Chapter Twenty Eight

Saleen didn't really know how she wanted Attina do to prove herself worthy. But there was no need for the little mermaid to know that. Saleen continued to appear confident and twirled a strand of her hair.

"First, you must prove your will to wield it." Saleen reached out with her mind and made the trident heavy. Then she made it so the trident started to become as hot as the underwater volcano next to them. Attina howled in agony as her hands burned.

"You let go, you lose," Saleen sang.

Attina gritted her teeth and tried to thrust her tail to stay where she was. Saleen willed the trident to be heavier and heavier until Attina was being crushed by it on the ocean floor.

Still the princess did not let go.

Saleen caused the trident to dart forward at an alarming speed. The trident went up; it went down; it turned sharply to the left and right. Attina was forced to hold on for dear life as the trident tried to shake her grip loose as a shark did its prey.

When Saleen got bored, she returned the trident to its original weight and temperature.

"Well done." Saleen applauded gleefully.

The princess cradled the trident in her arms as she looked in horror at her hands. There were other burn marks on her body from where the trident had rested. With a wave of Saleen's hand, Attina's wounds were healed.

Attina was barely able to gasp out, "Thank you," as she laid on the floor, trying to catch her breath.

What can I have her do now? Saleen wondered to herself. There really wasn't a traditional test for who could wield the trident. As far as Saleen had bothered to remember, Triton had been gifted the trident by dear old dad. And look at how that turned out.

Saleen waved her hand again and a platter of food appeared in front of them. She motioned for the princess to come closer.

"Take a moment to rest. Eat."

Saleen daintily nibbled on the treats as she pondered how she could test the little mermaid in fun little ways.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I passed the first test.

Attina's breathing was slowly coming back to normal. Saleen had used her magic to heal her injuries, so there was no searing pain now. All Attina felt was fatigue and hunger. It was good Saleen had given her this break.

Attina knew little about adventuring, but she did know protocols and good hosting. Saleen was being a poor host. The Elemental was not making conversation: polite or otherwise. She was munching on the food and twirling her hair, staring off in the distance, concentrating on something.

And that's when Attina realized, that these "tests" of worthiness meant nothing. Saleen herself didn't know what test two would entail. If Attina failed, Saleen would use that as an excuse to ignore her. If she somehow won, she was still at Saleen's mercy to keep her word. The trident's power was nothing compared to Saleen; Attina could not use force. She somehow had to beat Saleen at her own game.

And that's all any of this was to Saleen anyhow: a game. A source of amusement.

Saleen had swum off somewhere, as Attina continued to rest, but she was sure the Elemental would return. But as she waited, Attina closed her eyes, just for a moment.

"Time for test two." Attina awoke to Saleen's loud voice. "You must prove you understand what belongs to the ocean." Saleen spread out three objects: a conch shell, a part of a shipwrecked helm, and a bird skull. Attina spent little of her time above the waters surface, so she didn't know that many birds. But she could tell from the long, narrow beak it was one who fed on fish.

There was a trick to this test; it was far too easy to just pick the shell.

"Well?"

"Seems to me like they all belong," Attina shrugged.

"Explain."

"The shell is obvious; home to a mollusk who lives under the sea with us. The bird preys upon fish…"

"Like a human."

"No, like a shark. Or an octopus. There are plenty of fish here who eat other fish. And since this bird preys upon fish, provided by the ocean, the bird's home is also the sea. And since this is his home, he belongs to the ocean."

Saleen tapped her finger on the splintered piece of wood. "You can't expect me to believe that a human vessel belongs to the ocean?"

"It does now. This piece is clearly from a shipwreck and not a boat that is sailing on the water. This particular vessel was too weak when faced with the dangers of the ocean. This boat sank and thus was claimed by the ocean's strength."

"Good answers!" Saleen clapped again. "Just one more to go."

"I'm ready," Attina lied.

"The final test is that you must prove you're brave enough."

"Did you have anything particular in mind?"

"Yes, I do. I was hoping you could help me with something. You see, I miss my pet: Armand. He was a special octopus. Talented in hair styling. Been dead for a while now and he left me all alone. I'm looking for a new companion. Something bigger, this time, I think, to be just a tad more intimidating."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I was going to do it myself, but this way I get to watch the fun." Saleen tapped on a grey mound covered in veins of pulsing red. The ground soon began to shake. "See, we're in a serpentine nest. Very protective of their young. And very loyal companions, or so I've heard from the Morays."

And now Attina saw that surrounding her was not volcanic debris. The mounds with the pulsing red veins were not rocks. They were eggs.

Attina gulped.

Rising from the ocean floor was a serpentine. Volcanic sand fell from the creature's scales to reveal its green scales. Ariel and Aquata had encountered such a creature before. They had recounted the tale and described the monsters glowing scales, red eyes, and long, eel-like body.

Attina turned to see Saleen had already swum a good distance away. "Be sure to bring me an egg!" The Elemental smiled and waved at Attina below.

Below and alone to face off against the monster.

It was a little disappointing to find out there's not that much Disney lore about the trident. According to the Broadway play, Triton was given the trident from Poseidon and that's it. I'm referencing the Little Mermaid Comic "Serpent Teen" Volumes 1 & 2 for the Serpentine creature. Fun Fact, in those comics, Aquata is mentioned as the eldest daughter, not Attina. Little Mermaid lore is all over the place.