Chapter 42: Reunion

"Is there nothing that can be done for her?"

Nerida opened her eyes slowly. The midday sunlight assaulted her vision, causing her to squint. Gradually her surroundings came into focus. She was in the palace infirmary, same as the last three days. The room was spartan compared to the splendor she knew the palace to hold, though her bed was comfy enough. She started to sit up but was halted by piercing and familiar pain erupting where her metal tail joined her natural body. She hissed and grit her teeth, slowly lying back. Painful as it was, this was not the worst she had experienced. Remora held that abominable honor. Even the agony of swimming to Atlantica was an annoyance by comparison.

"I'm afraid not," said a voice Nerida recognized as her doctor. It sounded like she was outside her room, and there was someone else with her.

"Can't his majesty turn her back?" asked a merman's voice.

"The trident was able to turn the king's own family into humans," added a mermaid. "And he turned Queen Ariel back to a mermaid when her daughter disappeared. How difficult could it be to transform one mermaid?"

"Apparently, very," said the doctor. "His majesty tried already."

"What happened?" asked the mermaid.

"The transformation failed. And Nerida almost died."

Nerida stared up at the ceiling. After being taken to the infirmary and stabilized, Triton and his advisors came to see her in person. After introductions were made, they asked for all she could tell them about Maelstrom. Location, numbers, constituents, leadership–anything and everything she could remember. Despite the vivid, nightmarish memories her trauma re-inflicted upon her, Nerida obliged them as best she could. Over the next two days she divulged everything she knew about Maelstrom. She fell into panic attacks multiple times, but she forced her way through till she was done. Anyone with eyes could see how disturbed everyone was by her words, but Triton thanked her for them nonetheless.

Then Triton set to changing her back. She remembered the event all too well. At first the trident's magic seemed to be working. She remembered the surging, tingling sensation of power seeping through her, calling back her true beautiful form. Hope sprang anew in her heart. She would have her body back and be free of these wretched machines!

But then the magic clashed with her artificial parts and Remora's handiwork, and everything descended into pain. Restoration became ravaging as she felt Remora's magic try to tear her apart as fast as the trident's magic put her back together. She passed out, begging Triton to stop before she lost consciousness.

"How is that even possible?" asked the merman. "The trident is the strongest magic in all the oceans! How could mere metal and witchcraft stop it?"

The doctor sighed sadly. "Magic isn't something I understand. Bottom line is that, for the time being, we don't have a way to undo the damage. Not safely, at least."

"Where's King Triton now?" asked the mermaid.

"He's on his way to Seahaven," said the doctor. "He wanted to tell the king and queen about her in person. That, and to bring Princess Arista home. She's due any day now, and she and her husband want to return before the baby arrives."

"Poor Nerida," said the merman sadly. "If only something could be done."

Nerida rolled over, not wanting to hear any more. The last traces of hope in her heart were withering to despair. Remora told her Triton would never be able to undo it. She hoped it was not true, that the witch was underestimating the trident's powers. But there had always been a persistent, gnawing trepidation in the back of Nerida's mind that Remora's boasts were not empty. She would never regain her fins, her arm, or her eye. Never feel the water embracing her scales, or the caress of bubbles or seaweed across her right hand. Never gaze upon the sun or stars with her own two eyes. She would be forever trapped in this nightmarish form. A mermaid, and a monster.

She shut her eyes tight, feeling her tears start again. "I wish she'd just killed me."

"Fortunately, wishes do not work so easily."

Nerida opened her eyes abruptly, the hair on her neck standing on end. She sat up, albeit carefully. She looked around the room but saw no one.

"There is no need for alarm, Nerida."

Suddenly glowing lines and lights appeared in Nerida's right eye, darting from one spot to another. Her magical eye was scanning–another reminder of the damage Remora inflicted upon her.

"Your eye will not find me. I am not here."

"Who's there?" Nerida asked out loud.

"I realize my method of introduction may be frightening," said the voice."But I mean you no harm."

"Who are you?"

"Quieter, if you please."

"Who are you?" repeated Nerida, keeping her voice to a whisper.

"I cannot give my name," said the voice. "It is not safe for either of us to do so. What is important is my purpose here. You are familiar with two of my associates. The ones who found you."

"I remember…at least, I think I do," said Nerida. "Weren't they a penguin? And a walrus?"

"Indeed. They aided you at my command, but I was following your movements long before you reached Atlantica. You demonstrated great fortitude to travel so far."

