The Mermaid Pirate

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Elder

Hey guys sorry for the late update... again *sheepish smile* I got a puppy! Seriously, that thing keeps me wayy too busy than I already am ;) His name is Patches and hes a Shepard mix

longest chapter, the LAST chapter. :O Will continue with the second dont worry and it's going to be SO much better.

Charlie's POV

It has been a few days since Emmet and I became... "offical", and things have seemed to settle down now. Radiance and her mother are back on speaking terms and currently spending the day together.  Emmet is off attending some royal duties that he's ignored ever since I arrived and I can't help but feel empty without him by myside. He makes me feel safe. Meanwhile, Aurora and I spent the morning near the outside of the kingdom showing me her favorite spots in the ocean.

Aurora lead me into a cave filled with sparkling pink crystals the size of my head. She explained to me that the crystals used to hold some sort of old magic in them but it was stolen a long time ago by the Dark Merpeople. Now they're just pretty to look at. She even took me somewhat near the surface to show me the beautiful coral shores that are often over looked by other merpeople. 

We rolled and played in the ocean's waves for several hours, just letting time slip by. We were joined by  a pod of dolphins that polietly said hello to their princess but were wary of me. All except one young dolphin ignored me. He curiously swam closer to me while his mother clicked for him to come back but Aurora assured that I was safe. 

The little dolphin nuzzled the fins of my tail and said to me he's never seen a color like mine before. Aurora and I laughed when he said I moved too much like a silly human and asked where I was from. Before I could answer the dolphins decided it was time to move on, leaving the breeding grounds and back to their larger pod. The little dolphin swam playfully back to his mother and we waved goodbye. 

As we headed back to the castle, I was in a dazed state. Even though I've been down here for almost a couple weeks now, I still can't believe what I see. Each morning when I wake I still think I'm in some strange dream that I can't seem to wake up from. But then Emmet stops by to say hello and takes me to a private breakfast with him and I wish the dream will never end. 

Aurora also warned me that as we traveled through the heart of the kingdom, I was recieving strange and suspisous looks from the other merpeople. She told me that Emmet's tail is very distinctive and that they're still don't know that Emmet has mated. Taken aback, I asked why and Aurora simply said it was because the King still doesn't know either. 

"It must be a secret for now, Charlie." Aurora said just outside her bedroom. "If they find out you're a human... a pirate human, they will want to kill you. Emmet's mate or not!" 

Now Aurora has fallen asleep in her bed while I try to do the same. Instead my thoughts are clouded, missing my brother deeply. Before, all I wanted to do was get back to him but now I can't bear the thought of leaving. These... merpeople aren't all bad, I could live peacefully here. If they don't kill me first, I thought bitterly. I need to see Nate again, I need to know he's safe!

"Somethings wrong." Aurora suddenly pipes up, interuptting my plans to figure out how to see Nate again. 

I sit up from my bed and see Aurora staring out the window with a serious expression on her face. "What do you mean?" I ask.

Without looking Aurora speaks again, voice full of worry. "Somethings wrong! The ocean changed, can't you feel it?" 

"No..." I start but then I realize, she's right. The ocean seems colder and alive with an invisible energy charge running through the water. I open my mouth to say something else but a sudden pulse of power rips through the water making Aurora and I breathless. "Aurora! What was that?" I gasp.