Mermaid Story from Mermaiden Waverlee

The water was still completely dark when I heard the call from a conch—powerful waves vibrating through the water was our wake-up call to start combat training in preparation for battle with Calisto, Damon and Noodles—hopefully one last time.

I was starting to get used to our accommodations at the MerCouncil’s headquarters, but I missed my home sea. I missed Sebastian and Coral and their mischievous grins. I missed my Mermom, whose sparkling green eyes always inspired me to live out my dreams. I do feel lucky to have spent this time with my princess sisters. And of course, having Sid around more isn’t too bad either…

I stretched my arms out and looked around. My sisters were gone! Looks like I was the sleepyhead of the pod. I pulled my hair in a ponytail, grabbed a seaweed snack, and swam out the door as quickly as possible.  As I made my way through the winding tunnels of the castle and into the courtyard, I could see Amani leading the rest of the Mermaidens and Sid in what appeared to be some basic tail exercises.

“C’mon Waverlee! We need that festive pink tail of yours to brighten up our morning,” Amani yelled.

I hurried over next to Sid. Why not take advantage of being late by positioning myself next to my splash? I began copying the tail moves that Amani was demonstrating for the group. Two tail flicks right. Two tail flicks left. One summersault. Then repeat.

“Am I supposed to be feeling this in my stomach?” Zoey cried out.

“Yes, Zoey. These moves will strengthen the core of your body and your tail in a way that traditional swimming does not. This will help you fight more nimbly,” Amani replied.

After several hours of intense tail routines, Amani swam to the center of the group with a large satchel on his shoulder. The deep black leather looked worn but strong. Delicate little swirls were carved into the exterior of the bag, reminiscent of his own exotic tail. Quickly, Amani began unloading rocks, staffs, bows, and two small swords from the container. He placed them on the ocean floor with care and asked for our silence.

“Our royal Mermaidens…and Sid. Although the Merworld aims to live in peace and does not condone violence of any kind, situations do arise that leave us no choice but to arm ourselves and protect the meaningful life that we have worked so hard to build. As Mariana learned when battling King Malik, knowing how to use a weapon, and defend yourself against one, is a vital skill when you’re dealing with these kinds of merfolk,” Amani explained.

This sent shivers down my spine. I’d used my special powers to make waves that helped us find Calisto. But weapons? I wasn’t sure I was ready for this!

Seeing my uncertainty, Sid placed a hand on my shoulder. “Waverlee – this is just to make sure that you’re all prepared for the worst-case scenario. It’s very unlikely that you’ll need anything more than your powerful wave-making abilities.”

I sensed his sincerity as I looked into his turquoise blue eyes that seemed to never end. Sid had experienced a lot during the time he was on his own with his devoted Orca companion, Snowflake. I trusted his words and instantly felt better.

Amani spent another few hours showing us some basic defense moves and demonstrating how to use the combat tools that he had brought with him. My favorite was the bow and arrow. I liked how powerful I felt when I pulled back the bow and then sent the beautiful but simple arrow soaring through the water. It turns out, I CAN learn new things! Plus, some merfolk shoot a bow and arrow for sport with their friends. This could be my new hobby!

I could see the weight of the day wearing on each of us. Faces looked tired. My hands and arms hurt and my tail was as sore as ever. It felt like I had swum a thousand miles! As I finally departed sleepily (and hungrily!) to find my comfy shell, I reflected on my hard day’s work. I realized I was actually excited to use my new skills to protect myself and my sisters from harm.

Now I can’t WAIT to hunt down that evil witch and her minions to show her that the Mermaidens are a force to be reckoned with!

Mermaid Story from Mermaiden Serena

Mariana’s magical night ended in a blur. First, King Malik burst into the ballroom just as the last song began. We all thought he was dead! During the battle for Mariana’s kingdom, Mariana cut King Malik on the shoulder defending herself during a knife fight. My sisters told me they’d narrowly escaped the wrath of Noodles and saw King Malik slumped against his throne, not moving.

The look on his face told me that he might be running from something. He looked panicked upon entering the room, but his face changed to relief when he saw Darek’s face. All of us Mermaidens believe that Calisto was controlling King Malik, but some on the MerCouncil aren’t as sure. If he was truly plotting with Calisto and Damon to take over Mariana’s kingdom, why would he seek out the MerCouncil? He must know that he would be considered a traitor…

Immediately the MerCouncil’s guards restrained King Malik and took him away to the private MerCouncil chambers as my sisters and I drifted back to our lounging room to wait with Sid and Amani.

