Scarlett enjoyed the kiss. She loved the salty but soft feeling of Damon's lips. The two of them moaned softly as the two shared their first act of affection.
When their lips parted, the two looked at each other and then at themselves for a moment.
Scarlett was awed at how her body looked. She was pleased to see that she was the kind of mermaid fantasised by boys the world over, with her shapely ass, hips, and genitalia still intact and merely covered in layers of scales and skin - Ready to reveal themselves should her feelings for Damon go beyond sprouting affection to sexual.
Nevertheless, Scarlett loved her new mermaid body. From her tiara to her head to her fins. It felt gratifying that her nights reading through merfolk books led to her finding a merman and becoming a maiden of the sea. Her studies finally paid off.
Eager to show her parents, Scarlett and Damon swam back to meet the Rubrum King and Queen at their throne room. The eyes of the couple widened when they both saw what became of their daughter.
"Oh my... Scarlett, you're a mermaid. A real mermaid! You're so beautiful!" The Queen said with awe.
Scarlett smiled. "Thanks, mom!"
The Queen continued, "How did it happen? How did you turn into a mermaid?"
Damon answered. "To be honest, I don't know. Scarlett simply joined me in the lake and suddenly the water started to glow. Then, tada! She grew a tail."
The Queen was intrigued. "Interesting. Well, whatever the case, you look lovely, dear." She turned to her husband. "Wouldn't you agree, honey?"
The King was silent the whole time. His face remained stern as he opened his mouth. "I have to say, Scarlett. It is a bit odd to go from wearing a gown, that we commissioned a weaver to make for you, to reducing your clothing to a pair of seashells."
Scarlett looked at her chest and blushed as she covered them. As much as she wanted to object, her father was right. After all, the seashells that covered her breasts weren't even held by a strap of any kind. Her shells just so happened to fit her boobs perfectly to not warrant any further restraints.
The King saw the embarrassed blush on his daughter's cheeks, the frown on Damon's face, and the scowl on his wife's. "Not that I have a problem with that, of course. Merfolk aren't exactly known to wear clothes and such. Please, don't think I'm upset."
The tension in the room started to lesson just a bit. Damon spoke up again. "Really? You don't have a problem with Scarlett being a mermaid?"
"Of course not." The King kneeled down and tenderly stroked the cheek of his daughter. "She's a beautiful woman and still very much our daughter, no matter if she has fins or feet."
Scarlett smiled. "Thank you, dad. I love you." She spoke with gratitude in her voice.
"I love you too, dear." The King spoke as he rose up again. "Unfortunately, I'm scared the rest of the kingdom won't feel the same." He said with some sadness in his voice.
"Oh? What do you mean?" The Queen asked.
"Well, it's just that… While the The Rubrum Kingdom's bloodline has crossed over with creatures such as elves or dwarves every once in a while; We never had a King or Queen that had such a drastic physical change such as a horse's lower body or a fish tail instead of legs." The King turned to look at his throne. "It would take a lot of work to accommodate our kingdom for a mer. I can't imagine how the kingdom's population or guards would react if they saw their Princess suddenly as a mermaid."
The Queen could see the worry in Scarlett's eyes as the implications of her possible permanent transformation into a mermaid started to set in. The Queen kneeled down and embraced her baby.
"Is there no way to make Scarlett's reveal as a mermaid more welcomed by the public?" Damon asked.
"Well, there is one way." The King replied. "There will be many princes coming over to see Princess Scarlett. If any of the princes were to see her new form, they could return home and start a rumor of her mermadic form. Once the rumor resonates with our people and they start asking to see Scarlett again, the townspeople would be more awed than shocked to see her new body. The rumor would create an expectation that Scarlett as a mermaid, making her reveal not that shocking."
"Interesting." The Queen commented.
"Yeah, I think that might work!" Scarlett said with hope in her voice.
"Wait… Princes? You mean, there's a chance me and Scarlett may not end up together?" Damon questioned.
"I'm sorry, Damon." The King said apologetically. "But many princes have made a journey to come here tomorrow. It would be rude to cancel the event on such short notice. We need the event to happen to start the mermaid rumor to the general public and the outside world."
"Oh…" Damon looked down. "But I'm a prince. Shouldn't I join them, or have a say?"
The King looked even more apologetic. "It has come to our attention that a Prince Damon is still back at home with his brothers at The Sapphirus Kingdom. I'm afraid we aren't sure if you're a prince at all, Damon."
Damon felt his heart sink to his stomach as he remembered that the witch created a clone of Damon so his family wouldn't be worried. He felt as if he was about to cry.
"Please don't fret, Damon. We still very much accept your love for our daughter." The King replied.
"It's doubtful that many of the princes would want a half fish bride without becoming a merman himself." The Queen chimed in. "So you have an advantage, Damon. Plus, Scarlett has to return the feelings of someone in order to be with them. So you might already be a winner, dear."
Damon felt himself starting to cheer up a bit. He looked to Scarlett and the two smiled as their eyes met. The merman and mermaid proceeded to embrace each other and kiss in front of the king and queen, announcing their love as strong.
The King beamed and chuckled. "Alright. You two can go ahead and swim away now. I'll speak with the servants on how you two will sleep tonight. For now, just enjoy yourselves, you lovefishes!"
The two agreed and swam away to the garden.
The Queen sighed in awe. "Such an adorable duo."
"Yes, very much so. I won't lie, though, it will take some time to process that my grandchildren will most likely never walk and our bloodline might be permanently bound to the sea. I support my daughter and all, but I care about the stability of the kingdom as well."
The Queen nodded. "This is going to be a big change to our kingdom. But as long as our values of religion, culture, wealth, and family are defended and enforced by a strong throne of The Rubrum Kingdom, it wouldn't be that bad if the next King had fins instead of feet."
The King nodded. "Agreed. Although, it wouldn't surprise me if our mermaid kingdom started a ban on fishing and such. Considering the fish tails and all. Which might mean goodbye to fish dinners."
The Queen giggled. "I'm sure merfolk eat fish, too! C'mon, dear. Think of how much our kingdom could expand with access to the ocean. Once merfolk become one with us, The Rubrum Kingdom will become unstoppable in conquest!"
The King smiled and eagerly kissed his wife. "This is why I married you, honey. You always know how to cheer me up."
The Queen blushed and warmly smiled. "18 years married and we're still going strong."
"Well put." The King said. "That said, it's still a bit odd that there could be two Damons. One a human prince and another one a merman. I should talk to him about it sometime"
The Queen nodded. "Indeed. I think you two should have a man-to-man talk about these conflicting identities. It's best to clear it up as soon as possible."