In the royal dining room, as the five princesses arrived, the guards and maids bowed low. "Princesses," they said to the girls then bowed again for Clara. "Your highness."
Clara smiled and waved her hand. "Please, rise." They stood and the girls all turned and bowed formally to their parents.
"Good morning, Your Majesties."
Queen Haisly smiled. "Rise, my daughters."
They each took their place at the long coral dining table, glittering with shells, fruit and glimmering plates. The table was a masterpiece of the deep, laden with succulent sea-grapes, sweet shimmering kelp cakes and bowls of glowing nectar that tasted like sunshine and salt.
As they began to eat, Kelly glanced around, her fork hovering over a piece of star-fruit.
"Did… um… did anyone else feel the water last night ? It got all hot and weird in my room."
Mini and Pebs exchanged a knowing look… then burst into laughter, their giggles sending bubbles spiraling toward the ceiling. Clara narrowed her eyes, wagging her finger with a mischievous glint in her gaze, then waved her hand.
POOF !
In a flash of sparkling sea-foam, Pebs was now a plush fish and Mini, a squishy stuffed seahorse. They drifted aimlessly for a moment, their stuffed button eyes wide and unblinking.
"Aw !" Shelly giggled, reaching out to poke the plush Mini.
"I want one !" Kelly clapped, delighted by the sudden transformation.
The King cleared his throat, the sound echoing off the high coral arches. "Clara… behave."
"Sorry," she said sweetly, snapping her fingers again. Mini and Pebs poofed back, dazed and dramatic, clutching their heads as if they'd just returned from another dimension.
Ariel turned to Cleo, eyes wide with curiosity. "So… what do humans look like ? I've only read about them in scrolls, and the drawings are always so smudged."
Cleo shrugged coolly, picking at her breakfast. "Ask Clara. She knows everything, remember ?"
Clara rolled her eyes but closed them gently, letting her magic pool in her palms. With her hands, she molded the water into a glowing, translucent shape of a human. She meticulously crafted the torso, the arms and then the strange, long appendages at the bottom.
"This is what they looked like," she said. Above the watery figure, she crafted a tiny, intricate ship sailing across the surface of the liquid sculpture.
Ariel tilted her head, swimming in a circle around the floating magic. "They're… different. And kind of funny-looking. Why do they have those two sticks at the bottom ?"
"They don't even have tails ! How do they move with those things ?" Shelly said, poking the water-legs of the human model.
"It looks so inefficient. Do they just… wobble along ?"
"They call it walking," Clara explained, her eyes soft as she watched her creation. "They use those legs to push against the ground. It's like swimming, but through the air."
Before long, the educational moment dissolved. Mini, recovered from being a stuffed animal, flicked a bit of sticky sea fruit right at Clara's face. It landed with a wet splat on her cheek. Clara blinked, the juice dripping down, then she smirked and flung it back with a flick of her wrist.
Suddenly, the four sisters and Pebs were in a full-scale flying-food war. Seaberries zoomed through the water like tiny cannonballs. Giggling and shrieking with joy, they tossed handfuls of soft algae and fruit across the table, dodging behind the high-backed coral chairs.
King Orion sighed deeply, shielding his plate from a stray berry and muttered, "She doesn't act like a Queen at all…"
Queen Haisly chuckled softly, watching Clara lead the charge with a bright laugh. "Give her time, my love. It's best she acts like this, or she'll send you flying away again with that temper of hers."
Once the chaos calmed and the table was a mess of colorful pulp and laughter, Queen Haisly turned to Ariel and Shelly. "And what will you two be doing today, hmm ?"
"We have our princess duties," Ariel chimed, smoothing her hair. "I'll be visiting the reef nursery to check on the baby dolphins. They're learning to whistle today !"
"And I have to supervise the coral artists carving the palace murals," Shelly added proudly. "The West Wing needs more sparkle."
Kelly sipped her juice, looking less than thrilled. "I've got school again. Coral culture and sea history. Boring. Why do I need to know what King Triton ate for breakfast a thousand years ago ?"
Queen Haisly smiled. "Very good. You're dismissed, girls."
Kelly turned to Clara before leaving, her eyes hopeful. "Before I go… make my crown bloom, please ?"
Clara grinned and flicked her fingers. Whoosh! Tiny, vibrant sea-anemones and glowing water-lilies bloomed gently around Kelly's headpiece like a living, breathing wreath.
"Thanks, flower witch !" Kelly pecked her cheek and swam off, her new crown glowing brightly.
Then, King Orion looked toward Cleo. The playful atmosphere shifted instantly. "Cleo," he said sternly. "You will take Clara to the Crystal Hall today. Her training must begin. Her powers are growing faster than she can guide them."
Cleo looked away, her posture stiff, but she eventually nodded.
"And…" the King added, his voice softening just a fraction, "you will help her, guide her and upport her."
Cleo's jaw tightened. The silence stretched between them until she finally whispered, "Yes, Father."
He looked her in the eye, ignoring the tension. "You were born first. The throne should've been yours by tradition. But the ocean chose Clara. And your anger will only separate you both. So try your best to not let that happen. You two are sisters and nothing should ever come between you two, not power, not the throne, not anyone. Am I clear ?"
Cleo bowed low, her face hidden. "Understood."
Clara's heart fluttered in her chest. She glanced at Cleo, her eyes wide and hopeful. This meant they'd be spending the whole day together ! Maybe they could finally talk like they used to.
The King nodded. "You're both dismissed." The sisters rose and began to swim toward the deep, shimmering chambers of the palace.