flashback
The castle doors were being pushed open and the guards were losing strength and struggling to keep the intruders from pushing past the doors. In the far end of the castle stood the queen holding her baby girl in her arms protectively.
"The intruders are pushing past the guards!" one of the guards shouted. The queen held a dumbfounded princess tightly, shivering in fear of the scene unfolding.
The King swam towards his queen and princess. The King gave his queen a sad look. The queen started crying silently, knowing what her king meant.
"I'm sorry my queen." the king apologized, with a croak in his voice. "oh, my baby." the Queen cried. The King wrapped his arms around his queen and baby. "Aarren..." she didn't get to finish before the king said, "I know my love, I'm very sorry,"he said crying himself.
The baby girl in the queen's arms tilted her head in confusion. The queen chuckled at her daughter's adorable reaction to the situation. One of the guards swam towards his rulers.
"excuse me your majesty but the doors can't hold on for much longer, the intruders are breaking down the doors," he said after bowing respectively.
The King and queen nodded their heads and looked down at their baby. The King laid his forehead against his daughters and said, "Ocean my beloved daughter. It breaks my heart that you'll grow up and I won't see it, but it must be done for your safety." He looked at his queen and said, "take her away my queen, I will hold them off as best as I can. And no matter what you hear, just keep swimming." grabbing his trident.
The queen nodded her head and began swimming out of the castle doors as fast as her tail will allow her. Once she was out of the city she began swimming to the shore.
She peeked her head out of the water. She looked left and right. Once she saw there was no one around she swam in the direction of the beach.
As she swam in the distance she saw an elderly man sitting by the water with an elderly woman looking about the same age as him.
She swam in their direction. The couple looked to be lost in the moment when "excuse me." the queen said with a soft voice. The couple looked in her direction, curious about who she is.
"Hello, how can we help you?" the woman asked. The Queen rose out of the water showing herself. The couple looked shocked to see her as they did.
Their gaze then landed on the baby girl in her arms, sleeping peacefully. "oh, what a cute little thing you are." the woman said smiling. Her smile dropped when she saw tears in the queen's eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you." she quickly apologized. The queen shook her head. "no, it's not you, it's just...my baby is in danger." she said.
The couple's attention was now on the Queen. They looked worried. "what kind of danger?" the man asked. "There is a threat after her. She is not safe back at the castle so the only safe place is the opposite of water," she answered.
The couple nodded not pushing the topic further. "If it isn't too much trouble, I would like the two of you to look after Ocean in my king and I's absence?" the Queen asked in a dry voice.
The couple nodded then the Queen gave her daughter to her human guardians. "Is Ocean her name?" the man asked. The queen nodded wiping away tears. "my name is Frankie and this is my wife Agnetha." he introduced.
"My name is crystal and you've already met Ocean." she introduced. The queen sniffling stroked her daughter's silver hair, treasuring these last few minutes with her only daughter. The moment was interrupted when Agnetha asked, "do you have instructions on how we should take care of your daughter?"
The queen nodded and said, "yes" while pulling out a scroll. She gave it to Frankie and said, "everything you need to know about who we are and what is happening is on that scroll. Including how to take care of Ocean."
The couple nodded. The queen sighed and said, "well, I better be going back. My city needs me and my king can't hold on to the intruders alone so I must go now." looking at Ocean with wary eyes one last time.
She kissed her forehead and said, "see you soon my precious." with a croak.
Just when she was about to jump back into the water another body swam in her direction. She paused looking around the water for movement. The couple looked perplexed while the Queen put her guard up.
The body rose and out came the queen of mystic isles. "Amethyst," she said with a sigh of relief.
Amethyst looked at crystal with red eyes and nose. She went to go hug her then looked at what she had in her arms. "you too?" she asked in a sad voice. Amethyst nodded her head and revealed a baby boy in her arms.
"I have to keep my little boy safe...but it hurts how it must be done. This isn't fair crystal. Not to my baby...not to your baby...not to our cities. This is...cruel." she cried holding her son tightly.
"I know amethyst...but you know what must be done." crystal said with a soft voice. Amethyst nodded and looked at Frankie and Agnetha with red eyes. She looked at Ocean in Agnetha's arms and asked, "these are her new human guardians?" looking at crystal.
She nodded and she asked again, " is there a couple who is willing to take care of my little prince?" Frankie and Agnetha looked shocked but nodded. "who?" She asked with faithful gaze at the dumbfounded couple. "Joshua and carol," Frankie answered.
"can you call them for me please?" she asked then Frankie nodded. He walked to the cabin just above the water and returned with two people trailing behind him.
"This is Joshua and carol, Joshua and carol, Amethyst." Frankie introduced. The two stepped closer and eyed crystal and amethyst.
She swam closer stretching her arms out for them to take her son. Carol took him with the scroll in their hands. "take good care of them, feed them, clothe them and give them love. Be the parents we can only wish to be." crystal instructed as they nodded their heads.
Before the queens jumped in the water carol asked, "what is his name?" "Cid," Amethyst answered.
Crystal then said, "This mermaid and merman you are holding are the heirs of the Atlantic and mystic isles. Ocean is Atlantic and cid is mystic. They were chosen by the mists to rule the two cities alongside one another. The future of the ocean depends on them, that's why it is important to keep an eye on them or the ocean, possibly the world is no more." she explained.
The four humans looked stunned. " that's a big responsibility, are you sure you don't want someone more experienced?" Agnetha asked with panic in her voice. The Queens shook their heads.
"No, we trust you completely. I know we just met and it's weird that you get called out to the beach empty-handed and go back home with a baby in your arms. But we can tell that you all will fulfill our wishes of looking after our only hope to a peaceful world." crystal said.
A big wave came splashing on them. The four humans were saturated with the two babies. "the massacre has begun, we must hurry back to the cove." amethyst said with urgency.
"yes, let's go." she agreed. she looked back at the four guardians and said, "thank you. And one more thing, they
must never know of their true identities. not even your kind must know that mermaids exist." crystal said with a stern voice.
They nodded their heads and watched the Queen's jump back in the water. The four humans walked back to Atlantic bay, which is where our story begins.—
