The Mer

Chapter 5

Arthur stood before the waterfall, beyond which the trident and its guardian lay. He knew it had to be done, but that didn't make it any less daunting. Just before he stepped through, Savirah came up beside him.

"You can do this..." she murmured. "I believe in you."

Arthur smiled slightly. "That's all I need to hear."

There was a pause... Well, now was as good a time as ever.

"Savirah, I lo--"

"Arthur." She stopped him, just like he had stopped her all those years ago. "Not yet. Or I won't be able to stop myself from trying to fight that creature for you," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled wistfully and pulled her close, kissing her softly before he stepped through the curtain of water. It was do or die now.

---

When Arthur had claimed the trident and brought them all back through the portal, they all knew that their next destination was the kingdom of the Brine. It was time to stop Orm once and for all.

There was chaos all around when they arrived. The battle had already begun, but everyone's attention was drawn to Arthur when he and the creature burst through the ocean floor.

Mera and Savirah tore through the enemy ranks like butter, using their powers in a deadly way. Savirah in particular moved like a serpent through the water, making Arthur wonder if legends of sea creatures weren't simply sailors who caught a glimpse of a Mer tail. No one could stand in her way.

Finally, Arthur was able to challenge Orm one on one. As the younger brother caught sight of their mother, Arthur locked eyed with Savirah. It was over.

They both moved towards each other quickly until they came together. He held her in his arms and kissed her in front of his mother and everyone. This time, he was never going to let her go.

Finally, they moved apart to smile lovingly at each other.

Savirah caught sight of something over his shoulder and frowned. "My people are here."

Arthur growled lowly at that and turned to follow her gaze. Sure enough, a royal-looking entourage was walking towards them across the vessel. Their clothes looked older, as if they were artifacts pulled from an archive out of necessity, but there was no mistaking who the king was.

It was time for Arthur to give that Mer a piece of his mind. Twirling the trident upright, he strode over to the group. He didn't fail to notice how they chose not to do that fancy gesture Savirah had exchanged with his mother.

"So it's true... the King has arrived," said Savirah's father.

"Yep," Arthur said, sizing him up. This typically had an intimidating effect on people, and it seemed that the Mer king was not as immune to it as he would like to pretend.

"Perhaps I should--"

Arthur cut him off. "I'm going to marry Savirah. Your people can do whatever you like. Maybe it's better that you stay legends and myths, because honestly, I'm not very impressed by the real thing."

One of the entourage, probably the advisor, scoffed, ignoring the warning looks from his peers. "The Mer must have a king."

Arthur set the end of the trident down with a threatening thump. "Then I guess you'll either have to find some other heir or merge with Atlantis. You're never getting near enough to take my family again."

Having said his piece, he walked back to Savirah.

"How did I do?" he muttered.

She laughed softly. "Maybe could have been a bit more kingly... but it was a good start."

Arthur chuckled and nodded. "I think I'll let my mother handle the diplomacies for now." He exchanged a glance with Atlanna, and she nodded before calmly striding over to the Mer.

"So can we say it to each other now?" he teasingly asked. "It's been almost eleven years."

Savirah smirked and kissed him again. "I love you, Arthur Curry."

He was smiling so brightly, he thought his mouth might not even be able to articulate the words.

"I love you too, Savirah."