Post by Drake on Jan 19, 2014 19:25:50 GMT -5
A/N: After receiving some criticism and coming to the realization myself, I’ve decided to revert to third person. Sorry for the sudden change, folks!
…
#11: Rebellion Part 2 – The Ocean Master
By Drake
Arthur casually struggled against the grips of his ‘captors’ as he was dragged out of the throne room. Some sort of rebels were attacking the palace of Poseidonis, waging full-on war against the city. People could be dying. Orm was in danger. In other words, Arthur had never had a better opportunity to prove himself. He just needed to wait long enough for Orm to leave the throne room.
A minute…two…Arthur allowed the soldiers pulling him away to carry him down the scaled hallways to his room before breaking their restraints. One of the soldiers psychically yelled out. Arthur knocked him out with a solid punch before the aquaman could make a scene. The other soldier backed up, hands in the air.
<You know, I don’t even like my job! Orm is a pretentious manchild!> The soldier projected, swimming away from the throne room. Arthur didn’t give chase. He was needed elsewhere.
The newfound prince dashed back to the throne room, slamming the doors open. Inside, five soldiers, all wearing sharp purple and black armor, protectively surrounded Arthur’s mother, Atlanna.
Atlanna, surprised, psychically exclaimed, <Arthur! What are you—>
<Look at lil ‘prince’ here,> The biggest of the guards interrupted, smiling cockily, <Thinks he can save the day, fight for Poseidonis.>
Arthur stepped forward, <I don’t want a fight.> The large guard mimicked Arthur’s movement.
<Murk! Do not do anything you will regret!> An elder guardsman projected cautiously.
<Regret? I’m followin’ orders,> Murk sneered.
<Well, you have new orders,> Atlannta began, <And they are to not engage my son, the prince. Leave him be.>
The situation was tense. Arthur grimaced. Something told him Murk wasn’t going to follow the queen’s orders.
<Frankly, Your Highness, I couldn’t care less,> Murk growled back, psychically announcing it for all to hear, <Ya haven’t had any real power the entire time ya sat on the throne,> And just to emphasize his point, <King’s orders: kid doesn’t escape, doesn’t fight. I figure I’ll be rewarded if anything for teaching the prince here a much needed lesson…he isn’t one o’ us and he sure as hell isn’t in charge.>
<Murk!> Atlanna cried, but the decision had been made.
<Mother,> Arthur projected to his mother and his mother alone, and then continued to all in the room, <I can handle this like I handled Glorid’en, the finest warrior in the kingdom.>
<Glorid’en?> Murk scoffed, waving his dual-pronged spear around, <Just a pup. You’re dealing with the big leagues now: the king’s guard. We’re the best o’ the best, and I’m the best o’ us.>
<That is debatable,> Arthur accidentally read one of the other guards’ mind.
<Well then, Murk,> Arthur cracked his knuckles, <Let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got an ass of a brother to save.>
Murk made the first move, lunging at Arthur. The newfound prince saw that coming from a mile away. He could read the warrior’s mind, aware of his attack before he made it. Murk swiped at Arthur again. It was pointless. There was no way he’d touch him.
<Fast, aren’t ya?> Murk acknowledged.
<Sure, that’s it,> Arthur almost laughed although, in fact, it was true.
<I know yer tricks, prince,> Murk swung his spear at Arthur. The younger man dodged it, only to find the blunt end rammed against his stomach before he could respond. How? Murk hadn’t even thought about that feint.
<Battlefield instincts,> Murk seemed to read Arthur’s mind, <Ya got no training and no weapon. There’s no way I’ll lose to ya.>
<You’d be surprised.> And then Arthur did something unexpected. He unleashed his mind out over Murk, screaming out psychically. Murk’s reaction was instantaneous. He fell back, dropped his spear and held his head in his hands, attempting to cry out with his atrophied voice box. Arthur decked Murk, launching him across the room, as Atlanna and the king’s guard looked on in shock, struggling to understand what had happened.
Arthur ended his mind-scream.
<What was that?> Murk was nearly unconscious, struggling to do more than float in the sea. He was tough, Arthur had to give him that.
