm.
Guido smiled at her, "I protect you, Rosy!", and Primrose gave a coo, seeming to smile at him, and Guido's smile grew as Ariel chuckled, "I am sure you will, just like you did with her egg, darling.", kissing Guido's head before gently giving Primrose back to Melody.
And so, the small family spent a bit of time before Melody went home with Primrose and her husband back to Atlantica, as it's mostly their permanent home, with the palace on the surface as their winter home.
A couple months later, it was finally time for Tazio and Mira to get married after obeying the courting rules and the engagement rules of tradition, and once again, the royal barge is being used, almost similar to the wedding day of Ariel and Eric, but different, with fashion upgrades and such, of course, and the children will be part of it in a royal adoption ceremony within the wedding ceremony.
"Please tell me we're not going to have any surprises this time...", Ariel was talking with Attina in Atlantica; Ariel decided to quickly leave very early before everything would start just so she could chat privately with her sister who was also expected to attend, especially considering she had run the kingdom for nearly a year as Regent.
"Trust me, Ariel, we won't have a repeat of Melody's first birthday this time, I assure you. I've made the efforts to keep us informed in case something even comes along that might be deemed a threat to the events. Besides, I think you're obviously being a bit of a worrier.", Attina told her as Ariel sighed and nodded.
"I know, I just don't want this sort of thing to happen again... I know it's been years since any sort of trouble like Ursula and Cetus, but I just can never get rid of that nagging feeling.", Ariel said wearily.
Attina raised an eyebrow, "Even after Melody confessed all of her insecurities?", and Ariel exhaled, "Okay, okay, you're right. I'm probably stressing out at nothing. I'd be feeling better once the wedding ceremony is over, I suppose. Nothing happened on my and Eric's wedding day, anyway...".
"There you go, Ariel. Just keep that in mind, and everything'll be fine. Now, get going. After all, you said that you're going to help get Mira in her wedding dress, and Eric is going to give her away since her father is in the heavens...", Attina replied.
Ariel nodded, "Right, see you soon!", hugging her before leaving off in a hurry, and heading home to the surface. Attina shook her head and sighed before looking at her reflection, "Ariel, I hope your nagging feeling is just that...".
Attina was probably right, and Ariel was just worrying, but you could never be too complacent; especially when related to dark magic but so far, nothing of that sort has been found once Cetus had been killed. Attina shook her head once more and refocused her efforts to the day here and now... and went back to getting ready to attend the ceremony.
And so, the royal barge set out at 9 in the morning, a respectable time, and as it settled near Atlantica, both worlds showed up to attend the ceremonies on this beautiful, shining day.
Tazio exhaled deeply as he adjusted his suit for the thousandth time, standing on the front of the aisle, with Gabriel at his side, and little Esmeralda in his arm, and Gabriel whispered softly, "You okay, Papa?".
Tazio glanced down at Gabriel with a reassuring smile, "Yes, I am, Gabe. Just excited to see your mama.", and Gabriel nodded, "Excited good thing?".
"It is. Now, remember that you'll behave, will you?", Tazio smiled, and Gabe looked affronted, "I not going to be bad on Papa and Mama's big day!", with a determined nod.
"Good boy.", Tazio rubbed Gabriel's hair. "Now if only things can go well on my end...", he muttered to himself, obviously wedding jitters as he was nervous that he might screw something up... which makes matters worse since he's the heir apparent to the throne and will one day be king; of course, it might still be quite some time before that will happen, he could already be his father's age now if that might happen, but still, it wouldn't look good if he messed up.
A minute later, he heard the announcement of music, where Bascus is singing the wedding hymn in vocals, and he took a deep breath, watching the doors open with the aid of staff, and next to Eric who's taking the place of the father, is Mira...
She's so incredibly beautiful, donned in a gorgeous ball gown of white, a lovely train behind her, a lacy design on her transparent sleeves and on her front, in a style of fit and flare, having Ariel's old princess crown on her hair which is down and brushed.
Tazio's heart practically skipped a beat when he saw her, and it was like the first time he saw her, but like 10 times over...He was speechless, never taking his eyes off Mira who smiled so radiantly at him as she walked, escorted by Eric.
Once they reached Tazio, with Gabriel and Esmeralda, Eric smiled proudly at Tazio, giving Mira away, and Tazio took her hand, as he gently passed Esmeralda into her other arm, whispering reverently, "You're so beautiful...".
Mira blushed slightly, smiling, and whispering, "You're so handsome.", and Tazio smiled brilliantly, as they turned into the aisle, with Gabriel taking his other hand on the outside of him. The family made a sweet, wonderful sight for all the guests as they walked down the aisle together.
"This is... way much more than when me and Alexander did ours.", Mira whispered as Tazio smiled. "I'm sure he's happy for you right now, getting the wedding you truly deserve and I'm sure he would've moved heaven and earth to try and give it to you.", Tazio whispered back.
Mira nodded slightly with a smile, squeezing his arm a bit more, hearing Esmeralda's soft coos as she rested within her other arm. Indeed, this is more than she did ever dreamed, and somehow, with Tazio and her children around her, it feels like she's way more confident than ever...
They soon made it to the podium, before the priest who smiled warmly at them, clearing his throat, "We are here on this beautiful, wonderful day, to see an amazing family come together, and witness love through them.".
"Crown Prince Tazio, do you take Mira of Romania as your Crown Princess, and her children, Gabriel and Esmeralda as your children, as minor royals of the kingdom?", the Priest asked, starting the royal adoption ceremony, mixing it up soon with the wedding ceremony.
Tazio took a nod and smiled, "Yes... I do.". He reached over to grab Mira's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. The priest smiled, and spoke once more, "Mira of Romania, do you give Crown Prince Tazio the title of Papa over your children, Gabriel and Esmeralda, from this day onwards?".
Mira nodded happily, smiling, "Yes, I do.", and squeezed his hand right back, and the priest beamed warmly, continuing on, "Young Gabriel, in speaking for yourself and Esmeralda, do you want to be a family?".
Gabriel smiled widely, "Yes, we do!", and the couple beamed proudly for their son, and the priest smiled, "If you may, please pass Princess Esmeralda to Prince Gabriel.", nodding to Mira, and Mira smiled, leaning carefully to pass Esmeralda to Gabriel who held his baby sister as best as he could, and smiled at his parents before stepping away to join Eric and Ariel, with Ariel taking Esmeralda as a baby couldn't be handled by a toddler for long, with Eric holding Guido, as Gabriel took a seat.
The priest then cleared his throat, "Now, we begin the vows. Crown Prince Tazio, if you please.", with a warm smile, and Tazio smiled, now facing Mira, taking her hands in his hands.
Tazio took a deep breath as he smiled, "Mira... the moment I laid eyes on you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman that I had ever saw in my life... I was honestly thinking there was no way that a woman like you wouldn't have a man in your life... and as I learned, it was true, but I found you in a tragic moment of your life, losing the man you loved previously and left with the memory of him in two wonderful children I have been more than happy to be a father to. And to you, Mira... I've been more than happy to help fill that hole in your heart. You are the most wonderful, kind and beautiful woman that I've ever known and I'm forever grateful that you were willing to accept me as your love.".
Mira's eyes teared up, and a tear broke away, and Tazio smiled gently, taking a hand to lovingly wipe it away, and the priest almost choked up, but managed to clear his throat, and spoke, "Mira of Romania, if you please.".