Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Le Maree Della Guerra (The Tides of War) ❯ A Mirror's Cracks ( Chapter 11 )

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Le Maree Della Guerra

The Tides of War

Movement 11: A Mirror's Cracks

By: Revamp/Melissa Norvell

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“You're gay then.” That was the orca's interpretation. If Doku wasn't gay, he was at least curious.

“If that's your fantasy,” Doku wasn't in the mood to argue with him. He had his fair share of those events before and if nothing else, after hearing his story he didn't really want to tangle with someone of his moral standing. Isatsu might decide that he wanted to play that offering game with him.

“Its reality,” Isatsu pressed his luck.

The two of them decided to retreat back to the Seventh Infantry. Isatsu's past weighed heavily in the octopus' mind. Someone like Isatsu truly had the capabilities to betray the kingdom if he wanted to and on top of that, he had power backing him up. But would he truly do such a thing? Doku didn't want to think he would considering the way he felt about the tyrant king of the past but he also knew that didn't change the fact that some denizens were just evil to the core.

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Dokuro ran up to her brother. Tears clung to her eye as she saw the terrible state he was in. Blue blood soaked through the chest of his red coat and drenched the triangular ruffles that cascaded from the arms of it. Doku looked like he had several critical and life threatening injuries.

“Doku! What happened?” Her childish voice raised an octave as she held his hand in concern.

“I healed myself. I'm fine,” Doku acted as if it was no big deal, and to him it wasn't. He couldn't feel the injuries due to his congenital insensitivity to pain. In a way, he was thankful for that little disorder. It saved him from a world of discomfort.

“What have you two been doing?” Rin could tell the obvious, but the two had been away for quite a while. Given their injuries, they did more than just fight.

“Yeah, we've been looking for Symphony and you went off with the Orca King,” Saxa closed her eyes and frowned. It wasn't like Doku to bail on them, especially with something as important as this.

“We were discussing personal matters.” It wasn't exactly a lie. Doku knew that the orca didn't want to talk about his past in public. He considered that a personal matter.

“I bet you were,” Saxa cast the two men a coy smile. That sounded like an excuse two lovers gave when they wanted to go elope. The two of them did share a bunk together, after all. Who knows what went on in there.

Isatsu frowned. What was with this lionfish? Why did she want to assume that he would play with his food in such a way? “I'll kill you-“

Before he could say anything more his words were cut off as a Tope Shark swam into the group, darting between the five of them with a worried expression on her face. She was frantic and looked around, as if trying to find someone or something important. “Bad news! Bad news!”

“Moegi? What are you doing here?” Angla turned from her conversation with Brunhilde upon hearing those words being uttered. Moegi wasn't the kind of denizen who usually bothered them. If she was there, then the news she had truly was bad.

“Now isn't the time for questions. I have bad news,” Moegi swam up to her princess.

“What is it?” Doku asked.

“I found Symphony,” the shark announced news that was life changing.

“How is that bad? Did you find her dead?” Nagi didn't get it. The fact that someone found the Beast King was supposed to be good news, not bad.

“Worse,” Moegi was regretful to inform them that it was far from a happy occurrence.

“Was she dismembered?” Isatsu questioned with a smile on his face. If she was, he wanted to go and see the marvelous spectacle. He never cared too much for that penguin, anyway.

“No, she was with Accord,” the words slipped from her mouth.

“Well, we can go and save her, right?” Ora's voice wavered a little, but she still retained hope. By `with Accord' she meant that she was being held prisoner…right? Surely, the little shark didn't mean that she had betrayed them. That wasn't the Symphony that she knew.

“No,” Moegi seemed a little agitated that they were dismissing what she said so simply.

“You have no faith in us,” Percuss frowned. Did she really think that the Seventh Infantry couldn't do the job?

“You don't understand,” Moegi tried to talk some sense into them but they just weren't listening.

“Then make us understand. Moegi, what did you see?” Angla didn't want to believe that this little shark was saying what she thought she was. In fact, she refused to believe it.

“She's with him,” Moegi pressed.

“You said that already,” Angla noted.

“She's with him,” the shark continued to stress her point.

“Uh…” Nagi just looked confused in response.

“Together,” Moegi continued to put emphasis on key words.

“That's what happens when denizens stand in the vicinity of other denizens,” Saxa responded. If Symphony was being held hostage, of course she'd be together with Accord. This shark really needed to elaborate.

