Chapter 11: Princess Mia...Is Pulled Along

“That...must be the first time I’ve seen such a sincere smile from Esmeralda...” Mia whispered to herself after Esmeralda disappeared into the water.

It had been an authentic smile, unmarred by caution or ill will. But for some reason, it made Mia uneasy. She didn’t know why, but she was uncomfortably reminded of that day long ago when Esmeralda had promised to host another tea party... When they’d parted that last time, hadn’t she worn the same smile then?

“She seemed strangely dependable that day... Just like she did a moment ago... The similarity is...a little worrying.”

Five minutes passed.

“I wonder if she’s okay...” murmured an anxious Mia.

Anne smiled at her.

“She’ll be fine, milady. It’s only been five minutes. We should believe in Lady Esmeralda.”

“Y-Yes, I suppose you’re right...”

Ten minutes passed.

“...Is she really okay? Oh, I hope she didn’t do something reckless and hurt herself.”

“Don’t worry, Mia. Esmeralda can swim circles around us all. She can handle herself,” Abel said in a buoyant tone clearly meant to reassure.

The slow, solemn nod he received in response, however, suggested efficacy had been limited. From that point on, Mia grew less and less communicative. By the half-hour mark, she looked like she was on the verge of tears, haunted eyes fixed on the water’s still surface. The longer she waited, the more time it gave her to envision the countless ways in which things could have gone wrong. What did it mean for someone to go out to take a look in a place like this...and not come back? The answer was simple. Her anxious mind filled itself with morbid imaginations, made all the worse by their juxtaposition against the memory of that gentle smile Esmeralda had worn before vanishing...

Mia reflected on her relationship with Esmeralda. It was true that she didn’t think of the girl as her best friend. At best, she fell into the “we’re friends, I guess” category. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the two of them had some honest history. They’d spent a good deal of time together, what with her hosting Mia’s tea party debut and her yearly birthday party invitations. She’d made sure to attend Mia’s own birthday parties as well, they’d always celebrated these occasions in each other’s presence. Every so often, they’d even had matching dresses made, laughing as they shared both attire and amusement, though such moments had become a rarity with Mia’s increasingly busy schedule. At the end of the day, while she didn’t consider Esmeralda to be her one-and-only soul mate...they were, in fact, good friends. Good enough for the pain of losing her to draw tears.

“Ooooh, Esmeralda, you...” Mia said between sniffles, “Y-You said you’d be right back...so where are you? Ooooh, I hate you. You’re a terrible person... I-I can’t believe you’d...break your promise to me again...”

By the time an hour had passed, Mia had dissolved into a weeping mess. Tears flowed freely down her face, their trails barely dried before new streams took their place. She heaved with sobs as Anne held her in a hug, gently patting her back. Just as Anne’s own floodgates were about to give way, a large splash sounded behind them, followed by a loud gasp of air. They all whirled around to find Esmeralda, who’d popped out of the water.

“My, I do apologize for the extended wait, but I’m back now,” she said with truly comedic obliviousness to the mood in the cavern.

The aquatic exercise seemed to have improved her condition, and she practically glowed, both in skin tone and enthusiasm.

“It’s maybe five minutes or so to reach the outside from here. There’s a spot where we’ll have to dive for a bit, but don’t worry. It’s short enough that even Miss Mia should be able to manage.”

She stepped out of the water and approached them, the glistening drops trickling down her face equal in appearance but opposite in nature to the ones on Mia’s. When no one ventured a response, she tilted her head.

“What?” She glanced around. “Is something the matter? What’s with this weird mood?”

“...You really took your time, didn’t you?” muttered Mia as she shuffled over, head lowered to hide her expression.

“Oh. Yes, well...” Esmeralda held out the pendant at her chest. “I was gathering some sunlight in my moonlamp rock. The path is a little too difficult without some light. Also, the water was rather chilly, so I decided to warm myself up on this rock that was in the perfect position for a quick sunbath— Hm? What’s wrong, Miss Mia— Eeek?!”

