Aurelia

### Relatives

Triton (Father) Aristina, Affrea, Azusa, Aluska, Adamantia, Anita (Older Sisters)

### Episode Debut

Episode 1 (Cameo)Episode 14

**Aurelia**, also known as *The Little Mermaid*, is the fourth princess Robin encounters in her journey. She has fallen in love with a man from the human world.

## Appearance

Aurelia is a young mermaid with lavender skin that darkens below her waist down to her fish tail, where fins that reach from light purple to peach color are attached to the tip. Matching purple and peach fins are attached to her hips. She has long flowing indigo hair that is peach and fuschia on the inside, which she wears loose with two small buns on the top of her head with pearls and pink stars in her hair. Two pink starfish cover her breasts, and she wears a set of pearl jewelry, consisting of a necklace and a bracelet on each wrists. She has violet eyes, dark purple lips, and light purple fins in the place of ears.

In her human form, which is only seen in images describing the original story, her skin color changes to brown and her hair changes to dark blue. She wears a purple dress with spaghetti straps and a white sash along her waistline, tied into a bow at the back.

## Personality

Aurelia is a wide-eyed, lovestruck teenager. Robin describes her crush on Prince Damir as being "very fifteen". She is curious about the human world, and is willing to do anything it takes to be with Damir, even have her tongue cut out and feel like she walks on knives. She is shown to be stubborn and impatient, as she ignores Robin's warnings to take it slow and hold out a little longer in favor of accepting the Sea Witch's deal. However, she comes around when she hears Robin state that she is too kind and optimistic to not have a soul. Aurelia has an optimistic view on the world, not seeing the bad in anyone, but also becoming a little more pragmatic near the end. Even when she sees the bad the humans do, she accepts the good she sees them do as well. In the end, Aurelia, still bright and faithful as ever, plans to use what she has learned about the human world to help her own people.

## Synopsis

### Before Forever After

Aurelia traveled to the surface on her fifteenth birthday as was the tradition for the Sea Princesses. She then saw Prince Damir celebrating his birthday on a ship and instantly fell in love with him. A storm broke out, and Damir fell overboard. Aurelia rescued him from drowning and brought him to a shore then left him there. Wanting to be with the prince, and also wanting to win an immortal soul, as mermaids don't have one and can only get one by marrying a human, Aurelia went to the Sea Witch and asked to trade her tail for legs. The Sea Witch told her that walking on her new legs would cause her to feel like she was treading on knives. She then told Aurelia the terms; if Aurelia succeeded and married the prince, she would be a true human and gain an immortal soul. But if the prince married another, she would never have a soul and instead die at the first sunrise after his wedding. Aurelia agreed anyway, and let the Sea Witch cut out her tongue as payment and took the potion. Aurelia swam to the shore and drank the potion, turning into a human, where she was found by Prince Damir the next morning. Damir took her in and treated her as his mute pet. Soon after, he found a lovely princess from a neighboring kingdom and married her instead of Aurelia. During his wedding night as he slept, Aurelia's sisters found her and gave her a magic knife from the Sea Witch that they had traded their hair for, and told her that if she kills the prince before sunrise, she will live and regain her tail. But Aurelia could not bring herself to harm the prince, and sacrificed herself instead, letting herself die and turn to sea foam. This selfless act of love and kindness earned her a soul.

### Forever After

Robin and Tank enter the story and meet the Little Sea Maid, Aurelia, on her fifteenth birthday. She is admiring a statue of Prince Damir and begs her father to let her travel to the surface as per tradition, but he refuses, as he fears she will become more obsessed with the human world. Aurelia tells Robin and Tank of her desire to go up to the surface and see Prince Damir. She tells them that she wants an immortal soul and a place in the kingdom of Heaven, and is willing to make a deal with the Sea Witch to trade her tail for legs so she can meet Prince Damir and he can "impart a piece of his soul into her body." She speaks to her oldest sister Aristina about the consequences of the Sea Witch's deal, speaking much too casually about having her tongue cut out and feeling like walking on knives. Eventually, Robin convinces Aristina to let her and Tank sneak Aurelia to the surface.

