CHAPTER 1: SECRETS DISCOVERED
“Why didn’t you tell me about her?” Melody yelled. “I thought we were through with secrets! You told me there was nothing else that you were keeping from me!”
“This was a situation completely out of our hands!” a tall man roared back. “Your mother and I made the most difficult choice of our life when we were told we had to choose which daughter we wanted to keep.”
“‘Which daughter to keep?’ Why didn’t you just keep both of us?”
Ariel looked sadly upon her daughter. Melody stared at her parents and waited for an answer. However, none was to come- and seeing that, Melody stomped off in the direction of the ocean. When she got to the doors, she swung them open. She began to step out when a strong body stepped in her way.
“Move. You’re in my way,” Melody demanded with a regal air. The body stayed where it was. A hand was set under Melody’s chin and forced her to look up.
“She’s got your determination, Ariel. Maybe we should have kept the other one. She wasn’t so stubborn,” the man chuckled. Melody scowled at the despised relative. His jet black hair had many silver streaks, and his brown eyes glistened. Fat nose, pot belly, strong arms, and determination completed the description for…
“Hello Grandfather Charles,” Melody mumbled in aggravation., “May I please go now? I said hello.” she began to step towards the ocean when she was stopped once again.
“Where are you going?” Melody’s grandfather asked.
“I’m going to find answers.”
“From who? And answers to what questions?”
“I want to know who Harmony is. And I want to know why they,” she pointed at her parents who were hurt and saddened by the way they were addressed by their daughter, “didn’t keep both of us, why they had to choose.” Melody continued towards the ocean. She pulled off her sandals and waded into the water. Carefully, she pulled out a small silver locket that had a diamond studded “M” engraved upon it. She held it in between her index and thumb on her left hand and started to sing a tune.
Take me to a land I love,
Take me to a world I long,
Take me to a life of wonder,
Take me to where I belong.
A white light shined from the necklace. It enveloped the girl and gave off a bright flash. When the light had died down, Melody was sitting on the beach with the waves gently crashing upon her. Charles looked at his granddaughter in shock. He knew that his daughter-in-law had the knowledge (and ability) to return to her true form, but he had been unaware to the fact that Melody was in on the secret as well. He bolted towards the Princess.
Melody looked over her beautiful sapphire tail and moved it around, trying to get her body used to the fact that she won’t be walking for a while. She began to turn around to glance at her parents when someone grabbed her around the waist. Shocked, she waved her tail, trying to wriggle out of her captors grip.
“You are not going to that nut-house!” Charles raged. “I will not allow you to run off and communicate with fish. Fish are to be eaten, not talked to.” Shocked by Charle’s words, Queen Ariel strode over to him and her captive daughter.
“Father?” she asked.
“What do you want?” he roared back.
“Just to do this…” she replied as she punched him across the face. In surprise and pain, Charles dropped Melody who dragged herself towards the ocean. When she was far enough out, she turned back to look at her mother. Eric and his father were in a full out fist-fight while Ariel on the other hand, was out cold on the sand, a black shiner covering her right eye.
Quickly, Melody swam back to help her parents. When she reached the shore, she transformed herself back into a human, and joined the fight. Before long however, Charles had Melody swung over his shoulder and was running off.
“Let me down! You can’t do this! It’s illegal. Kidnapping! The Princess is getting kidnapped!” Melody yelled, trying to get the attention of the castle guards.
“It won’t work Melody. The guards all work for me. Now, be a good girl and come along peacefully.”
“I will not. I am the daughter of King Eric and Queen Ariel. I do not come along peacefully in a kidnapping.”
“Suit yourself,” Charles replied. He pulled out his handkerchief and a small vial. He dumped some of the contents of the liquid onto the cloth and held it against his granddaughters face.
“You can’t win.” Melody told him proudly. “Once Grandpa and my Aunts find out what happened…you… won’t… get… away… with…” Charles glanced at the teen he carried to see if she would finish her sentence. All he saw was his beautiful granddaughter sound asleep.
* * * * * * * *
Harmony finished reading the inscription on the tiara and rushed to the palace. She needed answers and fast. Bolting through the hallways, she searched for someone- anyone- that could give her answers. Finally she came to a hallway with six large sea-shell doors. The teen yanked the first one open.
“Aunt Aquata?” she called. No answer. “Dammit.” Off to the next door. “Aunt Andrina?” Silence. “Aunt Arista?” Silence again. “Aunt Attina? Aunt Adela? Aunt Alana? Where is everyone?” Harmony yelled at a little guppy.