<Battlefield instincts,> Arthur retorted, <Never done that before. It just kind of…happened.>
<Like this?> Murk lunged forward before Arthur could react. He slugged Arthur in the chin. It wasn’t much to Arthur, but it did hurt.
<I thought you were…?>
<Defeated?> Murk replied, <Never. Not to a surface dweller.>
Arthur let out a psionic scream again. This time, however, Murk was prepared for it. He pushed past the pain and tackled Arthur into the ground.
<Same trick won’t work twice, prince,> Murk growled, <I’m the best o’ the best.>
<I can tell,> Arthur kicked Murk off of him, knocking the guardsman into the ceiling. The entire room rumbled with the impact. Murk floated back to the floor, now, finally unconscious. Arthur checked his mind…nothing of any importance. He was out cold.
Wait…
Murk’s hand reached out to Arthur and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down. The guardsman spun around so he floated over Arthur. Murk punched him once, twice. Arthur tried to kick Murk off. No such luck this time. The warrior swam away. Arthur swam after him, trying to tackle him. Right before he would have hit him, Murk dodged Arthur’s attack, slamming his elbow down the prince’s back.
<Son of a--!> Arthur cried out, allowing seawater to rush down his throat and gills. Murk responded with a swift kick to the gut to knock Arthur away.
<You’re finished,> Murk grunted, floating over slowly to Arthur’s writhing form. The guardsman had hit some sort of nerve, causing Arthur to spasm.
<You…clearly…don’t know me well…if you think…> Murk silenced Arthur with a kick to the nose. The teen could feel blood spurt out from his nose into the water. Arthur tried a mind scream. Murk merely growled it away, kicking Arthur in the stomach now.
<Help…> Arthur called out weakly. No response. Not even from his mother.
<G’night, prince,> Murk projected, before slamming his foot down on Arthur’s head. Everything went black. And then red. Red…what the hell? Arthur struggled to comprehend what he was seeing, or that he was even still conscious. Murk’s leg, the same one that had just stamped on Arthur’s head, was caught in the mouth of a huge great white shark!
<What in Atlan’s name?!> Murk cried out, punching the shark in the snout. It held on tightly, tearing even deeper into Murk’s leg. That’s when Arthur heard it. The voice…
<You are safe, my lord.>
Arthur couldn’t believe what he’d just heard…the shark had just talked to him. Called him ‘my lord’…What if…?
<Let go,> Arthur projected towards the shark. It let go of Murk’s leg. This ‘coincidence’ did not go unnoticed by Murk.
<What the hell are you?> Murk grumbled. Before he had a chance to move, Arthur gave one last command.
<Knock him out.> The shark did as it was told, swiping its tail around to rip down Murk’s face, tearing off skin and knocking Murk unconscious.
The shark turned to Arthur. The young man didn’t really know what to say.
<Thanks,> Arthur projected, <You can…uh…go now.> The shark seemed to nod back, before swimming off.
Arthur swiveled around, meeting the gaze of the king’s guard and his mother. All jaws were agape. Everyone was shocked.
<Arthur…how…?> Atlanna struggled. He really didn’t know how to answer her. What had just happened? How had he summoned the shark and why could he understand the undersea beast?
<I’ve got to go,> Arthur managed before grabbing Murk’s spear and swimming off and out of the throne room towards the front of the palace. Immediately upon exiting the throne room, he discovered a skirmish. A handful of Atlantean soldiers were caught in combat with…well, Atlanteans, actually, but these Atlantean rebels wore orange and green instead of the standard Poseidonisian purple and black.
Arthur leapt up and into the battle, causing all combatants to recoil in shock. Arthur swung the spear around, using the blunt edge to hit a couple rebels over the head, one of which had been about to decapitate an elder warrior. He didn’t want to kill them. He wasn’t a soldier, just a man. An aquaman.
It didn’t take long for the other rebels to be subdued. They clearly weren’t trained soldiers, and with the inclusion of Arthur, the Poseidonisian guards took them down with ease.
<My prince, you…> The elder soldier whom Arthur had saved scanned over the prince, struggling to find the right words. <You saved my life.>
The soldier bent down onto his knee, and kneeled before Arthur, <I am forever in your debt, my prince.>
Arthur couldn’t believe it! Someone, a soldier no less, had acknowledged him, even praised him. It was humbling but also encouraging. Arthur’s chest swelled as a smile formed on his face. He could do this. One down, a million to go.
