Return to the Sea: chapter 7

Melody and Felicity ran across the ice to stop Morgana and put an end to her reign of terror. They were the only ones for the job. Felicity had special climbing skills she had inherited from her father, but Melody slipped a bit as she also climbed and almost tripped under the ice.

A growing shard however lifted her up. Felicity and Melody jumped along the many growing ice shards and tried to dodge getting stabbed or falling into the water. Melody was dangling off a piece of the ice, looking down nervously.

"Mélodie, take my hand." Felicity whispered, holding out her hand for the girl.

Melody looked up at her, biting her lip.

"That's it, Triton!" Morgana called as she was forcing the people to do as she said. "Bow down! Bow down before me!"

"Dad, don't!" Urchin cried to his adoptive father.

"No, your Majesty!" Sebastian was forced down like the others. "You mustn't!"

"I'm sorry, boys, I have no choice." Triton told them sadly, giving up to Morgana's  possession of the trident.

"Oh, wishes do come true..." Morgana grew insane now with power. "See that, Ma? Who's your favorite now!"
"Be careful." Melody whispered to Felicity as they crawled around, trying to avoid Morgana's sprawling tentacles. They were almost there.

"It's over, Triton!" Morgana still called. "I sentence you to oblivion!"

Felicity pounced over the ice and chomped Morgana on her rear-end, her vampire fangs out, but wasn't turning the woman into a vampire, it was only a painfully deathly bite. Morgana cried out in sudden pain, dropping the trident, allowing Melody to swoop in and retrieve it. Morgana grabbed Felicity and threw her down on the ice, making her slide by and come to Melody's bare feet.

"You two!" Morgana called them out. "Just what do you think you're going to do with that?"

"Stand back!" Melody commanded, holding the wrong side of the trident up, which made Morgana laugh.

"Wrong end, sweetheart." Morgana used a tentacle to grab Melody's leg, and cover Felicity's mouth to avoid being bitten from her again.

However, Melody got the right end of the trident, then stabbed a tentacle, making Morgana screech in even more pain. "Grandfather, I think this belongs to you." she then dropped the trident into the rightful owner as she dropped with Felicity as Morgana screamed in defeat.

Melody and Felicity screamed as they were about to fall into the water or get crushed in the ice. Dash saw this and let himself flop on his back and the girls bounced and landed on his rubbery stomach. Finally, King Triton grabbed his trident at last, now taking back the power it possessed.

"Never again, will you or yours threaten my family!" Triton called, making a frozen ice prison on Morgana, preventing her from   ever moving. "There will be no escape for you ever!"

Suddenly, all the ice was breaking. Morgana's even fell straight into the ocean. Melody  was knocked out from the impact, but Felicity was fine. Tip grew nervous of the ice falling and pushed Dash away from getting them all hurt or killed. All of the ice vanished and a big wave made everything all okay now and the sun was rising.


Eric was carrying Melody in his arms as Dash returned Felicity to Cherry and Maestro Forte.

"I am sorry for running away like that, Maman..." Felicity moaned, feeling more cold than she had ever been before. "I-I thought you did not want me... I mean, Papa said you left me on the doorstep of Queen Belle and King Adam... Did you not want me,   Maman?"

Cherry heaved a shallow sigh. "I wanted you, Felicity, I really did... It's just...  Maman is very different compared to a lot of people. I was trying to escape and I had to give you up because well... There was another king that didn't want you in his kingdom... I had no other choice, but to take that throne, but now, I reunited with your father and I escaped with him."

"But you said you did not want a daughter..." Felicity sniffled.

Forte came by to wrap their daughter up in his  tailcoat, standing by.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, mon  chéri," Cherry tried to explain. "I was worried you would inherit some horrible things from me and your father... Like, I'm very depressed and suicidal most of the time, he's a vampire and I'm an alien, he's from the 18th century, I'm from the 21st century... I didn't want you to go through that kind of stuff..."

"I would be happy because I love my famille..." Felicity smiled between her parents. "Exactly as they are."

The family then shared a comforting hug together.

Forte then smirked to see his wife in a shell bra with a lot of her skin exposed. "This is a good look for you."

"It's not gonna last." Cherry hardened her gaze, folding her arms.

