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Ariana was surprised when Victor whistled for the humpback whale. The gentle giant appeared in front of them within minutes of him calling.
“I thought you said it was lazy to ride on the whale’s back. Didn’t you tell me I should swim myself and leave the poor animal alone?” Ariana asked.
“It is lazy. But it is also convenient when you are tired,” Victor said. He yawned again and laid down on the whale’s back. Ariana stood there, still unsure if she should follow.
“Are you coming or not? Or do you want to swim there?” Victor asked.
“You don’t have to ask me twice!” Ariana said happily.
The ocean was tranquil and calm. There was hardly any ripple in the water. Victor watched the water lazily, while the whale swam wherever he told it to go. Ariana sat next to him, waving at all the creatures that were swimming by. Every single creature waved back at her.
“You will make a great queen one day,” Victor observed.
“I can’t even do any magic yet. How can you tell?” Ariana asked.
“All the creatures seem to like you,” he replied.
“Being a queen is not about being liked by everyone,” Ariana said.
“So it is not a popularity contest?” Victor joked. “I always thought it was.”
“My father says it is about being a true leader,” Ariana said. “It is about doing the right thing even when it is hard.”
“Your father’s criteria would do me no good,” Victor said.
“Really... why not?” Ariana asked.
“I am a morally grey creature, if you haven’t noticed already.. and I like to stay that way.” Victor replied. “I go with whatever decision is most profitable to me.”
“I believe when the time comes, Victor, you will make a decision that will be best for everyone, and not just yourself,” Ariana said.
“Is that so? You have more faith in me than I expected,” Victor said. “I don’t know what to do with this knowledge.”
“For one, believe it,” Ariana said, laughing. “and two, don’t let me down.”
“I won’t upset the future Queen,” Victor said, with a bow. “... even if I love doing the unexpected.”
“You didn’t tell me where we are going? I have never been this far before,” Ariana asked.
“I didn’t expect you to, that is why I am taking you there. We are going where it is probably forbidden for you to go... the dark lands... area owned by my own dear mother,” Victor said.
“We are in Ursula’s territory? Can I go there without her permission?” Ariana asked, worried.
“You have full immunity, since you are arriving in the company of her only son. The dark prince of the dark lands,” Victor replied.
“I hope that you are right,” Ariana replied.
Victor didn’t tell her what happened to creatures who went to the dark lands without permission from the sea witch. They became stone ornaments for her garden.
Victor thought they would go undetected, and it was unlikely that his mother would ever find out. He didn’t remember the scouts the sea witch kept on her borders. One of them detected Ariana and Victor and went to inform Ursula right away.
The whale kept swimming until it reached the edge of a kelp forest. Victor gave a bow to the giant creature, thanking it for saving them from a tiring journey.
“There is nothing ahead but a kelp forest.. how will we get through it?” Ariana asked.
“O Ye of little faith, just stay right behind me,” Victor said with a grin.
Ariana didn’t ask any further questions, and followed Victor into the deep, dark kelp forest. She was amazed when the kelp parted to make a path ahead of Victor.
She swam close to him, afraid of getting left behind. Ariana did not want to get tangled in the serpent-like kelp. It was so dark in there that Ariana could barely see even a few feet ahead of them. Finally, the kelp forest ended, and opened up to a vast field.
“Where are we, Victor?” Ariana asked.
“We are in the jellystar field,” he replied.
“Jellystar! But they sting mermaids.. what are we doing here?” Ariana asked, surprised.
“We are going to see a natural wonder. One you will never forget,” Victor said.
Ariana liked all the creatures of the ocean. She even tried to like jellystars, but their stings were painful. She learned that lesson early in her life when she tried to play with them.
“I hope you know what you are doing, Victor.. “Ariana said, worried.
“For once, I do,” Victor replied. “We are here.”
He pointed Ariana to the open field ahead. There were thousands of floating jellystars. Ariana thought they looked so tranquil. They were dancing, spinning up and down to some unheard melody.
“I have never seen so many jellystars before,” Ariana said in amazement.
