Meanwhile, back in the sea, Max was back on his oyster bed getting ready for bed. While he tucked into his comfy slumber place, Phoebe was at the living room with her parents and her brothers. It seemed that the trip to the Pacific was called off and they had to come back due the heavy tsunami up front. King Benedict was complaining about it with his family.
"Can you imagine? We have gone all the way down to the middle of the trip when suddenly I was stopped by some aqua marines and they said that there was a tsunami up ahead and no one was to go anywhere near the Pacific. We had to go all the way back! Can you imagine how tiring it was?"
"That's awful, Father," Pince commented, the other brothers nodding in agreement. "Must be some tough weather up ahead."
"Father," Phoebe, after much contemplation, finally picked up the courage to tell her father. "I've been meaning to tell you this ever since you came back. Remember that night when Tiger the Great White crashed my birthday party?"
"How can I forget?" King Benedict rolled his eyes. "That was awful of him. I was almost worried sick when you disappeared all of a sudden."
"Well, Father," Phoebe said as she tugged at his arm lightly. "I want you to go and meet my saviour."
"He's...He's here? The one who saved you?" King Benedict was surprised.
"Yes. He's at his bed right now. I think he's asleep, so let's not wake him."
With that, King Benedict, together with the Queen Fridorithia and the brothers, followed Phoebe to Max's bedroom. The oyster he was sleeping in was closed, so Phoebe swam in quietly and opened the oyster slowly so as not to wake him. She gestured her father to come in and take a look at him. He went over as his daughter requested and when he took a peek, his face turned from interested to shock. Blonde hair, fair skin, the shape of the face...He looked so familiar...
"He's handsome, isn't he?" Phoebe whispered as she gazed dreamily at Max's sleeping face. "He's mute, but he understands things. I'm going to marry him, Father, that's for sure."
"Just listen to her, Father!" Pablio groaned, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Can you believe you want marry someone whom you don't even know? Would you please knock some sense into her, Father?"
"All I know is that he saved me and he loves me," Phoebe scowled as she closed the oyster and left the bedroom. "That's all I need. Father, please say you'll let me marry him, please?"
"Well, he is quite charming," Queen Fridorithia agreed. "And he did save your life..."
"Mother! I cannot believe you would actually agree to this insanity!" Pad exclaimed in shock, disgusted at Phoebe's smug look on her face.
"I don't see anything bad about it," Pjer commented, with Pac nodding in agreement at the background. "There’s no point wanting to marry someone if you don't love him or her anymore."
"Are you saying," Pince had his hands on his waist, "that Phoebe doesn't love Drakeb anymore? They're supposed to be the kingdom's famous sweethearts!"
"Well...not that I don't love Drakeb anymore, but..." Phoebe admitted sheepishly. "But it's just that...well...if Drakeb loved me, he would've saved me that day. Instead it was Maxwell."
"Maxwell?" the brothers turned to her questioningly.
"That's his name. I had to guess his name coz he can't talk, remember?"
"Come on, sis!" Peter waved his arms dramatically. "Drakeb was with me the whole time looking for you that day! He even sent over some flying fish to see where you are up in the surface! He was meaning to go up there himself to save you but it was me who stopped him."
"Well, nothing stopped Maxwell from saving me," Phoebe replied indignantly. "And he risked his life doing it. Oh, Father, please tell me you'll let me marry him. Please?"
King Benedict got out of his deep thoughts. He didn't answer at first but swam back to the living room. The rest of the family followed suite with thoughts of their own in their heads: Phoebe, Pac and Pjer hoping that he would agree; Peter, Pablio, Pince and Pad hoping that he wouldn't agree; and Queen Fridorithia puzzling at what her husband had in mind. When he sat down, he looked up to his daughter and said, "You said that his name is Maxwell, right?"
"Yes," Phoebe said, her heart beating anxiously.
"Do you all remember how I got to become part of this sea?"
The Queen and the sons nodded. It was that fateful year when Queen Fridorithia—still mourning for the loss of her first husband due to war with a seawitch—was taking a walk while trying to contemplate how was she going to save the royal monarchy. Peter, the eldest of all her sons, was still too young to replace his father as the King back then and she sure couldn't govern the sea alone. She needed help and she needed it quick, but none of her sons were at the right age or at the right mindset to help her out. As she continued to muse about her misfortune, she saw at a distance a male human who was falling deeper and deeper into the depths of the treacherous sea. He was dressed in attire she saw only humans have and he looked as if he was going to die if he didn't go back to the surface fast. Out of haste, she used her late husband's trident and somehow transformed him into a genuine merman. It was something she never expected to do, but the only way to save his life.
She soon brought him back to the castle to nurse him back to health. He had a temporary amnesia and couldn't remember who he was, so Pjer and Pac, the twins and the youngest among the sons, naughtily named him 'Benedict' from a science book they just so happen to come across in a sunken ship. Slowly, as his memory cleared, he began to remember his wife Virginia and his son Maxwell and began to tell them what he had recalled in the past. But somehow, the bitter trauma of Scott actually trying to murder him had caused him to have selective amnesia; he can't seem to remember that particular incident. You guessed it alright—ours truly King Benedict was actually Blake who was thought to be dead at sea!