<Rise...?> Arthur motioned upwards. The soldier followed Arthur’s command.
<Urn, your highness,> the soldier projected.
<Urn,> Arthur began, <It was my pleasure to help you. I only want to prove myself to all of you,> Arthur motioned to the other soldiers, who all stood uncomfortably around Arthur.
<You need not prove yourself, your highness,> Urn explained, <You are a warrior, and a fine one at that.>
<Please call me Arthur, and what you said goes right back at you,> Arthur replied. The human saying wasn’t lost on the Atlantean. He smiled at the compliment.
<So, shall we kick a little rebel ass?> Arthur asked, grinning. The soldiers cheered. Arthur led them down the hallway and into the palace’s courtyards where the thick of the battle was taking place. Bodies littered the ground, blood simmering in the dark sea. It was almost too much for Arthur. He pushed the thoughts of the dead to the back of his mind. He was needed now.
Arthur pushed himself into the middle of the battlefield, attempting to find Orm. He knocked an attacking rebel out as he circled around, looking for his half-brother. This was his opportunity; he just needed to use it.
The glint of purple and gold stood out despite the rush of colors around Arthur. Orm was caught in battle with a rebel in orange and green; both men fought with tridents, long capes flowing down their backs. The rebel’s face was obscured, much like Orm’s, by a metallic helmet. His helmet was gold and gray, matching almost perfectly with his golden trident. Arthur knew without even having to be told that this flamboyantly dressed man was the Ocean Master.
<Your highness!>
Arthur swiveled around, only to discover a spear being shoved towards his heart. Before it could reach him, Urn knocked it away with his own spear, and slayed the rebel where he stood.
<Do not lose focus, my lord,> Urn said. Arthur nodded, and then swam off to Orm and the Ocean Master. He got there just in time too, as Ocean Master flipped Orm’s silver trident out of his hands, and went for the deathblow. Arthur picked up the trident mid fall and met the Ocean Master’s attack. The force of the blow made Arthur recoil as sparks flew in the midst of the sea.
Arthur met Orm’s gaze and threw his trident towards him. Orm didn’t spend much time looking at Arthur, but the brief second he did explained everything. He was pissed. Arthur shrugged the thought away. Now wasn’t the time.
Arthur and Orm exchanged blow after blow with the Ocean Master, but the battle quickly began to lean in their favor. Even when other rebels tried to join in, Arthur simply batted them away and returned to the fight with the Ocean Master. The rebel knew where this was going.
<What are you?> Ocean Master projected, despite the intense focus it must have taken him in the midst of battling two men at once. Arthur couldn’t concentrate enough to reply. Somehow, Orm managed to.
<A soldier,> Orm stated. Arthur almost grinned. They could work on it.
That’s when the battle turned against their favor. A new rebel tried to join their fight; she was red-haired, tall, elegant and beautiful, even while covered in blood and grime. But something was different about her. As she moved the two oddly small sticks in her hands, the water almost seemed to shift around her. It wasn’t like the ripples when you swam, but full torrential waves underwater.
Arthur found himself slammed into the ground before he could react. She was using the water to fight. What the hell??
<Witch!> Orm projected, swinging his trident in a wide arc to fend off the new attacker and Ocean Master.
Arthur flipped up and rejoined the battle. The rebel woman glared daggers at him. The battle continued.
<Mera, retreat,> Arthur read Ocean Master’s thoughts. The girl’s name was Mera, huh?
<We can kill them,> Mera replied.
<Possibly, but look at your surroundings. We are losing the battle,> Ocean Master responded, now defensively backing up. Ocean Master was telling the truth. Most of the bodies scattered on the ground were their own soldiers, and they’d had fewer numbers to begin with.
<Believe him, princess,> Arthur projected, now aggressively matching her aquatic attack, step for step. Mera glared at Arthur, as if calling her princess was worse than calling her a flying piece of shark crap.
<You heard our conversation?> Ocean Master wondered aloud.
<Damn it, Arthur!> Orm projected to me, now mirroring Ocean Master, backing away.
<Sir…> Mera projected. Ocean Master pulled Mera away.