“They're on the same side. It was her. She's the traitor,” Moegi's voice became even more irritated. She hated delivering bad news. She hated it even more when it seemed like no one was listening to her. It was hard enough that she had to say it once, much less multiple times.

“You're kidding, right?” Nagi thought that was just some cruel joke. Surely, this was just Moegi playing a prank on them to see how they'd react. It wasn't reality…was it?

“No, I'm not.” Okay, now it was just offensive to the shark.

“Well, well, how sketchy. Is that the depth of her loyalty to Nautica?” Isatsu found it funny. All of this time they thought it was him who was betraying them and it was actually Symphony. He couldn't wait to rub it in the faces of the royal court.

Angla's evenly cut bangs shaded her eyes as she gritted her pointed teeth. “You're wrong. She'd never betray me.”

“But-“ Moegi began to protest, but she was cut off.

“I said you're wrong,” Angla's voice darkened.

“I'm not,” Moegi looked visibly angry, “I wouldn't lie. I saw them together and she was helping them destroy our armies. She was hurting the denizens of Nautica.”

“Why would she do that? There has to be a reason,” Doku didn't feel like that was in her character. Sure, Symphony was aloof and mysterious but he had never doubted her loyalty before.

“Maybe she's playing double-agent,” Ora couldn't believe she'd just completely stab them in the back. Symphony was her adopted sister's friend, after all. There had to be a reason that she'd change sides like that. Maybe it was something that they simply couldn't understand. Ora hoped that they were just jumping the gun.

She prayed that was it.

“But…for who?” Brunhilde wondered where her intention laid. If she was helping Accord destroy their armies, it was cause for concern. That didn't sound like a double-agent at all.

“Us, of course,” Ora told them. “She wouldn't betray us that easily…right?”

“Temptation is a bitch,” Isatsu reminded them that the Deep Sea were quite obliging when they wanted to be. All they'd have to do would be to offer Symphony something grand. If the offer looked good enough, she'd more than likely take it.

“There has to be a reason. I can't believe that she'd do it on purpose. Maybe Accord is brainwashing her,” Angla knew the Rockhopper Penguin more than anyone else. Symphony wasn't the kind of person who would just stab them like that with no reason. Something was wrong with this whole scenario and she wanted to find out what it was.

“I don't think so,” Moegi's voice dropped into a sad tone. Symphony certainly didn't look like she was being controlled. She looked like she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing. It was something that sent waves of repulsion and hurt coursing through her body.

“Are you sure?” Nagi wanted to double-check. This was just too jarring not to question.

“They were standing side-by-side. She laughed as she killed them and called us fools for believing that she would side with us. It was awful.” Even now, Moegi could hear her wicked laugher echoing through the recesses of her mind. It was so haunting that she was certain it would leave a lasting impression on her.

She had wanted so long to believe that there were other reasons her childhood friend could have done something like this. Angla didn't want to believe that Symphony would be the one to betray them. Her red eyes widened in shock, and it felt as if a bag of bricks slammed into her body at full force. She had never felt so hurt in her life, so utterly devastated that her dear friend would even think about going against the kingdom that made her a Sea King. The Anglerfish princess didn't know what she had done wrong. What happened to Symphony that would make her want to choose such a terrible thing? Even now she wanted to yell at Moegi, fight against her and tell her how wrong she was, but she knew that it would be pointless. No matter how much she wanted to scream, it wouldn't erase the truth. Moegi didn't have a reason to lie to her. That shark had never lied in her life.

“Symphony…can't be…” Angla couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Doku rested a cold hand on her shoulder, which caused the dark-skinned girl to flinch a little. “I will do my best to combat her if that's your orders. My magic ability isn't near hers but I'll try my best.” The sage could tell that Angla didn't seem like she was in any condition to face the rouge Beast King. If the princess couldn't take down her friend, he would assume that position for her and save her the grief.

“You want to kill her, Doku?” Moegi was surprised that he would turn so easily like that.

“He should rip her apart,” Isatsu was all for the course of actions the octopus decided to take. Anything with blood and gore was worth the watch.

“My purpose is to fight for Nautica's peace. I won't kill her unless Lady Angla wants it,” Doku would hold off at the moment, but it was an option. If someone had to do it, then he would.

