(A/N: I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, so please bare with me. Thank you 💖)
"Recognised: Aqualad, B02." The zeta tube announced as Kaldur he entered through the Poseidonis gate.
"Greetings Kaldur'ahm." Aquaman welcomed his protege.
"King Orin." Kaldur returned the greeting.
They swam together.
"The Queen and I are hosting an intimate dinner tonight. Will you attend?" King Orin asked.
"Your Majesty..." Kaldur hesitated for a moment. "There is someone... special... I'd hoped to see tonight."
"You may invite a friend."
"Thank you, My King."
"Until tonight." They both swam their separate ways, Kaldur going to see this special person.
{At the conservatory}
Tula and Garth were on the roof practicing their combat training, under Queen Mera's watch, Loco stood off to the side near her, as it was her turn yet.
She watched with amazed eyes as Garth dodged a projectile send by Tula and quickly formed a shield to block another.
"Nice one Garth!" Loco praised.
"Your technique is excellent, but your choices remain predictable." Queen Mera critiqued. "Combat sorcery demands... improvisation."
Loco noticed someone swimming towards them, he didn't look like anyone she recognised, and she's met nearly everyone at the conservatory.
"Kaldur'ahm! so good to see you." Queen Mera greeted happily to the new arrival.
"Kaldur!" Tula beamed.
"Apologies my queen, I did not mean to interrupt." Said Kaldur.
"It is well, I have another class, will I see you at dinner." Mera asked.
"Yes your majesty."
"We shall talk then." Mera left, leaving to tend to her other students.
"You look well Kaldur." Tula hugged him.
"Yes." Garth agreed. "Surface life agrees with you."
Wait... Surface life?
"You speak as if I have been gone for years, but it has only been-"
"Two months." Tula and Garth finished for him.
"That long?" Kaldur said to himself.
"Aren't you two going to introduce us?" Loco asked, gaining their attentions.
"Yes, of course." Tula said apologetically, forgetting Loco was there. "Kaldur, this is Loco, the newest student of the conservatory."
Kaldur smiled warmly at the young girl.
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Are you really Aqualad?" Loco asked, Kaldur nodded.
Loco gasped loudly and swam right up to Kaldur's face.
"Oh my gosh that means you've been to the surface! Tell me everything! What does breathing feel like? Do flowers smell as lovely as they say?" Loco gasped loudly once more.
"WHAT DOES ICE CREAM TASTE LIKE?!" The bluntness and speed she spoke left Kaldur unsure how to respond.
Garth chuckled.
"Calm yourself young one."
"Oh, right sorry." Loco composed herself. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well." She gave a slight bow, Kaldur returned the gesture and turned back to his friends.
"Tula, will you accompany to dinner tonight, at the palace?" Tula didn't respond, her and Garth shared a look. "I wish I could invite you as well." He then said to Garth.
"I made that choice long ago." He replied.
"We have another class, but I will see you tonight." Tula excused her and Garth as they left, leaving Kaldur with Loco.
"I suppose I'll be seeing both of you tonight then." Loco's voice grabbed his attention.
"You were invited to dinner as well?" Kaldur asked curiously.
"I should hope so, I'm a ward of palace."
"How come?"
"King Orin and Queen Mera saw my potential and they offered me a place at the conservatory." Loco explained
Kaldur's eyes widened slightly, remembering something.
"You're the young girl who un-petrified a sea creature, the king told me about you not long ago."
"Aww, he talks about me?" Loco's hand went to her chest in flattery.
"You must admit, it is rather impressive and especially from such a young age."
"I suppose, Queen Mera has been helping me hone my skills, I've basically become the palace's unofficial healer." She chuckled. "As well as pain manipulation."
"Pain manipulation?"
"I can take away someone's pain, but there's a catch, it becomes my pain, but luckily I haven't had to use it much." Loco elaborated.
"No wonder the king spoke so highly of you, those are very useful abilities." Kaldur was impressed to say the least.
"I'm sure you're parents must be very proud of you."
Loco went quiet.
"What's wrong?"
"...My parents are dead." That gave Kaldur pause.
