Chapter 2 - Caught

First Person:

Maren swam gracefully through the ocean, her shimmering blue tail gliding effortlessly through the water. The echoes of her father's scolding from yesterday evening still lingered in her mind. She had neglected her duties of helping the orcas migrate and was reminded of that fact with every movement she made.

The young mermaid princess eventually decided to head to her usual hang out beneath an old shipwreck. She hoped to find her secret boyfriend, Levi the octoboy prince of the Octomaids, waiting for her. If her family ever found out about their relationship, Maren knew they would forbid her from spending any more time with him.

As Maren approached the sunken ship, she noticed several Octomaids laughing and conversing with Levi. Flirting, too, she realized with a pang of jealousy. Levi scolded them, telling them in a firm voice, "Girls, are you forgetting I am your prince? This behavior is strictly inappropriate!"

Maren couldn't help but giggle as she watched her beloved from afar, proudly aware that he only had eyes for her. She waited until the Octomaids had finally departed before approaching Levi and giving a twirl to gain his attention.

"Good day, my lovely Maren," Levi said, kissing her hand. "The sea is far too peaceful to be graced by your presence."

Maren giggled as they swam together. Their love was forbidden due to their species' centuries-long war, but Maren refused to let that stop her from enjoying these precious moments.

As Maren and Levi swam together, their tails gracefully gliding through the water, Levi turned to his beloved princess with a solemn expression on his face.

"Maren," Levi began, his voice tinged with worry, "ever since the mating season of the Octopeople started, young octomaids have been approaching me. They are seeking a mate, but I can only think of you."

Maren listened intently, her vibrant eyes reflecting curiosity and confusion. "Levi," she responded, her melodic voice carrying a tint of innocence, "I've never felt the urge to mate. Maybe I'm just a late bloomer?"

Levi's eyes filled with understanding as he gently took her hand in his. "Under the light of the moon, the urge to mate becomes powerful. It's something that our kind cannot resist. But for you, my dear Maren, it is different. You are a young mermaid princess, and your behavior is strictly governed by tradition."

Maren sighed, her expression pensive. "I know," she whispered, "every full moon, my older sister would hide in an underwater cave to escape the pull of the moon. The only ones allowed to roam free are my older brothers, who each rule over their respective parts of the sea. My sister and I are destined to be betrothed, and I fear that day is coming soon."

Levi's face saddened at the thought of Maren being betrothed, knowing the history of their species. For centuries, mermaids and Octopeople had been at war, and crossing the boundaries of their respective worlds would be considered an abomination.

But Maren's love for Levi was undeniable, and the words tumbled out before she could stop herself. "Levi, if I ever start to feel the effects of the mating moon, I want to mate with you," she confessed, her voice filled with determination and vulnerability.

Levi blushed, his cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson. "I'd be honored, my lovely Maren," he whispered, his voice filled with love. "May the moon bless us with beautiful young ones if that day ever comes."

Maren and Levi continued to swim together, their love and devotion tugging at their hearts. They knew that their union would be seen as unconventional and forbidden, but they remained hopeful that one day love and understanding would prevail, bridging the gap between their worlds and bringing harmony to the depths of the ocean.

"So what's you kingdom like Levi." Maren asked curiously tilting her head.

"As much as I love you my dear Maren, I'm afraid, I cannot tell you what it's like in our kingdom; that would be considered treason. We cannot share information with an outsider," he replied solemnly.

He wrapped his tentacles around her waist and caressed her face affectionately as he spoke.

Maren nodded, but still inquired, "But what do you do there? Are there sharks and manta rays?"

Prince Levi replied, "Yes, my responsibility is to take care of the manta rays and sharks. They're friendly creatures, only aggressive when they're hungry or feel threatened."

Maren said, "My father said that sharks and manta rays are unclean creatures."

"That's untrue," Prince Levi replied sadly. "Our clans have judged each other for centuries. I just want this war between octopeople and mermaids to end."

Just then, two manta ray swam by and Maren gasped in fright. Prince Levi recognized them and realized they belonged to his mother, the Queen.

Before he had time to react, his mother appeared before them.

"Levi, there's this young Octo-girl I've been wanting you to meet," she said, before catching sight of Maren.

The Queen's eyes darkened. Her tentacles clenched tightly around the young princess's body as she demanded, "What is this smelly fishy little mermaid doing here with my son?"

"What is this Mermaid doing here?" she asked Levi angrily.

"Mother, please let her go-this is Maren; she is the daughter of the King," Levi answered in defense of Maren.

"Your father killed my husband-what are you doing here with my son?" the Queen asked Maren.

Too frightened to speak, Maren remained silent.

"Mother, please let her go; she is just a friend," Levi pleaded with his mother.

"Friend?" Maren asked, feeling hurt.

"You are to stay away from this young mermaid. Is that understood?" she said sternly, before finally releasing Maren from her grasp.

"Yes, Mother," he said, his face sad.