“What will you do?” Rin glanced towards her princess in question.

“That…can't be…” Angla was still a little incoherent. All she could think about was the harsh betrayal as she tried to find every way to make an excuse as to why Symphony would have acted the way that she did.

“Everyone would take a knife to your back,” Isatsu took the princess' hand and placed a hand behind her back. A light blush crept to her cheeks as a response to the closeness of their bodies. “I think you should rip her apart. Shove the fact that you're an apex predator down her throat. Now isn't the time for weakness or tears. You know what you must do.”

“I want to find out why first,” Angla wanted to believe there was an explanation. She didn't want to kill her friend so meaninglessly.

“Then you should go and confront her,” Isatsu leaned in, his voice lowering.

“I don't know if she'd tell me,” the anglerfish imagined that if she was doing something for the sake of Nautica, then she wouldn't let it be known until her mission was done. Maybe she wanted this kind of response from them to make her situation more believable.

Isatsu's large hand ran up her back and under her jaw, long nails raked across her skin as he tipped her chin up to look at him. “Being indirect isn't an option. If you want the answers then you go and grasp them. Friend or not, you have a job to do. The denizens of Nautica come first. Maybe sometime later you can convince her if she's really betrayed you…but you know the consequences for keeping her alive.” She was playing a risky game, and he wanted to remind her of that. There were some people who never changed, and some who changed so much that they couldn't be helped and any semblance of who they were was too far gone to return.

“Isatsu…” She knew that he was right. Angla didn't want to admit it but it was the cold, hard truth.

“A little violence never hurt this place,” the orca winked. “This just makes it interesting.”

She took his hand from her chin and held it. “Somehow, I don't feel the same way.” It might have worked for someone as sadistic as Isatsu, but she didn't like hurting people if she didn't have to unless she wasn't hunting for food and even that had a purpose.

“You should enjoy the suffering, princess,” Isatsu didn't like the war any more than anyone else, but he as long as he was going to be engaged in it he was going to have a little fun.

“Not when its mine…or Symphony's, you know how I feel about her,” Angla reminded the other Sea King that this was her childhood friend, not just some nameless soldier she had no feelings towards. It wasn't that easy.

“Should your priorities be with the enemy?” Isatsu didn't like her method of thinking. It was going to get her blindsided in the end.

“I want proof that she's the enemy,” she gave him a serious expression. There was no way that she was going to believe this until that fact had been proven. She wanted to see it for herself, experience it for herself.

“Have it your way,” Isatsu sighed. Angla was being stubborn about all of this. He could understand why, but it didn't make it any less infuriating.

“What should we do?” Moegi looked to her for guidance.

Angla pulled away from the orca and turned to her. “Let's look for Symphony. Isatsu?”

“Yeah?”

“Go…tell the Sea Kings about this.” As much as Angla didn't want to give that order, she knew that her father and the others needed to know what was going on. Keeping it from them might result in something terrible, no matter what kind of screwed up intentions her friend might have had regarding the situation.

The orca's face lit up at the order and a bright smile was painted on his pale features. “I can't wait to rub it in their faces.”

“Doku, come with me,” she looked to the sage, who placed a hand over his chest and bowed.

“I'll follow you wherever you wish,” Doku was happy she had asked him to accompany her. He had a feeling she would need a shoulder to lean on and someone to confide in. It was something he enjoyed being to her.

“Moegi,” the princess turned to her shark friend.

“Yes?”

“I need you to show me where Symphony is,” Angla ordered. The look on her face was steely. She wanted to confront the Beast King and find out what was going on. The anglerfish didn't care what the results would be; she just wanted answers for the sake of both herself and her kingdom.

“Does that mean you believe me?” Moegi still had a feeling that she wasn't taking her seriously.

“I just want to know myself,” Angla closed her eyes. She dreaded the fact that the shark was more than likely right, but there was a small chance that she wasn't. That was the chance she was banking on.

“I'll help you.” If it will prove that she was being serious, Moegi was all for it.

“The rest of you fall back. I'll get into contact with you when I need you,” Angla dismissed the rest of her army. They all uttered a `yes, Lady Angla' in unison and walked off in different directions to do other things and await her orders.

Isatsu headed off towards North Castle, and Angla, Moegi, and Doku headed towards the battlefield to assess their current situation. The princess couldn't help but feel a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach about all of this. No matter how much she tried to kill off the fact that it wasn't what everyone made it out to be, she had a feeling it was.