“Would you like to touch one?” Victor asked.
“No.. it will hurt,” Ariana replied.
“Why don’t you touch that one?” Victor said, pointing to the smallest one. The jellystar he was pointing to was smaller than Ariana’s finger.
“You know you want to try it,” Victor said, again.
Maybe these jellystar didn’t sting. That is why he was telling her to touch it? Ariana thought. She looked at the teeny jellystar and thought it looked squishy and soft. She reached out her finger and gave it the gentlest of pokes.
“Ouch!” Ariana said, when the jellystar she touched stung her. She looked at her finger, which was now red and swollen.
“Wow, I didn’t think you would actually trust me like that,” Victor said, laughing.
“That was mean, Victor.. Why wouldn’t I trust you?” Ariana said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have..”
“Here, let me take care of that,” Victor said, as he reached for Ariana’s hand.
Ariana’s heart was beating fast. For a moment, she thought Victor was going to kiss her hand. Instead, Victor gently blew on her finger, and Ariana watched it heal. It was no longer red, nor was it hurting anymore.
“See.. it is all better now,” Victor said, smiling.
“Well.. it g..got like that b..because of you,” Ariana stuttered. “Don’t expect me to thank you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Victor said, innocently. "But next time someone asks you to do something, ask more questions before doing it."
Ariana frowned, but said nothing. Victor thought that Ariana looked cute being angry. He knew Ariana was already annoyed with him, but he still wanted to tease her some more.
“Do you see the jellystar over there? The biggest and blobbiest one, Ariana?” Victor asked.
“Yes...” Ariana said, dreading what Victor would say next.
“I want you to poke it,” Victor said.
“Why would I do that?” Ariana said. "Give me one good reason."
Victor really was too much sometimes, Ariana thought.
“Just do it, and you will see,” Victor replied. He was having too much fun with Ariana.
“You told me to ask questions, and then you didn't answer them. Why?” Ariana asked.
“Sometimes you have to trust your gut feelings. Are you going to touch that giant jellystar or not?” Victor asked. Ariana hesitated, but she would not leave Victor’s challenge unanswered. She was no coward.
“Ok.. but if I die, you will have to deal with my father,” Ariana said, glaring at Victor.
“I will do that,” Victor said, smiling. "I will personally give the sea king my condolences."
Ariana glared at Victor.
Ariana swam towards the big jellystar that Victor had asked her to poke. It was as big as her. She looked at Victor, who kept smiling. Ariana took a deep breath and touched the jellystar.
Ariana had closed her eyes in fright but she opened them when she didn’t feel any jellystar sting. She looked at Victor in amazement. She poked the giant jellystar again. It was as soft and squishy as she imagined it would be.
“This is amazing! Why does this one not sting?” Ariana asked, surprised.
“It still does. My magic is protecting you,” Victor said, laughing.
“What! Why didn’t you do that the first time?” Ariana said, angrily.
“It was more fun this way,” Victor said. "How else could I have seen your delightful expressions?"
Ariana stuck her tongue out at Victor. “You are annoying.”
“Thank you! I wasn’t even trying,” Victor teased.
Now that Ariana didn’t fear being stung, she played with the jellystar again. She swam around them and copied them as they spun up and down.
“There is one last thing I want to show you,” Victor said. Ariana raised her eyebrows to ask what, but Victor told her to wait and see.
Victor whistled a soft tune. All the jellystar stopped to listen to his melody. He whistled one more time, and Ariana watched in amazement, as one by one, the jellystar started glowing. Each jellystar glowed like a little star in the human world’s night sky. Ariana felt she was swimming in a field of twinkling stars.
“They are glowing! Why are they doing that? I have never seen them glow before,” Ariana asked in amazement.
“No one goes close enough to them, because they fear being stung,” Victor said. “No one tries to communicate with them either. They are answering to my whistle. This is how they communicate with us.”
Victor amazed Ariana. She thought that Victor saw the world in his own unique way, so he made discoveries no one had seen before.