Maren swam away, her tears mixing with the sea as she carried away her pain and anguish as she swam away in fear.

Back at the octomaids Castle Queen Octavia was furious, for she knew that not only did Maren belong to another race, but her father, the King of the Sea, had also killed Levi's father a long time ago.

"Leviathan! You are to find an octogirl to mate with and no filthy mermaid. The mating moon is fast approaching and you will find an octogirl mate, whether you like it or not."

"No, mother. Maren is different. She is nothing like her people. I will mate with Maren."

With an enraged slap of her tentacles, Octavia scolded him, "How dare you defy me! Find an octogirl mate or you will suffer great consequences!"

"Her Parents are responsible for your fathers death, your my only heir and someday you will on this thrown and I won't have this bloodline taint by an abomination." The Queen said.

Levi, not willing to give up on his love, swam away to his chamber in the castle. As he escaped, the young octomaids of the Castle kept pursuing him, try to comfort him offering to join him in his chamber, but he ignored them and reached his room. There, he assumed human form and decided to head up to the surface.

On the shore, Levi sat and thought about his beloved Maren. He was determined to make his mother understand the strength of his love and to prove that Maren was different from her people. He knew that a great task lay ahead of him, but his heart was filled with the courage to fight for his right to love.

On this particular afternoon, he found himself sitting on the shore, lost in thought.

Levi, with his vibrant tan skin that glowed in the starlight, was the son of a powerful Octomaid. His parents as a child had taught him about the world he lived in and to respect the creatures of the sea.

However, his mother had warned him to stay away from mermaids, but that all changed when he met Maren. His mother had said that Octopeople were the advanced and superior species with technological advancement, while the mermaids were centuries behind them. Furthermore, she said that Octopeople had the power to shape shift into human form while the mermaids were merely 'self-absorbed defects and sad excuse for species.

He wanted to show Maren their world hoping someday to put an end to the century feud between their kingdoms.

Levi returned home where his mother stood waiting for him. "What is it now mother?" He asked a bit frustrated.

"I am extremely disappointed in you. The kingdom has been buzzing with gossip about you and that filthy little Mermaid Maren." his mother said.

"I'm absolutely mortified, the prince of the Octopeople Clan, frantizing with a mermaid." She gasped.

"But mother, I have not done anything wrong!" Levi said.

"I will not tolerate you fraternizing with a dumb mermaid, no matter how beautiful her scales may be. It's time for you to settle down. Now meet Aqua, your betrothed." She gestured towards an Octogirl swimming nearby.

"Greetings, Your Highness. It is an honor to meet you." Aqua said.

Levi reluctantly accepted the arranged marriage, knowing that it was either this or face the wrath of his mother.

He spent the next week swimming alongside Aqua and the other Octogirls, pretending to be happy while secretly missing Maren.

Finally, the week ended and Levi bid farewell to Aqua and returned to the palace. Queen Octavia was waiting for him and she questioned him about the time he spent with Aqua.

"Leviathan, did you enjoy your time with Aqua?" she asked.

"Yes, mother. We had a pleasant time together." he lied.

"Good. I can see that you've chosen wisely, and now you must make your decision. Will you take Aqua as your mate, or find someone else? The choice is yours." she said.

Levi knew that his mother meant business and that he must make his decision soon. He thought of Maren and his heart ached, but he also knew that if he was caught fraternizing with her again, his mother would force him to marry Aqua. In the end, he made the difficult decision to Stat away from her.

Maren Pov:

I swam through the turquoise waters, my tail shimmering in the sunset. The ocean was my sanctuary, filled with beauty and peace. But today, my heart was heavy with fear and sadness. I knew that venturing into forbidden territory to see my secret boyfriend, Levi, was a mistake.

Queen Octavia, caught us together and she was furious. When she asked about me, Levi said I was just a friend. Tears filled my eyes as I heard this. He had promised to love me forever, yet here he was denying our relationship to protect himself and his people.

Queen Octavia's tentacles then clamped down on me, trapping me in her grip. She warned Levi not to see me, saying that my father was responsible for the death of her husband, who happened to be Levi's father.

I fought back with all my strength, managing to fight free and swim away. As I swam back to my kingdom, I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face.

When I eventually returned home, my father saw the suction cup bruises on my arm and asked where I had been. But I lied, telling him I had just encountered a rogue octopus who was trying to eat one of the salmon in the area.

My father stared at me skeptically, but seemed to accept my explanation. "You must be careful, Maren," he said, "The Octopus Kingdom can be a dangerous place."

I nodded solemnly, knowing that it was more than just the Octopus Kingdom we had to worry about.

Heading to my bed chamber, I continued to cry. I knew it was wrong to be with Levi, but the thought of never seeing him again made me so sad.

The following days passed and I noticed Levi distancing himself from me. He barely acknowledged my presence and would be seen frolicking with other Octogirls from his kingdom.

My heart broke knowing that we could no longer be together, and I swam off to the deepest depths of the ocean and cried until there were no tears left.

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