Everything To Me - Orm Marius/Ocean Master

Chapter Two - Challenged

She had no friends in Atlantis. Not anymore. And maybe she never had.  That's why she told no one that she was returning. That, and she wanted the element of surprise.

The deeper she swam, the more uneasy she felt, which was shitty, because usually swimming brought her such joy. Atlantis was killing all her joy. She was beginning to feel ashamed of her Atlantan roots, but then reminded herself that they came from her mother, perhaps the one good thing to come out of the underwater kingdom. However, Atlanna had been murdered by her home and people. But that was why Aurelia was here now, to avenge that one sliver of light in the darkness that was Atlantis.

The uneasy feeling continued, stretching onward.

She stopped to take a break at a cluster of sunken ships, acting as cover. The feeling was still there, lingering. The feeling that she was being followed...

"AH!" She was shot back by a blast - unmistakably water-technology - and recovered just in time to see that she was now surrounded by heavily-armed guards, Orm's personal crew.

The guards said nothing, but advanced.

"I don't suppose you want to talk about this, huh?" One guard drew a sword. She drew the trident. "Good, cause neither do I."

This was certainly not the first fight in which she had been outnumbered, but it was the first fight in which she had been outnumbered by super-powered beings.

She put up a good fight at first - Atlanna's trident was quickly knocked from her hands, and she had to result to hand-to-hand combat, which was no problem - but the guards had an upper hand with their armour and tech-powered weapons.

It was a blast that knocked her down, sending her crashing into the mast of the ship, and plunging down to the seafloor.

Everything was fuzzy, then went dark.

----------------------------------

When she awoke, she was back in the strikingly bright Great Hall - too bright. She was chained, two on her wrist and one around her neck, held down by armed guards. Some light  bondage, nice. Her mother's trident was placed on the ground in front of her, tauntingly close yet just out of reach.

She pulled, managing to move the guards and chains some, but not enough to get very far.

"Careful. Don't strain yourself." A deep, strong voice echoed through the hall. She looked up and met beautiful blue eyes, still so bright despite being so far away-

Ah hem. Orm sat lounging in the throne - looked like his father had given him the reins on this one. Still, she noticed Orvax lurking in the back, leering. Just seeing him made her blood boil. Murderer!

Orm was not alone at the front of the room. The advisers, Vulko and Aria - traitors - sat to his left, and Mera sat to his right. Aurelia could tell Vulko and Aria were pleading to her with their eyes, but she ignored them.

Orm was dressed from head to toe in gold armour. Golden boy.

"Welcome back to Atlantis - Aurelia. I can't believe you're back."

"Oh don't act so surprised. You wanted me to come."

"I did, but you did not heed my terms."

"I came alone."

"But not unarmed."

"Do you really think I'd set foot in this place without a weapon? This welcome party is only proving my point further."

"Your Majesty, if I may," interjected Vulko.

"Silence." Orm held up an armoured hand. "This is between myself and Aurelia." He turned back to her, smiling. "I wish it didn't have to come to this, Aurelia, I truly do. But I'm afraid you left me no choice."