Lapis Lazuli: the Lost Mermaid 2 Save the Oceans

Chapter 3: Bath, Bed, and Bad Dreams

After a long day of hanging out with her friends and being constantly supervised by the royal staff, Princess Lapis was ready to turn in for the night. But, bathtime always came before bedtime.

The royal family of Iridesca had a secret lagoon not far away from the kingdom. It was above water, of course and illuminated by the lustrous moonlight.

As Lapis was lathering her top-naked body with vanilla and lavender scented bubbles, she felt nervous about being seen by someone she didn't want to see her like this. Luckily, her mother always kept watch and because it was night, it wouldn't be likely for other mermaids to come here. Once she used her water magic to rinse her recently-washed, she started to polish the scales of her tail. From behind, Queen Hope started to brush her daughter's rinsed hair with a seashell comb. The gentle way that her mother ran the comb through the princess's hair was almost hypnotic to Lapis.

"You are just so beautiful, Lapis." her mom complimented.

The young princess only yawned in response for she had become sleepy from the hairbrush strokes.

Once Lapis got into her sleep wrap (which were basically her mermaid pajamas), mother and daughter swam back to the castle. Once they were back, the princess settled down into her clam shell styled bed. Queen Hope drew a blanket over her beloved daughter and she snuggled into her bed's comforting warmth. Then, the queen opened the princess's birth locket which was sitting on the nightstand. Being back with her mother, Lapis got to hear her sing the lyrics that went along with the tinkling melody:

Rest now, my princess.
You are in a safe place.
Cradled in my arms
In it's protective embrace.

The sea will protect you
And guide you off to sleep.
Hear the whale's melody
As she sings oh so deep.

May the moon be your nightlight
And the waves fill you with peace.
And all the marine creatures
Help your demons to apease.

Wherever you go
And wherever the tide carries you,
Know that love of those who care
Ring inside your heart true.

As Queen Hope sang in her ethereal voice, she ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. Lapis struggled to stay awake as she listened to her mom sing to her. Her eyelids were only growing heavier by the second and soon, she lost the battle and slipped into the peaceful darkness of slumber.

"Goodnight, my precious child." the mermaid queen whispered as she planted a kiss on the top of her head before heading out of the room.

The princess was softly snoring and smiled in her sleep, blissfully unaware that she was starting to dream.

Lapis was still fast asleep, but she heard a shuffling sound in her bedroom that startled her awake. Clutching her blanket with both hands, her eyes darted around the room; but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

All of a sudden, she saw a shadowy silhouette dart from a corner of the room to the side of her bed. Lapis started quivering, completely unsure about what to do. Just then, she inhaled some strange smell and started to feel sleepy again. She fell back into her pillows and her eyes drooped closed once more. But just as she did, someone used magic to bring the top half of the clam bed down until the whole bed closed up; trapping the little mermaid inside.

And then, the whole bed was being picked up and carried out of the bedroom. Of course, Lapis was too deep in sleep to notice the disturbance.

When the moving finally stopped, the clam shell was opened and revealed the sleeping princess to a group that hovered over her. And then, the blue girl felt something tickle her nose mercilessly, causing her to sneeze; which woke her right up. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Lapis found that she was surrounded by a group of  mermaid silhouettes with sinister eyes. And if that wasn't scary enough, she also saw someone she believed she'd never see again; Jasper the sea witch. The poor princess screamed in sheer terror and cowered under the blankets, hoping that this was just a dream. But then, Jasper came and pulled the girl out of her bed.

"Thought you had seen the last of me, did you; my love?" he purred. He seductively caressed Lapis' check and she fearfully shivered from the sea witch's touch.

"Who are these mermaids?" the mermaid princess asked, directing her attention to Jasper's new harem.

"My new friends, the Black Scale Clan and I have got big plans to take over the world's oceans." the masculine sea witch stated as the vague mermaids to crowd Lapis. "And as for you, I'm making sure to never let you go. Because where you're going; you will never see your loved ones or the light of day again!"

Suddenly, Lapis was grabbed by her captors and then, she felt like she was falling down a gaping, possibly bottomless hole; her screams of terror echoed as she plummeted out of existence.

Back in the waking world, the princess was tossing and turning in her sleep, panting. It wasn't until she heard a loud thud that she finally awoke. She quickly sat up and felt her head bump against something. Lapis had no idea what she bumped her head on and with no light for her eyes to adjust to, it was pitch black. She put her hand up to feel what was above her head and realized that the top shell of her clam bed had closed over her.

Instantly, Lapis thought she was really being kidnapped; so she started to scream, cry, and burst into tears, "Help me! Let me out! I'm being kidnapped! Somebody save me!"

Unknown to her, the blue girl's  bed was being opened; but she was too busy crying to see who it was there. It turned out that her mother and aunt had heard their child screaming rushed to see if she was okay.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, Lapis." Queen Hope hushed, trying calm her daughter down as she and Princess Pink Diamond accompanied Lapis.

"He's back!" the younger princess cried hysterically. "He's back! Jasper's back! He's with the Black Scale Clan! He's coming to get me!"

"Lapis, Jasper is not coming to get you." Pink Diamond said to her niece. "You just had a nightmare. You must have made the top shell close on top of you by mistake."

The blue girl was still crying a little bit so her mom cradled her daughter and let the sound of her beating heart soothe her sobbing child. Meanwhile, the older princess hugged Lapis from the opposite side and caressed her shoulders. This calming consolation helped to guide the younger princess back to sleep. Once she looked comfortable and peaceful enough, Queen Hope and Princess Pink Diamond swam out of the bedroom with concerned looks on their faces.

"Why would Lapis dream about the Black Scale Clan?" whispered Princess Pink Diamond. "Is it possible that they may return?"

"It seems possible." Queen Hope murmured, solemnly. "And if they have teamed up with Jasper, there's no telling what diabolical plot they could elaborate together. We must be ready for what's to come. Because the more time that passes, the more that everybody, including our child will be in danger."

The two royal sisters feared for the young blue princess who was still sound asleep. They foresaw that the poor girl would soon be in for more than a rude awakening in the morning.