Segreto Chapter One

“I know you can hear me. Now if you don’t get out here, I’m… I’m… I’m just going to have to keep telling you to get out here.”

It wasn’t a real threat, but it was the most Marlin could do under the circumstances. After all, he was only a small clownfish, and what else could he do to force a much bigger creature to leave its room? Sighing, he pressed his forehead to the sea stone, ready to start begging if that’s what it took. “Look, if you come out and go to your lessons, I’ll…” He paused, struggling to think of what he could possibly offer.

“Come with me ta the boardwalk tomorrow?”

Marlin raised his head, surprised to hear the voice so soon. “Uh… the boardwalk? … Yeah, sure, the boardwalk, let’s, uh, let’s go to the boardwalk. But only if you-”

He was interrupted by the opening of the pale door, and the cheerful face of his ward appeared. There were no signs of bed-head on his big round ears, and though his room was in its usual disarray it didn’t appear he had been trying to sleep during this debate. No, young Mickey was wide awake, his blue fish tail bobbing back and forth behind him. “And Nemo too? And Dory, and Bruce, and-”

“Hold it!” Marlin swam up to his superior’s nose, giving him a small bop with his fin. “I’m not agreeing to anymore of this until you go to your lessons! Which, by the way, you’re already late for! Now hustle, Mickey!”

Mickey’s cheer was dead in the water, replaced by grim annoyance. He huffed, but with a flick of his blue tail, he was out into the hallway, grumbling about this and that. “It’s not like anyone’s even gunna know I’m there. And who needs these borin’ old lessons anyway? Nothin’ excitin’ ever happens around here.”

Marlin stayed ahead of Mickey as they shoved themselves out of a carved window. They headed downwards, passing by schools of silverfish and rainbows of corals, with Mickey taking his time to offer a wave to every creature going the opposite way. This was only a small portion of the grand Kingdom of Oceania, inhabited in the deepest part of the seas. Ordinary fish mingled in with ordinary merpeople, looking for food or lazily flopping about in their caves. There were only two actual ‘buildings’ to speak of – Mickey’s palace, which they had just left, and the upcoming school. Everyone else could live and do as they please with no worries, which Mickey was a tad jealous of. Many of these people often avoided the young prince, since he was supposedly so superior to them. Mickey himself felt no such barrier between them.

He tried to engage a playful game of tickle the octopus, but Marlin smacked his ear and insisted they kept going. “Now, Mickey, it’s your duty as the 76th son to be informed about all the important issues! Should the 75 first brothers pass on, it’ll be your responsibility to take care of the family along with the rest of the ocean. If you don’t know your past, you’ll never be prepared for the future. One day, you will pass on this imperial knowledge to your sons, and you’re making faces as I say this, aren’t you.”

Yes he was. Mickey smirked at being caught, turning to swim upside-down, resting his arms behind his head. “And if I ever pass on, my 24 younger brothers will handle it. Give it a rest, will ya? I ain’t exactly important around here.”

Marlin would have tried to give it another shot, but they were already approaching the large marble auditorium. It was stacked stories high, able to fit the dozens and dozens of royal sea princes inside. It was carved with ancient battles that Mickey was supposed to learn about and his mood only grew worse as he made for the entrance. Yet, after a glare from Marlin, he made his way inside the dark hallway, able to hear his father’s voice deep within the building. King Marino had already started, from the sound of things.

The old man’s face was obscured by a gray beard that threatened to trap his entire body should he move the wrong way. His wrinkled fingers were treading over an ancient scroll, his eyes glued to the faded paper. “The war between land and sea would have continued for eternity, were it not for a single spell that utterly destroyed that man’s plan. She took out a piece of his heart, and-” He stopped, having noticed the latecomer out of the corner of his foggy eyes. He squinted, and then clicked his tongue. “Who are you? Whatever business you have, it will have to wait.”

Mickey resisted the urge to groan. “Mickey. Yer son. 76th son.” He cast a glance at Marlin, who sheepishly grinned, hoping the silly expression would calm Mickey down. It did not.

