"You know what this means, correct?" Queen Seraphina said from her throne, her long nails scraping against the arm rest. Seraphina was the epitome of femininity and elegance. Tall and slender, with her heavy blue locks pulled away from her pale heart shaped face and piled high on her head with a silvery blue crown woven into the blue strands. She was beautiful, forever taking the audience's breath when she something his younger brothers had inherited and his deceased father loved.

"Yes," Zeref murmured quietly, his gaze shifting away from his mother and focusing on the trident that rested on it's pedestal. A weapon past rulers favored and would eventually be passed onto him when his time of reign came to be.

A triumphant smile spread over his mother's lips, her delicate knuckles brushing against her chin, "Good," she spoke, her icy gaze gleaming with satisfaction, "I will send a message to your bride to be. Hopefully this one won't be so easily frightened like the last one," Seraphina sighed, running her thumb over the sharp points of her nails at the memory, "She was such a good girl, it was a shame I had to kill her."

Zeref winced, his fingers clenching at the thought of his defect. An unfortunate trait he had inherited from his long deceased father and a secret his mother worked so hard to keep.

"Yes Mother," he murmured obediently. Seraphina peered at him through her lashes, cold blue orbs searching for any form of defiance in her eldest son. Finding none, she flicked her wrist, dismissing the High Prince. Zeref merely bowed before retreating from the throne room, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts, each one overlapping the other that he didn't notice the bodies he collided into.

"My apologies I didn't- Oh," Zeref began before finally noticing who he had the unfortunate fate to bump into. A creature so uncommon, one couldn't help but stare at the oddity of the creature's appearance. Slender, with the indentations of muscles shifting beneath pale skin, one would think he was a normal merman but that's where the normalcy ended. Spikes protruded from his spine in an almost beautifully grotesque way, the dark scales blending in with tattoos that swirled over his back, dipping into the dark blue scales of his tail. A beautiful creature with intense green serpent eyes that seemed to bore into one's soul, a stare that sent shivers down his spine.

The witch smiled, his jagged teeth flashing, "Hello there."

Zeref swallowed and glanced at his companion, a red haired merman who's rare golden eyes peered at him with a strange emotion. The Emerald Prince was odd himself, his red like appearance being an unnatural trait in the Emerald Kingdom. There were rumors that perhaps the young prince was a bastard child but the old King had not said a word for or against it. King Kai himself seemed to believe Atlantis was his biological brother, no one dared to question it.

They were a pair that had become well respected in four kingdoms, close friends with the royals and a bridge that had forged alliances and peace with the nations. A dangerous pair that Zeref had become rather uneasy with but his mother had insisted to cater to their very needs, something Zeref wasn't all to happy with.

"Hello," he said, flashing a smile that he had perfected for parties and gatherings he so despised, "I do hope you found your guest rooms accommodating to your needs."

"They're fine," Atlantis said as he waved his hand in dismissal, "We came here to speak with your mother. Is she in the throne room?"

Of course, Zeref thought and simply nodded, "She is. I am confident she will accept your presence."

Atlantis flashed a smile, "Good. Come on Morgan, we should talk to her before something else stops us." Zeref watched the two drift past him, a rather disconcerting stare coming from green eyed witch, almost as if he were trying to read his mind. He frowned and looked away from Morgan, his jaw clenching.

"Zeref!" A familiar voice cried, making Zeref whirl to see his young brother swimming through the corridor, a look of alarm on his pretty features. Pollux was slender merman with the faint movement of muscles beneath his skin, royal blue scales covering his tail, the color matching the tattoos that covered his left arm. An order their mother had enforced on Pollux and his twin, Castor, after an incident during one of their famous and coveted galas.

"Pollux?" Zeref said, his brows furrowed in concern, even more when he didn't see his twin attached to his hip, "What's wrong?" Pollux gaze flitted over Morgan and Atlantis, who had yet to enter the throne room, their attention focused on his brother's flustered state.