Once at the surface, Aurelia marvels at the world above the waves and the fact that there's no water in the air. She spots Prince Damir's ship and swims up to see the partying sailors. She sees Prince Damir on the deck and admires him and how everyone seems to love him. Damir looks below the railing and sees Aurelia, before she dives back underwater out of nervousness, fearing her father's anger if he found out she let a human see her. A storm breaks out, and Robins explains things to Aurelia. Aurelia thinks that Prince Damir can come home with her underwater if his ship breaks, but Robin and Tank explain to her that humans cannot breathe underwater and if he stays down too long, he will die. Horrified, Aurelia rescues Damir from a piece of floating driftwood and swims away with him to a nearby shore instead of taking him to the lifeboat as per Robin's plan. Aurelia sings sweetly to Damir to wake him, and Robin and Tank drag her away before he wakes up.

Aurelia returns home and sings to the statue, more lovesick and desperate than before. Robin suggests taking her to see Damir to get her infatuation out of her system. They go to his kingdom and overhear subjects talking about how wonderful Damir is, missing the parts about his arranged bride. They swim and see him walking around just outside his castle with a sad expression. Aurelia sneaks peeks at him, catching his attention. Robin suggests singing again to show him she's not an animal, as long as it doesn't enchant him. An annoyed Aurelia points out that she's not a siren. Aurelia sings again, catching Damir's attention, but dives underwater when he gets too close.

Aurelia follows him to the beach, where he sees her again and asks if she is real. His dog barks at Aurelia, scaring her away back into the ocean. Aurelia realizes that Damir forgets her as soon as she swims away from him. Robin tries to tell her that Damir needs to get used to her, but Aurelia is impatient and worried Damir will fall in love with someone else. She swims away from Robin and Tank and heads to the Sea Witch's lair with the intention of going through with the offered deal for legs.

We see Aurelia's original story played out in scenes as Robin explains it to Tank, who was only familiar with the happy ending version. As they speak, the real Aurelia now is right outside the Witch's cave, talking to herself to get over her fear and ask the Sea Witch for legs. She then overhears Robin and Tank talking about her and how she has her whole life to learn about love and happiness. Aurelia is touched when she hears Robin say that it's impossible for a creature with as much heart and faith as Aurelia to not have a soul, and comes out of hiding to see them. She listens to Robin about her struggles of wanting to be different from who she is, and what she lost by changing herself, and that she wants Aurelia to be happy, something she won't be if she goes down the path she wants. Aurelia also listens to Tank about how one of the keys to happiness is caring for others. Tank asks Aurelia to forget about Prince Damir for a moment and say the first wish that comes into her heart and mind. Aurelia then confesses she wants to see the human world.

Aurelia follows Robin and Tank away from the Sea Witch's cave and swims with them to all sorts of spots where humans are found. She sees them snorkeling in the reef and hula dancing. She sees fishing nets full of fish, forests with stone bridges and bears hunting fish in the riverbanks. She witnesses heavy rainfall and sees glaciers floating on the water surface. She starts taking notes of all the things she sees and Robin and Tank explain to her. She observes ships and docks and takes notes as Robins explains that water connects humans and the ships they use to navigate. She even plays with dolphins, and Tank comments that she seems much happier now. Aurelia returns home to her father and sisters, and tells them excitingly about all the things she saw and learned. When her father is upset that she is still fascinated by humans, Aurelia tells him that they cannot ignore the humans' existence. She tells him of the humans she saw helping sea creatures, and says that even with the hurt she's seen as well, it gives them more need to know them. She expresses plans to use her notes and lessons to map human's movements, track their fishing habits, and monitor ships. Robin then ends the story and declares that Aurelia lived happily ever after.

## Trivia

* Her Aureola is a reference to Hans Christian Anderson theme of sky spirits and heaven

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/HannahAlexArt/status/1430221564255948801