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Marilla's hand clutch the back of my shirt as the wetness of her tears stains the cloth. I hold her head to my chest while my other arm firmly remains wrapped around her waist in an embrace.

I feel my heart boil with a strange anger at every silent cry erupting fron the siren in my arms.

"Hey, fishy. Its okay." I mumble into her hair holding her close.

My hand carresses the blue silky locks of her hair, brisking in how they're as soft as they look.

Marilla remains quiet at my words. Her grip on my shirt grows tighter but she speaks nothing. Ofcourse, the stubborn girl would never.

But then the realisation knocks me that she's still disturbed by whatever had gotten her crying in the first place.

"What ha-" My words pause as I hear distant footsteps approaching.

An almost inaudible sigh of defeat despite the sniffles leaves Marilla's lips as she lets go of my shirt and starts backing away from the embrace instantly.

My eyes narrow the way it's evident in her every action that she doesn't want the least bit to talk to the people looking for her. But at the same time, she knows she doesn't have a choice. Because she's the queen, the ruler of the kingdom. And a ruler is obliged to listen to their subjects' every nagging and bla bla bla.

I better than anyone could understand how frustrating it becomes at times

The footsteps grow closer and the air of irritation and defeat within Marilla grows more and more making me annoyed at the people approaching her as well.

They should just let her be, for a teeny while at least! But if they weren't going to give her that peace, I can damn well do the deed myself.

When Marilla's almost out of my arms, I pull her back closer and hold her tighter. Palming the back of her head, I tuck her head to my chest with one hand and the other tightens it's hold around her waist.

Marilla raises her head to look up at me with squinted teary eyes, "What are you-"

Before she can complete the sentence, the dark smokeless clouds of my power shroud us.

Not seconds later, we're in my room back in Helvon.

Marilla jerks away from me the moment we're back on our footing.

Her face is brimmed with annoyance but the still remnants of tears in her eyes make her look like a fiery little thing, "The heck did you bring me here? I have to be there!"

Ignoring her fuming, "How old were you when your sister. . ." My words waver not knowing how to say it without hurting her sentiments.

"Tried to kill me?" She lets out a humorless laugh, "I was thirteen. Got your answer? Now teleport me back to Seagill. My people want me to be there."

I ignored the last two sentences and held her shoulders as a brewing anger started building in me, "So they wanted a thirteen-year-old to kill her own sister?"

Marilla's fists clench and she looks away avoiding my gaze.

"Even if your sister had always been cruel, you were just thirte-"

"No." Her head whips my way and her gaze drills at me.

"What?"

"She wasn't always cruel. She was. . .she used to be. . ." Her throat clogs and I see fresh set of tears fill her eyes but before I can glance at them, she turns her head the other way again.

And then I hear a soft painful murmur, "She used to be such a nice sister. . . ."

My eyes stay fixed on Marilla's face as a tear slants down the slope of her cheek. She rubs them away harshly with her palm but more tears trail down. She brushes them away again but when they don't stop, she drops her hand frustratingly and looks at anything but me.

My hands itch to wipe away the tears but I stay put knowing she had so much more to say, so much more annoyance built inside her and now if I advanced, she'd probably build back the walls.

Marilla needed to let it out. And if I could be there for her in anyway, I would be.

"Then what changed, Marilla?" I ask softly, my thumb absently rubbing circles on her shoulders.

I expect her to not retort at all but then I'm surprised. Maybe she's way too upset to keep up the unbothered facade anymore that she actually speaks.

Her lips quiver as she chews at them, "She changed, when I took the throne instead of her. My sister....Layla....she tried to....kill me and created a rebellion against Seagill. And now the merfolks want me to kill her. . ."

Marilla's head turns back to me as fresh set of tears streams down her eyes. But this time, they aren't sad. They're more angry than anything else,

"All they want is for me to do everything they say. My mother told me to take the oath to be the ruler before she died. Ursula told me to stop caring about people's feelings to be a better queen. The merfolks told me to barricade my sister from the kingdom. And then when Layla started creating chaos by making her own rebellion army and started attacking the merfolks, they said I should kill my sister."

Those tears run down faster and a sudden sadness wells her eyes, "I never wanted the throne. Never wanted to take my sister's place and break her dreams to be the queen. I never wanted the kingdom or any of this. I was never even prepared for these responsibilities. I was just supposed to be the stupid little princess without any burden. Yet I'm just dumped with all of it without any choice. And now they want me to just be cool with it and go kill her. When I'm not able to, they just decide to hate me and look at me as if I'm the one responsible for everything bad happening to them. Even I've lost my friends, my folks, so many people because of all of this. Even I feel the pain. They don't understand that I do try my best to end Layla but I just ca-"

Before she can complete her rant, I wrap my arms around Marilla's form taking her by surprise.

Resting my chin on the top of her head, "Stay here for as long as you want. I'll tell the stupid merfolks that I kidnapped and hid their queen somewhere. Now either they could wait till my mood appears to let you go or if they have a problem, they could go fuck themselves. Even if this is going overboard, I don't care."

My fingers tangle through those soft blue tresses again as I hold her close in the safety of my arms, occasionally rubbing her back up and down in a way to calm her, "You don't have to face them yet, Fish."

Marilla stays still as a statue seeming suddenly speechless and for some reason, it has a mischievous smile quirking up on my lips despite the heavy atmosphere.

"Never knew I could make you this speechless. But then I should've known. I mean who wouldn't be speechless around me? I'm so hot." My words drip in raw smugness.