Nerida traced her fingers down her mechanical arm, looking at her metal hand. "It doesn't matter. I escaped so I could tell the Alliance where they are, but now…now I can't remember anything. Every inch I swam to get here is gone. I don't even remember the stars I used to find my way home. And I…I didn't escape at all! I thought I did, but they let me go! They knew I'd tell them everything, and I did! I know it scared Triton and everyone else, and I bet that's just what they wanted!"

Her false hand clenched tight, metal creaking with the effort. "I'm nothing but a metal puppet."

"Do not think so lowly of yourself. It is no ordinary feat that you accomplished. What you endured would break most, yet you persisted. You revisited your nightmares for the sake of others. Your efforts will not be in vain–not if I have any say in it. But for that to happen, I ask for your help."

"My help? What could I possibly do?"

"More than you realize. But first, you must make a choice. Stay here and face what you know to be coming. Or leave now and escape that fate, and help others do the same."

Nerida hung her head. "It doesn't matter where we go. They'll find us. We can't defeat or outswim them. No one can."

"So, you would rather lament your fate and watch your people die from this bed?"

"What else can I do!?" yelled Nerida, only to bite back a scream as pain flared through her spine and shoulder.

A red light suddenly washed over the room, disappearing as quickly as it came. "Lower your tone! Or do you wish everyone in Atlantica to hear you? It is difficult to cancel your sound underwater!"

"You don't know anything!" continued Nerida. "I saw it! All of it! I saw what they're building! Everyone's obsessed with finding Ursula and Morgana, but they're not even the worst! I know better than anyone what's coming! Even if I knew where they are, there's no stopping them! They're too many and too strong!"

"Which is why you should grasp the ramifications of acting now, while there is time," said the voice, calm but stern. "With yours and my associates' aid, we can prevent the extinction of the merfolk."

"How?" asked Nerida.

"By guiding them to where Maelstrom cannot reach."

Nerida shook her head. "You're not listening! We can't hide! There's nowhere in the sea they can't go, and soon it'll be the same for the land!"

"There is one place–Arcania."

A chill ran up Nerida's spine as her eyes widened. That was a name she had not heard since she was a very young merchild.

"So…the merfolk do know of it," said the voice.

"There isn't a mermaid or merman who hasn't heard that name growing up," said Nerida, her tone slightly cross. "I know the stories. A land forgotten by the world. A shore at the farthest edge of the ocean. A kingdom lost to time, and that only the lost can find. A place where magic and myth still thrive. That's all it is–a myth, just like the rest of the fish tales we tell kids. It doesn't exist."

"Humanity said the same of Atlantica not twenty years ago," said the voice. "Yet you are no fiction. Do not be so quick to dismiss Arcania as a mere 'fish tale,' as you so put it. It was not always lost or forgotten, like so many things now are."

"Even if it does exist, why should I believe you?" asked Nerida.

"Because I am one of the forgotten."

"What's that supposed to–?"

The room suddenly disappeared from Nerida. She saw flashes of images before her eyes. Places surrounding Atlantica, some Nerida knew well and others she had never seen before. The king's throne. The main entrance to the palace. A doorway to a house. A rock beside a coral garden. A sandy patch in a kelp forest. A pair of stone arches far beyond Atlantica's borders, adorned with red coral and waving seaweed. Crashing waves along the shores of Seahaven.

Then countless leagues of ocean and coastline passed by her in mere seconds. She flew over it as though carried by wings. Time accelerated as her velocity increased, the sun and moon chasing each other through the sky as one horizon after another slipped by. She saw the constellations change move with each passing night. She saw a city filled with buildings and a harbor packed with ships. She saw more ocean, and then a light on the horizon gave way to glimpses of fire and waves. Through the flames she entered a world of storms, lightning, and ice. She saw bleak stone mountains blanketed in snow and mist standing against the raging sea. Up over their rocky peaks she rose, finding a bay brimming with ice on the other side, forks of lightning falling down upon it.

And from within the ice, four burning eyes with black ring and slit pupils gazed out at her.

A presence touched Nerida's mind. She gasped as it communed with her, not in words but in thoughts and feelings. It was as vast as it was ancient, brimming with power, will, and knowledge she could not fathom. She felt diminutively insignificant before it, like a leaf caught within a hurricane's devastating force. The power it held went so far beyond her wildest imagination it bordered on pain. It could destroy her instantaneously if it so wished. Yet she felt no malice or madness within, no ill intent towards her, the merfolk, or the humans of the Alliance. The same sentiment was not held for those who wished death and destruction upon them. A bright and vivid anger of frustration and rage burned within it, like a roaring fire behind a door.