The king took an even greater pause, and surveyed the crowded room. Most of the other sons were already there, with their own fish wards, and it was near impossible to tell who was attending the lessons and who wasn’t. Some were diligently taking notes, some were asleep, and some had even brought females to flirt with. The king grunted after his look. “I thought Mitch was already here.”

“Mickey.” The side of his mouth began to twitch.

King Marino raised his finger, as if tracing the figures already sitting at their places. “No, Mark should be over there…”

“Mickey.” The twitching became much more noticeable, and his hands balled up into fists.

The elder did one more scan of the room, before shrugging it off. “Are you sure you aren’t Mitt?”

“M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!” Mickey shouted at the top of his lungs, startling three of his brothers out of sleep and causing laughter out of five. He didn’t wait for an answer, and shot off towards the closest and emptiest seat, curling his elongated tail around his waist. Marlin quietly followed him, settling behind his ward’s left ear. There was nothing he could say to ease his companion’s temper, as this sort of scene was a daily occurrence.

King Marino wasn’t shaken, and waved a dismissive hand about the entire matter. “All right, pay attention, Michelangelo. Now, where was I…” He read over the same line three times before deciding it had been the right place all along. “Ah, yes. Since his heart was no longer whole, the wizard’s magic suffered, and he was forced to abandon the battle in shame. He vowed to someday return and seek vengeance on both land and sea for his humiliation…”

Mickey had heard the same story a hundred times already, so he was free to stew in his own anger and frustration. On some level, he knew remembering one son out of one hundred was extremely difficult. Every royal mermaid family had a large, extensive family, and his other brothers never had a problem with being forgotten or remembered. He looked around – his siblings had already forgotten the small shout he had made, lost in their own business. Mickey himself often had trouble keeping them in order – but at least he made an effort! He looked at the desks – merely stacks of old wooden boards ripped away from abandoned ships.

On each ‘desk’ was a name, carved by Mickey when he was much younger. In ploy to remember his brothers’ names better, he had snuck in night after night to carve in the names with a rusty nail he had picked up from the same ship. Instead of being praised for his cleverness as he had hoped, the brothers merely went to whatever desk they felt like, not paying attention to their now assigned seats. When Mickey pointed out their names, he was met with questioning looks, and a typical ‘Who are you?’

In the present, Mickey laid his chin onto his desk, able to see the carved name ‘Mitchell’. That attempt was years ago, so, he told himself, he shouldn’t care. It had been like this for years, so he shouldn’t care. It would be like this for years, so he shouldn’t care.

Marlin gently rubbed Mickey’s ear, keeping his voice to a low whisper. “Hey, uh… about the boardwalk thing… sure, we can all go. Nemo, Dory, even Bruce.” He didn’t know what was so exciting about the boardwalk – he wasn’t even sure what a boardwalk was – but he couldn’t stand seeing his young friend so upset.

Mickey’s eyes widened, and though he didn’t say anything, there was no denying the sheer excitement on his face. He nodded once to acknowledge Marlin, and obediently stayed through the lessons – the danger of Land Walkers, the Lost Catacombs, and proper mating rituals – only because of the excitement that lay in wait afterward. The pain of his normal life could be pushed aside, for soon, very soon, the event he had waited all year for was here again. “The Grand Carnival’s almost here…” he murmured to himself.

“All right then.” King Marino raised his wrinkly fingers upward. “Ever since that fateful battle, we have sworn to limit the use of our powers. While an ordinary mermaid’s voice has the ability to capture a creature’s attention and hold it, only those of royal blood can use their voice to give a command. Who can give me an example?”

“Could we command no more lessons?” Mickey quipped, causing a few snickers to ripple through his brothers. Marlin groaned, settling himself down onto Mickey’s head.

Marino sighed at Mickey’s attitude, but managed to find another prince who was diligently raising his hand. “Yes, you over there.”

“You can command another creature to forget they saw you.” The brother answered, earning tidy claps around him.

“Correct.” Marino nodded twice, and then slapped two of his fingers against his scroll. “Should you ever be in enough danger, say, from a Land Walker, you can channel your voice to command them to forget they ever saw you.   It works on all creatures, save for other merfolk, of course.” He ran his fingers over the scroll, trying to find another important piece. “Now who can tell me why we call them Land Walkers?”