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The remaining members of the Seventh Infantry walked along one of the paths in the sea. They passed seaweed that swayed in the currents rhythmically, dancing to a beat only they heard. All around them, colorful coral lay and anemones fluttered. However, the sea lacked its sense of normalcy. The denizens were all engaged in war, and an overwhelming feeling of tension and unease permeated in the depths. The silt of the ground clouded around their feet as they walked, engaged in conversation over the latest happening.

Everyone was tense. If Symphony had betrayed them, it made them question who was going to backstab them next. Who could be trusted? Was no one safe from the temptation of what the Deep Sea Forces had to offer?

“Do you really think that Symphony would betray us?” Nagi still didn't want to believe what she had heard. Not long ago, the penguin had just been around them. Until now, she seemed like another member of their large family. What could have gone wrong?

“I don't want to believe it,” Ora knew how close she and Angla were. There was something that just didn't seem right with them.

“Moegi was too distraught not to take the threat seriously,” Rin believed her, even if no one else did. She knew how much everyone wanted to stuff this subject under the bed and leave it there to rest, but it was something that she couldn't simply dismiss. Something grave was going on here and she wanted to find out what. If Symphony really had betrayed them, then there was no room for error on their part. Sweeping it under the bed only made matters worse and blinded them.

“She is really creepy but so is the Orca King,” Dokuro had to admit that Symphony didn't exactly look like the kind of denizen that just anyone could approach. The penguin always looked so serious, and she never truly smiled around her, which gave her a sinister appearance to anyone who happened to come along.

“I heard Isatsu is King Fuma's son. We're lucky to have an alliance with him at all,” Rin noted the status of a man like Isatsu. She knew all too well of the orca's reputation, as well as that of his father.

“Is King Fuma scary?” Dokuro hadn't heard anything about him.

“He's so awful denizens have made it their goal not to talk about him,” Saxa educated the octopus on the infamy of the previous Orca King.

“Scary,” Dokuro brought her hands to her body instinctively and shrunk back a little, “I don't ever want to meet him.”

“You can't anyway,” Saxa told her, “he's dead.”

“I thought for sure that Symphony wouldn't betray Lady Angla. It bothers me.” No matter how much she tried to make sense of it all, Rin was at a loss for words. Nothing the penguin had ever done before even left the slightest hint that she was unhappy with Nautica or anyone in it.

“I once overheard the Sea Kings talking. They said that they thought someone was letting Accord's troops in through magic…Symphony is the best alchemist in Nautica. Does that mean she was letting them in this entire time?” Percuss put two and two together. If Symphony was letting denizens in from the other side, that would explain Earlkonig's death, and the breach of the gates.

“Surely not,” Rin didn't want to think her betrayal was what got the ball rolling for the war to initiate. “There has to be a reason for it. Maybe she's being held prisoner?” If Accord threatened her, then she would have to comply with his demands, right?

“I don't think so,” Ora gave her thoughts on the matter. “I think something is very wrong.”

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It was dark, far away from the light of the artificial sun that bathed Nautica in a happy glow. Doku's bioluminescence kicked in and his tentacles and eyes glowed softly as the three of them made their way down one of the rocky paths. It was lined with foliage, coral and anemones that all looked as if they were of a dark blue hue. It gave the place a surreal, mysterious feel. Everything was silent except for the occasional footstep and the rustling of clothes. Angla's angler tool emitted a soft, yellow light that bathed their forms and Moegi swam ahead of the group.

They came across the occasional derelict house and the remains of the slain. Their carcasses were haunting reminders of how long it had been since the war began and the casualties involved.

“How did you find this path?” Angla's voice was low. She didn't want to be too loud incase the Deep Sea was lurking nearby. It was bad enough that her bioluminescence made her an easy target.

“I was told not to go where they'd see me, so I didn't,” the shark replied in a whisper. “I didn't want to get killed, so I swam down here.”

To her, it was an easy path around the battlefield. She didn't think anyone else would have taken such a deserted-looking direction, especially since there was carnage and destruction already around. Moegi thought it was the perfect path to take, considering soldiers wouldn't think to back track a route they'd killed everyone on.

