Disclaimer:
- I do not own any of the Aquaman movies, nor anything of the DCEU or DC Comics. They belong to the original makers and studios. This story is a piece of original fiction intended for entertainment. It is not part of the original Aquaman films.
- This fanfiction is based solely on the two Aquaman movies. I have not seen any of the other the DCEU movies or read any of the DC Comics.
- I do not condone or agree with any of Amber Heard's actions. I have chosen to separate the character Mera from the actress that played her in the films. (I like to imagine Mera being played instead by Emilia Clarke. She could totally pull it off, lol.)
Some major changes to the movies' canon:
- Mera is not engaged to Orm in this story.
- Since Mera is the only one who displays water bending abilities in the films, I've interpreted this as all Xebelians being able to bend water (the people from Atlantis do not have this ability). Therefore, the tsunami-like storm which almost killed Tom was conjured by Nereus, not Orm.
- Arthur and Orm act a bit smarter and more cautious at times than in the films.
This fanfiction is being crossposted to Archive of Our Own (Rival's Respite - Chapter 1 - Mahal_the_Maker - Aquaman (Movies - Wan) [Archive of Our Own]).
Enjoy reading!
Two Ships in the Open Sea
BOOK I: Rivals' Respite
"Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together." – Jules Verne
Prologue
King Atlan turned around and gazed upon the city of Atlantis one final time. He could and would never forgive himself for his pride and carelessness which had led to the Great Fall. His attempts to create a new clean energy source using his trident had caused the sinking of an entire continent. At the same time, he was glad the city was beginning to pick itself up again. The older stone architecture was being abandoned whilst newer buildings, more suited to an underwater lifestyle, were starting to appear. The other five kingdoms were rebuilding themselves as well.
Atlan's mind wandered to Necrus, the seventh kingdom that was once ruled by his brother Kordax before the Great Fall, but that was now erased from history. He sighed. The memory of Kordax still pained him. His younger brother had insisted on the use of Orichalum to build and grow his kingdom, despite Atlan's warnings that the use of the resource would cause an ecological disaster and destroy the world. Kordax didn't listen. He instead believed that his older brother sought to take his power for himself, which was the furthest thing from Atlan's mind. Kordax grew wary and tried to make a trident for himself using dark magic. Upon its completion, however, the trident corrupted Kordax and his people, turning them into monsters that wanted to destroy all other Atlanteans. It was with a heavy heart that Atlan had stopped the onslaught and sealed up his brother and the entirety of Necrus using a blood curse.
The King of Atlantis shook his head to rid himself of his painful thoughts and turned away from his beloved city. He had decided to leave Atlantis behind. He could not bear the shame and guilt he felt each time he saw the land that he had destroyed and caused to sink. Atlan entered his ship and drove off. He would first make a stop at the Kingdom of the Deserters to make a recording. If, somewhere in the distant future, a descendant would be in need the trident, the recording would ensure that the weapon could be found. For now, it was too dangerous. After visiting the Deserters, Atlan would continue his way to the Trench Kingdom, where the vortex was located that would take him to the Hidden Sea in the Earth's Core.
Atlan emerged from the water and walked along the beach adjacent to the Hidden Sea. He quickly spotted the waterfall that would lead him to his final resting place. As he passed underneath the stream of cascading water, he heard a familiar rumble. He chuckled. "My old friend." "King Atlan," the Karathen greeted back.
Atlan made his way over to the ruins of an old building. He sat down on some of the rubble and placed his trident vertically between his feet. He let out a sigh of relief. This is where he would spend the remainder of his days. He glanced over at the creature sitting close by and smiled. "Thank you for granting me my final request." The Karathen bowed its head. "It is my honor to protect you for the rest of your days and beyond, my king."
Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! It is mostly setup for this fanfiction and for the next installment in the Two Ships in the Open Sea-trilogy. The next chapter will be posted on 18-02-2024 (I am going to try to stick to posting every week).