Arthur and Samantha swam out to see the rest of the Merkingdom.
Immediately, the kingdom’s population was interested in not only the return of their prince but also the lucky lady next to his side.
“Woah, she’s so pretty!”, a little mergirl said as she admired Samantha’s looks.
“Arthur, bro, you got a lucky catch!”, a teenage merboy exclaimed.
Samantha blushed as she heard compliments and praise being laid at her. She never saw so many people in one castle before. She appreciated the attention, though, and smiled at her newfound admirers.
Arthur swam towards the marketplace center and sat her down on a seat, trying to keep a sense of normalcy with the public breathing down his neck.
“Your people really seem to like you.”, Samantha said.
“Indeed. As a prince, I get a lot of love from people around the kingdom. I always try to be kind to them as they are to me.”, Arthur replied.
Samantha sighed, “I wish I had that kind of love. My poor kingdom has lost all of its commoners over centuries and I only knew that non-royal people can live in a kingdom from old books about castles and their people. It’s an awful place. I can’t believe you ever wanted to get inside my home in the first place - Not that I’m not grateful for what you did, of course.”
The merprince smiled, “No worries, I understand. I’m just glad you’re safe here.”
“I really love your kingdom, Arthur. Everything is so positive and lively.”, Samantha sniffed. “Sometimes I wish I could go outside my garden and look back on my own kingdom and feel proud of it for once in my life.”
Arthur could sense Samantha feeling grief over the state of her kingdom and held her hand. “I’m going to do my best so that you feel at home here.”
Samantha looked at Arthur and warmly smiled. “Thank you, Arthur. I'm glad you came to my side when I needed it the most.”
The two got up and were ready to swim away when they saw a mermaid approach them with a little merboy in her arms.
“Hi, Arthur! Do you remember me?”
Arthur looked at the mermaid in confusion. “Umm… No. I’m sorry about that.”
The mermaid chuckled. “I’m the mermaid that transformed your father into a merman when he wanted to bring peace to humans and merfolk.”
Arthur's eyes lit up. “Oh! That’s you? Oh my goodness, I remember my father talking all about you when I was a baby! It’s an honor to see you!”
Samantha was intrigued out to see her lover so animated in front of this mermaid. She cleared her throat and spoke. “Excuse me. But what did you do with King Damon?”
The mermaid grinned and eagerly spoke about how she and Damon swam out to the Kingdom for the first time. She brought together Damon with Charlotte and, through a wild series of events, caused peace between the humans and merfolk.
Ever since Damon and Charlotte married, the mermaid had since gone on to find a lover of her own - a human boy who was a devout swimmer who loved the sea and wanted to become closer to water, so she transformed him into a merman.
The mermaid and the merman soon found feelings for each other and the couple were married and had a child together - a merboy that was in her arms.
Samantha was awed by the adventurous history of Arthur's parents and how they met. It made her only more grateful that she was in the good graces of such strong rulers of the sea.
“That’s amazing! Thank you so much for telling your story!”, Samantha said.
The mermaid spoke tenderly, “You’re welcome. It’s wonderful to see my Damon give birth so such a great son. I hope you two have a great relationship. It was great catching up with you, Arthur. Until then!”
The mermaid swam and left the couple on their own.
“What do you want to do next, Samantha?”, Arthur asked.
“You mentioned how your great-aunt's magic turned me into a mermaid. I’d love to visit her if she’s still alive and kicking.”, Samantha replied.
Arthur chuckled, “Of course she’s alive and well, her magic allows her to not age a bit. She’s always happy to meet new people.”
The merprince happily guided the merprincess on where The Sea Witch’s cave was.