Spring Swimming Lesson

(Out near the seperated water pools of Andros)

Willow: -Okay kids! Listen up, you both ready for the next lesson?

Iris: OH OH! I am I am!! *happily bopping up in the water*

Xander: U-Um...c-can I have another break? I feel nauseous.... ._.

Willow: *sighs* Xander, you just had a break. That's the fifth time today

Iris: Don't worry Xander! Willow won't make the next one hard! .....right?

Willow: Of course not, Iris. This will simply be a test to see how long you can both hold your breath underwater. Allow me to demonstrate.... *takes a deep breath, then dunks her head under the water*

Iris & Xander: *both curiously watch, getting worried as the next few minutes pass*

Willow: .........AH! *bops her head out of the water* There, see? With enough training you too can hold your breath for more than 5 minutes!

Iris: Oooooh~ *looks in amazement*

Xander: Ahhhh... *looks in worry*

Willow: Considering your young ages, I'll only let you hold your breath for a couple seconds. Shouldn't be so hard

???: HA! You call THAT, a lesson~?  

(Everyone turns around in surprise, seeing a beautiful young mermaid before them)

Iris: *gasps* Oh my gosh...Cousin Naida! *excitedly swims over to her*

Willow: ....*groans* are you serious? -_-

Xander: N-Naida? o.o

Iris: Don't you remember Xander? Naida's my cousin! She's a mermaid, and she's the best swimmer I've ever known~! *gives her a hug*

Naida: *chuckles* Hehe...well, technically I'm only HALF mermaid....but you're definitely on the mark with that swimmer compliment

Willow: -Can you please move along? I'm kind of in the middle of teaching a swimming lesson for these two-

Naida: -Where's the hurry? I only want to see how my most favorite cousin is handling the waters of her home realm *pats Iris on the head* Now, why don't you give me a demonstration, sweetie?

Iris: Hehe, okay! ^w^ *starts wading around with the tube ring* .....There! How was that?

Naida: ....err, that was...passable, I suppose *warily raises a brow* ...can you try NOT using that little floaty ring? *gestures to the tube she's wearing*

Iris: o_o ....u-um, but Willow hasn't taught us how to swim without it though

Naida: There's a first time for everything, kid *gives a smile* How about just "one" little try, pretty please~? :3

Willow: Come now, Iris doesn't have to listen to you. She knows better than to- *notices the tube ring tossed over her head* -IRIS!

Iris: W-Whoa! *tries to balance herself above the waves, but the current's so deep that she panics and clings over to the stone railing* -H-Help! W-Willow! ;_;

Xander: Iris! *frantically wades over to his friend as Willow puts the tube ring back over her*

Willow: Shhh shh it's okay Iris, I'm here for ya *gently pats her head*

Iris: *sniffles* I-I'm sorry, Willow...I-I must not be a good swimmer, am I?

Willow: Oh Iris, don't say that! You're just...um, too young to handle the waves on your own...*wraps an arm around her to calm her down* ...Look, why don't you go play in the smaller pools with Xander? We can save the lessons for some other time

Iris: Hmm? *slowly starts calming down* ....o-okay...again, I'm so sorry

Willow: It's alright, now go on...*gently gestures her over to the kiddie pool alongside Xander* 

Naida: *secretly laughing to herself* 

Willow: -Okay WHAT in Andros' name is wrong with you?? Your cousin almost DROWNED back there! *glares at her*

Naida: Heh, you seriously think I'd be THAT stupid? Listen, I KNOW my waves...*splashes her tail-fin into the water to demonstrate* ...I was simply just making sure our Andros family bloodline was still active in Iris, as she's the crown heir to the island kingdom. And from what I've seen *looks over at the kids in the kiddie pool* ...it looks like it'll take time before her mer abilities show up.

Willow: Well it was still VERY irresponsible of you! You should be ashamed an- ....wait, did you say "mer" abilities?

