Chapter Text
Being back in the throne room was a bittersweet experience not only for Sevian but for most of the surfacers in the room. The king had called for a meeting with all of them and their guides to mark the halfway point of the Cultural Exchange program. It was already past that point and it was hard to come to terms with the fact that soon enough, they would have to make a choice of whether to stay or to go back. They might have to say goodbye to those they had come to consider friends and for some- family.
For Sevian's part, she did not need five other months to make a decision. She had already decided to ask the king to let her stay after the program was over. In just half a year, Atlantis had felt more like a home than the land ever did in twenty-six years.
"The decision to remain in Atlantis or not won't come easily. I know some of you have not only befriended your guides but you've also forged a bond with others in this kingdom. Whatever you may choose to do, there will always be a place for the thousand of you in Atlantis. In these past few months, there has been a unity between our people that would have been unthinkable less than a year ago. I'd like to thank all of you for making this Cultural Exchange program a successful work in progress." The king continued to speak of how the exchange had gone beyond his expectations but even as Sevian listened to him, her eyes refused to leave Orm's form. He looked ethereal in his purple and silver armour.
When it came to be his turn to speak, a fond smile lit up her face. As head of the Cultural Exchange team, he had done a good job in keeping the peace between the surfacers and their guides. Sevian could not have been prouder of him.
Sevian did not leave the room after the meeting had ended; Orm had asked her to stay. He would be receiving his new trident from Arthur today. The room had emptied until only Sevian, the royal council, the royal family and a few members of the military had been left behind. Sevian had swam to the side where the military members had been to vacate the centre platform; she had not dared to go to the side where the royal council members were. They had stared at her with barely hidden indignation when they had noticed a surfacer still in the room. The military members had unexpectedly seemed more welcoming.
It had been a straight forward and quick enough ceremony; Orm had knelt in front of Arthur with his hands raised, palms up, and Arthur had placed the new trident in Orm’s hands with a bright smile on his face that Orm returned. It was the exact same trident she had seen Orm design, down to the hole intended for a piece of his soul.
"I hear this next part is the fun part," Arthur said before letting go of the trident and stepping back from Orm. He had given his brother the trident ahead of schedule. He was supposed to do it when Orm became the military head again but knowing how happy it would make his little brother to have his own trident, Arthur had decided to hand it to him the moment it had finished being forged. Even if his doing so was going to make the royal council chastise him for not following protocol.
"Thank you, Arthur," Orm said before standing up. With his hands tightly wrapped around the trident, he turned around to face away from the throne and for the first time in Sevian's life, she saw a true act of what only could be described as magic. There was some sort of fog coming out of Orm but it was getting swallowed by the empty space in his trident, gradually filling the space. She worried about the pain Orm might be feeling and looked up at his face. He did not seem to be in pain at all, there was a soft content smile on his face as he watched a part of his soul becoming one with the trident. She could not help but unconsciously smile at the sight of him. Seeing him that happy pulled at her heartstrings and made her heart feel like it had been doused in a sea of euphoria. It was in that sentiment of euphoria that she realised one very simple thing; she did not only like him as a friend, she was in love with him.
The revelation did not frighten her, it oddly enough made her feel relieved. It was more than okay to have fall in love with Orm. There was nothing wrong with being in love with your friend even if it would be unrequited. She would not confess to him, there was no point in pursuing a heartbreak. She now understood what Alexis had been felt.
There would be a small celebration dinner for Orm that evening, organised by his friends at his quarters. It was to be a small intimate dinner with his three friends. To Sevian's surprise, he had invited her to it. She was both anxious and excited to meet his friends. She wanted to make a good first impression but she did not know what to do.
"You can relax, they're easy to get along with," Orm had told her before his friends arrived. It did not make her relax though; she was not certain his definition of easy going was the same as hers; the last person he called easy going was his cousin's husband back in Belusis. And the man had been an overly intrusive interrogator so she was not exactly comforted by Orm saying his friends were easy-going.
When she finally met them, she came to realise that Orm was right. They were not high strung as you would expect friends of royalty to be, nor did they suck up to Orm like sycophants. They were nice to her and not at all intrusive with their questions about life as a surfacer.