He had thoughts of going back to the surface but Queen Fridorithia realized that she cared for him too much to leave (in other words, she had fallen in love with him ). He tried to go up to the surface once to check on his family and saw the changes Norman had made after his so-called death. The ship was sold and he had become the family butler, and he was managing the family quite well too. He could tell that Norman had a crush on Virginia and would be unkind of him to break it up as Virginia had learnt to move on with life without him (although she couldn't let bygones be bygones with the sea). Besides, he had to admit that he also had a liking for Queen Fridorithia who had been so kind and nice to him and that she failed, after many attempts, to try and transform him back to human. It was a tradition in the royal family that only the King is allowed to read and practice the trident's magic. Queens are not allowed. To top it all up, Queen Fridorithia was actually pregnant with his child Phoebe (obviously, he got a little too 'naughty'). So, in the end, Blake—or Benedict—married the Queen and was claimed the new King, much to the sons' approval and delight.
"What is it, dear?" Queen Fridorithia asked. "Thinking about your human life again?"
"Yeah. What's your human life got to do with Phoebe marrying Maxwell?" Pjer asked.
"It has everything to do with it, son," King Benedict replied. He turned to Phoebe and said, "I'm sorry, my sweet. I cannot let you marry that young man."
"W...Why not?" Phoebe asked, shocked. The brothers that disapproved this marriage looked thrilled.
"Because he was a human. I don't know why and I don't know how he did it—probably by sorcery—but he was human before. You cannot marry him."
"I don't care even if he was a jellyfish, Father! I love him! He saved my life! He must have been through hell to try and alter himself like this!"
"I understand, but..."
"You were human once but you married Mother all the same! Why can't I marry Maxwell?!"
"Because..." King Benedict hesitated before replying, "Because he's your half-brother."
"WHAT?!" Now everyone was shocked. Queen Fridorithia came up to King Benedict with a worried look on her face.
"You mean...that child...is your son? Your human son?"
King Benedict sighed and nodded, "Yes, he's my human son. The son that I had let go for this life. Phoebe, sweetheart, I know he must've loved you so much to go through this transformation and all that, but he had fallen into a forbidden love. He's your brother, Phoebe. Your human half-brother. I'm sorry. You can't marry him."
"No...No...It can't be...! It can't be true...!" Phoebe shook her head in denial and backed away.
"Sweetheart, please," King Benedict tried to coax her but she had made a dash out of the castle, crying pools of tears. The brothers want to give chase but their mother stopped them.
"Don't worry. Let her be alone for a while. She'll come home sooner or later."
Drakeb was sitting at his home sulking all day. He had heard wind about Max and he sure didn't like the rumour about Max being the potential husband for Phoebe. He had caught a glimpse of them downtown and had a good mind to go up to them and give Max a piece of his mind for taking away his love he had a crush on since he was a child, but seeing Phoebe so happy with him ached his heart and he couldn't bear to see her unhappy if he crashed the party. He was about to hit the hay with that awful anger churning inside when he heard one of his servants come in.
"What is it?" Drakeb asked irritably.
"It's Princess Phoebe, Your Highness. She wishes to see you."
Drakeb was surprised. At this hour? What could it be? "Bring her in."
The servant nodded and gestured Phoebe who was standing beside him to enter. As Drakeb turned to face her, he was shocked to see Phoebe with red sodden eyes, like she had cried a great deal. Drakeb tended to her immediately.
"What's wrong, Phoebe my love? Is there something wrong? Did that saviour of yours hurt you in any way?"
Phoebe didn't reply, but flung her arms around Drakeb and sobbed once more. Drakeb didn't know what happened and wasn't sure how to react, but he knew that Phoebe needed comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and hushed her.
"There, there, whatever is bothering you, I'm here for you, Phoebe my love."
"Wake up, Max! Wakey, wakey, wakey!"
Max blinked his eyes groggily at the sound of Robert calling from outside his oyster shell. The oyster shell opened, revealing a smiley-faced Robert. Norman muttered something about "5 more minutes, Mother" and drew the oyster tongue over his head. Robert went over to pull the covers off Norman and grinned from ear to ear. Max yawned and streched himself, jerking his head at Robert to ask what was the occasion.
"Wake up, sleepy head! It's a brand new day!" Robert yelled at Norman's face.
"You're awfully excited about everything," Norman muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Of course I am, you silly little catfish!" Robert exclaimed as he rubbed his knuckles on Norman's head. "Today is the 3rd day, last chance for Max to get a kiss from his darling Phoebe! I saw her and her family discussing something really exciting and I bet my bones they're discussing marriage. I've got a good feeling about today, so come on, Max! Get up and get ready!"
Max calculated the days and soon realized that Robert was right after all. It was his 3rd day and if he didn't get a kiss from Phoebe by the time the moon rises tonight, he would become a human again and goodness knows what SkullMaster would do to him. He quickly got out of bed and arranged himself before rushing towards the living room to check out and see what were the family discussing about.