Mickey honestly couldn’t resist these chances. “’Cause Land Not-Swimmers too long ta memorize.” Some chuckled at his game, others clicked their tongue at his youthful behavior. It was all the same to him. If he was going to endure these boring, useless rules every day, why not spice it up every so often? “And Land Leggers is just silly.”

The old merman ran a spotted hand down his face, his patience growing thin. “Young man, this is serious business. Are you here to learn, or are you here to laugh?”

Marlin was trying to cover his eyes at this point. “Don’t do it, Mickey.”

He did it. “Ha ha ha ha ha ha!” He threw himself backwards, sitting on his hands and letting himself laugh loud enough for it bounce against the walls. Marlin fell off of his head and landed on Mickey’s tail fan, wondering what he did to deserve such a troublesome boy as his ward. The other fish were shaking their heads, perhaps blaming Marlin for not disciplining the prince.

Marino pressed his fingers to his temple, and then blew several bubbles out of his mouth. “Remind me to give you extra homework after class, Mark. If you had paid attention, you would know it is because of the very first encounter a merman had with a Land Walker. Hundreds of years ago, when they saw their first ship…” He lapsed into another long story that Mickey already knew by heart, as did others judging by their bored expressions.

Since Marlin knew Mickey wasn’t listening to his father anyway, he made an effort to speak up. “Why can’t you be more like your brothers? It wouldn’t kill you to actually sit through one of these lessons peacefully.”

“Aw, yer no fun.” Mickey began to swish his tail fin up and down, lightly tossing Marlin around. “Besides, most of ‘em aren’t listening anyway. Gosh, six of ‘em are flirtin’ with their girlfriends!”

Marlin would have looked in those directions but he was too busy fighting off the nausea the bobbing was putting him through. “At least it keeps them quiet! And you know, you’re old enough, maybe you should start looking for a nice girl to… Oh, why did I have a big breakfast…”

Mickey snorted at the very idea of courtship. “Just what I need, another person who won’t remember me. Those girls just wanna marry a prince. If I’m gunna get myself a girl, I want her ta like me, for me, because I’m me. I’d want… y’know, what ya got with Dory.” He mercifully stopped flipping his tail fin, allowing Marlin to rest his stomach.

“That was very well thought out… good for you.” Marlin managed after he was sure his breakfast wasn’t going to leave his tummy. “Okay, maybe I underestimated you, Mickey… maybe you’re finally starting to mature.”


~*~

“Who wants me ta do a flip?!”

“Ooh, ooh, I do!”

“No! No flipping!”

Mickey had only managed to make a few true friends in the sea, and all of them were Marlin’s friends and family. Most royal mermen didn’t bother with something trivial as getting to know their assigned companion’s family, but Mickey had immediately asked about them as soon as he had met Marlin. It was for this reason that Mickey was so memorable to them, though his friendly personality didn’t hurt either. They all often played together after lessons, which gave Marlin both his happiest and worst memories.

The worst was due to the fact Mickey constantly enjoyed swimming to the surface to look at any passing boats. There weren’t any now, thank goodness, but Mickey was still haphazardly swimming right where the water ended, swimming on his back. “Get back under the surface!” Marlin shouted, falling on deaf ears. “You’re not supposed to expose yourself! What if a Land Walker sees you?”

Nemo, Marlin’s son, had to laugh at his father’s reaction. “Dad, there’s no one else around for miles! The only ones who can see him up there are seagulls!” Mickey was a constant source of delight for the young boy, and he always looked forward to this playtime.

“If you ask me, Land Walkers aren’t so scary.” Bruce the shark had vowed to give up eating other fish, after he decided to sign up to be a royal bodyguard. However, he usually wound up encouraging Mickey’s dangerous antics instead of advising against them. “Whenever I see one, all they do is swim away! Bunch of scaredy-catfish, that’s what they are.”

