A/N: Because this is what happens when I go on a Disney kick while watching too many versions of the musical "Elisabeth." This starts.

So, this is very different from every other story I've read, but it's got the same elements, just twisted into something disturbing.

The names are me butchering German names so it fits with everything else. However, titles are the same of the Wittelsbach, the family that this is based off of. Numbers of siblings and children are accurate. The titles are half normal and half in Hungarian, because I've been watching too many Hungarian musicals as well.

Also, I own nothing of Disney.

The Countess (formerly Hercegnő) Ludovika Witternsbal and the County Machim Witternsbal of the Salt Lands were not known to be overly faithful to each other, especially after the birth of their ninth and last child, the little Duchess Agulstine. She was a child with a weak mind, just like the rest of them and that drove a wedge between the two.

Countess Ludovika took to travelling outside of their native land, in the foreign golden sands where she had to wear coverings on her hair to hide the tiny jeweled horns (males had larger horns) and not let anyone see her feet with its distinctive pointed heel, while County Machim traversed their own land, studying his own existence and societal differences among the races. Their children remained in their castle, safe from the Wind Jackals that hunted in the bluffs near their home.

However, once Ludovika returned, she was carrying a tiny bundle safe in her arms. Her eldest daughter, Amali, greeted her first, and stared down at it.

"Mother," she said. "What is that?"

"This is your newest brother," said Ludovika. And she swept off, leaving Amali there, astounded. So, she hurried to where her brother was studying magic and knocked on the door.

"Enter," he called. Upon entering, Leeno, the eldest son, looked up and smiled. "Hello Amali. Here to spare me my studies?"

"Not exactly," Amali said, kneeling down across from him on the low table. "Mother has returned."

"Wonderful!"

"But she has brought someone with her."

"Who? Oh, has Uncle Lud finally gone off the deep end and Cousin Talia is living with us?"

"No…no, she says we have a new brother. But Father and Mother haven't been together in ages…"

"No, she did not lie with a human!" said Leeno, shocked, his ears (the only visible sign of their father's tie to elfish blood) flattening against his head.

"What else could explain it? Our kind does not exist outside of this land, we all know this. What else could it have been?" Leeno let out a frustrated growl, and surged to his feet.

"I need to speak with mother." And he was gone.

Ludovika was infatuated with her newest child. She had lain with a human, yes, but he had been so kind and so handsome. Yes, he had been engaged to a nice human woman, but he had seen her pointed teeth and had grown curious.

And now Ludovika had a brand new and beautiful son. She had tested his mind herself, and it was resilient and would not break like anyone else in their family. Such a handsome baby too, giggling and laughing.

"Aren't you just precious!" she cooed. The nurse for the family, Nell, was sitting with her in the nursery, bouncing baby Agulstine on her knee. Agulstine was two years old, but still a baby to Nell.

"He is handsome, for being half human," said Nell, her skin shining like a hummingbird's feathers as she cocked her head to get a better look at the boy. "What did you say his name is?"

"Mozenrath," said Ludovika, tickling her laughing baby. Nell nodded, but thought to herself; "His name is too similar to his brother's. Who would want to live in the shadow of Nalzenrath? Too big a shadow, too dark."

"Mother?" The two women looked up at the new voice, and saw Ludovika's eldest son, Leeno, standing there.

"Leeno!" said Ludovika, standing with a smile. "Are you here to see your newest brother?"

"Mother, I came to ask where he came from! Why did you lie with a human?"

"Hush, darling, you'll upset Mozenrath."

"He has a name."

"Of course he has a name. What else would we call him? 'It'? Besides, you cannot pass judgment without knowing the man."

"Then tell me about him, Mother."

"Let me put your brother down for a nap first. And if it will pacify you at all, look here." She angled Mozenrath's head towards her eldest son, parting the wispy black hair to show where the beginning traces of jeweled horns were already peering through the skin. Leeno's hand went to his own horns, rather impressive horns thank you.

"So he is like us."