“Did you see the look on King Malik’s face?” I asked Waverlee.

“Yes. I was terrified that Calisto and Noodles were chasing him back to us,” she said.

We all agreed that King Malik was an unwilling hostage in Calisto’s plan and hoped that the MerCouncil came to the same conclusion. After patiently waiting for over two hours, the meeting finally concluded with a soft boom of the MerCouncil’s chamber doors opening. Out swam my father, King Delmar. We locked eyes as he approached us.

“Mermaidens, we’d like for you to join us. Amani, Sid…you can come, too.”

We quickly swam into the glistening MerCouncil chambers and found the MerCouncil surrounding King Malik as he sat tensely on an oversized scalloped shell. I noticed that the guards were floating near the doors of the room instead of near King Malik, so it appeared that things had settled down.

“Welcome, Mermaidens. As you can see, King Malik is alive and well. It appears that Damon returned to the Mariana Kingdom to collect King Malik and take him as prisoner on behalf of Calisto. No longer under her spell, King Malik escaped and came directly to the MerCouncil to explain his actions in Mariana’s Kingdom and to seek forgiveness from our leaders for any behavior perceived as deceiving. Mariana, I want to ask you. Do you believe that King Malik was under an evil spell?” asked Chancellor Darek.

I turned to see Mariana’s face turn bright red against the blue of the ocean water. I quickly swam to her and held her hand for support. It’s clear she’s not quite used to this princess thing—being expected to speak authoritatively on demand. She whispered, “Thank you, Serena,” in my ear—then responded to Darek’s question.

“Yes, Chancellor Darek. I do believe that King Malik was under that nasty witch’s curse and would not have attacked us otherwise.”

“Very well then. Do all the Mermaidens concur? Sid – you were there at the battle for Mariana’s Kingdom. Do you all agree that King Malik did not appear to be acting of his own accord?”

One by one, each mermaid princess nodded her head in agreement. We had heard stories about King Malik and his connection to Calisto, but had no proof that he would hurt us intentionally unless under her spell.

“Yes, Chancellor. I don’t know what Calisto did to Malik, but he was not himself. I don’t think he’s any danger to us under regular circumstances,” said Sid.

“King Malik, it is done. You have been pardoned by the MerCouncil for crimes committed while entranced by Calisto. However, you are called to help the Mermaidens find Damon, Calisto, and Noodles and provide them with any information you are privy to that may help defeat them. Do you understand our ruling?” asked Darek.

Responding quickly, King Malik cried out in gratitude, “Yes, Chancellor. Yes. Thank you for your forgiveness and compassion. I promise you that I would never jeopardize the future of the Merworld by putting any Mermaiden in danger. They are the future leaders of our waters.”

At that moment, I began to feel sorry for Malik. From what I understood, he’d never had a family or anyone to care for and love him in return. At that moment, I was inspired to show him a touch of grace using my special form of beauty.

I quietly swam up to King Malik and took his hand. The room went silent, anticipating my next move.

Gently I used my powers to paint a picture on his palm. The image depicted Malik, swimming comfortably with merfriends, enjoying the tranquility of the ocean’s waters. Once complete, I closed his palm and said “King Malik, you must make a choice between two streams. One will lead you to happiness and fulfillment and the other will lead you to conflict and heartache. Choose to be a positive example in our Merworld and I believe that you will live a life of peace.”

“Thank you, Mermaiden Serena. You’ve painted a picture on my heart that I will never forget,” he said.

The tenderness of the moment was quickly dispelled, as Amani had only one thing on his mind.

“Ok, merladies, let’s work with King Malik to create a plan that will stop these wicked tails and their creature Noodles. Malik – we need all the information we can get on their hideout and fighting tactics. Mermaidens – I’m going to train you to be unstoppable. Who’s excited?” Amani asked with delight.

I looked around at my sisters. The fear and uncertainty that had plagued some of them when we first met Amani had fled. We were ready to fight for what was ours!

