Land Of Storms

II

When the the object got to the shore, or what he could assume was the shore. He stopped. The water was too shallow for him to go any farther. He turned around to hide behind a rock to watch them. Beings that looked liked him but without fins, were leaving the object.

So that thing is a way of transport then. He though.

The men would go deeper into a maze of buildings, out of his sight. He continued to watch as the men took fish from the object. The fish were flapping in a huge net. Thousands of them. Malin decided that he had seen enough for today. He swam back the direction he came. Back to the sheltered life of the kingdom.

He knew his father wouldn't stand for his sudden disappearance. He swam back home as fast as he could. When he reached the barrier, he saw it on the outside for the first time. It was like where he lived didn't exist. The ocean just went on, and on. But when Malin went through it, he saw his home.

He tried to go unnoticed into the castle. But when your royalty it happens to be harder than it sounds. The first person to see him would be the royal advisor, although Malin thought him more to be a butler and a friend, Andreas.

"Malin the king has been looking for you. He requests that you see him in his private chambers as soon as possible." Said Andreas.

Malin hardly ever listens to the advisor but, in this case of disappearance he would. Malin made his way to his father's room.

"Father what is it you want now?" He said as he swam in the room.

His father was surrounded by his women. As per usual. With a wave of his hand, they left. The King looked down upon his son, everyone in the kingdom knew as much.

"Malin, my son, the only heir to the-"

"Save it father. Just get to the point." Malin demanded.

  The king was going to tell him what Malin already knew. His coronation day was fast approaching, just a few months from now. If he didn't have a wife by then he wouldn't be king. But, Malin wasn't patient enough for a wife.

"Malin, my boy, you need to be married soon, very soon." Said King Maliq.

The King started to swim out of his quarters. Malin followed. They went on the path to the throne room.

"Son, the people of this fair kingdom of Arroyo need a King. Quite frankly I won't be alive forever. The first born needs to take on my place. Now granted that you are my only son. But that only makes the responsibility greater."

At this point Malin's mind began to wander back to the object by the shore. His father wasn't saying anything he didn't already know. But what he saw down at the shore was the most fascinating thing he'd seen.

"So I've taken the liberty of holding a ceremony tomorrow for you to pick one of Arroyo's most eligible women." That got Malin's attention.

"Father you mean that you want me to pick a wife from a girl I just met?" He couldn't fathom the idea.

"Yes, it is essential to be married, to become king."

Malin was beginning to think that being king was not all what he thought it would be. He was already planning to sneak out the castle later after most of the staff is asleep. He wanted to see more. He'd stopped listing to his father ages ago. Maliq had nothing new for his son to know.