Ocean Song Beneath the Waves
Chapter 31: Voice of the Monster

She follows Prince Oceanus through the dimly lit corridors as she replaces herself jumping just the slightest bit at their passing shadows. Eventually the tenseness of their silence begins to suffocate her after a few minutes of fidgeting with her hands.

She spends another five minutes trying to convince herself to ask the question that’s been plaguing her mind before she actually replaces the courage to ask it. “Has there been anything from Pelagios?”

He doesn’t even turn towards her as he replies, “No, there has not.” And just like that, the conversation is brought to an abrupt end before it could even go anywhere.

So she asks another question, albeit a bit hesitantly. “What...What of Aquanetta?” That vile woman’s name sticks within her mind like a parasite as it even invaded her sleep.

Prince Oceanus is silent for a moment before he replies, “You refer to the Siren of the Deep, that has eluded our grasp. Somehow she managed to disappear with Pelagios, so we have been unable to locate them as of right now.”

It’s then that something dark blooms in her chest. A feeling of deep foreboding mixed with her own growing fear. She hasn’t felt such a feeling since the time her mother was taken by the sea, but even then it didn’t feel quite as...sinister as it does now within this moment.

This doesn’t go unnoticed as he then asks, “Is that what your wailing was about?”

She sighs. “Yes. Nightmares are not uncommon for me, and I have learned to deal with them. However, that woman has found a way to cast a vice grip on my mind and I hear Proteus’s voice in my dreams-”

He abruptly cuts her off. “You say you hear his voice in your sleep?”

“Yes. Apparently he likes toying with his would-be victims, and scaring them out of their wits,” she says with a shuddering exhalation of breath.

Meanwhile, Prince Oceanus appears thoughtful for a moment, but it quickly transitions into a look of annoyance as he whispers, “What a time for that damned sorcerer to be away!”

“Where is he now? He did not speak much of his destination the last time we spoke,” she comments as she replaces herself slipping into a state of peaceful calm.

That selfsame glint of annoyance she’s so used to flickers within his turbulent green gaze as he replies, “When last I spoke to him he said he was making for Vilmaris to see if he can obtain a better understanding of its current state of affairs.”

Her lips twist up into a frown as he takes heed of the worried look in her eyes. “But is it not unsafe to go there right now? I recall Alankar had said that the waters surrounding the city are dangerous.”

However, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “Be that as it may. I highly doubt there is anything in those waters that can kill that eel.” It takes her a minute to understand the strange terminology he used to describe Calder and when it does click a brief thought passes through her mind, I suppose it would be the equivalent to calling him a snake if we were on land? Though she chooses not to waste time on that thought as she finally takes notice of their current surroundings. For a moment she’s surprised, because of her lack of attention to the area around her she didn’t realize that they had been heading towards the palace gardens.

Although now that she’s here, she allows herself some time to take in its visage under the cover of darkness. For the most part, night operated similarly enough to day as it does on land with the exception of streetlights and the appearance of the moon in the sky. That isn’t to say that she can’t see it, but the surface is far and the moon is nothing more than a small circle of waves that cast its light down upon the surface. A light that doesn’t quite reach them on the ocean floor so far below. Yet, this kingdom doesn’t lack for such light as she often sees those same glowing orbs wherever she looks, although they shine a little more brightly than the dimly lit ones in her room.

But her moment of peace is shattered by a somewhat annoyed prince who stares at her with a pointed look on his face. “Do you have sand in your ears? My time is precious, and I am currently using it to indulge you after your dolorous wailing had woken me from what minimal rest I am allowed. The least you can do to repay this most gracious favor is respond when I ask something of you!”

Naturally, her lips begin their expected twist into that frigid scowl he’s so used to, but it disappears just as quickly. It seems her own well-hidden exhaustion has won out over her stubbornness as she jadedly responds with, “Forgive me. My mind wandered elsewhere, it would seem. It happens often, so you will have to excuse me if I do not respond to things you say right away.”

