The Sea Princess and The Storyteller

Epilogue

      Both Crown Princess Jewel and Derin grew more and more confident in themselves with every turning tide. Jewel no longer felt the least bit ashamed about the size and shape of her body, for Derin constantly gazed adoringly into her lovely brown eyes and told her she was the most beautiful mermaid in the four oceans. When midriff-bearing tops, which were so ubiquitous in other merfolk kingdoms, at last became fashionable in ultra-conservative Reddia, Jewel unapologetically showed off her less-than-flat stomach.

A few weeks after Adir was defeated and the royal palace was magically returned to Reddia, Derin was appointed the Official Royal Storyteller by King Bahr. He faithfully kept his promise not to lie ever again, and "The Merboy Who Cried Shark", a cautionary fable about the perils of lying, became one of his absolute favorite stories to tell. In addition to using his incredible talent for oral storytelling to entertain esteemed guests at royal events, Derin visited the Sisters of Amphitrite Home for Orphaned Mer-Children at least once a week. The former Cave Urchin vowed to never, ever lose touch with his decidedly humble roots.

King Bahr, once burdened by grief for his beloved wife's untimely demise and a suffocating sense of protectiveness, seemed to have aged in reverse. Witnessing Crown Princess Jewel's blossoming confidence and the genuine joy radiating from her and Derin together melted away years of the monarch's anxieties. Gone were the days of never allowing her to set fin outside of the palace grounds.

Recognizing Derin's sharp mind and genuine concern for King Bahr's subjects, he began including the Crown Princess of Reddia's suitor in policy discussions. They attempted to tackle complicated issues that had plagued the kingdom for years, ever since the infamous epidemic of the Rare Aquatic Virus. Derin, with his unique perspective as a former Cave Urchin, offered valuable insights into the myriad struggles faced by Reddia's less fortunate citizens. Innovative programs aimed at reducing crime and poverty were eventually implemented, bringing a much-needed sense of hope to the underprivileged mermaids and mermen of Reddia.

Thanks to a strategic loan from the newly minted Reddian Development Fund, Kamilah's dream of opening her own hair salon came true. Kamilah's Current Cuts and Subaquatic Styles, conveniently located in the heart of downtown Reddia, was a splashing success. Due to her reasonable prices, many of Kamilah's clients were overworked fishwives eager to indulge in a little pampering.

Lord Yam, however, found himself increasingly out of favor at court. His blatant classism and obstinate resistance to change grated against the King's scales. One particularly heated debate over an ambitious social welfare initiative called the Reddian New Deal proved to be the snapping kelp, or as humans would say, "the last straw". King Bahr dismissed Lord Yam from his position as his Grand Vizier. Several high-ranking officers in the Reddian Royal Force watched in stunned silence as the once-powerful advisor slinked away, a testament to the changing tides in Reddia.

On Jewel's nineteenth birthday, which fell on the Eve of the Feast of Amphitrite, Derin finally asked the Crown Princess of Reddia to marry him. King Bahr had recently lowered the Age of Ascension in his kingdom from twenty years of age to nineteen years old. The Official Royal Storyteller had accompanied Jewel on her first legal visit to the surface of the Scarlet Sea. In steep contrast to their illicit, late-night excursion over the waterline, that had been furtively facilitated by Kamilah and Timin so many tidal cycles ago, they emerged above the sea in the early evening. Up in the sky, there was something even prettier than stars: an arc of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. Underneath the stunning rainbow, Derin presented Jewel, once again, with the Aquamarine Ring, which had been curiously missing for a couple days. It turned out that Derin had taken it to the jeweler in the marketplace to be engraved with their initials: "J&D". Happy tears had welled up in Jewel's soulful, dark eyes as she whispered "Yes!".

Derin and Jewel's wedding was held on her mother, the late Queen Esther's birthday, which was three days after the Spring Equinox. Like every other Reddian royal wedding for countless centuries, it took place in the famed Floating Gardens on the palace grounds. The resplendent gardens, which contained rare varieties of anemones that resembled prickly pear cacti, vibrant yellow sea fans, and delicate sea lilies, reminded Derin a little of the illusory coral garden in the Cavern of Enchantment.

The Crown Princess of Reddia had wished on her Aquamarine Ring for a magical undersea rainbow to hover over the gardens, just like the one her and Derin had seen before he proposed to her. She read in a book in the royal palace's sizeable library that in some human cultures, rainbows were a popular symbol of love and hope.

Jewel's longtime pen pal, Crown Princess Nerissa of Pacifica, came all the way to Reddia, along with her husband, Lord Zale and their one-year-old twin mer-babies, Neptune and Zalissa, in order to serve as one of her bridesmaids. Neptune had inherited his mother's wavy auburn hair, fair skin, and bright blue-green eyes, and Zalissa had jet black hair, brown eyes, and a green and silver mermaid tail, like her father. Watching the tiny fraternal twins chase each other through the Floating Gardens, tirelessly flipping their small fins, Jewel thought about how her and Derin might have mer-children of their own in the near future.

Kamilah had styled Jewel's long, blue-black locks into a sleek updo for her special day. Her midriff-bearing, pure white bridal top was tailored from the finest SeaSatin in Reddia. Mayim(who was now engaged to Prince Adrian of Mediterrania), Kamilah, and Nerissa, Jewel's three bridesmaids, wore similar SeaSatin tops, in colors that matched their tails. Timin and Marion, who had replaced Lord Yam as Grand Vizier of the kingdom, were Derin's groom's mermen.

King Bahr's eyes were misty as he proudly escorted his beloved only daughter to the altar. The High Priest of Amphitrite led Jewel and Derin in the traditional Reddian wedding vows. When the High Priest finally announced that the blissfully happy couple could kiss, Crown Princess Jewel was so intently focused on Derin that she didn't really mind that literally hundreds of wedding guests were watching them. Their passionate yet tender kiss was a culmination of true love, deep trust, and a journey shared.

As they pulled away, breathless, their eyes held a bottomless ocean of unspoken words. With a subtle smile on his soft lips, Derin whispered, "Together, we will weather any storm, my love". Their future seemed to stretch before them, an endless horizon glistening with the promise of forever.