"So this is your castle, Eric?" Ariel asked in surprise as she looked at my house. "It's so beautiful and different from our castle in Atlantis."
Although the movie portrayed the castle as literally connected to the sea, in the real world this was completely unfeasible, considering that the castle was where the King and the royal family lived and that the kingdom would inevitably have a lot of enemies, it wouldn't be very smart to leave one side completely unprotected from naval attacks.
So here the castle was in the center of the capital of Miralune, with houses and walls protecting it from all sides, ensuring that even if an attack did break out on the capital, there would still be plenty of space for the soldiers to keep the battle away from the king.
But despite being in the center of the city, Miralune Castle stands on a hill that overlooks the entire capital. It was built with firm, gray stone, with tall, square towers that bear the marks of years of rain and wind.
The gates are made of heavy wood, reinforced with iron, and open onto a courtyard with a simple fountain, carved in the shapes of waves. The large windows have colored stained glass with drawings of the sea and the moon, which cast light into the main hall.
At the top, blue flags with the symbol of the Lunaris, a crescent moon painted in blue with gold details, are swaying.
"Yes Ariel, although it's not as grand and imposing as King Triton's castle, this is the place I call home." I said in a humble way.
Even though this was extremely large and luxurious compared to any place I had lived in my other life, compared to the castle Ariel lived in, our castle can only be considered humble.
Ariel quickly shook her head in denial. "No, Eric, your castle is beautiful! Even though it's smaller than our castle at home, your castle also has a unique charm... the architecture of you humans is so different from ours that I'm surprised at the way you use shapes in your buildings!"
If it had been anyone else, I might have thought she was just being polite, but considering how Ariel didn't really care that much for mermaid stuff and admired human culture a lot, I knew she was being sincere about it, so I just smiled at that, a little satisfied.
Entering the castle, all the soldiers greeted me politely and respectfully, but also looking shocked at the girl I was carrying on the horse.
"It seems that your subjects really respect you, Eric." Ariel said, looking at the soldiers and servants who saluted me or bowed to me whenever they saw me.
Nodding my head, I replied in a satisfied voice. "Yes, we've always treated all our subjects well, and with this monster attack happening and me becoming the kingdom's greatest fighting power, their admiration for me has only grown."
"That's nice..." Ariel commented distractedly. "Back in Atlantis I never got any reaction like that from our subjects. Sure, they do look at my father that way, but since I'm only the youngest of the king's daughters, people always saw me as just a child there."
As she said this, I noticed her small hand gripping her new trident tighter as she continued. "I guess it's because I've never done anything to earn their respect, apart from singing..."
Using one of my hands to stroke her head, I said. "But you're still young, Ariel, there's still time to change that view. The soldiers and subjects of the kingdom only began to respect me in this way a few days ago, before I only received adoration and affection from subjects for a good ruler. It was only after I started risking my life for them that their perception of me changed."
At my explanation, Ariel nodded in agreement as she turned her head to look at me.
There was a big smile on her face, which was only enhanced by her cute cheeks.
"Thanks Eric, I'm going to learn from you how to become a princess worthy of respect, and not just a cute princess who sings pretty." She said determinedly.
I smiled at her reaction and again resisted the urge to kiss her so closely, so I replied with a laugh. "Then I'll do my best to be a good instructor, but as payment I'll want to hear your beautiful voice singing something for me, okay?"
Hearing my compliment, Ariel's cheeks turned red again and she quickly turned away, leaving me with only the sight of the top of her head nodding in confirmation.
In a few minutes at a slow trot we finally arrived at the entrance to the castle.
At the door, both my mother and father were waiting for me, looking at me with even more dramatic expressions than the subjects had when they saw me carrying a girl with me on the horse.
When we stopped the horse in front of them, first I got off naturally, then I helped Ariel down, taking her by the waist, which made the girl even more embarrassed in front of my parents, but she didn't complain, since it was better to be embarrassed by my help to get down than to try to get down on her own and fall flat on her face.
Before I could even say anything, my mother couldn't stand her curiosity and asked.
"Eric, you can't imagine my surprise when the maid came to tell me urgently that Prince Eric had entered the castle carrying a beautiful girl on a horse with him... but seeing it with my own eyes, perhaps I can understand why..." She said as she looked at Ariel in surprise.
Her reaction was to be expected, considering that Ariel was Triton's most beautiful daughter, and adding that to her cute and polite personality, it was hard not to have a good first impression of her.
My father, standing next to my mother, just looked at Ariel for a few seconds before nodding in approval, but his gaze soon moved to the trident in Ariel's hand, clearly realizing that there was something more to it.
