Art submitted by Rphil8988. Thank you so much! It means a lot to me that you took the time to draw this for me!
Rose groaned as she held her head. She looked up and saw that she was surrounded by books.
"Where am I? Quirin?" Rose sat up and looked around for her husband. "Quirin? Lucia?"
She pushed herself up and started breathing heavily. She saw the Codex Semper on the ground in front of her so she quickly grabbed it, holding it to her chest.
"Quirin?!" Her panic set in.
She saw what looked to be the exit.
It was a circular blue door that looked to have a key hole without the hole. Flowers and vines surrounded the door.
Rose turned around with her back against the door, starting to hyperventilate.
She looked up at the huge glowing blue structure that towered over her.
"What is this place?" Rose asked herself as her eyes followed the spiral staircase that climbed the cylinder shape of the walls.
She then yelped as she fell backwards, the door having opened on its own by two circular panels rolling off to either side.
Rose looked up to see a blonde haired woman with green eyes looking down at her.
"Who are you?" The woman asked as she stepped back in shock.
"My name is Rosamund. I don't know where I am. Can you help me?" Rose asked quickly, desperately wanting to get back home.
"You're in the secret library under the palace of Enchancia. My name is Matilda, but please call me Tilly," the woman introduced as she helped Rose stand.
"Enchancia?" Rose quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes. You're in the kingdom of Enchancia. What kingdom are you from?" Tilly asked, as she looked at Rose curiously.
"I'm from the village of Old Corona," Rose explained, hoping this woman could help her get home.
"Old Corona? Where is that?" Tilly looked confused, not having heard of that village before.
"It's part of the kingdom of Corona. One of the seven kingdoms," Rose replied.
"I don't think I've ever heard of Corona or the seven kingdoms. Do you know how you got here?" Tilly asked, growing more and more curious as to who Rose was.
"I was in my lab with my husband and best friend. We were trying to open a portal to the Ever Realm, but it wasn't working. I opened this book called the Codex Semper and then I was here," Rose explained as she showed Tilly the book in her arms.
"That explains a lot! It did work! You're in the Ever Realm right now!" Tilly exclaimed as she threw her arms up into a v.
Rose's eyes went wide. "What?"
💧
Aqua was practically skipping towards the beach as she held Varian's hand.
"Someone's excited," the alchemist said jokingly with a light chuckle.
"Of course I am! I'm going to Atlantis with my birth parents and my boyfriend! Who wouldn't be excited?" Aqua beamed as she kissed his cheek.
Varian couldn't help but smile as he watched his girlfriend face, feeling his heart flutter at her gorgeous smile and the sparkle in her bright blue eyes.
Ruddiger was staying with Quirin because he couldn't go underwater without Aquaria's magic and it was just safer for him.
Once they arrived at the beach, Aqua bounded over to her parents with Varian.
"There you two are," Eret spoke with a light laugh. "Did you sleep in?"
"Sort of. This one didn't want to wake up," Varian explained as he poked Aquaria's cheek playfully.
Aqua grimaced at him before smiling at Livli and Eret. "Alright, so are we ready to go?"
"Yeah, but how exactly are we doing this?" Eret asked, wondering how he and Varian were gonna get down to Atlantis.
"That's where this comes in," Livli spoke as she grabbed a bag of kelp. "Eat this. It'll allow you to breath underwater for about two hours. Then you'll have to eat more."
The boys each took a piece of the kelp and ate it.
"Blech!" Varian stuck his tongue out and Eret made a sour face.
"Sorry. I never said it would taste good," Livli apologized as she laughed.
"Now come on! Let's get going!" Aqua bounced on her toes with a huge smile.
🔱
"What is the report, Xander?"
The second in charge of the royal guard bowed in front of the queen.
"Your majesty, our outside guard have spotted a group of foreigners approaching the kingdom. One seems to be a mermaid, but the other three appear to be human. Their intent is unknown. How shall we proceed?" The boy asked as he looked at his queen for orders.
