The underwater city of Atlantica shimmered like a dream beneath the waves. Coral towers spiraled toward the surface, bioluminescent plants glowing softly along winding current-lanes. Schools of colorful fish zipped by, and the streets bustled with merfolk going about their day.
Ariel beamed beside Lucian, guiding him along. "Come on! You have to see the marketplace. It's always so alive this time of day!"
Simba rode cradled in her arms, occasionally poking his head out to look at the creatures and sights around them, his little tail wiggling like he was kicking with excitement.
Lucian swam beside them, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, not in suspicion, just an instinctual wariness left over from years of needing to read the environment.
They passed a pod of dolphins performing flips for a school of mer-children. A street performer juggled glowing jellyfish that changed colors with every toss. Stalls floated around anchored coral spires, run by cheerful merfolk offering various underwater goods.
Flounder, hovering just behind Andrina, peeked around Ariel's shoulder to look at Simba. "Uhh… is he supposed to be drooling like that?"
Ariel giggled. "He's just excited! Aren't you, little guy?"
Simba gave a happy squeak, blowing bubbles from his nose.
As they swam into the heart of the marketplace, the noise of Atlantica surrounded them. Vendors called out cheerful greetings, mer-children played tag through coral archways, and music drifted from a group of musicians playing conch shells and kelp strings.
"Ooh!" Ariel pointed to a colorful floating stand. "There it is! You've gotta try these, Lucian, sweet kelp wraps! They're so good."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Sweet… kelp?"
"Trust me," she said with a grin. "Flounder won't admit it, but he eats a whole bundle when no one's looking."
"I do not—!" Flounder protested, then mumbled, "Okay, maybe once."
Ariel giggled and swam up to the stall, passing over a few small shells as currency. "Hi, can I get a bundle, please?"
The vendor, a broad-shouldered merman with a beard made of braided seaweed, grinned and handed her a fresh bundle wrapped in shellleaf.
"Thanks!" Ariel floated back and held out a piece to Simba. "Here you go, sweetie."
Simba sniffed, then chomped.
Within seconds, the kelp was gone.
"Wow," Andrina blinked. "He's got an appetite."
Ariel giggled and said, "Well, he tried to bite Flounder earlier."
"HEY!" Flounder yelped. "I am not food!"
Simba made a little "rar!" and burped.
"Okay, maybe he thought you were a snack," Ariel laughed, holding Simba a bit tighter. "He's just hungry. Poor thing."
"Well, we didn't exactly have breakfast," Lucian said, biting into the sweet kelp and muttering, "It's… quite good."
"I told you," Ariel said cheerfully. "Come on, there's still so much to see!"
They swam through glowing coral gardens and winding coral tunnels. Ariel pointed out everything with almost childlike wonder.
"That's the Shell Theater, Dad says the acoustics are so good you can hear a whisper from across the dome. Oh, and over there is the Tide Fountain. It's supposed to grant wishes, but only on full-moon tides. I think it's just a pretty rock, honestly."
Andrina rolled her eyes. "You made a wish there every week when you were younger."
"Well, that was in the past," Ariel said shyly.
"A fountain in the ocean. How odd," Lucian muttered.
After a while, the group swam toward a grand coral pathway lined with glowing stones. A series of tall, armored guards flanked the large arched entrance to the royal palace. The castle loomed ahead, its towers shaped like spiraling shells, glowing faintly with warm light. Sea anemones curled along the outer walls, giving off soft pulses of bioluminescence.
Two guards noticed them approaching and straightened, gripping their tridents upright. One gave a respectful nod. "Princess Ariel. Princess Andrina. Flounder."
The other guard's eyes flicked to Lucian, then Simba. "Is this… the guest the king was informed about?"
"Yup!" Ariel nodded enthusiastically. "This is Lucian. I invited him to see the city!"
The second guard looked down at Simba, who waved his paw and let out a tiny "Roo!"
"What is he, exactly?" the guard asked cautiously.
Lucian responded smoothly, "A friend. And very well-fed, thanks to your city."
The guard blinked but nodded. "Very well. Welcome to Atlantica."
As the massive coral doors began to open, Ariel turned to Lucian with a smile. "Ready to see the royal palace?"
"Depends," Lucian said. "Are there more kelp strips inside?"
Ariel laughed. "I think we can arrange that."
The doors to the palace opened fully, revealing a vast entrance hall bathed in golden light from clusters of glowing pearls. Opulent coral carvings decorated the walls, and a long carpet of fine sea-grass led deeper into the heart of the castle.
The castle interior shimmered like a dream—a cathedral of coral and polished shells, with pearl chandeliers casting soft lights through the halls. Ariel swam alongside Lucian as she guided him through long corridors adorned with ocean murals and seashell mosaics. Simba swam beside them, doing lazy spins in the water and occasionally bumping into Flounder, who looked less than thrilled.
"This is the East Wing," Ariel said with a grin, gesturing around them. "Dad uses it to host guests from other kingdoms. We almost never use it!"
Lucian nodded. "Peaceful."
Suddenly, a familiar voice piped up.
"Princess Ariel! There you are! I've been lookin' all over the reef for—"
Sebastian froze mid-swim as he spotted Lucian.
His eyes widened. "Oh no… ohhh no no no…"
He drifted forward slowly, eyes bugging. "Dis… dis can't be real. You got… you got legs before, sure, but—but now you got a tail?!"
