Title: Between Land and Sea, Chapter 2

Rating: T

Character(s)/Pairing(s): USUK, side PruCan, SuFin and LietPol.

Summary: Alfred is the heir to the throne that commands the Seven Seas, but is unable to govern until he finds a mate. In one of his quests, he saves a British sailor and falls in love with him. Now all he desires is to become human.
Disclaimer: I don't own this series in any way.

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Between Land and Sea

CHAPTER TWO

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From the darkness of the submersed ship two quick figures appeared as a slightly obnoxious laughter filled the aquatic environment. The merman, Alfred, a blond with a big smile in his face was side by side with the green and mysterious fish he named 'Tony'. Right behind them was an enormous swordfish, who was now hilariously stuck in one of the ship's window – or how Alfred called it, 'holes for navigation control' – flapping around wildly. With one final look at the unlucky fish, both of them laughed and quickly swam out of sight. After all, no one could ever know the prince's whereabouts so easily.

Soon enough they stopped – both laughing and running away – to rest amidst a colorful coral. There was no one in sight and apparently the previous fish had no friends hiding nearby. Allowing himself a dramatic sigh and a smirk from Tony, Alfred instantly began shuffling the bag of contents he managed to gather in a couple of hours.

Today had been a really good day for hunting human treasures, Alfred decided. Just the other day he had spotted a different ship in the kingdom's whereabouts and the merman prince had been eager to spend as much time as possible there, searching for new treasures he could keep stored in their – mostly his, though, since Tony didn't seem that much interested in humans – secret cave. By cautious precautions and schematic leaves from the prince himself, they always managed to visit the cave at least once a month – but it still never felt like enough to the blond.

His bag was full of curious and shiny items and Alfred could barely contain his excitement by just imagining what the wise merfolk by the East would say about this. They were one of the oldest merfolk yet alive and their kingdom had recently been added into their own. In the beginning, things had been quite chaotic and none of the Asians – that's how they were called, apparently - seemed to adapt to such changes, but soon enough the prince was able to become friends with one of their quietest – but not youngest – named Nihon by their friends and just Kiku to Alfred. Ever since they became friends the tense atmosphere between both groups disappeared and now other Asians seemed to be much friendlier, albeit in their mysterious way. Kiku and Yong Soo, especially, were the friendliest with Alfred but it was Yao, their leader and oldest, who knew the most about human knowledge and culture and so the prince was eager to hear anything possible from the feminine merman.

As exotic as the Asians could be, nothing really compared to the humans to Alfred. The merman had always had a deep fascination with the other species and ever since he could remember, he would've spent days trying to search for new objects left by the humans or search for amazing untold stories from different – and not so trustful – people. In that way, the prince had been able to talk with most of the kingdom's central population and gather quite the popularity to himself. Because of that and the fact that Alfred was the first born of the adopted twins, sons from the King and Queen of the Seven Seas, it had been decided he would be the heir to the throne. Of course, when he found out, excitement just didn't cut it for Alfred – he spent days on end just thinking and dreaming about his grand future and for that period of time, he had even managed to forget his previous interest in the humans. Those had been the good times, according to Tony and even Matthew, his brother. Back then he had been completely compromised to the kingdom and nothing could ever drag his attention away from it. He had been – and hopefully still was – the best choice for the position.

But after an incident when he was younger, everything had changed. That single day changed the prince's perspective on both species and his love for his kingdom and family had been doubted for the first – but not last – time. To this day Alfred had never told a soul of what happened, not even Tony or Kiku, but his brother seemed to have an idea of what had happened. At the time, the prince, with only fourteen years old, had saved and fallen in love with a human. And that, in any part of the Seven Seas Kingdom and beyond, was taboo.

He was young, naïve and absolutely frightened by the idea of being exiled by his own home and family – and so Alfred tried to forget about that day ever since. Sometimes, he even convinced himself he had done so, only to conjure a mental image of blond hair, pale skin and slim body. Those were the only things he could remember about the young boy he saved from years ago and, as Alfred told himself, it had been enough to bewitch him. But not in the wrong sense of the word, oh no, Alfred had been bewitched by a feeling that was far too grand to be simply magic manipulation and time only seemed to prove how difficult it was to simply forget.

