Bonus Scene #2
It is the only downside to being an Aquilian.
Extended time away from water is just not possible.
It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh or salty, just that we need the liquid to maintain our health.
It’s why we don’t have a huge military fleet, and we don’t leave the planet very often.
Aquilians aren’t very good soldiers, unless we are defending our own planet, and then we are unmatched, because most of it is water and any enemy will need to enter our domain to get to us.
The landing dock and the above ground castle don’t have anything of any real value, so they are not strategic targets.
With a flick of my tail, I start my descent toward our main city where the castle is.
I have a set of suites there, and so does Nixie.
I will see if she is there first before I try our homes within the city.
We moved out of the palace years ago, not wanting to be caught between our parents’ drama, but we are both required to spend time there, much to our dismay.
I am supposedly the crown prince, but my father shows no sign of being in ill health or wanting to abdicate, and he certainly doesn’t show any interest in teaching me how to rule our planet.
He was happy to ship us both off to the circus when Aquilia was requested to provide an act, and both Nixie and I were very happy to go.
Being home is going to be a shock. The rest of the act, an established pod we both got along well with, is ecstatic to be home so they can give birth to their young in our waters.
Neither Nixie or I have considered children or mates in the past, both happy to be single, but Lila has changed everything.
I want so much more now than I have in the past, but none of that is going to happen if I am stuck on Aquilia.
I need the circus to reconvene so I can start making things up to Lila. That’s if she will even have us back.
The waters of Aquilia are much warmer than the waters of Skar.
Swimming into the depths is familiar and calming.
The creatures of Aquilia welcome me home like family.
It doesn’t take long before a pod of phadolls finds me and swims joyous circles around me.
I smile for what feels like the first time in ages as I reach out to stroke one as they pass.
We left Sweetpea on the circus ship when we went on hiatus, and I miss her.
I’m worried she will be lonely, but hopefully Caspian, Lila, and the babies will swim with her every now and then. She would love that.
My heart aches as my thoughts shift to Lila once more. I recall the look on her face when she first met Sweetpea, or when I dragged her into the pool during the show. If I could paint, I would put brush to canvas and preserve those memories forever more, but alas, I am not talented like that.
After giving the phadoll one more loving pat, I continue on my way to the palace.
The city surrounding the heart of our planet is bustling with mers hurrying to-and-fro, going about their daily lives.
The depths of our planet provide such a vivid contrast to being topside.
Sunlight barely reaches this far, so the city is illuminated by the bioluminescent structures it’s built from.
The only way to tell time is to pay attention to what the coral reefs located throughout the city are doing.
Corals feed at night, sending out tentacle-like limbs to snatch food from the water column.
The whole reef looks like a writhing organism during the dark cycle of the moon, the illuminances kicking into overdrive, putting on a pretty pulsing light show.
During the day, the structure is more subdued.
It’s an easy distinction. It was early morning when I left land, and I’ve only been swimming for an hour, so it can’t even be lunch time yet.
I bypass the busy areas and stick to the back streets, not wanting to be recognized and stopped.
I don’t have the mental capacity to put on my act right now, and it’s the only defense I have against the masses.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a fearsome warrior, but the future king can’t be seen threatening his own people—or at least that’s what I think, despite what my father says.
I reach a side gate in the wall surrounding the palace.
It’s a ridiculous structure, if you ask me, since we can all swim over it anyway, but father insisted it needed to be here, and then he paid a warlock to put a forcefield barrier over the top of the palace, which electrocutes people if they try to swim through it.
What’s even worse is that instead of allowing the forcefield to keep the water out too so we could use our two-legged form around the palace grounds, he left it so it’s surrounded by water instead.
If an individual wishes to use their two-legged form, they must have their own rooms spelled individually.
It makes moving through the castle chaotic.
Some rooms are filled with water, and some are dry.
It’s why I prefer to stay at our apartment building.
It is completely dry. In fact, the whole street I live on is a dry block.
Pockets throughout the city have the same kind of barriers as the palace, but instead of providing security, they keep the water out.
It is handy for Aquilians, but it makes having visitors from other races problematic, which is part of the design.
It’s hard to invade when you can’t be sure whether you’ll be able to breathe or drown in the space of a hundred paces.
I press my finger to the touch pad next to the gate.
There is no guard on this one because it is biometrically locked, and only the royal family has access to it.
Well, the royal family and whichever concubine is my father’s flavor of the week.
It makes it easier for us to come and go discretely, which all of us take advantage of.
Flicking my tail, I swim directly to my suite, accessing it through my balcony.
I get to the correct level and slow down, swinging my tail in front of me and lowering into a sitting position, and then I push through the barrier surrounding my balcony, landing lightly on the rail.
Water drifts off my tail as gravity presses down on my body once more, and it takes me a moment to adjust to the heaviness.
All this change of atmosphere is wreaking havoc on my body, and I feel even worse than when I first arrived.
My head throbs, and my bones ache. Is this from all the up and down, or is it from the one-sided bond?
If it gets any worse, I’m going to have to see a doctor, and then there will be no hiding it from my father.
I change to my two-legged form and push off the rail, landing on the balcony.
I put out a hand to steady myself, and once I’m sure I’m not going to keel over in pain, I stumble inside my room through the French doors, wrinkling my nose as the stale scent reaches it.
Obviously my father or mother told the castle staff not to bother cleaning my room if I wasn’t going to be here.
This is the first time I have appeared in the palace since the circus has been on hiatus.
When we arrived here via shuttle, the rest of the pod went back to their home, and Nixie came here, but I went straight to my glider and flew to Skarr, and I have been there ever since, keeping an eye on Lila and Caspian, waiting for Lila to give birth, and protecting them from unseen dangers.
Pulling the doors closed behind me, I head straight to the bathroom, hoping a hot shower will ease some of the aches in my body. When I pass my communication console, I send a message to Nixie, letting her know I arrived and to come see me as soon as she can.
Once I’ve showered and wrapped a towel around my waist, I head in search of something suitable to wear.
Jeans and a shirt are not acceptable attire for the palace, and gods forbid I don’t present myself in a positive light.
I’ve been punished before for lesser slights than turning up unpresentable, even though I’m just going to lose clothes when I have to shift in the water areas.
Curse my father for being such an ass. Why can’t the whole palace be water free?
The shower did nothing to ease my pains, and they seem to have actually gotten worse. I rub a hand over my pecs and grimace at how tender they feel. I must be coming down with something, or the bond sickness is really kicking in.
Grabbing a suitable outfit, I dress and head toward my bedroom door. At least this whole wing is water free, which means I won’t run into my father if I stick to it for now. As I open the door, I just about slam directly into Nixie, whose hand is raised to knock.
“Nikos. I thought I heard someone in here. You’re back. How did things go with Lila?” Her voice trails off, and her eyes widen as she takes me in. “You look like crap. What happened?” she asks, putting her hands on her hips.
I sigh and run my hand through my golden hair, gesturing for her to enter my room. She does, and I close the door behind her. I don’t need anyone else hearing this conversation.
“Can I ask you some things?” I avoid answering her directly and wave a hand for her to take a seat in my sitting area.
I have a fireplace with a couple cozy chairs for sitting and contemplating.
The fireplace is an illusion, since the palace is magically climate controlled, but I like the ambience it creates.
Nixie frowns, looking confused, but she takes a seat and pulls her leg up underneath her. She’s wearing a gown, like all females are required to in the palace. Heaven forbid they portray themselves in any other way but feminine.