by Debbie Dadey
“Don’t be silly,” Kiki said. “Accidents happen.”
“I have an idea! I’ll ask my dad,” Echo suggested. “Maybe he has some glue in the store that can fix broken vases.” Echo’s family owned Reef’s Store, a place where merfolk could buy nearly anything.
“Really?” Shelly said.
“Sure! Let’s go ask him right now,” Echo told her. “We’ll get this vase fixed up in no time. Your grandfather will never even know it was broken!”
Shelly breathed a sigh of relief. She sure hoped Echo was right!
Emperor
THAT’S TERRIBLE!” PEARL snapped the next day in class. “The queen should visit Trident Academy. After all, we’re the most prestigious school in the whole merkingdom.”
Mrs. Karp peered at the class through her tiny glasses. “That may be true, but Queen Edwina has a very busy schedule. Perhaps she will see us on her next visit.”
“But I wanted to meet the queen!” Pearl grumbled. “I cleaned my desk and polished my tail for nothing.”
“The good news is that since the queen won’t be visiting our school, we can concentrate on our study of penguins,” Mrs. Karp said with a smile. “Who can tell me the name of the world’s largest penguin?”
Kiki raised her hand and called out, “The emperor penguin.”
“Very good,” Mrs. Karp said. “One interesting fact about emperor penguin males is that they keep their eggs on top of their feet for two months.”
“Pee-ew! I bet those eggs stink,” Rocky said, holding his nose.
A merboy named Adam asked, “How do they keep from breaking the eggs?”
“They don’t move,” Mrs. Karp explained. “All the males huddle together and protect the eggs with their feathery skin. By the time the eggs hatch, the fathers have lost half their body weight because they don’t eat during that entire time.”
“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard!” Rocky said. “Who could sit still for two months?”
“Good thing Rocky isn’t an emperor penguin,” Echo said with a giggle.
Shelly had to smile. Rocky had a hard time sitting still for two merminutes. Of course, today Shelly was the one who couldn’t concentrate in class. She was exhausted. She had stayed up very late the night before, putting the pieces of the blue vase back together with the sandcastle worm glue that Mr. Reef had given her.
Now that the vase was fixed, all she could think about was the queen’s visit. Echo and Kiki were probably right about the royal rescue. But what if they were wrong? What if the queen did try to make her live at Neptune’s Castle? Pearl had been right about the queen visiting Shelly’s apartment. Maybe Pearl was right about the royal rescue, too!
“Now, who can name another type of penguin?” Mrs. Karp asked, interrupting Shelly’s thoughts. Shelly tried to remember the seventeen they’d read about yesterday, but she couldn’t even think of one. Shelly tapped her tail nervously on the floor, hoping Mrs. Karp wouldn’t call on her.
As the school day went on, Shelly felt worse and worse. At lunch, she couldn’t eat a bite of octopus legs—even though they came with sea-snail mucus dipping sauce, one of her favorites. By the time the last conch shell sounded at the end of the day, Shelly was so nervous that she felt like throwing up. What would happen when Queen Edwina came? What would she think of Shelly? And would the queen really take Shelly away from her grandfather?
Teatime
I CAN’T DO THIS!” SHELLY told her friends after school. “I’m not ready for the queen.”
They stood in the huge front entrance hall of Trident Academy. A large chandelier of glowing jellyfish lit up colorful ceiling carvings that showed the merpeople’s history. Students in third through tenth grades swam past them on their way home. Nearby, a fourth-grade mergirl giggled with Pearl over the most recent issue of MerStyle magazine.
“Of course you can!” Echo reassured her. “After all, you are a Trident Academy student. You can do anything!”
Kiki nodded. “And we’ll be there with you all the way.”
Shelly smiled at her friends and took a deep breath. She was really scared about the queen’s visit—especially the thought of being taken away from Trident City—but she was grateful for Kiki and Echo’s help. “Okay, I’ll try,” Shelly said. “But I won’t be able to get through it without you.”
Echo grinned. “All right, let’s go have tea with the queen!”
