Chapter 1
Holding still and listening for any change in his surroundings, he looked around with narrowed eyes. A slow grin spread across his lips as he caught the slightest of bubbles rising from the other side of some coral. He moved in a flash with a flick of his strong tail fin, diving over to top of the coral and reaching out with both arms.
“Gotcha!” he growled catching the little girl in his hands, she squealed and squirmed, easily slipping from his grasp,
“No you don’t!” she giggled, frantically flipping her green tail fin to swim away as fast as she could, looking over her shoulder at her uncle and sticking out her tongue. Tavus’s gills fluttered and released air bubbled as he gave Lyra a head start before he swam after her.
“Lyra watch out!” his eyes widened as he called out but it was too late by the time she turned around to see where she was going she swam headfirst into King Roman’s chest. Tavus hurried forward coming up within a few feet of the two, Roman held little Lyra by the shoulders.
“Are you alright?” he asked pulling her up to look her over,
“Yes, papa,” she whined rubbing her nose, “I squished my nose,” her bottom lip curled out in a pout as she looked up at him.
“Tavus, have you seen your sister?” Roman turned his attention over to his young son,
“Which one?” the young merman gave his father a half-smile. The youngest of his siblings and the only boy, he was quite fond of his sister’s and niece. Little Lyra often twisted him around her finger and got him to play games with her in the coral garden.
“Aeryn,” Roman laughed, cuffing Tavus up the back of the head for his cheekiness, both of them laughing when Lyra frowned and shook her finger at her grandfather.
“Bad papa, we don’t hit, mama says so!” it was quite the sight, the large, burly MerKing holding his hands up while being scolded by his young granddaughter.
“Quite right, Lyra, you’re right,” he smiled, looking on her with a look of great love. “Have you seen your aunt, Lyra?” the young girl shrugged her shoulders in response.
“Uncle,” she whined “Will you play some more?” she looked up at him with her wide blue eyes, batting her long lashes at him and pouting cutely.
“I have a better idea, Lyra why don’t we search for Aunt Aeryn? Like a big game of hide and seek, you and me against her?” Tavus gave his father a wink as he and Lyra swam off quickly. Searching every room of the large palace, built out of coral and sandstone. Its large archways permitting the merfolk to swim easily between rooms. Tavus held Lyra’s hand as they searched the place from top to bottom. To keep Lyra interested he hugged her close, using his powering tail fin to speed them forwards, with a twist of his torso he spun them around in circles making Lyra squeal happily. Servants pushed themselves up against the walls to avoid the two of them. Slowing down before entering the library, Tavus let Lyra go searching on her own, swimming between the shelves.
“Aunt Aeryn!” Lyra called out
“Lyra?” came a confused response. Tavus swam around the end of a shelf and saw Aeryn sitting in the window with a book.
“There you are!” Lyra laughed happily, swimming over quickly and throwing her arms around her aunt.
“We’ve been looking for you, haven’t we Lyra?” Tavus grinned, turning himself over and looking up at Aeryn from this position she appeared upside down.
“For ages!” Lyra nodded and giggled. “Papa was looking for you,” her eyelids drooped a bit as she yawned, snuggling into Aeryn.
“Do you know what for?” Aeryn asked Tavus, cradling her niece in her lap.
“No idea, why would he normally be looking for his heir? Probably something important he’s too busy for,” Tavus’s body settled down on a tabletop, his arms folded behind his head.
“Don’t sulk, I’m sure when you’re old enough you could be sent as a representative for father, the only reason Emzella doesn’t is because she’s already married,” Aeryn smiled down at her little niece, “Speaking of which, it looks like you should be getting Lyra back for her nap,” these words brought Lyra upright with a grunt of protest.
“I don’t need a nap!” she scowled, flicking her tail fin and swimming quickly away from Aeryn, “Tell her Uncle!” she whined, pulling on his arm.
“If you’re not tired then perhaps we should play hide and seek in the garden some more?” Tavus grinned as Lyra’s face lit up, “You should find father, Aeryn” Tavus called out over his shoulder as he swooped Lyra onto his back and got her to wrap her arms around his neck. He moved quickly through the water, slowing down little by little and swaying his body back and forth. The easy flow of movement lulling the three-year-old to sleep, she didn’t even have time to realize he wasn’t moving in the direction of the coral gardens but off to the rooms shared with her mother and father.
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