Chapter 5: A palace and a library
The next morning, Kai awoke to a knock on his door, Merlie having arrived and leaving some clothes outside for him. He got dressed in a teal shirt and some blue trousers, brushing his hair and teeth in the mirror and buckling some new sandals. Greeting Cori and Miriam in the hallway, he noticed they were wearing similar clothes to the nymphs, and smiled slightly- they looked happy. Walking outside into the sun, the sisters awaited them, alongside a carriage created by a clam shell and fan corals and drawn by seahorses. Excited, the group piled in, Merlie addressing them all. "Good morning children. As we discussed yesterday, Allura wishes to meet you, so we are taking you to her palace for breakfast. She's keen on helping you find your friend." She explained, the three teens looking at each other and grinning. Looking through the gaps in the coral fans, Kai stared at everything- water fountains, an eagle ray flying past, remora fish and yellow-headed jawfish swimming past vendors without a care in the world. Eventually, they reached the palace and stepped out of the carriage, Kai taking in the view. It was an enormous building, with curved turrets and cylindrical spires, giant jellyfish swimming in and out of the gaps as if they were part of the castle itself. The walls curved, iridescent and reflecting the light, and the group walked through a gate adorned with shells, eventually reaching some huge doors and Merlie pushing them open, revealing a grand hall and throne room, a chandelier made of sea glass above. Kai's gaze was then drawn forward, where he noticed someone incredible.
In front of him, on top of a marbled throne decorated with shells and corals, sat a gorgeous blonde-haired nymph, little braids and pearls interwoven into her hair, and even some little pearls on her face and body, similarly to acne, though they only enhanced her beauty. Her eyes were the colour of the deepest ocean, dress a perfect white, and her skin was pale, her hands on her lap and a smile on her face. So, this was Allura, the queen of Atlantis.
Gently, the three nymphs stepped forward and bowed, so Cori and Miriam followed, Kai going along with it. Emilie addressed the queen. "Your majesty, these are the three children, Cori, Kai and Miriam, who have arrived on our shores." She explained, Allura nodding and descending off the throne, approaching the teens with a sweet smile. "What brings you to us, then?" She asked, Kai looking at the others, who nodded. "Well, we were looking for our friend, Lucia, but got trapped in a whirlpool when the city rose." He answered, Allura looking concerned. "A whirlpool? Are you sure you're all okay?" She gasped, Cori smiling. "Don't worry, the nymphs helped us out!" She replied, Allura sighing in relief. She then grew saddened. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen your friend anywhere, but I promise to look for her and send my best mermaids out to find her." She smiled, before clapping her hands. "Would you like to eat breakfast in the castle?" She asked, the three teens eagerly agreeing. Meanwhile, the three nymphs excused themselves, Allura explaining they often helped themselves to the various treats in the kitchen, which made the teens giggle. Footsteps suddenly startled the group, as the person under the cloak approached, carrying fruits and pastries in their arms on silver trays. Setting them down, Kai tried to get a glimpse of who they were, but the shadow cast by the fabric made it impossible. Allura gently motioned to a seat by her for the person, who obliged and sat down next to the nymph, opposite Kai.
"This is my charge, a girl who washed up here much like you did, except during the time we were underwater. We found her a long time ago, injured and amnesiac, and she no longer speaks because of whatever happened to her, but now she's our resident librarian." Allura spoke, gently stroking the girl's cloak as she did with her fingers. "I care for her as if she's my own child, and in return she keeps everything organized and helps me serve guests." she continued, the person seeming to look at everyone in turn, before down at her plate. Uncomfortable, the teens averted their eyes, and Allura cleared her throat, before taking some grapes and passing them to the girl, who began to eat. Cori took an orange and Kai an apple, everyone beginning to eat and the awkwardness dissolving as quickly as it came. Kai's gaze was drawn to the throne, where the centre was encrusted with pearls, though he noticed one was missing. Perhaps it had fallen during the rise? He was snapped back to reality as Allura came up with a brilliant idea, whispering it to the girl next to her, who then nodded enthusiastically. "We were wondering if, after breakfast, you'd like to explore the castle a little? Seeing as you girls seem to enjoy dancing, we wondered if you'd like to see the ballroom?" Allura asked, Cori and Miriam both nodding and grinning from ear to ear. Kai, meanwhile, was curious about the library, so he gently spoke up. "Your majesty…may I see the library?" He asked, the girl turning to face him and seeming to sit up slightly at his request. Allura nodded, her eyes shining, and the trio all laughed as the nymphs entered the room, with some sprinkles and cream on their faces from the kitchen.