"We are not genetically recessive, my son." Passing the baby to Nell, she took her son's arm and asked, "Where is Mathilde?"

"She is with Kal at the Chiem. They're looking for shells." And they made their way to the Possenhof Bay in the huge oasis they were built by, directly next to the waterfall.

And indeed, on the shore, barefoot with a chaperone, were two of Ludovika's children. They were titled since birth as they all were; the Duke Kal Teonar Witternsbahl in Breyr and the Duchess Mathilde Ludovika Witternsbahl in Breyr (Breyr being the providence the Salt Lands were in).

"Children!" she called. They turned, and their chaperone bowed in greeting to the Countess and Duke, future Count. "Children, I want to talk to you." The two ran to her, their clothes still held above their knees and barefoot.

"What is it, Mama?" asked Kal. Mathilde and Kal were among the youngest of the nine, now ten. They would be the first to accept their newest brother.

"I'm happy you're back, Mama," said Mathilde.

"As I am happy to be back, darling. Now, children, when I was out there in the other lands, do you know who I met?"

"Was it a prince?"

"I bet it was a Genie!" said Kal. Leeno smiled at his siblings. They were so innocent, only seven and six years old.

"It was a human," said Ludovika. "And he was very nice. I had to keep my horns and feet covered, because no human looks like us."

"Because we're Crystalline Horn, Elf, and Selkie!" said Kal (he had learned about it, and was proud to tell anyone who he knew about how a Selkie Lord had been the father of his great-great-great-great grandfather).

"Indeed," said Leeno. "But how about we let mother finish her story?" the two fell obediently silent and Ludovika smiled at him.

"Now, this human man saw my horns because a parrot thought my hijaab was pretty and stole it right off my head. But he was only curious about them. We spent a lot of time together, and do you know what?"

"What?" asked Mathilde.

"We had a child."

"You had a kid with someone who isn't Papa?"

"Why?" asked Kal.

"Yes, mother, why would you do that?" asked Leeno.

Ludovika shot him a look and said, "Because I thought I loved him. He saw me as a curiosity, but I thought just long enough that I loved him. But, the child is the most wonderful half-human baby I've ever seen with a strong mind and strong magic. And I love him. He's just as much mine as you are. Please help me explain this to your siblings?"

"Of course! And Papa too!" declared Mathilde. "I want to meet him!"

And so, by the time Count Machim returned to Castle Possenhof, baby Mozenrath was already beloved by his nine siblings. Upon the Count's return, he was welcomed by his children and his oddly affectionate wife, before someone brought up Mozenrath.

He took it badly.

"I know we haven't been the happiest couple since Agulstine, but a human, Ludovika? A human! Am I so little to you?" he raged, pacing their shared room.

"No, Machim, I love you! I know that now!" she said. "I was used by that human. He made me think that he loved me and I thought I loved him. But it's done, Machim! I will never go back there as long as I live and I swear that to you!" she went to him and held him. "Please."

He was still angry, but he could not stay long at her for long, nine children had proved that. "I want to see this child."

She took his hand and led him to the nursery, where Mozenrath was asleep. She picked him up, and he did not wake. Machim took him into his arms, watching the little boy. His fingers found the beginnings of the horns, the feet with the oddly shaped heel distinctive of the elves, and the pale skin that everyone in their land had grown to have.

The only hint that he was human was the nose, a straight nose he had never seen on the face of anyone in the land, the round ears, and the fingernails, which were present.

"He truly is of our blood," said Machim softly.

"Yes, he is mine. And now he is yours," said Ludovika. He looked up at her a moment, and held the baby closer.

Mozenrath grew up. His father had given him two more names and had named him his child, so now he was Duke Mozenrath Amal Eugenen Witternsbahl in Beyr, the youngest child of the Count of the Salt Lands. His father grew more and more fond of him until he was the man's favorite, doted on but never spoiled.

They started calling him "Mimzy" (thanks to his father) and he gave his sister a nickname, Duchess Hélené Carlio Teren Witternsbahl of Beyr becoming simply "Néné" because "Hélené" was too hard for him.