<Retreat! RETREAT!> Ocean Master cried out, his thoughts echoing across the field. The entire time he swam away, his gaze did not leave Arthur. Weird. Something about it seemed off. Not like fear, like everyone else who discovered Arthur’s ability, but awe…awareness.
<What in Atlan’s name was that??> Orm pulled Arthur, forcing the young prince to look at him.
<What? I saved your life!> Arthur retorted instinctively, before realizing what he’d said, <I mean…I’m sorry. I ignored your orders, I know, it’s just…>
<What?> Orm projected. He paused briefly to take off his helmet and massage his forehead. <You…you do not understand, so I will explain it to you clearly. I will admit, you are powerful. You are…different, but that is not what matters. You are Orin, an outsider. I am king…king of a weakened, broken nation. I…I struggle enough to keep control, to stop rebellion, but if an Orin were to be seen disobeying my orders…It would open the doors for everyone to do so. Suddenly, anything and everything would be just, and I would be deemed a weak, unworthy king. Then, true rebellion would break out. Thousands would die. Atlantis would fall.>
Arthur couldn’t believe what he’d just heard…He hadn’t read Orm’s thoughts, he’d been…told them, straight up. He’d never expected Orm to be capable of such openness. It actually touched him. Arthur blushed, embarrassed.
<I am sorry, Orm. I only wanted to help out…to prove myself to you,> Arthur explained.
Orm took a deep, watery breath, and looked over Arthur, frowning. The two stood in silence for a brief while, before Orm spoke up.
<You want to serve Atlantis and prove yourself to me?> Orm asked.
<More than anything,> Arthur nodded.
<Then you shall.> Orm replied, <You will be trained, and educated in the ways of Atlantis and war. However, your freedom will be restricted…>
<Whatever you say,> Arthur agreed.
Orm psychically chuckled, <Oh, you will not be thinking that soon. For you see, my one condition is this…you want to be a citizen of Atlantis? Then you shall no longer be a citizen of the surface.>
<What?> Arthur cried out.
Orm smiled, <Oh yes, Arthur Curry. From now on—you shall go to the surface no more! Your ties with humanity are henceforth broken!>
How will Arthur react to this shocking status quo changer? Find out next ish in Aquaman #12!
…
#11: Rebellion Part 2 – The Ocean Master
By Drake
Arthur casually struggled against the grips of his ‘captors’ as he was dragged out of the throne room. Some sort of rebels were attacking the palace of Poseidonis, waging full-on war against the city. People could be dying. Orm was in danger. In other words, Arthur had never had a better opportunity to prove himself. He just needed to wait long enough for Orm to leave the throne room.
A minute…two…Arthur allowed the soldiers pulling him away to carry him down the scaled hallways to his room before breaking their restraints. One of the soldiers psychically yelled out. Arthur knocked him out with a solid punch before the aquaman could make a scene. The other soldier backed up, hands in the air.
<You know, I don’t even like my job! Orm is a pretentious manchild!> The soldier projected, swimming away from the throne room. Arthur didn’t give chase. He was needed elsewhere.
The newfound prince dashed back to the throne room, slamming the doors open. Inside, five soldiers, all wearing sharp purple and black armor, protectively surrounded Arthur’s mother, Atlanna.
Atlanna, surprised, psychically exclaimed, <Arthur! What are you—>
<Look at lil ‘prince’ here,> The biggest of the guards interrupted, smiling cockily, <Thinks he can save the day, fight for Poseidonis.>
Arthur stepped forward, <I don’t want a fight.> The large guard mimicked Arthur’s movement.
<Murk! Do not do anything you will regret!> An elder guardsman projected cautiously.
<Regret? I’m followin’ orders,> Murk sneered.
<Well, you have new orders,> Atlannta began, <And they are to not engage my son, the prince. Leave him be.>
The situation was tense. Arthur grimaced. Something told him Murk wasn’t going to follow the queen’s orders.
<Frankly, Your Highness, I couldn’t care less,> Murk growled back, psychically announcing it for all to hear, <Ya haven’t had any real power the entire time ya sat on the throne,> And just to emphasize his point, <King’s orders: kid doesn’t escape, doesn’t fight. I figure I’ll be rewarded if anything for teaching the prince here a much needed lesson…he isn’t one o’ us and he sure as hell isn’t in charge.>
<Murk!> Atlanna cried, but the decision had been made.
