Chapter 6

Cerise swam further, reaching an underwater cove of sorts. She had a premonition that this was the place that the jellyfish wanted to lead her to, but couldn’t themselves. She attempted to find a secret entrance of sorts, though it looked like there was only one opening. Cerise gulped. She would have to face it head on.

Cerise debated with herself. She could flee and still live a normal life. She could tell the Queen that Roselle was kidnapped and eaten by a Kraken, and there was nothing that she could do. Cerise then shook herself. She hated the cowardice in her heart. The fact that she always took the easy way out, that she didn’t push herself to her limits or really try to push her boundaries into something new and dangerous. She needed courage, and she didn’t believe in herself, let alone others. Timid little Cerise, an ordinary girl that had nothing extraordinary to her name. She wasn’t Roselle. She wasn’t the Grand Duelist. She only one through sheer luck, but even if she did have luck on her side, it wasn’t infinite. Relying on luck was too risky.

This was no time to hesitate, Cerise decided. She would need to confront her insecurities and fears head one, along with the Kraken. She would pretend to be the ideal version of the Grand Duelist that Roselle imagined it to be. She shared the title with her, after all. Cerise would pretend that she was Roselle.

What would Roselle do in this situation? Swim straight through the cave.. She face an angry dragon head on. Cerise could face this Kraken.

Once Cerise gave herself a little pep talk, she swam through the cave and saw Roselle unconscious and bound together with kelp or algae that sealed her as tight as steel. Cerise attempted to unbind Roselle, after several attempt to unwrap the kelp around her body with great effort, and managed to release Roselle from her bonds.

Cerise broke to the surface of the underwater cove, where the water was shallow. And let Roselle breathe. However, greeting her upon the surface was an unexpected person.

The woman before her had light green hair and coral and seashells strewn through her hair. She wore a simple white dress that bared most of her legs and left little to the imagination. She clapped her hands as she saw Cerise submerge from the water with Roselle.

“Very good,” The woman said in a sultry voice. “You found my underwater cove. But understand that I was the one who led you here.”

Cerise’s head spun. So the jellyfish were pawns of this woman, then?

“You have the same power as I?” The Kraken Priestess said. “We are the same, you and I. You can learn how to tame a creature of your choosing, such as the Mighty Kraken, to do your bidding.”

“I…have those powers?” Cerise asked.

“You heard the jellyfish singing, right?” The Kraken Priestess said, and Cerise gave a reluctant nod.

“You got caught in my whirlpool at the end of the world,” The Kraken Priestess said. “Normally you would be captured to be slaves, though it seems like we have someone special amongst our midst. Princess Roselle from the Rozarre Kingdom, it seems. She’ll fetch a pretty price, I think.”

Cerise’s mouth went dry. “I won’t let you do that to Roselle.”

“I heard whispers on the wind and sea that you are not satisfied with your marriage with her,” The Kraken Priestess said. “This is now a crossroads for you. You can part ways with Roselle and be eased of your conscience. The Princess will be in safe hands; she will be treated well.”

Cerise paused. Could she really consider taking Roselle off her hands and having her freedom? It was a tempting prospect, but…

Cerise cleared her throat.

“I can’t let that happen.”

“How do you propose that you’ll fight me?” The Kraken Priestess said. “I have a mighty Kraken by my side. You have no such companion.”

I can fight you,” Cerise said with a calmness that she didn’t feel.

The Kraken Priestess laughed.

“Very well. This place shall be your underwater tomb. Kraken, go!”

“Wait!” Cerise aid, an idea blooming in her head.

“What is it? The Priestess said, checking her fingernails idly.

“I propose…a competition. For the title. You can have the Grand Duelist title if you defeat me in a competition that I choose.”

“Oh?” The Kraken Prietess said, before she grinned. “Are you so sure that you’re willing to bet the title so easily? Especially since I’m going to crush you.”

“The Kraken must participate is on condition,” Cerise said assuringly, and the Kraken Priestess only looked intrigued.

“Oh? So what is the competition, may I ask?”

“It’s going to be a dancing competition,” Cerise said with a smile. “You can show me the dance of your people of the Isles, while I show you the Rozarrian Steps.”

“The Rozarrian steps? Intriguing. Well, let me show you how the people of the Isles dance.”

With that, the Priestess did light-footed steps on the chunk of rock in the cavern. Cerise followed suit and took a deep a breath. Okay, it was all going according to plan. This was what she wanted to happen. She just needed to play it cool.

“Like this?” Cerise said, before the Priestess giggled.