"I believe your guest has a special identity, Eric, how about we talk about it inside?" my father suggested, and I nodded in agreement.
All the servants around were looking at us with great curiosity, although I didn't want to hide Ariel's true identity, it would be more prudent to talk to my parents first before deciding how to act on it.
So, with Ariel clinging to my side, her right hand gripping the trident tightly for reassurance, and her left hand lightly gripping the sleeve of my blouse, I moved a little closer to her and we walked until we reached the castle's reception room.
My parents sat on a sofa, while I sat on the front sofa with Ariel next to me.
"First of all, let me introduce my guest. Father, Mother, this is Princess Ariel of Atlantis, seventh daughter of King Triton, and my friend." I said in a firm, warm voice.
Surprisingly, despite her shyness, Ariel got up from the sofa and gave a slightly polite greeting.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, please take good care of me." Ariel said with courtesy and etiquette worthy of a princess.
With her acting like that, even though she was wearing peasant clothes, it was clear that she really did come from a noble family.
My mother just looked at this with even more curiosity and confusion, but waited to see what my father would say.
"Welcome to Miralune, Ariel. If you're Eric's friend, you're our most prestigious guest." My father nodded with a small smile on his face, even more pleased, but there was still confusion on his face. "I just don't remember any kingdom called Atlantis, can you explain that to me?"
Ariel sat on the edge of a chair in the castle hall, looking at King Aldric with an excited smile at the thought of home, but still a little nervous.
"Atlantica, sir, is the kingdom of my father, King Triton, at the bottom of the sea," she explained, gesturing as if to draw the ocean in the air. "It's where mermaids, mermen and all kinds of sea creatures live, with coral palaces that glow and currents that dance like music. It's not on any human map, because it's hidden in the depths, protected by the magic of the sea. There, we take care of the oceans, and my father uses his trident to keep everything in balance." She paused, laughing softly. "It's very different from Miralune, but just as beautiful, I promise!"
With Ariel's description, it was easier for my parents to visualize what she meant, but there was one detail that shocked them even more.
"Did you say that the kingdom is at the bottom of the sea?" My father asked shocked.
"Yes, Dad, do you remember when I woke up after the accident and said that I didn't know who had saved my life from the shipwreck? That I only remembered a red figure rescuing me from the bottom of the sea, taking me to the beach and looking after me? The 'red figure' was Ariel." I gestured as I waved at her hair.
Ariel added. "I'm a mermaid."
Listening to our explanation, my mother was completely shocked, while my father tried his best to maintain the stoic, calm kingly expression he always maintained, but knowing him, it was clear to me that he was just as shocked as my mother.
Speaking for the first time, my mother looked at Ariel's delicate bare feet, which despite walking the whole way without shoes, were still surprisingly clean, and asked curiously. "If you're a mermaid, how come you're walking on land with us?"
Ariel smiled at this question and looked at me, speaking happily. "Because of Eric... more specifically, after he duelled my father I asked my father to let me come to the human world, then he used a magic on me so that I could change my tail into human legs whenever I wanted."
"Magic..." My mother commented in surprise.
But my father picked up on a more crucial detail. "Did you duel with the King of Atlantis at the bottom of the sea, Eric?" I replied, laughing.
Laughing, I replied. "Yes, and I lost badly at that, Dad."
And this answer of mine shocked my father even more, since he knew how strong I was compared to normal people.
Thinking that even I, who was already so strong, had lost badly to someone, he couldn't even imagine how powerful this king from a neighboring kingdom was, whom he had no idea existed.
"And what is your purpose in coming to the human world, Ariel?" My mother asked with interest, and a hint of playfulness as she looked between Ariel and me.
Ariel realized what my mother was implying and became a little embarrassed.
"Eric told me about the monsters that were attacking his kingdom and killing the humans, so I wanted to come and help." She said as she waved her trident slightly.
As she did so, my father looked at her trident again, now in a new light.
Considering that Ariel's father was already so powerful, the little mermaid would probably be at least more powerful than normal soldiers, right?
This meant that Miraluna's future just got even less bleak!
"Then your help will be most welcome, Ariel, we'll do our best to welcome the first guest Eric brings home." My father said with a small smile on his face as he looked between me and Ariel, as did my mother.
Seeing where this was going, I laughed a little, which made Ariel even more embarrassed, but on her face there was a satisfied smile, happy that the first meeting with my parents had gone so well.
When the presentations were over, my mother asked Ariel to accompany her so they could get better clothes for her, while Torren came to me with the materials I had asked him for the night before.
--- Cat Notes ---
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