Melody sighed in pleasure as she sunk into the shallow pool of cool, salty water that lapped at the shore beside the castle. She glanced around to make sure she was alone before slipping entirely under the water and swimming into the small half-tunnel below the wall. The first few times she had entered it, she had had the absurd feeling that the wall would collapse around her, but she had long gotten past the temporary claustrophobia. She grasped one of the slimy, algae-covered poles that barred her path and pulled up. It slid out of the hole in the bedrock and she wedged it aside, making a gap just barely large enough for her to wriggle through. Then she slid the bar back into its slot and swam away from the wall, into the open waters of the ocean.

Once she had swum some distance away, she tried to wipe off some of the greenish residue that had rubbed off onto her undershirt, frowning in displeasure; She would have to get this washed, and that might raise some questions as to where she had gotten such a stain "in her room." She hadn't had this problem when she was twelve, but she had been smaller and much more flat-chested then. At fifteen, she was having trouble fitting through the bars. Soon she was going to have to try and loosen another one if she was going to continue this secret swims.

Sighing, Melody dipped her head under the water and ran her fingers through her long black hair, loving the way it fanned out around her. The she pulled it back with a ribbon, the better to keep it out of her eyes. She kicked out a few more times, headed toward a clump of rocks that she knew hid a hidden grotto filled with cool trinkets and abandoned stuff. She had a stash hidden in a drawer in her room that contained many of the things she had pulled from this treasure trove, things that were completely useless to most people, but that kept her fascinated for little to no reason. She often found herself wondering over who it had belonged to, or what significance it may have contained for its owner.

She took a deep breath and dove under the water, blinking through the salty water toward the carpet of glittering knick-knacks on the rock shelves below. She kicked out behind her, driving herself down toward them, eyes intent on a silver brooch on the nearest ledge. She pick it up, pushing up on the water to keep herself from floating to the surface, and turn it over in front of her eyes. It was beautiful, with delicate engravings over its smooth surface and emeralds littered across its surface. Small tendrils of metal twisted gracefully toward the middle to form a detailed rose, in the middle of which was a ruby the size of a pebble that was crusted over with dirt. She rubbed her finger across its surface, trying to wipe away the remnants of years on the sea bottom. She thought she could make out curly writing on its face and began to scrape at it with her fingernail.

Her lungs began to burn for air and she propelled herself toward the surface, brooch clutched in her hand. She broke the surface and gasped for breath, wondering idly how long she had been under. She brought up the brooch, squinting in the bright light, and tried again to scratch the dirt off of it to see the inscription on the ruby, but all she succeeding in revealing was that she had exceedingly weak fingernails. Sighing, she placed it on a nearby rock, hoping that it wouldn't get washed down again, and turned back to the grotto. She took a breath and slid under the surface. She glanced around at the things littering the top few layers and saw nothing of immediate interest. She swam downward toward the lower levels, searching for something worth the little time she had left before she had to return to the castle for lunch. She was about to give up when a flash of gold caught her attention from the very bottom of the grotto. She began to swim toward it when her lungs began to throb again. She returned to the surface to replenish her stores of oxygen. Pushing her hair out of her face, she looked around to make sure that the brooch was still there. Satisfied, she took another deep breath and prepared to dive again.

"Oi!" She whipped around to see a boy standing on the shore beside a cart piled high with food from the marketplace down the road. He was looking at her, hand shading his eyes from the sun. She gasped and dropped below the water. She stayed there for as long as she could, hoping the boy hadn't recognized her and waiting for him to leave. She stayed down long after her lungs began burning and she was feeling lightheaded. Finally, she broke the surface, gasping for breath. She looked toward the shore and saw that the boy was still there, looking anxious.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Princess? Princess Melody?!"

Panicking, Melody swam hurriedly behind the rock with the brooch on it and sunk lower in the water. She heard footsteps coming toward her, boots slapping wetly on the shore. Cursing, she took a breath and dove beneath the surface, swimming as fast as she could toward the tunnel with the bars, trying to reach it in one breath. When she reached it, she chanced a breath and looked back to see the boy standing on the shore beside the small trail of rocks beside the grotto, looking puzzled as to where she had gone and holding the brooch in his hands. Before he could look around for her, she entered the tunnel, moved the bar, and swam through, leaving it out of its hole in her haste. She tried to remain under the shallow water as long as possible, but she soon had to clamber out and run toward the trellis covered in vines that climbed up the side of the castle.

