✔ᵉⁿᵍˡⁱˢʰ for the Throne [Aquaman | Orm Marius]✔

05

What Atlantis deserved and more than needed, much more, desperately needed, was a king, not a ruler. And exactly, there lay the problem. The current regent of the Atlantian kingdom was not a king, but a ruler. And that would never change, because Orm was a ruler. His immense drive for power, fame, recognition and wanting to rule made him forget, if he had ever known it at all, what it meant to rule and lead an empire.

Thus the following time and days in the Atlantian Empire could not be compared to those when Orvax was still king and ruled over Atlantis.

A new age had dawned. When Norvina told Orm that a king's reign rose and set like the sun, she had not meant that he had to do things differently than his father did to prove he was his equal, if not his superior.

"He is no longer a child, Vulko, not for a long time," at the foot of the throne Norvina took a long look up, exhaled panting, and then looked to the royal advisor, "He lacks the understanding that war, is not war. Not every war is necessary, not every war is justified. His war leads nowhere. It is an endeavor with no discernible goal, for there were reasons that centuries ago, the seas were divided into seven kingdoms."

"The time will come," Vulko placated, alluding to something, but Norvina believed in neither, "It always comes. Sometimes waiting, is the hardest thing we can do, you know it all too well Norvina."

Wait. Waiting. Watching. Letting it happen. How long? The more time passed, the closer Orm came to his goal of raising an army and preparing for his future war.

It could be assumed that Nereus, who ruled over the Xebel kingdom, would be on Orm's side and share his views. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to his daughter Mera becoming Orm's future wife and queen over Atlantis. No father would do this.

☬

The disappearance of Mera, of course, did not go unnoticed and least of all Orm. Where the future queen disappeared to, however, from her point of view, clandestinely and secretly, not even a handful of people would know.

In the last few days, it was clear that Nereu's daughter had all kinds of secrets, and that Vulko might be involved in them. Whatever the two discussed, if no stranger was watching or listening, it did not last long, because it was only a few words that the two exchanged with each other, so as not to cause a stir or that someone would become suspicious.

And as Norvina knew Vulko and thanks to the last conversations with him, knew that he also rather disliked the current situation. Many felt the same way, but nothing would change that quickly unless the rumors that were not rumors would come in.

"Just a moment," on the way back to her room, after the little chat with Vulko in the throne room, Orm held Norvina by the upper arm as she passed in the corridors and sent the guard accompanying him on, "We have to talk."

"I don't see what Your Highness has to talk about," Norvina replied sugary sweetly and a smile appeared on her face, Orm's hand continuing to grip her arm so she knew she couldn't avoid this conversation, "Very well."

"I have a question for you," the undertone Orm possessed made an uneasy feeling arise in Norvina and that he only turned his head towards her did not make it any better, "Is Vulko loyal to the throne?"

"He is loyal to Atlantis," Norvina replied, which had more implications than anyone might assume, "His loyalty is to Atlantis."

Simultaneously, after Norvina had spoken, Orm's facial features changed minimally. Whatever her words had caused or triggered, it had been more than a minor thing. It was much more. Something tightened and solidified his thought. Whatever it might be, soon it would surface and reveal what had been growing for years.

"Orm?" one, one very last thing remained for Norvina to say, for who knew what it would soon look like, "It is a pity that nothing remains of the boy of old, for this, I have always loved."

It had taken too long for Norvina to understand what Orm's question to her had really meant. What the true intention behind it was. Distrust. Distrust coupled with paranoia.