It was in the twenty seventh year that Lord Destane was king that Mozenrath turned six years old. Upon his sixth birthday he and his sister three years his elder, Hélené, went to visit their Uncle, Király Machimil Josep Witternsbahl, in his Nympen Palace by the capital of Beyr.

It was there that Mozenrath met the one he would keep in close confidence the rest of his life, his cousin, Herceg Lud Ott Friederik Witternsbahl. The two boys became inseparable, talking until all hours of the night and running through the gardens. They went riding, escorted of course, until the sun set, and within the four weeks they were in Nympen, Mozenrath grew a reputation of fondness for and skill on horses.

When they returned to Possenhof, they were greeted by their father, who promptly bought Mozenrath a brand new mare (tame so she wouldn't hurt his son) and took him out in a boat to see the swarms of eels in the Chiem, his favorite animal.

And that autumn, when the eels' mating season was over and the new eggs were being protected by the females, Mozenrath's brother five years his elder, Duke Wim Kal Witternsbahl in Beyr, grew horribly sick.

Mozenrath was kept out of the sickroom no matter how he begged, because his immune system (being half human) was weak and he fell ill far more often than any of his family had at his age.

Finally, five days after the solstice, Wim Kal died. The fever had plagued his body and no doctor, medical nor magical, could cure him.

His mother fell into despair, and everyone had to wear red, the color of blood and therefore mourning, for a whole year. And Mozenrath was sad too, but not as much as his siblings. Wim had always held him at a bit of a distance, he was extremely pious, and his mother's adultery had never sat well with him.

His third eldest brother, Nalzenrath, took up hunting, spending ages away at the hunting lodges. His sister Hélené took him into the studies she had been in so often lately and taught him little magic tricks, telling him that the color of their magic told them how powerful it was to keep his mind off of their brother (his magic was bluish green, hers was violet). His sister four years older, Mathilde, weaved, his parents spent hours in the chapel praying, and everyone knew something heavy settled over the Castle Possenhof.

Nalzenrath died in a hunting accident not six months after Wim died. The news came the same day that one of the ships on the Chiem mistook Possenhof Bay for the port a few miles down the beach, County Machim learning literally the moment he got onto dry land after helping move the ship out of where it was caught.

"Nalzenrath is dead!" Ludovika wailed, throwing herself into his arms. Machim caught his wife, holding her tight, horrified. He lost two sons, and that is a crushing blow to anyone, noble or not.

But, once the year was up, Mozenrath was happy to finally get out of the red clothes, going instead to the blue he liked so much. He, at seven, was already known for being a child who wanted his own way and was upset when he couldn't.

Both his brothers were buried in the castle chapel, and he left them seashells every day, not flowers because neither liked flowers. Hélené still spent most of her time in the studies, practicing magic and language (both of which he liked quite a bit and was pretty good at) and Mozenrath could not understand why.

So, he asked his father about it, when he took Mozenrath, Mathilde, Kal, and Agulstine out to the Chiem to look for shells and play. "Papa," he asked, "why is Néné always in the studies? Why doesn't she want to play with us?"

"Hélené is preparing for something very big, Mimzy," said Machim, picking up Mathilde and swinging her over a large puddle in the sand. He picked up Mozenrath and did the same for him. "Best not disturb her.

"But she gets to learn Arabic! Why can't I?"

"You will, Mimzy. When you're older."

"I'm seven years old!"

"And your sister is ten years old. Be patient. Kal! Kal, step away from that tidepool!" and Machim ran ahead, pulling his son away.

"It's not so bad, Mimzy," said Agulstine, taking his hand and walking with him. "I still can't speak Arabic. Mama says I start my lessons next year."

"I have to wait? But I love languages!" said Mozenrath. Agulstine frowned at him, and hugged him.

"I hate them. I'd let you learn for me if I could."

And so the rest of the day was spent on the shores.