Once he was about a foot away from the living room, he was shocked to see his rival Drakeb sitting together beside Phoebe as he talked cheerfully with her family. They all looked happy to be chit-chatting with Drakeb and it seemed as if they were discussing something very happily.
"Of course, you know we would have to invite elaborate guests, Drakeb," he heard King Benedict talking.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Drakeb said nonchalantly. "I assure you the people that I've invited would be flocking into the ceremony even if it's the last minute."
"We have planned this wedding for so long," Peter said. "Phoebe and Drakeb have already been betrothed since the very first time they met. Although not exactly officially, but both parties did agree for them to be together."
"That's right," Pablio agreed. "It's only too befitting to be finally married. How's about we wed them by tonight, before the moon rises?"
"Excellent suggestion," King Benedict replied. "Phoebe sweetheart, is there any close friends you would like to invite? Maybe that young gentleman you said have rescued you..."
Max couldn't listen to it anymore. Robert was half-right—they were discussing marriage alright, but not between him and Phoebe, but between her and his rival Drakeb! He swam away, his heart breaking. Phoebe caught a glimpse of him leaving but didn't want to alert her family by chasing after him. Needless to say, when she tried to look for Max to explain things, she couldn't find him anywhere. She assumed that he had already returned back to his human world where he belonged. Little did she know that Max had been hiding at the tower of the castle the whole day wallowing in self-pity. He watched as the preparations were made and everyone got ready for tonight's wedding. As he continued to watch, he slumped to the floor of the tower and sobbed silently. 'She had never loved me,' Max thought to himself. 'She was only grateful for what I've done for her. She's been in love with Drakeb all along. The day she wanted to kiss me was just a phase, a normal reflex...She doesn't love me at all...'
Norman, who was beside him all the while, couldn't help shedding a tear as he, too, felt Max's loss.
Felix was walking about at the jetty, thinking about his best friend Max. Now that Norman had disappeared as well, the whole village was talking about a certain curse coming into town or something. They began making rumours, gossips and urban legends about a spirit that had followed Virginia back home (which caused her to be in a coma) and started kidnapping people. Children were afraid to stay out of the houses after dark and there was a certain aura that made Fishermen's Friend Village not so cheerful and friendly as it used to be.
"Man, so many happenings in this village," Felix sighed. "And I thought this was a nice, quaint village where nothing big happens around here. Guess times have changed."
"Times have changed, my friend."
Felix turned around and was taken aback to see the owner of the cold voice belonging to a hooded man with a pair of sinister-looking yellow eyes. He couldn't see the face clearly because of the hood, but he could tell that this man sure wasn't someone you want to mess with. Obviously, it was SkullMaster but, of course, Felix didn't know that.
"Who are you, dude?" Felix asked tentatively.
"Names aren't important, my friend," SkullMaster replied. "There's a favour I need to ask from you."
"Wh...What is it?"
"I'm worried about our village, and I believe it has something to do with the spirit of the sea. I want to make peace with it but then I'm allergic to sea water and even the sea air," Skullmaster dug out a bottle of crystal clear water and gave it to Felix. "I want you to go down to the sea and row to the deepest side. From there, I want you to turn west and row 14 times and then turn south and row 20 times. After that, I want you to take this vile and throw it as far as you possibly can. Row back home immediately after you're done."
Felix took a look at the bottle he was handed and checked the content. Nothing special to look at—a perfectly normal bottle of clear water—but he was still suspicious.
"Hey, what's in this stuff? How can you make peace with just a bottle of water...?"
He looked and saw that SkullMaster was gone. Nowhere to be seen. He suddenly had the shivers but then his heart told him to do whatever this mysterious man told him to do before he gets himself into trouble. Soon, he could be seen borrowing one of the fishermen's boat and was rowing towards the direction he was instructed.
Meanwhile, back at Max's home, Virginia still lay on her bed unconscious and still. It has been about 3 days since SkullMaster made the bargain with Norman to cure her ailment but he still hadn't made a move yet. He wasn't someone who would break a deal, but he had his own twisted ways to fulfill it.
Besides, he had a plan to carry out.
Soon, the bedroom door opened and there stood SkullMaster with his hood down. He walked stealthily towards the sleeping Virginia and knelt beside her. He took out a black vile from his robe sleeve and pulled the cork out with his teeth. He spat out the cork, filled his mouth with the black concoction and held up Virginia's head. He brought his lips close hers and kissed, feeding her with the concoction. He savoured the taste of her lips and her tongue, enjoying lavishly every moment of it--he had wanted to do this for a very, very long time.
Slowly, Virginia fluttered her eyes open as she woke up from her deep coma. Her eyes that met him weren't the usual ocean-blue eyes, but eyes as dark as night. She stared at SkullMaster for a long while before she let out a blissful smile and fell into his embrace. SkullMaster smiled back and hugged her.
"Good evening, my lovely wife."
No comments:
Post a Comment