"I am so sorry." He apologised.
"It's alright, they would've been happy to see me doing so well, and I won't let them down. I intend to be one of the greatest sorceresses ever." Loco said with unshakable determination.
Kaldur smiled.
"What's it like? Up on the surface?" Loco asked.
"Dry." His answer drew a chuckle from both of them.
"Seriously though, it must amazing, the trees, the people, the animals! I would die to see a butterfly." Her eyes glimmered at the prospects.
"It is quite spectacular." Kaldur admitted.
"I wish I could go there." Loco confessed looking up, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Kaldur.
"And someday you will." They both gave each genuine smile, they stayed like that for a short while until Loco had to excuse herself.
"I should go, I have some things to do."
"Until tonight then."
"See ya." She gave him a short wave, then left.
Later that evening King Orin, Queen Mera, Prince Orm, Loco Kaldur and Tula sat down at the dining hall for dinner, Loco absolutely loved the food the palace, it was way better than anything she had in Shayeris, it's not it was bad, it's just that the food in Poseidonis had more... variety in flavours.
"A giant echinoderm, frozen but still alive. Of course, at this point our data is quite limited-" Everyone listened to Orm explain the findings of the science centre.
Loco really liked Orm, but when he went into geek mode like this, it tended to make her brain feel numb.
"I am considering rejoining you at the conservatory." She heard Kaldur whisper to Tula.
"You realise you left your studies quite some time ago." Queen Mera chimed in. "Your skills have not kept to pace, you would no longer be in Tula's class. Or Garth's."
"Hey, you'd be in my class!" Loco realised.
Kaldur paused before answering.
"Perhaps I will require... a tutor." He looked to Tula, who gave him a faint smile, which faded when he looked away.
The king and queen stood up, holding hands.
"We have an announcement." They both placed their hands on Mera's stomach.
"I am with child."
Loco gasped.
"Oh my stars!"
"Oh that is wonderful!" Tula exclaimed as her and Loco hugged Mera.
"Congratulations, an heir to the throne at last." Kaldur caught his words and they all (unsubtly) looked to Orm.
"Apologies Prince Orm, I did not mean-"
"No fear Kaldur, no one could be more thrilled at this news than I." Orm reassured.
"Than you brother. Thanks to you all." King Orin and Queen Mera kissed passionately, causing Loco to stick her tongue out from the grossness.
"Superman to Aquaman, League emergency in Tokyo Bay, rendezvous at The Watchtower."
"Acknowledged." The king replied. "It seems I must take my leave."
This drew a saddened look from the queen.
Orin turned to Kaldur.
"Swim with me." He instructed, Kaldur obliged and they both left.
"Excuse me Queen Mera, Miss Loco." A palace servant entered the dining hall.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is a situation that requires your attention in the healing center." Loco gave an exasperated sigh.
"Again? What happened now?"
"Two patrol guards were brought in injured and unconscious, all the signs point to an attack." That got their attention.
"We'll be right there." Loco said determinedly.
"Please excuse us." The two followed the the servant out of the dining hall.
Outside of the palace, suspicious looking men in deep sea gear, emerged from their hiding spots, avoiding the patrolling guards.
"Omega squad is in position, initiate phase 3." One of said over their comm line.
At the healing center, Loco and Mera were examining the unconscious mermen, they weren't kidding, these wounds were pretty bad.
"Well they definitely look like the kind of burns you'd get from a blaster."
"Do you think you'll be able to heal them Loco?" Mera enquired.
"At the very least, I'll be able to wake them up." Loco placed her hands on the guards head and concentrated.
A magenta glow surrounded both of them, their wounds started disappearing and their eyes began to flicker open. They both jolted awake, frantically looking around themselves.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're ok, you're in the healing center, you're fine." Loco assured to calm them.
"Can you tell us the last thing you remember?" Mera asked them.
One of them became coherent enough to speak.
"My queen, you need to raise the alarm, we are under attack!"
"Under attack by who?" Before the guard could answer, a loud rumble shook the building, making them all loose their balance.
