I waited outside the throne room for almost half an hour, and I still had no idea what King Nereus and Arthuas were talking about in there. There were so many possibilities, but the only one I could think of that was reasonable was that maybe there was a problem going on in the kingdom that only Arthuas should know about. But, I kept trying to convince myself that everything was fine and that the conversation between father and son was just a simple one. 

Finally, the doors opened, and Arthuas swam out of the throne room, but he looked very upset about something. "Arthuas, is everything okay?" I asked as we swam back to his chambers. He didn't say anything. He just kept staring down at the ground. When we made it back to his chambers, he threw himself onto his kelp bed and stared up at the ceiling. I was beginning to grow worried, and I wasn't sure what to do to help him.

"Please, Arthuas, tell me what's going on," I slightly begged. He sat up and stared at me. "Can you bring me that glass bottle that's on the shelf next to the starfish?" he asked. I looked over at the small shelf, wondering what he would do with the bottle once he had it. "I don't know. You're not going to do anything, are you?" I asked. He shook his head slightly, and his gaze shifted over to the shelf. "I just need it," he answered.

Reluctantly, I grabbed the bottle from the shelf and handed it to him. I was silently pleading that he wouldn't do something stupid, but he stared at the bottle for a while, and then without warning, he threw it across the room, smashing it into a million pieces against the wall. "I just needed something to take my anger out on. It's just not fair,"

I quickly scooped up the shattered pieces of the bottle and moved them to the side. "What's not fair?" I asked as I sat down next to him. Arthuas let out a small sigh, then his eyes reconnected with mine. "My father won't let me leave the castle. I've been confined here for most of my life. I want to go out and see my kingdom," He explained. I felt bad for him, and I wanted to wrap him up in my arms and hug him. "I'm so sorry," I sighed slightly. I looked over at the small pile of shattered glass. It just sat there like a large pile of dust bunnies, no movement whatsoever.

Then, an idea popped into my head, it would be risky, but it would help Arthuas with his mood. "What if you didn't have to be stuck here all your life?" I asked, looking back at him. He looked confused, almost like I spoke to him in a different language. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What I mean is, if you okay with it, we can sneak out tonight, and you, me, and my friends can explore Atlantis together," I suggested.

A smile started to grow on Arthua's face, and I smiled as well. "That's a good idea," Then, I felt something touch my hand, and I looked down to see Arthua's hand resting on top of mine. "Is this okay?" he asked after I noticed what he had done. "Yeah, it's fine," I answered, slightly blushing a light pink. My heart started to pound inside my chest yet again, and I started to feel lightheaded. 

"Are you okay, Delphine?" he asked. I tried to respond and tell him I was fine, but then I felt the world start to spin uncontrollably, and I fell into darkness.

*******

When I woke up, I saw that I was lying down on Arthua's kelp bed. My eyes quickly scanned the room, and I saw someone looking out the small balcony, and I recognized it as Arthuas. He must've noticed me because he quickly swam to my side. "Hey, how are you doing?" he asked. "Mmm, I'm okay, just a little dizzy. What happened?" I asked. "You passed out while we were talking, and I called out for help. The healers said that you forgot to breathe through your gills for a while," he explained.

I had completely forgotten that I had gills on the sides of my neck. It felt like I could breathe under the water without gills. "You gave me quite a scare," He sighed. I looked down slightly, and I could see Arthua's hand resting gently on the bed, and without a second thought, I placed my hand on top of his. Arthuas looked up at me and smiled slightly, and his cheeks started to become bright pink.

"Thank you for getting help. I appreciate that you care about me," I smiled. He started to smile widely at me and moved slightly closer to me. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. "I should be the one asking you that question, not the other way around," I chuckled softly. "You've taken care of me enough for one day. Let me take care of you,"

I watched as he went to one corner of the room and came back with two small glasses and a pitcher. "Are you a saltwater or freshwater mermaid?" he asked, placing one of the cups on the small bedside table next to me. I can't tell him that I'm from the human world. The king believes that me and my friend's intruders. He would have our heads if he discovered we were humans.

"I'm a saltwater mermaid. Is that a problem?" I asked, taking a sip from the small glass. The water tasted slightly different, it tastes fresh, and it was crystal clear, unlike the water back on the mainland. "No, there's no problem with it. I'm just curious," Arthuas answered. I moved up in the bed until my back was against the giant headboard. "I don't mean to pry, but do you know why your father won't let you leave the castle?"

Arthuas let out a small sigh, and I started to regret asking him that question. "It's because my mother was killed by The Siren Queen. And ever since, my father wanted to protect me from falling into her clutches. I understand his desire to protect me, but I wish he would let me go out into the city every once in a while," He explained.

"I'm so sorry you lost your mother. I can't imagine the pain you must've felt," Arthuas gave me a sad smile, and I felt the urge to wrap him in my arms once again. "It's okay. I was only a small fry when she died. I don't remember her that well," It's still sad that he lost his mother. I can't imagine what the pain would be like if I lost my mother or father.

I was about to tell him about my siren encounter, but before the words could escape my lips, I heard the faint sound of bells ringing, and I got off the bed and rushed to the balcony to see what was going on. "It's nothing to worry about. The bells ring whenever it becomes nightfall, which means the merfolk will stop performing their duties," Arthuas explained. I let out a breath of relief, knowing that we weren't in any danger.

"You can go outside the castle and meet up with your friends. I have some business I have to take care of," I wasn't sure if Arthuas was playing around or if he was letting me go. But I wasn't going to question him, so I left the prince's chambers and swam through the city, looking for my friends.