All at once the presence withdrew and the images ended. Nerida collapsed to her side, breathing heavily. The chill that first slithered down her spine now extended to every inch of her skin. If she had the ability to perspire, at that moment she would be drenched in cold sweat. She recognized what lay in the ice. It was impossible. The existence of Arcania was plausible by comparison. And yet, she knew it to be true. It awed and terrified her at the same time.

"Oh gods…!" she uttered, her entire body starting to tremble in terror. "You're…you're one of them! You're really one of them!"

"That I am," confirmed the voice. "Do you believe me now?"

"Y-yes! Of course!" Nerida shrunk back against her pillows, her jaw quivering. "I…I'm so sorry! What I said before…f-f-forgive me! I didn't…have mercy! Please!"

"Be at ease. I have no intention of harming you. Nor am I so petty as to hold your doubt against you."

"What was that?" asked Nerida. "Those things I saw?"

"That is the path to Arcania," said the voice. "The path you and my associates will lead your people on."

"Path?" said Nerida. "I don't understand. You didn't show me a…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered the images. "The stars!"

"Your knowledge of the night sky will serve you better than any compass. Follow the star's light, and you will find Arcania."

"But even if I know the way, I can't swim there! It was bad enough swimming to Atlantica! I couldn't possibly swim that far!"

"That I can resolve."

"How? Even the trident couldn't change me back. Can you?"

"I cannot restore you," said the voice. "Not as I am now. But I can complete you."

Warmth surged through Nerida, making her draw a deep breath. She felt like she was overheating, but amidst the heat she felt something else. The warmth sweeping through her collected where her flesh and skin integrated with the machinery.

The voice snorted derisively. "Crude, barbaric, and tortuous. What an atrocity."

The heat seeped deeper into Nerida's body and out into her metal limbs. She felt melding and mending occur within. The black color was chased from the metal, leaving a gleaming silvery shine in its wake. The metal of her arm morphed and twisted, sharp points growing and smoothing over to form plating and give it a natural shape. The ribs of her skeletal fins flattened and curved over, interweaving as strands to create a prosthetic of her natural tail. The yellow crystal in her right eye began to whiten as it developed an iris and pupil, becoming an artificial copy of her remaining natural eye. The metal on her face smoothed and flowed, harsh angles and lines becoming flowing and contoured. The pain faded away, and then the warmth followed after.

"It is done. Rise."

Nerida pushed herself upright and swung her fins over the side of the bed. Normally such a motion brought lancing pain to her, but no such sensation accosted her this time. She flexed her fins gracefully, feeling them move without agony. She rose off the bed, bracing in anticipation of crippling pain, but nothing came. She looked at her silver right arm, commanding it to move. Her metal hand opened and closed as easily as the one she was born with. She beat her fins back and forth, rising gently in the water.

"I…I can move!" she said, astonished at the absence of pain and ease with which her artificial limbs obeyed her. If anything, she felt stronger than she ever did with her own fins. "The pain's gone! It's really gone!"

"As I promised. Now you must go. Out the window. Then swim north to the kelp forest beside the twin arches. My associates will meet you there with further instructions."

"But what if someone sees me?"

"They will not, but not for long. Time is short, and it would be best if your changes remain undiscovered."

Nerida kicked her fins to swim towards the window. The feeling was still alien to her, these now magical fins, but for the first time they did not bring her pain. She swam out the window and headed straight up, wreathed in a beam of sunlight. The day's radiance glinted off her metal fins as though they were scales. She ascended till she was just below the surface and then leveled out, her fins propelling her through the water faster than Nerida ever thought possible. In no time she was at the edge of Atlantica, and with strength to spare.

She stopped in the water, turning to look back on Atlantica. From here she could see all of it. The homes of merfolk and fish folk spread out across the sea floor, the citizens small as sand fleas from so high. Rising high above it all in glorious splendor were the towers of the palace, gleaming golden and bright. It truly was a picturesque scene, like something out of a fantasy.

Nerida bit her lower lip. She hated to leave like this. No chance to say goodbyes, or to take anyone with her. She could not understand why Maelstrom, let alone anyone, would want to destroy this peace. But she could not deny they would, and with worse to follow for anyone the captured. Nor could she deny that she lacked the ability to stop them. She even doubted Triton could. All she could do was save whomever she could when the day came, and then guide them to the one place that might actually offer them sanctuary.

She cast one final, longing look, and then turned and swam off into the uncertain sea and the future that lay beyond.


The raven opened his eyes, alarming the gulls that had clustered around his still form as he conversed with Nerida. They took flight with a clamor of squawking and feathers, fleeing the ominous bird lest it have predatory intentions. The raven smirked, amused by their caution. He rustled his feathers, a few short-lived sparks flying off as he settled onto his perch.

