Back in the trench kingdom, Mark had finished explaining to the king about what was happening with his son. Fear and anger twisted Triton's expression, before he yelled out to the guards nearby. "Gather the troops! Leave half here to protect the kingdom and the rest should come with me!" One of the guards let out an exhausted sigh, before informing the king. "Highness, the troops are exhausted from the search. Even if we gathered them, you'd be lucky if they could help you." Triton's grip tightened on his trident as he thought for a moment. Straightening up, he told the guard more reasonably. "I see. Then gather those that can. We must not delay. Go!" The guard bowed to him, then swam off to pass on the message. Mark straightened up, telling the king firmly. "I'm going with you." The king put a hand on his good shoulder and was about to say something. Until a motherly voice blurted out sternly. "You will not, Mark!" Mark flinched, slowly turning to face his mother.

His mother's long speckled tail swayed menacingly, and her arms were crossed under her chest with her nails digging into her arms. Her glare was hot enough to pierce right through him. He didn't even get a chance to speak before his mother rushed out in a frantic tone. "You are not going anyway! You up and vanish on me for days on end! You didn't even tell me where you were going! So, for all I knew the prince got you killed! No offence, highness..." Triton just waved a hand with a small smile in response to show that he wasn't offended. Then Mark's mother swam closer to continue even louder. "Then you show up wounded and unconscious... and you expect me to just let you leave AGAIN?! NO!" Mark looked at Triton, who shrugged and moved away from them. Mark groaned, looking back at his mother as he told her coolly. "Mom, I can't explain right now. But he needs me. I have to go!" His mother shook her head, snapping out. "Mark, you can't swim well! And it is HIS fault! You are hurt now because of HIM, AGAIN! I'm not going to have you get yourself killed over this boy!"

Mark swam up to hug her, telling her in a broken voice. "Mom... He needs me. He could die without me. I know you don't like him... but I'm all he has. Please? I'm a survivor. I'll be ok." She hugged him tightly, shaking her head as she buried her head against his neck. Sniffling, she mumbled out. "I lost your father... I can't lose you too. He's going to get you killed..." Mark kissed her cheek, telling her warmly. "He'd be dead without me. I have to go." She shook her head again and Mark's throat tightened. Locking nervous eyes with Triton, he pulled from her arms and told her a bit choked up. "Mom... please? I... I promised him. I... I love him." Both Triton and his mom tensed at the last part. Mark lowered his eyes to keep from looking at either of them. Inhaling slowly, Mark shakily told them. "Think what you want about me... but he's going to die if we don't do something now. And no matter what he gets himself into... I've always gotten him out of it. I'm not going to stop saving his ass now."

Mark squeezed his mother's shoulder, swimming around her to leave. She stopped him by grabbing his tail and when he looked back at her, she smiled and told him in a reluctant warm motherly voice. "Be careful and come home." Mark nodded, moving back to kiss her cheek, before following Triton out. Outside the cave, Triton looked over the four guards on the backs of Hippocampi. They bowed to him and bought his large Hippocampus to him. Triton moved onto his large Hippocampus, watching Mark whistle for Barnacle. Barnacle shot forth from the stable excitedly, causing Triton to tense. Mark winced, apologizing as he climbed onto him. "Sorry. He just... took a liking to me." Triton nodded, telling Mark seriously. "Lead the way." Coaxing Barnacle to head out of the trench, they all held their breath. Pacing along the border was Riptide. The guards at the border kept their spears pointed at Riptide to deter him from passing them. Mark reached up to touch his seaweed wrapped shoulder. It was no longer bleeding, but he was self-conscious about it.

