But Clara's heart stayed heavy. She looked toward Kai, who was talking to the guards he would choose. Her stomach twisted into a knot of nerves and longing. She watched the way he moved, so sure of himself, so ready to face the unknown for the sake of her kingdom.
She wanted to run to him, to tell him to stay, or better yet, to take her with him. But she was the future Queen now and Queens didn't run away into the dark trenches, they stayed behind and looked the part.
She smiled… but inside, she was scared. She was scared for Kai, scared for Cleo and scared that she wasn't the leader everyone thought she was. When all this was done, Clara floated near the palace gates, after the council meeting she had. She hid from her guards and parents.
Everyone was still talking and planning so no one saw her leave. The palace was a beehive of activity, with messengers darting in and out and elders arguing over maps outside the palace.
It was the perfect time for a quiet exit.
"Come on," Clara whispered to Mini and Pebs, who were hovering anxiously near a large brain-coral pillar. "Just a quick swim. I need to get out of the palace for a bit. My head is spinning with all this talk of poison and missing fish."
They swam away, but just as they left the palace gates, two royal guards flanked her, their armor gleaming with the light of the palace pearls. "Your Highness, we'll accompany you," said one firmly. He was a tall merman with a scar across his nose, looking every bit the serious protector.
Clara nodded, trying to look regal. "Fine, but stay back a little, alright ? I just want some peace and quiet."
They swam together into the open waters, with Mini and Pebs darting through loops and kelp rings to entertain her. The water outside the palace felt different, vibrant and free. Clara kicked her tail, feeling the rush of the current against her scales.
She floated way up to the surface and far from the palace but she kept her distance from the surface as her father refused them to be too closer. He had always told stories of the "Dry World" being a place of danger and death, but today, the blue sky visible through the water looked like a dream she wanted to touch.
Suddenly....
"Rrr-rrr-rrrk—EHHHHHHHH !"
A strange, low grinding sound echoed from the distance. It wasn't the song of a whale or the groan of shifting tectonic plates. It was sharp, metallic and completely alien to the sea.
Clara froze mid-stroke. "Did you hear that ?"
"I heard it ! That wasn't just a whale song," Pebs said, hiding behind her fin, her big eyes darting around in fear.
Mini narrowed his seahorse eyes, his tiny tail curling tight. "It came from the trench beyond the coral ridge…"
Clara turned toward the sound. The curiosity in her chest burned brighter than her fear. "Let's check it out."
The guards swam in front of her instantly, blocking her path with their long, pointed tridents. "No, Princess. That's the Forbidden Zone. We're under orders not to go there. The currents are unpredictable and the creatures there are not friendly."
Clara's eyes narrowed. She was tired of being told no. "But I'm the future Queen. I just want to look. I need to know what is making that sound if it's threatening our borders."
"Our orders come from the King and Queen," the second guard said. "Not even you are allowed beyond that border, Highness. Please, let us return to the palace safety."
Pens zipped around them, trying to create a distraction. "Come on, she just wants a peek ! Just one little look won't hurt anyone !"
"Yeah !" Mini chimed in, puffing out his chest. "We're not going to attack a sea monster ! We're just explorers !"
Clara sighed, looking at the distant dark waters ahead where the strange sound continued to rumble. "I said stand down. That's an order."
"No," said the guard again, firm. He didn't move an inch.
She frowned, gently placing her fingers together. She felt the warmth of the Liraen Heart pulsing, responding to her frustration. Magic began to dance at her fingertips, silver and bright. "I'm sorry then, but you leave me with no choice."
She closed her eyes and whispered a chant that seemed to flow naturally from her soul, a song of the deep frost, "Tides of stillness, depths of cold, bind these warriors, brave and bold. By the light of the Liraen Heart, freeze in place, do not depart !" With a flick of her glowing fingers, a soft wave of glittery magic washed over the guards.
They blinked, their expressions of duty softening into surprise and then they froze mid-swim. They weren't hurt, but they were stuck like statues, unable to move a single fin, floating like beautiful, motionless ornaments in the water.
"Clara !" Mini whispered, his mouth hanging open. "That was… kind of awesome. And a little scary, are they stuck like that forever ?"
"Not really," Clara said, her voice full of guilt as she looked at the frozen guards. "They're just resting. But we don't have time. Let's go, quick !"
With that, the three swam as fast as their fins could take them toward the Forbidden Zone. The water grew colder and the light from above seemed to dance in strange patterns. As they rose toward the surface, bubbles trailing behind them like tiny stars, they broke through a thick kelp curtain and gasped.
Floating just above the sea's surface was a giant ship. It was unlike anything Clara had ever imagined. Rusted and eerie, it creaked and groaned as if it had been asleep for centuries, its massive metal hull casting a dark, terrifying shadow over the reef below. Strange lights blinked on its deck and a thick, dark liquid dripped from its side, smelling of smoke and disgusting to them.
"What is that ?" Pebs said, her voice shaking so hard she almost lost her grip on a piece of kelp.
Clara floated higher, her heart hammering against her ribs. She was so close to the surface now that she could feel the warmth of the sun on the top of her head.
"We're not supposed to be here but… I've never seen anything like this. It looks like the weird thing Ariel, Cleo and I found when we were kids except that this one is bigger. In dad's book, it is called a ship. Humans use it to swim in our oceans because they don't have the ability to breathe underwater like we do. It's like a giant, floating island made of iron. Come on let's get a closer look !"
She wanted to touch it. She wanted to know what was inside that mountain of metal. But before she could swim any closer....
"Princess Clara !"
The sound of her name was like a crack of thunder. Several more royal guards appeared from behind the kelp, their tridents raised and eyes wide with pure panic. They hadn't been frozen and they looked horrified.
"No !" one shouted, his voice echoing underwater. "Back away from the surface ! It's a trap !"
Two of them grabbed Clara gently but firmly by the arms, their grip like iron.
"Wait just one look !" Clara protested, trying to twist away, her eyes fixed on the strange lights of the human ship. "I need to see, something is up there ! I have to know what's in it !!"
But the guards didn't listen. They pulled her back, their powerful tails churning the water into a frenzy of bubbles. Mini and Pebs circled nervously, squeaking in protest but unable to stop the momentum.
"Princess, this is not safe. We were ordered to keep you from danger and that... thing is the greatest danger of all," said the leader of the new guard team, his face grim.
And just like that, they pulled her away from the ship… and back into the heart of Aquaria. Clara looked back one last time, seeing the ship disappear into the mist of the surface. She felt a strange pull toward it, a feeling that her destiny wasn't just under the waves, but somehow tied to that giant, rusted beast. What was that thing doing here ?