Drowning Kingdom

Written by: Lillie

The vast underground network of caves was filled with people milling about and jostling each other to get a better view of the Lady's entrance. Bits of coral strewn over the floor were being trampled into tinier pieces, turning the cave floors into a kaleidoscope of colours. Glow-worm lanterns were slung across the top of the caves, lighting the way for the Lady, soon to be crowned Queen. She had not yet made an appearance and her people were getting impatient.

Althea could hear the sounds of the crowds leading from her very doorway all the way down to the town centre, the largest cave of all. She closed her eyes briefly to summon her courage and then gulped. Everything will be alright, she tried to reassure herself. I've managed to run the kingdom for five years without too many problems. Nothing is going to change. I'm just getting a new title.

Truthfully, Althea had never wanted to be a ruler at such a young age. Her mother had died when Althea was eleven, leaving Althea the only member of the royal family. The people were unwilling to remove her from the throne before she had had a chance to prove her worth. Over the next few years and with the much-needed help of court advisors, she had ruled reasonably well. When she was fifteen, the people had unanimously voted for Althea to be crowned the following year, when she reached adulthood on her sixteenth birthday.

She let out a deep sigh.

Yoanned patted her. 'You look lovely, my Lady,' she comforted the girl, admiring her handiwork. Yoanne had personally dressed Althea in the coronation robe of thick, flowing white silk with a light blue cloth belt. The hem and sleeves were richly embroidered with beautiful silver symbols that only the Lune family understood. They were charms of longevity, health and protection. Other secrets were also sewn into the cloth, unknown to all but Althea. Smiling secretly, the young woman took comfort from all her previous ancestors who had worn these robes.

'Alright,' she whispered. 'It's time.'

A hush descended upon the people as the ethereal figure of their Lady emerged from the darkness of her cave. She seemed to have a silvery glow under the grey light of the lanterns and her silver eyes were gleaming. As though overwhelmed by the silence that met her, Althea hesitated at the doorway for a moment - but only for a moment. She was walking steadily down the path towards the coronation area, with her head held high and her loose hair flowing back. Cheers erupted on all sides.

See? It's going to be alright, she told herself.

They crowned her with a circlet of silver, finely wrought by the hands of ingenious craftsmen many generations ago. It was rumoured that dwarves had partaken in its creation, although no one could be certain of the truth in that claim. Tiny blue gemstones were set in the circlet, with the largest one gleaming brightly away at the highest point.

A pang of guilt touched the new Queen's heart as she watched the whirling dances and celebrations begin. For once, food was plentiful and happiness overflowed from every cup but for how long? Although she smiled and waved, Althea felt like a traitor. She had thought long and hard over the letter the previous night and was now more certain than ever that she would have to go up to the surface.

She was going up in order to save them, but would they look at it in that way?

'Do you wish to abandon us?' The old man was shaking his sleeves in a mixture of frustration and fear. 'The coronation has gone to your head, my Lady! Forgive me for speaking frankly, but as your old friend and tutor, this is an unthinkable idea! It is insane! I advise you to discard it immediately! How can you even suppose you can go up to the surface when our professional divers can no longer do it with ease? You, an amateur? You can't even hold your breath for five minutes! In fact - '

'Three minutes and twenty seconds,' she said quietly.

He paused his sleeve-shaking. 'I beg your pardon, my Lady?'

'Three minutes and twenty seconds,' Althea repeated gently, a small smile twitching on her face. 'I can hold my breath for three minutes and twenty seconds. It used to be two minutes and forty-five seconds. Maybe with more practice I will manage five minutes.' She beamed at her old tutor. 'I practised for hours last night and I finally got to three minutes and twenty seconds. I - '

'My Lady!' her tutor exclaimed, horrified. 'What on earth are you talking about?'

'I told you, I've been practising,' Althea repeated patiently. The smile was gone and her face had a more serious expression on it. 'I've been practising how to hold my breath for weeks now. I thought it might come in handy to learn. I couldn't manage a lot at first but maybe that was because I didn't want it enough. You often say that the moment I truly commit myself is the moment I will make great leaps and bounds in my progress. You're right; I've made a lot of improvement lately.'

Her tutor stared at her, astounded. He was too shocked to speak. When he finally found his voice, he lifted an accusatory finger at her and cried, 'Y-you've been planning this for a while now, haven't you? Admit it, you have!'

'Yes, I have,' Althea confirmed easily. 'I didn't know what we would do when the divers couldn't get up to the surface anymore. I didn't think it would be so soon, actually, so it's quite lucky I have been practising. I thought I might have to go up to the surface myself, so I practised holding my breath underwater - just in case it happened. Now the divers really can't get up to the surface anymore, I must go up there myself.'

She quietly told him about the lack of support the other kingdoms were offering and how King Gerald had outright declared that their underwater kingdom could not possibly exist. She did not mention the letter.

'That is not enough reason for going, my Lady,' the tutor insisted. 'You risk your life going up to the surface and we cannot afford to lose you. What will the people do without a ruler? And how will you find your way back, even supposing that you do reach the surface? The island sinks further with every passing day.'

But Althea refused to budge. 'The other kingdoms may take our pleas for help more seriously if I meet with them face to face.' She stroked the face of her father's watch tenderly.

'We are running out of time,' she whispered. 'I need to go up there myself.'