When Mozenrath turned eight, he found a little eel stranded on the beach, slowly dying. He had gone to the Chiem with just an escort, escaping his visitingrelatives, Hercegnő Amali Agulst Wettin in Sek and Herceg Jol Wettin in Sek (Mozenrath's uncle had too long a name for him to ever try to remember. Even in adulthood, he could not be called upon to recite all fifteen names of his uncle Jol).

The eel was gasping, flapping to get to the water. Mozenrath, uncaring about the fine blue and black clothes he was wearing, took it, and ran waist deep into the water, depositing the eel in the water. It lay there, still in his hands for about thirty seconds, long enough to Mozenrath to believe that it was dead and long enough for his escort to go in after the young Duke.

However, the eel soon moved, swimming about the two before poking its head out of the water.

"You're a longfin!" gasped Mozenrath in recognition.

Longfin eels were rare in the Chiem, since he was five and the Giant Mottled Eels had had a larger birth rate. However, the Longfins could live up to a hundred years and were known for their magic. One of Mozenrath's favorite times of year was in the winter, when the male Longfins returned to the freshwater in the east. He would sit with his family by the waterfall, and watch as hundreds of the eels flew right out of the falling waters, soaring through the air and out of sight.

"Highness, come along," said his escort. "You did a good deed, saving its life, but now—ah!" he cut himself off when the eel squirted water at him, catching him in the eye. Mozenrath burst out laughing. The eel splashed him too, but only a little.

"Can you understand us?" he asked.

"Yes," said the eel. Occasionally the magic in them allowed them to talk, but it was rare. "My name is Xerxes. Who are you?"

"I am Duke Mozenrath Amal Eugenen Witternsbahl in Beyr. But my family calls me Mimzy."

"And we must be going back," said his escort more forcefully, his eye still closed. "Truly, highness, you need to get out of these clothes now and wash."

"No. And I'm a Duke so I get say-so," said the boy, before turning to the eel again. "How did you get on the beach?"

"Wave. I got caught by surprise. Thank you for saving me."

"Of course! My father and I go sailing often, just so I can see eels like you."

"You like us?"

"I love your species! Especially longfins."

"Marble eels are cruel. I don't like them."

"They scare me a bit," admitted Mozenrath. "They're longer than my mother is tall!" The eel, Xerxes, grinned, a strange sight but not too bad of one, and rose out of the water, flying in a tight circle around Mozenrath before settling on his shoulder.

"I like you," said the eel. "May I stay with you? I have no mate."

"I would love you too! But I'm only eight, so I need to ask my family first."

"And to do that we need to go back. Come along," said Mozenrath's escort, splashing to herd the boy back to shore. Picking up the boy's shoes from where they had been dropped when the Duke had ran into the salt water, he hurried him back to the Castle.

After washing and changing, Mozenrath went to dinner, Xerxes laying on his shoulder again, his tail flicking the boy's elbow every minute or two.

"Mimzy, what is that?" asked his eldest sister Amali, causing everyone to look.

"My word, is that an eel?" asked Aunt Amali, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Yes, Aunt Amali. He's an eel," said Mozenrath, sitting at his place, Xerxes moving to lay on the chair behind him. "His name is Xerxes. He's thirty four and doesn't have a mate. This was his first migration."

"Pleasure to have you, Xerxes," said Machim calmly, looking up from his meal.

"Pleasure to be here," said Xerxes, inclining his head. Mozenrath turned and grinned at the meal.

"He asked if he could stay here, Papa," said Mozenrath. "May he? Please?"

"Your son is a very nice boy. He saved my life and I'd like to return the favor."

"Well…he is polite," said Leeno, blinking at the eel.

"I believe that decision is your parents'," said Uncle Jol, simply taking a bite of fish.

"Ludovika?" asked Machim. The Countess folded her hands (always a sign of interrogation) and turned to her youngest son.