"Neptune's beard! what was that?!" Loco looked out one of the windows and covered her mouth in shock, explosions were happening all around the city.
"Loco, we need to leave. Now." She didn't need to be told twice, swam right next to Queen Mera.
"Stay close to me, alright?" Loco nodded, she was not leaving Mera's side, that she could be sure of.
When they managed to get out, it was chaos, guards were being shot down left and right, Kaldur and Tula were already there fighting of the attackers, but more were still coming and firing at them.
Queen Mera used her magic to create shields and constructed of electric eels which wrapped around an electrocuted some of the attackers.
Prince Orm arrived and to help the defence, but there were so many of them and more and more guards kept falling, Loco decided to stop standing there like a helpless guppy and created a large construct of a manta ray to shield Mera, Orm and the remaining guards.
She strained as the attackers focused their blaster onto the construct, she wouldn't be able to hold it long if this kept up.
Tula created a plasma blast and threw it at them, wiping them out, Loco sighed in relief.
"Thanks Tula!"
"This attack was precision planned. The initial explosions lured the patrols into ambush." Kaldur proclaimed.
Tula fired at the nearby pillars, causing them to crumble on some the attackers.
"Tula move!" Loco exclaimed, Tula got out the way.
"Take this!"
Loco sent her constructed crashing into the enemy.
Kaldur used his water whip to bring a giant rock crashing down near the attackers and Tula created a vortex to sweep them all up, Loco watched with starry eyes.
"Wow!" She thought.
"Tula!" Garth's voice grabbed Tula's attention, she saw him swinging to them, she also saw one of the attackers right behind him.
"Garth Look out!" She shouted and him out of the way, just as the attacker fired.
It hit Tula right in the back and she went limp.
"No!"
"Tula!" Garth, Loco and Kaldur exclaimed respectively.
Loco fired a beam at the one who shot Tula sending him crashing into the concrete.
All three of them gathered around their hurt friend in worry, they looked up and saw a barrage of lasers heading their way, they braced themselves, but luckily they were stopped by Mera's construct of tentacles.
She strained as all her skin icons glowed and she made more tentacles to handle the attackers, creating a massive octopus around them all.
"Surface communications are down, we cannot reach King Orin. Summon more troops to the palace." Said Prince Orm.
"The palace was not the only target." Garth informed. "I witnessed explosions in sectors 1, 2, 3 and 5."
"Nothing in Sector 4?" Loco asked.
"Explosions all over the city except where the science center is located, where your giant sea star is secured."
"Then it is all a diversion." Prince Orm concluded. "But with the king away I must protect the queen and the heir."
"I need no protection. Go!" Queen Mera ordered.
"No Mera, if you suffered any injury my brother would never forgive me."
"The prince is right my queen, this battle is mine."
"And mine." Garth spoke up.
"Your place is with Tula." Kaldur spoke coldly and left, taking out any attackers in his way.
"Garth, I've got Tula, you go after Kaldur." Loco said.
"But-"
"No buts! Buts are for sitting!" She cut him off. "Look, I don't know the history between you three, but I know that you're friends, we don't know what he's gonna find at the science center, but we don't let friends face stuff like that on their own."
Garth looked down at Tula once more, he knew Loco was right, but he didn't want to leave her like this.
"Garth..." He looked back up to Loco. "I've got, her. I can do this. Kaldur needs you."
Garth hesitated for a moment, then nodded determinedly, handed Tula over to her and went after Kaldur.
"Ok Tula, let's fix you up." Loco concentrated, but her magic wasn't manifesting, only then did she realise how much her hands were trembling, just seeing it made her breathing quickened.
All the shooting the yelling, the destruction, it was finally starting to get to her.
"Loco!" A hand on shoulder, brought her out it, she looked up and saw Orm. "It's alright." He attempted to calm.
"Deep breaths Loco." Queen Mera spoke to her. "Just like I showed you."
Loco nodded and closed her eyes, breathing deeply, filling her mind with fond memories, playing in the kelp forests, studying with Topo, training with Garth and Tula, singing with her mother... her mother, she was always brave, no matter how scared she was, she never gave up and neither would she.