Triton came to Cherry and gave her a locket similar to Melody's with a big white pearl in it. "Here, Cherry... Keep this for   whenever we see you again. We might need you for more mermaid missions in the future. This will turn you into a mermaid and back into a human every usage. Keep it for the next time you visit my family."

Cherry took the trinket and held it close. "Thank you, King Triton."

Melody was waking up in her own father's arms. "Dad?"

"Oh, Melody, I was afraid we'd lost you..." Eric sighed, grateful to have his daughter in his arms again.

"I'm sorry, Mother..." Melody hugged Ariel instantly.

"Oh, no, sweetie, we're sorry," Ariel held her, looking deep into her ocean blue eyes. "We should have told you the truth."

"Felicity and I didn't mean to hurt anyone..." Melody said softly. "We just hoped we'd be better mermaids than girls."

"Melody, sweetie, it doesn't matter if you have fins or feet. We love you for who you are on the inside: Our very brave little girl."

"Just like your mother." Triton came to see his family.

"Oh, grandfather!" Melody ran to him, feeling  privileged to know him.

Felicity looked softly jealous that she could never meet her grandfather or any grandparents for that matter.

Cherry gently patted her shoulder. "I know exactly how you feel... With my human family, they all died before I was born and the one I met died when I was two..."

"You do have one grandparent worth being told about, though, Fliss," Forte looked down to his daughter. "Madame Felicity Forte."

Felicity blinked. "That is my name!"

"Oui, my maman was a very special woman, I always loved her name... That's why we named you after her..." Forte smiled softly at his daughter.

"Who are you?" Melody saw the blonde merman.

"I'm your Uncle Urchin," the merman chuckled at the way that sounded. "When your mother was younger, we became friends and your grandfather adopted me. You also got six aunts!"

"Really?" Melody sounded delighted to hear more about her extended family that had been a big question mark in her life for twelve years.

"Also, Melody, I don't blame you for wanting to join us  merfolk," Triton smiled to the girl. "And because you're my granddaughter, I'm giving you a most precious gift. A choice. You can come to Atlantica with us, or you can return to your homeland. It's up to you."

"Mélodie, merci beaucop for letting me experience being a sirène like you, but... I belong with my unique famille... I will not make you choice to stay with your parentés or your grandpere and oncle... But I should tell you, to listen to your heart... It is the best tool in your body." Felicity spoke up to her friend.

Melody smiled at her, then gave her a quick hug, then looked back to her grandfather and adoptive uncle from her parents. "I have a better idea."

Later, everyone came back home. Melody was wearing a festive dress, only it wasn't fluffy and pink, it was a hint of yellow and whites. Felicity wore a more traditional dress that was blue and her pigtail buckles were replaced with matching hair bows. Melody had the trident as she stood on a rock and she was using it to break down the wall keeping Melody away from the sea. Cherry and Ariel were now humans again and with their husbands and the other people in Eric's part of town.

"Now we can all be together!" Melody beamed.

"It is the most wonderful day to have ever happen!" Felicity  was excited too.

Even though in dresses, Melody and Felicity took a swim together. The  merpeople came out to meet the humans as all were welcome together now like it should be. Melody tackled her grandfather, Felicity started to splash her parents, having fun with them, and Eric picked Ariel up to join in on the fun.

Octavia, Reginald, and Ignatius were staring down at the girls they found  to be strange. The others seemed to be having a lot more fun than they were.

"Come on in!" Melody called to them as she was now with Tip, Dash, and Felicity.

"There is plenty of water for everyone, even you trois!" Felicity beamed, even if those kids were a bit nasty at first.

The three snooty kids exchanged glances and decided to not be wet blankets anymore and join in on their fun. They also became friends with Melody and Felicity deciding they were wrong to judge the 'commoner girl' and the girl who talked to fish.

"Maman?" Felicity looked to her mother.

Cherry was playfully splashing Forte with a wide smile on her face, then looked to her daughter in surprise. "Oh, Flick... Your father started it!"

"Oh, sure, play that card again." Forte scoffed teasingly.

Cherry glanced at him, then had a smirk, pushing him in the water. "Ah,  shuddap!"

Ariel and Melody swam together side by side, having a great time too. Ariel even gave Melody her old locket back to officially keep now and forever. Sebastian was very proud that things were going great for the mermaids and humans in perfect harmony. They were now part of each other's worlds.

                                           The End