Under the Sea

Engagement

3 weeks later
'Harmony pov.'
I look up at Seirus as he swims above me. Even though we're just swimming in his coral gardens, rogue sharks sometimes sneak into his territory. We're still trying to decide on the mating truce.

"What about that cousin of yours with Persailis?" He asks as I rub the head of a purple fish.

"No. Marta isn't interested in men." I sigh as we continue on.

"We've gone through every royal in known existence and we still don't have any clue who to pair up for the mating truce." He groans. I open my mouth to answer but scream as a large shape barrels towards us. Seirus grabs my waist and flings me behind him. I wheel around for a bit before righting myself and looking towards Seirus. He's grappling with a shark that's bigger than me but smaller than him. It bites his shoulder and he roars. I look around in panic for a weapon. If we don't get inside soon that blood will attract more sharks. I wrap a cloth around my hand and pick up a piece of fire coral. Seirus claws the shark and it prepares to attack him again. I swim up between them and press my head into Seirus's throat to protect it from the shark. I hold out the fire coral to distract the shark and Seirus uses his claws to stab it's eye. It jerks before swimming away quickly and I pull away from him. I take the cloth off my hand and press it over the bite before tugging him towards the manor.

"Seirus come on I can't carry you." I grunt. He wraps his arms around me and we propel ourselves towards the manor. I slam the door behind us and he slumps into a chair. I dig through his cabinets and find a needle, thread, and some disinfectant cream.

"You don't have anything to numb it." I tell him as I thread the needle.

"I'll be fine. Just sew it up." He grunts. I take a deep breath before I start slowly sewing up the wound. His face scrunches in pain and I pause.

"Is it okay if I try something?" I ask.

"Go ahead, I'm already in pain." He grunts.

"Stop the pain just feel numb, hear the song and you'll succumb, you fought for me in the sea so blue, I only do this because I love you." I finish the last stitch as I finish my song and Seirus looks down at me in shock.

"Do you mean that?" He asks. I blush and look down with a smile

"I only sing the truth." I tell him. He laughs and pulls me to him with his good arm.

"I love you as well." He whispers before kissing me. I reciprocate before pulling away.

"I suppose we don't have to worry about the mating truce." I tell him as I nuzzle into his chest. He wraps his arms around me and we sit like that for a while. There's a loud knock at the door and we reluctantly get up. Seirus opens the door and my stomach drops at the sight of my cousin Cyreus along with several Shallow guards. They're escorted by two Deep guards decked out in shark teeth and weapons.

"Harmony. We're going home and you're going to be punished for leaving." Cyreus has always acted jealous of me being heir, so this is his little way of getting revenge. I swim back a little bit and press myself into Seirus's chest.

"No." I tell him.

"No? You abandoned your family!" He shouts.

"Actually, I was scavenging for my maturity necklace and Roan let me get lost. I tried looking for you but I was captured my an octopus merman and he almost ate me." I huff. Seirus rests a hand on my waist and the Deep guards look to him for instruction.

"Roan is your future mate, he's been searching for you frantically!" At this Seirus growls and pulls me to him tightly.

"Roan is not my future mate! Seirus is." I hiss at my cousin.

"Your mother has decided that you will mate Roan, not some lowly Deep dweller." I growl and before anyone can stop me I punch Cyreus in the face. I look to the guards behind him and they bow quickly.

"I am your future Queen. Take this merman back to the Southern palace and inform my mother that my mate will be Prince Seirus, heir to the Deep Dweller throne." I order. They pick up an unconscious Cyreus and flee quickly. Seirus pulls me back inside and introduces me to the Deep Guards.

"That was hilarious!" The female laughs. She has a blue-gray tail, pink hair, and green eyes and scales cover her arms from the tips of her fingers to her elbows.

"The laughing maniac is Amber and this is Dune, my personal Guard and best friend." Seirus says as I shake their hands.

"This is going to be our future Queen? I like her." Dune says with a smirk. He's a shark merman like Seirus but his tail is golden and he's closer to my size. He has brown eyes and cerulean hair and the maturity necklace he's wearing is identical to Amber's

"So how long have you two been expecting children?" I ask them with a smile. Seirus looks at Amber and back to me before smiling.

"You're having children!" He crows.

"How did you know?" Amber asks in shock.

"Well for one your maturity necklaces match, he was blocking you from the others the entire time, and Shallow Dwellers can smell when another woman is pregnant. It's our thing." I say with a shrug.

"You'll definitely be a good Queen." Amber gushes.

"When can we expect the mating ceremony?" Dune asks.

"Well my mother will try to stop me as soon as she hears the news. It might be best to um...mate now and have the ceremony later when no one can stop us." I say with a blush.

"Then why are we still here? Make me an aunt Seirus!" Amber squeals before pulling Dune out the front door.

"We have to mate huh?" Seirus asks as he swims close to me.

"If you can catch me." I tell him with a smirk before propelling myself through the room. One of his hands grazed my tail and I shriek before swimming around him. I swim into the kitchen and under the table to hide. I smile and place my hands over my mouth as  I listen for him to come in. I feel a hand close around my tail and I'm pulled out from under the table. He gathers me into his arms and swims to his room while I play with his gills. He tosses me down into the large pod in the center of the room and closes it around us. I take off our maturity necklaces and he rips through my top with a claw.

"Deep Dwellers don't wear clothing anyways." He grunts as he presses kisses to my throat. I whine and wrap my arms around his neck. I gasp in surprise when he bites down hard enough to draw blood.

"Mine." He growls as he licks the bite.

"Mine." I croon as I smile up at him. Family be damned, this is the merman who will rule by my side.