Sebastian spun in place, claws clacking. "Impossible! He really got legs… no, a tail! How—how—what is goin' on here?!"
SLAP!
"Sebastian, breathe," Flounder said, flattening one fin after giving him a smack across the shell.
Sebastian blinked rapidly. "Oh. Right. Heh. My apologies. Just… wasn't expectin'… dat."
Lucian gave him a calm look. "Surprises happen."
"But how, though…" Sebastian muttered, still watching Lucian warily as they floated into a lavish chamber where guests were received.
"Uhmm... my sisters, they're probably all in the guest chamber," Ariel said with a soft smile. "Andrina told them you were coming, so… don't be surprised if they're a little… uh… energetic."
Lucian tilted his head slightly. "I'm used to unexpected welcomes."
Just then, they entered the guest hall.
A burst of excited chatter filled the room as five of Ariel's sisters swam in a loose circle—Alana fixing her hair, Adella admiring a pearl ring, Aquata balancing a piece of coral, Arista humming, and Attina reading a weathered scroll.
The room was layered in sea-silk and iridescent shells, with cushioned coral benches and a central table made of polished driftwood and glowing pearls.
As Ariel led Lucian in, the soft hum of conversation came to an immediate halt. Six heads turned in sync.
Adella gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her chest. "Oh… my… coral."
Arista's eyes widened. She leaned toward Alana. "Is that him? That's him, right?"
Alana tilted her head, sizing Lucian up with a slow, approving smile. "He's even more handsome than you described, Ariel."
Ariel nearly tripped over her fins. "Wh—what?! I didn't describe him!"
"You didn't have to," Aquata said, swimming over with her arms crossed and a smirk. "The way you lit up talking about him said everything."
Lucian blinked slowly. "...This is quite the welcome."
Flounder swam up and muttered, "Welcome to chaos."
Ariel groaned, hiding her face. "Can we just—not do this right now?"
"Oh no, we must," Arista said, circling like a shark that smelled gossip. "We've been waiting all morning."
Adella clasped her hands together and swam straight up to Lucian. "Hi! I'm Adella. Sooo nice to finally meet you." She leaned in slightly and whispered loudly to Ariel, "He smells like driftwood."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"
Aquata waved from behind. "I'm Aquata—and Ariel hasn't shut up about you since she got back from the surface."
"Aquata!" Ariel hissed, hiding her face behind her hair.
"Guilty," Andrina muttered.
Arista chuckled. "Ariel, you didn't mention he was this charming."
Adella swirled around Ariel teasingly. "And tall. And mysterious."
"Okay, stop!" Ariel groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. "You're all being ridiculous!"
Then, like a mischievous bubble, Simba popped up beside Lucian, gave a happy chirp-roar, and did a little spin in the water.
"Awww!" Alana gasped. "Look at him!"
"He's adorable!" Adella squealed, floating closer.
"What is that adorable thing?" Alana asked.
"He's called Simba," Ariel explained, catching him as he tried to go after Flounder's tail again. "And he's a bit of a handful—hey! No biting!"
Aquata swam in, cooing. "Who's a cute little fish lion? You are! Look at those teeth!"
"Wait," Attina said suddenly, her gaze narrowing. She floated closer, eyes trained on Simba. "That shape… those fins…"
The others quieted as Attina leaned down, her expression puzzled.
She whispered, "A merlion…?"
Everyone blinked.
Attina looked up, her brow creased. "If I remember correctly… merlions went extinct the same year the Tideborns vanished."
Ariel's eyes widened. "But that was—centuries ago…"
Lucian said nothing.
The moment hung in the water, thick with tension. Then Simba yawned and curled up in Ariel's arms, letting out a bubbly squeak.
"Okay, cutie overload!" Adella said, floating upside-down as she tried to pet Simba's fin. "I can't take it—he's too precious!"
Ariel laughed nervously. "Well—Simba gets tired easily, so maybe we should let him rest soon."
"So when's the wedding?" Aquata turned to Ariel and asked.
"W-What wedding?" Ariel stammered, covering her face. "We invited him to tour the kingdom, that's all!"
"Mmhmm," Aquata hummed, nudging Adella. "So formal. 'We invited him.' Not, 'I invited him.'"
Ariel's face turned even redder. "Oh my gosh, you're all the worst!"
"And yet, you're blushing," Alana teased.
"Still blushing," Arista chimed in.
"You should've seen her yesterday," Andrina turned to Lucian and added slyly. "She kept combing her hair over and over. 'Do you think I should wear the coral necklace or the pearl one?'"
"ANDRINA!" Ariel shrieked, burying her face in her hands. "I'm going out."
"Oh no, you're not," Adella giggled. "Not until we get all the details. Like—how long have you known him? Do you like kelp ice cream? Do you want to hold his—"
"ADELLA!!!" Ariel's face was glowing red now.
Lucian turned to her, amused. "Should I pretend I didn't hear that?"
"Yes," Ariel mumbled.
"Too late," Andrina said. "He heard everything."
"Welcome to the family," Adella said cheerfully.
_____
[A/N: Yo, Phoenix here! Sorry for not uploading the past few days. I had my recognition day on Friday, then went to a beach resort over the weekend. I didn't have the energy to make chapters while on vacation—so yeah, that's that. Hehe.]