Regaining her composure, Loco held her hand out, allowing the energy to gather in it, then she gently guided it to Tula's injury.
(Just imagine it in purple.)
And just like that, her wound was healed, like it was never there.
Tula's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey there sleepy head." Loco chuckled in relief.
"Loco?" Tula immediately sat up. "What happened? Where is Garth?"
"Ok long story short; you got hit, I healed you, turns out all of this was just a distraction so they could take the giant sea star from the science center, but Garth and Kaldur are handling it." Loco explained.
"And as for us, I think I've had just about enough of this these air heads."
"Agreed." Orm voiced.
"What do you say Tula, should we put an end to this?" Loco extended her hand out to her friend, Tula gained a smirk and and excepted the hand up.
"Queen Mera, drop the construct." Queen Mera happily obliged as blue and purple swirled around the two friends as their skin icons glowed.
"Mighty steeds of the sea, grant us your fury!" They said together, realising a blast of equine shaped waves that knocked out all the remaining attackers, leaving them to drift. (Couldn't find a picture, sorry)
"We did it!" Loco squealed and hugged Tula, she returned it.
"Well done you two!" Orm praised them, just as more troops arrived.
"We need get all the injured to the healing center immediately." Loco proclaimed. the guards looked to the queen for conformation.
"Do as she says." That was all the guards need to go into action.
"Make sure the most most severely wounded are seen to first." Loco instructed.
After most of the injured were tended to, Kaldur and Garth returned unharmed thankfully and King Orin finally returned, they explained what had unfolded while he was away.
"Our city was heavily damaged and Atlanteans were injured but it could have been far worse." He held his wife closely. "I am grateful to you all."
"This contains all that survived." Prince Orm held up a case revealing a case hold what was left of the giant sea star, but it was so large anymore that's for sure. "It is already regenerating, the creature requires further research, but with the dome compromised and the science center in ruins, we cannot safely secure or study it in Atlantis." Orm continued.
"Perhaps, the surface world can do better."
"I'm sure they will be eager to try." King Orin commented. "Kaldur?" He enquired to his protege.
Kaldur stepped forward and saluted.
"Call me Aqualad, my king." This drew smiles from everyone.
After all the royals had left, it was only Kaldur, Garth, Tula and Loco.
"Kaldur, I- we... that is-"
"I wish you both nothing but the best." Kaldur gave Garth and Tula a reassuring smile, Tula hugged him.
Kaldur than turned to the youngest one of them.
"Loco."
"Yes?"
"Ice cream is cold, it is sweet, it comes in many flavours and if you it it too fast it gives you a headache."
This made Loco's eye turn wide eyed.
"Really?"
"Yes, and one day get to taste it for yourself."
"Oh you'll see me up there, you can count on that."
"And I have no doubt you will be one of the greatest sorcerers Atlantis has ever seen."
"You bet your flippers!" Kaldur chuckled at this, then made his way to the zeta tube.
Before he fully entered though he stopped and turned back to his friends.
"Have you ever wondered what would have happened if I had stayed behind and you had become Aqualad?" He asked Garth.
"Never." He replied.
"No, neither have I." With his final farewell he zeta-tubed back to the surface.
"I wouldn't have it any other way either." Loco said, compelling Garth and Tula to wrap her in warm embrace
"Thank you Loco."
That evening, Queen Mera opened the door to Loco's room, as King Orin carried her sleeping body in his arms.
"She is exhausted."
"She healed a great many people today, even fully fledged healers would find that taxing." King Orin pointed out.
He gently set her down on her bed and Mera tucked her in, Loco nuzzled into the soft pillows.
"I did not think it possible, but she becomes cuter when she sleeps." Mera let small chuckle past her lips at that.
"Come now, let her sleep, she needs her rest." She whispered as not to wake her, they both left through the door and closed it quietly.
"You are going make a wonderful farther." Mera caressed Orin's cheek.
"And you will be the finest mother in all of Atlantis."
He pulled his wife closer, into a deep passionate kiss, while little Loco slept on, in peaceful bliss.