“I get the feeling that there is something down here,” Doku could feel a faint presence. He wasn't sure if it was someone clinging to life, or something else entirely but there was definitely someone watching them at the very least.

Angla pulled out her scythe, ready to strike. “We'll be ready if there is.”

“We should be quiet, just in case,” Moegi was already uneasy that they were talking as much as they were.

“Good idea,” Doku nodded as they continued to walk along the winding paths.

As they progressed, the area became more and more rocky. It was almost as if they entered some sort of underwater cave with large arches. Less and less foliage and coral were present and the whole place began to become slightly more claustrophobic as a ceiling hung above them composed of rocks. The paths branched out and expanded and it became easier to get lost. Everything still retained its blue hue and the darkness made visibility hard.

“This is it,” Moegi whispered as she swam behind a wall of rocks.

“I don't see anything,” Doku glanced around. There was a large, round clearing that a small amount of light graced. It looked as if the ground was a corn flower blue. Surrounding it was more rocks, but nothing else was out of the ordinary.

“Hide,” Angla said quickly as she dove behind a rock.

“They're back,” Moegi whispered as two figures walked into view.

Symphony made her way down from one of the adjacent paths, accompanied by a taller figure. The male beside of her had long, purple hair that nearly went to his feet. It was wild, with large spikes that curled upward in several places. He had a light gray skin tone and wore the wave patterned cloth of the Deep Sea. He wore an elaborate coat that was blue with white wave crests on it. The back of it was lined in ruffles and drug the ground behind him. His white pants flowed gracefully as he took stride and finely polished shoes shimmered in what little light they reflected. Eyes with white pupils and black sclera looked to the penguin with affection as his long shark tail swept through the silt and plant life behind him.

The two stopped in the middle of the clearing.

`Symphony…' Angla thought to herself as a wave of nostalgia hit her.

The ballroom was filled with lavish decorations in the colors of Nautica's theme - gold, blue and white. Many high-class denizens attended and the royal court donned their finest garments to participate in the event. Angla wore a red dress with black ruffles from the hip down. It was made after the flamenco dresses that were worn in the upper world.

She made her way over to her solemn penguin friend that was dressed in a simple black dress. It was nothing special, just a strapless dress that accented her breasts and flared out at the bottom. It looked as if it was made of a silk material due to the way it shone. Symphony had a bold, black necklace and opera gloves that extended up to her elbows. The penguin had the same complacent visage she always did and casually sipped wine as the others danced and laughed.

“I hope you understand that I don't like dresses,” she expressed her displeasure of formal events to Angla.

“Yeah, but its fun. You get to eat cake,” Angla smiled at her. Who didn't like cake?

“It sounds childish,” Symphony had better things to do than look pretty for a bunch of stuffy royals.

“It was funny when Ketzel fell through the table,” the anglerfish covered her mouth and giggled at the thought of the clumsy cat shark's actions.

“It was but still, he was being childish by dancing on it,” Symphony didn't really see his actions as anything worthy of a chuckle. However, she saw how it could be amusing to some denizens.

“Oh come on, it was fun,” the anglerfish placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

“Do what you want. It's your party,” Symphony didn't care about being there. It wasn't like anyone else couldn't have fun, she just wasn't. The sooner that this party was over, the better it was.

“Have some fun instead of being so serious all of the time,” Angla continued to try and coax at least a smile out of the penguin. Symphony always looked so stoic. Throughout their whole relationship, she never saw the penguin as much as crack a small smile. For once, she wanted to see Symphony actually look happy.

“It is calming,” the penguin smiled slightly, “I guess I should be really happy.”

“I'm sorry that your father died,” Angla had a hunch that her father's untimely passing was part of the reason she wasn't having any fun. Sure, Symphony was serious but there was something about her now that seemed more dismal than usual.

“These things heal with time.” It wasn't something she wanted to discuss, especially if Angla wanted her to keep smiling.

“Comfort is closer than you think. Never shut yourself out to other's feelings,” the princess knew that Symphony was particularly bad at telling people how she felt, much less telling them personal stuff. She wanted her friend to open up to her.

“You're a good friend, a fish,” Symphony never thought she would have become friends with something her species was designed to eat. It was a little ironic.

“If a fish can act like a penguin, can't a penguin act like a fish?” Angla thought that Symphony should learn to grow accustomed to the kingdom and its quirks. One of the best things about Nautica was the fact that different species could interact and learn to live together despite their differences.