Shelly tried to think brave thoughts as they swam through MerPark on the way to her apartment, but the closer they got, the more scared she became.
Kiki must have read her mind, because she gave Shelly’s hand a little squeeze. “Don’t worry. It’s natural to be afraid when you don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have a feeling everything will be okay.”
“Did you have a vision?” Shelly asked hopefully. Kiki was one of the few mergirls who had the gift of sometimes seeing the future. Maybe Kiki knew what would happen today!
But Kiki shook her head, pushing her long black hair out of her face. “No, I didn’t have a vision. It’s just a feeling I have.”
When they arrived at Shelly’s apartment, Echo took the glittering plankton bow out of her own hair and put it in Shelly’s. “Here, why don’t you wear this?”
“You look so pretty,” Kiki said to Shelly. “Like the prettiest princess in the entire merkingdom!”
“I sure wish grandfather was well so he could be here too,” Shelly said sadly. “He’s still in quarantine. At least Nurse Bloomquest told me he was much better this morning before she left.” Nurse Bloomquest had taken the afternoon off, so she wouldn’t be there to greet the queen.
“Speaking of your grandfather, did the glue work?” Echo asked.
Shelly led her merfriends downstairs to the People Museum and stopped in front of the patched vase. “What do you think?” she asked.
The three mergirls stared at the big cracks in the vase where Shelly had pieced it back together.
“It’s not . . . too bad,” Kiki lied.
“Maybe your grandfather won’t notice,” Echo said brightly.
Shelly’s heart sank. She knew her friends were trying to be nice. The glued-together vase had looked fine last night when she was tired, but in the daylight it was easy to see the cracks. Her grandfather would surely notice right away.
Kiki put her arm around Shelly. “Don’t worry about that now.”
Echo nodded and led the mergirls back upstairs to Shelly’s apartment. “Let’s get ready for tea. We can work on the vase some more later.”
Shelly took a deep breath and helped her friends set out food. The hagfish jelly sandwiches were a little soggy, and the comb jelly tea looked more like sand than jelly. Shelly was afraid that Queen Edwina would be used to fancier food, but she didn’t tell Echo and Kiki. After all, they had been so nice to help her when she needed it.
Still, when the mergirls heard a knock at the door, Shelly gasped. Were they really ready for the queen?
Surprise!
OH MY NEPTUNE!” PEARL exclaimed. “It’s a good thing I came.”
“What are you doing here?” Echo asked as Pearl rushed into Shelly’s apartment.
Pearl looked around and shook her head. “I’m here to help, of course. Why, I’m even risking getting a horrible disease to come to your aid.”
“Help?” Shelly asked. Pearl didn’t seem like the kind of mergirl who’d ever want to get her hands dirty.
“I overheard you talking about the queen coming to your apartment, so I rushed to my shell and gathered everything you need for a royal visit,” Pearl said. She began unloading small objects from a raft floating behind her.
“Don’t worry. Echo and I have already helped Shelly get ready for the queen,” Kiki told Pearl.
“Do you have flowers?” Pearl asked.
“Um, no,” Shelly said.
“You must have flowers!” Pearl said, pushing a bouquet of sea lavender into Shelly’s arms. “Give these to the queen when she arrives. It’s a t
radition, and these are her favorite.”
“How do you know that?” Kiki asked.
Pearl rolled her eyes. “I read!”
Shelly didn’t know where in the ocean Pearl had read that, but she was grateful as Pearl put fancy seaweed napkins, a centerpiece of beach morning glories, and some delicious-looking food on the table. Oysters in moon jellyfish mucus, feathery pulse coral cookies, and honeycomb worm scones were stacked on gleaming golden plates.
“Thanks, but we already have food,” Echo said.
Pearl sniffed at the hagfish jelly sandwiches. “A little extra food couldn’t hurt. Here’s some coconut milk to have with your tea. I could have brought more if you’d told me about this yesterday.”
“This is really nice of you, Pearl,” Shelly admitted.
Pearl winked. “I know how to handle these royals. After all, I’ve read every issue of MerStyle magazine for the last two years.”
