Don't do this. Don't do that. Stop thinking about the surface world and the humans living there. Don't go too far from the palace. And especially do not have anything to do with the sea witch!

In Arryl's opinion, his father was a tyrant of worst kind. He was already sixteen and fully capable of making decisions for himself. But every time he tried to argue the point, King Triton ordered him to go to his room and stay there. And to make it worse, he never gave the same order to his older siblings! It was so unfair.

So there was nothing wrong with sneaking out without saying anything. What his father didn't know would not hurt him.

It wasn't like there was anything dangerous about the surface or the sea witch. He smiled as he swam into the cave entrance hidden by seaweed growing tall and plentiful. Especially not the sea witch.

Inside was a lot more spacious than the small entrance indicated. In addition to the large bed, there was a huge bowl carved to the solid rock that served as a cauldron for making spells and potions, as well as some shelves lining the cave – although most of the small items floated around in magical bubbles.

Arryl stopped to admire a small figurine in one of the bubbles. This was a new one, made in the shape of the flying creatures humans called "birds".

Suddenly strong, purple tentacles wrapped around him, capturing him and pressing his arms to his sides. "I see an intruder has entered the lair of the dreaded sea witch," an ominous voice rumbled.

Arryl laughed. "Stop it, Kai! You're not convincing at all."

Kai let go and floated to the floor of the cave, his six tentacles each smoothly finding solid surface. Arryl had never quite understood how he managed not to trip over them all the time.

Kai – the sea witch – was of the octopus people, who had not been welcome anywhere near the city of the merpeople for generations. He had hinted that years ago, when Arryl had been just a baby, merpeople had nonetheless sought out his help regularly, but then the king had forbidden any contact. Whenever he had tried to ask why, Kai would just look sad and his father would get angry.

"It's good to see you," Kai said with a smile. Then he quickly took his hand. "I scouted out a most beautiful reef yesterday. Let's go."

Once they reached their destination, Arryl easily admitted that Kai had been right. The main structure of the reef was comprised of coral the same shade of pink as his tail, and it was teeming with life. But the best part was that it reached all the way above the shallow water. To the world he longed so much for.

None of his siblings would have been able to hide having spent time on the surface with the hot afternoon sun beating down on them. But unlike them, Arryl had been blessed with a tan skin, like he had been born to spend time in direct sunlight. Kai wisely remained in the water up to his shoulders.

Then he noticed movement on the beach of the small island the reef surrounded. He quickly dropped down with his belly against the coral, but couldn't help raising his head to peer curiously to the distance. "What is over there?" he asked Kai.

The sea witch smiled and rose from the water to lie at his side. "Humans are preparing for a celebration that starts at sundown, like every year at this time."

"For real?" Arryl beamed. He had watched the human ships, even sneaked close enough to take a look aboard them, but he had never seen humans celebrating anything. Would it be like his own birthday parties with song and gifts or more like a parade with sea horses pulling the chariot of King Triton?

Kai laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yes, for real. All we need to do is wait a little."

Arryl leaned his chin on his hands. He could wait however long it would take. He could spend the entire day just watching the humans hurrying around on the beach.

A tentacle wrapped around his tail fin. Lazily he flipped his tail to dislodge it. But it came back.

He turned his head to look at Kai, who was lying on his back in the water and slowly paddling with his hands not to fall upside down. "What is it?"

Kai smiled enigmatically and held out a wreath made of island flowers on another tentacle. "They must have lost one to the sea."

Arryl slid down to join him in the water and put the wreath on his head. It was too big, though, and fell down around his neck. "Thanks! It's wonderful."

"I'm glad that you like it. Now..."

Arryl shrieked in surprise, no doubt making the humans wonder what kind of sea creature made that sound, as all six tentacles wrapped around him and pulled him under.

Despite being considerably older than Arryl, Kai still liked to play.

~*~*~

There was so much to see! The firelight, the colors, the music, the dance...It all drew him in with the force of a maelstrom. What he wouldn't give to be one of them, caught in their festivities on the beach.