The raven's chosen vantage point was the highest tower of the Seahaven palace. From this height he could look out over the kingdom in its entirety. Spring had come to the western shores. He breathed deep, tasting the sea on the winds and the promise of new life with the cycle of the seasons. He could see the fields bearing green shoots and young livestock, and the streets brimming with people.

The tower also also gave him an unobstructed view of the marina. Specifically, who was in the marina.

Ariel stood at the end of one of the wharfs, watching the sea before her. All six of her sisters stood with her, dressed in regal but comfortable clothes. A compliment of a dozen guards flanked them, standing fully at attention. Their clothes were ceremonial, but the rapiers and spears they carried were not. The wharf was empty of people, all of whom had moved to other parts of the marina to conduct their business. The wharf was lined by a half dozen of Seahaven's newest galleons, crews on deck in full uniform and cannon ports open. The kingdom's standard waved majestically from the main masts in the sea breeze, mimicking the graceful way the wind played with the princesses' hair. Another group of guards stood at the bottom of the wharf, preventing anyone from entering. Seabirds called overhead as they circled, stirred up from the commotion that morning.

The raven's vision focused on Ariel. The queen had a concerned air about her, as though something heavy were pressing down on her shoulders. A similar appearance hung over the other princesses. Arista was of particular interest given how large her belly was. The poor expectant mother looked like a balloon ready to pop–and from what the raven's enchanted eyes saw, that time would be sooner than she expected. Her husband was absent, the royal carriage returning to the palace to collect him and King Eric. Petite as Triton's daughters were, it would have been quite a squeeze stuffing the seven of them and two men into that thing. And given Arista's crabbiness today, it would not have been wise either.

He turned his eyes to the sea. Beneath the waves he saw the heat of a dozen merfolk swimming towards the wharf. They surfaced near the marina, Triton's long white hair standing out against the blue sea. In his hand was the trident, its forks gleaming in the sun.

The raven's eyes narrowed, the corner of his mouth curling into an angry frown. "We meet again."


The Master sat upon his throne of bones, head resting in one hand as the other drummed idly against the bleached skull of some deep-sea denizen. Twin panes of darkness hung in the air before him. One showed an image of Ariel and her sisters at the end of the wharf. The other showed Triton and his guard swimming towards the shore. The images converged as Triton and the mermen breached the surface, the ocean clearing a smooth path to the wharf for the sea king.

The Master could not help but smirk as he watched Triton approach the wharf, the distant sounds of machinery and the cries of Maelstrom's enslaved echoing in the dim that surrounded him. He would never admit it, but Remora's stunt at the Glowerhaven ball had actually been for the better. He intended for the release of Nerida to provoke a meeting between Atlantica and Seahaven. The debacle in the ballroom turned that into a face-to-face meeting, fearing any written communication could be intercepted. By going against his orders, Remora brought the Atlantican and Seahaven royal families out into the open. She may as well have wrapped them up in a bow and dropped them at his feet.

He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind and magic. He could feel every denizen of this hellscape he called home. Every single slave, soldier, human, beast, merfolk, and tortured soul within its dark walls. Everything was in place, arranged according to his designs. At his command they would make their move.

"Remora," he said out loud.

A portal rimmed with electricity appeared beside the master. Remora stepped out of it, the portal remaining open behind her. "What?" she asked, her tone prickly.

"Is everyone in position?" asked the Master.

"Yes, sir," she replied, clearly working to keep her anger in check. "We move at your command."

"They move at my command," said the Master. "You are not to leave my side during any of this. Am I clear?"

There was a long pause, and then Remora replied, "Glassy."

"Good." The Master rose from his chair, folding his hands behind his back as the images turned into a large black portal. He walked into it, Remora following close behind.


Ariel watched as her father approached the wharf flanked by a dozen burly mermen armed with coral swords and spears. As much as she enjoyed seeing her father, she wished it were under better circumstances. This was unlikely to be a happy family reunion.

After a discussion with Eric and King Ben, it was decided that the attack on Glowerhaven was not something that should be discussed through messages. Triton shared the sentiment, stating he had his own confidential information to share. An in-person exchange was needed to decide how to proceed on both ends. The only thing either party knew was that a great disturbance had occurred both above and under the sea. That, and Arista was due to have her child any day now. She and her husband needed to return to Atlantica before that time came.

