Chapter Five

"Come on, daddy." Queen Ariel led the ruler of the seven seas by hand onto the shore.

King Triton walked on dry land with two feet to where the waves couldn't reach. He turned to face the ocean, his home, and watched as a herd of merfolk followed their leader onto the beach.

Except for one.

"Attina, will you not be joining us?" Triton asked his eldest daughter, who remained submerged in the water.

"I thought I'd stay behind, father. It might be wise for someone to keep an eye on things."

"If that's what you want."

Attina nodded, then dove back under the waves. The tip of her tail came above the water's surface for a few seconds, causing Triton to look down at his new toes.

"If you're cold, there's some jackets and shirts over there." Melody motioned towards a stall on the beach. Various shirts, suits, dresses, shoes, and hats were there for the Atlanticans to wear during the holiday. Her father had thought that the merpeople might appreciate having authentic land attire. Both of her parents had laughed over this. Melody could only piece together it was a private joke that revolved around a tattered sail.

"No thanks," Alex said. "I think it's actually pretty hot here. In Atlantica, we're down so deep we can't feel the sun."

"Oh. Well, that makes sense." Melody was shivering slightly herself, but she knew it would be warmer inland away from the sea breeze.

There was a commotion at the stall as the merfolk gathered around to gaze at the clothes. Most of the Atlanticans didn't wear complete ensembles, if they decided to take something from the stall, but most decided to wear hats when it was explained how they helped provide shade for their eyes. Melody's aunts Aquata and Arista were squabbling over wanting to wear the same dress.

"I'm ready," Archimedes declared and stepped forward. The humanologist wore an entire suit. Grimsby had loaned Archimedes his pocket watch at Carlotta's insistence when he had taken such a fascination with it. A black silk top hat was on his head; his white hair tied back with a black ribbon and somewhere he had found a glass monocle that adorned his left eye. The only thing he refused to wear were the boots. "I want to remember everything these feet will feel."

"Everyone, please follow Grimsby down the path to the front entrance," King Eric shouted to be heard above the commotion. "There are carriages waiting there to take everyone into town."

"Do we need to be back by a certain time?" Archimedes asked. "It's very uncomfortable having a fin when you're stuck on land."

"There is no time limit. If anyone wishes for their tale to return, all they need to do is walk back into the ocean," King Triton explained.

"Come on!" Melody grabbed Alex's hand and started to run down the path that led to the front of the castle.

"Oooh, can we go slower?" Alex winced as his feet pounded against the stone path.

"Oops. Sorry."

When Melody turned to apologize, she got a good view of the merfolk looking around in wonder at the castle and greenery that lines the path. Archimedes was sniffing every rose at a nearby bush.

"Check this out," Melody walked over to the plants growing alongside the path. "It's a cornflower." The native flower was a simple one; a thin green reed adorned with a blue crown made of tiny, thin petals.

Alex leaned in to smell it. "Is it supposed to smell like something?"

"It's not as fragrant as the other flowers. I just think they're a pretty color." Melody laughed at a memory. "There's a field nearby where they grow wild. I used to imagine I was swimming in the ocean as I walked among them."

"There's kelp forests in Atlantica. And seagrass. And every year anyone can take a stroll through the royal coral reef."

"I'd love to see all of it."

"Why hasn't King Triton turned you into a mermaid for a visit?"

Melody shrugged as they continued their walk. "My mom doesn't want it to interfere with my studies. She said I might be able to visit grandfather and my aunts for a month during the summer. Last year we had already made plans to visit some of dad's family in a kingdom far, far away. But I'm hoping I can this year."

"That'd be awesome. I can show you…oh. Oh, what is that?" Alex plugged his nose. "Which plant is it coming from?"

"What?" Melody sniffed the air but could only detect the faint whiff of the stables they were approaching. "Do you mean the horses? Hey, I want to show you mine. Come on!"

Melody led a gagging Alex into the stable. Melody had to concede that the smell must be a shock if someone wasn't used to it. She sniffed the air and paid attention to the aroma. The stable was not just one scent, but a combination. There was the smell of hay. The smell of wood. The leather from the saddles and bridles, the earthy scent of the oats, and the horses themselves.

"Do things not smell underwater? I mean, I usually just smell 'sea' when I'm swimming."

"Course things smell underwater. It's just better than this."

Melody couldn't help but feel a little insulted at the comment. But the young princess shrugged it off that her friend didn't mean anything by it. "Alex, this is Barnacle." The pony hung his head over the side of the stall, allowing Melody to rub his forehead. "Want to pet him?"

"Uh, maybe later." Alex kept his nose covered.

"Do the merfolk have animals like this?"

"Well, some people ride dolphins. Or get them to pull their chariots. I usually just swim everywhere." Alex was quickly turning a shade of green.

"Let's get you some fresh air."

Alex eventually regained his color as they approached the fleet of carriages. He continued to plug his nose and kept his distance from the horses. Their small detour had given time for Archimedes and her mother to catch up with them. Archimedes was petting the two white stallions with childlike glee. He would have kept doing so had he not overheard other merfolk chatting about the festival that awaited everyone.

"To town! To town! I can't wait to see it."

Melody and Alex rode in a carriage with her mother and Archimedes. Melody's grandfather and father were in the carriage behind them that also had some of her aunts.

"Oof." Alex groaned as the carriage took off.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just this is a lot bumpier than the carriage rides in Atlantica."

Alex began to talk about how smooth carriage ride felt underwater and how he had gotten to ride dolphins during the Carnival of Tides. Melody listened politely, but her eyes darted over to Archimedes who was smiling from ear to ear as he asked questions about the names of things they passed. Her mother patiently answered every question and they were chatting and laughing the carriage ride away. A knot began to form in Melody's stomach as she began to doubt if Alex would enjoy anything in town.

No, Melody reassured herself. Today is going to be a wonderful day. Me and Alex are going to have a good time.

Writing this chapter really got me thinking about how things smell underwater. And if fish can even smell. Turns out, they can. Who knew?