“Gee, I wonder why that is.” Dory checked her reflection in Bruce’s gigantic sharp teeth, and as always her natural blue was perfect. As Marlin’s wife, she didn’t have to join on these romps, but stopping her was impossible. “That’s the problem with people today, everybody’s too afraid to make friends.”

Marlin found that he had to be the adult in this group of over-grown children. “No, the problem is that Land Walkers love to eat fish, and catch fish, and do you have any idea what they’d do to someone who is a fish but looks like them?!” Marlin gestured toward Mickey, who was getting even further away.

“No, but you don’t either.” Mickey replied, twisting around in the water. “And I wanna find out. I think their walker parts are kinda neat. Movin’ back and forth like that all the time… they have ta have a lot of energy for it! Which means they gotta do a lot of fun things up on land!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Marlin whined, trying to keep up desperately. When Mickey wanted to, he could easily out-swim any of them. “Is that what this whole ‘boardwalk’ thing is about?!”

“Yup!” Mickey grinned, slowing down to a halt. “We’re almost there!”

“What’s all the excitement for, anyway?” Bruce nudged Mickey with his fin, unable to see any further with his friend’s body blocking the way. “So a bunch of Land Walkers walk on boards. They do anything else?”

“A lot more!” Mickey clapped his hands together, making a splash on the surface. “See, a few years ago, I was tryin’ ta hide from Marlin since he was bein’ such a nag-”

“Thanks, Mickey.”

“ – And I swam away the farthest I ever had. That’s when I saw it…”  He began to gesture with his arms and hands, creating a whole new world before them. “Wooden pillars holding up all these strange buildin’s… some of ‘em look like ships, but others… gosh, I don’t even know how ta tell ya! There’s all these weird foods, and new smells, and loud noises, and all different kinds of Land Walkers! Big ones, small ones…and they all gather for this thing called… the Grand Carnival!” With a thunderous splash, he had swum off again.

“Slow down, your highness!” Yet for all of his yelling, Marlin knew that the young prince wouldn’t slow down his swimming for anything in the world. Mickey didn’t even appear to hear him, focused on his goal as he ripped through the ocean waters, leaving behind his fish friends. Marlin sighed heavily, already exhausted but not giving up. “So this is where he goes every year…?”

“I guess so!” Nemo was right beside his father, with Bruce at his other side. He was holding onto Bruce in an effort to not get abandoned. “He’s been counting down for something, but wouldn’t tell me what!” It had gotten to a point where Mickey could no longer contain his excitement and had even left in the middle of the king’s lessons!

“I think I heard about this Grand Carnival!” Bruce was more than happy to offer his help, and since he was finding it much easier to catch up to Mickey, the smaller fish decided to latch onto him as well. “I passed by a few ships earlier this month, talking about something like that carnival … they even get visitors from around the world!”

Nemo had to give this some outside thought. “You mean he goes there every year? Doesn’t the king get mad?” Fish were given warnings to avoid Land Walkers, but for merpeople it was much stricter. There were rumors that a mermaid had once been banished from her clan for daring to speak to a Land Walker.

“No punishment ever sticks with Mickey.” Marlin admitted, but he was relieved that Mickey had finally stopped.

The prince stuck his head out of the water, grinning as he saw the planks of wood on top. The boardwalk seemed to stretch out for miles, standing in the water and already there were plenty of people excitedly moving back and forth. Mickey could make out viewpoints from the spaces between the boards, able to see fancy shoes and chatting faces as they went back and forth. Magnificent metal rides had already started to stir, making clicking noises as men with bushy eyebrows beckoned others to come take a spin. Fancy females were doing their friend’s hair in elegant ribbons, sharing rumors about their loved ones. Children screamed in delight as they escaped their parents, skipping along the wooden steps to races they just invented.

Mickey flopped onto his back, floating along as he watched in utter fascination. These creatures were magnificent, and he both loved and envied every single one. He had gotten used to his family having trouble remembering his name and forgetting to invite him to royal events. But the Land Walkers were different. Each one was special, and they all had their own lives to tell, their own unique stories laid out. Not a single Land Walker was the same as any other. Mickey had no reason to exist – simply another son, who the throne wouldn’t go to. He had no purpose in life. But every Land Walker had a purpose.