There was also the matter of King Willard. His disappearance just before the machine assassin appeared was suspicious to say the least. Based on what the Glowerhaven staff had seen, he beat a hasty retreat to his kingdom right after speaking to the real Ariel. At this point, no one could be sure if it was coincidence or conspiracy on Willard's part. The man was never completely trustworthy, and it was not impossible to imagine him consorting with the enemy for his own gain. The need for revenge and the instinct to survive could drive mortals to do terrible things.

But it was more than the automaton or Willard that had Ariel nibbling on her lip with worry. Something felt off about this whole meeting. She was surrounded by six ships brimming with loaded cannons and seasoned seamen, and her father held the most powerful magical artifact in all the seas barely a hundred yards away. Yet she felt vulnerable, as though someone were aiming a gun right at her heart from the shadows. She could not shake the feeling of vulnerability and danger–that her being here was playing into Ursula and Morgana's tentacles. That, and…

She glanced back towards the shore, her fingers fidgeting with her skirt. "Come on, Melody. He's almost here."

Alana noticed Ariel's gaze. "Relax, Ariel. They'll make it."


"Gangway!"

The guards at the palace gate dove aside as Tempest went tearing past them at a sprint, carrying Lara and Melody on his back. To them, the princess and her guardian were blur of raven and brunette hair, a red breast wrap, black pants, and a blue dress atop a black streak.

"Sorry!" Melody called back, the guards and the gate shrinking away. She clung tight to Lara's bare midriff as the stallion ran across the bridge into the cherry blossom orchard, the wind of their passing causing the branches to rustle and loosen the pale pink petals. Her shell necklace bounced against her chest, the blue diamond ring jangling on the chain.

"We're not gonna make it!" exclaimed Melody.

"We're gonna make it!" replied Lara before she stuffed what was left of her bagel into her mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Her sword clattered against her side as they rode.

Melody loosened her death-grip on Lara enough for her to look over her guardian's shoulder as they turned off the bridge. Between Tempest's bobbing ears she could see the wharf jutting out into the marina. It was difficult, but she could also make out seven colorful dots standing at the end, one of whom had very distinct red hair. Ships flanked the distant half of the wharf, their sails furled and cannons shining proudly.

"That's miles away!" said Melody. "He can't run that fast!"

Lara grinned lopsidedly and leaned forward. "You hear that, Tempest? I think she just called you slow!"

Tempest's eyes and nostrils flared at the jab to his equine pride. He gave a loud snort and suddenly redoubled his speed, causing Melody to shriek as she slid backwards. They were all but flying down the road now, Tempest's hooves literally gouging into the earth and chest working like a bellows to power his sprint.

"Has anyone told you you're crazy!?" shouted Melody.

"Not recently!" replied Lara.

Melody was about to roll her eyes when Tempest suddenly leaned hard to the left to make the turn into the town. She hugged Lara tightly, afraid she would fall off with how steeply Tempest leaned. But instead of feeling the ground she felt the horse right himself without slowing for a second, the pounding of hooves on dirt road soon replaced by the clop-clop of horseshoes on cobblestone. Melody opened her eyes to see the first houses of the town flash by them as Lara took them along the periphery of the town, allowing Tempest to maintain his dazzling speed.

"You had to pick today of all days to sleep in!" said Melody.

"Says the girl who couldn't decide what to wear! And cut me some slack!" Lara said defensively. "I had another rough night!"

Now that Melody thought about it, Lara did have a rough night. It was about two in the morning when she started groaning and whispering in her sleep, waking Melody up. Ten seconds later she woke up half the people on their floor when she started screaming. Then Melody started screaming when Lara's fists caught fire and she punched out an entire window. The guards had come running at the sound, all but knocking down Melody's door. Lara woke up from Melody's scream, and quickly apologized for the disturbance and fixed the window. She said it was just a bad dream, but it left a lot of people rattled. Not just from the disturbance, but the fact that it was Lara who caused it. For the third time in as many nights, no less.

It was not just Lara's sleeping habits that had changed. Her demeanor had as well. She was more withdrawn and quieter than usual. Her usual sarcasm and wit were blunted, and more than a few times she seemed consumed by her own thoughts. Normally Melody could not come within fifty feet of Lara without her noticing. Just yesterday Lara was startled twice from people coming around a corner, something Melody had never seen before.

Who could blame her, though? Melody was just as shocked as her family to learn about what happened in Glowerhaven's royal gardens. To think the masked witch who massacred Abyssum was somehow the same pirate captain that tortured Lara and murdered her mother. She could only imagine the emotional and mental anguish it was causing Lara. Nor could she blame Lara for falling into a rage when the reality of it set in. If she were in Lara's place and it was Morgana who appeared before her, Melody felt she might do the same. No doubt the knowledge that her mother's killer was alive out there somewhere was eating at Lara even now.

