"Don't worry, you'll warm up to it soon," the blonde guy said, his voice smooth and reassuring, though the playful glint in his eyes hinted at amusement.
'Maybe,' Aurelia thought, glancing out at the surreal beauty of Atlantis. The city was breathtaking, but there was still a part of her that couldn't believe it was real. She had seen movies like Aquaman and read countless fantasy books, but those had always been just stories—this was something else entirely.
She looked down and realized she was still wearing her white, mermaid-themed dress from the beach party. The fabric floated gently around her in the water, giving her an ethereal appearance. Her legs brushed against the floor briefly before she began to drift upward again.
Aurelia sighed, frustrated, and decided to try the advice Arielle and the blonde guy had given her. Just tell your feet where to go, she thought, concentrating. Slowly, she managed a few steps forward, each one a little steadier than the last. For a moment, she felt a flicker of pride—until a group of figures emerged, cutting through the water with precision.
They were men—or Atlantians, she guessed—dressed in sleek white armor that glimmered faintly in the underwater light. Their helmets bore intricate designs resembling ocean waves, and each carried a trident. They moved with an air of authority that immediately made her uneasy.
One of them stepped forward, his voice firm. "The High Council demands to see the princess."
Aurelia blinked, unsure if she had heard him correctly. "Wait… the princess? You mean me?" She glanced at Arielle and the blonde guy, hoping for clarification.
Arielle let out a soft sigh, her expression resigned. "Yes, they mean you."
The blonde guy gave her a small, reassuring smile. "The High Council has been waiting for your return for years. It's only natural they want to meet you."
"Return?" Aurelia repeated, her voice rising slightly. "I've never even been here before! How can I return to a place I didn't know existed until, like, an hour ago?"
The guard didn't respond, his posture remaining rigid and formal. Arielle swam closer to Aurelia, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is overwhelming, but the Council needs to see you. You're the princess after all, they might explain to you your heritage and the power that comes for being part of the royal bloodline "
Aurelia's heart raced. "Heritage? Powers? Arielle, I'm just a girl from a seafood restaurant! I don't think I'm some—some princess!"
"You are, Aurelia," the blonde guy said softly. "You'll see."
The guards gestured for her to follow, their tridents gleaming like warning signs. Aurelia hesitated, torn between the urge to demand more answers and the sinking realization that she might not have a choice.
"Do I at least get a say in this?" she asked, her voice edged with defiance.
"Not really," Arielle said with an apologetic smile.
Aurelia groaned but reluctantly began to follow or try to follow the guards. As she moved, she couldn't shake the feeling of being in way over her head. Princess? High Council? Powers? It all sounded like a dream she couldn't wake up from.
The blonde guy swam beside her, his presence oddly comforting. "Don't worry," he said, his tone light. "They're not as intimidating as they look. Well, most of them."
"Great. That's so reassuring," Aurelia muttered, earning another laugh from him.
As they approached a grand, towering structure adorned with glowing crystals and intricate carvings, Aurelia felt a mix of awe and dread. The High Council awaited her, and with them, the questions that had been swirling in her head would finally be answered
~~~°~~~~°~~~°~~~
The doors to the council chamber loomed ahead, massive and adorned with swirling carvings of sea creatures and ocean waves. Aurelia's heart pounded as the guards pushed them open, revealing a cavernous room bathed in an ethereal blue glow. She hesitated on the threshold, her legs—if they could even be called legs in this floating world—quivering beneath her.
Arielle placed a hand on her back, nudging her forward. "Just stay calm," she whispered.
The room was arranged in a semi-circle, with five councilors seated on thrones carved from gleaming coral and adorned with shimmering pearls. Their flowing white robes seemed to ripple as if moved by an invisible current, and their faces were obscured by hoods that cast deep shadows. They were larger than life, their presence heavy and intimidating.
"Princess Aurelia," one of them intoned, their voice echoing through the chamber like the rolling tide.
Aurelia gulped, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Her sky-blue hair floated around her, making her feel more exposed than ever. "Uh, hi," she said, her voice trembling.
The councilors exchanged looks—or at least, she thought they did. It was hard to tell without seeing their faces.
"Is this truly the lost princess of Atlantis?" another councilor asked skeptically. "She can barely stand upright in our waters."
"She's an outsider," another added, their tone dripping with disdain. "Raised on land, ignorant of her heritage. How could she possibly be one of us?"
Aurelia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and frustration. 'I didn't ask for any of this, you know,' she snapped mentally
The councilors ignored her hard face "Words mean nothing," one of them said coldly. "Atlantis has no need for pretenders. If she is truly of the royal bloodline, she will prove it."
"How?" Aurelia asked warily, glancing nervously at the guards stationed around the room.
The center councilor leaned forward slightly, their presence somehow even more imposing. "By surviving."
The ground beneath Aurelia trembled, and a massive, circular hatch in the floor began to open. Her eyes widened as water bubbled and churned, releasing an enormous figure from below.
The creature that emerged was unlike anything Aurelia had ever seen. It was an Atlantian—sort of—but larger and more monstrous than any of the others she had encountered. Its muscular body gleamed with dark, iridescent scales, and its golden eyes glared down at her with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine. The trident it held looked more like a battering ram in its massive hands.
"Wait, what?!" Aurelia stumbled backward, her voice rising in panic. "You want me to fight that? I can't even walk properly!"
"This is madness!" Arielle protested, stepping forward. "She's untrained! She won't survive!"
"Then she is unworthy," one of the councilors replied, their tone flat and merciless.
The Atlantian warrior let out a guttural growl, advancing toward Aurelia. She scrambled to move, flailing awkwardly as her feet refused to obey her commands.
"Great," she muttered. "This is how I die. Not from drowning—oh no—but from being squashed by some oversized fish guy."
The warrior swung its trident with terrifying speed, and Aurelia barely managed to duck—if it could even be called a duck. She more or less flopped to the side, tumbling through the water in an ungraceful spiral.
"Focus!" Arielle shouted from the sidelines. "Use your instincts!"
"Instincts?" Aurelia shouted back. "What instincts? "
The warrior lunged again. She raised her hands instinctively, and a burst of golden light erupted from her palms. It wasn't perfect—more like a clumsy flash of energy—but it was enough to knock the warrior back a few feet.
The councilors murmured among themselves, their skepticism giving way to curiosity.
Aurelia's heart pounded as she stared at her glowing hands. "Okay," she whispered. "That was new."
The warrior roared, clearly unfazed, and charged again. Aurelia braced herself, trying to summon that golden energy once more. She didn't know what she was doing, but she had no choice.
The fight was far from over, but for the first time, Aurelia felt a flicker of hope.