Second Place - ALBC Writing Contest 1
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The World is a vast place.

Thousands of islands.

And one massive expanse of sea.

Twinkling stars of space in a night sky.

Starlit beds of sand surrounded by coral and all sorts of marine life, glittering with radiance.

Lions, tigers, and other creatures roaming the land.

Whales, dolphins and many more aquatic beings stalking the oceans.

But I've seen the ocean.

All the glory, the beauty, and the dangers.

It is my home.

The lands?

The light of the sun spoken so fondly of...

The shimmer of the stars admired upon...

The ferocity of the land wilderness and peace...

I want to see these things.

To be able to go up to the surface...

And be free.
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I am a princess. Daughter of Poseidon, ruler of the sea. You may think that being a princess means that I get to have everything I want.

Fame, power, wealth... And all other sorts of glorious things which no one should be able to touch except for the blessed. However, that's where you are wrong.

There is one thing I cannot have.

It is right under my nose, yet I cannot reach it, cannot grasp it, no matter how hard I try.

Invisible chains of responsibility and burden bind me, preventing me from acquiring that one, single desire.

Freedom.

I may be blessed, but I am cursed too.

My father rules everything, including me.

He orders me.

Torments me.

Frightens me.

Stripped my life and soul from me, till I am nothing but a mindless, obedient puppet.

A shell of who I used to be...

Back then before my mother died...

And she died because of me.

I killed her.

Slaughtered her.

Ripped out her heart from her body.

It was my fault she is dead. I deserve to be punished by my father.

I knew how much he had loved her.

And I had taken her away from him, me, his very own daughter.

Do you see now, how cruel life without freedom can be? I cannot escape from the clutches of my fate. I am bound to remain in the sea, destined to be the next ruler of the oceans, even if I had committed unforgiving sins.

But how I long for freedom.

I long to taste it, relish it, embrace it!

Just once...

Oh how I want it, just once!
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My father Poseidon, rapped on the door of my room sharply.

"Awaken, Liberty," he rumbled. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting in the light that the shining luminous corals gave out. "It is time for the Acknowledgement,"

I froze, my limbs suddenly stiff. The Acknowledgement. Those dreadful words rang in my head, loud like a sea siren's wail.

My eyes darted to the dress fitted on a coral marionette in the centre of my room.

It was a beautiful sapphire blue, shimmering like the tail scales of a new born mermaid. Precious jewels were sewn on the lace and hem of the flowing gown, sparkling with brilliance. The sleeves were puffy, and there was a high collar to it as well.

It was my Acknowledgement dress, the one I would be wearing for the day's occasion.

I got up just as my father came in, his broad muscular build blocking the entrance.

"Quicken your pace and get dressed. The ceremony will be held in two hours' time," Poseidon growled, bubbles escaping his lips as he spoke. I nodded, fearfully.

My father slipped out the room elegantly, his glittering robes the colour of a glacier trailing across the palace floors. I gulped, my grip on my thickly-woven kelp quilt tightening subconsciously.

An hour later, I found myself being fitted into the blue dress by my handmaids. I hovered quietly, my arms spread out, as I waited for them to adjust my outfit.

"You look gorgeous Your Highness," one of my handmaids cooed as she turned the full-length mirror in front of me, only to reveal a stranger in the reflection.

A stranger with the same azure blue hair and emerald green eyes as I do, her face pink from a blusher, her lips red and puffy from lipstick. Her eyelashes were long and fake, and whenever I blinked, so would she, batting those fake eyes back at me.

Her body was clothed in the exact same dress as I was, and the reflection glimmered, shining into my eyes. I looked away, tearing my gaze from the person in the mirror.

The person I no longer recognised.

Myself.
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I floated at the balcony of the palace, staring out at the underwater world below me... And it was soon going to be mine.

Regret and grief flooded me and I lowered my head. This was where I slowly, painfully, kiss my princesshood goodbye.

But what was there to say goodbye to? My childhood had only been filled with pain and suffering. There had been nothing good in my life for the past 200 years. I have lived for a long, long time, as a being who had been granted slight immortality.

Being 'immortal' isn't as wonderful as most people think it is. It is a curse, as is the will of royalty. It chains you to the living world, hurting you by letting time crawl, advancing bit by bit, like a new born baby.

As I looked down at my home, Atlantica, a sudden white sea fog enveloped around me. It was unusual. I whirled around, sensing a presence behind me, and sure enough, saw a cloaked figure, a thick anemone coral staff in his hand.

"What is it that you wish for?" He asked, softly. But his voice rang in my head like an ocean bell tolling, loud, thunderous, daunting. I stared at him, unable to comprehend what he meant.