She scaled the trellis easily, not stopping for breath until she had slipped through her open window and stood, wet and cold, on the towels she had laid out ahead of time. Worried that the boy might come looking for her to confirm what he had seen, she stripped out of her wet undergarments, threw them in the laundry hamper and threw some dry clothes on top of them. Then she toweled dry as quickly as she could and put on dry underthings and a simple but elegant green dress. She squeezed the water out of her hair with a towel and threw the towels into the bathroom as well. Running a comb through her damp hair, she scrounged up a green ribbon from some corner of her wardrobe and began braiding it into a section of her hair just as a knock sounded from her door.

"Come in," she called, putting on a façade of innocence. Sure enough, it was the boy. He stepped inside, keeping a hand on the door and looking very uneasy. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, making it stand on end in the back.

"Princess Melody," he said, bowing respectfully. "I, um…If I may, may I ask where you have been for the past few minutes?" he asked, sounding as if he thought she was going to get angry. She smiled at him and he relaxed slightly.

"I was bathing, getting ready to go to lunch," she said, glad for the excuse to explain her wet hair and the towels in her bathroom. The boy didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded, accepting her lie without question. "Why?"

"Uh, well…Nothing, my Lady," he said, averting his blue-green eyes embarrassedly. He ran his fingers through his hair again, casting around for something to say. "I-I, should probably get back to the kitchens, my Lady. Good day."

"To you as well," she said as he hurriedly back out of her room and shut the door behind him. She turned back to the mirror on her vanity, smiling at how flustered the boy had seemed. She realized that she hadn't gotten his name. She finished braiding the strip of green satin into her hair and tucked the braid behind her ear. As she slipped on the green slippers that matched the dress, she observed that his eyes had been the same color as the sea. Smiling again, she headed down to lunch.

* * *

Melody entered one of the large dining rooms to see her parents already seated at the long mahogany table, her father at the head and her mother to his right. They were both looking at her.

"Melody, you're late," her father said, sounding concerned. "Where were you?"

Melody took her seat quickly on his other side. "I'm sorry I'm late, I was bathing," she said smoothly, sticking to her lie. They expected it, although her mother seemed a little skeptical, and her father snapped his fingers. A line of servants come out of the kitchen, each carrying a platter of food, which they placed on the table in front of them. The food smelled delicious and made Melody's stomach growl; swimming always made her hungry. His father snapped again and a servant ran out of the kitchen to pour them drinks. Her parents had goblets of wine, but Melody was poured a glass of milk. She looked up to smile at the server and saw the boy. She smiled at him, and he smiled back shyly, looking flustered again. She giggled to herself as he practically fled to the kitchen. Her mother looked at her speculatively, and she stopped.

The three of them ate quietly, intent on their individual meals, until her mother looked up at her, smirking slightly.

"So, Melody," her mother said, in that teasing tone that immediately made her daughter nervous. "Your sixteenth birthday is coming up. We're almost done planning your ball. Do you, uh, have a date?" Melody gaped at her mother, horrified that she would ask such a personal question in front of her father, who was looking suddenly very intensely at her.

"Mom!" she hissed, and her mother just smiled ingenuously at her. "No, I don't, and I don't think I will!"

"Why not?" her mother asked, sounding surprised.

"Because there are no boys here, duh," Melody said, uncomfortable discussing this subject with her father scrutinizing her. "Who would I possibly have to go with when I hardly ever leave the castle?"

"There are plenty of boys here," her mother said.

"Not really."

"Ariel, it's okay if Melody doesn't want a date for her ball," her father said. "Honey, it is perfectly fine. Wait as long as you like to start dating." Her mother hit him on the arm playfully, saying, "Stop that.

"Are you sure? What about that boy that just pou—"

"No, really, Mom, it's fine, I promise" Melody assured her mother loudly. "I really don't need a date."

"Well, okay. If that's what you want," her mother said, looking disappointed, and rather suspicious about her hasty interruption. Melody's father snapped again and two servants hurried to collect up the plates and take them back to the kitchen. "Go on, Melody. It's time for your lessons." Melody hugged her parents and headed off to her tutor's office, not looking forward to four hours stuck in a stuffy room with a stuffy old man teacher her completely uninteresting stuff. Wonderful.