The girl sitting in the throne beside the queen leaned forward eagerly with a smile.
The queen hummed and rubbed her chin, noticing her daughter out of the corner of her eye. "Greet them peacefully. Bring them to me. If they attack, take them alive. If they have no hostile intent you can bring them unrestrained. Yes, you can go, Poppy."
The princess squealed as she jumped up and then ran over to the second in command.
"Keep my daughter safe, Xander. I trust you," the queen said with a kind smile and Xander nodded.
"Of course, your majesty," Xander replied with a respectful bow.
Poppy grabbed Xander's hand and practically dragged him along as they ran to the exit of the palace.
They both formed their tails once outside of the palace and swam off together.
"Do you think they're going to be friendly?" Poppy asked as she laced her fingers with the merman swimming beside her.
Xander hummed as he glanced at her with a smile. "I hope so. We haven't seen the humans since your sister went missing."
"Yeah... I don't remember her at all... I wasn't even born yet. I know mom misses her though and so does Benji," Poppy said, thinking about her mom and older brother.
Xander gently rubbed her hand with his thumb reassuringly as they made their way to their destination.
"I'm sure that this will be fine. Your mother thinks so too or she wouldn't have let you come," Xander comforted and she smiled at him, pecking his lips gently.
"You're right. Now let's hurry! I wanna see the humans!" Poppy sped up with a laugh and they raced towards the entrance of the kingdom.
Once at the entrance, they could see the ground of foreigners approaching.
"I can see it, Varian! This is so cool!" Poppy heard as she floated beside Xander.
"It's just incredible..." the black haired boy said as he looked around them in awe.
"Hello," Poppy spoke as she waved at the group.
"Poppy, careful," Xander warned quietly as he swam up to them with the princess.
"Oh, hi!" Aquaria waved with a bright smile.
"So you really are humans! That's so cool!" Poppy looked at their legs and then at Livli. "So, who are you?"
"Well, it may seem a bit bizarre but... I'm princess Livli," the blonde mermaid said and Poppy's eyes widened.
"Liv... y-you're alive?" Poppy looked at her with misty eyes, her tears being washed away in the ocean. "We all thought you were dead."
"Um, I'm sorry. Do I know you?" Livli asked with confusion.
"Oh, sorry! Um, I'm your little sister. My name's Poppy," she introduced as she rubbed her arm.
"I have a little sister? That's amazing!" Livli cheered as she hugged Poppy.
"Mom and Benji are gonna be so happy!" Poppy exclaimed as she backed up. "But, who are your friends?"
Livli laughed lightly as she looked at Varian and Aqua. "Well, this is my husband, Eret, our daughter, Aquaria, and her boyfriend, Varian."
"I'm an aunt? But we are like the same age!" Poppy swam up to Aqua who smiled. "How old are you both?"
"I'm seventeen. Though I turn eighteen in a few weeks," Aqua replied and Poppy did a flip.
"And I'm already eighteen," Varian explained.
"They're around our age, Xander!" Poppy bubbled. "We're both nineteen. He's older by two months though. This is my boyfriend, Xander, by the way. He is the second in command for the royal guard."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty," Xander spoke with a bow and Livli smiled.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Xander. Now, can we please go see mom? I really want to see her and Benji," Livli requested, desperately wanting to see her mother and twin brother again.
"Of course! Come on!" Poppy led the way back to the palace.
🔱
Queen Aquata sighed as her son came into the throne room.
"Any news?" She asked as her eldest child approached her and she smiled.
"Yes. The thief was properly dealt with. I heard that some foreigners were coming into Atlantis. Do you know if they are hostile?" Benji asked his mother as he leaned against his own throne instead of sitting.
"No word on their intention, however, your sister and Xander are bringing them back here as we speak," the queen informed.
"Are you sure it was a good idea to let Poppy go? What if they mean to attack?" Benji questioned worriedly.
"Your sister is more than capable of handling herself. Plus, she is with Xander. He won't let anything happen to her. You know that as well as I do," Aquata spoke and Benji huffed.
