A Tail of Two Mermaids

Chapter Twelve: NIXIE

      "Do you want to see the Royal Library of Atlantis today, Lor?" Crown Prince Delmore asked Nixie. It was the day after their trip to the Atlantean Indoor Shopping Centre.

Shaking her head, Nixie pointed out one of the palace's windows. "It's such a nice day outside. The water's so blue and clear today! It would be quite a shame to spend it cooped up in some musty library, don't you think?". The false princess realized that she couldn't avoid the Royal Library of Atlantis forever, especially if she really did end up marrying Delmore, but she intended to put it off for as long as she could.

"All right..." the Crown Prince of Atlantis sighed. "I suppose we could go giant seahorse back riding through the Atlantean Royal Gardens. In your letters, you told me so much about Felipe, your bonded giant seahorse!"

"Oh, yes...Felipe" said Nixie. "He's, um, a wonderful companion".

When she was a little mermaid, Nixie had begged her parents for giant seahorse back riding lessons, but she was very disappointed to find out that giant seahorses clearly hated her. Every single time she attempted to ride a giant seahorse, Nixie had gotten thrown off. If she had to choose, though, she would rather fall off a seahorse in front of Delmore than spend time in a library filled with books that she couldn't read. "Okay. We'll go giant seahorse back riding".

As they rode through the first themed section of the Atlantean Royal Gardens, which was called the Coral Kingdom, Nixie tried to confidently sit on Felipe's back, but the copper-colored giant seahorse suddenly bucked her off. The phony princess slid off of his back and landed on her stomach with an audible thud.

Crown Prince Delmore dismounted from his own seahorse, a beautiful white sea stallion named Swift Current. He rushed to help Nixie up, trying his best to hide his amusement. "You sure you're okay, Lor?"

Nixie's pretty face flushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little out of practice, that's all...".

She took a deep breath, gritted her pearly white teeth, and got back onto Felipe's back, determined to show Delmore that she could do it. This time, Felipe didn't buck her off, and they rode through the Coral Kingdom for a short while.

As they approached the second themed section of the Atlantean Royal Gardens, the Kelp Forest Promenade, Felipe darted to the side, and Nixie found herself sliding off his back again! She landed in a tangled mess of kelp. Her long, golden blonde hair and shiny blue mermaid tail had gotten stuck in the slimy, smelly seaweed.

Felipe appeared to be enjoying the fake princess's struggles. The giant seahorse loudly whinnied as he swam around her in circles, as if laughing at her undignified predicament.

Nixie glared at him, her bright blue eyes blazing. "You're not helping, Felipe!" she exclaimed.

I hate that Goddess-forsaken giant seahorse! Nixie silently screamed in her head. I really, really hate him! Then she morbidly fantasized about discretely sneaking out of the royal palace of Atlantis, in the middle of the night, creeping into the stables, and then brutally stabbing Felipe with her trusty Viking seax.

The Crown Prince of Atlantis let out a light chuckle and hopped off of Swift Current's back. He quickly helped Nixie untangle herself from the kelp. "It looks like Felipe just doesn't feel like being ridden today, Lor!". He paused for a moment, an unreadable expression crossing his handsome features. "But I've never heard of a mermaid's bonded giant seahorse turning on her like this...".

"He can be pretty moody at times..." Nixie stated.

Delmore and Nixie swam out of Kelp Forest Promenade, and into the Atlantean Royal Gardens' third themed section, which was known as the Bioluminescent Bloom. Felipe and Swift Current trailed after them.

The Bioluminescent Bloom was truly a wonder to behold. Gigantic bioluminescent anemones pulsated with an ever-shifting glow, creating a positively breathtaking undersea light show. Fragile bioluminescent flowers swayed in the current, adding to the ethereal beauty of the third themed section of the Atlantean Royal Gardens.

"It's so romantic here, isn't it?" uttered Nixie. She leaned closer to Crown Prince Delmore, and put an arm flirtatiously around his broad shoulders.

"I guess..." Delmore said, pulling away from Nixie. "Let's take the giant seahorses back to the royal stables!"

Evelyn, Nixie's mother, had assured her that there was "no way in a million tides" that Delmore could ever resist her, that he would "take one look" at her "flowing blonde hair, perfect figure, and swishy, shimmery blue mermaid tail, and fall head over fins in love". But she was discovering that it actually was not that simple. It seemed that whenever Nixie shamelessly flirted with Delmore, the Crown Prince of Atlantis had rejected her amorous advances.