“You are amazing, Victor,” Ariana said, smiling.
“What did you just say?” Victor said, in a low voice. He was caught off-guard by Arianna’s compliment and became slightly flustered. His heart was beating like crazy.
Ariana swam closer to him.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Victor,” Ariana said, blushing. “I would have never known about this wonderful place, if you hadn’t shown me.”
“Y..You’re welcome,” Victor said.
Ariana thought Victor looked cute when he blushed. She had never seen him be nervous before. Ariana and Victor swam back to the kelp forest in silence. Once outside, Victor whistled for the whale again.
“I had a really good time,” Ariana said. "Thank you."
“Me too,” Victor said. He gathered his strength... maybe now he could tell Ariana how he felt about her?
“I wanted to tell you something..” Victor said, his voice shaky.
“What did you want to tell me?” Ariana asked.
“I wanted to say.. I wanted to say.. I have to go. I will see you later, Ariana,” Victor said.
Ariana watched in surprise as Victor swam away. She was sure that Victor wanted to tell her something. She saw him swim a bit further before vanishing completely.
Victor was cursing his luck as he made his way back to his mother’s castle. He heard Ursula’s summon just when he was going to tell Ariana how he felt.
“Why did mother have to call me this very second?” he grumbled.
“Victor! Come to the castle at once!” his mother’s voice had said.
“You called for me, mother?” Victor said, appearing before Ursula.
“What is this I hear about you and Ariana roaming around the dark lands?” the sea witch asked.
Victor made a mental note of finding the scout who tattled on him. He wondered how the scout would feel about tattling once he turned him to a sea slug, Victor thought to himself angrily.
Ursula was sitting on her throne, and her pet sea serpents twisted and turned, swimming around her arms. She was wearing the dark crown that Victor had started to hate, because he knew what it cost her. The magic of the crown was costing her soul.
His mother looked just like him. They both had the same piercing gray eyes and dark hair. At least, Victor hoped that he looked as intimidating as his mother did.
“Are you surprised, mother?” Victor asked in a bored tone.
“My son, your diversion tactics will not work on me. Tell me the truth.. why were you with the sea king’s daughter?” the sea witch asked, angrily.
“The same reason I spend time with her cousins,” Victor replied. “For my entertainment.”
“Ariana is different from the sirens. I do not want to see her around the dark lands,” Ursula said.
“There is nothing special about her, mother,” Victor said. “She can’t even do any spells. She has no magic... she might as well be a mortal.”
“She can’t do magic yet. You forget she is still Brutus’s daughter,” Ursula said. “His only heir.”
“What she is or will become doesn’t matter to me,” Victor said.
“Then you should have no problem staying away from her?” Ursula said. “Consider this my final warning, Victor.”
Victor opened his mouth to retort but saw the expression on his mother's face. If he said something now, Ursula might hurt Ariana instead.
“I understand, mother. It will not happen again,” Victor replied.
“I hope it doesn’t. You know what happens if she comes again without my permission?” the sea witch cackled. “I will have a nice new addition to my castle’s garden collection.”
“And what will happen to me, mother? Surely, you will not turn your only son into a stone statue... though I confess, I would make the prettiest addition to your rock collection,” Victor said, coldly.
“Be quiet! I will not tolerate your insolence, Victor. I have other ways of punishing you. We will see if you still feel as confident with no magic,” Ursula said with a grin.
Without his magic, Victor would be highly vulnerable. He already has a long list of people that hated him because he was Ursula’s son. They might not kill him for fear of Ursula, but they could still make his life a nightmare.
The last time his mother took away his magic, Victor's enemies had given him horns on his head and enchanted his arms to become tentacles. Even if the horns and tentacles did nothing to diminish Victor's seductive appeal in the ocean. But still, they had been a nuisance.
“Forgive me, mother. It won’t happen again,” Victor said.
“Heed my warning, Victor. Stay away from the sea king’s daughter, if you know what is best for you,” Ursula warned.
Victor bowed his head before leaving for his bedroom.
