WILD UNCHARTED WATERS: RANI'S UNDERSEA ADVENTURE

chapter i: test mission details

I did take a nap after a little while of cleaning the house. My sisters have all went to friends' houses, while I was at home with Dada, and Daddy had gone out to the store with Uncle Eli.

I had the dream again, but this time it was a bit more detailed. I could pick out a few details of the singing mermaid, the angry merman and the evil...squid thing. I saw the singing mermaid's teal green tail with pinks and purples blended in with her fins, the angry merman's trident, armor and crown, and the evil squid thing had a shell necklace.

The King's majordomo, a hornbill named Zazu, had woken me up before I could get a closer look.

"You could have woken me a little bit later, you know." I muttered, rubbing my eyes.

"Apologies, Sorceress, but this is important. I have with me a map of where you will be for your very first test mission." Zazu said.

I opened up the map, and it was filled with details. It was a map of the world, and of seven different seas. My eyes widened as I studied the map.

"Whoa..." I gaped.

"These are the seven seas, and the mermaid Princesses who occupy them--the Saithe Sea where Princess Karina rules, the Brinedive Sea where Princess Indira rules, the Apneic Sea where Princess Caspia rules, the Chaine Sea where Princess Mala rules, the Piton Sea where Princess Perla rules, the Fragus Sea where Princess Tameka rules, and the Carinae Sea, where the youngest sister, Princess Ariel rules." Zazu explained.

"Ariel? Wait a minute. Didn't Daddy have this mission years ago?" I asked.

"Ah. Well, he had a similar mission in the Caspian Sea, where the sisters' names were different. You were there when your father helped Ariel and Melody defeat Morgana, Ursula's sister. This one is in another universe." Zazu said.

"Oh...another universe?!" My eyes widened again.

"Precisely, Sorceress. Now, you will be in the Carinae vicinity, helping Ariel get ready for an annual celebration called the Coral Moon. You will transform into a mergirl for this test mission. It is imperative young Sorceress, that you don't give your identity as a human away. The Sea King does not take kindly to humans. No one knows quite the reason, but maybe you can find out."

As Zazu continued to talk, I nodded. I studied the map more, and suddenly, I saw the same teal mermaid tail with pinks and purples on her fins, and this time, I got a glimpse of the singing mermaid. She had creamy brown skin, like me, and had a mole on and above the left side of her left eyebrow. She had gorgeous ginger red dreadlocks down to her hips. Her dark brown eyes stared at me with longing...for something  or someplace different other than where she was.

"That's her! Zazu...! That's her! The singing mermaid I saw in my dream!" I gasped.

"You've seen her already?!"

"Well, not at first. The vision was hazy, but Daddy told me to look deeper, and I did! Princess Ariel is the mermaid in my dream!" I explained. "Now, if only I could figure out who the crowned merman with armor and a magical trident is, and who the evil squid is..."

"You can think on that later. You need to prepare, Sorceress. This evening after dinner, you'll take your leave, and go directly to the Carinae Sea. In the meanwhile, I have other first test missions to give to each of your decoys once you start." Zazu told me before flying off, back to the Pridelands.

"Yes, Zazu." I nodded.

Daddy and Uncle Eli came in, just as I was done studying the map of the seven seas.

"Zazu gave you a test mission, I take it?" Daddy said curiously.

"Yep. I'm to go to the Carinae Sea to help Princess Ariel prepare for a celebration called the Coral Moon." I explained.