“Let’s see.” He murmured out loud, confident no one above would hear him. “What do I wanna do first? It’s always fun ta see people tryin’ that weird pop gun game… but I like the smell of the food they make too… the best gossip’s over by the beach… what ta do, what ta do…”

Nemo let go of Bruce, and swam up to Mickey, nestling near his ear. “Is this what you do all spring? Just watch and listen to them?”

“Sure do!” Mickey saw no shame in this, proudly proclaiming the answer. “I would do it all the time, but the carnival only comes around in the spring. Look at ‘em!” Mickey sat up, and cupped Nemo in his hands, keeping him in a small pool of water before raising him upward. “Ain’t they somethin’? Those weird things they wear, and all the strange things they talk about! They have things called parties, and dancin’, and books, and all kinds of stuff!”

“I guess it sounds pretty neat.” Nemo didn’t understand the obsession just yet, but he had to admit, the land people were a very nice view. They all looked happy and cheerful, even waving to complete strangers and wishing them a joyous day.

“Don’t get him started!” Marlin grumbled, and Bruce could only chuckle.

“I know whatcha might like!” Mickey was on the move again, although this time he kept it slow for the sake of the child clownfish in his hands. “They got a great puppet show here! It’s one of my favorite things ta see!”

“What’s a puppet?” Dory asked, keeping her eyes up on the planks.

“It’s kinda hard ta tell ya… so… ah, here!” Mickey stopped again, remembering that the show always took place near one of the supporting poles of the boardwalk. He put Nemo back in the water, and then looped his royally blue tail around the pole in order to arch himself up higher. A royal merperson had longer tails than a regular one, which to Mickey was the only good thing about being born in that family. “Should be startin’ real soon!”

Up on top, a small array of children were impatiently squirming around on smaller wooden seats. A moveable stage had been set, with a velvet red curtain and golden tassels dangling below. An older man with a tiny beard was rubbing his hands nervously, a closed suitcase upon the stage. “I am terribly sorry, children… but this year, we cannot have the puppet show.”

“What?!” Mickey sounded as upset as the children were, the youngest ones bursting into wails. Those who knew words begged why, said they had brought their siblings along this year, demanded the show to start, all of which the old puppeteer tried to handle as he held out his gloved hands to try and settle them down. Marlin rolled his eyes at the prince’s childish attitude, but he held back commentary as he noticed Dory’s wandering eyes. She had been unusually quiet since they arrived with a comment or two – she was paying strict attention to the surface of the water. He decided she was just indulging in another one of her oddities.  

“Our narrator has gotten very sick.” The puppeteer shook his head wearily. “And we cannot perform without our narrator. I truly am sorry…” But this did not quell the children, who cried even louder, and kicked their feet and pulled their hair. Mickey pouted, blaming the narrator for being so foolish as to get ill. Well, this day was ruined! He wanted to show his only friends the glory of Land Walkers, and the wondrous stories they could perform, and now it was gone. He loved the imagination of the Land Walkers, and this had been the best way to show it. What could be more beautiful than a well told story?

“Excuse me.” A new voice peeked in on the dilemma, rising above the tears of the babes. “But I think I can help.”

Mickey looked toward the voice, and…

And…

And his world changed forever.

By the standards of Land Walkers, the girl that was walking up through the crowd of children could be considered somewhat plain. She was a petite mouse, with a dress that did nothing to help her figure or her face, but she wore it all the same because it had been given to her – powder blue with a frilly white apron tied around her waist, and a clearly very old bow tugging behind her ears. The attire said she wasn’t poor, but that she was employed, and perhaps by someone of a much higher class than she was. Mickey didn’t know about such things, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared. The things he cared about were her magnificently round cheeks, flushed with rosiness, her pert lips that were turned upwards in a charming smile, and those wide sparkling eyes that fluttered with curly eyelashes. This was, in fact, the prettiest Land Walker he had ever laid eyes upon.

“Uh oh.” Marlin whispered, knowing that the stupefied expression the prince was wearing, along with his jaw going slack, was not good news.

