Daphne shrieked in panic as she fell into the cold embrace of the lake’s depths. Even though the water hadn’t looked like it had much depth from up above, when plunged under the surface, it seed like it was bottomless. Her heart raced wildly against the constricting grip of her corseted dress, the heavy fabric quickly becoming a waterlogged weight that threatened to drag her down.
Her limbs were not trained to swim even in suitable attire, and horror began to overwhelm Daphne. Her vision blurred as she tried to propel her body to the surface, but her sodden dress pulled at her limbs, causing her to sink deeper into the depths.
A sudden movent in the water caused Daphne to spin around, her heart’s thunderous beating roaring in her ears.
Was there a beast? Her eyes found nothing, but the sight of the endless sea of darkness beneath her feet did not reassure her in the slightest.
"Daphne!"
She could hear faint calls of her na from the surface. The speaker’s voice was muffled but she just knew, deep down, it was Atticus calling her na.
Just as Daphne was willing herself to use her last bit of strength to swim up to reach her husband, a sudden current in the water spun her around, throwing her even further from the surface. A string of bubbles danced around her, surrounding her and causing her hair to fly everywhere, obstructing her already-hazy sight.
A shocked gurgle left Daphne’s lips, her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. Her eyes blinked quickly in the water, the sharp sting growing more and more uncomfortable by the second.
When her eyes fully opened again, she caught sight of an animal in the water. Yet, it was nothing like any sea creature Daphne had ever seen even in books and illustrations.
Its eyes, as deep and black as the water it inhabited, glead with an unsettling intelligence. The creature’s sleek, sinuous form moved with an eerie grace beneath the water’s surface, its shadowy silhouette undulating like a malevolent dance. As it drew closer, the water around it seed to grow colder and murkier, bringing along with it a chilling aura of dread.
It had to be magical. The beasts of the world were divided into creatures from the old world and those from after magic was first discovered. This horse-like beast had to be an evolution due to magic.
Even though it looked haunting, the water-horse seed more curious than anything. It kept a safe distance from Daphne, almost as though it was observing her. She, too, felt a strange pull towards the animal.
Just as she reached a hand forward, she felt a familiar tingle wrap around her.
In a matter of seconds, she was soaring out of the water.
She landed on the boat in a heap of watery ss, her soaked dress heavily weighing her down as she gasped deeply for air. The world seed to be ringing around her; even though she could distinctly hear people speaking around her, no sentences registered in her mind.
"Princess Daphne!" Prince Nathaniel called out anxiously.
He shrugged off the most outer layer of his robe, ready to put it over Daphne’s shivering body. His and Jonah’s boat had managed to row over in the short ti that she was dipped under the water, just an arm’s reach away. But there was no need for Prince Nathaniel’s goodwill.
The purple glow of Atticus’s obsidian ring slowly faded away from Daphne’s body before it was quickly replaced by a soft orange glow. Her clothes began to heat up, maintaining their temperature at a comfortable warmth as steam began to rise. In no ti, Daphne was not only just dry but her clothes were toasty as if she had just put on fresh laundry that had been dried under the hot sumr sun.
"How are you feeling?" Atticus asked, holding her close.
Although she wasn’t as cold as before anymore, Daphne still shivered against her embrace. It wasn’t just from the chill but also from the scare.
"I’m... I’m alright," she said, stamring a little. Then, in a softer voice, she mumbled, "Thank you."
Daphne couldn’t swim very well. If Atticus hadn’t pulled her out of the water, she would’ve drowned.
Not to ntion that weird creature that was hidden in the depths of the lake. With it there, even if she could swim, it might’ve still been hard to survive.
"I’m sorry," Atticus suddenly said. He hugged her close, his heartbeat loud and clear right by Daphne’s ear. She, too, slowly wrapped her arms around him, finding solace in his embrace. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have let you fall. I’m sorry."
To say that Atticus was wracked with guilt was a massive understatent. Once again, he was too slow to save Daphne when it counted. To make matters worse, he had actively put her in danger with his little temper tantrum. How foolish and thoughtless! He could only stroke Daphne’s wet, cold cheek gently, as though reassuring himself that she was fine.
"It’s alright," Daphne said. "It’s my fault too, not just yours." She then poked her head out and over Atticus’s shoulder, addressing Prince Nathaniel and Jonah. "I’m fine. Don’t worry."
The grim expressions on both of their faces made Daphne’s heart clench. It felt a little warm knowing that there were so many people that cared enough about her to worry. Everything was so different after eting Atticus― if she was in Reaweth, Alistair would’ve just left her to drown.
She looked back at her husband. "Atticus," she said, "there was sothing in the water." Her lips were pursed together tightly.
"Are there creatures that reside in this lake?" Atticus asked, more to Prince Nathaniel than Daphne. His expression turned dark as he held Daphne even closer to himself. "You brought us here even though there are potential dangers in the water?!"
"There are no creatures in this lake other than so fish and crustaceans," Prince Nathaniel said with a small, confused frown. "This lake is only ho to harmless flora and fauna. The most dangerous creature in this lake is our snapping turtle, which only wakes up twice a day to eat. Queen Daphne, what did you see?"
"A horse made of water," Daphne replied. She stretched her arms, trying to gauge its size. It was around half her bed. "It was this big? And it was translucent, I saw it change its shape too."
All three n’s expressions darkened.
"What is it?" Daphne pressed.
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