<Mother,> Arthur projected to his mother and his mother alone, and then continued to all in the room, <I can handle this like I handled Glorid’en, the finest warrior in the kingdom.>
<Glorid’en?> Murk scoffed, waving his dual-pronged spear around, <Just a pup. You’re dealing with the big leagues now: the king’s guard. We’re the best o’ the best, and I’m the best o’ us.>
<That is debatable,> Arthur accidentally read one of the other guards’ mind.
<Well then, Murk,> Arthur cracked his knuckles, <Let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got an ass of a brother to save.>
Murk made the first move, lunging at Arthur. The newfound prince saw that coming from a mile away. He could read the warrior’s mind, aware of his attack before he made it. Murk swiped at Arthur again. It was pointless. There was no way he’d touch him.
<Fast, aren’t ya?> Murk acknowledged.
<Sure, that’s it,> Arthur almost laughed although, in fact, it was true.
<I know yer tricks, prince,> Murk swung his spear at Arthur. The younger man dodged it, only to find the blunt end rammed against his stomach before he could respond. How? Murk hadn’t even thought about that feint.
<Battlefield instincts,> Murk seemed to read Arthur’s mind, <Ya got no training and no weapon. There’s no way I’ll lose to ya.>
<You’d be surprised.> And then Arthur did something unexpected. He unleashed his mind out over Murk, screaming out psychically. Murk’s reaction was instantaneous. He fell back, dropped his spear and held his head in his hands, attempting to cry out with his atrophied voice box. Arthur decked Murk, launching him across the room, as Atlanna and the king’s guard looked on in shock, struggling to understand what had happened.
Arthur ended his mind-scream.
<What was that?> Murk was nearly unconscious, struggling to do more than float in the sea. He was tough, Arthur had to give him that.
<Battlefield instincts,> Arthur retorted, <Never done that before. It just kind of…happened.>
<Like this?> Murk lunged forward before Arthur could react. He slugged Arthur in the chin. It wasn’t much to Arthur, but it did hurt.
<I thought you were…?>
<Defeated?> Murk replied, <Never. Not to a surface dweller.>
Arthur let out a psionic scream again. This time, however, Murk was prepared for it. He pushed past the pain and tackled Arthur into the ground.
<Same trick won’t work twice, prince,> Murk growled, <I’m the best o’ the best.>
<I can tell,> Arthur kicked Murk off of him, knocking the guardsman into the ceiling. The entire room rumbled with the impact. Murk floated back to the floor, now, finally unconscious. Arthur checked his mind…nothing of any importance. He was out cold.
Wait…
Murk’s hand reached out to Arthur and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down. The guardsman spun around so he floated over Arthur. Murk punched him once, twice. Arthur tried to kick Murk off. No such luck this time. The warrior swam away. Arthur swam after him, trying to tackle him. Right before he would have hit him, Murk dodged Arthur’s attack, slamming his elbow down the prince’s back.
<Son of a--!> Arthur cried out, allowing seawater to rush down his throat and gills. Murk responded with a swift kick to the gut to knock Arthur away.
<You’re finished,> Murk grunted, floating over slowly to Arthur’s writhing form. The guardsman had hit some sort of nerve, causing Arthur to spasm.
<You…clearly…don’t know me well…if you think…> Murk silenced Arthur with a kick to the nose. The teen could feel blood spurt out from his nose into the water. Arthur tried a mind scream. Murk merely growled it away, kicking Arthur in the stomach now.
<Help…> Arthur called out weakly. No response. Not even from his mother.
<G’night, prince,> Murk projected, before slamming his foot down on Arthur’s head. Everything went black. And then red. Red…what the hell? Arthur struggled to comprehend what he was seeing, or that he was even still conscious. Murk’s leg, the same one that had just stamped on Arthur’s head, was caught in the mouth of a huge great white shark!
<What in Atlan’s name?!> Murk cried out, punching the shark in the snout. It held on tightly, tearing even deeper into Murk’s leg. That’s when Arthur heard it. The voice…
<You are safe, my lord.>
Arthur couldn’t believe what he’d just heard…the shark had just talked to him. Called him ‘my lord’…What if…?
