UNEDITED
Atlantis.
Atlantis.
As in the lost city of Atlantis.
As in the submurged city of Atlantis.
As in the mythical city of Atlantis.
Now this was just stupid. This had got to be some stupid prank that was being played on her.
"Atlantis?" Aubrey scoffed, "That's ridiculous. Its a myth."
Declan rolled his eyes, "Says the girl who is currently in another century standing on top of a sea serpant."
"But Atlantis is like a fairytale." Aubrey defended, "I mean it's not like sleeping beauty is real."
Declan sighed, "So according to you its perfectly fine for angels and time travel to exist but Atlantis can't?"
He had Aubrey there. But everything was just getting really really ridiculous now. Like even for Aubrey, which was saying a lot.
"Well if you'd given me an explanation before or even a heads up that hey Aubrey I can travel back in time to mythical lands where we are being hunted down I would have way more prepared."
"Are you implying this is my fault?" Declan asked.
"I'm not implying anything." Aubrey threw back,"I'm flat out stating it."
"Yes because the stupid pack of wolves were after me." Declan said,"How were you planning to get out of that?"
"Well it certainly wouldn't have involved me going back in time and standing on top of a freaking sea monster!"
"Hey! Hey!" Raphael cut in,"Don't call Seraphia a sea monster, the term sea serpent is preferred."
Aubrey felt the serpent stir under her in agreement.
"Fine." Aubrey said still glaring at Declan,"Sea serpent."
"This is exactly why you are Michael's problem." Declan responded.
"You know what-"
"Well we are here." Raphael cuts in. He doesn't look all that surprised or even annoyed at their constant back and forth, just bored as if he'd seen it a billion times already.
Seraphia the sea serpent, lowered gently into the water so that they could step off her head onto the dock.
Aubrey was the first to go, she wasn't sure how long she would be able to last on the moving likeness of the Lochness Monster, sorry serpent.
"So what year is this?" Aubrey asked Raphael once he descended. He was patting Seraphia's large head as he turned to look at her.
"We measure our years based on the tides of the sea so it's roughly about the year five zero zero two three."
Aubrey's eyes nearly popped out.
"You've told me that this is approximately seventy five thousand years before your time."
Aubrey glanced at Declan,"Seventy five thousand years. You have the power to travel Seventy five thousand years in time and you've managed to keep it a se-"
"Drop it." He said,"Not now."
Which was basically Declan way of saying we are never going to talk about this ever again.
Aubrey couldn't help but wonder how he did it.
Everyone back in the Far court thought that Declan was ordinary, a prince, yes. A Demi-Fae, sure, but nothing more than that.
And yet the Declan she had seen could topple an entire kingdom with the flick of his hand.
Only when he felt like it of course.
"Come on." Raphael said as Seraphia went underwater,"I'll take you to a place where you can change out of those clothes and wash up."
A bath sounded really good to Aubrey.
"Here." Raphael said, handing a cloak to Aubrey,"Your clothing is odd for a woman so it's best that you cover up."
Aubrey accepted the cloak and was surprised to see how light it was.
"Did we get out because of you? The hole in the ground, did you-" Aubrey asked Raphael who nodded.
"I created the portal."
Declan looked impressed, "A portal huh? That's quite impressive."
"You were the one who taught me." Raphael said.
"Huh?" Aubrey muttered confused, "I thought you'd never met him before on your trip."
Must be yet another one of his lies.
Declan shook his head, "I haven't. He probably means another version of us."We probably must have travelled back to Atlantis again in the future."
"Great to know we'll be doing this again." Aubrey muttered as they started walking.
Declan rolled his eyes,"I'm not too happy about it either."
"The Fae's don't know about this little power of yours do they?" Aubrey taunted.
"Even you don't know what I'm capable of Aubrielle." Declan said, his voice flat and cold,"And pray that you don't have to find out."
"Are you threatening me?" Aubrey asked,"I am not the one who dragged the other Seventy five thousand years in the past. So if anybody should be plotting their revenge it should be me."
"I don't know what your complaining about." Declan snapped,"It's not like you have anything out anyone to go back to."
That shut Aubrey right up.
"Okay." Raphael said clapping his hands together,"Let's have a change of topic."
"And the guards were after those future versions of us?" Aubrey asked carefully ignoring the asshole that went by the name Declan. "Which means the kidnapping and everything else they accussed us of did we really do it?"
