Shooting Star

~Visiting Home: Part 4~

Yuju swam gracefully yet quickly through the water. It was still early morning, the sunlight caused the water around her around her to shimmer. It was a rather long journey to the bottom of the ocean, but it was worth the trip. The light faded as she swam deeper but her eyes adjusted to the dimmer water quickly. Soon, a large underwater kingdom came into view. The lights from the kingdom lit up the dark water in front of Yuju. Her tail naturally moved faster as she became more excited to see her friends and family. She swam through the gates and greeted the two guards politely, earning a smile from both of them. Yuju was well known within the kingdom, as proven by this event.

The scenery around her had changed dramatically compared to what she remembered. The kingdom looked much more modern. Mermaids and mermen swam down the boulevard holding shopping bags. The once old-fashioned kingdom Yuju remembered had evolved into a chic city. To Yuju's delight, one place remained unchanged — The palace

The palace could be seen in the distance. Its creamy yellow towers contrasted greatly to the cooler tones presented in the shopping center. Although the castle could be considered old-fashioned, it brought back many fond memories. However, those memories were cut off by some sudden chatter around her.

"Oh my! Isn't that the princess?"

"No way! Did she really return?"

"That's definitely Princess Yuna!"

Although it was obvious the mermaids and mermen around Yuju tried to speak quietly, she could still hear them well. The townspeople knew that Yuju left to live with some land-dwellers, as the merfolk referred to them. They were always excited when the princess returned. Yuju waved to them, causing some squeals from the mermaids and some blushing on the mermens' cheeks. The princess swam away laughing silently at the reactions of the people around her.

"She's even prettier than the last time I saw her,"

"I know! Oh my gosh, her tail is so shiny!"

"Honestly, those creatures she's living with must be so jealous of her,"

"Those land-dwellers are so lucky~ They get to see her every day,"

Yuju listened to the chatter about her as she swam towards the palace. Some of the merfolk despised the five girls Yuju decided to live with while others were envious that they got to see the princess so often. Yuju always tried her best to visit often so the underwater community wouldn't cause an uproar about the people stealing their princess.

The constant talking died down as she got closer and closer to the palace. Guards lined the pathway that led to the elaborately designed golden gate. The guards bowed their heads as Yuju swam by, only looking back up once the mermaid completely passed them. The gate opened slowly, allowing Yuju to pass through into the courtyard outside of the main entrance. Some underwater plants provided numerous colors in contrast to the creamy yellow walls. Yuju watched a herd of seahorses zigzag between some strands of seaweed before she heading off to the large double doors. The guards at the door bowed immediately and unlocked the door. Yuju thanked them quickly and made her way into the castle.

Yuju dragged her finger lightly along the corridor's wall that led to the throne room. The corridor's decoration was quite intricate, the red decor matched very well with the yellow theme of the castle's architecture. 

Yuju was directly outside of her desired location. Satin red curtains were hanging in front of her, blocking the view of the room behind them. She pushed them aside and went into the throne room. There were four thrones lined up along the wall, one for each od Yuju's parents, one for her older sister, and one for her. Yuju's sister was the only one seated on her throne. She appeared to be reading a book. Yuju guessed that her parents were attending a royal meeting given their absence.