Fin Fun Presents a Mermaid Story by Royal Mermaiden Crystal

“Who’s ready to party?!” Brynn shouted. At this point, the bystanders were scattering, eager to change for the costumed event. My sisters and I retreated to our changing room where a coral rack of glistening tail skins shone like glowing jellyfish.

Each dress-up skin featured a handwritten tag with one of our names on it. Ceremoniously, each Mermaiden approached the rack to find her attire for the evening. Jia’s tail skin featured the bold design of a purple monarch butterfly. I’ve never seen a flying creature like this, but Waverlee has told me about them. Brynn dashed to find her skin for the night and discovered her name was attached to an otherworldly tail of aquamarine, lavender, and lime scales with a bright green fluke that matched her eyes.

Waverlee’s tail was a beautiful variation of her own bubbly pink scales, and featured light and dark blue scales that melted into bold fuchsia. Zoey’s costume looked similar to Waverlee’s, but was sunshine yellow and blue with a touch of green. Destiny’s mimicked one of my favorite fish in the sea – a mandarin goby with blue swirls and a kaleidoscope of yellow, fiery orange, and green. Serena’s skin was a brighter version of her own rainbow tail, with scales reminiscent of violet, blue, and yellow coral.

There were two tail skins left on the rack. I knew immediately which one was mine. The skin featured blue sapphire scales like my own, except this tail had a stunning emerald pattern that featured teardrop shaped bits that reminded me of big, blue eyes like my own. Waverlee sensed my puzzlement as I looked over the tail. “Those are peacock feathers, Crystal. A peacock is a bird covered in these soft, fluffy things. Aashna, my merfriend from India has a special necklace made from them.”

Mariana picked up her costume and her eyes welled with tears. The tail skin had bursts of bright teal and turquoise exploding through a sea of crimson scales. Similar to a betta fighting fish, this costume represented her past, her future, and her tenacious personality. What a perfect way to honor her triumphs and celebrate her first evening as a Mermaiden.

Each of us slipped the shiny, shimmering tail skins over our mermaid fins and headed to the party. There were banquet tables of the finest seaweed and underwater delicacies the sea has to offer. Music from the conch shell band inspired mermaids of all ages to sway the night away.

After hours of dancing, I found an oversized shell to rest my fin as I watched Amani take Mariana’s hand for the last dance of the night. The scene was satisfying and peaceful, until a sudden commotion entered roke out near the pearly doors of the room.

“Don’t arrest me! I’ve escaped the wrath of Calisto and I’m here to help you find her!”

I jumped up to find my sisters. As I scanned the room, each Mermaiden’s face asked the same question.

King Malik is alive?

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Fin Fun Presents a Mermaid Story by Royal Mermaiden Crystal

“Crystaalll! Where did my favorite ice princess scurry off to?” I could faintly hear Destiny’s voice calling to me as my eyes fluttered open from a quick afternoon slumber. “Sleepyhead. WAKE UP! You’re not even ready for Mariana’s ceremony tonight! Have you even tried on your costume for the after-party?”

I leaped off the smooth, onyx rock where I had been resting. I would never want to be late to such an important occasion. I am so happy for Mariana and excited for her new life with her father and adorable little FinFriend, Rico.

I swam as fast as I could to our changing area where I could quickly fix my hair and get ready for the big night ahead. As I swam through the pearly ornate doors of the room, I wasn’t prepared for the sight of my princess sisters in full glamour mode! Jia had beautiful lavender sparkles along her thick, black lashes. Waverlee’s blonde tendrils were perfectly curled and held by a gorgeous pink floral crown. I spotted a braid of fiery red hair with silky weaves of malachite and jade belonging to Brynn. Serena had filled in her pillowy lips with a magenta coral stain. Zoey’s shimmering green eyes had been lined with stunning cobalt. Destiny hummed as she carefully clasped three tangerine agate bracelets onto her left wrist.

Mariana was staring intently into a small silver mirror in the palm of her hand. I watched as she tilted her head to look carefully at the breathtaking ruby earrings dangling from her earlobes. Her eyes moved as she caught me staring. “Well…what do you think, Crystal?”

At that moment, the other Mermaidens realized my presence. “How’d you manage to slip in ‘ere bonny?” questioned Brynn. All my other sisters smiled. “Crys, you’re here, finally! Are you ready for tonight?” asked an excited Waverlee.

