Chapter Text
Her parents were soulmates, destined to be with one another. Their other half. Mera grew up learning about soulmates, about how they would get identical scars and bruises when the other got hurt, which would never fade away. These were soulmarkings. Her mother and father told her stories every night of their own. And lastly, they told her that when she was 15, her soulbond would open and she would be connected to him, by emotions, feelings and thoughts.
The young princess was excited and intrigued to learn more about her soulmate, as were all the other children, Atlantean or not, so she waited everyday, checking if she had an extra scar, bruise or mark that wasn’t there before in await of her other half.
It was not until she was 7, she first got her real soulmate mark. A scratch on her right knee had appeared when she was playing hide and seek with Prince Orm.
Her parents were here on a official meeting, a scheduled conference to discuss the alliance of the two kingdoms. This left her with the whole day to play with Orm, as the two had grown up together - the kingdoms Atlantis and Xebel had worked closely together in the recent years to form a joint alliance.
She was in the observatory, looking for potential places to hide. It was Orm’s turn to seek. For a second she was confused - she hadn’t hit anything while swimming in. It had sent a jolt of pain through her leg, searing itself into her skin as she came to a realisation that the scars wasn’t from her, but her soulmate. She let out a cry from the pain; she hadn’t felt anything like that before. Her lip quivered as the tears threatened to flow, but she pushed it back down, knowing it was a good thing her first soulmate mark appeared. She’d been looking forward to it.
She inspected the scratch, lightly using her fingers to trace and follow the line. It wasn’t too deep, but it was jagged, which she thought that he had most likely got from falling onto rocks. The thought of someone falling in the vast ocean scared her. What if they were in trouble? It was shaped like lightning, one that ran from the top to the bottom of her kneecap and it stood out from her pale skin.
At that moment, an Atlantean guard came running in, helping the young princess get up from the position she was curled in. It had hurt so much more than she expected, though she was excited to finally get a clue of who her soulmate was. It bled a little, though the blood merged with the water and disappeared in a current.
“Are you alright, princess? Do you want me to notify the King and Queen?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. There’s no need. I wouldn’t want them to worry anyway.”He took a piece of emergency kelp from the side pocket of his uniform, wrapping around her leg, tying a knot to secure it.
“Is this alright?” He asked, tightening it around the mark. “There you go.” He gave her another look, worried about the king’s daughter.
“Really, I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Princess Mera, the Prince has hurt himself during the game as well, and has requested your presence. He’s in his chambers resting.”
“I’ll make my way there now.” She brushed herself off, as he helped her stand up. The Atlantean guard watched her as they made their way to the doorway, making sure she could swim properly. Her heart sped up, slamming in her chest, a rapid thumping drumming against her ribcage. The pain subsided, though when she leaned toward the right side, it would shoot through her leg. She ventured on however, determined to not show how much it hurt.
Orm could be my soulmate, she thought.
He was her best friend and she’d rather have him no other way. Their parents would occasionally joke about them being betrothed in the future in the royal dinners, merging the two kingdoms to create a more powerful Atlantis. If they were soulmates - Mera didn’t really think so - she hoped it wouldn’t be awkward; she love their friendship, all their days learning about archeological sites, hunched over scrolls, playing in the palaces. She wouldn’t trade that time for anything else.
The guard accompanied her to Orm’s chambers, bowed slightly, and left to do his rounds.
“Orm?” She knocked on his dark blue door. She could hear him shuffling inside.
A faint reply came from the room, “Come in,” he called.
He was resting on his bed, his right leg propped up on a chair, and a piece of kelp tied around the kneecap. Mera could see the fire dancing in his grey eyes, when she watched his eyes immediately travel to the a bandage identically wrapped around her leg. He was 9, and he knew that if she had a mark too, they could potentially be soulmates. In his eyes, they were best friends and soulmates. All he knew was that if they were soulmates and destined to be together, they’d stay together forever.
“Are you okay?” she asked, nearing his bed.
He nodded. “I hope my soulmate isn’t too mad that I slipped while going down the stairs. They’d have this scar to deal with,”
She laughed. “They’d be happy that they’d have a mark.” She clambered up onto his bed, sitting next to him.
“Wanna play a game?” asked Orm.
She nodded. “Creature hunt?” she suggested.
“Okay. I’ll start then.” Orm looked up to the glass ceiling of his bedroom. He reached up, finger pointing to one of the creatures that was circling above.
“ Manta birostris,” He smiled. It was his one of his favourite sea creatures. He turned to focus on the young princess. “Your turn.”
“Aurelias!” She pointed to a cluster of jellyfish dancing together, bopping along the ocean current.
“That’s right Mera.“ He patted her on the head. “Seahorses, Mera. Look!”