“You see,” The girl spoke again, taking the hand of the closest child to her and gently petting their auburn hair. “I’ve come to see this show every year, since I was a little girl. I’ve got the entire story memorized. Maybe I can be the narrator for today?” The children were instantly delighted, now that the problem was solved, some tugging at her wrinkled dress for her to start right away.

“Minnie.” Another new voice came in, but it was nowhere near as pleasant as the first girl’s. The duck girl that had actually been standing by the mouse the entire time – Mickey had been unable to notice anything existing outside of the mouse girl a while – was wearing the exact same outfit, but hers was much cleaner and did not contain a single wrinkle. “You said we were coming here to have fun, not play babysitter!”

‘Minnie’  - what a lovely name! – kept on smiling, nonplussed by her friend’s behavior. “It’ll only be for a little while, Daisy. This show isn’t long, and then we can do everything you want. All right?” Her decision had clearly been made, as she continued pampering the delighted little ones around her.

‘Daisy’ rolled her eyes but didn’t argue further – she was probably worried about being mobbed by all the children present. The rusty puppeteer began to straighten up, delighted by the assistance. “You’d truly like to help us, miss? Do you know the opening song, too?”

“Why, of course!” Minnie smoothed down her dress, and moved to sit on the stage, hands on her lap. “You can’t have the show without the song!”

“Excellent! I cannot thank you enough, miss!” The puppeteer clapped twice, and then threw open his suitcase, digging out all of his colorful puppets. “Could you give it a try, while I get everything arranged?”

“Certainly… though I don’t know if my singing will be as good as the usual narrator.” Minnie giggled, kicking her dainty feet back and forth – she was very short. “Let’s see…. Oh, yes…”

There once was a maiden, with hair the color of gold,
And she lived with her dearest papa, a man so very old,
They spun their cloth together, and wanted nothing more,
Until one day, a strange little man, came rap tap tapping at the door…

On Minnie sang, weaving the story of a lying father and the fate of his daughter, while the puppeteer delighted the children with adorable characters that bickered back and forth. Daisy tried to be patient, playing with her bow, while all the children laughed, gasped, and applauded the grand story that was told. Despite Minnie’s comment about her ability, not only was her singing grand, but it surpassed the narrator’s talent tenfold. As it continued, Minnie found herself more taken in with the tale, playing along with the puppets, dancing with the children, and even giving the old puppeteer a kiss on the cheek when the curtains closed. Everyone enjoyed the show…

Most of all Mickey. He stunned expression had melted and sagged as time went on, becoming more peaceful and happy. He leaned on the pole, believing himself to be the luckiest guy alive. This was officially the best Grand Carnival ever. “… She’s pretty.” Mickey finally spoke, in a hushed tone that none of the sea creatures had ever heard Mickey use.

“Oooh boy.” Marlin slapped a fin to his face. He really hoped for once he wasn’t right about something, but it appeared he was too smart for his own good.

While Bruce asked what was wrong, Daisy began tugging on Minnie’s arm to lead her away. “Yes yes, hurray for the girl, hurray for the ending, can we do something fun already?”

“But that was fun.” Minnie’s spirits refused to be doused as she walked alongside her friend. “I love that story. True love winning out over evil, and they all get a happily ever after.” She exhaled deeply, her hands pressed to her chest – on top of a golden locket in the shape of a heart. “Those are my favorite kinds of stories.”

“And nonsense like that only belongs in stories.” Daisy chided, wagging a knowing finger. “Love may sound nice, but the only thing you should look for in a man is money. Love isn’t going to fill your stomach, or get you nice clothes, or provide a roof over your head! Keep love in love stories!”

Mickey pushed himself off the pole he had neatly wrapped himself around, and now diligently began to follow the females in hot pursuit. Why, in all these years, had he not noticed this charming lady before? How much had he been missing out on? Who in the world was she? Questions like these continued to flood him, his friends left behind without another thought. She was so much different than any other Land Walker he had watched from below the murky waters. If only that Daisy person could make Minnie sing again!

