An Angel from the Deep

  Once upon a time, in a world we know as Earth, there was a kingdom. But not just any kingdom, it was a kingdom under the Atlantic ocean. This kingdom was known as Mertropolis. This kingdom, as well as many other undersea kingdoms in the world, was inhabited by many aquatic creatures, as well as the wonderful mermaids and mermen. The existence of these kingdoms and their merpeople were unknown to the humans, but under the sea, Mertropolis was one of the biggest underwater kingdoms in the world. In this kingdom, a new princess was born to the king and queen. This was their first and only child, and they named her Roxanna. Everyone celebrated the princess's birth with a huge feast. They were all filled with glee and were merry.

  As the child grew older, she discovered a love for singing. Though she was at a young age, about five years old at the time, she had one of the most fairest and most beautiful voices of all the oceans. But Roxanna had a special voice, a voice no one else could mimic if they tried. For you see, her voice was magic. Each note by itself represented a spell. If she sang that note, she could produce that spell. She didn't have to worry about accidentally producing spells while she sang songs. Her mind and intentions let her voice know if she wanted to cast a spell, or if it was just a long note. After performing some songs in front of the kingdom, a mysterious mark of a treble clef with a musical staff wrapped around it appeared on her hip. The merpeople have never heard of such a thing happening before. The mark couldn't be rubbed off, and it never wore off either. It never bothered the princess, so she always was able to deal with it. But that wasn't the only mark she would get.

  One day, a few miles from the kingdom, an underwater volcano erupted. The guards never noticed it before, for they haven't been in the outer reaches of the kingdom for quite some time. The volcano probably wouldn't be visible for them. It might have only been a small mound of sand the last time they went out of the kingdom. But when it did erupt, huge boulders came tumbling toward the city. Roxanna could've produced a force field around the kingdom by hitting a high G, but it would be too late by the time the spell was finished. Most people would think it would be amazingly foolish what Roxanna would do next, but an urge inside her told her that she should do it. A gigantic boulder was rolling towards a schoolhouse, with young merfolk and teachers trapped inside. The princess cared for her people, both young and old. She would risk her own life for their safety, which she was about to do. She swam from the balcony of her castle toward the school. She stood in front of it and projected a high G. But before the spell was cast, it was too late. The boulder reached Roxanna. Everything went silent. No one said a word. Had they just lost their young princess? That was on everyone's mind.

  But, suddenly, the boulder was lifted into the air! The people gasped as they looked at the source. It was little Roxanna! That little mermaid could lift a boulder that was nearly twenty times her own weight! Everyone looked at the girl astounded. But the silence was broken by cheers and hollers. This princess was most definitely a hero. Then, Roxanna saw a twinkle in the corner of her eye. She looked over to her hip. There lay another mysterious mark: a dumbbell! Now she had marks on both of her hips. Something was special about this girl, and not just because of her royalty and talents. This girl had a destiny far beyond her imagination. Her destiny began a few months later, in a way, undoubtedly, people wouldn't want their dreams to start.

It all started...with a war.

  Most would think this war was for land, rights, or something along those lines, but that wasn't the point of the war at all! It's sad, but true, that the neighboring city of Aquatanina wanted a valuable treasure from the kingdom all to themselves: a princess. They knew of her mysterious powers, and if they could somehow obtain them with powerful magic, they could use them to become one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world. The king and queen of Mertropolis knew that their daughter was far from safe. There was no place in the palace or the city that wouldn't be searched to find Roxanna. When all hope seemed lost, a hooded merman, who was very elderly, motioned for the royal family to follow him. Naturally, they wanted to know if he was a friend or an enemy. To this he replied that he was a meer sorcerer named Omnius Kri, the cousin of one of the royal guards named Judiah Lancing. He also brought forth valuable gems and incense. Seeing that he, hopefully, was a friend, they followed him to a small hut away from the neighboring houses. Inside, they saw brewing stands brewing magical potions and shelves that were lined with books filled with mystical spells. Then they came up to a small, locked door. Omnius removed a key that was tied around his neck like a necklace and unlocked the door. They were almost blinded by a burst of light coming from an unknown source. When it died down, they saw before them a mirror. It was a large mirror with a beautifully decorated border.

  "Your highnesses, I present to you what merkind hasn't known about for centuries. Only your's truly and one other merman has seen it until now." "I'm afraid I don't get your point." said the king confused. "How will a mirror possibly protect our daughter?" "Ah, but this is no ordinary mirror, your highness. This is a portal to another world, a world where the princess will surely be safe." The king and queen held their daughter tight. "Are you saying that we send our only daughter into this mysterious realm alone?" asked a worried queen. "I'm afraid so." replied Omnious. "For if we sent the whole kingdom to this dimension, there would be an unbalance between worlds, which would cause problems much more grave than now." "How are we to trust you?" asked the king. "I fully understand that you find it hard to gain my trust, but I promise that I would never set forth harm to the royal family or its kingdom. There is one merman in the other world, and only one. His name is Mordecai. He will gladly take care of the girl. The creatures under the sea are much like ours, and may even have some new species. The princess will make many friends."

   "What about the surface? What are its inhabitants?" asked the queen. "We have humans in our world," said Omnious, "but in this world there are no humans." The royal parents sighed a big sigh of relief, until Omnious cut them off. "Though I'm afraid there are creatures on the surface that I can't identify. They're colorful, four-legged creatures. Some possess the ability to fly, and some can conjure magic! With such powerful abilities, Mordecai would never let the princess meet the surface." "Will we ever see her again?" asked the king. "Every thirty tides, the portal will open for three tides. The princess may come back to visit." Roxanna was worried what would happen to her and her family. She only understood that this world was her only hope. "Mother, Father," The two looked down at their lovely daughter. "I understand what I must do. I promise I will visit! I will respect Mordecai and make many new friends. Though it is hard to think about losing you." She hugged her parents tight, all having grief and sorrow in their hearts. After a long embrace with each other, Roxanna finally said goodbye. Before she swam through the portal, her mother stopped her for a moment.

  "Angelfish, before you go, we want to give you a gift." She handed her a small box wrapped with a seaweed bow. The girl's face lit up when she saw what was inside. A golden clam attached to a gold chain shimmered in the box. She opened the clam to reveal a magic bubble hologram of her and her parents happily joined together. "I...I don't know what to say!" said the young princess, trying to keep herself from crying. "It was going to be for your birthday, but we figured that now was the best time to give it to you." said the king. Everyone was in deep sorrow, but they knew this was the only hope they had in saving their princess. "Goodbye, my dear family." said Roxanna, shaking in despair. She took a deep breath, then she swam through the portal.