Arthuas

While we were swimming back to Atlantis, I kept looking over at Delphine, wondering what I did to deserve such a beautiful girl like her. She kept glancing over at me, and eventually, she slipped her hand into mine, and we held hands until we swam to the ocean floor to look for food. We did the hunting together, and I found her a few small fishes while she found some seaweed and small crabs.

After the food break, we continued swimming back to Atlantis. The others took turns holding the trident when their hands were becoming sore. Klaus had asked me if I wanted to take it, but I declined. Even though I would have to use the trident to help Delphine and her friends get home, I couldn't stop thinking about when Delphine got stabbed with it. "Arthuas, are you okay?" Delphine asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. "No, I can't stop thinking about what happened back there, when you..." I trailed off.

Delphine and I came to a stop, and I felt her cup my face in her hands. "It's okay. I'm still here. You don't have to be scared," she whispered. She looked into my eyes, and I felt safe. I knew that I could trust her with anything, and she wouldn't tell other people my secrets without my consent. I cupped her face in my hands as well and gently rested my forehead against hers. "Your the best thing that's ever happened to me, Delphine. You taught me what love is," I whispered.

Delphine's cheeks began to turn a bright pink, and she planted a soft kiss on my lips. "Come on, lovebirds! We don't have all day!" Veronica called out. "We should get back to the others," I chuckled. She nodded her head slightly, and we caught up with them. Finally, we reached the gates of Atlantis, and the guards let us in. I was so nervous, but I was praying to Pontus that my father would go easy on me for sneaking out and going to the siren kingdom to save Delphine.

Delphine could tell that I was nervous. I knew that because of the way she was gently squeezing my hand and whispering, "It's going to be okay," in my ear. When we entered the throne room, My father stood up from his throne and swam towards me. "Arthuas, where have you been?" he asked. He sounded both relieved and angry, which calmed me down slightly.

"Your majesty, your son saved my life. You see, we were attacked by Queen Esme and the sirens, but we survived, and Queen Esme is no more," Delphine explained. I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. "Is that so? Is this true, Arthuas?" Father asked, looking back at me. I was too scared to say anything, but I nodded my head. "Your majesty, I'm one of Queen Esme's daughters, but I'm nothing like her. I've never agreed with anything my mother did, please don't execute me," Emily begged.

I looked over my shoulder, and I saw Emily was being comforted by Delphine and Veronica. "Alright, if you say so. Arthuas, I am very pleased with you. You have defeated our greatest enemy and have made it safe for us to swim outside of Atlantis. This calls for a celebration!" Father smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder and patting it gently. "Thank you, Father," I smiled.

That same night, the streets of Atlantis were full of merfolk cheering as Father finally revealed my identity to the people. Delphine and her friends were there at the celebration, and I spent the whole night dancing with her, knowing that this would be the last night we would spend together before I would have to say goodbye. But I wasn't ready to let go of her yet.

******

Delphine

While Arthuas and I were dancing together, I tried not to think about leaving the next day, but it was hard not to. During the final dance, Arthuas gently lifted my chin to meet his, and he smiled at me, silently telling me that I should be happy. And I was, but I didn't want to say goodbye forever.

Later that night, I was having flashbacks during my time in the dungeon, I could feel every muscle in my body begin to ache, and I felt the long, sharp scratches I had received from Rose. I remembered when Esme took control of my body, and Arthuas and my screams filled my head. I woke up in my bedroom, and without another thought, I swam across the hall and gently knocked on Arthua's door, needing his comfort.

The door opened, and I saw Arthuas with bloodshot eyes, and I could tell that he couldn't sleep either. "Could I come in?" I asked. He nodded and opened the door enough so I could come in. He shut the door, and almost immediately, I embraced him tightly. "I won't sleep," I muffled into his chest. He gently kissed my cheek, and I felt him gently rest his forehead against mine. 

"Do you want me to hold you?" he asked. I looked up at him through tear-filled eyes and nodded. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist, and I wrapped my arms around his back. "I love you more than life," I whispered. "Don't love anything more than life," he smiled.

The next day, as we were swimming back to the mainland, I held Arthuas' hand, and I wished that we had more time, but I knew that I had to go home to my family. Otherwise, they would be devastated if I didn't come back. Finally, we reached the surface, and in the distance, I saw Discovery Beach once again. "Is this it?" Arthuas asked. I nodded slightly, and he asked Violet if she could give him the trident.

"So, once you use the trident, we won't be mermaids anymore?" Isadora asked. "Yes," Arthuas answered as he got ready to use the trident. He said a few words that I didn't understand, and he pointed the trident at us, and a blue light came out of it and surrounded the lower half of our bodies. When the light had faded, I looked down and saw that I still had my pink and blue tail. I was confused, and I wondered if Arthuas had made a mistake. "Why do we still have tails?" Violet asked.

"That's because you're too far away from land, but once you step onto it, your tail will disappear, and it won't appear again," Arthuas explained. Everyone nodded understandingly, and they turned around and started to swim towards the shore. "I'll see you guys in a moment. I have to say goodbye first," I said to the others. I turned around to face Arthuas, and I embraced him one more time.

"Will I ever see you again?" I asked when we pulled apart. Arthuas gently lifted my chin and kissed my forehead. "Of course, but you'll have to wait a few years. But, you can always send me messages in bottles, and I will write back to you. This isn't the end of our story. It's only the beginning," I smiled before slowly leaning in until his lips collided with mine. "See you soon, my love," I whispered. "See you soon," he said before diving below the water.

A/n: The next chapter will be the final part of the story. I have enjoyed writing this, but unfortunately, the time has come to finish telling Delphine's tail. (See what I did there?) But, anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this story, and I hope you enjoy the final part of The Tail of Delphine Snicket!

With love,

Duskprincess89