Chapter Fifteen
Attina sat alone in the palace garden. She was in her favorite spot, on a bench among statues that were covered in colorful algae and blooming anemones.
Not all the merpeople had followed her father to the land and had gotten feet. Some stayed behind; mostly the guards to protect their city. Some were parents who felt their children were too young to be among the humans.
And then there were those like Attina. The ones who hadn't forgotten what the land people, the humans, had took from them.
Still, in light of the celebration taking place above them, Attina had allowed the gates to the garden to be opened and there were various knick-knacks from Ariel's collection that were on display. Once Ariel had become a real human and got married to Eric, she disclosed the location of her secret grotto to her sisters. No one else had taken an interest in the human things, nor had they needed a private place to hide their own treasures, so Ariel's things had stayed where they were. But in view of the celebration, Attina had made a trip to the grotto and brought back a handful of items for others to look at to participate, if only a little bit, in the land part.
Attina didn't care what the items were called or what their purpose was. But she could picture her little sister holding each item in her hand and spending hours gazing at it, dreaming what function it was supposed to accomplish.
On a stand nearby where she sat, was a music box. There were music boxes here in Atlantica; the designs were very similar. Except, this music box no longer worked and the figurines at the top were of two humans, a man and a woman, gazing into each other's eyes as they held each other close.
Attina picked up the music box and looked at the feet.
Why do so many merpeople want these?
The princess supposed it had to do something with the desire to go somewhere else. Anywhere else than where they currently were. Ariel had often been bored being coped up in the palace. She had only been five when they lost their mother (to humans) and father had become overprotective and withdrawn. Strict governesses had been put in place, with daily schedules, lessons, and mandatory walks with father along with mandatory "good night" wishes. Attina could remember times when their parents had planned trips to the Coral Reef, the volcanoes, the occasional sunken ship, and even the tidepools on the surface.
Ariel wasn't given the chance to swim around Atlantica and explore before the rules were set in stone. So, when father brought music back and allowed most of the palace rules to be ignored, Ariel began swimming off on adventures. During those times, she must have come across sunken ships and human treasures and became fascinated with them.
Attina's eyes went from the music box to the statue beside her. It was an enlarged seahorse, covered in sea anemones. A group of clownfish darted out of the tentacles. Attina smiled at the sight and marveled how she hadn't known she had company the entire time she had been sitting there. The sea offered such marvels to behold if you only took the time to look. But somehow these secrets weren't important to some.
Attina's thoughts were interrupted as something darted over her head. Whatever it was could not have been a fish or a merperson; it had been too fast. She swam up a few feet to look after what had just gone by. Already it was out of sight, but a small trail of bubbles lead inside the palace. Attina raced after the thing, ready to alert the guards of an intruder.
But there was no one around.
Attina was now in the throne room, the place vacant. Everything seemed normal, except for one item that should not be there.
The trident was nestled back in its stand.
"Daddy?" Attina called out in the empty throne room. No one answered her call.
The princess gulped and went closer to inspect the thing. It couldn't be the trident. Or, if it was, something terrible had happened for her father to let go of it.
"Attina! Attina!" The princess heard her name being shouted at by Sebastian. He was being pulled in his small chariot of a shell being pulled by a seahorse.
"Sebastian, what happened?"
The crustacean related to Attina everything that had happened after dinner. "Thank the sea stars the trident is here."
"But I can't take it," Attina protested.
"Of course, you can. You're the eldest daughter of Triton."
"But…" Attina hesitated, "what if Saleen does something worse when I try to reverse what she's done."
"We've got to try. You've got to try. Now come on, there's no time to lose."
Attina called the guards and informed them of what happened to their King. She made sure they'd keep an eye out for Saleen, even though Attina didn't know what they should do if they found her. The guards were also informed to keep the other merfolk in Atlantica and to not attempt to go up to the surface.
Once those orders were given, Attina darted over to the stand to grab the trident. Even under the dire circumstances, she still hesitated to grab the weapon.
Not touching daddy's trident had always been rule number one in the palace.
A quick breath in and Attina touched the handle and pulled. The trident came out, as easily as picking up a dinner fork.
Sebastian hopped onto Attina's shoulder and held on as she began the swim to Eric and Ariel's palace.