Astrid is the crown princess of Atlantis, but she barely has time to worry about the kingdom with six younger sisters to watch over, especially with the youngest coming into her powers as a daughter of the sea to navigate time. When Astrid fears tha...
Further behind them, two more tails are making currents in the water. From this distance I can just barely make out the silver fin of my personal guard, Colleen, who I thought I left on the other side of my bedroom curtain.
And beside her is the larger, golden find of the guard in charge of all of us princesses, Fabio.
I blink once, twice. Those two loathe each other. How are they the ones swimming side-by-side after us, instead of at least Colleen should be still guarding outside my tower.
Unless, she never was... After all, Fabio wouldn't have gone back for reinforcements.
Pursing my lips, I turn to the young guardsman. "The moment my sisters pass through, close and lock the gate behind them. I don't care who comes and what they say, short of the king himself."
The boy nods, his eyes wide and dreadlocks floating around him.
Then I swim up to join Calypso, where she is scanning the ocean around us. Thankfully, it's a clear day- oceans above help us if the clouds prevented the sunlight from reaching us down here- and the waters are still. Despite the beauty of the day, not a lot of merfolk are swimming around their stone and coral towers. Fewer individuals to have witnessed a runaway princess- but also fewer hiding places for her to duck behind.
I chew on my bottom lip and scan the area as I create a plan for us to split up and search and leave no stone un-turned. She's small enough to not have gotten far.
But perhaps reckless enough to already be years away.
"Astrid!"
I whirl around, and see that my other four sisters have finally joined us. But both guards are also before me, somehow, clutching their arms to keep them from bridging the rest of the distance between the gate and me.
Narrowing my eyes, I glance at the young guardsman, but he seems to be hiding himself behind the now closed gate. Coward.
"What is the meaning of this, your highness?" Colleen demands, presumptuous in her view that she can question me- me, her queen as a peer because she thinks I view her as a confidante.
Like I even need a confidante with six sisters.
Fabio studies us all with narrowed his eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line, and even though I know he wouldn't dare verbalize such demands, it's obvious he's thinking them- and expecting an answer.
I don't have time for this- I'll deal with their disrespect later. But there are more important things at hand first. "Lena is missing, and it's possible that she's already taken a time current."
Fabio's eyes widen in horror, and then he glances at Colleen and something like shared guilt passes between them.
It's tragic that it takes my sister's disappearance to bring them into any sort of understanding.
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