Arms of the Ocean

Ascension

His father, on the other hand...

The King of Inara sat as still as stone upon his throne, but his eyes were set ahead, waiting for the Elders to appear and take their seats. His face remained neutral, showing nothing as to what the meeting was about, nor he had not answered any of Imriel's questions upon his arrival. Instead, his father had gestured towards the chair beside his wife, and handed the young Prince his crown.

The crown of silver that was twisted like waves cresting on the ocean.

The crown he rarely, if ever, wore.

His father's hand that usually stroked his beard was instead holding a piece of parchment, and what was written on it was anyones guess, but Imriel noticed how taunt his hands were. His caramel brown eyes, kind and typically playful, instead were serious. And that, honestly was what worried him the most. His father was rarely so serious.

The sound of the doors opening tore Imriel's attention away from his parents.

"Finally!" He growled exasperatedly, swinging in his seat as the three elders filed into the

room. Neither of his parents moved to greet them, though he ignored the soft noise his mother made in protest of his behavior. But Imriel ignored it. The wait was over. Now they could get this stupid meeting over...

Roan, Loch's father, and the Elder he knew best due to the fact that Loch was a War General - and Imriel's best friend, took the center seat. To his right, sat Brennan, a golden-haired selkie who had aged like a fine wine. Her features were sharp, her skin mostly free of wrinkles except the crow's feet near her eyes which spoke of the wisdom she had gained over the years. The third and final elder, Quinn, sat to Loch's left. Even though meetings were typically serious, Imri could always count on him to bring humor to the table. But today, his eyes were void of its sparkling laughter. Today, they were solemn, just like Brennan's and Roan's.

There was something in Roan's hand. Imri focused on it. A letter of some sort...

A sanguine seal stained the white letter. And even though it had been broken, Imri felt his breath catch as he recognized it.

The Realm. A letter from the Realm.

Some years before his birth, when his Grandparents were still the King and Queen of Inara -

When Inara was still on the surface, part of the great Water Kingdom, before the King and Queen had invoked the ancient magic that had sank Inara to the safety of the bottom of the ocean. They had invoked that magic to escape the control of the Realm.

Roan followed Imriel's gaze. He flicked open the letter.

"Another letter from the Realm," his father said quietly. It wasn't a question. A statement. To start the discussion.

Brennan nodded. "There is a Midsummer's Night Festival they are hosting. The royal family has been invited."

It wasn't the first time they had been invited. It didn't matter. Inara had broken away from the Realm's grasp. They couldn't reach them here. The magic that surrounded Inara, protected it from the Realm's grasp. There was only one way into Inara, the secret passageway in the Grotto. And even though only those who could breath underwater could make the journey, ancient runes protected the entrance. Only those who mean no ill will to Inara could enter. So far there hadn't been any visitors from the Realm, and Imri didn't expect there would be anytime soon.

Still, their letters seemed to always make find their way into the Elder's hands.

Imriel leaned back in the chair. "So why the meeting then? Ignore it like we always do. We have our own Midsummer's Night Festival to attend."