"Orm says you have food as pets?" Ignaci Murk, one of Orm's friends casually asked as they ate dinner. The fact that Orm talked about her to his friends lit a small fire of affection in her heart. Still, she was not about to raise her hopes over something as simple as that; People talked to their friends about their other friends all the time without any romantic connotations.
"I have pet goldfish but Ori and Mari aren't food," she said with a chuckle. Ignaci Murk was apparently a military Commander and the temporary head of the kingdom's security. The white haired Atlantean looked cold and unapproachable in appearance and voice. Murk had surprised Sevian by greeting her with a warm hug when he had arrived at Orm’s quarters, he was not at all like his appearance suggested. Once you looked past his looks, he exuded an odd sense of familiarity that made you feel like home. She could understand why Orm befriended him.
Besides Murk was Atork Relius, an Atlantean who Sevian had thought she had met simply by how familiar he looked before realising that he had been the Atlantean from the TV announcement on the surface. He was much prettier in person. The camera had barely caught the essence of him. He had been the one who had prepared the food for dinner. It turned out cooking was his favourite hobby, something Sevian did not think could ever be a hobby of hers but she respected it and the food was on par with Rena's in terms of how tasty it was.
"It's a good thing I didn't prepare goldfish salad for tonight," Atork commented with a laugh. She also came to realise that Orm’s friends had a pretty dark sense of humour that greatly amused her.
"Helpless little things aren’t supposed to be eaten," the beautiful Atlantean sitting beside Sevian said. She was the last of Orm's friends and she apparently only ate meat from things that were bigger than her. It was an odd preference but to each their own. She had been the one that Sevian had been most surprised to meet. She was more than a familiar face on TV, she was the highborn Atlantean woman who had come to announce Sevian’s upcoming visit to Atlantis. Sevian now finally knew her name; Enova Gladiolus. She was as pretty as the name that belonged to her. Atlantis was undoubtedly a large kingdom but it seemed that fate always found a way to bring people together.
Orm could only smile at seeing the interaction between his friends and Sevian. He had only been friends with Enova, Murk and Atork for a year but he cared for them deeply. Although he and Murk had a particularly different relationship history from the one he had with the other two. They had been friends since before Atlanna had been banished. But after the age of thirteen, Orm had no longer been allowed to have friends. His father believed that future kings did not need friends; they only needed subjects. He was glad that despite the abrupt end of their childhood friendship, they had managed to rekindle that friendship after more than a decade and a half.
It pleased him immensely that Sevian was talking and eating comfortably with those that were closest to his heart right after his family. He was now more than ever, certain that his heart had chosen right in loving her. The fondness he had for her did not go unnoticed by his friends. He had no doubt that there was going to be a conversation to be had and he was not looking forward to it. It was perhaps a good thing he would have to leave for the Fisherman Kingdom for a few weeks. Speaking of which, he was uncertain of whether or not to talk to Sevian about her coming with him. He had promised to take her to visit other kingdoms if the opportunity ever arose. But the Fisherman Kingdom was not particularly fond him, it might not be safe for Sevian to go with him. As it may be, he decided she should be the one to make the decision to come with him or not.
***
Eventually, the Atlantean trio left Orm's quarters. Sevian's body brimmed with an excitement that came from meeting new people. She went to sit in the living room, waiting for Orm to finish his conversation with Murk out in the hallway. A short moment later he came back inside and went to Sevian.
"Thank you for letting me be part of your celebration and for introducing me to your friends," she said looking up at him from the sofa. He smiled then sat down next to her and placed a hand on top of hers on the couch. The warm touch, mixed in with the buzz already in her body, created an unmistakable desire in her. She wished her body would simply calm down. It was an innocent touch. It should not have made her cross her legs to calm the heat that was beginning to rise between her thighs.
