Scarlet could only stare at the odd creature, his strange appearance never letting her look away.

"You know it's rude to stare," Morgan said, flicking his tail against the water, splashing her.

She frowned, wiping away the droplets of water from her cheek, "How can I not? I am a human who seems to have ascended to a place I have no knowledge of."

Morgan snorted, "You're alive, if that's what you're wondering and you're still in the same realm as the humans. Well sort of."

Scarlet said nothing, glancing at the area around her. She knew she was on an island, for her eyes could see through the sparce forest of palms and catch a glimpse of the turquoise sea on the other side.

"So I'm alive and I'm seeing mermaids," she deadpanned, her eyes sliding over the two.

"Mermen," the red haired man said, his arms crossing over his pale chest, the golden ring resting between his pecs, "I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself."

Morgan nudged the red head, "Oh hush Atlantis. The poor woman knows nothing about us."

Atlantis rubbed his arm, casting Morgan a playful glare, "Well you didn't have to abuse me."

Scarlet couldn't help but chuckle at the small exchange between the two, both males nudging one another until Atlantis fell from the rock, his scaly body splashing against the sea water.

"Unfair!" The red head said when his head popped through the surface and flicking his head to remove the blood red strands from his golden eyes.

Morgan giggled, hiding his jagged teeth from behind his hand before his fish body slipped beneath the ocean and reappearing next to Atlantis and pressing his lips against the young man's.

Scarlett looked away, not wanting to intrude in the tender moment. Moments she used to share with Will when he was still kind. Her heart clenched inside her chest, the spreading spreading and stabbing her heart with a thousand needles.

No, she thought, You're free from him. Don't dwell on the past.

"You're in pain," Morgan spoke, urging Scarlet to look up. His hand was resting on her shoulder, the coldness of his skin sending shivers over her own.

"I don't want to be," Scarlet murmured, her eyes drifting over Morgan's odd features, the soft understandimg in the creatures eyes making her pour out her bottled up emotions. "The reason I jumped was because of my husband," she spoke, letting out a shaky breath, "I found him with another woman." Morgan said nothing but listened as Scarlet went on, "I should've stopped loving him but I couldn't. It almost impossible for me to forget him. The pain is just too fresh."

"This too?" Morgan said, his thumb touching the bruises that marred her neck.

Her fingers reached up, feeling the bruises pulse painfully beneath her fingertips, "Yes," she whispered.

She watched Morgan's eyes narrow, "How long?"

Scarlet could feel herself shrink away, arms wrapping around her torso at the many times she had suffered abuse under her husband's hand, "Since we got married five years ago."

"Do not cry for him," Atlantis said from the shoreline, the setting sun glinting off the red strands.

Scarlet wiped away the involuntary tears from her cheeks with the back if ger hand, "Not anymore. I will never love again."

Morgan looked skeptical but said nothing of it, "Why don't you come with us?"

"Where?" Scarlet with a single brow arched.

Morgan's lips parted into a grin, eerily similar to that of the Cheshire cat, "Why, I'll be taking you under the sea."

******

"Why is it," King Ronan said as he paced in front of his throne, clearly agitated at Rubyn, "Every time I call you, you seem to ignore me?"

Rubyn could only stay upright, his eyes settled on a particular spot above his father's head. He could only see his father from the edge of his eye, the fiery red hair streaked with white at the temples and blending into his long red beard. Beside the throne was a merman, lean and slender with the ridges of muscles faint against his golden skin. His hair was in red dreadlocks, hazel eyes cast down with his hands behind his back.

"I was busy father," Rubyn said, ignoring the merman as his fingers gripped the ruby encrusted sword on his waist.

The man's orange red eyes glanced at him, "Doing what? Searching for more Amythyst to kill?" The king said, his eyes flashing with anger.

Rubyn felt his own anger spike, his hands curling into fists, "They were in our territory! They even invaded our colonies in the north while we fought their comrades in the east!"

"Because of what you did to their colonies in the last full moon!" King Ri countered, "You killed their temple priestess!"

Rubyn snarled, "She was provoking the Amythyst warriors to fight with her false visions!"

King Ri refused to listen, "I've been working on a peace treaty but because of your callowness the king refuses to listen!"

"Of course he wouldn't! He and his people are greedy savages!" Rubyn growled, his jaw ticking, "Surely you remember what they did to Mother."

No, he thought as he watched his father's eyes melting with despair at the memory of his late wife. It had been years since they last spoke of Rubyn's mother. His last memory of her was something he didn't want to remember.

"That's enough," King Ri said, his scarred back facing Rubyn, "I've had enough of your impertinence."

Rubyn parted his lips to shout against his father but his sire cut him off, "On the next full moon you will marry the woman I give you. Perhaps then you'll learn."

The young prince was left speechless, unable to defend himself from his father's commanding order. He could only watch as the king retreated, followed by his dutiful servant.

Rubyn couldn't help but see Scarlet's beautiful features appear in his mind.

A/N: I swear I am not abonding this novel. I've just been hella busy this month, leaving me little time to continue writing. But don't worry, hopefully soon I can get back to regular scheduling, for now though, it'll be random.