Melody leaned forward to get a better view of Lara's face. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Lara startled mildly. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." She flashed Melody a quick smile. "It's nothing."

Melody returned her smile. "Okay. Just remember, you can always talk to me. Wherever and whenever."

Lara gave an "mm-hm" and returned her focus to steering Tempest down the street. Melody's smile faded. She had the feeling Lara was not keen on taking her up on her offer.


Lara was too lost in thought to take Melody's offer seriously. Truth be told, she had been lost in her own head ever since Glowerhaven. Her mind was a tangled mass of thoughts, jumping from one to the next without warning.

Sable was alive. Or Remora, or whatever that monster-in-human-form called herself now. There was no doubt in Lara's mind the witch in the Glowerhaven garden was the same one who tortured her aboard the Charybdis. The same one that left her a tetraplegic cripple at the mercies of the sea till she washed up on the shores she and her father once called home. How she was still alive Lara had no idea. She thought Sable went down with the Charybdis in that unknown sea years and years ago. Sable even said she had died! But when Lara actually took a moment to consider the facts, the reality was she never saw the ship sink. She never saw Sable die. All she knew was that when she woke up in the middle of the ocean, there was no Sable or Charybdis in sight. The likelihood of Sable surviving that fire or escaping the pursuit ships was surely low, but it was not impossible. To Lara's horror, astonishment, and immense anger, the odds played out in Sable's twisted favor. She was alive and, if anything, more powerful and murderous than before.

More worrying, however, was the Master. Lara had met powerful mages in the east before, but this man's power made them all seem like novices on their first day of training. It was unbelievable. He incapacitated her with nothing more than a simple spell and his magic presence. To have that sort of power placed him leagues beyond the strongest mages of the eastern kingdoms. Even Lara did not have magic on his level. He was in a class all his own. She shuddered to think what would happen if she ever had to face him alone. There was a very real chance she would lose. She could not stop him.

But above all these things, one thought dominated Lara's mind–the Master knew who she was. Who she really was. And what she did.

There was no uncertainty as to whether he found Gin. That paper and the bandana were proof enough. That paper could come from nowhere else. Even the parchment screamed of the eastern kingdoms. If it was Gin who gave her identity away, Lara was absolutely certain her former bookman told the Master every single thing he knew about her. He had plenty of reason to want her dead, just like everyone else in the eastern kingdoms.

She bit her lip. Her last and worst secrets were no longer safe. No doubt the Master would use them against her if given the chance. She would sooner die that let him use them to blackmail her. But with them, he could destroy her life in Seahaven. If anyone knew the truth about her past, they would run her out of the kingdom with torches and pitchforks. She would be right back where she started when she left the east–hated, persecuted, and hunted. But if she came forward on her own, they might do that anyway. It happened before. She risked losing everything she had come to treasure here. The kids. The town. The palace. The people. The princesses. Sarah. John. Eric. Ariel. Melody.

"Lara! Lara!"

Lara snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? Wha–whoa!"

Tempest came to an abrupt stop in front of the wharf guards, hooves skidding against the road as they literally slid into the marina. Lara gave a startled yelp as she was thrown forward. She latched onto Tempest's neck as Melody shrieked, sliding up to take Lara's place on his back before they stopped.

"Princess Melody!" exclaimed the guards. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine…somehow!" said Melody. "Lara, look! There's mom!"

Lara blinked. Somehow, she missed the entire ride through the town to the marina, leaving Tempest to guide them. She looked down the wharf to see Ariel's unmistakable red hair at the end.

"Nice stop, bud!" Lara said sarcastically, leaning around to look Tempest in the eye. "If you were trying to launch us to Ariel, that is!"

Tempest snorted and nickered angrily, as though to say Lara should have been paying closer attention in the first place.

"Come on!" said Melody as she hopped off Tempest. "Grandfather will be here any second!"

Lara dropped off Tempest, adjusting her wrap and brushing horse hair off her pants. "Stay close," she said to the horse. He nodded in response, pawing at the ground to emphasize they should be quick. "Hey, it'll take as long as it takes!"

"He's here!" Melody exclaimed. Lara looked to the end of the wharf and saw a golden crown atop a head of gray hair behind Ariel's sisters. That had to be Triton. His face was obscured by their forms as he hugged each of his daughters in turn.

Melody reached over and grabbed Lara's hand. "Come on! I can't wait to introduce you!"