When they were finished, Shelly couldn’t believe how wonderful the apartment looked. Every corner sparkled, and the kitchen table was overflowing with fresh flowers and delicious-looking snacks.
“I was so nervous earlier,” she told the mergirls. “But thanks to you, I’m feeling better.”
Pearl nodded. “Now, here’s what you do. Never touch the queen. Make sure you call her Your Majesty. Don’t sit or eat until she does. Put your napkin in your lap. And be sure to curtsy when you first meet her.”
Shelly’s head was spinning with all of Pearl’s instructions. She was glad when Echo asked, “What does ‘curtsy’ mean?”
Pearl’s eyes grew wide. “What would you do without me?” Pearl showed them how to twist their fins and bend in a curtsy. When Echo, Shelly, and Kiki tried it, they all fell over.
“Keep practicing,” Pearl commanded. “Especially you, Shelly. After all, the queen is coming to rescue you!”
Echo frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Queen Edwina is taking Shelly to live with her at Neptune’s Castle,” Pearl explained. “She’s saving her from catching the icky penguin pox!”
Kiki shook her head. “That’s not true, Pearl!”
Pearl opened her mouth to argue just as a trumpet fish horn blared from outside.
“Oh no!” Shelly squealed. “She’s here!” Her tummy felt like it was doing tail flips!
Queen Edwina
OUTSIDE THE PEOPLE Museum, a crowd of merfolk had gathered around a sparkling shell carriage that was pulled by a large killer whale. Two tailmen wearing bright blue coats with silver sashes lowered a glittering step from the carriage onto the ocean floor.
“I think that step is made of diamonds,” Pearl whispered. All four mergirls stared in wonder as another tailman, also wearing a blue coat, but with a gold sash, said in a loud voice, “Announcing the arrival of Her Royal Majesty, Queen of the Western Oceans, Guardian of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Patron of All Basin Life.”
“That’s some name,” Echo murmured with a nervous giggle.
The tailman continued, “From the ancient lineage of Cronus, all hail the Keeper of the Western Trident, Queen Edwina the Wonderful.”
Another conch shell sounded, and a different tailman opened the carriage door. Out floated a small, round merwoman with bright red hair, wearing a crown of glittering jewels. Queen Edwina held a gleaming trident in one hand and a small golden box in another.
“Thank you, Thatcher,” the queen said. “That will be all.” Quickly the tailman retreated, and the queen floated forward. The servants stood between the crowd and the queen. The queen nodded toward the crowd.
“Long live Queen Edwina!” an old merman shouted.
Many Trident Academy teachers were in the crowd, including Mrs. Karp. Shelly was surprised to see her. The merpeople waved and cheered at their queen.
Shelly’s throat became tight with fear. She knew she should say something to her aunt, but she couldn’t seem to find her voice.
As if Pearl could read minds, she tapped Shelly’s shoulder and whispered, “Curtsy.”
All four girls managed wobbly curtsies, and Shelly thrust the bouquet of sea lavender toward the queen.
“How lovely,” Queen Edwina said. “These are my favorite.”
Pearl smiled. “Your Majesty, may I hold the box for you?”
“Thank you,” Queen Edwina said with a smile. Pearl took the golden box so the queen could accept the flowers from Shelly.
Shelly’s heart raced. She didn’t know what to say. Kiki and Echo stared at the queen with big eyes.
Luckily, Pearl knew what to do. “Ma’am, may I introduce Princess Shelly and her loyal merfriends Kiki and Echo.”
Each of the girls curtsied when Pearl called her name.
“I am your humble servant Pearl.” Pearl made a grand curtsy, and her long strand of pearls swept the ocean floor.
Echo, Kiki, and Shelly quickly looked at Pearl with surprise. “Humble” was never a word that Shelly would use to describe Pearl. And Pearl certainly would not want to be someone’s servant!
“It is lovely to meet all of you,” Queen Edwina said to them, but she was really staring at Shelly. “And, Princess Shelly, how is your grandfather? I understand he has the penguin pox.”
Shelly didn’t want to tell the queen he was still sick, so she quickly replied, “He is almost fully recovered.”
