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“I won’t let anything bad happen to you. You already know this. I got you.”

Maris shuddered in a breath, closed her eyes and groaned as she squeezed Valda’s hand with hers. Valda released her hold on her waist before holding her wrist. Still close to her, Maris’s grip on Valda’s fingers was almost painful, but she didn’t care, she wasn’t about to let go.

“At the count of three, we are going to take a deep breath. I am going to pull you under water.”

“Valda! No—”

“I will be holding your hand the entire time. I won’t let go. I promise.”

“I swear, Valda!” Maris sniffled, water reaching her chin as Valda put more and more distance between them, their only lifeline was their interlocked hands.

“Are you ready?”

Nodding, Maris closed her eyes, took a short breath to ease her heart and exhaled. “One.”

Valda chuckled, squeezed her hands reassuringly and said, “two.”

“Three!” Maris yelped, and quickly took a deep breath before closing her eyes and dunking her head under the surface. Valda squeezed her hand tighter, pulling her deeper and deeper. Maris kept her eyes closed, holding her breath in her mouth, but then Valda released one of her hands. Her eyes flew open, and she found Valda treading in the water. She mimicked her right away, controlling her movements, her hair floating around her, almost blocking her view of the queen. Suddenly, Maris’s lungs were filled not only by air but power. The warm sensation at her fingertips and toes made her shiver in delight as the water entered her every pore, and that was when she exhaled…

And she then inhaled.

She could breathe…

She could breathe underwater.

Maris scoffed, bubbles escaping her mouth and floating to the surface. More bubbles surfaced this time coming from Valda. The woman pulled at her, egging her to go back to the surface instead, but Maris slipped her fingers from Valda’s grip.

Panic settled over Valda’s features. She trashed her arms about and swam to the surface while Maris drifted to the bottom. Her feet finally touched the pool’s floor, and she didn’t panic. Her hands moved in the same circles as Valda had done, keeping her up right. She laughed again; more bubbles escaped her. Effortlessly, she bounced on her toes and swam towards Valda, who had gone underwater again, waving her hands, calling for her, reaching out, desperately. Thrusting her arms, Maris swam towards her. Instinctively her body moved quickly until she reached Valda, clutched her arm and pulled her to the surface.

The queen gasped for air and turned in Maris’s arms before gripping shoulders. “Blessed be Ouranos! You scared me to death! I thought I lost you.” Valda shuddered and pulled her in for a tight hug. “Don’t ever do that—”

“You were right. I was going to be just fine,” Maris interrupted her before cupping her jaw. “It was as something snapped in place inside my brain… Tartarus! Can Sealians breathe underwater? Because I think I did just that!”

Valda chuckled awkwardly. “I doubt that.”

“Why?”

“Because. Breathing underwater is one of the gifts only the Sealian royalties had. That and the ability to control water and the sea.”

Maris froze. “That’s the gift for the heir of the Sea Kingdom?”

Valda nodded. “Just as I can command the wind, Sealian royalty could command the sea and water.”

Could. They could manipulate water. Maris stared at her hands as they waved about, keeping her afloat.

It’s been years since she first noticed she had a gift. It was during the Patron Festival in Ophelia Plaza. She was with Melvian, and her parents enjoying the music and the food when suddenly someone bumped into her. She was holding a glass of water and for some reason, it hovered over the ground before her. It must’ve been seconds, but Maris noticed, and she knew she was the one that had caused the water to float. No one noticed, or at least she thought.

Maris never understood how or tried to do more than just simple tricks. She wasn’t able to bring forth a storm as Valda could bring a tornado. But somehow, she felt that was surely to change soon. This water, being from her kingdom, made her feel different.

Valda’s hands bumped into Maris’s stomach, knocking her out of her daydream. Valda’s eyes were open and looking right through her. Maris hadn’t noticed she had been quiet for a long time.

“Can other people apart from royalty bear the gifts?” Maris suddenly asked, swallowing hard.

Valda pursed her lips and scratched her chin. “Well. Of course. The blessed ones are humans, mortals and weak. They sleep around. They have bastards. I know there are Skylians able to control the wind, but since I bear the mark of Ouranos I have more control. Where they can create a soft breeze, I can destroy a village.”

“You are stronger because of your lineage?”

“I am stronger because of my blessing and connection to the god,” Valda said, raising her chest, prideful.