Umi looked at the king in shock. "Me? But there's nothing special about me. Why not one of the younger ones? They need it more than I do," she asked.
"There's more to you than what it seems. I have yet to meet another siren who can control tides."
"Control tides? I can't do that! It's impossible!" she exclaimed in shock. The king let out a laugh and started to cough.
"My King! Are you okay?" Roana asked.
"Yes, I am okay. It's been years since I've laughed like that, is all. Umi, based on your hair color, your element is water. With the right training, you can change the tides with the flick of a finger. I can help you achieve that," he explained. Umi stood still and thought for a moment before sighing.
"All right. I'll join your family, but will the Prince agree to this? I don't think he likes me."
"His opinion does not matter. He'll be your family whether he likes it or not," the King replied. Roana brought out what looked like green paper and held it out to the king. She handed him a feather and a jar of ink. He signed the paper and handed it back to her. He looked at Umi and smiled.
"From now on, you're a princess, Miss Umi," he said. The children bowed to Umi and waved as she left with the king. As they left the building, Whiptide was leaning against the carriage. His gaze grew cold when he saw Umi.
"What's that peasant doing here?" Whiptide asked.
"Be nice to her. She's family now."
"What?! I refuse to be her family!"
"Too bad. I already signed the papers," the king said. Umi felt how uncomfortable the silence was and decided to study the carriage. It was a wooden carriage pulled by two hippokampus. One looked like a koi fish and the other looked like a leafy seahorse. A man with a muddy brown tail opened the door and helped her inside. The King and Whiptide followed her. She sat next to the king and Whiptide sat across from her, glaring out the window.
Umi could still feel her cheeks burning after being slapped twice by Whiptide. She looked away from him and out the window. The kingdom was in good condition apart from a few abandoned houses and the orphanage. It took about an hour of uncomfortable silence before they arrived at the castle. The man with the brown tail opened the door again. The king and Whiptide swam out first. The man helped Umi out and closed the door.
Umi looked at the castle in awe. It shone brilliantly in the light. "My king? How do you hide the kingdom from humans?" Umi asked. The king chuckled a little before turning to her.
"You don't have to call me that anymore. You can call me Reef for now. Our best Praxes hide our kingdom from the human eye. If a human enters our kingdom, they will be teleported to the other side," he explained.
"Wow! They must be powerful," Umi replied. Whiptide made a noise and turned to Umi.
"Everyone knows this! How uneducated are you?" he exclaimed.
"Well excuse me for not growing up in a kingdom! I lived alone with my dad until a few weeks ago," she shot back. Whiptide scoffed and swam off. Umi sighed and looked at Reef.
"Why does he dislike me? I did nothing to him," she asked.
"It's not his fault. He was fond of his sister until she was captured by humans while tidesailing. He hasn't been the same since," he explained. Umi felt guilty for yelling at him. Whiptide was clearly grieving. She followed him to a room. He slammed the door closed, so she knocked.
"Go away," he said.
"I wanted to apologize for yelling at you. It wasn't ladylike of me. Do you forgive me?"
"Father told you to apologize, didn't he?"
"No. He didn't. I did of my own freewill," she replied. She heard something creak, almost like a bed. The door opened and she found herself face to face with Whiptide. He didn't look happy at first, but he sighed.
"Fine. I'll forgive you this time. Just don't get in my way or drag me down," he said. Umi smiled and hugged him. Whiptide stiffened but eventually softened into her embrace.
That night, a servant showed Umi to her room. When they arrived, she noticed another room across from her's. "What's this room for?" Umi asked. The servant, an older lady with a yellow tail and blue fins, looked at the room.
"That's Princess Tsunami's old room. No one is allowed to enter apart from the cleaning ladies to dust the silt," she explained. Umi nodded and swam into her new room. It was a pale blue with lavender curtains and a seashell bedframe. The sea sponge mattress was dyed to match the lavender seashell, although Umi had no idea how. There was another door that lead to a large closet full of different colored dresses and, on the dresser, was white sand.
"What's the sand for?" Umi asked.
"Have you never cleaned your skin with sand before?" the servant asked. Umi shook her head.
"Take a handful of sand and rub it into your skin. It will make your skin glow afterward!" she exclaimed. After the servant left, Umi tried the rubbing sand. It felt grainy and rough, but it was a custom here, she guessed. She looked around for a bit before laying on the mattress. She was still wearing her bikini top and guessed they'd have her change in the morning. She fell asleep and dreamt of the red haired siren getting caught in a fishing net.
She jolted awake and looked around. She was still in the castle. She swam to the closet and opened it. She picked out a flowing pink dress and went out her bedroom window. She swam around for a while until she found the stables. There were many hippokampus and there were men trying to tame one. She swam up to the enclosure and watched the hippokampus fling a siren off of it. The hippokampus looked like a lionfish of sorts.
"Want me to try? I have a way with animals," Umi asked.
"Your Highness! Why are you up so early?" one man asked.
"When I wake up, it's hard to go back asleep."
"Are you sure you want to try? She's pretty wild."
"Yeah! I'm sure I'll think of something,"