Riptide moved away from the border after bumping into the tip of a spear to test the strength of the merman. Upon circling around, he saw Mark and exposed his rows of sharp teeth. Triton raised his trident, sending a pulse through the water that sounded like a group of dolphins. Riptide jerked away from the sound reluctantly, moving out toward the shipyard. Mark exhaled in relief, coaxing Barnacle onward. Barnacle dashed through the water, and they started to make good time, when the guards in the back, yelled out. "HIGHNESS!" Mark slowed Barnacle as a guard screamed. Behind them, Riptide snatched a guard off his panicking Hippocampus. Blood streaked the water as the guards whirled around to try and save the other guard. Riptide clamped his jaw down on the merman, thrashing his head as he moved through the water. His large tail sending a strong current of water out in his wake. Triton raised his trident to try and chase Riptide off again, when Mark screamed. Barnacle was suddenly eager to buck him off! The action momentarily distracting Triton.

Barnacle bucked Mark off, then dashed off in the direction they had been heading. Mark called after him, but Barnacle was suddenly uninterested in anything he wanted. Triton rode over to take his hand, pulling him up onto his Hippocampus as he said gruffly. "Come on! We don't have time to chase him down! Where are we going?!" Mark pointed off in the direction that Barnacle went, but Triton suddenly raised his trident to shoot a swirling waterspout at Riptide as he surged toward them. The swirling waterspout caught Riptide in it, rolling Riptide wildly around before throwing him aside. Riptide rolled uncontrollably into a reef, his body jerking before he slowly started to swim in a daze. Triton kept his trident aimed at Riptide, when the remaining guards, told Triton bravely. "GO! We'll hold him off!" Triton was reluctant to leave them but nodded. Gesturing for Mark to tell him where to go. They only just started moving again, when the guards yelled out. "Hey! Where is he going?!"

Both Triton and Mark looked back to see Riptide surging through the water in the general direction of where they were going. Triton tensed, telling Mark uneasily. "I know that look. Something is bleeding in the water... he can smell it." For a split second Mark didn't care, until he thought about how Nate's legs had been bleeding lately and the pirates he'd run into might be torturing him. Tensing, Mark blurted out behind Triton. "Nathan! It could be Nathan!" Across the surface of the water, Nathan's blood dripped off his feet and into the ocean as his mother pushed Barnacle to swim faster. As the gorgeous white ship with golden accents came into view, Nathan's heart began to race. Yet, in the distance beyond the ship, the sun was slowly creeping more down to the water. With every inch that it sank, the pain in his legs only increased. Reaching the side of the ship, his mother cringed as she saw that there was no way for her to join him. Nathan reached up to grab the built in ladder on the side, forcing himself to climb up through the pain. His mother tried to help him stay on but seeing the blood drop from his bare feet gave her a look of deep concern.

Reaching the deck of the ship, he stumbled to his knees with a whine. All around him, nobles parted and gasped. Some spit their champagne as they saw the blood dropping from his soaked pants. Nathan tried to ask for help, but the nobles just fled from him like he was disgusting. One pointed to him and called out. "Someone inform the captain! We have a stowaway! He might be sick with something!" Someone from farther up the ship, calmed the nobles by telling them comfortingly. "It's alright! I'll handle this. Everyone calm down." Nathan looked up at the man, then scowled at him. Jetsam. Jetsam extended a hand out for him to take, while telling everyone casually. "Please, enjoy yourselves. The wedding will get underway shortly." The nobles relaxed a little, going back to drinking and chatting. Nathan reluctantly accepted Jetsam's hand, letting him help him up. Looking around at the ship, he got suddenly worried. What was a wedding? Why did Jetsam care about it? The deck of the ship was all decorated with flowers and gorgeous deep emerald green and white silks.

While walking him to the stairs that led down, Jetsam discreetly told him with a broad smug smile. "Mother knew that you wouldn't miss the wedding. I had my doubts... but you proved me wrong." Nathan yanked his arm from Jetsam, leaning on the wall to sign out through his pain. "What are you talking about? Where is Sean?!" Jetsam stopped in front of a door in the hallway, telling him bluntly. "Prince Sean is in his room. He's getting ready to marry Princess Verlaine." Nathan shook his head. He didn't believe him. Jetsam opened the door, telling him nicely. "See for yourself." Nathan staggered toward the door and peeked inside. Inside, Sean stood in front of a mirror fixing his clothing. Nathan rushed inside, staggering up to him. Upon touching Sean's arm, he was unprepared for Sean to look at him and ask a bit defensively. "What are you doing here?" Nathan tried to sign something, but Sean grabbed his hands to stop him and told him seriously. "You need to leave before the nobles get the wrong idea."