“You’re surely duck-footed,” The Priestess said. “A rampaging bull is far more graceful than you. It looks like I’m going to win this competition.”

“Well, now that you’ve shown me the dance of your people, let me show you the Rozarrian steps,” Cerise said.

She took one step forward, then one step back. The Priestess followed. Good. She did a twirl, and the Priestess did the same. She noticed that the Kraken was getting into this as well, watching them intently. Cerise then said with a beautiful smile. “Now everyone, raise your arms up in the air!”

She started to lift her arms into the air. The Priestess did as well.

When the Kraken lifted its tentacles into the air madly, it started pounding the cavernous walls. Rock started to tumble down from the ceiling, though the Priestess was too focused on winning the title from Cerise that she didn’t notice.

Now then,” Cerise aid happily. “Jump in the air!”

Cerise then jumped into the air, making a star formation, and the Priestess and Kraken did as well. That’s when the Priestess realized too late what Cerise’s plan was. The Kraken bumped it’s monstrous head on the cavern wall, and with a thunderous shake, it collapsed into the waters unconscious. Cerise immediately wielded her wand and pointed it to the Priestess.

“You will let Roselle go, or you will get a blast of magic to the face,” Cerise said.

The Kraken Priestess paled. She knew she was at a stalemate.

Cerise gulped. She tried to keep her legs from trembling.

The Kraken Priestess must’ve sensed her hesitation, and she lunged forward and grabbed at the wand. Cerise pulled back on the wand, though the thing snapped in half after they handled it. Cerise looked at the wand in dismay, wondering what she should do now. That was her last desperado move!

However, the Kraken Priestess had a rapier at her throat, and Roselle smirked as she said, “Good job, Cerise. You took out the Kraken, and I will now take part of the Grand Duelist duel. Admit that you’ve lost, girl. Your Kraken is unconscious and we could easily take you out here. So what is your decision?”

The Kraken Priestess slowly held up her hands in the air, before saying in a mournful tone, “I surrender.”

“Very good,” Roselle said, before she embraced Cerise (making sure that the pointy end of her rapier was nowhere near any vitals or something). “Oh, Cerise! You came to rescue me! You surely did! I’m forever grateful to you and I’m in you debt. I will find a way to repay you somehow.”

Cerise’s heart thumped in her throat. She considered asking Roselle to call off the wedding, though some part of her hesitated. She was bonded with Roselle now, whether she liked it or not; they both took down a Kraken and a Kraken Priestess together, didn’t they?

“Roselle…” Cerise said, and Roselle looked towards her with a puzzled expression.

“We need to get out of here,” Cerise said, blushing a little when she turned aside and tried to capture her breath. Too many events have been going on, and she couldn’t keep up at all! Flustered, Cerise then looked at her wand in dismay. Her magic wand was able to create a bubble of magic over her head so that she could breathe underwater; but how to get out now that the wand is broken cleanly in half?

“I know you’re worried,” Roselle said. “But we can think of a solution if we think together. How to escape this place, right?”

Cerise nodded.

Roselle looked towards the cove. “It must be a thousand miles underwater or so. How to get to the surface? Or maybe…we can ask this Priestess to make another whirlpool.”

“I see,” Cerise said, before she turned to the cowering Kraken Priestess. “You will transport us to the Soreno Kingdom, then.”

“The Soreno Kingdom?” The Kraken Priestess asked. “I could. But why should I? I’m your only leverage to escape, aren’t I?”

“You can either let all of us live by transporting us to the Soreno Kingdom,” Roselle said. “Or all three of us can die together. Which sounds like a more a tempting prospect?”

The Kraken Priestess gulped.

“Very well. Though know this; the Soreno Kingdom won’t welcome you.”

“As long as we get out of this stuffy cove,” Roselle sniffed. “I should think it would be better than being trapped underwater, don’t you think?”

“Fine, then,” the Kraken Priestess said, before she created an underwater dome bubble outside the cove. Once they entered inside it, the Priestess created a whirlpool that swirled and frothed with rushing water.

“There you have it,” The Kraken Priestess said. “I should hope that our paths do not cross again.”

“Likewise,” Roselle asid, before she hopped into the whirlpool first without any doubts whatsoever. Cerise lingered a little while longer, before giving a smile towards the Kraken Priestess.

“Thank you,” Cerise said, to which the Kraken Priestess looked flustered at Cerise’s genuine good will. “I hope that, despite everything that happened, we can become friends in the future. What is your name?”

“N…Nautilus.”

“Very well, Nautilus. Farewell, and may your journey be prosperous.”

With that, Cerise went into the whirlpool and disappeared.