"Mama," Skystar asked her mother, Queen Novo, as she laid her to bed, "tell me a story."
Novo smiled as she rested her tail fin next to her daughter, "Which one?"
"Home."
The queen mermaid sighed, "Are you sure? I've told you a hundred times."
"Please, Mama."
The sight of her daughter's saucer-shaped eyes and pointed lips added onto the fact she wouldn't go to sleep unless she told her a story caused Novo to give in.
"Okay," she told her daughter, "but after the story's done, it's straight to Dreamland, young lady. You need to be wide awake when you visit Manda tomorrow."
Skystar let out a squee as she tucked herself in, watching her mother pull out the pearl lent to her by Manda as a token of good will. She waved her hand over its surface, summoning swirling streams from its iridescent surface as she began her story.
"Long ago, Novo started as swirling magic took the form of humanoids with expansive, bird-like wings on their backs, our people, the Aerosians, lived on the peaks of Mount Eris. Safe from the blood lust and cruelties of humankind. Spending our days soaring among the clouds, the wind among our wings, and the skies our playgrounds. We lived isolated from the horrors of humanity and the destruction they brought with them and upon themselves."
As Novo spoke, the images of the winged Aerosians danced and played, bathing the barely illuminated waters of Skystar's room with rainbow glitter. However, Novo's voice turned dark as the images began to take on a look of fear. "However, like all things, it was not to last. For one day, our sanctuary fell under attack by a monster." As she spoke, jagged streams of magic came together in the shape of a thundercloud which would illuminate, revealing a winged, monstrous visage which filled the room.
"We called him the Storm King," Novo continued, "for wherever he went, the sky would split open into a massive storm just from his mere presence alone and speaking aloud his true name risked invoking his wrath. He held nothing but contempt to all living things, therefore, upon seeing our shining kingdom, his hatred and rage shook the Earth and the Skies. His wrath proved too great for us as we were forced to flee to the waters below."
Upon saying this, the silhouette within the storm lashed out at her with a malevolent, shrieking, cackle, causing Skystar to scream and duck under her covers. As she peeked out, Novo had taken a gentler look to her face. "Thankfully, our plight was not unseen by much kinder folk." The swirls merged together to take on a familiar, serpentine shape. That of Skystar's teacher, Lady Manda.
"Out of the kindness of her heart, the dragon, Manda, took sympathy towards us and offered us a home in the form of a kingdom she failed to save a millennia ago called Mu, but at a cost. In order to live in the depths, our people had to give up their greatest treasure of all; their wings. Our hearts, still full with the terror the Storm King bequeathed upon us, we had no choice."
The images showed the Aerosians standing before Manda as she held the pearl she gave her mother in her talons. From the pearl, waves of magic erupted from it, transforming the Aerosians. Their legs fused into a single finned tail while their wings dissolved from their backs.
"And so, our people now live beneath the waves in hiding, waiting for the day the Storm King is finally destroyed and we can finally return home. But even then, it'll be a miracle to say the least."
With that, Novo capped her hand onto the pearl and began to swim off.
"Hey, Mama?" Skystar asked.
Novo turned her head to her daughter.
"Has anyone tried stopping the Storm King before?"
Novo gave a sad smile, "Maybe, Skystar. Maybe. Now, time to get some sleep."
She swam over to her daughter and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead as she closed off the light, leaving the mermaid princess to ponder before she closed her eyes.
Author's Note
Here's a little game: Try to figure out who the "Storm King" of this fic really is and understand why I chose him instead of the actual Storm King.
Several images flashed before Skystar's mind. Visions she kept seeing ever since she was six-years-old. Visions of destruction, of storm clouds, of monsters with heads like vipers, of a titanic beast that loosed a roar like that of an angry war god, of-
"Skystar."
Of...
"Skystar!"
Mom?
"Skystar, you're gonna be late for your lesson. It's time to wake up!"
Skystar's eyes snapped open as she was greeted with the sight of her mother, floating with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. "About time you woke up."
"Morning to you too, Mom." Skystar replied, inadvertently letting the sleep grog do the talking for her, "What time is it anyway?"
"It's around mid-dawn." Novo replied.
This immediately brought the young mermaid into an awakened state. "Oh no... I'M GONNA BE LATE!"
Novo rolled her eyes, Now, she gets it. She loved her daughter with all her heart, but there were days where letting her sleep in had their consequences. If anything, Skystar was lucky to have someone as patient as Manda as her teacher. However, now that her daughter was up and awake, she had become a ball of energy as she darted around her room collecting her notes (made up of kelp-paper) and her ink-pen (made from a squid quill) as well as bioluminescent firefly squid ink for writing.
"Okayinkinkwhereistheink? Ohhereitis. ShellyShellyWhereisShelly? Oh! Thereyouare!" she spoke in a rapid fashion as she swam back and forth, much to her mother's bemusement, collecting her googly-eyed clam toys she used to talk to whenever she was alone, "Iknow,Sheldon,Idon'tneedyouaddingtothisokay!?" She made sure to quickly comb back her bright, blue hair in the mirror with a sea flower tipped comb, not even noticing she left it in there as she collected all her things into a bag before shooting out the door. "LatelateIamgonnabelate!" Just then, she came back kissed her mother on the cheek. "Love you, Mom." Before Novo could reply, Skystar squealed as she dashed through the door again.
"Love you too, sweetie." Novo could barely reply even though her daughter had already left.
"Latelatelatelatelatelatelate," Skystar kept chanting to herself as she swam through the ruins of Mu, startling beezelbugs and nearly crashing into any merfolk as they greeted her.
"Good morning, Princess."
"Hey, Haven, can't talk right now, I'm gonna be late!"
"Hello, Princess Skystar."
"Hi, Salina, kinda running late today, sorry, can't talk right now!"
"Hey, Skystar!"
"Morning, Silverstream, morning, Terramar, running late. Talk later!"
She swam so far, the currents from her tail woke up a sleeping family of Sand Dragons which briefly startled the babies and invoking a stern glare from the mother.
"Sorry," Skystar called, "I'm kinda running late!"
The Sand Dragon just grunted before going back to sleep. Skystar had also taken the time to snatch a seaberry on the way and began to chomp vigorously into it, leaving behind streams of sweet-smelling nectar in her wake like sugary squid ink. She had at last come upon her destination, the ruins of what appeared to be a temple decorated with serpentine, ornate dragons. From what Manda had told her before, the humans who lived on Mu before they were wiped out built this temple to serve as her home. She dashed through the open doors and finally came upon the massive form of Manda.
While Novo was queen of the merfolk, Manda was more akin to an empress who ruled over Mu, offering them a home until the threat of the Storm King was ended. Her appearance truly befit her title as granddaughter of Ryujin. She had emerald green scales which glittered like polished pearls, six horns lined her head, four taloned paws rested on each of her feet. Right now, she was coiled up and watching the princess of the merfolk drift inside her chambers with golden eyes the size of rowboats, looking as if she had just swum a marathon.
"Sorry... I'm... late," Skystar apologized, "Slept... in... late." With that, she collapsed on the chamber floor.
Manda gave her student a knowing smile. "You don't need to apologize, Skystar," she told her, her soft, elegant voice contrasting with her titanic physique, "as long as you're here the lesson can begin. Granted it'll end a few minutes early but, it's better than keeping you here the whole time."
Skystar wiped her head with a relieved sigh, letting a stream of bubbles come from her mouth.
"Now," Manda told her unfurling her titanic coils, "time to begin."
