Five Years Later...

I walked down to the beach near dawn, getting ready to toss another bottle into the sea. As soon as I got back to my Aunt Kit and Uncle Dewey's house, I told them everything from turning into a mermaid in my bathtub to falling in love with the Prince of Atlantis. Aunt Kit didn't believe me at first, but when I asked the Baudelaire's and Quagmires to explain to them that it was true, she started to believe it, and she apologized for giving me such a hard time.

When my parents got back from their business trip, they had a big surprise for me, and it turned out that they had bought a house that was near Discovery Beach and I was so happy that I would get to spend time with my friends and family there. When I told them about Prince Arthuas, Mother was so happy that I found love, and she made me promise to introduce her to him when we saw each other again.

I had written him letters every week. In some of them, I would talk about how I was doing, while others were more romantic. And every time, I got a response from him. It was hard to believe that we were making a long-distance relationship between human and merman work, and I couldn't wait for the day that I would hold him in my arms. I reached the last step of the wooden staircase that led to the waves, and as I stood on the edge of the water, I breathed in the salty air and listened to the relaxing sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

I looked down at the small bottle and held it close to my chest, praying that it would make it to Arthuas safely, like the rest of the letters. But, as I was about to throw it into the water, I saw something in the distance. I couldn't make out exactly what it was, but as it got closer to the beach, I called out to it. No answer, but I watched as the figure continued to approach the beach. And then I saw them step out of the waves with legs instead of fins. "Arthuas?" I asked when the figure became clear to me.

"Yes, my love. It's me," he smiled. His hair had grown slightly longer, and he started to grow a beard. I was speechless, I had been waiting for this day for so many years, and now it finally came. I threw my arms around him, and I felt him pick me up and spin me around. "My darling," I whispered before I crashed my lips onto his. The kiss felt like it could last an eternity. Every time we pulled apart, there was an invisible force that pulled us into another kiss.

"How are you? My love?" Arthuas asked when we finally stopped kissing. "I'm as happy I could ever be now that your here," I smiled. We talked for a while, and we watched the sunrise together from the roof of my house. My parents were still asleep, so I didn't want to bring him into the house just yet, fearing that they would think he was an intruder.

"How long can you stay?" I asked, resting my head on his chest. "Only for one day," he answered as he ran his fingers through my hair. I was disappointed, I wished that we could spend forever together, but I understood that he had to get back to his royal duties. "I wish we had more time," I sighed. "Well, let's spend every moment of today together," he said, sitting up slightly. "That's a good idea," I whispered before pulling him into another kiss.

We waited for my parents to wake up, and once they got settled, I introduced Arthuas to my parents. I was worried that they wouldn't like him, but my negative thoughts vanished when my parents pulled me aside and told me that they liked him. Father let Arthuas borrow some dry clothes to wear, and we spent the day walking around town and had a nice lunch at one of the beachside restaurants.

At lunch, we ran into Veronica, Emily, and Klaus, and we sat together and talked about what had happened to us over the past five years. Emily had a good relationship with her father, and Veronica and Klaus revealed that a week prior, they had gotten engaged. I was so happy for them, and so was Arthuas.

After we finished lunch, Arthuas and I walked back to the beach, and we held each other close as we watched the waves continuously crash against the shore. His hands gently ran through my hair while I kissed his cheek every few minutes. Arthua's beard tickled my lips, and I giggled softly. The boy that I had fallen in love with all those years ago had grown into a handsome, young man.

I laid my head on his shoulder as we continued to stare at the waves, my hands slightly digging through the brown and white sand. "If I asked you to come with me, what would you say?" Arthuas asked, breaking the silence. I looked up at him and saw a smile that spread across his face. "I would say yes," I answered. He looked down at me, his smile becoming a grin. He took my hand in his and helped me to my feet.

"Were you being serious when you asked me that?" I asked. "Yes, Delphine. I want you to come back to Atlantis with me," he nodded. I looked back at my house in the distance, silently worrying that I would never see my family again. "But what about my family? I would never see them again," I asked. "I promise we will come back here whenever you want to pay a visit. I would do anything to make you happy,"

My cheeks began to turn a deep pink, and my eyes met Arthuas' blue eyes again. I looked down, and I saw that Arthuas was fidgeting with something in his pocket, but I wasn't sure what it was. "What do you have there?" I asked. Arthuas let out a small sigh and handed it to me with the smile still on his face. I opened it, and my eyes started to fill with tears of joy when I saw a beautiful heart-shaped ring, a beautiful aquamarine gem at its center with small diamonds surrounding it.

When I looked up, I saw Arthuas on his knee, and I knew what question he was about to ask. "Delphine, when I said goodbye to you five years ago, I was scared that you would move on with your life and forget about me, but you didn't. Every letter I received from you made my heart swoon, and it felt like you were there with me. There is nothing in the sea nor on land that could stop me from loving you. I wish to have you by my side for the rest of eternity. And it would make me feel like a king if you, Delphine Beatrice Snicket, would be my bride. Will you marry me?"

"What do you think?" I asked, wiping away the tears that were falling down my face. "Yes?" Arthuas asked, hope rising inside him. "Yes! Of course, I will marry you," I answered. Arthuas stood up and slid the ring onto my finger before pulling me into a long and beautiful kiss. "I love you, Prince Arthuas," I smiled. "And I love you too, Princess Delphine," Arthuas smiled back. We went back to my parent's house to tell them about the exciting news, and they were so happy for us.

We also told the Baudelaire's, Quagmire's, and of course, Emily and Veronica. Veronica made me promise to have her be my mermaid of honor. Then, it was getting close to sunset, and I knew that I would have to say my goodbyes. I said goodbye to Veronica and Emily, first and I started crying. "We'll see you soon. I'll definitely be at the wedding," Veronica smiled. Then I said goodbye to the Baudelaire's and Quagmire's, then Aunt Kit, Uncle Dewey, and six-year-old Beatrice.

Then finally, my parents. I could tell they were trying their best not to cry, but I knew that they were. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," Father said as I embraced him. "You've always been my little princess, and now you'll become a real one," Mother smiled through her tears. "I love you guys so much," I said, giving them each a kiss on the cheek. I turned around to see Arthuas waiting for me, and he offered his hand. I slipped my hand into his, and the others kept shouting "Goodbye," and good luck as Arthuas and I stepped into the water.

Once my legs were submerged, I became a mermaid again. We waved goodbye to my family one last time before we dived below the waves and swam back to Atlantis to begin our new life together as Prince and future Princess of Atlantis.

My name is Princess Delphine, and this has been my story...

The Tail of Delphine Snicket.