After the meal, the cloaked girl beckoned Kai to follow her, Allura gently guiding Cori and Miriam away to the ballroom alongside the other nymphs. As they moved toward the library, Kai stared at the various paintings on the wall, most depicting Atlantis and some mermaids, before coming to a beautiful one of Allura, dressed in gold and her crown, both stopping before it. The girl gently pointed at the corner, revealing a little signature of what looked like a string instrument, Kai turning to her in confusion. "Did you make this?" He asked, and she gently nodded, Kai staring at it in awe. A realization then dawned. "Wait, are you named viola or violin then-?" He asked, the girl cupping her hands over her mouth as if she was laughing, before beckoning him forward toward the end of the hall. There, a waterfall poured down, Kai realizing the water went down one side of the hall and out toward the throne room, and the girl gently pulled her hood even further over her head, walking through the waterfall and into the room beyond. Kai, curious, put his fingertips against the cascading water, before covering his head and walking through, eyes going wide instantly.
Before him were light brown bookshelves with polished gold edges, filled with hundreds of thousands of books, spines glittering in rainbows. The shelves stretched the entire length of the room, floor to ceiling, and accompanying them were several giant jellyfish and ladders, perfectly arranged around the domed stained glass ceiling, reflecting a blue down into the room that gave the appearance of an underwater library. The girl gently took a piece of paper from a nearby desk and wrote her name, passing it to Kai. "Your name is Fiddle…?" He asked, and she nodded, the boy realizing she was probably named that because of how much she fiddled with her hands, as she was doing at that present moment. He passed the paper back, allowing her to explain. 'It's not my real name, but Allura often calls me that because of my nervous habit.' She replied, Kai nodding, before remembering the signature on the portrait. "So that's why you drew a cello!" He gleefully exclaimed, before realizing his mistake once more and watching as she did the same laughing motion. Well, to him that meant that his new friend Fiddle was an excellent painter, and he wanted to learn more about her. She took the paper back and wrote once more. "I seem nice…?" He read, Fiddle nodding slightly. Though her expression hadn't changed from calm and even slightly sullen, he could tell she seemed more relaxed from both her shoulders and the way she moved. With Allura, each movement had been tense, but here, the place she belonged, she seemed free. He smiled, before she motioned for him to pass the paper back and scribbled a burning question on it: 'what type of books do you read?'
Within seconds of his answer, Fiddle flew through the library, clambering up a ladder and eventually on top of a jellyfish, where she grabbed an adventure book from the top shelf, one which she'd surprisingly never read, named 'Blue Horizons.' She stared at the lack of a cover art, the book simply having a clasp encrusted with red, pink and blue jewels, and waved to him, throwing it down into his arms and riding the jellyfish to the bottom of the library. Seemingly rushed, though Kai assumed it was excitement, Fiddle ran over to the desk and pulled a chair out for Kai, both of them sitting down to read an epic fairytale of sea and sky. Fiddle opened the book- only to realize part of the story was missing, as some pages were ripped, but it seemed to be multiple stories in one, so she figured it was okay and began to stare down at the book.
Kai, remembering Fiddle couldn't speak, asked if he wanted her to read the tale aloud, and she nodded, so he cleared his throat and hoped he wouldn't stumble too much whilst reading.
"Once, many years ago, a young girl named Marina lived in a shining castle above the waves. The girl had a dream to fly high above the clouds and dive deep into the ocean, but this was forbidden, as sea and sky had to remain separated, one could not inhabit both worlds, as the chaos the two could create when joined was foreseen as unimaginable. Despite this, one morning Marina fell into the ocean, where a dolphin rescued her from drowning. Upon arrival at the shore, the dolphin turned into a spirit named Delphis, spirit of the sea and a man who carried an air of intense sorrow. As soon as he came, he fled, and Marina found herself accompanied by a small macaw, who led her away from the shore. She arrived by an enormous tree, inhabited by the bird, which transformed into the spirit of the sky, Aurora, who carried the same feeling of sorrow. Marina decided they should be brought together, and managed to summon both spirits to the same place, where a violent storm began in their hearts due to the lovers' long lasting separation. Marina was dragged out into the ocean, where both Delphis and Aurora had to work together to rescue the young girl. The two reconciled their differences and granted Marina's wish of diving deep into the ocean and flying high into the sky, as the spirits watched a beautiful sunset together, promising to never be apart.'
When the tale ended, Kai noticed Fiddle seemed to be gazing at the illustration of the sunset on the page, and asked her a question. "Hey Fiddle, have you ever seen a sunset?", the girl instantly shaking her head. He didn't think so, considering the light came from above and dyed the room blue. Plus, she didn't seem to be allowed to leave the castle on her own terms until it was dark. He summoned his courage. "Fiddle…will you meet me at the docks after you've eaten dinner?" He asked, the girl considering for a moment before shyly nodding. A wide grin stretched across the boy's face, Fiddle retaining her calm and still expression, but her shoulders relaxing even more. Kai grinned. He was so excited for the evening.