The Mer Prince

Chapter 6

XY's POV

I was stunned. I figured the shell would mean something- but- I never expected to be pulling around the missing Prince and.... Giving him air. I pretty much kissed royalty. My mind couldn't process what was happening, and I... froze up. The Prince reached towards me, and his hand gave me something to focus on. I met his eyes- his blue and green eyes that the Queen had had before- and realized I was an idiot.

He looked distressed and my mind cleared, and I swam forwards. "Sir, he's running out of air, if you wou-"

"Don't touch my son XY. Ferry! Come give my son air!" The King called to a beautiful breeder, her light orange fin draped with fabrics and layers of the stuff over her her breasts. She put her lips to the Prince's and I felt a twinge of some emotion- anger? Fear? Jealousy...?

No, it couldn't be. I wasn't jealous. I was a ruthless murder. There was no way I'd be jealous over a Prince. Yet alone a human one.

"You swapped air with my son!" The King was saying angrily, starting into a angered speech over rank, how I would have been killed if I hadn't been the one to return him to the King. If I hadn't given the human air.... That's what the King should have worried about. I'd have dragged back a dead body.

My eyes traveled past the King, which was a very rude thing to do when talking with royalty, and could quite possibly be the cause of my execution, but I saw the Prince wrinkle his face like he didn't like the taste of the breeder's air. I had to hold back from smiling at how cute it looked and turn back to the King, who had not yet noticed my change of attention.

"Let's go talk with Ursula...." The King said once he thought I was good and talked half to death. "My son seems to trust you, so you lead the way."

I shuddered at the name.... Ursula. She had been the one to go to the world above and back, she's seen things no one else could have. She was an Octi who used the most powerful spells. She was involved with almost everything that drew her attention, and worse yet, she decided to live in a dark cave with horror coral growing upon the walls and floor at the opening, even when offered a beautiful estate to live in.
She struck fair deals with everyone who dared enter her cave, however.

I swam to the Prince and grabbed his arm lightly, pulling him along and feeling the gaze of all the guards on my back as the large crowds parted to let us though. Some people were cheering and joyful, the Prince was returned! Home again! Others, however, talked quietly. What did this mean? Why now was the Prince back? Why had a strange dark finned mer brought him?

I looked towards the Prince, who had seen the cave ahead and looked fearful, and like a fish trying to escape in a pack of sharks, he was looking for a way out. I squeezed his wrist lightly, hoping to convey it was okay as we swam into the dark space, the guards stopping at the edge of the shadowed area and hanging back as the King, the breeder, the Prince, and I swam on.

The Horror coral's luminescent 'eyes' turned towards us when we got far enough in, and the Prince moved closer to me. One snapped at the Prince's.... leg, and bubbles escaped his mouth for a split second. I was going to give him air when I stopped myself, the breeder quickly swimming forwards and doing what she had been ordered to, giving him air instead as I looked calmly away.

Ursula's door was ahead of us, purple and black drapes the only thing stopping the coral from detaching and moving farther in. I moved it aside and the human paddled in, looking around curiously at the room inside.