|
|
|
When at last I reached my father's underwater sandpalace, the king was overjoyed to see his little Princess again. Father asked me where I had been all those long months. I explained to him about the strange and horrible creature that had put the spell on me. At first, he seemed angry with me for being on the ocean surface, but then he was horrified that something like that beast was out there. I told him how I'd fared on my own in the world of Humans, and he calmed. He said that if I ever wanted to go back, he wouldn't stop me. I thanked him for his faith in my abilities.
All the same, I did stay with Father in the DeLaMar Sand-Palace. I even resumed my old duties as Princess. However, I could still feel the call of the surface world in my heart. So, whenever the king gave me a new present to show his deep appreciation of me, I carefully packed it away so that I could take it to the surface with me. I managed to go about normal life as well as any aquatic princess could. Yet, by the time I'd stayed with Father for a year, the call of the surface world had gotten too strong for my heart to resist it any longer.
I think even Father could see that I was no longer as happy as I once was. For one day, he looked in my eyes and said, "My daughter, it has been wonderful to have you back in the Sand-Palace. However, I can see that your heart is troubled. I know that you must have left friends behind on the shores of above. For you wouldn't be here now if you did not. The gift that you brought me when you came back has been preserved by our greatest Aquamancers and is as beautiful as when you presented it to me. Now, as I promised you, you may leave here whenever you wish. I will not hinder you. Just remember to return to me every once in a while."
I was heartbroken by Father's words but knew that it was time. I got the bag that I had been slowly packing all year and returned to Father to say my farewells. He just said nothing and kissed my cheek. However, I could see in his eyes that he was struggling to hold back his own tears. All I could do was turn away and leave, while my eyes burned from their own tears.
I swam away as fast as I could to keep my father's loyal subjects from seeing their Princess cry. Without looking back, I left the Sand-Palace below in the depths and swam for the beach that I had called "Home" the year before. When I reached the surface, I found things different from how I'd left them but took it all in good swing.
As it turned out, the people on the beach were celebrating a day that they called "Halloween". Only, their method of celebration was a fierce battle between some who were dubbed "vampires" and those who weren't. I tried to join in the fray to see if I could help but got bitten by one of the Vampires during a moment when I couldn't defend myself.
When I woke the next morning, I realized that I had become one of them. However, I did all I could to fight the effects of being Vampiric and went back to my beachside cave to reclaim the life I'd lived so long ago in the world of Gaia. I cleared the cobwebs and dust from the things that were still there from a year ago. Then, I made the cave more livable than it had ever been. By the next day, I was ready to reopen my store.
As the current flows, so does time move ever onward. My store did as well as could be expected for several long months. However, it was the kindness and generosity of my old friends, and some new ones, that fueled my beach-bound dreams. New friends, like a strange knight named Sir Kip, gave me the advice I needed to help my Beach-Side Boutique do even better. Sir Kip even donated to me that I may have the comforts of a MerPrincess even on the Beach. To him and all of my friends I am grateful. cheese_whine
Now, another year has drifted by, and another Halloween Celebration has cured me of my Vampiric tendencies. My skin now has the healthy blue shine that a MerPrincess should be proud to have. I'm even returning to the Sand-Palace DeLaMar more regularly than ever. Once the Halloween Hysteria of this year dies out, I will be able to enjoy a far fuller life than even Father had planned for me.
There's just one last question that remains unanswered: arrow Will I ever pull together that outfit that Sunishia designed for me?
 Princess_Oceanna · Mon Oct 27, 2008 @ 03:08am · 2 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