"You don't have to thank me. You mean a great deal to me and it was only natural for you to meet those that I care about. I would have brought you together earlier but the opportunity had not presented itself," Orm said hoping Sevian would take on the hint that she meant so much more than a friend to him. He had also wanted her to meet his family. But Arthur had been so busy with diplomatic relations, there had been no time to organise a dinner with everyone. It was important to him that they meet the one who had his heart. Even if nothing would come out of it and his feelings were to be unrequited: he still wanted them to meet her. If not as a potential life partner, then as his friend. All his friends had officially met his family, it was a natural course of a long-term friendship.
Sevian's mind was still processing what Orm had said but sadly she did not interpret it as Orm had hoped she would. Her heart was beating at a mile an hour and he could probably feel it in his hand on hers. It was taking all her self-control to not get on his lap and just give unto carnal pleasures after hearing his words. They weren't seductive words and yet the sweetness of them made her want him more than anything at that moment. To be with him again in that manner- she had no doubts of how wonderful it would be. It would be better this time around; they were familiar with each other’s bodies and they knew each other better. Would Orm let it happen? He was attracted to her in some way, of that much she was sure. But what if it was not enough to make him want her? The question began to sober her love drunk mind.
'He only means that he values me as a friend,' she thought to herself and forced herself to calm down. She turned the hand under his and entwined their fingers, letting the firm hold anchor down her feelings.
"You mean a lot to me too and I’m glad I met them," she said. She held on tighter to his hand after the statement, Orm made no move to remove his hand. Having his affection like this would have to be enough for her.
"When I became your guide, I did tell you that I would take you to visit other kingdoms If I was ever given the opportunity, didn't I?"
"Yeah?" she asked trying to understand why he had changed the subject.
"Earlier this morning, I received a diplomatic assignment that will take me to the Fisherman Kingdom for two to three weeks."
"Am I going with you?" She asked excitedly. She had read about the Fishermen in the public database library. They had a great love for art and most of the best writers and poets came from that kingdom. It was nicknamed the Kingdom of Written Art and as an editor and lover of the written Art, the prospect of visiting what sounded like a melting pot for writers made her almost forget the crippling desire she felt for Orm.
He hated to bring down her excitement but he had to give her the full details. He let go of her hand and sighed before looking away from her.
"I made you a promise but it might not be safe for you to come with me."
"Why?"
Orm turned to look at her again, "I killed their king and they detest me for doing so. I expect to receive a lot of hostility."
It was not the answer she was expecting and she was not quick enough to mute the gasp she let out nor the widening of her eyes. Orm looked back down after noting her reaction. Whatever sentiments she had for him would probably go away after his confession. He waited for her to make an excuse to leave his quarters.
Instead, he felt a hand on his cheek and it led him to look back at Sevian.
"Why did you kill him?" She asked but he could not tell if it was an accusing tone or a curious one. In truth, she was trying not to judge him but she was no fool and she did know that he had done some pretty awful things in the past despite them being well intentioned. She just wanted to know why he did what he did so that that they could go on from there. It might seem strange but she was happy that he never shied away from being honest with her. He could have lied. He could have told her surfacers were not allowed there. But he had gone with the truth knowing fully well it might change her opinion of him. It had not.
"A king that would let his kingdom suffer- A king that would let his people die without raising a single finger all in the name of being a peaceful scholar does not deserve to be a king nor to live," he answered with a coldness that made Sevian's hand on his cheek falter. He sighed and placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed lightly. "Please don't fear me," he lightly whispered.
"I don't," she reassured him with a slight shake of her head. "What do you mean he let his people die?"
"The Fisherman Kingdom was polluted to the point where the water was stagnant and unhealthy for the people themselves. There were infantile deaths, birth defects, mutations and far more problems than I can list at this moment. Yet despite their ability to put a stop to the surfacers that caused it, he chose to remain quiet. To wait until they learned. He claimed he did not want war, that he wanted peace through dialogue but he made no efforts to approach the surfacers and have that dialogue with them. He would wait until his kingdom was full of nothing but black tar,” he paused then took a deep breath before continuing. “He attacked me when I insulted his rule and it gave me the incentive and excuse to defend myself. I ended his reign and his daughter’s reign began. She had always been more practical than him. She has done more for the kingdom in two years than he had in half a century. If he had been a better ruler, the kingdom would not be in the situation it found itself in."
