"So what exactly am I supposed to do?" Arthur asked as he stood in front of the lighthouse, his arms crossed while he looked between Daniel and Mera.
"How does any of this stop a war, or whatever mess is about to happen?"
The moment he finally agreed to listen, Mera's expression brightened considerably.
She stepped forward and began explaining.
"Right now, Orm sits on the throne as Emperor of Atlantis. However, you have the legal right to challenge his claim. As the firstborn child of Queen Atlanna, your claim to the throne is actually stronger than his."
Arthur frowned slightly.
"Stronger how?"
"In Atlantis, bloodline matters," Mera explained.
"The firstborn child of the ruling monarch traditionally possesses the strongest claim."
"While succession is more complicated than surface-world monarchies, many Atlanteans still believe the firstborn heir should inherit the throne whenever possible."
She paused before adding another important detail.
"There's also the matter of lineage. Orm's father was never a member of the royal bloodline. King Orvax was a noble who married into the royal family."
"Your mother, however, was born a queen. That means your connection to the royal line is stronger than Orm's."
Arthur considered that for a moment before asking the question that actually mattered.
"So if I take the throne, there won't be a war?"
"There shouldn't be."
Mera nodded.
"Despite what Orm claims, not every kingdom supports his plans. Atlantis is the driving force behind the conflict. The other kingdoms have their own concerns and interests. Some support him, some fear him, and some simply don't want to oppose him openly."
She folded her arms.
"If Orm loses the throne, the coalition he's building will likely collapse before the war ever begins."
Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So you're saying that if Orm gets removed from power, the invasion never happens."
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Arthur hummed quietly as he thought it over.
What Mera didn't mention was that claiming the throne would be far from simple.
Having a legitimate claim and successfully ruling Atlantis were two very different things.
Many Atlanteans despised surface dwellers. Arthur was half-human and had spent almost his entire life on land.
Even citizens who disliked Orm could easily reject Arthur for the same reason. Convincing the kingdoms to accept him as king would require careful planning, political maneuvering, and a great deal of support from influential figures.
Fortunately, that part wasn't Mera's responsibility.
Her task had always been simple.
Get Arthur to Atlantis.
Once that happened, Vulko could handle the political side of things. The advisor had spent years preparing for exactly this possibility.
As Mera thought about the difficulties ahead, Daniel listened to the conversation with mild amusement.
Politics really was a ridiculous mess.
Kingdoms plotted against one another, nobles schemed for power, and entire wars were decided by who happened to be sitting on a particular chair. The whole thing seemed exhausting.
Then his attention shifted elsewhere.
Daniel's eyes moved toward the darkness beyond the lighthouse, focusing on a spot near the edge of the rock overlooking the shore.
For several seconds he simply stared.
Then he tilted his head.
"Hey, old friend," Daniel called casually. "How much longer are you planning to eavesdrop from the shadows?"
Arthur and Mera immediately looked in the same direction.
Neither of them saw anything. The area appeared completely empty.
Then a figure stepped out of the darkness.
Black armor. Black cape. Black cowl. The unmistakable silhouette of Batman emerged from the shadows as though he had always been standing there and simply chosen now to make it known.
Arthur stared at him for a moment.
"What, did Halloween get moved up by several months? Why the hell are you still walking around in that costume?"
Mera, meanwhile, was completely confused.
She wasn't familiar enough with surface-world customs to understand the joke.
Having spent most of her life in the Kingdom of Xebel, she had rarely visited the surface, and her father had never encouraged such trips.
As far as she could tell, this strange human simply preferred dressing like a giant bat for reasons that made absolutely no sense.
"Well, forget about his fashion sense," Daniel said as he suddenly appeared beside Batman, causing Arthur to do a double take.
"He's a friend of mine and one of the smartest people on Earth. Honestly, if we're talking about human geniuses, he's near the top of the list."
Batman didn't react to the praise in the slightest.
His expression remained as unreadable as ever beneath the cowl.
Daniel, meanwhile, swept an arm toward him as though introducing the guest of honor at some grand event.
"Allow me to present the one, the only, the Bat of Gotham, the nightmare of countless criminals, the reason muggers check dark alleys before entering them, and the man who has probably traumatized half the underworld."
He paused dramatically.
"Batman."
Arthur and Mera stared at the dark-clad figure.
Batman stared back.
An awkward silence followed.
Finally, both of them spoke at the same time.
"A what now?"
*****
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