Victor knew not to cross his mother. The sea witch was probably the most powerful creature in the ocean after the sea king. Only the sea king had two sources of power, one was his immortality ring, and the other was his trident. Brutus could use the trident to create storms and flood the surface.
Perhaps, Victor thought, his mother was even more powerful and dangerous than the sea king, for she was more ruthless and cunning.
After all the drama of the day, Victor was exhausted. He thought of going to bed right away. Victor hoped Ariana reached the castle safely. He felt terrible for speaking about her like that in front of his mother, but he lied to keep Ursula from knowing the truth.
Victor thought about how he nearly kissed Ariana’s hand today. He knew he would have to let Ariana know how he felt.
That he would have to let her know soon.
————-
Victor wanted to see Ariana but thought it was too soon to defy his mother’s orders. That didn’t mean that Victor couldn’t find a workaround for his little problem. He thought of visiting the siren sisters. Surely when he bumps into their cousin there, it wouldn’t be his fault?
Ariana was wondering about Victor’s abrupt departure the evening before, and the fact he didn’t come see her today. Victor was aloof and strange, Ariana thought. They have the most amazing day together and then he goes missing. Perhaps he was at the siren sisters’ lagoon today? She could go there without seeming like she was looking for him.
Ariana reached the siren sisters’ lagoon before Victor did. She saw the sisters huddled together, as if sharing a secret. Ariana stayed back, thinking it would be rude of her to interrupt their seeming private conversation. She was leaving to return later, when she heard the siren sisters say her name and Victor’s.
Ariana didn’t like eavesdropping, but she was curious to know what the sisters were saying about her and Victor.
“Did you hear Victor took Ariana to the dark lands?” Amber said in a hushed voice.
“I wonder why Victor would do that? Surely, he doesn’t mean to incite his mother?” Onyx asked.
“That must be it. I don’t even think that Victor likes Ariana all that much.. but she is forbidden fruit, being Brutus’s daughter,” replied Scarlet wickedly.
Ariana’s heart was beating fast. She knew the siren sisters had a mean streak, and that they adored Victor, which might cause their jealousy... but she still felt that they cared about her.
What they were saying was hard to hear, but Ariana admitted it felt it contained a grain of truth. Victor had paid no attention to Ariana before. What was the reason of his being so nice to her now? Ariana wondered.
Victor, the person in the center of their conversation, appeared before the siren sisters. It disappointed him that Ariana wasn’t there. He couldn’t leave the sisters abruptly without seeming rude, so he stayed.
“Onyx, Scarlet, and Amber. Just the people I wanted to see,” Victor lied.
“Is that so, Victor? I thought that you had a new companion to spend your time with?” Amber asked.
“Who are you talking about, Amber?” Victor asked, nonchalantly, though Ariana noticed he seemed a bit paler than before.
“Our dear cousin, Ariana. Rumor has it that you are spending a lot of time in her company. That you even took her to the dark lands?” Scarlet asked, her voice barely concealing the betrayal she felt.
“Ariana? I am surprised that you even paid attention to those rumors,” Victor replied laughing.
Ariana felt her heart sinking. She didn’t want to know what Victor would say next, but she couldn’t leave in case the siren sisters or Victor saw her.
“That is what I was asking my sisters. You must be doing it to tick off Ursula," Onyx asked. "Am I right, Victor?”
“Is the ocean blue? Of course that is the reason.” Victor answered.
“I heard that Ariana is really enjoying the times she spends with you, Victor?” Scarlet asked. Scarlet didn’t know for sure, but she wanted to hear what Victor would say.
“Of course she will have fun, she is with me," Victor said with a wicked grin.
"And are you having fun, Victor?" Scarlet asked again.
"Why wouldn't I? Ariana is so naïve. She believes anything I say," Victor said. "She probably thinks I am in love with her by now."
All the three sisters laughed together.
“You really are devious, Victor. Playing with Ariana’s heart like that. But you are right that she is hopelessly naïve... better the lesson comes from you than anyone else,” Onyx said, laughing. “At least, you can show what fun is supposed to look like.”