"What is it that you wish for?" He asked again, hovering forward. I moved back in return, my eyes wide. Could he be God, finally deciding to answer my prayers? My saviour from my dark, caged world?

"I wish for my liberty. For my freedom," I replied, hesitantly inching forward to take a closer look at the man. He looked as of an ordinary person.

"So you wish to be given the thing your name means..." he rumbled, his voice slightly croaky. I nodded my head. What else could I wish for? There was nothing I wanted more than to live up to the name I was given by my beloved mother, Liberty.

"I shall grant it to you then. I shall give you what you desire: freedom," the man suddenly said mysteriously after a few silent minutes.

I could not believe my ears. "You truly will?" I whispered. The man did not reply. Instead, he went on,

"Await my signal, a flash of Waterlight. That will be your cue to flee. This will be your only chance. Do not waste it," he slipped a smile through his shadowed face, pearly white teeth gleaming promisingly.

I stared as he slowly faded away as though he was an illusion of some sort. I repeated his words in his head slowly, and as I began to understand what was happening, I managed to smile.

For the first time ever since my mother died a long time ago, I smiled. How wonderful it is to finally be able to do it again...
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"... And thus the Acknowledgement shall begin. Princess Liberty, step forward," the advisor said, gesturing for me. I hid behind the curtains, awaiting anxiously for the ceremony.

Feebly, I went out, exposing myself to the people of Atlantica. They cheered for me, shouting my name, chanting for my crowning.

I tried to remain composed, but I couldn't. I did not wish for this. I did not want to be a ruler.

I stopped swimming when I reached the advisor's side, and in front of me was my father, Poseidon. He sat grandly on his throne, his bejeweled triton lying against his shoulder. He gazed at me with somber grey eyes, a completely emotionless expression.

I bowed in front of him, knowing that I was supposed to do it as I had practiced so many times before.

Things happened so quickly. I gave my speech to everyone, telling them half-heartedly how 'proud' I was to be able to lead them. I lied to them all about my true feelings, my hidden motives. I lied to everyone. It was the only way. I could not afford to bring shame to my father's name.

Then the crown came, a beautiful gold tiara studded with aquamarines and turquoises, and lastly a large diamond carved into the shape of a teardrop on the center of the tiara.

The advisor raised it over my head, and I glanced up. Once that crown was on me, I would be officially crowned, and there would be no turning back time. I would no longer have the chance to escape.

Then suddenly, an explosion sounded, and the tiara fell from the advisor's hands. A Waterlight zipped through the water, before bursting and sending a shower of light specks down on us.

Poseidon roared as the crowd panicked, running and jostling. I stared where the Waterlight flew. The signal.

The man had come for me at last.

I turned heel and swam, kicking off my heels that bothered me so much. My father noticed and arose from his great throne.

"Liberty!" He thundered, his voice shaking the ocean floor. I shuddered but continued to swim as fast as I could. Unfortunately, my dress was not with me, dragging me down as I proceeded to swim upwards, towards the surface.

I scowled, tearing my dress off and letting it float by itself back to the ground, while I, clothed in a pale blue, sleeveless underdress, swam onwards. I wiped the lipstick off my face, spitting in disgust.

Using my dress, I wiped the rest of my make-up off, then tugged at the fake eyelashes put upon my eyes.

I could hear the sound of screaming as guards began to chase after me, following the currents as they pursued me.

I was almost there. So close...

I shot out of the water surface, a sudden, unfamiliar feeling descending on my skin. It felt... Strange. I could not describe it at all.

I tried to breathe and found that I could. It amazed me that I could breath above the water surface. I have heard tales from adventurers, but none have ever been able to breathe on land.

I levitated above the water surface, though, ripples were created each time I moved slightly.

I knew my pursuers would not dare leave the water. They are afriad that they cannot breathe, and will die. All the better for me.

It was then I realised that it seemed quite dark, and I raised my head, only to see something shoot across what seemed to me like an endless abyss.

A sparkling streak, glittering radiantly, brilliantly.

My eyes could not take in the sight before me. What I was seeing, I had no idea. Before me, thousands of twinkling, tiny dots shone in that strange abyss, some circling each other, some others lining in a straight line.

I gasped, unable to take my eyes away from the marvelous, holy sight above me.

Was this what people called... The 'sky'? Were those dots the 'stars' that the 'sky' held?

I grinned, reaching out at the sky, wanting to touch the stars. I wanted to swim up there and see them close-up. Then I remembered. Now that I was on land, I could not swim, unless I went back down to the sea again.

But there was no way I was doing that. Never will I return to that place. It did not care for me, so I will not care for it either.

"Wh... What are you...?" I heard a whisper, and whirled around, my emerald eyes flashing with surprise.

And it was then I saw matching green orbs.

Watching me.

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