She raised another hand to his shoulder and squeezed slightly, "Thank you for telling me. Is it safe for you to go there?"
"No, it most definitely is not. I did not go about the king's situation the right way and I should have done things differently. I could have forced the king to step down but what is done cannot be undone. I have already apologised for my actions in writing. They refused to allow me into their kingdom last year to apologise in person. I have the opportunity to do so now and I will not let it go to waste." He had grown as a person and he was not as he had been at the time of the king's demise.
"Although I can’t condone it, I do understand your reason for doing what you did." She smiled at him to reassure him that nothing had changed between them. "I want to come with you."
****
The way between Atlantis and the Fisherman Kingdom was uneventful as can be. Orm and Sevian had boarded a diplomatic vessel with three soldiers and two members of the royal council accompanying them. It was a five-hour trip and Orm spent four of them in the meeting room with the council members. Sevian spent the first thirty minutes of those four hours walking around the vessel; Besides the meeting room, it had three comfortably sized quarters- enough for people to share and she shared quarters with Orm-, a medium sized dining hall with fish tanks that contained their food supply and a Navigation area. She spent the following three and a half hours without Orm in the Navigation area just reading and watching the soldiers work.
The soldiers were polite, sometimes they would have short conversations with her to help her get over the boredom. There was absolutely nothing to see outside the transparent walls during those three hours. The vessel was surrounded by a darkness similar to the one that had surrounded them during their trip to Belusis. Except this time, there were no bioluminescent fish or plants or anything really. There was nothing. She would have been filled with fear if she had not been in a ship with people and the knowledge of Orchideas swimming somewhere in their vicinity. Orm joined her at the Navigation area a few short moments after they had crossed over the border to the Fisherman Kingdom and just as their surroundings were beginning to brighten.
As they went further in, she saw tall coil spring like shining structures. They were water filters like the black pillars on Atlantis but there were far greater in number than in Atlantis. The surrounding water had a slightly foggy look to it, like an early winter morning view. The plants were fluorescent and pretty, almost similar to what she had seen in the books about the kingdom but their colours were wrong. The black trees with violet stems had been a vivid blue in the books and the white rose bushes that she had expected to lead the way to the main city were nowhere to be seen. "The white flowers can no longer grow here; the environment has changed too much. They have not bloomed in 10 years," Orm had told her when she had asked about them.
Some plants looked chipped and slightly decayed. The fish seemed thin and wrong in appearance; an extra limb where there was not supposed to be any, a lack of colour when there should have been. It was jarring for her to see with her own two eyes the damage created by the surface. But the closer they got to the main city, the less damaged things looked until there was only the beauty and vibrancy that could be seen in the books. The castle like buildings of the capital city stood tall and bright. The city was buzzing with people and life. There were active constructions and repairs taking place in almost every corner she looked.
If she had not seen the outskirts of the kingdom or the repairs taking place, she would not have believed that such a lifeless and damaged area could be part of the same kingdom as the beautiful capital. It was evident that their technology was keeping their cities safe but she wondered how much more damaged their technology could keep at bay if things on the surface continued as they had been.
The royal castle was at the far east of the city, the busiest area. It was the tallest and the most impressive building of all. It was simple in colour, only white and light green but each floor was designed in a way that it was half transparent on the outside. In short, you could see everything that was taking place in the rooms facing outside; it was architecturally fascinating.
They parked in the allocated area besides the castle. From the ship, she could already see the throne room with the Queen sitting on a white throne and people talking to each other. It dawned on her that the fishermen who had been near the palace at the time of the king's demise had seen Orm kill their king. They probably hated him for it. And she was right, the soldiers who greeted them when they exited the ship had all looked at Orm with such hostility in their eyes, she began fearing for his life but they took her by surprise with how kind and diplomatic they ended up being. It seemed that as long as Orm was here on official business, these soldiers would only show their anger through their eyes and not actions. For that, she was in awe of their self-control and discipline.
She could only hope that the rest of the Fishermen would have that same self-control for the next few weeks.