Antonia had never spent much time with people outside her family. Octavia and Trajan were in the public eye more often than not, and while her parents never said anything, there were glimmers of concern in their eyes whenever Antonia left the palace.

She didn't blame them. It was understandable to be wary when you had a child of unexplained magic. That didn't mean Antonia had to like it. More often than not, she found herself trying to befriend anyone unfortunate enough to be in her line of sight. She had never been good at socializing. There was only so much you could say when your primary knowledge was the contents of the Stories of Second Sons. Still, she had tried to make friends where she could. Unfortunately, the few servants she had merely humored her, and anytime she attempted to speak to someone outside the castle, she said the wrong thing. Or not enough things. Or way too many things. Conversation had never been easy for her.

It wasn't easy now.

Laughter echoed over the boat as people danced on the deck, clapping their hands rhythmically to the beat of the music. Stars hung above them, bathing the sea in starlight as a few couples drifted away to gawk at the beauty of the sky. Antonia took a tentative sip of whatever juice had been given to her, using her free hand to clutch the pendant around her neck.

"One more time!" Nema called out, raising her hands. The crowd cheered. Someone started plucking at an instrument again, and Nema laughed, picking up her skirts to skip around the mast. She wasn't an exceptionally skilled dancer (Antonia had actually never seen someone fall over so many times), but everyone seemed captivated all the same. Maybe it was how excited she was or how she moved with life. Antonia bit her lip and looked down.

Surely, it couldn't be too hard to say something to someone, right? She looked around, trying to pinpoint somebody who was also alone.

Maybe it was a good thing her parents had kept her shut away. Nobody here seemed to notice Antonia, let alone recognize her. Still, she felt as though a pair of eyes still seemed to follow her, always falling away whenever she turned around. Antonia was beginning to wonder if Lucius's spirit was trailing her, patiently waiting for a moment to dole out justice.

The music continued. Nema twirled, and someone whistled.

Forcing herself to move, Antonia walked around, trying to listen to pieces of conversation she could jump into. Some were, unsurprisingly, speaking Cambrian - or at least some dialect of it. Octavia knew almost every language imaginable from her time as heir, but Antonia only knew Romanovian and Dualian. Her mother had mentioned teaching her Htraeh, but at some point or another, it was forgotten.

"Beautiful," someone said enthusiastically. "Beautiful country. You must be so proud!" Antonia turned her head to see a man waving his hands to a woman who looked wary. A tourist, probably. Many people came worldwide to see Romanov's renowned nature and royalty. Antonia drifted closer. "Why are you leaving?"

The woman tightened a blanket around her shoulders. "The Revolutionaries." A few people around her glanced over. "I was a servant in Lord Kaiser's house when they came. They killed him. Killed his children. His husband. Then told me that I was free." She shook her head, brows furrowing. "Free to do what?"

The tourist blinked at her, mouth snapping closed. From behind him, another man turned, eyes alight with ire.

"You're complaining we're no longer confined to the monarchy?" he asked dryly. Antonia looked away to hide her scowl. "Those Revolutionaries are a blessing-

"And yet you're also on this ship to Cambria," the woman shot back. "Why not stay and join the Revolutionaries as they murder without realizing there are consequences?"

"I'm part of the crew," the man said, slinging some rope over his shoulder. "So trust me when I say I'll be heading back soon enough." The woman scoffed, pulling her blanket even tighter. "You castle dwellers don't have a realistic view of Romanov or what real work is-"

"Now I don't work?" the woman snapped back. The rest of the boat grew quiet, the music dwindling as more people began to listen in. "I'm a commoner, the same as you." The man gave a sarcastic laugh. "You're a fool. The royal family provided all of us with protection and good trade. What do these Revolutionaries have to give us? The common people weren't told. Only that we should overthrow the monarchy and side with them."

The tourist from before looked between them nervously, tiptoeing out of the way. "Um," he began, tugging at his sleeves. "I didn't mean to cause a ruckus. I'm sure this disturbance has been hard on all."

"King Julius is the reason we had no trade," the crewmember retorted. "And let's not forget what his so-called queen did to her own people-"

"What?" Antonia asked, though nobody heard her.

"Was it the queen? Or was it your beloved Commander Friedrich pulling the strings even back then. It was his wife that-"

Before the woman could finish, there was a loud crack. Antonia jerked back, eyes moving to her hands. Had she done something? What happened? Where? There were no signs of magic coming from her, though.