"Mozenrath. You have wanted for nothing in your life thus far. Lessons on magic, art, music, dancing, and etiquette, fine clothes, a small boat for yourself, a tame mare, toys to play with and trips to the beach of the Chiem whenever you want. Tell me, my son. Do you truly need the company of this eel you saved?" she asked.

Mozenrath's siblings, the seven that remained alive, looked away to let him make his choice without pressure, his aunt and uncle's nine children staring either at the boy or the eel. "Well…" started Mozenrath, "I don't need his company, but he's nice and he can talk and fly and live outside of water when he's prepared, and…well, in my magic lessons, it's always said that a good sorcerer needs a familiar to bond with. That each lends the other magic and makes a sorcerer more powerful. So, I…we were thinking that maybe he could be my familiar?"

There was silence at the table before one of Mozenrath's oldest cousins, Alber (he had fourteen names, all his cousins there had far too many names for young Mozenrath to remember), said, "Having a familiar at such a young age is a good thing. They can grow and bond together."

"You make a good point, nephew," said Ludovika. "Very well, Mimzy. Xerxes may stay. But you must keep water for him to be in and you may not feed him everything you don't want to eat."

And so Mozenrath got a familiar of his favorite species in the world. They were instantly close, Xerxes eating what Mozenrath couldn't stomach at that time (he could not have dairy when he was six, and now he was beginning to feel ill from red meat). During lessons, the eel would tell the boy things and he would struggle not to laugh while his history teacher told all about the Great Slaughter that led to their land being the only one with all the species that made up his heritage "excluding humans of course. You are an exotic young one in that regard, highness." It truly would be bad to burst into laughter while his tutor was talking about the rounding up and slaughter of every elf, faun, and centaur outside of their land.

When Mozenrath was nine, there was to be a grand gathering of nine of his mother's ten siblings and their families (that was thirty eight cousins and fifty seven people in Castle Possenhof in total!). So, County Machim, being an only child, decided that he would flee, travelling for a month in the far north of their land, to study the matrimonial ceremonies of the half-man-half-snake species in the northern mountains. Xerxes had fled to the Chiem to meet with his kind with some half-baked story about how if he got there early for mating season there may be more of a chance to find a mate (there was something in there too about two females, Amestris and Atossa, who might be willing to mate with him but Mozenrath didn't care).

His father was leaving the day of the gathering, so Mozenrath slipped away from Nell and found his father.

"Mama's siblings are coming today," he said, having pounced upon his father.

"Indeed they are," agreed Machim.

"Nell says that I can't avoid it, that I can't go climb the cherry tree or go to the Chiem. Why can't I go with you, Papa?"

"Because you can't."

"But I love to do everything you do! Riding, writing poems…please?"

"No. Besides, life goes too quickly. I don't have enough time to get bored with family gatherings. You are nine, you have time and more to have one afternoon of boredom."

"But…I could carry your Zither for you!"

"No, Mimzy. Be brave, I'll be back." And he kissed the boy's head, and left the room, Nodding to Nell's questioning glance. The nurse went inside and found the boy still standing there.

"Come along, my little Duke," she said. "We have family to meet."

"I hate it. When I grow up, I am going to join the circus. I could ride horses or dance on the tightrope," said Mozenath with absolute certainty.

Nell smiled and said, "I'm sure you will. But for now you are a Duke in Beyr and you have family to see. Your cousin Lud will be there." And that got Mozenrath running.

Indeed the boy was there, so they stood away from the rest as far as they could, Mozenrath telling his cousin all about saving Xerxes and how the eel had become one of his best friends. Lud told him about how his parents were already looking for someone for him to marry and he really didn't want to, but he was the eldest so he had to.

"I hate it when our parents keep talking about getting married," said Lud, kicking at a pebble. "You're lucky you're the youngest of your family."

"I guess. But Néné has been learning Arabic! I want to, everyone tells me how we're the only desert that doesn't speak it. How can I go and meet other humans if I can't communicate with them?"

"Do you want to?" aske Lud, cocking his head so the weak sunlight caught his horns, making rainbows on the ground (not that Mozenrath was jealous that his own horns were barely visible through his black curls. No, not at all).

