If I Can't Have You... | Empires Smp S1

XXVI

Katherine's POV:

Dragging a ten foot Ocean Goddess into the ocean was harder than it looked.

Pix, Pearl, Shrub and I were all heaving now, pulling at her wrists, ankles, dress - anywhere that would let the Queen of the Sea move a little closer to the world down under.

Pearl was darting back and forth, pulling at her ankles before running over to her neck to gently scrape off the sand in her gills.

Shrub on the other hand, was sprinting to the ocean as fast as she could manage and pouring water on her scorching face.

So at this rate, it was really only two people dragging the unconscious axolotl heiress to the ocean.

"Shrub!" I cry, stopping her from running to fill her bucket with seawater. "Come help! Don't worry about the water!"

My muscles are aching, screaming for me to stop, and the only fuel that is keeping me going is the determination on Pix's face.

He had been at it for about 10 minutes longer than I had, and hadn't taken a single break. Yet his face, whilst full of pain, hadn't lost its determination.

It hadn't faltered.

Not once.

And so, three metres turned into two. Two into one.

Soon, we were only centimetres away from the tide.

And with one final heave, the sea laps at the Ocean Queen's webbed feet.

I collapsed onto the ground with relief.

We were considerably closer.

My eyes feel heavy, tired from the strength.

My hands, still clasping the heiress' ankles, slip away.

What?

I pulled myself upward, forcing myself to sit upright, and a beautiful sight met my eyes.

The King of Mezalea, pulling his wife's unconscious body into the ocean.

The potion worked...

Soon, Joel had rotated her 90 degrees so the tide washed over her completely.

He trudged out of the water, surreptitiously wiping the sweat off his forehead, before looking up at...

Me.

His face fell.

His expression. There was thick, thick emotion behind it.

Guilt?

Regret?

Sorrow?

His eyes turned glassy as he approached me.

I let out a strangled sob as his arms wrapped around me.

"I thought I had lost you..."

My voice trailed off as his grip tightened on me.

"I'm so sorry,"

His voice was weak and nasally, so much so that it was hard to imagine that this was the Mezalean King.

Joel was just a big softie.

One with a hard outer shell that denied what lay underneath.

I didn't dare speak.

I just let the last of my family embrace me in a way that I would never imagine.

And as his arms fell to his sides, he rubbed at his puffy eyes before reaching for my face and wiping away the last of my tears.

"Hello, sis," he said, his face lighting up with hope.

Hope for a new beginning.

"Big brother?" I ask, the words playing around my mouth, as if trying to get used to them.

He nodded.

"Well then. Welcome home, brother. Welcome home."

Hi guys! Thanks so much for all the support! We've nearly hit 1000 views and - as of now - come up as the second book when you search up Empires SMP S1!

Just to clarify, prequel will be coming out after I finish this book.

Remember to stay safe, live life and be grateful for everything you have! Love y'all!

Bye!