<Let go,> Arthur projected towards the shark. It let go of Murk’s leg. This ‘coincidence’ did not go unnoticed by Murk.
<What the hell are you?> Murk grumbled. Before he had a chance to move, Arthur gave one last command.
<Knock him out.> The shark did as it was told, swiping its tail around to rip down Murk’s face, tearing off skin and knocking Murk unconscious.
The shark turned to Arthur. The young man didn’t really know what to say.
<Thanks,> Arthur projected, <You can…uh…go now.> The shark seemed to nod back, before swimming off.
Arthur swiveled around, meeting the gaze of the king’s guard and his mother. All jaws were agape. Everyone was shocked.
<Arthur…how…?> Atlanna struggled. He really didn’t know how to answer her. What had just happened? How had he summoned the shark and why could he understand the undersea beast?
<I’ve got to go,> Arthur managed before grabbing Murk’s spear and swimming off and out of the throne room towards the front of the palace. Immediately upon exiting the throne room, he discovered a skirmish. A handful of Atlantean soldiers were caught in combat with…well, Atlanteans, actually, but these Atlantean rebels wore orange and green instead of the standard Poseidonisian purple and black.
Arthur leapt up and into the battle, causing all combatants to recoil in shock. Arthur swung the spear around, using the blunt edge to hit a couple rebels over the head, one of which had been about to decapitate an elder warrior. He didn’t want to kill them. He wasn’t a soldier, just a man. An aquaman.
It didn’t take long for the other rebels to be subdued. They clearly weren’t trained soldiers, and with the inclusion of Arthur, the Poseidonisian guards took them down with ease.
<My prince, you…> The elder soldier whom Arthur had saved scanned over the prince, struggling to find the right words. <You saved my life.>
The soldier bent down onto his knee, and kneeled before Arthur, <I am forever in your debt, my prince.>
Arthur couldn’t believe it! Someone, a soldier no less, had acknowledged him, even praised him. It was humbling but also encouraging. Arthur’s chest swelled as a smile formed on his face. He could do this. One down, a million to go.
<Rise...?> Arthur motioned upwards. The soldier followed Arthur’s command.
<Urn, your highness,> the soldier projected.
<Urn,> Arthur began, <It was my pleasure to help you. I only want to prove myself to all of you,> Arthur motioned to the other soldiers, who all stood uncomfortably around Arthur.
<You need not prove yourself, your highness,> Urn explained, <You are a warrior, and a fine one at that.>
<Please call me Arthur, and what you said goes right back at you,> Arthur replied. The human saying wasn’t lost on the Atlantean. He smiled at the compliment.
<So, shall we kick a little rebel ass?> Arthur asked, grinning. The soldiers cheered. Arthur led them down the hallway and into the palace’s courtyards where the thick of the battle was taking place. Bodies littered the ground, blood simmering in the dark sea. It was almost too much for Arthur. He pushed the thoughts of the dead to the back of his mind. He was needed now.
Arthur pushed himself into the middle of the battlefield, attempting to find Orm. He knocked an attacking rebel out as he circled around, looking for his half-brother. This was his opportunity; he just needed to use it.
The glint of purple and gold stood out despite the rush of colors around Arthur. Orm was caught in battle with a rebel in orange and green; both men fought with tridents, long capes flowing down their backs. The rebel’s face was obscured, much like Orm’s, by a metallic helmet. His helmet was gold and gray, matching almost perfectly with his golden trident. Arthur knew without even having to be told that this flamboyantly dressed man was the Ocean Master.
<Your highness!>
Arthur swiveled around, only to discover a spear being shoved towards his heart. Before it could reach him, Urn knocked it away with his own spear, and slayed the rebel where he stood.
<Do not lose focus, my lord,> Urn said. Arthur nodded, and then swam off to Orm and the Ocean Master. He got there just in time too, as Ocean Master flipped Orm’s silver trident out of his hands, and went for the deathblow. Arthur picked up the trident mid fall and met the Ocean Master’s attack. The force of the blow made Arthur recoil as sparks flew in the midst of the sea.