I ignored their questions and immediately swam to Mariana. “What do I think? I think that you look like a gorgeous mermaid princess ready to conquer the world,” I said. All eyes were on Mariana. I could feel the warmth and love radiating from every tail in the room. Our lives never felt incomplete without Mariana, but with her, she inspired each of us to never stop fighting for our dreams.

“Thank you, Crystal. This princess stuff is new to me. I want to make you all proud.” The tenderness of the moment was cut short by Brynn’s sudden segue to her new favorite topic – mermen! “Alrighty lass, you look like a million quid but we all need to know – did yer fella Amani ever find ya? What’s the story?”

Mariana’s face turned bright shades of crimson red as her lips curled into a smile. “Perhaps you silly girls were right. Amani was looking for me to ask if I’d reserve a special dance for him tonight.” She gave a quick, tight giggle.

“There we have it, lasses! Our girl’s got a glad eye,” shouted Brynn. As the other princesses surrounded Mariana to pepper her with questions, I brushed my hair and straightened my top. Although I hadn’t tried on my tail skin for the post-ceremony celebration, I trusted the MerCouncil’s helpers to pick out something that fit my personality and decided to keep my accessories simple. From a large clamshell sitting next to our vanity mirrors, I found a sparkling diamond armband with a matching ring. These diamonds were not only crystal clear, but were so pure they were almost blue. As I put these beautiful accessories on, I couldn’t help but get excited for the evening ahead.

“It’s time to go. Your parents are waiting for you.” Appearing quickly and quietly, my mother was in the room to gather us for Mariana’s coronation.

Together, we left the room feeling confident and ready for whatever the night would bring. We followed my mermom, Queen Caryn, into the MerCouncil’s chambers. The council area was surrounded by rings of rooms sectioned off with diamond barriers and filled with mermaids who had made the trip to support Mariana. My eyes immediately found my brother Sid. He was floating with a few other mermen when I caught his attention with a small wave. He gave me a quick smirk as I gracefully swam by.

Darek, Chancellor of the MerCouncil, was waiting at the giant stone table that served as the central meeting point for the councilors. His gray, flowing hair was dancing below his shoulders while his thin, weathered face wore a bright smile. Perched in their clamshell cushions, the rest of the council members beamed as Mariana separated from the pod and approached our wise leaders. The crowd went silent.

“Mermen and Merwomen of the world’s finest oceans and seas, I am here before you to present Mariana, the lost Mermaiden of the Mariana Kingdom. This lovely young merwoman has faced tremendous adversity in her life. As an infant, she was left parentless and forced to raise herself, with no knowledge of her birthright. We are so fortunate that the wild waters of life returned Mariana to her merfamily and she is here with us today. Mariana is a brave mermaid who rescued her father, King Caspian, after many years of captivity and helped protect us all when certain individuals chose an evil path.” At that moment, King Caspian left his clamshell and swam to his daughter’s side.

Looking into Mariana’s eyes, King Caspian spoke. “My daughter, you are a treasure worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. I owe my life to you. Mariana of the Mariana Kingdom, it is now my privilege to crown you the eighth Royal Mermaiden Princess and bestow upon you a magical set of pearls that will help you in troubled times.” Darek opened an ornate turquoise and pearl box, removed a sparkling crown, and handed it to King Caspian. The breathtaking shimmer of the crown’s blue topaz and opal jewels drew an audible gasp from the crowd.

As if she had been waiting a lifetime for the moment, Mariana let out a deep breath and bowed gently for her father to place the crown on her head. The tiara fit perfectly atop her chestnut locks. Carefully, King Caspian removed a beautiful set of pearls from an accompanying box and gently tied them around her neck. The audience broke into roaring applause. We Mermaidens couldn’t help ourselves – almost in synchronization, we swam to Mariana and embraced our new sister.

“Mariana, I know we’re still getting to know each other, but I want you to know that you can always count on me,” I said with tears in my eyes.

“Thank you, Crystal. There’s still a lot of work to be done to restore my kingdom, but I know that I have the best mermaids in the world by my side.” We looked at each other – eight young merwomen with bright futures ahead. “You know, I’m still getting used to this hugging stuff,” Mariana said timidly. We all laughed deeply, our fins tickling.