Naida: *looks at her funny* -Didn't you know? Every crown ruler of the island kingdom has been linked to the Mers from the sea for centuries. The firstborn crown heirs are usually the ones to get the passed down mer abilties, like to have their human legs morphed into a tail when entering the water, to breath underwater, and to communicate with the ocean life below. Sometimes it can skip a generation, like with Queen Layla before she earned her Sirenix, but from what I've heard it should've already passed to Iris by now.

Willow: ...then what does it matter if she has them or not? She's going to be ruling mostly above the land...

Naida: Keyword "mostly" *makes air quotations*... The crown rulers still have to swim down to the sea kingdom in case of war and other royal matters. If they do not possess the mer abilities necessary, then it's a cause for alarm. Honestly, I'm only looking out for my cousin It's hardly my intent to frighten her with these matters, I just want her to be ready for when the time's right...*glances back at Iris, her expression turning softer* 

Willow: Hmpf, well maybe you can try to do that WITHOUT being such a sneak about it -_- She's still a child and has feelings, you know...

Naida: ....*groans* Oh alriiiight, I'll try to make it up to her by sundown. Who knew a princess from Linphea can be such a nag? *huffs, turning to leave before stopping* ...wait, aren't you born of Andros blood?

Willow: ...erm, well my father is. But he was not born a royal...he married into royalty

Naida: I see then....heh, that could explain why you must be keen to train my cousin then. *looks up at the sky* Well, I better be off, tell Iris I said goodbye.. *dips down below*

Willow: H-Hey, wait! *tries to stop her* Can't you tell her yourself-?! 

Iris: -Tell me about what? *shows up behind Willow, along with Xander*

Willow: OH! ....U-Um well, I'm afraid your cousin Naida had to leave at the moment

Xander: Whoa, already? o.o What was her rush?

Iris: *looks down a little* ...i-it couldn't be because of my swimming skills, r-right?

Willow: *gives a frustrated sigh* Iris, come on now we've went over this...it's NOT your fault and you know it *puts hands on her shoulders* Now like I said, we're done with lessons for the day so why don't we go do something more fun? *helps the kids out of the swimming area and onto the shoreline*

Iris: ...l-like what? 

Willow: Like....um...*tries to think of an idea, then spots something shiny in the distance* -OH! You kids hear about those pirate stories of buried treasure?

Xander: -Oh yeah! Daddy showed me a movie about it! ^^

Willow: Right, well why don't we play a game where you guys are the treasure hunters and...*covers up one of her eyes with her hair* -I'll be the pirate out to claim the treasure from you. Argh!

Iris & Xander: Eep! *bolts into action, then starts laughing as Willow chases them around on the beach*

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

Time for more Iris build-up and the introduction of a new Winx Club Next Gen character, Princess Naida (pronounced as "Nye-ee-duh"), the daughter of King Nereus of the Andros Seas and Queen Nebula of Tir Nan Og. Don't ask why I chose those two, I just thought they'd be a fitting match somehow

Naida is an only child (being about 13 or so in the pic above), and has primarily been raised under the seas with her father. Though she's technically only "half" mermaid (and can change to a more Fairy-like form when on land), she's very proud of her sea lineage and determined to be the best queen of the sea when she grows up. Her pride results in a snooty, traditionalist and somewhat conniving attitude, though deep down she really isn't that "pure evil"...just rather careless. Iris really looked up to Naida as a child despite the sometimes dangerous obstacles Naida would put her through to prove she is of Andros Mer lineage. 

Around this same time, this was also when Willow was much closer to her Andros roots as her father Roy would often send her there for spring break and other school vacations. With Roy having his links to the royal family, it allowed Willow to bond with Iris and her other young friends..so much that she offered to teach her some swimming lessons just for fun. When Naida interrupted her lesson however, they decided to call it quits and proceed with just playing on the beach. Though in current times Willow isn't as close to Iris or Xander as she used to be, the young teens still look up to the Witch like a big sister figure. As for Naida.....well, that's a story for another time...

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

Iris (Daughter of Nabu & Layla), Xander (Son of Nex & Roxy), Willow (Daughter of Roy & Layla) and Naida (Daughter of Nereus & Nebula) all belong to Me