Victor laughed. Ariana was listening to their conversation but now felt like a fool for staying.
She felt deceived by Victor.
“Never again will I fall for his charms,” Ariana promised herself. “Never again will I trust Victor with anything, nor will I believe his lies.”
Ariana left the lagoon without seeing either the siren sisters or Victor. She had heard enough of their conversation today.
————
It was the second time in a few days that Victor absolutely loathed himself. He wished he had the courage to tell the siren sisters the truth, but he hadn’t told Ariana yet of how he felt about her.
His mission to find her at the sisters’ lagoon failed. He would have to find another way to see her tonight, with no one finding out and spreading more rumors. If only Victor had a magical solution to his problem.
“That’s it!” Victor smacked his head. “I will go see Ariana with the help of magic.”
Victor had been practicing appearing at different locations using his magic. He found a loophole in the ancient laws.
The ancient laws forbid appearing in different locations without the permission of another person. Victor’s workaround was that he would appear when the other person had no objections for him to do so. Victor would also promise he had no intention of harming them. The loophole he found would still guard the person’s privacy, keep them secure, and so Victor could appear at will.
Victor kept casting spells to find a time when Ariana wouldn’t object. He couldn’t find an opening until it was midnight.
Victor wasn’t sure where he would appear, so he braced himself. His mind warned if his plan failed, he would end up with his body being scattered in a million pieces across the ocean.
It was no use thinking about that... Victor knew that his heart had the upper hand over his mind lately.
“If Ariana has no objections, I would like to see her now,” Victor said as he cast a spell. He soon found himself in Ariana’s bedroom.
It was dark, but Victor could still see. Ariana was fast asleep in her bed.
He had never been in her bedroom before. Her canopied bed had the headrest shaped like a shell. There were various human knick knacks on her dresser, along with many pictures of the mortals on one board. She had Helena’s favorite music shell on the dresser next to her bed. Ariana was sprawled on her bed, her hair open, her face serene. She was a sleeping beauty.
Shoot! I didn’t think about her being asleep, Victor thought. He deep regretted not thinking about it before using his magic.
He was casting a spell to return, when he heard Ariana say his name. Victor’s heart started beating fast. Was she awake? Did she see him? What excuse could he give her for being there in her bedroom? Victor panicked.
Victor felt he would be dead soon. Ariana would surely call the guards, and her father would have him executed by dawn.
“Victor,” Ariana said again.
“Ariana.. I am sorry. I didn’t think my magic would bring me inside your bedroom,” Victor apologized profusely.
“Victor, I don’t want to touch the jellystar!” Ariana said.
Huh? Victor thought. He went closer to Ariana’s bed and saw that she was talking in her sleep.
Victor felt both immensely relieved and guilty. He looked at the small frown on her forehead. He felt guilty that it was because of him Ariana was having a nightmare.
Victor swam to Ariana and leaned down closer. Being this close to her, Victor was tempted to kiss Ariana to see if her lips were as soft as they looked, but he stopped himself. He pressed his lips gently on Ariana’s forehead to smooth away the crease that was bothering her.
“I promise I will be nicer to you, Ariana,” Victor whispered. Ariana’s face relaxed and Victor thought he saw her smile in her sleep.
Taking one last look at her serene, angelic face, Victor cast a spell to go back to Ursula’s castle. This was part two of the spell he was working on, to appear when no one else was there to provide assurance of his safety. He didn’t know if it will work.
Victor opened his eyes in his mother’s stone statue garden. He was relieved to see that he was still in one piece. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw the castle guard patrolling nearby. Victor stayed still, blending in with the other stone statues until the guard moved on to another spot.
That was too close, Victor thought.
He was glad to know he was right about his suspicions. Ursula had increased watch in her castle.
Victor wondered why the sea witch worried this much about a mermaid who couldn’t even do any magic spells yet. Victor didn’t realize that Ursula was worried about the spell Ariana was casting over her son’s heart.
Victor didn't know about the prophecy that kept the sea witch up at night.
———