The Blue Ocean Floor

Prologue

The Blue Ocean Floor 

Prologue

"Tali! Tali!" the Queen cried, "Daughter! Daughter!" She sped down the corridors of the palace, dodging servants and guards alike. She spiraled up the staircase that was useless to her people, but the first king had insisted on building them. Finally, she found her daughter's chambers and forced the soft wooden door open. Her daughter was seated upon a red chair with her child, swaddled in kelp, resting in her arms. "Daughter," she said breathless, "He knows, your father knows that Caspian was not a Merman."

"Who told him that he was a man?" the Princess demanded.

"I don't know daughter, all I know is that soldiers have been sent to kill your son."

The Princess instantly held her child closer to her chest, protectively, and ignored his small cries of complaint. Her eyes dashed madly around for someplace to hide the babe but, found none.

"What must I do, Mother?" the Princess asked calmly.

"You must flee from your Father's kingdom, there is no where safe for the child here. Not even I can save you now." the Queen replied and placed her old hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"And what of Caspian? What has Father done to him?" the Princess questioned.

"He's gone my child." the Queen whispered.

In understanding, the Princess wailed in grief for the loss of her husband. To her sudden outburst, the child, who had gone silent, cried for silence as he tried to sleep. At her child's cry, the Princess cooed for him to sleep and traced one of her delicate, webbed fingers down in petite nose.

"Sirena," the Queen continued, "If you do not leave now, your child will die."

"Goodbye then, Mother," Sirena said in farewell as she kissed her mother's hand, "And may you never enter troubled waters."

"And also with you, my child." the Queen replied, finishing the traditional farewell. With one look behind her, the Princess swam out of her arched window, her child concealed in her arms. "Forgive me, my daughter," the Queen whispered, "But I may have just sent your child to his death."

As the Princess swam abover her father's kingdom she saw all of the guards swarming the streets below. She could see their long hair billowing around their helmets as they slowly scoured each rock for signs of the child. By chance one of the guards looked up and saw the Princess desperately trying to escape.

"Up there!" she cried and pointed with her silver trident. All of the guards turned their attention upwards and hissed when they saw the Princess carrying her son.

"After her!" another shouted. With many shouts of approval, the guards brandished their weapons and gave chase to the fleeing princess.

Seeing that she had been discovered, Sirena swam faster, causing a small stream of bubbles behind her. After sometime she came to shallow water and saw that she had been cornered in a reef. She desperately tried to swim out but, she was met by pointed tridents on every side.

"Surrender the child, Princess Sirena." the Captain of the Guards ordered.

"Under who's orders?" Sirena demanded.

"Your father, King Adrian." she replied.

"Never!" Sirena cried and dashed into even more shallow water.

"Leave her!" the captain ordered, "There's no need to kill anymore, she wont be able to get out of there."

As Sirena swam deeper into the reef she cut her hands and tail on the hard coral. As she grasped one of the corals to propel herself forward, she sliced one of her webs, coloring the surrounding water. She held back a cry as she was forced to crawl on the sand that had appeared. Her tail flopped as she crawled up the deserted beach, the moon turning everything a deep blue. Behind her, the ocean waves threatened to pull her back in as high tide was arriving.

With several grunts, she hauled herself up the sand and into a shelter of rocks. Panting, she rested her child on the soft sand and stroked the small fuzz that covered his round head.

"Here, my child," she reasured, "You will be safe." With gentle fingers she unwrapped the kelp and saw that legs had already appeared where he once had a small tail. "See," she smiled, "You are already fitting in with the human world." She watched as his small chest rose and fell as he slept and she felt true tears run down her cheeks. "To who ever finds you, they will call you by a different name, but, to me, you will always be Castiel Prince of the Ocean."

As she spoke the sun began to rise and she heard footsteps approaching. With a mournful song she retreated into the shallow water where she let the current carry her far away. Once she was safe in deeper water she surfaced and watched a woman discover Owel as he cried for his mother.

"Goodbye, my son," she whisper as the woman disappeared with the boy in her arms, "May we meet again someday." With a quick dive, she splashed into the water and disappeared into the pink ocean.