Will stared at the book he was reading and pushed it aside with a sigh. Leaning back in his chair, his hand came to his neck before he leaned his head back in defeat.

I have no idea what I should be doing.

Getting up he walked toward the dining room to find food had already been made for him and if it had been there for a while it didn't show it. The food, no matter what time he ate, was always hot and delicious. Though he didn't know what it was he was eating, he was almost ready to try to bring it back with him when he returned home.

Home.

He couldn't even say he missed it. Sure he missed Mia and his friends, but his home never felt much like home after his mother died. It was just a house. And here he was stuck inside another house or castle, with no idea what to do. All alone.

What can I do stuck in here? Do I need to go and see what's going on in the world? Am I stuck in a bubble here with no hope for answers? I need to go and not get caught by the few people that can see me.

He quickly finished eating and headed out of the castle finding immediate relief once he was outside. For about two weeks, he has been moping around in that castle, but it was time to get out. He at least thought it had to have been two weeks, time being different than he was used to. But even he could tell it had been a long time of doing nothing and avoiding mirrors.

What will I find once I'm outside? Is Finn back or is he still with his stolen ship? There is no way he would dare show his face around after the stunt he pulled and then he had the decency to try to murder that woman! What about his men? If he's captain then his crew is close behind. Well as long as that woman has a place to stay, I won't bother worrying about her.... where am I even going?

He looked around and didn't recognize where he was. It was only in that moment he realized how big the woods were. That's why you stay on the trail?

Looking behind him, he thought about retracing his steps but he was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even know what turns to take. He moved forward, not bothering to wait or stop to think any longer than he had already had. It was time to get answers, or at the very least figure something out.

Walking through he knew he would remember this way again if he ever got out. An advantage of living in the sea, his eyes could see even the smallest of details and remember them exactly. Some trees looked the same with slightly different color leaves, while some areas looked similar beside the fact that there was a bush in one corner that the other didn't have.

After what seemed a while of exploring the forest and trying to find his way out, he finally noticed a little shop up ahead. The closer he got the more small buildings showed up and he could hear the voices. He had found the marketplace.

"Did you hear about that servant girl who lost her job?"

"I heard she stole something from the king and queen."

"It was gold of course."

"No it wasn't! It was clothes, she did their laundry and loved the queen's dresses."

"I think it was one of the prince's shirts so she could sell it for money!"

"I heard it was a ship she stole while on her break! I heard you can see her looking out to the sea, all weird like..."

"Don't be ridiculous, who would steal that?"

In and out different voices from different conversations reached his ears and he got the vibe that they were all talking about the same person. Hate to be whoever this person is right now. Of course if she did steal whatever it was then she had it coming.

If I were a criminal, where would I hide?

Scanning his eyes around the marketplace, he noticed a bar in one corner and walked toward it.

The smell hit him first and he almost left because of it. While on land, he has become extra aware that his 5 senses have increased. His eyes sight seemed stronger, the food here definitely shock his tastebuds, and his hearing seemed to have improved as well.

He was almost super human in the way that he wasn't even human at all.

Deciding to leave the bar and head towards the king and queen's castle, he doubt he would find anything there but figured it was better than standing around in a bar where none of the people were making sense anyway. Making his way around a corner, finally at the side of the castle, his eyes widened and he stopped where he was.

It was him.

He may have not recognized this so called Finn in looks but his voice was one he couldn't ever forget. He could almost hear those words again, the ones he said just before she went overboard. And the laughter, though it sounded a bit more hysterical at the time was one he recognized as well.

There was no better way to describe what Will was feeling other than complete disgust and anger.

What's this guy doing here? He was the one who stole the ship!... that's what the village was talking about! The servant girl accused of stealing! It wasn't a shirt, dress, or anything else, it was supposable the ship this man stole. How dare he show his face around here again!? What's even more irritating is that he's acting as if he didn't just steal the king and queen's ship, almost drowned a girl and then had the guts to come back. And on top of that still has his position as guard. Are all humans this mental or stupid?

When Will looked up again, he found Finn staring right at him with a smile. Will froze momentarily but he continued to stare with an emotionless stare. Finn must have took it as a sign of good faith because Finn got up as if to walk toward him.

Will kept his ground but Finn noticed something Will did not and sat down, pretending to talk to his friends. Looking in the direction Finn was looking in, Will's eyes widen before he moved back into the shadows. He looked at Finn one last time and feeling Will's glaze Finn met his eyes briefly.

The message was clear.

Will watched Ariella get closer to him till she stood directly in front of him, by this point Finn was already almost to her.

"Poor Ariella. No one ever believes the help."

Will could feel his fang starting to bite at his lip, not yet going over his lip, though when he was mad he figured out it would grow bigger till it did. Another reason why he couldn't look in the mirror and see what he had become.

