Blue and Gold

The King of Atlantis looked over his city with silver eyes. The sunrays that broke through the ocean surface dipped the marble city into a brilliant light. Beneath him were the universities, halls of knowledge, their roofs, dome- shaped glittered pure white. And all around were the towers of corals shimmering in all shades of blue. It was the city of mermaids. It was the silver city, and he was their King.

But in the distance, he could see darkness approach. It was her army, the Queen of Darkness, ready to strike, prepared to level the city of silver with the ocean ground. He turned around and searched for the other army, the army of the Golden Queen who would aid the merpeople of Atlantis in their fight. But she was nowhere to be seen. Had the Queen of Darkness already dealt with her, something the King did not foresee? Would he stand alone against the might of the shadows?

A horn sounded and the King knew that his merpeople were preparing for battle. But they alone would not be enough to fight the enemy. The King swished his indigo fin, swam to the highest tower and saw his warriors putting on their armour.

 It was light, only protecting their chests and shoulders. The merpeople of the Atlantic were swift and agile swimmers, too much protection, and it would hinder their battle skills. Their armour glimmered silver in the light and all their fins shimmered in all shades of blue, from midnight to azure, to turquoise and lighter, more heavenly shades.

With worried eyes they looked to their King waiting for a command. They were prepared for the worst and they knew that many of them would die today, defending their city. But they had no chance. Darkness was approaching no matter what they did now. They would stand and fight or flee and be hunted forever.

The King did not wish to speak yet. He was the most powerful merman in the city. He had yet a card to play, to buy them time until their allies would arrive. The King raised his arms and the ocean water around the city began to swirl. First, bubbles erupted from the bottom of the sea and then stronger currents engulfed the city in a tight grip. Like streams but silver they rose to the surface and a wall of thicker ocean water began to weave itself around the city. A silver shimmer began to cover this magical place, waiting for doom to strike, ready to withstand the first blow of darkness. The King nodded at his warriors and they began to spread out all around the city, positioning themselves at their marble towers, white and blue, places of beauty, now awaiting destruction.

And in the distance the shadows grew closer and inky black water rolled like an underwater wave towards the city. The Queen of Darkness nor any of her servants could be seen within this murderous storm. But the King knew that she was there. Slowly the wall of black rolled on and finally, the darkness reached the borders of the city which were now protected by the King’s silver wall of ocean currents. Like tentacles the black water shot forward, and within, thousands of servants of the Dark Queen.

Creatures of the deep sea, twisted bodies, jaws as big as swords and white eyes, seeing nothing, only following their Queen’s demands hit the silver barrier, trying to break through. The King could feel the strength of the endless stream of creatures that tried to pierce his silver magic. He could feel how his wall would not stand for very much longer. The Shadow Queen’s magic was more powerful than his.

The wave of attackers did not end. They swarmed around the city like a mad shoal of fish, trying to find a gap, a weakness, in the King’s defences. The soldiers of Atlantis readied themselves, prepared to battle, until darkness would consume them all. The black cloud of shadows parted and there she was in all her might, looking upon the blue city, hidden inside silver walls. She was beautiful and terrifying, pearl shimmering skin, white hair, like the ice of the North and vicious eyes, blacker than night herself.

She rose a sword, shining grey, glowing with deadly magic and plunged it deep within the silver magic of the King. Cracks appeared within the protection of the city and the King felt a sharp pain inside of him, his silver magic fading. He looked into the dark Queen’s eyes and withstood the longing to lose himself within her eyes and despair. He glared at her with hatred, he would try to slaughter her, come what may.

The King felt a final push and he knew his silver wall was broken. The Queen had sliced through, like shark teeth could slice through flesh. The creatures of the dark poured in and shadows cloaked the once colourful city in grey. But the free merpeople of Atlantis were ready. Their hearts were courageous and their fighting skills unmatched. They were the children of ocean and moon. Silver and blue shapes clashed with figures of black.

The Queen of Darkness, towering above the city, she intended to destroy on this doomed day, looked into the eyes of the silver King. But he was ready. He felt the ocean all around him, not yet filled with the shadows of the Queen. He raced forward, magic glowing from his arms and smashed into his enemy. But the Queen of the deepest seas was ready. She deflected every blow of the King and simply smiled at him, a vicious but beautiful grin, hardly caring about the magic the King tried to inflict upon her.

And then it was time for her attack. In a moment of weakness, when she noticed the King’s tiredness, she struck. Sharper than a sword her shadows sliced through the King’s fin and he screamed out in pain and in rage. His soldiers tried to reach him, tried to protect him but the storm of darkness did not end. More and more creatures of the deep swarmed into the city. When one brave soldier of Atlantis killed one of them, three new monsters took its place.

Wounded, the King pushed back and leaned against one of the towers. He could feel corals touching his back that grew all over the tower and felt their strengthening magic, filling up his wounded body. Power returned into his muscles but he knew the city was lost. When the King looked around, he saw the Queen of Darkness move deeper into the city, battling ten of his best soldiers at the same time. And all around the city darkness was closing in and mermaids were fighting on every side, pushed back deeper into the city.

The King could already see his beautiful city transformed to ruins and all his merpeople consumed by darkness. He had to close his eyes when a blinding light pushed through the coming shadows and a sound vibrated through him, through every mermaid that was still battling the dark and this sound filled them with hope. It was the blow of a horn, the horn of the Golden Kingdom and their Sunlight Queen. The allies of Atlantis had come.

The King looked up, and for the first time on this shadow filled day, he felt hope inside of him. There she was, the Golden Queen. Her skin was as brown as rooks by a reef, impenetrable, her fin golden like the sun herself, her hair, flowing green like sea grass and a flaming sword in her hands, banishing the shadows all around. And with her were one hundred thousand warriors of the Golden Kingdom, their armour shining red and yellow, their fins glowing gold, like a gleaming sunset. They had come to save Atlantis!

The Golden Queen rose her sword and the horns of her mermaid warriors carried the sounds of hope through the wounded city. The mermaids of Atlantis plunged back into battle, seizing the advantage of the confusion of their attackers. And the Queen of Darkness hesitated for a moment as well, but then threw herself into the battle as strong as ever. But now her servants were pushed out of the silver city. Blue and golden warriors slaughtered her army side by side.

And the King, with new strength and hope, rose again, and headed for the Queen of Darkness. And he could see the Golden Queen with her flaming sword rushing to his side. Together, silver and gold, like the moon and the sun, they plunged into the storm of shadows that now engulfed the Dark Queen.  

Translated through Inner Ocean Magic from the shared language of corals and mermaids into English of the Strange Walkers.

Note about this Translation: This epic poem of Blue and Gold, among mermaids also known as, The Shadow and Atlantis, was found on a silver pillar among the ruins of old Atlantis. While knowledge keepers know that the outcome of the war was not decided in this battle, it gives a thorough account of how the early wars against the Shadow Mermaid must have looked like. According to other historical accounts, neither the free mermaids nor the Shadow Mermaid made a decisive victory on this day when the Silver City was besieged. However, the detailed outcome is not clear to knowledge keepers, as, similar with old texts of strange walker historians, like the Iliad that ends abruptly in battle, so too, is mermaid mythology and its histories. They are incomplete.

Knowledge Keeper, Morfos Arensio