Lara allowed Melody to pull her down the wharf. A mix of fear, guilt, and shame twisted on itself in her stomach as she chewed her lip as fast as it could heal. She hated to admit it, but there was only one option for her now. She had to tell Melody the truth. She had to tell all of them the truth. Not because they deserved to know–and they most certainly did–but because Lara could not risk being exposed on the Master's terms. She had to take away his power over her before he could exert it. That meant revealing the worst parts of her past, and the parts of her that caused her to become one of the most hated "heathens" in the eastern kingdoms. But if it was that or loose Melody and everyone else for sure…

Lara abruptly stopped, squeezing her free hand so tight it bordered on painful. "Mel, wait."

Melody halted, turning to face her. "Lara?"

"Look, I know this isn't the best time, but…" Lara clenched and unclenched her free hand. "There's something I have to tell you!"

Melody could sense from Lara's tone this was not some random thing she remembered. She had something serious on her mind and, poor timing aside, it could not wait. "What is it?"

Lara licked her lips, shifting as she tried to find the words. "It's…I'm…I'm not who you think I am. I'm…I'm…"

Her words froze as she caught sight of the bearded merman coming down the wharf atop a raft of water, the glowing trident clasped in one of his hands and Attina on his other arm as her sisters followed. Sebastian was sitting on his shoulder as well. Her eyes locked onto the king's face as their eyes met, her prior thoughts utterly forgotten. His eyes, his nose, his mouth, his beard, his arms, his build–all of him brought Lara's thoughts to complete gridlock.

Melody noticed Lara's gaze shift. "Lara?"

Lara was frozen in place, staring straight at Triton. "That's…"

"Lara? What's wrong?" asked Melody.

"That merman," said Lara, slowly pointing her finger at him. "I…I know him."

And going by the look that suddenly appeared on Triton's face, he recognized her too.


Triton pointed straight at Lara, face pale as his beard. "I know her! I know that woman!"

Attina's eyes widened in surprise. "You…know her?"

Sebastian looked at Triton, then at Lara, and then back to Triton. Then his face split in a smile as he gave a short laugh. "Ha ha! Dat's a good one, your majesty! You almost had me!"

"This is not a joke, Sebastian!" snapped Triton, causing Sebastian to fall off his shoulder and onto Andrina's head. "I've seen her before!"

"Daddy, you must be mistaken," said Ariel, coming up beside him. "There's no way you could–!"

"No, I'm sure!" said Triton. "I know I have, but where!? When did I–ah!"

Triton suddenly clutched his head, face twisted up in a tight grimace. The water supporting him fell apart, dropping him onto the wharf. The trident began flashing and vibrating in his hand, three points of colored light appearing in the weapon's shaft.

"Father!" yelled all the sisters at once, clustering around Triton as he shook with visible pain.

"Your majesty, what's wrong!?" asked Sebastian.

"My head!" groaned Triton.


"Aaah!" Lara screamed as she collapsed to her knees, clutching at her head as her face twisted up in a grimace.

"Lara!?" Melody knelt beside her, taking hold of Lara's shoulders as the guards ran to her. "What's wrong!?"

"My head!" shouted Lara. "It's like–ah! Like it's splitting open!"

Lara violently bent forwards, clawing at the decking as she pressed her head against it. She howled as through her feet were being sawed off, her voice mixing with Triton's own tormented yells. The guards descended on Lara, doing their best to support her as she writhed. It was difficult to do so, given Lara was strong enough to bench-press all of them at once.

"Lara! What's going on!?" asked Melody, panic and concern equal in her voice.

Lara squeezed her eyes shut, breathing through clenched teeth. "I can't–aaah! It hurts! It hurts, Mel!"

Suddenly Lara arched her head back, eyes rolled up in her head. A band of orange light flanked by strange arcane writing suddenly appeared around her head. It glowed bright, and then cracks began to appear in the band. The fire pendant around her neck glowed just as bright, rising slightly away from her chest.


The raven's eyes widened as he watched Lara writhe on the wharf. "She's breaking the seal on her own!?"

His gaze shifted over to Triton as the trident began glowing white. Fractal looping lines of light quickly sinuated their way up his arm to his neck, and then encircled his head in a halo of light. The princesses backed away as the light from their father became blinding. Moments later Melody and the guards were forced to do the same as the luminescent band around Lara's head became too bright for them to withstand as well. They let her go, shielding their eyes from the light.

The raven growled low in his throat as he watched Triton and Lara each levitate several inches off the wharf. "Things are about to become…complicated."


"Daddy!" exclaimed Ariel. "What's happening to you!?"

Suddenly there was a flash, forcing her and everyone near Triton to shut their eyes. When Ariel opened them again, she saw Triton kneeling on the dock and panting hard.