“Of all the times for puberty to kick in…” Marlin grumbled, not bothering to keep up with up with his youthful ward.

“That’s our boy!” Bruce couldn’t help but laugh triumphantly, slapping Marlin hard enough on the back to send him skipping across the water. “He can’t even crush on a girl normally!  Come on, Dory, get a load of this!”

Yet Dory still wasn’t paying attention, having gone entirely silent as she watched the waves from afar. Nemo came to her side, lightly poking her fin. “Dory…? What’s the matter?”

Now that she was being acknowledged, Dory spoke, though she wouldn’t turn her face. “Something’s not right… can anyone else feel it? In the water?” She tried to gesture outwards, but was only met with confusion from her stepson. “I just think we all need to get out of here as soon as we can.”

Dory rarely spoke so seriously, which told Nemo more than enough. He turned around in the water, trying to catch his family’s attention. “Guys! We have to go!”

Mickey wasn’t hearing a single word, not when Minnie was having a vastly more interesting conversation. “Why don’t we get a bag of candy? We can split it, my treat!” She was already trying to reach for the stand, but Daisy took her hand, tugging her away.

“First, I’m off sugar. Second…” Daisy twirled Minnie around before giving her a push away. “You are the only person in the whole wide world I will not allow to spend money on me! Go buy something for yourself for once!”

Minnie giggled once more, rocking back and forth on her heels. “But there’s nothing I could possibly want! I’m already here! What could be more fun than being with my friend?” But as she spun around again, she caught a glimpse of disturbance in her eye. She stopped her playful dance, brows furrowing. “Say, what’s going on over there?” She pointed to the very edge of the boardwalk, the furthest point out, where a small group of men were looking over, talking loudly amongst themselves.

Daisy leaned back to get a better look, but she couldn’t determine what they were doing nor what was being said. “Hm… probably just trying to get a better view. Guys can be so utterly obsessed with trivial things…” She huffed her beak up, trying to lead Minnie away. “Don’t trouble yourself with commoners. Ladies like us deserve a better class of men.”

“What, like a prince?” Minnie smirked, nudging Daisy with her arm. “Do you think Queen Millicent has a little brother she’s been hiding away somewhere?”

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility.” Daisy nudged right back, ready to play the new game. “Maybe she’s got twin brothers. One for you, one for me. We can have double dates, then a double wedding!”

“There are so many things wrong with that, I hardly know where to begin.” Minnie held Daisy’s hand as they walked, shaking her head. “Her highness would never keep a secret from us, and a prince, falling for a maid… maybe that could happen for someone as elegant as you, but what kind of prince would fall for me?”

The prince in the water was numb to the desperate fish tugging at his tail. He was content to continue swimming after this immaculate goddess, as he tried to memorize the way she spoke every new word. Even the way she spoke was musical, and he wondered if there was any way she could, by chance, say his name. But that would require her actually knowing his name, and that would require her actually meeting him, and her eyes meeting his, and – and the thought of that alone was enough to make his face hot.  He wasn’t dumb enough to expose himself here and now in this crowd of Land Walkers, but his mind spiraled onto infinite possibilities.

“Mickey!” Marlin was almost screaming at this point. “We have to go!”

Would banishment be so bad? Mickey was already easily forgettable, so it might even give him more freedom to leave that place. Surely Marlin and the others could visit when they wanted. So what if Mickey took that daring risk to meet miss Minnie? Maybe after the Grand Carnival came to a close, she would wander the beach alone to get some privacy, and then Mickey could suavely present himself, lazily resting on some rocks, pretending he wasn’t waiting for her. She’d gasp in shock at his appearance, perhaps be in awe of his royal tail. She’d sheepishly approach him, daring to ask who – what – he was.

“Mate, we really need to go!” Bruce was reluctant to sink his dangerous fangs into Mickey’s tail, but his tugging was very ineffective. “It’s getting dangerous!”