Again, he sighs. Something that is becoming much too common since her arrival. He runs a tired hand through his hair, at which she briefly notices that he’s not wearing his typical hair piece that stood out amidst that silk of darkness. A trivial thought, being she’s never thought much of it even though he was wearing it every time she saw him. Must be some signature of royalty or something. I will have to ask Arcelia about it later, she briefly concludes as he fixes her with yet another of his blank looks. A look that always seems to be analyzing her. It’s as though she were some strange thing that needed further understanding to comprehend her existence.

And yet, when she stares into that steel gaze of sea green she replaces something else. An unplaceable emotion that she cannot quite discern, but it quickly vanishes from view as he turns his head frontward.

He’s silent for a moment before finally saying in a near thoughtful tone, “Follow me. I wish to show you something.”

For once she remains silent in the face of his demands, deciding against disrupting this semblance of peace they’ve established. A peace that isn’t exactly common for the two of them given their conflicting personalities and occasional butting of heads.

His pace is somewhat slower compared to their coming here. It’s just slow enough to where she doesn’t have to work her own fin to keep up with his fast pace. Their swim is, once again, silent as her gaze flits about the colorful sea flowers amongst the bushes of seaweed and sea grass. Trees and bush-like things of colorful coral grow about the gardens at their own leisure.

Eventually they reach a dead end consisting of a great mass of seaweed that look more akin to vines with sea flowers amidst their leaves. A confused expressions crosses her face and right as she begins to inquire as to their reason for being here, Prince Oceanus suddenly reaches out for the plants in silence.

His hand abruptly begins to emit a bright green glow that quickly envelops the seaweed. She stares in awe as the plants part down the middle to reveal an aged golden archway leading into a secret garden. Prince Oceanus soundlessly enters whilst she remains fixated on the arch itself. At the base of the arch is a carving depicting the water-bearer, Aquarius.

Although, her moment of awe is quickly dispersed as Prince Oceanus cuts into her thoughts in a sharp tone. “Do not just idly stand there. Come, quickly!” And before she can even think about her own response, her fin is reflexively propelling her through the entrance which is quickly closed again right upon her entry.

The sight that greets her leaves her breathless. This garden is almost similar to the ones they just left, but within this garden dwells different species of sea flower that she had no idea even existed. The blooms almost remind of the Hawaiian flowers found in Hawaii, but their colors vary from the deepest of blue to the most tranquil of aquatic green. At their centers is a strange, brightly glowing gold orb that emits small magical particles in the surrounding area. The particles serve to illuminate the garden like a swarm of fireflies in a flower field. Here, the sand on the ocean floor seems whiter and the garden is concealed within a dome of heavy vegetation. From the outside, one would just think it a mass of beautifully shaped coral and seaweed, if they didn’t know what lies beyond.

“This is a garden dedicated to the first Aquarius.” His words are soft as she regains her sense of awareness. Her gaze stares fixatedly on the magnificent statue that sits within the center of the garden atop a gold pedestal covered in algae with signs of age. The statue portrays a youthful merman holding a large intricately made pitcher that sits in an eternal state of being poured.

She doesn’t say a word as she approaches the statue under the watchful gaze of the prince. Her hand slowly rises from her side to delicately touch the face of the statue as though it were fragile glass. She squints her eyes as they trace over the vaguely familiar features of the forever young face of the warrior. Familiar features, that she can’t quite seem to place in this exact moment.

Finally her voice cuts through the silence as quietly asks, “Is this the first Aquarius?”

“Yes. The stories say that he was the strongest of the Aquarius Warriors. Those that came after never quite lived up to his image.”

Her eyes light up with interest as she retracts her hand and turns to him with an eager look about her face. “Please, tell me more,” she gently demands.

Prince Oceanus gives no reaction to her request as he continues, “He was well-known for his tenacity and fearlessness. It is said that his will was unshakable, and in the face of his ideals he was frightening.”