"I still don't like that he's dating her," he grumbled protectively.
"For as much as you complain about not liking him, you gave him the position of your second in command," Aquata replied with a grin.
Benji sighed as he looked down. "He's a good kid. His potential was being wasted as a personal guard. I trust him with Poppy, but it doesn't mean I like the idea of my baby sister having a boyfriend."
"Well-" Aquata was cut off.
"We're back!" Poppy sang as she pranced into the throne room with Xander.
Aquata turned to her youngest. "Where are our guests?"
"You both might want to prepare yourselves for this," Poppy explained before Livli walked in with Eret at her side, Varian and Aqua trailing behind them. "Surprise!"
If Aquata hadn't been sitting, she was sure that she would've collapsed. "Livli? Is that... is that really you?"
There was no mistaking it. She looked just like Benji and she had the same glow in her eyes that she always had.
"Mom, it's really me." Livli started to cry as she ran up and hugged her mother.
Benji nearly tackled them both. "How are you alive?! We all thought you were dead! It's been thirty four years since we last saw you!"
"That's a long story for another time. We were stuck in the forest, but now we are free," Livli simplified before Aquata saw the two teenagers behind her daughter.
"And these two are?" The queen questioned.
"This is my daughter, Aquaria, and the boy is her boyfriend, Varian," Livli explained and Aquata's eyes widened.
"I'm a grandma?" She laughed loudly and ran up, spinning Aquaria around.
The Coronan princess giggled and hugged her grandma.
"Oh, you look just like your father," Aquata said as she looked between Aquaria and Eret. "But you got our family's eyes and nose."
"She got her mother's height too," Benji teased and Livli grimaced as she flicked him.
"It's so good to meet you too, Varian," Aquata said, pulling him into the hug with made him laugh.
"Same to you, your majesty," Varian replied.
"Oh, please. Just call me grandma," Aquata waved off the formalities with a wide grin on her face. "Are you staying for the night or leaving soon?"
"We were hoping to stay for a few days," Livli answered and Aquata clapped her hands together.
"Wonderful! Your room is just how you left it, sweetheart. Poppy, would you mind taking Aquaria and Varian to one of the spare rooms?" Aquata requested and Poppy nodded quickly.
"Come on!" The youngest Atlantian princess urged as she ran to the door.
Xander followed behind the three of them quickly.
"So, how did you both meet?" Poppy asked curiously as she looked at Aqua and Varian.
"Well, I was adopted by the king and queen of Corona when I was born because my parents had sent me off to leave the enchanted forest. I met Varian at my first birthday party and we were friends ever since. We've been dating for almost three years now," Aquaria explained as Varian spoke with Xander about how there was air in the buildings in Atlantis.
"That's so cute! Childhood friends!" Poppy gushed.
"What about you and Xander?" Aqua asked curiously.
"Well, he was assigned as my personal guard when we were fifteen. I hated the idea until we became friends and started training together. He asked me out about a year and a half ago. I originally told him that I didn't think it was a good idea because I was afraid of losing my best friend, but after seeing him look so broken, I realized that I wanted to be the one to make him smile, not break his heart," Poppy replied, smiling as she glanced back at her boyfriend.
"That's adorable! At least you realized that you were better off with him before it was too late," Aqua said with a light laugh.
"Yeah, but my brother decided to promote him. I'm so incredibly proud of him, but I miss him being around me all the time. I just don't get to see him as much during the day anymore. He deserved it though. He worked really hard." Poppy opened the door to the spare room Aquaria and Varian would be staying in. "Well, here we are!"
"Woah! It's so pretty!" Aqua looked around as she walked in.
"Glad you like it!" Poppy beamed as she leaned against Xander who held her close.
Varian slipped his hand into Aquaria's and gave a gentle squeeze as he trailed his eyes over the marble walls and mosaic tiles that lined the floor.
"So, we're gonna give you a tour of the palace. Is there any place you would like to start in particular?" Poppy asked.
Aqua and Varian locked eyes before looking at Poppy.
"The library!"