"Daddy, are you okay!?" said Ariel, she and her sisters kneeling around their father. "What hap –!?"

Her voice caught, however, when she saw Triton's eyes. They were focused solely on Lara. And they were angry. Angrier than Ariel had seen them in a very long time.

"It's you…!" Triton muttered, his hand tightening around the trident as he rose. "You're that…that thing!"


The light around Lara's head suddenly fractured like glass, pieces of it shooting off and then vanishing. She crumpled to the ground and slumped to one side, but Melody moved fast enough to catch her.

"Lara!? Lara, answer me!" Melody asked, equal parts worried and frightened as she propped Lara up. She held a hand up as the guards moved to help. "I have her! Please, give us some room! Lara? Come on! Talk to me!"

Lara groaned as she stirred, pressing a hand to her head. "Ow, ow, ow…"

Melody helped prop Lara upright, the brunette's eyes squeezed shut as she pressed on her forehead. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. I just…I…" Lara's eyes suddenly snapped open. "I…I remember."

It was almost a whisper, but Melody heard it. "What?"

"I remember," Lara repeated, louder this time. "Mel, I remember!"

"Remember what?" asked Melody.

Lara turned to face her, face brimming with excitement as she clasped Melody's shoulders. "My father! Mel, I remember what happened to my–!"

"Melody!"

"Daddy, what are you–!?"

Melody and Lara turned to look at Triton. The first thing they noted was that he looked incredibly angry. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were narrowed, face turning red. The second thing they noted was he was pointing the trident straight at Lara, the tendons in his hand standing out as he clutched it tightly.

"Get away from that thing!" bellowed Triton, the trident glowing brightly.

Melody's eyes flew wide open. "Grandfather!?"

"Poseidon!"

Melody turned back to Lara. She was glaring at Triton with a palpable, visceral hatred on her face and hair bristled in full. Veins stood up on her temples, teeth bared in a furious snarl. Her muscles and knuckles tightened, causing them to pop and crack. Her golden eyes were glowing with light, and there was a faint orange-red aura around her.

Melody shied back as the air around Lara grew hotter. She had never seen Lara so angry. Not even that day on the seaside pavilion compared to the palpable fury coming off her. "Lara? What–?"

"You...you bastard!" bellowed Lara, her body trembling with anger.

Before Melody could say or do anything, Lara bolted at Triton as fast as she could, a furious yell tearing from her throat as she reached for her sword.

Triton took the trident in both hands, raising it up before taking aim at Lara's heart. "Trident, shoot!"

"No!" exclaimed Ariel as she reached for the trident, but it was too late. A bolt of lightning shot from the forks, flying straight for the charging woman.

Lara drew her sword, the blade turning orange as heat filled it. She swung it at the trident's bolt. They collided with a loud clang of metal. But instead of blasting or electrocuting her the bolt died in a shower of sparks as the sword cut it down. Lara did not slow in the slightest.

Triton wasted no time being surprised by her counter. Water surged up underneath him and carried him towards Lara at equal speed, pulling the trident back for a lethal thrust as Lara drew her sword to her side for an equally deadly slash. Their weapons met as they did, smashing together with a clamor of magic and metal. They were forced back by the shockwave, a wall of air bursting out from them. Anyone within thirty feet was knocked backwards as the wave hit them. The galleons rocked backwards, their startled crews scrambling for balance as the princesses' personal guard were blown into the sea. Lara and Triton staggered back and then immediately lunged at each other again. The sword locked into the forks of the trident, king and mage glaring hatred at each other.

"You beast!" yelled Triton, bearing down on her. "You murderer!"

"You're the murderer, Poseidon!" spat Lara, her sword growing red hot as magic began seeping into her body. She forced Triton back, gaining a step on him. "You killed my father!"


A/N: A foul wind has begun to blow. As Nerida swims into the unknown, would-be allies have found themselves enemies once the veil of amnesia is removed. With the trident and claymore locked in a violent confrontation by their wielders, the onlookers can only watch and wonder what has brought this battle to be. But while they quarrel, sinister forces use the clamor to maneuver into position for their own devious ends. What does the Master have planned for this day? What history do Lara and Triton have to birth such malice, and why does she call him Poseidon? The answers will come, but not before evil rears its head in full!

Another chapter for all you folks! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and you have happy plans for Valentine's Day coming up! If you liked the chapter, be sure to follow and/or favorite! Things are going to get intense!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own "The Little Mermaid," Disney, or any of its associated characters and intellectual property. Everything else, however, is mine =)