“And what else?”

He’s tense for a moment as he tries to recall the information. He takes a seat on a stone bench in the midst of a circle of vegetation as she silently joins him in anticipation of what he will say next.

“It is also said that he was one of the most loyal of the warriors. Like Pisces, it was said that he held the wisdom of ages past, but he was not ruled by his emotions and maintained a cool disposition in the face of even the most extreme of circumstances.”

He says nothing else, leaving Serena to believe that that’s all the information he has on the warrior. So she asks another question, “Where did you learn all of this?”

Something of a grimace settles over his expression as his gaze stares into another world apart from their own. “My mother told us stories when we were younger, and our tutor had even more to add to the topic of discussion.”

Her breath hitches as she becomes keenly aware of the tense atmosphere that has suddenly settled between them. “I am so sorry! I should not have asked. Had I known-”

But he waves a dismissive hand as his face is quickly wiped of all expression whilst he crosses his arms over his chest to hide the grip he takes on his left arm. “Worry not. I do not care for simple apologies and the like. You know me well enough by now how irksome I replace them.”

An uncertain smile flashes across her face as she responds, “Yes, of course. I remember quite clearly how often I have managed to annoy you in some way or the other. Be it by way of apology or my own personality.”

Then, silence settles over them. A comfortable one that allows them to simply sit within each other’s company without any complaint between either of them.

Suddenly, the silence of her mind is broken as Proteus’s ominous voice filters into her mind. ‘Foolish girl. Do not think I would allow you any peace so easily.’

Her body briefly tenses, but she’s quick to regain her composure when she immediately notices Prince Oceanus’s suspicious glance in her direction. ‘Why are you in my head?! What do you want with me?!’ She has to resist the urge to bite her lip as she struggles with her body’s instinct to ball her hands into tight fists, an action that Prince Oceanus would definitely notice.

He chuckles darkly, a sound that leaves her stomach churning and her blood freezing. ‘I do so enjoy playing with my food, and you intrigue me more than I care to admit,’ he says in amusement. She quickly shoots a look towards Prince Oceanus, who seems to be immersed in his own thoughts before turning her attention back to the terror encroaching upon her mind. ‘So young and naïve. Could it be that you are beginning to fall in love with him? What a laughable thought! A human and a merperson-and royal besides!’

‘Shut up! I hold no such feelings for him, and it is no business of yours’ even if I did! Now get out of my damn head!′ She shouts tiredly as she begins to feel even more exhausted from this mental torture rather than the tumultuous sleep she had earlier.

It’s then that Prince Oceanus’s voice cuts into her thoughts once more, just as Proteus’s disappears. “I think we have been out here long enough. Come. Knowing you, you will not remember the way to your room so I shall do you this one kindness and guide you.” His tone is kind of arrogant as he stands up and moves towards the exit. She breathes a sigh, too tired to protest, and follows him wordlessly. Honestly, the events of the entire day have drained all of the fire right out of her, and not even her own stubborn personality could endure today’s events. Such thoughts leave her feeling a little frustrated, and having the prince at her side is doing little for all the emotions running through her like a raging river.

By the time they reach her room, she’s driven herself into something of a daze as she tries and fails to sort through everything that’s happening to her. Prince Oceanus notices this, but chooses not to say anything after taking in her overall appearance.

“I will be taking my leave now. See to it that you do not wake me up again with more of your wailing,” he warns with an indifferent tone before swimming off down the hallway. She releases a sigh as she enters her room and settles into bed. She stares at the ceiling as sleep chooses to elude her due to her mind having far too much activity, as usual.

Proteus taunts her somewhere in the back of her mind, and after a while, he falls silent when Prince Oceanus’s face fleetingly flashes through her mind’s eye. And at that point, her eyes close leading her into a realm of dreamless sleep where not even Proteus could deign to reach her.