Mythical Guardians

♡8. Ocean's Jewel♡

  Aquarius looked over the vast blue from her balcony, waving at schools of fish that happened to swim by. Despite how beautiful the underwater city of Atlantis was, she had been there for almost more than twelve years, cooped up in the massive palace that she nearly knew like the back of her hand. It irked her to no end that she wasn't allowed to leave and explore.

  Sure, her parents had taken her and her siblings on a few trips to the other parts of the oceans as well. She enjoyed those field trips, but they were far and few in between. And it didn't help that her parents were the king and queen of the underwater city, and had to tend to loads of different matters every single day.

  With a single swish of her tail, she swum past the railings of the balcony, the fins along her multicoloured tail leaving a trail of bubbles in her wake. Since the sun had just disappeared, the ocean was dark, with the exception of some glowing jellyfish and weeds, along with the magnificent, glittering city of Atlantis. Even though she grew up watching the same view almost every day, it had never ceased to be anything but mesmerizing.

  As vibrant and beautiful Atlantis was, it was nothing compared to the sun, which she had desperately wanted to see. She had heard several of her dolphin friends talk about it, it was a big, glowing circle that gives out light and warmth, and creates many beautiful colours when it shines upon the surface of the water. It lights up the entire ocean by day, and when it receeds, the ocean dims. The ocean depends on the mystical sun, the very thing that brings warmth and light.

  She had always wanted to see the Surface. The sky, and those things the dolphins and turtles called clouds, and the creatures which flew across it. She even heard that the sun would kiss the sea at certain times, and she wanted to see it, so very badly. The urge increasing as she learnt more and more about the world above the waves.

  Ever since Tyssia disappeared, she had been getting more and more curious about the realm that lay beyond the sea, but every single time she asked her parents about it, they shut her out, quickly, and she would get the 'don't do it again' stare.

  And Nemar didn't know much. He was confined to the palace grounds as she was, and ever since she got chosen by the gem, he was getting protective, which was strange of him. But again, she was betting that her parents told him to do so, to his obvious dismay. He probably received the being responsible talk even more than she did, which sounded terrifying.

  She heard a light thumping at her door, which she opened, to find a dozen of seahorse messengers.

  "Princess Aquarius," the seahorses said in unison, their sqeaky voices never ceased to humor her," The King and Queen asks for you."

  "Of course," she said meekly, and got dressed in more presentable clothes, before following the seahorses that were waiting patiently for her outside.

  She passed the halls filled with mosaics and wall paintings of the oceans, with abalone, pearls and some coral embedded in some of the places. She nearly stopped in front of her favourite painting, the one that depicted the sunset, viewed from a little bit below the surface, but the sun and the orangish purple sky could still be seen. And far in the distance, a small speck of green. Seaweed, perhaps?

  She wouldn't know. Do seaweed grow in the mysterious realm of the Surface?

  She zig zagged through the numerous hallways of the gigantic palace, following the seahorses, although she clearly knew the way like the back of her hand. They were to ensure that she wouldn't get lost, and that she gets to the throne room.

  She sped up, she could be quite speedy if she wanted to.

  She heard a bunch of squeaky protests, chittering and clamouring, as she look behind her, and saw the seahorses struggling to keep up.