Back at the Merkingdom’s palace, the King and Queen prepare for a feast on a large royal table.
As guests and servants arrive, The Queen becomes a bit concerned about Charlotte’s absence. “Honey, Charlotte’s running a bit late. That’s not like her, she’s always on time for occasions like this.”
The King shrugs off his wife’s concern, “I’m not surprised. I’m sure she’s just recovering after what happened earlier with Prince Damon.”
The Queen runs over recent past events in her head and frowns, “Don’t you think you were a bit… too hard on Damon?” she asks.
“What do you mean? That Damon had no business kissing our daughter like that.” the King replied.
“It’s not like he was hurting her.” the Queen retorted.
“So what?! That filthy human had no right to touch our daughter with that mouth!’ the King said sharply.
“Charlotte’s not a baby anymore. You have no right to judge Prince Damon like that!” the Queen yelled.
“Don’t you DARE talk back to me suggesting we should just let our daughter marry the prince of a kingdom we had a war against!”, the King hissed.
The tension between the King and Queen grew to a boiling point until a worried royal guard stepped in.
“Your majesty! Charlotte is gone!”
“What?!” the King exclaimed.
“We looked everywhere for her around the castle, but she’s nowhere to be found.” the guard explained.
The Queen was in disbelief. “Oh no… no no no no…”
The Queen swam up to Charlotte’s room as quickly as she could, hoping that her child was just behind the door… But Charlotte’s room was completely empty.
The Queen’s heart sank. She buried her head in her hands and screamed.
The King heard the piercing scream and followed his wife. It was then that his eyes widened at the sight of the empty room. Charlotte really was gone.
The King’s laid his arms on his wife’s shoulders. The Queen rose and faced her husband “Why did you have to punish Damon like that? You broke Charlotte’s poor heart and now she’s gone!” The Queen sobbed in despair.
The King was speechless. He truly thought he had done Charlotte a service by banishing Damon, not realizing the feelings she may have had for him. He had just hurt the daughter he tried to protect the most and didn’t realize it until it was too late.
“What… What have I done? Damon… Charlotte...” the King’s spoke as his voice grew weak and his eyes became teary.
The King and Queen cried in each other’s arms. They lost their baby… and it all their fault. The two embraced each other and eventually found the strength to think about what would happen next.
“Where could she have gone? She could be anywhere and be in grave danger.” The King said.
“I know Charlotte’s not the kind of person to get in herself in danger willingly, she couldn’t have gotten that far. She’s probably with Damon, but where?” The Queen said.
“I think she’s looking for a place could turn Damon back into a merman.” The King suggested.
“But who? Royal magic is extremely powerful and can’t just be overwritten with ease. The only person I can think of that can undo the shark curse is... “ The Queen paused “Your sister.”
“My sister… The Sea Witch. She was once close to the family, but I personally banished her out of the kingdom.” The King said.
“But why”, the Queen questioned.
“Well… When you gave birth to Charlotte, I was worried that my sister’s use of magic could hurt the two of you. So I banished her to keep you and Charlotte safe.” the King said with a bit of guilt in his voice.
“But… but why would you banish your own sister? Granted, she was strange and had quirks in her personality… but she’s family, dear.” The Queen said.
“Indeed, you’re right. I was just not ready to face being both a father and a king at the time. Who knows how she could be doing after all these years in banishment? If I hadn't banished my sister and Damon, none of this would have happened. It’s all my fault. I’m an awful merman...” The King said as he bowed his head in shame.
The Queen embraced her husband and gave him a kiss. “Don’t be like that. The last thing we need right now is to lose hope. Charlotte is out there with Damon and they need us. We have to get our baby back.”
The King raised his head. “You’re right. We’re both going to both find her together and bring her back home.”
The king turned to his guards and fired off an ocean wide search order for the princess. No stone would be left unturned - For the sake of Charlotte, Damon, and the Merkingdom.