Under The Sea

Chapter Twenty-Five - Fanfare

Samuel stared out at the Kingdom as it expanded into the distance all around him to the walls. It felt different seeing it from this angle, with the homes at eye level and the castle towering over the entire expanse in the distance. His eyes, glued to the castle, fell on the section of Axel's bedroom as the sun rose, casting a golden outline on the structure.

HIs chest tightened at the thought of Axel. How he had, in twenty-four hours, filled and, just as quickly, shattered his heart. No matter how many days seemed to pass since then, Samuel couldn't get the thoughts of him out of his mind. He had been so sure they were both on the same page.

What changed?

The question lingered on his mind for days and haunted him at night. As he grew complacent amongst the merpeople, he spent his every minute replaying the details of every interaction between them since the storm. He sought desperately to find the moment, the interaction, the... trigger that had led to that moment. Yet, the harder he searched, the less he understood his reasoning, leaving him with a broken heart and no answers.

His saving grace was Finn's kindness. Despite her not having trusted him at first, they both grew to know the other. Without knowing what happened, she opened her home to Samuel and brought him in to her family without hesitation. He could see why she and Axel were so close, as they were very similar to each other. Especially in their willingness to help others, whether or not they know them, with no hesitation or expectation of anything in return.

"Hey," Finn offers as she comes up beside him, her long blonde hair tied into a braid that swayed behind her as she sank down next to him. "You are making a habit out of sneaking off to the roof."

"It's calm up here."

"So you keep saying," Finn quips. "Yet, you refuse to tell me what happened, and I have not seen Axel since then either."

"We had a fight."

"Okay, so?" Finn returns, quirking her eyebrow. "We've had plenty of fights and Axel has never shut himself off because of it."

"This was different..." Samuel sighs, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," Finn sighs, yet continues to sit beside him, staring out at the sunrise with him.

"I've been meaning to ask, though," Samuel begins, looking to satiate his curiosity and change the subject. "When Axel and I were running from the sirens, Axel, he... it was like he became faster. I couldn't keep up with him no matter what I tried."

"He dashed," Finn concluded, "smart of him considering the situation."

"What does that mean though," Samuel questioned, turning to face her, "that he dashed?"

"You've noticed that there are three tribes here in Latistan," Finn began, and Samuel nodded in return. "Every tribe of merpeople differs from the others and there are hundreds across the oceans. A special ability or affinity that no other tribe naturally possesses."

"Like a superpower?" Samuel queries, and Finn chuckles at his interpretation.

"Sort of, but more like a unique trait," Finn returns, quirking her lips in response. "For example, in Axel's tribe, the Runsen, it's intellect; their women are smarter and more strategic than any other. For my tribe, the Gralie, it's cultivation. Our tails have spikes." Finn lifts her tail to show. "They allow us to cultivate the sand and terrain in a way other tribes cannot."

"So where does dashing come in?"

"Dashing is the trait of the Dresden tribe," Finn fills in. "They are a tribe of warriors, skilled in many kinds of combat, but their true special trait is dashing, which allows them to increase their speed."