"Well, I guess I want to see what they're like. I mean, if you were half…half Selkie like our how many greats grandfather. Wouldn't you want to see what Selkies are like?"

"I guess. Mimzy, do you know why your mother called us all here?"

"I have no idea. Mama didn't tell me much. But I think it has something to do with Néné." Lud shrugged. "Do you want to see how high I can climb in that tree? Nell isn't here, I can show you." Lud smiled, and the boys hurried to the tree, just by where Ludovika was talking to everyone. Mozenrath started climbing, and as Lud watched he could hear snatches.

"…That's the king's assistant!"

"…in Ischl?"

"…believe…"

"Hélené, apprentice to Lord Destane? Unthinkable!" that was his father, his voice always carried so…wait.

"Mimzy!" he called up. The other boy looked down. "Hélené is going to be Lord Destane's apprentice! She's going to be Lady Reagent of the entire kingdom when he dies!"

"She's going to what? Tell me later!" he called down, unable to hear. And he continued to climb.

"Lud!" said his mother, Mari. "Lud, did you…Mozenrath!" and her cry called all the others over.

"Mimzy, don't go so high!" called Cousin Théoli (Hercegnő).

"Mozenrath get down here now, you're going to break your neck!" shouted up Ludovika, terrified. Her son had never climbed so high!

"He must think he's in a circus!" said one of the Uncles, Herceg Kal.

But Mozenrath was just happy for the audience, continuing to climb. However, he accidentally grabbed a bad branch, falling with a scream, hitting the ground hard.

He came to in a bed surrounded by worried faces. Upon the opening of his eyes, there was a collective sigh of relief. "We thought you were dying!" said one of the cousins' children, Machimala (future Countess with no brothers). Her mother, Countess Mali, hushed her.

"There…there was a man," Mozenrath was saying, his voice soft and hoarse. "He…wasn't a man. No, no, he was…he was Death, but he wasn't like in the paintings. He looked like…like…"

"Here, Mimzy, drink this," said Ludovika, handing him a glass. "Just rest. You've had a nasty fall and broken your ankle. It will heal quickly, Leeno's gone to fetch a doctor of magic." Mozenrath took the drink and only sipped as much as he could before he lay back.

"Sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have climbed the tree."

"It's in the past," insisted Mathilde, holding his hand. "Just sleep."

"Lud…Lud was trying to tell me something. What was it?"

"It was about your sister," said Lud, pulling from his mother's gentle grip. "Your mother was saying why she's been studying so much."

"Your sister and I are going to Ischl later this year," said Ludovika, brushing back her son's hair. "We're going to meet with your aunt Sotkia. Lord Destane is looking for an apprentice and an heir. So, since Hélené has very powerful magic—"

"It's violet," said Mozenrath, still slightly disconnected thanks to the fall. "Very powerful."

"Exactly. So, Sotkia wants Hélené to meet Lady Ottilia. She's going to see if she's fit to be Destane's apprentice."

"So that's what this was about. Now I know why she was practicing so much."

"I've been preparing for three years," said Hélené. "Since just before Wim died."

"I'm happy for you, Néné," said Mozenrath, before lying down all the way. "I'm tired."

"Then sleep, Mimzy. We're still here. We'll wake you when the doctor comes," assured Ludovika, pressing a kiss to the place between her son's dwarf horns.

And with that, the young Duke Mozenrath Amal Eugenen Witternsbahl in Beyr fell into deep sleep filled with the feeling of being in his boat on the Chiem.

A/N: Welcome to the madness. This has been stewing in my brain for a while and messed me up. But I'm going to continue this.

Xerxes is based off the New Zealand Longfin eel. They're AWESOME. They live in fresh water and then swim to salt water to reproduce, they have no reproductive organs until they reach salt water. No one knows how they mate, but the females lay between one and five MILLION eggs.

Sorry, that's my rant on eels. I freaking love eels.