Orenda

Fight Much

Hello everybody! I don't know if this is going to be uploaded today (11.24.21), but probably. I've gotten like four chapters out in this week, and I'm hoping that this chapter will be a longer one!

I'm going to switch up my plots a little bit, so enjoy the roller coaster!

Side note-- please try and do what I said last chapter! If fifty of you write the notes, I will start a new fanfiction! Say you've written the notes by commenting 'ChristGiving' on the bottom of this chapter! Please be honest about it!

-- Ivy

My feet kick through the water speedily, propelling me forward. My mouth is set into a permanent smile because of the water around me. It's beautiful down here, and everything is amazing. Despite being forced to come, I love it. The ocean is endless, and full of bright corals and soft sands. To my surprise, fish frequent the rocks around the village. The people feed them, and watch them. Here under the sea, there is a deep respect for the smaller creatures.

"Coming?" I look up as Punz races over me in a stream of bubbles.

I pick up my pace and kick after him, "Of course, your majesty."

Punz slows to a stop ahead of me, hanging in midair as he waits for me to catch up. Oh, that's another thing. We don't sink. When we stop swimming, we just kind of float there.

"You know..." he begins when I catch up to him, "you don't have to call me 'your majesty'."

I notice that his tone is softer than usual, and I don't miss the look in his eyes, either. I kick my legs a bit so I rise up, now eye level with him. "I know," I reply, my voice just as soft.

I know what Punz wants, but I'm not certain of what I want. Sure, Punz is a nice person, and I really enjoy hanging out with him. But as far as I've thought about it, I've never considered us more than friends.

Since the day I got here, four months ago, I've hung out with Punz almost everyday. My protector, Adam, is never far from us but he's practically invisible. At first, I tried to include him. But after he explained that his job was to fade into the background, I stopped.

Speaking of which, I glance over my shoulder to look for the familiar silhoutte. Funny enough, I don't see him. Then I remember that he had some business at the castle that he had to attend to. That's okay, I can take care of myself.

 All of these thoughts happen in about thirty seconds, before I turn my attention back to the conversation.

"Then why do you?" Punz questions, his hand touching my arm gently.

"I..." I trail off, not sure what to say.

"Laina," he catches my eyes with a careful understanding. He leans in for a hug and whispers in my ear, "I understand."

"Punz, that's not what I mean. I don't-"

I'm cut off abruptly by him, "LAINA!" he yells, panic filling his eyes as they fix on something behind me.

I whirl around, ready to fight. Sadly, the person is faster than me.

1st person Adam P.O.V

Laina. I walk out of the castle just in time to see the man fly out of the depths and tackle her. I launch myself into the air, swimming powerfully towards her and Punz. The prince is floating there motionless for a moment, clearly shocked. But he quickly snaps into action and lunges towards her.

I watch the prince grab her out of the corner of my eye, and by some miracle he manages to force the man away. This is good, because I can get to him without the chance of hurting her.

I tackle the intruder, slamming him farther away from Alaina. My main concern right now is to neutralize the threat, I'm depending on the prince to get her to safety.

"I thought you might show up. Here to defend your little princess?" the man hisses, bracing himself against the water.

I glare at him, "Of course I am, surrendor or I'll make you."

"Wow, that's not nice!" he replies sarcastically, a hurt expression unable to hide the menacing smile that spreads across his face.

Suddenly, I recognize him. Raising my voice to a yell and half calling over my shoulder without taking my eyes off the man, I call to the Prince, "Punz, get her out of here, now!"

1st person Punz P.O.V

I somehow manage to grab Alaina and yank her away from the man. Even then, I don't think she really needed my help. The second he touched her, she was fighting to get away from him. And to be honest, I wouldn't want to be the guy she's fighting.

I push her in front of me, shooting downward towards the castle with her. Apparently, the adrenaline is wearing off because she's not responding to me. I think she's in shock or something, but I can't tell.

Whatever it is, she snaps out of it pretty fast. Her arm yanks out of my grip and she swims down to the castle. I place my feet on the surface just after her, but she's not moving again. Her eyes are fixed on the fight above us.

I pause for a moment, too. A faint call echoes down, and I take a few moments to process and realize what Adam's saying. "Punz, get her out of here, now!"

I hesitate for a moment as panic siezes me, but then I leap into action. I grab Alaina and race into the castle, sprinting through the doors. Immediately I catch sight of guards hurrying outside. "Adam- help," I stammer, not sure what to say and unable to complete a thought, much less a sentence.

"Your majesty, what's going on?" a guard stops me. He places his hand on my arm, probably meaning to relax me.

It does just the opposite, however. I jerk my arm away violently, suddenly able to regain my thought process. "Adam- there's a man out there. He tried to attack, help Adam," I tell the guard.

It wasn't much of a sentence, but he seems to understand. Within a moment, he's disappeared from my sight. I grab Alaina's arm, gently leading her forward. We need to get deeper in the castle, where we'll be safer. She doesn't really respond for a moment, numbly going with me. And then, abruptly, she seems to come to her senses. She pulls her arm out of my grip, hard. I turn back, ready to explain where we're going. But after looking for a moment, I realize that she's gone. There are two options: she was swept up with the crowd or she purposely went that way. I'm betting on option two.

Another cliff hangar for y'all! Everybody have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving (if you're celebrating it), and have a GREAT day!!!!

-- Ivy