Will watch their interaction, unable to focus much on the words either of them were saying but couldn't take his eyes off Ariella. She stood firm and stiff but not out of fear but of anger. And though he couldn't see her eyes, he could almost imagine them blazing with a fire in them.

He snapped out of it when Finn raised his hand. Thinking him stupid enough to have the nerve to hit her while he stood right there, he took a step forward before he stopped entirely. Will's hands clutch into fists as Finn doesn't move to hit her but instead cups her cheek and whispers something in her ear.

For some reason it pisses Will off even more. Not to mention the woman now won't move!

When Finn finished what he was saying he looked up at Will with a grin. Will noticed how she seemed to have stiffen even more and he moves to reach her. He didn't care how it would look or if anyone would notice him.

Watching Will's movements, Finn brings a finger to his lips with a sickening smile as the woman pushes him away. "I can protect myself."

"Hour's up!"

Someone shouts from a distance and Finn smile falters as he turns to her. "To be continued, my lady," with a mocking bow, Finn looks up and connects his eyes with Will.

Will knew the woman wouldn't noticed it but couldn't help but want to step forward and go to her. Instead he moved further into the shadows as she turns and leaves.

Thinking of all the trouble she could get into now that Finn and his friends were back made it tempting to go after her. But he needed a chance to talk to this jerk again.

It wasn't until Finn and the guards were out of view that he realized he had been clutching his hands into fist, his nail prints in his palms. Releasing his death hold, he continued to wait having a feeling it would be a while till he saw Finn again.

To his surprise it was not that long after that Finn started walking toward him a smile on as if they were old friends catching up on current news.

"Will, good to see you again, I see your looks haven't changed but hey not much can be done there, not with your predicament anyway," Will narrowed his eyes at Finn as he took in the words he said. Will had to admit he almost didn't recognize Finn from that time when Will had first came here, his first day of being human. Finn and his crew were the only ones that saw him in the marketplace that day.

And Will didn't miss the last part of what Finn said.

"And what do you know about me?" Will spit out, his rage slowly starting to creep back in.

"More than you know. Too bad appearances are fake, the eyes see what they want to see," Will had to refrain from gritting his teeth, he knew that phrase and he remembered when he had first heard it.

"But we are not here to discuss that, we are here about Ariella, right?" Finn changed the subject and Will stared at Finn before speaking.

"What do you want with her?"

"Oh I want her dead," Finn said without the slightest note of hesitation and Will felt his fang grow longer and his hand curl into a fist again. "Ooh, neat trick, does your fangs always do that?"

"I will rephrase my question: why do you want to kill her?"

"Ahh you are one of those people who gets to the point, and is quite angry all the time. Too bad you couldn't be a king, that job description would fit you well," Will had stopped where he was and tried hard not to throw a punch that would leave Finn with a black eye for weeks.

"Fine, fine, fine. As to why I want her dead, that is a revenge matter that is between her and me. So sorry can't help you there. I actually only came here for one reason," Finn walked closer to Will but still far enough away so that Will couldn't get a clear shot without moving forward.

"Stay out of my way. I see you not as a lover boy but as a threat to my revenge plan I have been planning for years. And I'm ready to finish what I started. Sadly, I have big plans to finish as well, but she is a lose end I need to get rid of first. If you try to help her, you will go down as well..."

Finally Will couldn't take it, thanks to his fast reflexes he still kept from the time when he was a merman, he threw a punch, hitting Finn's right eye. Finn flew to the ground. "We are not the ones on the ground."

Finn's laughter unsettled Will but he was ready for a fight. Finn's men filed in as Finn got back up on his two feet, dropping his hand from his swollen eye.

"Stand down boys, it seems we will get our chance soon enough," and with that Finn and his men left.

Will didn't regret the punch one bit but thought upon everything Finn said as he walked back home. Finn mentioned something important while he was rambling. He has other plans he want to take care of, but he won't until he's done with the her. Did he say her name was Ariella? One thing that is discerning is that this woman, Ariella, is no doubt the servant who was released from the castle's services. Her bag was a big indication of that, along with her walk into the woods. Which means she doesn't have a place to stay... which also means I now have to deal with that. Great, just great. She is who knows where, and now I have to show myself to her just to save her from that guy. Could this day get any worse!?

Will knew he shouldn't have thought it but the moment he did, he heard the wolves howling in the distance.

"Yes, thank you. How I did miss the wolves. If I find her in trouble with the wolves or as wolf bait, I will need a vacation from this place."

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Hey my fellow readers! Thank you so much for reading my latest book at this time. What do you think?

New and exciting twists are coming and I hope you will stay to find out what it is. I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter but I will try to post sooner now (college is killing me!)

Stay tune and see what happens with Will and Ariella. And see how Finn and the sea witch fit into all of this!!! :) :()!