After their boiled fish meal, Ursula and Morgana filed out of the dining room, nodding at the cooks in praise and thanks. Stomachs being full, they were excused to go to their rooms to rest until their next lesson, which was about the history of the Dark Underwater Empire of Atlantica. For Morgana it was relatively easy, except Ursula who saw no point in learning about the past. She had twice failed a test and been punished with double the assignments. Morgana was one that was eager to please, since she knew mother disapproved of her love of books, she decided to use it as an advantage and show that while maybe she was not a fighter, she was intellectually and academically smart.
"Let's practice! ", said Morgana, unable to bear the silence any longer. " How did The Dark Empire get it's name? "
Unsure, Ursula replied, " Because the first emperor's name was Darcau?"
" Wrong. The Dark Empire got it's name because the emperor's brother and military leader, who was named Darcau, sacrificed his life in the first war, stepping in the way of a spear so Emperor Kae could continue to rein. So Emperor Kae named his empire the Dark Underwater Empire of Atlantica after his brother. " Morgana said, proud to know and speak of their great history.
"Oh. " was all Ursula managed to muster.
"Let's try another one. I know you know this one because this is the only thing in history you care and study about. How many soldiers and slaves are there in total in this whole empire? "
Now this Ursula knew. Feeling more confident, Ursula answered , " 20 million soldiers and 13 million slaves. "
" Correct. How many wars have we had and what are their names? What happened in each of them? "
" Uhh... we have had, I think, 3 wars? The first was the war against the Mal, cecaelias who believed themselves to be better than us. The leader was called Puo Hiernan and he almost killed our first emperor because he wanted to be emperor. Of course he failed, and we executed each and every member of the Mal, until there were none left. That war is called War of Mal de Muerte.
The second war is called Revenge to the Mer. For years the Mer ridiculed our looks and treated us as slaves and servants, and this was since the beginning of our time, since when humanity thought we were just myths and legends. Until one day a group of determined cecaelias decided that we would not be treated as slaves, so we gathered an army and revolted. After we were freed and half the Mer population was gone, we soon found an empire, our empire, so we joined forces and managed to defeat the Mal. It turned out that both groups had the same ancestors and there had been conflict between them, one side wanted to join the Mer community and make peace, while the others didn't want to and wanted them to die. So they parted ways and the side that wanted to make peace were soon tricked by the mer and turned into slaves.
The third war was called War of Cecaelia and Mer. This was the last, most brutal war in history, where our ancestors fought against the Mer after they had regained strength. After the war was over, no one won and they signed a peace treaty to mark our borders. Many say that it was the Dark Empire that won, but we cannot be sure since that was a long time ago. The bottom of the ocean would belong to the Dark Underwater Empire of Atlantica, and the top of the ocean would belong to the Atlantic Kingdom. "
Ursula took a deep breath, looking slightly weary.
" You were correct and wrong. There were only 2 wars, and the first one was War of Mal de Muerte, and then War of Cecaelia and Mer. Revenge to the the Mer was not a war, it was a revolt, and it happened before the War of Mal de Muerte. But other than that, you got them right. " Morgana explained. " Now you quiz me. "
Scowling, Ursula huffed, " No, I won't, you already know all of them. "
There was a knock on the door. Ursula opened the door, and their aunt Atlantia silently led them to a room with nothing in it, except books and sand and rocks. In each of the rocks, were test clams. On top of these clams were written several questions. They were both expected to write the answers in the clams thoroughly, neatly, and correctly. Atlantia said nothing. She sat down and told them, " You may begin. Good luck. "
After both girls had completed their tests, they were to practice their spells. Morgana practiced camouflage, which she wasn't very good at. Ursula worked on more advanced things, brewing potions that paralyzed enemies and killed them slowly. Ursula mixed together blackened sand and crushed pearls from a wreckage. Ursula boiled them in a stone, concentrating on making a flame flicker. Ursula grated her teeth, thinking of her nightmare, how she felt the overwhelming fear and the feel of her stomach and neck pricking and burning. A flame began to spark slowly. Ursula added the remnants of a good maiden's bones. The flame roared up wildly, then slowly turned to a Hades blue.
Ursula grinned. All she needed now was a test subject. Ursula looked around, hoping that perhaps a servant might be around. There was no one in sight except her aunt and sister.
" I need a test subject. " Ursula announced.
Atlantia said nothing, she swam out the door and came back a few seconds later carrying a fish. The fish trembled in fear.
For a split second, Ursula suddenly didn't want to give her potion to the fish. The fish had done nothing wrong.
Sensing her niece's uncertainty, Atlantia said simply, " He was going to be our next meal. ".
Feeling more at ease, Ursula gave the fish a small pebble with a single drop of the potion.
" Swallow it. " Ursula ordered.
Terrified, the fish swam forward nervously and swallowed the pebble. The fish immediately knew something was wrong. He started to turn red, swelling from the inside out, quickly burning, blood quickly bubbling and spitting out visibly on the fish's scales. The scales were turning black now, yellow liquid pouring out in between the scales. His eyes popped off, and all his remnants floated down to the sand.
Morgana looked about ready to throw up. Ursula was absolutely delighted that her potion had worked, and yet sad that the fish had had such a fate. Yet Ursula knew that this small fish was nothing compared to the millions of creatures her mother and their ancestors had killed. Killing anyone, whether she loved them or not, didn't matter. Not till her 16th birthday. Ursula would have to get used to seeing blood of innocents. Until then, Ursula was free to do as she pleased before she started having actual duties. Tucking away her disgust and guilt, Ursula sweeped up the remnants of the fish into a hollowed bowl, knowing she could use these to make more potions.
Atlantia announced suddenly and calmly, " Ursula and Morgana, you have both successfully passed your tests. Your mother will know of this, and you are both free to do as you wish. Good job. ". Atlantia allowed a quick smile to show on her face, something that was very rare coming from their aunt. Atlantia swam out of the room.
Ursula and Morgana were about to head out, when they heard a tapping sound. They turned around. A blank face gazed back at them through glass from a wreckage. The form was black and white, with inky black hair and no trace of eyes. It had no nose or lips. It smiled at them. It opened it's mouth, which had a perfect set of pearly white teeth, and began to sing.