The queen smiled. “I am so glad.”
“May we offer Your Royal Highness some tea?” Pearl asked.
Now Shelly was mad at herself. She should have been the one to offer the queen tea. She should have been the one talking to the queen, not Pearl.
“That would be delightful,” Queen Edwina said. “And afterward, I’d love a private word with Princess Shelly. I have something important to discuss with her.”
Sweet seaweed! Shelly’s heart stopped. Was the queen going to ask her to leave her home in Trident City?
Something Unpleasant
WHAT A LOVELY PLANKton bow you are wearing,” Queen Edwina told Shelly. Echo, Kiki, Pearl, Shelly, and the queen were all seated around the table in Shelly’s small kitchen.
“And this tea is wonderful,” Queen Edwina added. “I haven’t had any like it since my last trip to the Eastern Oceans.”
“Echo lent me her bow, and Kiki made the tea,” Shelly told her great-aunt. Kiki and Echo smiled.
Pearl cleared her throat. Shelly said, “And the flowers and snacks came from Pearl.”
“Except for the jelly sandwiches,” Pearl said quickly.
The queen nodded. “Shelly, it appears you have very thoughtful merfriends here in Trident City. It has been such a treat to meet them, but now I require a private audience with you.”
The queen picked up the golden box that Pearl had placed on the table.
“We’ll be outside if you need anything,” Echo whispered in Shelly’s ear. Kiki, Pearl, and Echo waved good-bye as they floated out of the room.
Shelly gulped as they left. Would she ever see them again, or would the queen whisk her away to Neptune’s Castle? The very thought of leaving her friends behind gave Shelly a burst of courage.
“I really love living here,” she said. “I’m sorry that Grandfather is not feeling well enough to greet you himself, but the nurse told me that his quarantine will be over later today.”
The queen nodded. “That is good news. But now I must talk about something that might be unpleasant for you to hear.”
Shelly’s heart pounded and tears filled her eyes. The queen seemed nice enough, but Shelly didn’t want to leave her home.
“I am sorry I have not visited you since your parents’ death,” Queen Edwina began. “But I am glad you had a normal fryhood instead of being brought up as a princess. Your mother, Princess Lenore, would have wanted it that way. She was a wonderful merlady. Her sweet laugh was like sea bells tinkling with the tide.”
“You knew my mother?” Shelly asked softly. Shelly’s parents had died when she was so young that she’d never really known them.
“Of course. She was my sister’s daughter.” Queen Edwina handed Shelly the golden box. “In fact, I’ve collected some mementos of your mother in here. I thought you might like to have them.”
Shelly touched the fancy design engraved into the top of the box. A big letter L was surrounded by a crown. With her merheart pounding, she slowly opened the box and lifted out a golden necklace. Two faces had been carved into the shell pendant. Shelly gasped. One face looked much like her own!
“That’s your mother and father. Your mother was beautiful, just like you,” Queen Edwina said. “There are also some seaweed letters in the box, but you can read those in private. Your father wrote them to your mother when they were first engaged.”
“Thank you,” Shelly said, holding the necklace and box close. Her heart fluttered, knowing she actually had something that her mother had touched. She didn’t own anything else that had belonged to her parents. “I will treasure these always.”
“I was concerned that they might upset you,” Queen Edwina explained. “Some people find it painful to talk of those who are no longer with us.”
Shelly shook her head. “No, I like to hear about my parents.” In fact, she often wished her grandfather would talk about them more. Now she realized that maybe it was a hard topic for him to discuss. After all, her father had been his son.
“Now, about Neptune’s Castle . . . ,” Queen Edwina began.
Before she could stop herself, Shelly blurted, “Oh no! Please don’t make me live there. I’m sure it is very nice, but I want to stay here with Grandfather Siren and my friends.”
Queen Edwina laughed. “Well, I am sure you do. I was merely going to suggest that you might visit me during your school break. You could see your parents’ quarters in the castle and meet the rest of your royal family.”
Shelly was shocked. “So you didn’t come to take me away?” she asked.
