MY STEP-MOTHER IS MY MATE

A NEW SPECIAL TITLE

"Of course, He's 12 now" The King stopped and stated shortly, sealing Caspian's fate. The king wasn't going to decline his royal dues simply because of his reproval attitude or because he didn't want to. Caspian was a prince and if he couldn't shoulder his burdens, he would never be a worthy King that he was meant to be.

"Yes, father" Caspian affirmed obediently and stamped his anger on the innocent shrimp, crunching it with his Merman sharp teeth, swearing to pay back the Queen severalfold. She was always into his business, wasn't she supposed to be out of it instead? she wasn't his mother and she'd better stop acting that way.

"Brother is going away?" The little princess tilted her head towards Caspian and asked confused as to the conversation that ensued. She could only draw out such conclusion as she only understood the word 'training' from the short conversation.

" Aerwyna?"

"Yes, but not for long" Caspian quickly said before the Queen could question the little princess' action again as she always did. The little girl had started to create a bond with him since she just started reaching a new awareness, she started seeing him in a new light realizing that they were both siblings and in the same status amidst these two monsters they call 'parents', She simply knew to follow his footsteps. Caspian was starting to take a liking to the little princess too as she was the only one he felt relatively close to and the only one he felt comfortable around.

"Okay," the little princess continued to r****h the delicacies after making a confirmation.

Caspian was lying, The War Art training took Five years of isolation for perfect peak mastery as the Merfolk's fighting style included Magic, strength, and knowledge. He, being a prince would have it worse at the training sight. His final test would be his father who was the greatest warrior in the kingdom, and he had to be acknowledged by him before he could be pronounced the 'Crown prince of Atlantis'. That is, after facing several challenges of the several Merfolk warriors in the kingdom. The Kingdom respects power, and power was the ultimate primal prerequisite of becoming the King of Atlantis.

Caspian was not interested in the whole scheme. He just wanted to live his life in solitude, he wanted adventure, and as a king, he'd be tied down to the kingdom's affairs. But the King wouldn't give up on him.

He slumped in his bed chamber when it was past dinner and continued to stare at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. No one knew what was on the mind of a 12-year-old prince that had faced cruelty and criticism all his life, but surely, it wasn't revenge nor was he of hate.

..........

Several days later Caspian was in his study exploring the concept of the Terranes when he heard a knock on his door. It was past lunch so it had to be important. He steadily approached the door and opened it in anticipation but to his surprise, he looked down to see the little princess at the door.

" Princess?"

" Lo brother, I came to have you company me today," she said and swam into the room as she giggled softly. Caspian was shocked and at the same time baffled. he looked to see Gil, shocked as himself, giving him a meaningful smile that seemed to convey his apologies.

"The princess insisted" he managed to say as he smiled bitterly.

Caspian nodded in comprehension as he knew how the princess could be sometimes. she just did what she wanted and gave no regard to the guards' or anyone's persuasion.

He closed the door and turned around to see the princess at the Semidiscoid bookshelf trying to reach for a book. Caspian stepped forward to see that the book she was trying to reach was 'The Tale of Miureadhach the first, she must have seen the image of her Great-Great Grandfather that had been taught to her at her Royal Lear.

Aerwyna's intelligence at her age was only normal as Merfolks value knowledge. Since she started speaking, She immediately enrolled for her Royal Lear under the command of her mother and the only thing she lacks right now is maturity. Although she had been taught to watch her behavior and manner as a princess, she was still childish and was yet to put it into perfect practice and habit.

Aerwyna could see a hand stretching out from above to pick the book with the image of her heroic Great Great grandfather she couldn't help but follow the hand, turning around to see her brother standing there with the book in his hands.

"Do you want me to read it to you?" Caspian asked her since she could vaguely read not to talk of her capability to interpret words.

"Yes, brother."

They both moved to the study table and he opened the thick brown trunk of the book with the image of the legendary King. He looked up to see if she was ready and to his surprise, she saw her sitting right in front of him on the table itself, with her Fish tail slightly hanging down the furniture. She was relatively small so she didn't bother him too much. Caspian opened the first page and started reading the strange symbols written in the book that seemed to be the Merfolk alphabet to her in short and comprehensive words, Transitioning the legend into a bedtime story. As he continued, Aerwyna ensued in absolute and genuine awe with her face reddened from the pride of being a relative of such a legendary King.

" And that is the story of the legendary Overlord of the oceans, The son of the sea, The divinity that flows, Know child, That he lives with us till today." Caspian interpreted, closed the book, and looked at her face to signal that it was the end of the story.

" Great-grandpa is Seanonemal!!!" Aerwyna burst out yelling the piled-up sensation she had been suppressing in order not to disrupt the prince afterward. She felt important and she felt like it was her legend that was being told in the book's exploits and adventures instead of 'Miureadhach the first'. Caspian on the other hand felt like he had found a recruit to his Hero's fandom. Both were distinctly but similarly in a typical childhood mood.

"Brother, is it true? Where is great grandpa now?" Aerwyna's words brought Caspian out of his thoughts and he was slightly shocked at how smart and curious the princess could be sometimes. One minute she acted innocent and gullible while the next second, she was as sharp as a blade. Caspian racked his brain as she couldn't tell the little girl what death meant as he didn't want her to be stuck in her emotions the way he was.

"Here, in our hearts, that's why we're so strong," Caspian said with a smile and a finger forward to touch her chest area, in the middle where the heart of all Merfolks was. Caspian looked quite mature and was exhuming an elderly aura this moment. Aerwyna looked confused as she couldn't understand how a folk could live in her body, talkless of her heart. However, she felt that what Caspian said was right in a strange way. She looked down to see the finger at her chest area and screamed at the thought of what she had been taught.

"Kyaaaaa!!!! I should never be touched there!!!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, seemingly only in the care of how she could be scolded if her instructor or Mother knew.

A surreal cold sweat broke on Caspian's face and he blushed slightly as he knew what the princess implied. The corner of his mouth twitched and he couldn't help but curse her instructor in his mind. He knew what could happen if her voice reached out as he would soon be getting a new special title which was the last thing he wanted right now.

'A p*****t!!!'