"Are you going to look at the fucking items or just stand there like some retarded?" Tony's irritated voice instantly brought him back from his thoughts.

Smiling, Alfred excused himself with an embarrassed laugh as Tony continued glaring at him. As rude as his little friend could be, Tony had been indispensable in his life. He was the one to keep him in check from most of his daydreams and for that the prince was truly grateful. He had other important people in his life as well – his lovely and dear parents, who he loved so much, his shy but firm brother, his best friend Kiku, the happy-going but slightly crazy Yong Soo and his ever-so faithful assistant, Toris. But in the end, Tony was the only one who thoroughly mocked him and even called him names – something a less brave soul wouldn't dare do to the heir of the Seven Seas throne. With Tony, he wasn't the heir or the prince, or the quickest swimmer in all seas or a big name for young ladies – he was just Alfred, the overly happy and sometimes slightly obnoxious and awkward teen who often found himself lost between his known world and the one he dreamed of one day seeing.

Forget about it, Alfred reminded himself; you're almost king now. You're almost king and-

Oh God, today was his day. Today was his coming of age and the whole palace was full of people and- and he had completely forgotten about it.

With a jump that startled his green friend, Alfred started to panic and all color drained his face. How could he actually forget his birthday? And not only that, his most important birthday, since now he was an adult and much closer to assuming the throne now! In the end, he forgot it because today had also been the perfect day to give his monthly adventures a try, since most of the kingdom would be gone. As scatterbrained as a prince could be, Alfred forgot the reason and simply enjoyed the consequences while others were gathering to celebrate his day. Now he felt ashamed.

"There you are!"

Turning around, he met a similar face to his own, but with slightly curvier hair and a different color of eyes. Matthew. He could always count on his younger brother, of that Alfred was sure. The other blond was huffing and his face was completely red – Alfred just didn't know if it was from tiredness, anger or frustration… or maybe all of them.

"F- For the mighty Poseidon, Alfred, where the hell did you think you were doing? Spending the most important days of our lives in one of your childish plays?" Matthew's glare was murderous and Alfred flinched, making his brother's eyes widen. "S- seriously? You were actually doing that?" Taking the older merman's silence as an answer, Matthew frowned deeply. "Alfred… you're eighteen today. We're eighteen today. Soon enough your royal training will start and- and you should've outgrown this for years now."

Now it was Alfred's turn to further. "You don't get it, Matt. There is nothing to outgrown here. I like knowing about the humans, just as you like knowing about polar bears, and don't think I didn't notice that." He reminded as the violet-eyed blond frowned even more. "But that won't make me throw my obligations away, okay? It's just a hobby. Today… was a mistake, that's all. And I promise it won't happen again."

Seeing Alfred's serious face and attitude almost made Matthew believe him, but the younger blond knew it wouldn't be so. Alfred was too in love with the notions of humans – and hopefully not with just one – and he would never let it go, no matter what. But their discussion would have to wait, since now both royal princes were missing and that would ruin any festivities that today could bring.

"Let's go back." At Alfred's instant bright smile, Matthew added. "But don't think this conversation is over, Alfred."

With a frown from the older prince and a strong stare from the other, both quickly took off back to the palace while ignoring Tony's yells of frustration for leaving him and "damn, why were the weird blondes so fast?" All during their short trip back, neither commented on the fact Alfred was still caring his back of human treasures as it were the most important thing in the world for him.

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"My, my, so today is the special day, huh?" The small water fairy nodded enthusiastically to the blond man in front of her – a rarity among humans, since he could actually see her. "What will your present be, dear?"

With a giggle, she showed him an especially bright and colorful pearl and Arthur could only stare in awe at the beauty of it. He smiled at her.

"I'm sure the prince will love your gift, dear."

But before the fairy willed down her blush and answered, a swift movement caught the young sailor by his head as a larger man shoved him from his place at tying the knots.

"The hell was you doing now, Kirkland? Are you talking with your fairy friends again?" He smirked once and, as if on clue, the whole crew started laughing at the now blushing blond.

"Or maybe he was with the talking flying fishes again?" Another crewmate popped in.

"Or the Moby Dick!"

"And don't forget the unicorns!"

And soon the whole crew was having their daily show with the youngest and strangest crewmember.

