The Beginning. *BEING EDITED IN NEW BOOK*

IV

Mary Ann laid in Douglas's arms in their small bed, their clothes strewn all around the room. She snored softly and yet to Douglas it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

He slipped his arms out from under her trying to not wake her up and he tip toes down to the beach. He walked into the water feeling the sand shift around his feet and when the water made it up to his waist he started swimming into the deeper water and as he swam his legs became fins, his lungs became gills, and he swam under. He hadn't swam in his merman form in over a month so where his legs tried to kick his fins pushed him deeper. Unlike when he was with Mary Ann playing in the water he didn't need to hold his breath. For him he was breathing the water just as he would breathe air with her.

His little kingdom was near a reef that they watched over while the "people" of the reef did the own to care for the palace and merpeople.

"Douglas!" A little pink fish called to him. The little fish swam with all his might but Douglas sped up to help his little friend.

"Philly hi!" He used his finger to pet the small fish. "How have you been my buddy?"

"Oh Douglas I haven't seen you in what feels like absolutely ages I have so much to tell you!"

Douglas smiled at him. "I'd absolutely love to hear all about it buddy but sadly I need to see my father and brother first. I have much to tell you as well so expect me to be back."

Philly tried to hug Douglas to the best that he could you know for being a fish. "Okay I'll see you later."

Douglas continued on through the reef greeting old friends and making his way towards home.

His father and Terrence waited for him at the gates with gloom and anger in their eyes.

"My son, finally, do you know how long we've waited for your return?"
~~~~

The king sat on his throne with Terrence and Douglas before him.

"Douglas, I'm grateful for your return. Tell me why your journey lasted so long?"

Douglas ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at his father. "Well father I encountered a human. She was in the ocean all alone and I pulled her out. I've been with her."

His father tensed up. "Your mission was to discover what the humans wanted to create peace between us son. Have you done that?"

Douglas was quiet for a second and looked down. "No sir. I have not."

His father looked between him and Terrence. "I'm sorry son but I cannot send you back."

Douglas shot his head up to look at his father. "But I never told her goodbye."

"Well that is on you."

Douglas swam out quickly and went to find Alexander, who was unsurprisingly in the library.

"Alexander I need to leave and I don't know if I'll be able to come back." He gave his brother a quick hug and quickly swam to the surface and as he swam back on to the beach his fins turned back into legs.

Mary Ann was sitting on the beach and he crawled out of the water up to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Douglas my darling where did you go?"

He held onto her close and tight.

"I just needed to go for a swim. Let's go eat."

She nodded and they both got up, and then he fell.

"AH SHIT!" He looked down at his legs. They had been turned back into fins, his lungs turning back to gills. He took a gasp and pushed himself back into the water where his gills had access to the water.

"Douglas what happened? What's happening? Where did you get a tail?"

He put his face in his hands. "Mary Ann I can explain. Go up to the house and get a bucket and some food for you and I'll explain."

She went back up to the house and she kept looking back at him. His tail. It was purple and blue and black. When she came back he was speaking to his hands and she just heard a slight glimpse of "I'll tell you the rest later." Who was he talking to?

"Here." She handed him the bucket and his favorite sandwich ~ peanut butter and banana ~ and sat near him eating her sandwich. "Explain."

He took the bucket and waved his hand over it revealing an underwater kingdom.

"My name is Prince Douglas of the kingdom Atlantia. I am set to be crowned king in the next two months. I came to the surface to learn how to tell the people of our existence so more people could go to land and the humans could come down to my kingdom. Maybe if they went down there- or at least knew we were there - maybe they'd start taking better care of the oceans. Thats my home Mary Ann it needs to be cleaned and protected."

She continued nibbling on her sandwich. "How come you've had legs and now you don't?"

"I believe it's my father. He gave me the ability to come on land for my journey and when he told me I couldn't come back to the surface I left and I think he took my legs from me."

She stared at his fins. They glistened in the water under the sun, yet they looked fake.

"May- may I touch it?"

He nodded and took one of her hands and slid it on his tail.

She closed her eyes and felt it. She couldnt tell if it was slimy or soft or scaly or smooth. It managed to feel like all of those things at once.

"What about your hips?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean do the scales just stop or do they form from your skin?"

He laughed and smiled and he felt good.

"Mary Ann will this change how you see me?"

She shook her head. She partially thought she was dreaming but even if she wasn't she knew how she felt about him, and nothing would change that for the world.