Arthur met Orm’s gaze and threw his trident towards him. Orm didn’t spend much time looking at Arthur, but the brief second he did explained everything. He was pissed. Arthur shrugged the thought away. Now wasn’t the time.
Arthur and Orm exchanged blow after blow with the Ocean Master, but the battle quickly began to lean in their favor. Even when other rebels tried to join in, Arthur simply batted them away and returned to the fight with the Ocean Master. The rebel knew where this was going.
<What are you?> Ocean Master projected, despite the intense focus it must have taken him in the midst of battling two men at once. Arthur couldn’t concentrate enough to reply. Somehow, Orm managed to.
<A soldier,> Orm stated. Arthur almost grinned. They could work on it.
That’s when the battle turned against their favor. A new rebel tried to join their fight; she was red-haired, tall, elegant and beautiful, even while covered in blood and grime. But something was different about her. As she moved the two oddly small sticks in her hands, the water almost seemed to shift around her. It wasn’t like the ripples when you swam, but full torrential waves underwater.
Arthur found himself slammed into the ground before he could react. She was using the water to fight. What the hell??
<Witch!> Orm projected, swinging his trident in a wide arc to fend off the new attacker and Ocean Master.
Arthur flipped up and rejoined the battle. The rebel woman glared daggers at him. The battle continued.
<Mera, retreat,> Arthur read Ocean Master’s thoughts. The girl’s name was Mera, huh?
<We can kill them,> Mera replied.
<Possibly, but look at your surroundings. We are losing the battle,> Ocean Master responded, now defensively backing up. Ocean Master was telling the truth. Most of the bodies scattered on the ground were their own soldiers, and they’d had fewer numbers to begin with.
<Believe him, princess,> Arthur projected, now aggressively matching her aquatic attack, step for step. Mera glared at Arthur, as if calling her princess was worse than calling her a flying piece of shark crap.
<You heard our conversation?> Ocean Master wondered aloud.
<Damn it, Arthur!> Orm projected to me, now mirroring Ocean Master, backing away.
<Sir…> Mera projected. Ocean Master pulled Mera away.
<Retreat! RETREAT!> Ocean Master cried out, his thoughts echoing across the field. The entire time he swam away, his gaze did not leave Arthur. Weird. Something about it seemed off. Not like fear, like everyone else who discovered Arthur’s ability, but awe…awareness.
<What in Atlan’s name was that??> Orm pulled Arthur, forcing the young prince to look at him.
<What? I saved your life!> Arthur retorted instinctively, before realizing what he’d said, <I mean…I’m sorry. I ignored your orders, I know, it’s just…>
<What?> Orm projected. He paused briefly to take off his helmet and massage his forehead. <You…you do not understand, so I will explain it to you clearly. I will admit, you are powerful. You are…different, but that is not what matters. You are Orin, an outsider. I am king…king of a weakened, broken nation. I…I struggle enough to keep control, to stop rebellion, but if an Orin were to be seen disobeying my orders…It would open the doors for everyone to do so. Suddenly, anything and everything would be just, and I would be deemed a weak, unworthy king. Then, true rebellion would break out. Thousands would die. Atlantis would fall.>
Arthur couldn’t believe what he’d just heard…He hadn’t read Orm’s thoughts, he’d been…told them, straight up. He’d never expected Orm to be capable of such openness. It actually touched him. Arthur blushed, embarrassed.
<I am sorry, Orm. I only wanted to help out…to prove myself to you,> Arthur explained.
Orm took a deep, watery breath, and looked over Arthur, frowning. The two stood in silence for a brief while, before Orm spoke up.
<You want to serve Atlantis and prove yourself to me?> Orm asked.
<More than anything,> Arthur nodded.
<Then you shall.> Orm replied, <You will be trained, and educated in the ways of Atlantis and war. However, your freedom will be restricted…>
<Whatever you say,> Arthur agreed.
Orm psychically chuckled, <Oh, you will not be thinking that soon. For you see, my one condition is this…you want to be a citizen of Atlantis? Then you shall no longer be a citizen of the surface.>
<What?> Arthur cried out.
Orm smiled, <Oh yes, Arthur Curry. From now on—you shall go to the surface no more! Your ties with humanity are henceforth broken!>
How will Arthur react to this shocking status quo changer? Find out next ish in Aquaman #12!