Nathan reached out to cup Sean's face, but he smacked his hands away and snapped out. "Stop! I told you. Whatever you think we had... it's over. I don't love you. Now leave. You are not going to ruin this wedding with this... this fantasy that you've created! I am a prince. Soon to be a king. You are just a castaway that I met on the beach and felt sorry for. Now excuse me. I need to check on my future wife." Sean strolled from the room, causing Jetsam to bow as the prince left. Nathan's heart shattered to pieces and tears brimmed his eyes. Falling to his knees, he hugged himself. His whole body was in shock. The words cut so deep that as they slowly sank in, tears fell from his eyes. He had done all this for him... and Sean didn't love him. Not only that, but the hate in his voice when he said it made him feel sick to his stomach. Jetsam slowly closed the door and Nathan bowed his head to cry. He felt so alone and lost. He sank so far into his own pain inside and out, that when a sweet feminine voice spoke to him, Nathan gasped in fright. "It's not fair. Is it? I did try to warn you."

Nathan hadn't noticed the woman sitting on the bed. The bed was shrouded in light shadows, but he recognized her. Vanessa. Sniffling, Nathan signed out weakly. "Ursel? What have you done to him?!" Ursel flicked his long dark hair off flawless feminine shoulders, telling him in a beautiful woman's voice. "Ugh... Sure. Blame the witch. I did nothing to him... Technically, you did. You fell in love with a human prince... but he was always going to marry that girl in the end. It's how the world above works, Angelfish. Even if he knew who or what you are... it wouldn't matter. He needs an heir. Something you can't give him... At least... not without MY help." Nathan perked up a little, until Ursel got up from the bed to say swiftly down at him. "But that wasn't in our little deal. Your time is almost up. You tried the romance thing... and it didn't work. Sorry, kid. Life doesn't always go the way you want it too. I was rooting for you though. Truly." Ursel drop down on a stool before a mirror to fix her hair pins.

Nathan sniffled, putting his face down in his hands to cry more. He'd been such a fool. Ursel then drew his attention back by telling him in a gentle loving voice. "Hey...? I don't do this for everyone... but... you are family. So, how about I tweak the contract just a little. Huh?" Nathan looked up and Ursel brushed his tears away with his thumbs. Giving him a smile, Ursel sweetly told him. "I can't make the prince fall in love with you... but... I can take your pain away." Nathan looked down at his aching legs that were starting to shake. Ursel turned his chin to look him in the eyes, before telling him seriously. "I'll take away your pain... Do you want that?" Nathan nodded as more tears ran down his cheeks. Ursel looked up from him toward the door as it opened. Nathan held his breath as Jetsam stepped in with a hand full of beautiful red hair with streaks of gold. Jetsam crossed the room to hand the hair to Ursel, telling him coolly. "She agreed to your terms."

Ursel took the hair with a bright grin, telling Jetsam coolly. "Of course, she did. A mother does anything for their kids. I should know." Nathan's heart skipped at the thought. Had they done something to his mother? Ursel put the hair in a little box on the vanity, before pulling her skirt back to reveal a beautiful black dagger that was attached to her purple garter. The handle of the dagger was designed like a mermaid's tail with a purple crystal ball at the top. The large fin at the bottom flared out to be the cross-guard. While the sleek dark steel blade was etched in Seaspeak runes. Ursel then took his hand and put the dagger into it, before telling him without any joy in his voice. "If you want the pain to end... Then take this dagger and kill the man who caused you this pain. Stab him in the heart and let his blood run off the blade and onto your bare feet. Afterward... I'll take you home. Where we can talk about possibly getting your voice back." Ursel gave him a warm comforting smile, then let go of his hand. To Be Continued...