Time passed quickly while they were playing together, though both Mera and Orm’s thoughts were partially on their soulmate marks. After naming hundreds of animals later, they noticed that the sun dropped below the horizon, spreading a warm fiery glow that lit up the ocean nicely. Most of the animals were making their way back to their own habitats, the silhouette of the creatures gliding through the ocean layers. This meant that it was time to go.
They made their way out to the kingdom’s main entrance, meeting their parents on the steps up to the palace. The parent’s exchanged a few words, while guards stood at attention next to the royals.
Lastly, it was time for the kids to say goodbye.
“Bye Mera. See you soon.” Prince Orm held onto his mother’s hand, his ash blonde hair floating behind him.
“Bye Orm. I had a great day.” She mumbled, though Orm could still hear her clearly. Half of her was hidden behind her mother, still shy around the King and Queen of Atlantis. “See you.”
Orm watched as the princess leave with her family, heading back into their own underwater chariot pulled by seahorses.
That night, Mera lit a jellyfish lantern in her room, pushing her scrolls and homework away to the side of her desk. The moon shone through into her temporary room, but the silvery light wasn’t enough to write under. She fished around for her soulmate journal, one that her mother had given her. Her hands reached to the back of her drawer, fingers stretching to grab ahold of the fish-scale book. The delicate scales of the cover lightly scratched her fingers, and in one smooth movement she pulled it out from where she had hidden it years ago. She finally had the chance to use it and she was saving it for when she got her first soulmate mark.
She brushed off the moss that had been growing atop it, letting it float to the ground. She opened the journal and lifted her pen, beginning to note down everything about her soulmate.
This is my first entry in my soulmate journal. I wonder who he is. Does he live in Atlantis or in Xebel? When will I see him? Well, the big news is that I got my first soulmate mark on my right knee today, while playing hide and seek with Orm in the observatory. It’s jagged and lightning shaped, it’s turning pale brown and it hurts to touch. When it first emerged in my skin, it hurt so much that it felt as if I had been on the receiving end of the trident, which I hope I never will be. Mother says it hurts less for my soulmate, so I hope he’s okay and it didn’t hurt too much for him. I hope he doesn’t get any more scratches, and hopefully he isn’t too clumsy. I wonder when I’ll see him soon. Hopefully, sooner than later.
Goodnight, Mera.
“Mera, bedtime!” She heard her parents come down the hall to tuck her in bed.
The king and queen of Xebel were making their way to her room to make sure she made it to bed, as they did every day. She shut her book, carefully placing it in the back of her drawer. A knock echoed throughout her room, and her parents appeared at the doorway. “Princess, it’s time to sleep.” Her father said, catching a glance of the journal as she was just shutting the drawer. “Is that your soulmate journal?”
She nodded in response. She timidly lifted up her pj nightgown, showing her parents the jagged scar. “Mommy, Daddy! My first soulmate mark. I hope he isn’t too clumsy. Or else I’ll be getting a lot of scars,” she joked. “I got it while playing hide and seek with Orm today.”
“Yes, we hope he isn’t too clumsy. It was a big day for you today, and I know you’re excited, but bedtime!” ushered her mother, guiding her to bed.
Her mother switched her attention to the king, purposely directing her voice away from her daughter. “Nereus, you know that the young prince also got his first scar today. Exactly there too.”
Her father switched off her jellyfish lantern, shaking the thoughts away. He wasn’t so sure about his daughter marrying off to the young prince of Atlantis. It would mean that the two kingdoms would need a lifelong joint alliance, which Xebel wasn’t ready for. “You can’t be sure about that. Anything could happen really.”
Her mother lowered her voice as the princess slipped under the covers, tucking her under the covers. Her voice was hushed and quiet, and the princess leaned in closer to her clearly.
The queen lifted her sleeve so it reached her elbow. A patch was on the inside of her elbow, matching the shade of Mera’s own soulmate mark. She gave her daughter a soft smile. “This mark is from when daddy tripped and scratched some coral. He was clumsy too.”
Mera giggled, looking at the king, who suddenly showed a lot of interest toward her closet.
“Remember, my Mera, keep your marks safe, and remember to love them all, then, you’ll know who your soulmate is as soon as you see them.”
She nodded, softly smiling as her mother. “Goodnight mother, goodnight father.”
“Goodnight Princess Mera. Remember, you have school tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late.” Her parents slipped out of her door, and she could hear them saying goodnight to the guards.
Her mind was clouded with thoughts of who her soulmate potentially was. Orm? She sat up again, pulling her knees up to her chest, fingers craving the need to touch it again. She lightly ran her fingers atop the scar. It brought her closer to her soulmate, in a way, that she knew that someone out there had the exact same scar. And that that person would be hers, and they would rule Xebel together once she became Queen.
“Goodnight soulmate.” She whispered, head turned to face the vast ocean, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.