Both Declan and Aubrey turned to look at Raphael. He looked thoughtful for a second but after a cursory glance towards Declan he nodded, "Yes. We did all of those things."
Aubrey didn't miss the glance.
"So Declan did it and we all got into shit for that, didn't we?"
Declan rolled his eyes but Raphael looked shocked but he managed to let out a strangled,"N-No."
"Why?" Aubrey asked,"Is the future Declan also such a pighead that he goes as far to kidnap a princess?"
"He did it for her safety-"Raphael started but Aubrey was quick to catch on.
"So he did do it." She pointed out.
"Yes. I mean no. I mean-" Raphael just sighed,"You'll understand when you see her."
"So basically Declan just couldn't keep it in his pants."
"God you're insufferable." Declan said,"I think it be better to just dump you here."
"Yes after all I have nothing to go back to right?" Aubrey retorted.
Declan kept quiet, completely ignoring her.
"You aren't wearing gloves." Raphael commented a clear change of topic to break through the tension "That's odd."
Aubrey looked at her hands and then cast a cursory glance at Declan who looked thoughtful.
Maybe she wore gloves so that their hands don't touch. Everytime it did, something new and "exciting" happened, (note the sarcasm)
Well they certainly didn't have to worry about that anymore. Aubrey wouldn't be going near Declan unless it was to punch him or slap him, in which case something exciting would have already happened.
They walked quietly after that weaving through the deserted maze f streets.
Aubrey asked Raphael if it was safe for them to walk so openly, to which he simply gave a shrug saying that nobody really came to this part of town.
It was an ominously vague answer but looking at the small cottages that were derelict and crumbling, Aubrey decided to accept it.
It was nearky dusk by the time Raphael finally stopped walking. Aubrey nearly crashed into his back.
"What are we looking at?" She muttered scanning their surroundings. There was nothing out of the ordinary, it was the same scene she'd seen through out the walk. Jumble of empty streets and derelict houses.
Declan didn't stop though, he simply walked ahead straight towards one of the houses and-and disappeared.
"What the-" Aubrey cursed,"Did he just leave me here?"
Raphael shook his head,"No. He simply passed the veil around the house."
"Huh?"
Raphael shook his head and held out his hand for her,"It's okay. Declan's veil manipulation is flawless even I have trouble seeing through it at times."
Aubrey looked at Raphael's hand wearily. She hardly doubted it could be as bad as the result when she held Declan but she decided it against experimenting and walked ahead ignoring it.
"So I just have to walk through?" She asked.
Raphael out his hand down doing an exceptional job to hide his disappointment.
"Yes." He said simply.
And that's exactly what Aubrey did. For a second she felt like she was passing through oil but the feeling quickly vanished and the crumbling building in front of them transformed into a respectable cottage as if restored to its former glory.
"How do you open the door?" Declan said patiently standing on top of the small set of stairs that lead to the door.
"You'll have to open it by using the language of the Fae."
Declan nodded and lay his palm flat on the door,"Alevor."
Open.
Aubrey didn't know how she knew the meaning of the word but the door clicked open on Declan's command.
They all shuffled in with Raphael in the end who slammed the door shut and said,"Aètra."
Lock.
The ancient language of the Fae.
From inside the cottage didn't seem like much. It could have been any house that came out of one of those historic films that Aubrey had watched, complete with a fireplace.
"Thank God you're here." A girl's voice called as she emerged from the back,"I didn't think you'd be able to make it before nightfall."
Aubrey couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Was this the princess?
She was in half a mind to throw yet another taunt Declan's way but that's when the girl stepped into the light and Aubrey's words died in her mouth.
Because the princess of Atlantis looked strangely familiar.
Her blonde hair, her wide blue eyes, Aubrey had seen them before.
She'd seen her before.
She'd seen her in the bathroom before Throne had attacked her and she'd seen her in her vision at the Fae court.
There was no doubt she was the same girl who had fallen through the glass floor of the Fae castle in her vision.
At that time Aubrey had pegged her as familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger to what was causing her that faint sense of dejà vu.
But now in the firelight Aubrey could pinpoint exactly what it was.
The princess of Atlantis looked almost exactly like her.
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Author's Note:
Thank you so much for making this #18 in Fantasy!! I hope you liked the update.