“Riddles,” Symphony took a sip of wine.

“I'm glad you don't want to eat me.” If Symphony had put that little trait behind her, Angla wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to grow close to her and she would have missed an opportunity to make such a wonderful friend.

“I like the fish in Nautica. I guess I should get back to the party, huh?” Symphony smiled as the two left the corner of the ballroom to go mingle with the other denizens.

“They're together,” Doku's words cut through her nostalgia like a knife as she was brought back into the current situation.

“Shhh….they're talking about something,” Moegi whispered as the group grew quiet, all eyes locked on them.

“Our casualties are great, even with your magic my army is still failing,” Accord was the first to speak.

“I thought my spells would be strong enough to keep them safe. Not even my alchemy can perform a miracle,” Symphony's reply didn't yield any good information.

“You're the best alchemist in Nautica, correct?” Accord didn't understand why her magic wasn't holding up. If she was the best, then she should be able to hold them at bay at the very least.

“Yes, the only one who can rival me is Master Sage Doku. I let you all in, didn't I?” Accord shouldn't cut her powers short; it took a lot just to be able to give Nautica a good enough breach to start the war.

“How did you get through the barriers?” Accord always wanted to ask her that, but they had been so caught up in playing their roles that he never had the opportunity.

“That's my secret,” Symphony gave him a playful wink.

“I'm still worried. They'll find you out eventually.” When they did, Accord knew they would find out what they had been doing all of this time. They would know that Symphony betrayed them and her role would end being the one who gave him crucial intel on the Sea Kings. He wasn't sure if he wanted to lose a vital source like that.

“If they do, then so be it. I'll keep mining them for information until that time comes. Being a Sea King has its perks. I can attend their meetings and they trust me. As long as I have that, then I can stab them where it hurts,” Symphony knew that she was playing them and she was pulling the strings well. As long as they didn't notice, she would continue to do so. She wanted to drain them for everything they were worth. She and Accord would always be several steps ahead of them if she could keep up her little game.

“She's awful,” Doku closed his eyes and frowned.

“See? I wasn't lying,” Moegi was finally able to prove her point. Now, Angla had to listen to her.

“How could she? How could she be so low?” Every sense of doubt that Angla had was killed in this moment. She could hardly believe those words coming from her childhood friend's mouth. Hurt, confusion and anger brewed in her form in a sickly mixture of emotions.

“Traitor…but why?” Doku couldn't comprehend it. Even from a logical standpoint, she had no reason to betray them. It seemed random and without reason.

“How could she go so far as to revel against the Sea Kings?”Moegi shared the same sentiments as her companions. Didn't Symphony have everything she wanted there?

“I'm glad you took my advice and decided to go to your own side. The other Sea Kings are worthless,” Accord's voice cut into their conversation.

“I'm not worthless…I did everything for you…” Angla's eyes stung as she clutched the rock she hid behind and shook with emotion. A sharp pain resonated within her chest and she fought to keep her composure.

“Nothing but a traitor,” Doku said in a bitter tone, “a common, non-descript traitor.”

“It's better this way. Besides, you're right,” Symphony closed her eyes and smiled, “until now, I haven't embraced my primal needs enough. Being friends with that fish dulled and killed what's in my nature to be.”

“I don't understand…”Angla rested her forehead against the rock as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“They make me sick,” Symphony's voice sounded in her ears.

“Soon, they'll see that their ways are wrong. I'll teach them all, especially that orca,” Accord's words were especially venomous when he spoke of the orca king. He could hear the last words that were spoken to him before the previous war.

That baritone laughter echoed through his mind as he was submerged in the times of the past.

The young Orca King stood in the middle of the battlefield. The bodies of the dead lay around him and the water was cloudy, turning sanguine because of all of the blood he had shed. The two of them were thrashed; their bodies had been pushed to the limit after taking multiple hits.

“I wish eternal damnation on you,” Accord cursed his enemy, holding his injured arm.

That earned him a fist to the face as his body was propelled backwards from the force of the blow. Isatsu's hit caused blood to fling itself from his body.

“Die…Suffer…” The orca smiled wickedly as he stomped him into the shredded coral below. The shards punctured his body, digging into his muscle and ripping it painfully as he was forced down with each blow.