Pollux bit his lip before leaning close, his blue eyes wide, "Brother we found a human," he hissed quietly.

Zeref nearly choked, "What?"

His brother squirmed, his arm tensing as his fingers clenched, "Castor and I found him floating in the surface. He's been touched by fire and has no recollection as to who he is or how he got there." Zeref sighed, running his fingers through his black hair. "He is severely wounded brother," Pollux insisted.

"You know the rules," Zeref hissed, "We kill any human that sees us."a

Pollux jaw clenched, "I know, but the poor man is nearly at the brink of death, the least we can do is make his last days comfortable."

Tension throbbed in his temples, his fingers pressing to alleviate the stress, "Take me to him."

"We would like to go as well," Morgan said, making Zeref tense. What would the witch do with the human? Would he tell his mother and get his younger siblings in trouble? A taloned hand rested on his shoulder, causing him to look at the pair of serpent green eyes, "I won't say a word. Just let me see the human." Zeref nodded glancing at Pollux, who merely nodded, suggesting them to follow him.

They were greeted by Castor, his hands occupied by a broken body. Zeref didn't know how long his younger sibling had been there, but the drooping eyes and peeling skin proved it had been long enough. He willed his  tail to turn into legs, not fazed by his nakedness as he grabbed a bowlful of water and gently pouring it over his brother's dry skin, not bothering to look at the nearly dead human.

Castor sighed in relief, his skin drinking the water, "Thank you brother," Castor murmured. Zeref nodded, glancing at the battered body in his brother's arms. He could barely recognize the man's face, one eyes swollen and crusted in blood, a deep gash slicing through a dark brow. Bruises marred his burned flesh, it was difficult to tell the color of his skin. He looked like a dead man if it weren't for the rise of the human's chest.

"By gods," Morgan gasped as he settled himself next to the human, his taloned fingers hovering over the man, "This is-" Morgan couldn't finish, his mouth quickly covered by his hand, hiding his urge to vomit.

Atlantis rested his hand on Morgan's tattooed shoulder, "You don't have to save him. This might be his fate you know," the prince murmured, a knowing look passing between the two. A look Zeref didn't want to delve much into.

"Can you save him?" Castor murmured, his thumb gently passing over the unconscious human's throat, the bruises resembling a hand. Who was this man? Why is he like this? Unanswered questions flitted through his mind, but he was forced to ignore them when Morgan spoke up.

"Only the Diamond Queen can heal him completely," Morgan murmured quietly, "But she can't travel far in her state. Her child is due any day now, along with the Emerald Queen's."

Atlantis frowned, rubbing his chin, "What about Elric? If you two work together perhaps you can save him. His recuperation won't be as fast but it will be enough for his body to heal on it's own."

Zeref didn't know what came over him. Maybe it was the sun that constantly gave him headaches or perhaps it was the curiosity to know the human before he killed him.

At least I won't have to kill a dying man, Zeref thought before his lips parted, "I'll send for Elric. He is in the Amber Kingdom correct?"

Morgan's eyes were wide but he nodded, "We'll take turns to watch the human while Elric comes."

"Dimitri," Castor blurted, causing everyone to look at his younger brother who's cheeks flushed at the attention.

"What?" Pollux said with a tilt of his head.

Castor bit his lip, "There was a card in his something he called wallet, it had his image and a name," he plucked a white burnt object, "His name is Dimitri Romanov." Zeref took the card, his eyes wandering over the man's image. His face seemed serious, his full lips set on a thin line but nonetheless, they complemented his high cheekbones. Black hair was cropped close to his head, showing off his startling blue eyes that twinkled with mischief, and now that he noticed he could see the edge of Dimitri's lips tilted upwards in an invisible smirk.

Dimitri Romanov, Zeref mused, glancing at the human, Let's hope you die soon. I would hate to severe that pretty head of yours.

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