Mickey had learned enough Land Walker talk to introduce himself, taking her hand and saying he had come this way to find a beautiful maiden. She’d blush demurely, insisting she wasn’t good enough for the likes of him, but he’d reassure her by running the back of his fingers over her warm cheek – oh, she’d be very warm, having not known a life of water. She’d be warm all over, from her cheeks to her neck to her legs to her stomach to her lips, such soft lips, such pretty lips, such precious lips that he would not be able to resist –

“OW!” Mickey yelped, smacking the fish family away with his tail.  “Why’d ya have ta go and bite me?!”

“Because we’re about to go through a bloody tidal wave!”

In the next second, a hard wave of water pounded the boardwalk, exploding the furthest point in bits of wood and sprays of foam. The Land Walkers screamed in terror, running for their lives as another wave began rolling toward them at unheard speed. In the water, Mickey had to bob and weave through the swirling fallen planks, barely to process what was happening. Tidal waves didn’t appear out of thin air, they took time to build! And they certainly didn’t strike one after the other like a flurry of fists! This was unnatural in every sense of the word! A whirlwind under the waves was beginning to form, and Mickey reached out to hold Dory, Nemo, and Marlin close to his chest, lest they get swept up. “Bruce! Ya have ta get ‘em out of here!”

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere without you, your highness!” Bruce shoved Mickey hard, forcing his friend to grab on his dorsal fin. “Hang on, everyone! This is going to be a bumpy ride!”

Up above, the once harmonious and friendly crowd had turned into a terrified mob, plowing over anyone in their way to escape the oncoming waves. Minnie and Daisy were among them, keeping together by their hands, until Minnie was harshly shoved to the side. In that moment, her locket flew off, landing back towards where the waters were heading. “No!” Without another thought, she let go of Daisy to push against the crowd, heading where she saw the locket fly. Daisy yelled her name, but she was being thrust away, unable to go back.

Minnie grabbed the ends of her dress to run faster, able to spy a glint of gold up ahead. As fast as she could, she knelt down to scoop it up. She couldn’t lose it, not that last remaining part of her lost –

The next wave struck, and Minnie’s shriek was drowned out  - the boards under her snapped and vanished – she clawed for the surface, vision blinded – water filled her lungs, her ears, every orifice – a piece of the puppeteers’ stage had come apart and crashed into her skull – and the world was darkness.

Bruce hadn’t been able to get very far in the chaos of the waves, but before he could dive deeper in an attempt to escape the madness, Mickey had already seen the little body fall from the pier. He too could not think further before letting go of the shark to blaze off after her, leaving his smaller companions to hang onto Bruce and yell the prince’s name. His speed when he was playful was already remarkable, but in true concentration and need, he could move faster than anyone’s eyes could keep track of. In the span of a breath he had already taken Minnie into his arms, clutching onto her with all the strength he could muster.

The waves continued to crash down, restlessly tearing the boardwalk apart with each slamming motion. Mickey knew he could count on Bruce to lead the other fish to safety, so for now he could only do what he could for Minnie. With her head on his chest, he fought against the pull and push of the water, aiming for the surface. Land Walkers needed air, and he couldn’t protect her down there forever. He shot up towards the surface, making sure to keep Minnie’s head above the water as he scanned the area for safety. Another wave was coming, and fast – he had to move!

Though she was most likely incapable of hearing him, he still spoke as he braced himself for the oncoming onslaught. “I’m not gunna letcha go… whatever happens… I’m not gunna letcha go!”

~*~

My my, this had been a most interesting development. He had only tossed this about in order to relieve his unending boredom, but who would have there would have been a special guest thrown into the mix? A smile slithered onto his long face as he watched from deep within his lair. Perhaps after all these years, a golden opportunity had finally arrived. He eased himself into his seat, deciding that this show would bear fruit if he continued to watch.

He began to flex his fingers, and dabbles of sprinkled magic flowed throughout his fingertips. It would do no good to lose his pawn now. The sudden loss of the same storm would surely draw the attention of King Marino, but it was doubtful the fool would dare come into this territory. It was so very like the mermen to ignore what suited them best. Then how fitting would it be for one of their kind to ensure their downfall?

He licked his lips, as if able to taste sweet vengeance coated on his tongue. Soon, so very soon, he would take his place.

End of Chapter One.