“The Orca King is the strongest of Nautica's rulers. His strength is amazing. You'll have the hardest time taking him out,” Symphony's words cleared the cloud of nostalgia around him.

“Oh, I have a plan for him,” Accord placed a hand beneath his chin and flashed his pointed teeth. “Crucifying him wasn't enough. His family terrorized the Deep Sea for centuries.”

“Isatsu was crucified?” That was something Isatsu never told the sage, and he couldn't help but be angry at it.

“I didn't know that,” Moegi was just as in the dark as he was.

“He told me about it…I think I'm the only person who knows besides Oro and my father,” Angla's words didn't help Doku's anger quell at all.

“I feel bad for him,” Moegi frowned. He might be a bully and an orca on top of that, but no one deserved to go through that kind of hell.

Doku said nothing, but was outwardly sympathetic. He was going to talk to the orca about this matter later.

“You seem concerned,” Angla noticed the octopode's demeanor.

“I feel something for him, even if he's disgusting.” Anger just welled back up in his form at the fact that Isatsu told Angla and even Oro before he'd tell him about something so important. Isatsu took his sweet time telling him about his abusive past and awful father. Why didn't he tell him about his painful crucifixion?

“What are we going to do about our significant loss?” Symphony's voice cut through their conversation.

“We'll have to pull together and have a meeting later,” Accord turned to his companion and placed a hand lovingly on the side of her face. His voice was softer, more loving in tone. “Don't fail me. Remember, if we get through this we can be free from the bonds of oppression.”

“I love you, Accord,” she placed her hand on the back of his and leaned her face into his touch.

“She loves him…Is that why she's doing this? How blind.” The words dripped like venom from the octopode's mouth.

“Why would anyone love him?” Moegi didn't see the appeal.

“How long has this been happening?” Doku wondered how far down the rabbit hole this unholy union had gone.

“She never acted any different. She never even gave any signs…” Angla couldn't tell that she was hiding anything from her. Symphony was good at hiding her emotions, and when she thought about it, she was far too good.

“The Beast King is stoic.” Like her, Doku knew how easy it was to hide his innermost feelings behind a mask.

“What do we do?” Moegi asked.

“I…don't know,” Angla could barely think straight; much less formulate a plan on the spot.

“We need to form a plan. We don't have a choice but to consult the other Sea Kings,” Doku knew that the others would want to hear about this.

“They're leaving,” the small shark alerted them.

“My best friend…” Angla let the tears flow as she fell to her knees and began to cry as the two disappeared from sight. She couldn't take it anymore. This was too taxing on her nerves and the little composure she had was just shattered into a million pieces by the admission of love between Symphony and the man she loved.

“Miss Angla,” Moegi swam to her princess' side and tried to comfort her.

“My best friend,” Angla continued to sob, “the woman I grew up with…wants to kill me…She could care less if I died…She preferred it if I did.”

“Lady Angla,” Doku watched as his princess sat on the ground. Her cries pained him. Seeing the woman he cared so deeply for in shambles moved something within him and he slowly walked over to her. This wouldn't do. It might not have been his place, but he felt compelled to make her feel better.

He came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around the girl, startling her. Angla's body tensed up for a moment before settling into his touch. “Broken trust is like a broken mirror. Even if you repair it, you still see the cracks. Betrayal only comes from friends, not enemies.”

“Don't cry, Lady Angla. Backstabbers are always behind you. That's why they can't stab you in the front,” Moegi hoped that those words would help soothe her soul in some way.

Doku sat his chin on her head, pulling the princess closer to him. “I know it's hard to fight when the fight isn't fair.”

“D-Doku…”

“We can't always make sure the one we'd take a bullet for is the one behind the gun. There is always sorrow, but that's what awakens our strongest emotions. If it wasn't for happiness, sorrow would have no value,” the octopus continued to try and comfort her. He couldn't help but admit that being this close to the princess was soothing. Something about it felt calm and peaceful, and it was a feeling he couldn't ignore. At this moment, things felt complete, right on some morbid level.

Angla placed a hand on his as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Even with her friends by her side, she couldn't help but cry. “Doku…thank you.”

“I'll always be by your side, my princess,” the octopus hugged her closer. Come what may, he was her faithful adviser, and he would be more than willing to soothe her sorrow when necessary. After all, even someone like him held a spot in his hearts for the anglerfish.

…To Be Continued