Kai smiled and hugged him gently. "If that is what you wish to be part of, I can give you legs to replace your tail. But there is always a price to pay."

Arryl kissed him mischievously. "I don't think there's anything left that I haven't already given you."

"And there is nothing I wouldn't willingly give you in return." Kai hesitantly pulled back. "But-"

Suddenly a fierce current where none had been before dragged the sea witch back under the surface.

Arryl instantly dove after him, all the way to the bottom of the reef. What could have...?

Of course. He saw his father, the king of the seven seas, with his glowing trident held high. And the waters obeyed his command to hold down the man he had wanted his people to stay away from.

"Father! Stop this!" he called out.

"Stay back, Arryl!" Kai yelled at him. He had never raised his voice before, not even when they had been attacked by sharks once.

His father noticed him, but that only seemed to make him angrier. He pointed the trident at Kai, ready to blast him into nothingness.

Arryl instantly swam between them and spread his arms protectively.

"Don't!" Kai tried to again warn him. "I don't want him to hurt you!"

Whatever the king had planned to do, he stopped. But he did not calm down. Far from it. "How dare you! You killed his mother! And now you seek to turn my son against me?!"

That seemed to break something in the sea witch. His calm demeanor evaporated instantly. "-I- killed her?! She wouldn't have needed to die if you had not been so irrationally jealous!"

"Father..." Arryl whispered, not wanting to believe his ears. His father may have been mean and petty and all that, but he couldn't have possibly killed his mother. Kai even less.

King Triton held out his hand. "Come here, Arryl. Whatever vile deal you have made with him, I promise I'll keep you safe."

"Why should I?!" Arryl screamed at him. There was that patronizing tone again, like he was some child who didn't know any better. "You never let me do anything because you want to "keep me safe"! Kai has given me everything I can even dream of!"

"Arryl..." The authoritative tone of the king. The one Arryl hated even more. "Come here right now. We are going home."

"I am not going anywhere until someone explains what is going on. You can't just accuse the man I love and expect me to accept it."

"There is nothing to explain. My second wife – your mother – died because of him."

Arryl turned to look at Kai.

The sea witch sighed. "I can't protect you anymore, can I? Your mother was a human, like those islanders we watched. That's why you have skin darker than your siblings. I gave her potions that would turn her into a mermaid for a limited time. Until-"He cast a look of utter disdain at the king. "-he suspected that she was meeting with a lover and would not let her leave the palace to see me."

"You mean...?" He knew already. He knew that humans could not live under the sea. But he still wanted to hear it.

Kai straightened, the force holding him captive dissipating, and nodded. "The spell broke, and she drowned."

A multitude of emotions flashed over King Triton's features. Anger, sorrow, regret...and fear. "Arryl, please. You are the only thing I have left of her. I can't lose you too."

He wanted to say that it was his father's own fault. That if he had not tried to trap him for so long, they could have been a family. But...he still loved him. King Triton had showered him with love and attention when he had been little, had worked hard to fill in also for his lost mother.

"I'm going to marry Kai," he finally stated. "We can either live in the palace or run away together. You decide."

King Triton looked like he was close to tears, something he had not seen before. "I can't...Without him, she would not have died..."

Kai stubbornly crossed his arms. "It is not my fault. If only you had been able to trust her-"

"Cut it out!" When both quieted down, Arryl just sighed. Adults were supposed to be more mature than he was. "I want to be angry with you both, but I'm not. So you can stop blaming each other too. I don't want the two most important people in my life to hate each other." He eyed them both sternly. "Well?"

There was a long silence.

Kai spoke first, "For whatever it's worth, you made her truly happy. She always said that she didn't regret throwing away her old life for the chance to be with you."

King Triton abruptly turned away with, "Excuse me."

So it didn't work. Arryl felt torn. He had said that he would run away with Kai if he had to, but he didn't really want to. That would mean never seeing his family again.

But his father didn't leave quite yet. "I'llneed to have a larger room prepared for you, don't I?" he asked. "And to startthe preparations for the wedding."