Page 31 of Seas and Scepters

Selene and I were alone in the pool, transformed, reborn, facing an uncertain future in a world I had only just begun to comprehend.But as we turned toward the depths, toward the glowing pathway that would lead us to her father's kingdom, I felt no regret—only anticipation for the life we would build together beneath the waves.

Hand in hand, we dove into the depths, leaving the world of humans behind.Ahead lay the Obsidian Deep, King Nereon's court, and whatever fate awaited a siren princess and her transformed prince.But whatever challenges we faced, we would face them together—two beings who had defied duty, destiny, and death itself for the sake of love.

The sea embraced us as we swam deeper, welcoming its daughter home and accepting its newest son.And in that moment, with Selene by my side and a new world opening before me, I knew that I had made the right choice—the only choice that could have brought true happiness to either of us.

I was no longer Prince Eirik of Vaelthorne.I was something new, something unprecedented—a bridge between worlds, just as Morgana had promised.And as we swam toward our future, I embraced that new identity with all my heart.

Chapter Nine

Selene

The journey home through the midnight waters was both familiar and strange.With each powerful stroke of my tail, memories flooded back—childhood races through coral mazes, hunts with my sisters in the kelp forests, solemn ceremonies in the palace's grand hall.Yet now Eirik swam beside me, his newly formed tail cutting through the water with surprising grace for one so recently changed.

I glanced at him often as we descended deeper into the abyss, watching his eyes widen at each new wonder.Schools of colorful fish parted before us, their scales painting glowing ribbons of light across his features.Gone were the scars that had marked him among humans.In their place, intricate patterns of bioluminescence traced across his skin—Morgana's mark of protection, adapted to his aquatic form.His tail gleamed with scales of deep sapphire and midnight blue, powerful and elegant.

"How are you feeling?"I asked, pausing our descent as we approached the border currents that marked my father's domain.

"Like I'm dreaming," he replied, his voice carrying differently underwater, richer somehow."It's overwhelming, but..."He reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers."I don't regret a single moment."

The warmth in his eyes gave me courage.What awaited us in my father's court, I didn’t know, but anxiety gripped my insides like a vice.King Nereon was not known for mercy or forgiveness.Yet here was Eirik, who had surrendered his human life, his noble birthright, everything he knew—all for me.Surely even my father's cold heart couldn't remain unmoved by such sacrifice.

"We're nearly there," I said, pointing toward the distant glow on the ocean floor."The Obsidian Deep."

As we swam closer, the true majesty of my homeland revealed itself.The palace rose from the darkest part of the ocean floor, a sprawling structure carved from black volcanic stone and living coral.Towers spiraled upward, connected by graceful arches that seemed to defy the water's pull.Windows of polished abalone shell caught and refracted what little light reached these depths, creating an ethereal aurora around the entire complex.

"It's beautiful," Eirik breathed."More magnificent than any castle above the waves."

"This is where I was born," I told him, a sudden swell of emotion tightening my chest."Where I grew up, trained to become a hunter of men.And now I return, bringing the one human I was meant to kill."

He squeezed my hand."We face your father together."

We swam toward the main gates, where guards in armor fashioned from shark skin and polished shell immediately recognized me.Their expressions shifted from shock to alertness as they raised their tridents in formal salute.

"Princess Selene," the captain stammered."You...return to us."

"I do," I said, my voice steadier than I felt."And I bring my chosen consort, Prince Eirik of Vaelthorne, to meet with the king and queen."

Murmurs rippled through the guards.One whispered to another, and I caught fragments: "...the failed thirteenth...""...human prince...""...the king's wrath..."

The captain regained his composure and signaled to the others."The court will be assembled immediately.Please follow me."

As we passed through the grand archway into the palace proper, servants and courtiers scattered before us, some openly staring, others hastily bowing before swimming away—no doubt to spread word of my return.I held my head high, though my heart hammered in my chest.I had left in disgrace, cast out by my father's curse.I returned reborn—not just physically, but in spirit.The Selene who had hunted Eirik's ship no longer existed.

"They fear you," Eirik observed quietly as we moved through corridors of polished stone inlaid with precious metals and gems from shipwrecks collected over centuries.

"They fear the king," I corrected."And what my return might mean."

We were led through the Grand Concourse, a massive hall where hundreds of my kind gathered for celebrations and ceremonies.Today it was nearly empty, with only a few nobles and advisors hastily assembling along the sides.At the far end stood the twin thrones—massive structures carved from the rarest black pearl, inlaid with gold and adorned with living sea anemones that swayed gently in the current.

Upon those thrones sat my parents.King Nereon, imposing with his silver-blue tail and long silver hair that moved like living mercury around his stern face.The Trident of Power gleamed in his right hand, pulsing with ancient magic.Beside him, Queen Thalassa, my mother, watched our approach with inscrutable sapphire eyes, her midnight-blue tail curled elegantly beneath her, her long blue-black hair adorned with silver seaweed and smaller versions of the crown pearls that encircled my father's brow.

I felt Eirik's tension as we approached the dais.No human had ever stood before the rulers of the Obsidian Deep and lived to tell of it.Yet here he was, no longer fully human but reborn by love and ancient magic.

We stopped at the appropriate distance and I bowed deeply, motioning for Eirik to do the same.

"Father.Mother."My voice echoed in the vast hall."I have returned."

For a long moment, only the gentle current and the distant song of whales filled the silence.Then my father's voice rumbled forth, deep as an ocean trench.

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