[CONTENTID1]♒ Destruction in the Grotto ♒[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

“What is this place?” Joon asked wondrously.

Ulla raised an eyebrow at him, not bothering to stop as she swam past one down ship after another. “It’s where all ships go when the sea decides to take it. We simply call it the ship the yard.”

Joon rolled his eyes at the female’s sarcastic tone. “Okay, dumb question, but what are we doing here?” he asked.

Following a path all too familiar to her, Ulla answered, “Last time I was here I left something behind. It may be our only chance against my mother. I’ve never really embraced the magic I inherited from my mother so there’s no way I stand a chance of stopping her, but I can find a way to hold her off until my father can come.”

“Is that…the best plan we have?” Joon questioned unsure. Ulla shrugged, “It’s all we got.” Joon said no more, only continued to follow the girl he was putting all his faith in. this was her world, not his after all.

It wasn’t long before they arrived into the little cove hidden within the farthest ship.

Perched within a pile of water logged boards, was a thick book and not too far away was a turned over cauldron.

“This is where I made the potion that turned me human,” Ulla admitted, turning through the book.

This caught Joon by surprise. “Really? How?” he asked.

Ulla shrugged, “Magic. My mother’s a sea witch, so like I said, it runs in my blood.”

“Awesome,” Joon breathed after a moment of sudden fear. They were going up against a sea witch? He wasn’t really sure what that was, but it sound terrifying. Then again, he was floating next to said witch’s offspring. That offered a spot of hope he thought.

Moving to look over Ulla’s shoulder, Joon asked, “So what are you looking for.” 

The blonde flipped through a few more pages. “Something defensive. Like I said, I can’t fight her so we have to try and protect ourselves.” After a couple more pages, Ulla stopped with a gasp.

“What? What is it?” Joon asked feeling her excitement.

“Exactly what I was looking for!” Ulla grinned looking over her shoulder. Her smile fell quickly when she noticed how close Joon was. Swallowing, she looked back to the book and swiftly swam to the other side of the small room.

Looking over the spell again, Ulla’s smile returned. “This is perfect,” she revealed, “all we need for this is the blood of a witch, me, the hair of warrior, you, and an object to place the spell on.”

Shaking his head in confusion, Joon approached the girl who was turning the cauldron right side up. “Warrior? How am I a warrior?”

Ulla glanced at him. “Did you join the army of your country and start a coup d’état?” 

Joon blinked. “Well…yeah, but I failed and ran away from my homeland. And even now I’m sort of running away into the sea as well.”

The girl before him smiled softly, swimming to him and grabbing his hands. Gently pulling him toward the cauldron, Ulla shook her head. “Your coup may have failed, but you tried your best. You fought for what you believed in, and even now, you aren’t running away, but towards something else you believe in. This isn’t your fight, but you’re moving head on into battle with me.”  She gently touched his chest, “that shows that you have the heart of a warrior.”

Trying to hide his flattered grin, Joon pulled a few strands of his swishing locks and gave them to her. “You’re the witch,” he murmured.

Ulla grinned knowingly, gladly accepting the ingredients. She then went on to follow the spell step by step while Joon watched on in curiosity. When the cauldron began to bubble gently with a pink glow Joon asked, “Is it ready.” “Almost,” Ulla replied leaning over the stew. She gently took off her pearl earrings and matching bracelet.

“What are those for?” Joon asked. “This is a protection spell,” Ulla explained, “and the spell needs to be coated on an object that will then protect the wearer.” “I see,” the male said, watching her drop the objects into the cauldron.

The stew bubbled even more then poofed into a flowery smelling smoke. Grabbing a nearby stick, she scooped the objects back out. The pearls turned pink