The young mermaid swam slowly but cautiously back into the hidden city, with a distraught look. "No one can know about what's happened," she thought to herself and eyed the world above her. She swam straight to her home and tried to act like nothing happened as her mother swam home a mere few minutes later. The mermaid hugged her mother tightly and smiled at her warmly as her mother kissed her head. "Hello my dear. Did you have any fun today," she asked kindly and sat next to her on the sandy bottom of the grotto.
The guppy smiled and nodded before she quickly looked down and away from her mom, not aware her mother could tell something was off. "Did you get hurt? You're upset dear, I can tell," her mother spoke gently and stroked her guppy's cheek. "Yes mamma, I promise," she replied quickly and stroked her mother's hand. The elder mermaid frowned for a brief moment but nodded before she gripped her daughter's hand and began to swim her up off the sandy floor. The guppy tilted her head as her mother began to tell her to follow her with her hands.
"Mamma? Where are we," the guppy began to ask but her mother put a finger on her lips to shush her. The young child did as her mother requested and simply followed her, holding her other hand tightly. At first she expected that they were going inside the city, perhaps to the market but instead they headed in the opposite direction. The two mermaid's slowly swam to the open sea, something the young guppy had never seen before. Usually her mother was very much like everyone else in the city, never leaving unless they had too. The duo continued swimming for nearly half an hour before the mother stopped and looked at her daughter, giving a warm smile.
The guppy tilted her head at her mother but remained silent, wondering if she was in trouble. Her mother kept silent but then began to swim up to the surface, making the guppy raise her eyebrows. "I-I thought I wasn't allowed to go to the surface," she asked quickly just before they hit the air. "Ordinarily yes, you're correct but, this is different," she said softly and surfaced with her daughter, both their heads hitting the air. The air was cooler than it was earlier that day, making the guppy shiver as she eyed her mother curiously.
"When I was younger, just a little older than you in fact, I used to sneak out and watch the stars here. This area is too rocky for boats to come close, and it's nowhere near land. In other words the perfect place for young mermaid's to see the surface," she said gently and sat on a rock studying her daughter as she was biting her lip. "Darling please don't keep secrets from me. I promise no one will know unless you want others to know."
The guppy hesitated but nodded as she sat on a smaller rock across from her. "I'm sorry. But...I did break your rule, I...I went to the surface," the guppy confessed and looked down. Her mother nodded and lifted her chin, stroking it to soothe her. "Darling were you hurt? Did any...did any humans see you," she asked with concern as her little guppy had tears roll down her eyes. "N-no I wasn't hurt but...I..I saved a boy...a human boy. He fell off one of those..those ships? But it was above the water," the little mermaid explained and sniffed, snot rolling down her nose.
Her mother nodded and hugged her, cradling her as the sea splashed them. "There, there," she soothed and stroked the back of her head. "It was just a little boy? No one else saw you?" The guppy shook her head slowly and her mother sighed, but smiled. "It's okay. He'll probably forget all about you my dear, you're not in any trouble. After all you saved a life! How can I be mad at you for that?"
Her mother looked into her eyes and smiled warmly before bopping her nose playfully. "I'm very proud that I raised a proper little mermaid. But promise if you visit the surface, don't use your other form until you're old enough okay? Not only will it take time for you to master, humans would think you're one of them! And I don't want my baby girl to be taken away by humans," she teased and smiled.
The guppy giggled a little and hugged her mother, nodding and smiling gently. "I promise mamma," she said softly then bit her lips. "Mamma?" Her mother raised her eyebrow but held her loving smile, "Yes my pearl?" The little mermaid cleared her throat before asking softly, "When daddy was alive. How did you know you loved him?" Her mother looked surprised, coughing a little, she wasn't expecting that question at this age.
"Well darling...Hm. When I met your father I was a little older than you, not yet a grown mermaid but not a guppy. But when I laid my eyes on him....it was like...I just knew. My heart beat was faster, everything just felt amazing. I wanted to be with him, just the thought of not being near him made me sad. And of course, he felt the same way about me...But sometimes dear, if the person you love like that doesn't feel that way or... can't be with you. Your heart will mend itself, you may find someone else," she explained gently, seeing her daughter look at where the closest piece of land was.
The guppy frowned and nodded, biting her lip and fiddling with her necklace. Her mother grabbed her hands and met her eyes, smiling again. "But do what your heart tells you," she said gently before hugging her tightly. The mother and daughter hugged on as the moon began to rise, the guppy yawning gently. "Come let's go eat then off to bed with you," her mother instructed gently while holding her in her arms like she used to do when she was a baby. The guppy nodded sleepily before closing her eyes, unaware her mother was smiling the whole time she swam them home.