And another long delay. Sorry! Read and review please!
Ariel swam out of the parlor as fast as she could, Eric and Triton at her fins. Before they could go anywhere, Harold the seahorse, Triton's trusted herald of many years, planted himself in their path.
"Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, and Your Majesty!" Harold declared. "Your subjects, Urchin and Gabriella, have-"
"Urchin!" Ariel frantically swam past the coral-colored seahorse in a flurry of bubbles. "Urchin! Melody is missing! Have you-" She abruptly stopped talking when she saw the grim expressions on the other couple's faces. "Oh no. Alex is missing too, isn't he?"
We haven't seen Alex since last night, Gabriella, who was deaf, signed. We have no idea what could have happened. All we know is that he came home from seeing Melody very upset, and after that…
Gabriella stopped signing at this point, but they all could have filled in the gap in her sentence: he and Melody were both gone now and had possibly run off together somewhere. Silence reigned for a moment until Eric spoke up.
"Well," he began tentatively, "at least Melody isn't alone." He smiled at Gabriella and Urchin. "Why, we've known Alex for years-"
"They are too young to be on their own, Eric!" Triton suddenly raged, slamming his hand down on the table, shocking everyone.
"Daddy!" Ariel exclaimed. "Eric is just trying to-"
"I know what he is trying to do," Triton responded, calmer now. He turned to his son-in-law. "I apologize, Eric. I'm just frustrated. And scared. Neptune, they're so young. How far might they have gone?"
"That's alright." The prince tried to sound brave, but his father-in-law's wrath was matched by no other. He forced himself to face Triton. "Well, if you think Alex and Melody are too young to be out on their own right now, that means you…oppose the new marriage law, correct?"
"Of course I oppose it." Triton placed his head in his hands in despair. "But I was outvoted, son. The other kingdoms like the idea of uniting together in pure royal blood."
"Atlantica is a very powerful kingdom, Daddy," Ariel commented after a moment.
"Yes, it is."
Eric eyed his wife, thinking he knew what she was getting at. "One of the most powerful kingdoms between land and sea."
"Mm-hmm."
"What are you getting at?" Urchin whispered. Triton's head was still in his hands, and Urchin found it best not to disturb him with loud talking.
"I think we should petition the council," Ariel announced. "Get rid of this silly law. So, we should go out to the headquarters of the Coalition for the Coexistence of Mer and Human and straighten this out."
"Ariel!" Triton exclaimed. "What about the kids?"
"I know my daughter. She is just as headstrong as her mother is."
"That's for sure," Triton laughed in spite of himself.
"I think that Melody had the same thought as I am having." She turned to her childhood friends. "And Alex too. I bet the kids want to get rid of this awful law and make things fair again for young mers everywhere. That's why they ran off, I'm sure of it! They are probably headed for the headquarters to make things right, the way they were before." Ariel grabbed her dad's hand. "You said so yourself, Daddy. Atlantica is powerful-very powerful. I think we can do this."
"Melody and Alex need our help," Urchin agreed, standing up. Gabriella nodded, too. After Eric joined them in front of Triton, they all stared at the king expectantly.
Your Majesty? Gabriella prompted. What do you say?
Triton slammed his trident to the ground, shaking the entire parlor, before standing up. "Let's go. Let's bring the kids home and abolish that decree once and for all!
In the depths of the next kingdom over, Melody and Alex were making a stop for some lunch. Melody ate her kelp-and-seaweed (A/N Google tells me that kelp and seaweed are technically different; Melody strikes me as a vegetarian) sandwich hungrily, thinking of the journey ahead. Alex was staring at her.
"What?" Melody giggled after a moment. "Do I have kelp in my teeth or something?"
"You're so beautiful," Alex said simply, "and I can't believe you're mine."
"Ohhhh." Melody put down the sandwich and allowed Alex to pull her against his chest. "I can't believe that you are mine."
"I wish we hadn't wasted all these years not being together when we both liked each other this entire time." Alex moved Melody's hair from her eyes.
"It wasn't a waste at all. Even though you were-are-my first crush, we had some great times together as friends."
"Best friends."
"Best friends. And now…boyfriend and girlfriend."
They leaned in to kiss. Just as their lips were about to meet, a page of newsprint sliced between them, completely obscuring their vision and their kiss.
"Arrrgh!" Melody ripped the page away irritably. "Why doesn't anyone make a decree about this? Newspapers polluting our oceans-makes me sick!" She slowly unfolded the partially torn paper and stared at it. Her mouth fell open. "Oh. My. COD. Alex! Look!"
The young couple stared at the headline from Royal Watch, which read, "Princess Melody Thwarting New Law?" Underneath that, it read:
Half-human merprincess Melody, granddaughter of Atlantica's King Triton, was recently spotted out at the shops with an unidentified blond merboy. The two seem to know each other quite well, though Melody has not been known as of recently to be dating anybody.
Melody, the daughter of Triton's youngest daughter, Ariel, and her husband, Prince Eric of Tirulia (a land kingdom, hence Melody's half-human heritage) has always enjoyed great favor with her grandfather's subjects since arriving in Atlantica three years ago at the age of 12. However, if Melody is secretly cavorting with this young man, it would be in direct violation of the recent decree from the Coalition of the Coexistence of Mer and Human. She could face a range of severe retribution, including
The rest of the article had been torn away. Melody and Alex stared at the half of the article in their hands and then at each other.
Melody was in deep trouble.