Marilla's elbow hits my ribs, "In your dreams." She mumbles through fading sniffles.

But then almost unnoticeable, her arms wrap around my torso and her head rests on my chest.

I blink as her sudden acceptance of my embrace brings a warm feeling in my heart and the delusional organ decides to beat extra loud for no reason.

Marilla's arms tighten the slightest bit around me and I blink again.

"Why's your heart thundering like a broken machine?" Her breath fans my very much clothed chest but it still doesn't prevent the strange chill from running down my spine.

"It can't thunder. It does not have clouds for that." The moment the words leave my mouth, I realize that it has to be the lamest thing I've ever spoken.

Marilla seems to think the same.

"That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard." She murmurs but then a second later, there's a slight almost controlled chuckle.

I don't know why but the sound of her laugh has a wide smile stretching on my lips, "Well atleast I'm funny."

"In your dreams." She says again, the chuckle growing a tad bit louder.

My smile extends as my hand around her waist dips to her lower back, "What's with you and dreams? Tell me babe, do you wish to see me in your wildest dreams? Is that why you mention them so often?"

This time the nudge on my ribs is harsh as it sends me stumbling back a few steps and her whisking out of my arms.

"Ouch. That was brutal." I hold my not-so-aching ribs which will heal in a few seconds.

Marilla's hands settle on her hips as she gives me a creepy smile with the tears now long dried on her cheeks, "Remember I told you how I'd kick you where the sun doesn't shine if you call me that again? Thank the heavens I went easier and spared your 'friend'."

"No, I think that's not it." The quirky smile returns to my lips as I take a step closer to her and then another and then another.

Marilla being Marilla doesn't move an inch and looks at me with suspicious challenging eyes.

When I'm in front of her, the mischievousness inside me grows. I pick a strand of her blue hair and twirl it around my index finger.

"Maybe you spared my 'friend' because you knew that it'd be a true pain to dismember such an amazing di---Woah, woman!"

I try to hold her ankle before she could hit my said 'friend' but my shocked state has me pulling at the ankle which makes Marilla's footing slip ahead and her body fall backwards.

Me being the dumb me forgets to let go of her feet and that has me stumbling forward as well.

And that's how the fall from grace happens, ladies and gentleman.

Thankfully, Marilla had been standing at the foot of the bed. So when she falls, her back lands on the soft mattress of the bed. I hold myself up on my arms right on time so that I don't go crushing her with my weight.

With arms caging her on the bed like from a few days ago, I stare down at the siren in awe.

Marilla's blue hair is messily splayed over the black mattress. Her skin looks glossier under the dim lighting of the starry ceiling above. And those cerulean eyes, when they look up at me through hooded lashes. . . .

My brain stops working.

Don't look at her lips. Don't look at her lips.

DO. NOT. LOOK. AT. HER. LIPS. ZANDER.

But ofcourse, the chant goes to no avail as the next moment, I find my gaze dropping to the plumpness of her lips. And God forbid if I didn't suddenly ache to feel them against mine. . .

Oh God Zander! Get a grip on yourself!

Jerking of off her as if I got electrocuted, I stand up back on my footing and run a hand through the frizzled hair falling in front of my eyes.

"Ah, that was a messy fall. Why are you always falling?" I blabber looking anywhere but at her to stop the damned thoughts running in my head.

Marilla quickly follows, getting off herself and straightening her clothes, "Not my fault that you're annoying."

Despite the red flags in my head, I glance her way and at the very same time, she looks up with those sultry distracting siren gaze. Her head tilts to the side as she bites her bottom lip in a way as if amused by something on my face.

But my darned brain only decides to look at the lips. My throat goes dry filling my head with bizarre things again.

Gosh, mate bonds are something else. I need to get out of here and clear my head before I do something really stupid.

"I'll go take care of the merfolks. You can rest here until then. Tata. Bye bye." I turn around from her ready to flee.

Before she can say anything, I will my powers to the surface and teleport myself to the hallways of the castle we were in a few minutes ago.

*

The smell of medicines and air freshners lingers in the air from the infirmary of Seagill's castle.

I let out a loud sigh trying to shake some sense into my brain but all I could remember was how I was just seconds away from kis-

Agh Zander what was wrong with you?

Letting out a groan, I hold my head with both my hands. Although from the corner of my eyes, I catch sight of someone familiar standing at the end of the hallway.

"Derek? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Helvon?" I ask teleporting in front of him.

Derek's eyes takes an alarmed look at my presence. He glances behind me as if searching for something.

"Dude, where's Marilla?" My bestfriend asks and there's an edge to his voice.

My brows furrow as Marilla's second-in-command Ursula and Avyana walk up next to Derek with equally worried faces.

"What's wrong?" I try to stop the sudden fear clawing at me.

"Where the hell did you take our queen?!" Ursula yells, fumingly.

My eyes squint at the womam as I take a menacing step ahead, "You have no right to speak to me like that."

Avyanna steps in between the green haired woman and me.

The High King's second-in-command's amber eyes look up at me, "Your highness, it's serious."

"Will you tell me whats wrong or not?" My voice picks up a no-nonsense dangerous tone and I see Derek try to step in front of Avyanna.

But Avyanna answers before anyone else, "Layla. She's in Helvon. We saw her there. And if Layla is out of the black sea, then it means Marilla is in danger."

Helvon. . .

I left Marilla in Helvon. . .

Oh shit.

Sheez indeed💀

What do you think will happen now?