"Do you know how to ride a hippokamp?" one of the men asked.
"It's probably no different than a horse," Umi replied.
"You've been to the surface? Isn't that dangerous for a siren with blue hair?"
"Most humans have a special dye that colors their hair any color they want. I didn't get caught or anything," Umi explained. Umi mounted the hippokampus and it took off, trying to fling her off. Umi started humming and stroking it's neck and it slowed down. It stopped to shake its head a few times, but it kept going. Umi held onto it's reins tightly and kept humming.
Eventually, it slowed down and stopped moving. It was panting heavily. Umi clicked her tongue and flicked the reins. The hippokampus started swimming forward. She flinched at the sound of cheering from the stableboys. Umi pulled the reins to stop the hippokampus and got down. She put her forehead to the hippokampus' and stroked her nose.
"What do you want to name her?" a man asked.
"What?"
"It's a custom for whoever tames the hippokamp to name it," he explained. Umi thought for a moment before deciding on a name.
"How about Raion?" she asked. The man smiled and nodded. He carved the name on the hippokampus' stall and lead Raion inside when Whiptide came out.
"What are you doing here? This is no place for a Princess," he asked.
"She tamed the Lion Hippokamp! She was amazing," the man said. Whiptide looked at him in confusion before turning to Umi.
"Well, let's see you ride it," he said. The stableboy lead Raion into the enclosure and Umi mounted her. She clicked her tongue again and Raion moved forward. She lead Raion around the enclosure and eventually came to a stop.
"Believe them now?" Umi asked.
"How the hell did you do it? Nobody's ever been able to tame a Lion Hippokamp before!"
"I'm not sure myself. I just have a way with animals, I guess," she explained. Whiptide chuckled and helped her off Raion.
"What did you name her?" he asked.
"Raion, it means 'lion'."
"I remember Tsunami was obsessed with Japanese. She'd name all her pets with Japanese names," he said. Umi saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. She said nothing more and swam with him back to the castle.
Reef swam up to Umi and hugged her. "Where were you? I thought you left us!" he exclaimed.
"She was at the stables. It appears she has a way with the Lion Hippokamps. She tamed one of them," Whiptide explained. Reef looked at her in shock.
"You did?" he asked. Umi nodded and looked at him with a smile.
"It was fun! Raion was very energetic," she said. Reef chuckled and let her go.
"I want to show you something. Follow me," he replied. Reef started swimming off and Umi followed him. He stopped at Tsunami's room and unlocked the door. He opened it, revealing a pastel green room with pink curtains and mattress. There was a painting hanging on the wall above the bed. It showed a red haired siren with bright green eyes. She looked like the woman in Umi's locket. Umi opened her locket and compared the two women. There was hardly any difference apart from age.
"Where did you get that?" Reef asked.
"I... I think that's my mom. They look too similar to be a coincidence," Umi whispered. Just then, a guard came into the room, breathing heavily.
"My King! A merman infiltrated the castle!" she exclaimed.
"What?! How!?" Reef yelled.
"We're not sure! He's swimming around screaming for the Princess!" she explained. The guard was slammed against the wall and Umi saw just who the merman was.
"Mizu? What are you doing here?" Umi asked. Mizu said nothing but grabbed her hand and started swimming away.
"Why did you let a merfolk kiss you!?" he exclaimed.
"I didn't! I'm not sure what happened. I was on the boat with this tail when I woke up!"
"Can you change it to legs?"
"On land I can."
"Then you should have come back instead of staying with sirens. They're bad influences," Mizu replied. Mizu lead Umi out a window and swam up to the surface. They almost broke through the water when Reef grabbed Umi's arm.
"Let go of her, merman!" Reef yelled.
"I'm not going to sit by and watch you corrupt my friend's mind, siren! Umi's coming back with me, with her real family!" Mizu shot back. Umi felt like her arms were about to rip off. The two men kept pulling her like a tug toy!
"Guys, stop it! Just let me go!" she exclaimed. Neither of them listened. Umi saw Reef's blue eyes turn white as he used one hand to shoot air at Mizu. Mizu was hit backward from the force and hit his head against a rock.
"Mizu! Why'd you do that?!" Umi cried.
"I will not loose you like I lost Tsunami. This kingdom needs a Queen. That's the way it's always been," he replied. Reef, still holding Umi's arm, started dragging her away from Mizu.
"Let me go! I need to make sure he's okay!" Umi cried.
"No! He's an enemy to our kingdom! Merfolk are not to be trusted! They're shifty little bastards that need to be put down!" Reef yelled. Umi felt her heart sink. The kind man Reef was is nothing but a lie in her eyes. She felt a surge of rage come over her and her eyes turned white. She focused her energy and summoned a storm.
"What the hell?! Where'd this storm come from!?" Reef exclaimed. He looked at Umi and noticed her eyes.
"How did you-" he started. Before he could finish, a wave pushed between him and Umi. She snapped out of it and swam back to Mizu. She grabbed him and swam as fast as she could away from the kingdom.
Umi swam for five days, stopping to rest and eat, before she reached a shoreline. Mizu was still unconscious. She pulled him onto the shore and watched his tail separate into legs. She felt her own tail do the same. She dragged him away from the water when she noticed how dark it was. She tried calling out for someone, but no one answered. Umi decided to check to make sure he was still alive. She put her hand on his chest and felt shallow breathing. She layed down beside him and slept until morning.