It was hard not to swim down the stairs like a siren was at my fins. I was desperate to know if Delphine was down there. Grandfather, please let Delphine be down here. I want to get her out of here. She doesn't deserve to be stuck in a cell., She deserves to be with me. The stairwell was long, and it seemed like we would never find out what was at the end. "Please tell me we're almost at the end. My fin is killing me," Quigley groaned.

As we continued down the stairwell, I heard small voices, and I began to worry that it was some of Queen Esme's guards, but I could've also been a sign that Delphine might be down there. "I think we're almost there," I answered. Soon, we finally reached the end of the long staircase, and we found ourselves in a dark hall with only a few sea lanterns to give the hall an ominous glow.

"This has to be it," Veronica said. I looked back over at her, and I could see that her face was stretched into a look of worry and excitement. "Stay behind me," I whispered. I had never been in a passage like this before, and I began to worry that if we were not careful, one of us could get hurt. "Delphine, are you down here?" I whispered. Slowly, we reached the end of the hall, and I poked my head out into the next hallway, checking for any guards.

Suddenly, I heard groaning noises, and I let out a small gasp. The sound echoed throughout the hall, and I covered a hand over my mouth, preventing another sound from coming out. The sounds of groaning became louder and louder, and I was beginning to wonder where the sound was coming from. I looked back at the stairwell and swam towards it, hoping that the sound was coming from there. "Delphine, is that you?" I asked. "A-Arthuas?" a voice called back. I looked back at the cells, and I saw a small figure in the corner of one of them.

When the figure came into view, I saw that it was indeed Delphine, but she looked different. Small purple and red bruises covered her face and arms, and I could see that her top lip was swollen. "Delphine! Who did this to you?" I asked, reaching my hand into the cell so I could hold her hand. "Q-Queen Esme, and h-her d-daughters," she stuttered. "Don't worry. We are going to get you out of here,"

She looked over my shoulder and looked over at Veronica, Quigley, and Sunny. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you hated me," Delphine asked. "We don't hate you. We were just upset that you lied. You could've just told us that you were scared to tell Arthuas the truth," Quigley explained.

Delphine looked back over at me, and I could see she was nervous. "They told me everything, Delphine. Why didn't you tell me that you were a human?" I asked. She let out a small sob and wiped a tear off her face. "Because I was scared that you would think of me differently. And worse, if your father found out, he would have my head," she tearfully answered.

I ran my hand through a small piece of her hair and gently shushed her as she continued to cry. "I could never think of you differently. I care about you too much," I wanted to tell her that I loved her, but this was not the time nor place to do this. "I hate to break up this romantic moment, but Delphine is still stuck in the cell. How are we going to get her out?" Veronica asked. Right, I need to get her out first, then I'll tell her I love her.

Before I could have the chance to answer Veronica's question, I heard voices coming from down the stairs, and I had a hunch that it was Queen Esme.