Syryn was deeply bothered by a problem that he foolishly hadn't thought about before that moment. He hadn't realised how easy it was to kill him. All one had to do was remove Syryn's transformation amulet while he slept, and the rest would be done by the water. He would drown to death before he even made it out of the palace.

The mage stood before the tall mirror to better look at his amulet. The silver-coloured necklace was snug around his neck. If Syryn had been the maker of the amulet, he would ensure that the necklace was spelled and crafted to withstand accidental removals.

The mage reached back and felt around the loop that secured the necklace around his neck. He was horrified by how easy it was to remove the necklace. Being completely in the dark about the mechanism of the necklace, Syryn decided to leave it alone when he felt the urge to check how fast he would transform after removing the necklace.

Curiosity satisfied, he pushed his hair away and looked in the mirror, admiring his brand new earrings. Drevin had sweet-talked him into getting a dangle earring. It was a simple cylinder bar hanging on a thin silver chain. Right next to it was a hoop earring with a turquoise stone set in it. Seeing how his missing lobe was covered up by the shiny things draped over it, Syryn felt much better about his perceived flaw. The mage tied his hair back in a low ponytail and observed his reflection. He thought he looked acceptable.

___

"Syryn!"

"Shali, Woah! Slow down there!"

"There's a dolphin pod arriving soon! We have to go dolphin riding!"

Just a few days into getting to know Syryn and the princess was already very fond of the human. She liked Syryn's wit, the way he wasn't fake nice to her like some others, his pretty smile, and the stories he made up about the surface world. Shali could tell he was lying through his teeth about the outrageous tales he spun for her. Nevertheless, she loved listening to his stories. The mer princess also felt guilty for being complicit in her mother's machinations but she was helplessly useless. Her stomach curled horribly when she thought about what her mother was planning for Syryn.

"Dolphin riding!" Syryn beamed. "Is it dangerous?"

Shali shook her head vigorously.

"I'm in!"

The princess smiled happily and complimented Syryn for his new piercings.

"All thanks to Drevin," he informed her. "Your brother gifted them to me because I have no money."

"Oh," Shali's smile faltered a little. "Lai'Revi is kind to those he is fond of. He is also good to me." But not to her mother. He hadn't been nice to Grifan either when her big brother was alive.

"Come on Shali, let's go visit him together."

"Visit lai'Revi?" Her eyes went wide. Shali was afraid of what her mother might say if she found out.

"You don't want to?" Syryn was surprised to see the fear in her eyes. Was she afraid of the Silver blue mer?

"I'll come," Shali replied. She could just tell her mother that it had been Syryn's suggestion.

After a short swim, they came to the jellyfish stables where Drevin was toxin milking the arms of a giant jellyfish. It cooperated with his efforts by laying still so Drevin wouldn't get stung by it's barbed harpoons.

"Syryn," the prince said and then noticed the mer Princess beside the human. He appeared surprised but smiled politely. "And Shali-a."

"Lai'Revi," she respectfully addressed him.

"Can i have some of that?" Syryn pointed to the bladder that was filling up with venom.

Drevin raised his brows. "What do you want to do with it?"

"I might need it in the future," Syryn replied. His hoarding nature could not be defeated by a mere bout of amnesia.

"For what? A single drop of this toxin can kill a hundred mers. Do you realise how dangerous this is?"

"Please, Drevin," Syryn pleaded with big wet eyes. "I won't hurt anyone with it."

"I am not so irresponsible, Syryn. I will give it to you only if you can come up with a satisfying reason for why you need it. You have to also convince me that you can be trusted with it."

"How about bartering for it?" Shali suggested in a whisper. "Maybe you can think of something that lai'Revi might want."

From a distance, the prince replied. "There's nothing I am willing to accept. If Syryn accidentally kills himself or someone else with the toxin, I will share in the blame."

Speaking of killing, Syryn wanted to kill the imprisoned mers but he had no idea how to go about it. Jellyfish toxin was no longer an option - not that it ever was - since Drevin would become suspicious. He just had to wait a few more days for the king to pronounce his final judgement.

"Lai'Revi, Syryn and I are going dolphin riding. Why don't you come with us?" Shali asked the silver-blue mer.

Being aware of the machinations of her mother schemes, little Shali invited the prince to their outing. Syryn's guard hovered behind them, a good shield for the human, but Shali believed he wasn't enough to defend Syryn if they were attacked by hostile mers sent by her mother.

"Dolphin riding? I haven't done that in forever."

"Then you have to come, lai'Revi!"

The older half brother smiled. "What about concubine Shaye? Won't you get in trouble with her, Shali-a?"

Shali nodded, suddenly looking nervous. Her mother had been the one to suggest that she take Syryn dolphin riding. Shali was actively foiling her mother's plan to harm Syryn and she would be punished for it.

"Lai'Revi, just pretend we bumped into you on our way to the dolphin pod."

"Why would your mother be upset about you spending time with lai'Revi?" Syryn asked.

The prince glanced at him and there was an uptick of his mouth.

"Concubine Shaye and I don't get along. I think you should go without me," Drevin told the mage and then to his half-sister.

"No! Please, come with us lai'Revi," Shali replied quickly. Her eyes were fraught with worry though she tried to hide her feelings. Shali was still so young that she hadn't learnt to mask her emotions yet.

The mer prince smiled at his half sister. "Shali, did you miss big brother this much?"

"Y-yes!"

Drevin patted her on the head. "Lai'Revi will bump into you and then you must pretend that you don't want me to accompany the both of you," he instructed her very quietly. "That way, concubine Shaye won't have reason to suspect that you invited me."

The mer princess nodded gratefully.

Syryn found the entire thing tiresome and sad. When siblings had to lie and make up fake scenarios to spend time with each other, it meant there was something very wrong with the parents.