“The royal family is in a meeting at the throne room, highness,” the fish quivered at the princess that yelled at him. “It was an emergency… announced moments before you arrived home.” Without even saying thank you, Harmony swam as fast as her tail could take her and stormed into the throne room.
“When were you going to tell me about her?” she raged. Surprised, her Aunts and Grandfather raised their heads to see their princess, Harmony, waving her silver tiara at them. “Well? I want answers and I want them now!” she roared.
“Calm down! Who are you talking about, and why are you waving your tiara around like an idiot?” one of the six middle-aged women stood up. Her brown hair was neatly pinned back with a spiked tiara resting gracefully on her head.
“Melody, Aunt Attina,” Harmony replied calmer. “I want to know about Melody.” Shocked looks and whispers floated around the sisters. Worried looks were passed from one to another. It was King Triton that stood at his throne and caused the whispering to stop.
“How did you find out about Melody?” he asked, suspicious.
“I went to the surface to see Mom.”
“And who escorted you?”
“No one.” Triton lost his calm.
“You went up alone?” He roared. “For as long as you’ve lived in Atlantica- no, in this palace- you have been forbidden to surface to see your parents without one of your Aunts or I. What gave you the idea you could now?”
“I’m sixteen, Grandpa! I’m not a child anymore!” Harmony yelled back. Triton spun around to face his daughters.
“Well? Is anyone going to help me?” he demanded.
“I will father. It’s just like talking to Ariel.” Attina answered.
“No, it’s not like talking to Ariel. I may be her daughter, but that doesn’t mean I’m her,” Harmony pointed out.
“Harmony, why don’t you sit down,” Aquata waved towards Attina’s empty seat. “Attina won’t be using her seat anyway… she always paces when trying to explain things.” Harmony reluctantly sat next to her aunt.
“It all happened sixteen glorious years ago,” Attina began, “There was a unity formed between the humans and mer-folk. The prince of the land, and a princess of the sea were married… that had never been done before, nor even imagined to happen. It was because fifteen years before the unity, the Queen of the Seven Seas was tragically killed by humans,” Attina paused and sipped at her drink.
“The King grew sad, and bitter towards the above world. He passed a law, proclaiming that no contact could come between the two worlds,” Aquata continued, “Everyone obeyed the law, except for one- the King’s youngest daughter. She ran off and sold her voice to the sea witch, Ursula, for a pair of legs. Thus, she met her prince, and fell in love. Eventually they married and had two daughters- daughters that were of both the land and sea,” Aquata paused and looked at her sisters. “Anyone want to continue?”
“I will,” a beautiful mermaid stood. She had black hair pinned back with a pink crown similar to Attina’s, but much smaller.
“Alright.” Aquata sat back down.
“The girls were beautiful,” Alana started, “Both of them resembled their father, jet-black raven hair, brown eyes- yet they had the spirit of their mother. Both stubborn, and always curious. One day, the Prince and Princess took a grand ship out to the ocean, to present the girls to the merpeople. Their widower Grandfather was so happy to see the little bundles of joy. However, the deceased Ursula’s sister snatched one of the babies and threatened to kill her. Thus, a new struggle occurred. Eventually, the Prince and Princess decided that they had to separate the babies. Morgana, Ursula’s sister, was defeated when you were twelve, and peace returned. It was the hardest decision of their lives.
“Eventually, the Prince told his father in to choose between the infants. Well, the father just waltzed in, picked a baby up, and handed it to the Princess. He then took the other, and gave it to one of his six daughter-in-laws.”
“At least I now know the truth to why I can only visit Mom and Dad in the summer. But, if I was there… then…” Harmony glanced at her Grandpa. “Yes, when you visited your parents, Melody visited us,” he admitted. His eyes searched the calm blue-gray eyes of the Atlantican heir. Melody got up and headed for the door.
“Melody?” Arista, who had been quiet the whole time, raced after her niece. “Where are you going? Will you be alright?”
“I’m going to see Mom and Dad. And Melody. I think I’ll be fine…” she swam in the direction of her parents castle as Arista just watched. A hand rested on her shoulder.
“Arista, please follow her. Make sure she gets there alright…I know she’s not one of my daughters, but I still care for her. And I sense there’s going to be trouble when she reaches the surface.” Triton embraced his daughter. “Watch her like you watched Ariel. They’re more alike than you think.”
“Alright Daddy. I’ll come home when I can.” And with that, Arista raced after the headstrong niece that represented so much more than just the heir of the Atlantican throne.