Mia all but pounced on Esmeralda, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing as if for dear life.

“I was worried, you know? So, so worried! I thought I’d never see you again...”

“M-Miss Mia?” At first, Esmeralda froze in surprise, but her posture quickly softened. “It’s all right, Miss Mia. I won’t ever let my best friend down. And that’s a promise I won’t break. Never again...”

She returned the embrace with a tender smile.

After everyone calmed down, Esmeralda proceeded to detail her findings.

“As I was saying, it’s not that far, and it’s a straight path out, so you can’t get lost. There’s a place or two where we’ll need to be underwater for a while...but if Miss Mia can make it through, I think we’ll be fine.”

Anne frowned. Being a commoner, she had even less experience swimming than Mia did.

“Hm, in that case, Anne can come with me. We’ll go together,” said Esmeralda casually.

Mia was next to frown.

“You...are Esmeralda, right? Are you okay? Did you hit your head somewhere?”

“Well excuse you, Miss Mia! I just thought that I can perhaps afford to be a little nicer to my best friend’s beloved maid, that’s all,” she protested before her confidence withered slightly and she averted her gaze. “And, well...she’s been...quite helpful... I mean, part of being of noble blood is to repay any favors done for you, yes?”

Ah, Esmeralda, that personality of yours... Always such a handful. Sometimes, I honestly have trouble believing we’re related, thought Mia before nodding to herself.

“All right, we’ll do what you say, Esmeralda. Look after Anne for me, okay?”

They arranged themselves into a line and prepared to head off. At the front was Esmeralda, followed closely by Anne. Behind them were Abel, then Mia. Normally, Abel would be bringing up the rear as their anchorman, but there was a reason he had to stay in front of Mia.

“It’s starting to get deep here. I think your feet won’t touch the bottom anymore.”

“Understood!”

With military efficiency, she nodded affirmation, spun around, and fell onto her back. Like Esmeralda she’d been wearing her swimsuit under her clothes. Without the hindrance of wet clothes, Mia could actually manage an impressively competent back float. Abel, treading water in front of her, grabbed her collar.

That’s right, the reason Abel stayed in front was because he had to swim while pulling Mia along with him!

Their unequal distribution of labor notwithstanding, they made steady progress following the guiding glow of Esmeralda’s pendant. The path, like she’d said, was sufficiently traversable for the whole group. After passing through a few sections where they had to hold their breath and dive, light appeared in the distance.

“We’re almost there, everyone! Keep it up!” shouted Esmeralda from the front of their line.

Her encouragement proved uplifting for Mia, who redoubled her efforts...by flapping her arms and legs around a little more vigorously.

“Ah—”

She shielded her face as light suddenly flooded her vision. Moments later, a salty wind blew past her cheeks. The undulating rumble of the tide began echoing in her ears. Gradually, her eyes adjusted to the dazzling brightness, and a clear blue sky appeared.

“Aaah... We did it... We really did it. We got out safely.”

Relief threatened to sap her of all strength. Or maybe it actually did. It’s hard to tell when one is floating like a limp dishrag. Slowly, she gazed at each of her friends. A little ways in the distance were Esmeralda and Anne. Hovering next to her was Abel.

I can’t believe it. We all got out alive. It’s like a dream...

That realization was moving enough, but fate wasn’t done with its dreamlike developments.

“Ah! Look! It’s the Emerald Star!”

Esmeralda screamed in delight as she pointed vigorously toward the familiar figure of their vessel.

“We’re...saved? Does this mean we’re saved?”

Mia grinned as she silently answered her own question. A short-lived grin, for it wouldn’t be long before she was forcibly recalled to a certain passage in the Princess Mia Chronicles...which detailed the events that had befallen her during her adventures on and surrounding this uninhabited island...

An enormous shadow appeared just below the calm surface of the sea. It approached the hapless group of swimmers from behind, quickly, silently, and completely unnoticed...