The rest of the boat fell silent. Whatever the noise had been was gone, leaving only the gentle crashing of waves. The torches on the ship flickered. More silence followed as everyone looked around, stirring at the rising tension.

"I bet those are the spirits," the woman said darkly, tugging the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Even out here, they know to avenge their king."

The crewmember rolled his eyes. "If the spirits are upset about anything, it's that you're still talking."

Nema raised her hands, tossing back her auburn hair to glower at the crewmember. The gold necklace Antonia had given her glittered even in the moonlight. "As a druid, I can tell you exactly what the spirits are saying," she said sharply. Antonia hid a smile, already knowing what the next words out of her mouth would be. "And they're saying you're a little-"

"Enough," a voice finally said. A large man stood at the front of the ship. It was hard to make much of him out in the dim lighting, but Antonia could see a large floppy hat on his head with a strip of cloth poking out from underneath. "There will be no more arguing on my ship." The man limped forward, moving to the staircase. As he passed under a torch, Antonia could make out a flurry of scars on his face. The pink lines crisscrossed over his features, deepening the scowl. Based on how the other crew members all backed away, Antonia could only assume this was the captain.

"I'll warn you once and only once," he said, raising his voice so it rippled over the ship and out toward the waves. Antonia felt a stab of trepidation. Something about the water seemed to shift. She couldn't quite say what had changed or even pinpoint it to a direct feeling. The world just seemed... different. Her hands tingled. The captain fixed them all with a stern look, lips curling as he ensured all attention was on him. When nobody else dared to speak, he nodded, giving his announcement: "We are now entering the Forgotten Sea."

"The Forgotten Sea?" someone muttered, and everyone shushed the person. "What's in the Forgotten Sea?" they still complained.

Everyone shushed the person again, but whispers quickly followed.

"Sirens-"

"Sharks, for sure."

"-hydra."

"Kraken or the-"

"Oh, what I would give to see a kraken," a voice whispered. Antonia squeaked, almost tipping over as she spun to find amused eyes fixed on her. "Hi there," Cretara whispered, lips quirking upwards.

"You," Antonia whispered. So that had been who was watching her. "Um, I- hi. You're... you're here?" she asked, confused.

Cretara tilted her head back and laughed, her hands still flickering a dim gray even in the nighttime. A few people shot her incredulous looks, the precarity of their situation still at the forefront of most minds.

Antonia swallowed, eyes searching until she found Nema frozen by the firelight. When their eyes met, she walked over to Antonia's side. Upon seeing Cretara, her lips pursed, crossing her arms over her chest as the moonlight illuminated her scowl.

"I thought I might join in your little quest," Cretara shrugged, nonplussed by the anxiety surrounding her. She must have made this trip once before. Perhaps the Forgotten Sea didn't scare her. "It isn't every day you see a secret magical princess escaping to Cambria."

Antonia's eyes widened. She turned to Nema, who had put a hand on her hip to where her knife would be.

"You know who I am?" Antonia asked, turning back to Cretara.

Nema's fingers tightened around her weapon, and Cretara chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Easy there, guard dog," she told her. "I don't mean the princess any harm." Her eyes moved over Antonia thoughtfully. "Of course, I know who you are," she added loftily to her. "A terrible thief who tried to steal a necklace of all things and then told me she shared her name with a missing member of the royal family. It wasn't too hard to piece together."

Antonia pursed her lips. "Well," she began and then rubbed her hands together. "Okay, maybe that was... maybe that was dumb."

"Very dumb," Nema muttered.

"You went with it!" Antonia said defensively under her breath.

Nema shrugged. "Fine. We're both dumb," she whispered back.

"You're both dumb," Cretara agreed. "Nevertheless, as a member of the Occult, I found myself intrigued."

"You're not doing any experiments on her-"

"Oh, get off your high horse," Cretara cut Nema off. Antonia awkwardly shifted, torn between annoyance at the tone towards Nema and uncertainty about what would happen if she interjected. "I am just an observer. I've never seen black magic," she mused.

Nema opened her mouth to respond, but there was another snap from the captain.

"I said quiet," he cut in sharply and limped a little closer, peering over the railing into the water below. "Or they'll hear you."

An unsteady silence filled the air. Cretara rolled her eyes, though she did mime shutting her mouth.

"The sea monsters?" Nema finally asked. The captain tore his eyes away from the water. He took one more step toward them, heaving his leg over to glower.

"Worse," he said, and Antonia instinctively grabbed Nema's hand. "The mermaids."

From down below, the water began to shine.