After visiting his parents and talking to Charlotte’s father, Damon has become much more comfortable with the idea of being a father and a king.
As the merman prince flicked his tailfins and swam to the Merkingdom, his excitement for seeing his son being born only excited him further. As he swam past the kingdom marketplace, he was given compliments, words of encouragement, and praise by his fellow merfolk - all excited for the arrival of Damon’s child.
When he finally reaches Charlotte’s room, he could see Charlotte holding the egg in her arms, smiling as she saw her husband come back.
“What did your parents say?”, she asked.
“They said they’re confident of me being a king and can’t wait to see our son.”, Prince Damon said proudly.
Charlotte opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped as she felt the egg move a little in her arms. The mermaid’s eyes lit up, “Damon, our egg has been moving a lot lately, I can even hear noises coming from inside!”
Damon’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Charlotte gestured her husband to come closer, the tailfins on her tail flapping excitedly. When Damon laid next to Charlotte, she gives the egg to Damon and coiled her mermaid tail against Damon in excitement.
When Damon put his ear next to the egg, he could hear cooing coming from inside. Damon grinned as he heard his son alive and well. Before Damon could give the egg back to Charlotte, the egg suddenly moved and a crack appeared on its shell.
Damon quickly backs away from the egg, “Oh no! Did I crack it?”
Charlotte quickly swam to her husband’s side to comfort him, “No Damon, the baby did.” The mermaid’s eyes sparkled as she spoke the following words, “It’s going to hatch soon, Damon! Our baby’s coming!”
Almost as if on cue, the crack on the egg grew bigger. Then more cracks appeared. Before the couple could react, the shell of the egg completely broke in half as a newborn baby’s body broke free from the shell.
Charlotte quickly swam to the newborn baby and embraced it, gently rocking it back and forth as she sang a melody for it.
The baby’s cries slowly quieted down until he was finally silent and breathing on Charlotte’s arms. Damon was amazed at how well Charlotte handled the situation so quickly.
“H-how did you quiet him down so easily?”, Damon asked.
“My mother taught me about giving birth and what to do once a baby hatched. It goes to show how much my parents really wanted me to marry a merman. But also, human babies cry loudly for air - while our baby has gills that allow him to breathe. Come, Damon, take a look!”, Charlotte said, smiling at her husband.
Damon flicked his tail and got a view of his baby, Damon was awed at what he saw. The baby had blonde hair, a long scaly royal blue tail that quickly wrapped around Charlotte’s arm, and a body that already has hints of muscle on the arms and chest with a healthy glow around his skin. Damon was amazed, his son was a perfect blend of Damon’s and Charlotte’s parental traits. The Sea Witch was right, his son seemed to have the best genes from him and his wife.
“Oh, Damon. He’s so handsome! Look, he even has your nose! Our baby’s so beautiful, Damon!” Charlotte said as she tried to hold back tears. Damon hugged Charlotte as they both cried tears of joy, it was official - they were now parents.
When the couple eventually let go from their hug, Charlotte spoke again. “What should we name our son?”
Damon paused, “Good question. I actually never expected him to hatch so soon.”. The mermadic prince looked at his son in the eyes - his son’s eyes sparkled and looked at Damon with the most endearing expression. “Whatever the name, it should be something special. Something royal, strong, and worthy of being associated with a future merman king.”
Charlotte smiled, “That’s exactly what I’m thinking, too.”. Charlotte looked lovingly at her son, stroking the merboy’s face with the most gentle finger. “I want our son to have a lovely name that would help him find a fulfilling life.”
Damon grinned at that, she was right. Damon and Charlotte held their baby together and pondered at what to do next.