"Which was the one creature you wanted to see, Kirkland? The mermaids, right?"

"Nah, he should give up on that – no mermaid could ever fall for him and his… quirks." The last word had been said filled with venom in a barely contained smirk.

"Did she show you something pretty, Kirkland? Like a shiny, precious tiara for the little princess?"

"Oh no, Mr. Smith, you know how any tiara couldn't possibly agree with young Kirkland's special eyebrows; am I right?"

At the mention of his eyebrows the laughter became unsupportable and all Arthur remembered thinking was how good it felt to give that Smith wanker a good punch in the face before the other sailor piped in the fight. Thankfully for him, Arthur soon passed out after a kick in his stomach before receiving other blows from the man, according to Captain Beilschmidt, who was currently laughing like Christmas came early this year.

Arthur, who was now grudgingly awake and feeling pain in all his limbs, just stared at him with his good eye since the other was covered by a pack of meat – there was no sweet ice in the sea, according to the Captain.

"Damn, Artie! I leave you guys alone for a few seconds to go see the route and you're already fighting with the entire crew?" With another loud laugh, the albino said amidst tears of joy. "Damn! I'm actually crying here, Art-"

"Don't call me that, Gillie".

Obviously hitting a nerve, the albino instantly stopped laughing and stared right back at the Brit. Their deadly little contest ended soon enough and both shared a little smirk. Their old nicknames and childish little contests struck both young men with nostalgia. But why would Gilbert become like this because of a simple nickname? Oh, right… Eliza used to call him that.

"Arthur."

Hearing his name said in such seriousness and from Gilbert, nonetheless, instantly got the Brit's attention.

"You shouldn't feel affected by what they say. God knows how stupid most of them are and how even I, the awesome Gilbert, can't take them all at once."

Usually Arthur would've sarcastically replied to that, but he continued looking at his old friend's serious face.

"I know you hate it here, being in my ship and with my crew instead of having your own. Your rightfully deserved own." Gilbert added and the impact of those words deeply struck Arthur. "But there's nothing we can do – at least for now. So try to behave, will'ya?"

"It's not my fault they are all irrevocable wankers."

Gilbert sighed deeply. "That's why they tease you so much. You have to stop acting so superior all the time and really, really stop saying about your imaginable friends, okay?"

"But they're not-"

"ENOUGH!"

Both men – and the sailors standing just outside the door eavesdropping, as usual – instantly froze at the sudden shout. Even Gilbert seemed slightly appalled he had actually shouted with his old friend, his once equal.

"In my ship, you're under my orders, Kirkland. I hope you've understood that." With a final glare, the captain left the small room, leaving the blond alone with his thoughts.

Oh, how he would've liked to follow the albino and give him a piece of his mind, show him the famous British upper lip – since obviously the small part of Brits in this ship was clearly not British enough – and show just who the hell Arthur Kirkland, the youngest son of the Kirkland House and prodigy at both the Arts and Economy program back at home was. But now he was no one. He was Arthur Kirkland, the stupid new sailor who dreamed of grandeur and owning his own ship when he couldn't even swim. And he also liked to speak as famous authors and comment on his magic – not imaginary, thank you very much – friends. Damn, he knew he would hate himself if he were the same from before.

Before he had been arrogant, vain and methodically annoying and effective. Before he had been the pride of his family and harbored the hatred of his brothers. Before he had been able to defend himself and have company only with his magical friends. Before he had parents who saved a small fortune for him. Before his parents had been alive. Before his friends had actually been his friends before Arthur himself struck them from behind with no regrets. And before, he would've thought that was all normal in a day's job. Before he never cared. Now, however, he did. He had nothing left, aside from horrible experiences and scars and bruises in his limbs, remembering how the world could and would strike him back with anything possible. And now he was spitting in his only remaining friend, who was able to achieve the impossible and save him a spot in somewhere that was not prison or his own house – which was now classified as prison, anyway – and give him a chance at trying again.

With all new found hatred for himself, Arthur slumped back in the covers and shed some tears before the same fairy from before came back, and now with friends.

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After arriving at the castle in the nick of time, both princes were quickly escorted to the main hall where an enormous crowd waited for them. From the corner of his eye Matthew could see merfolk standing outside their window in hopes of having a better look on the celebration. The younger prince wasn't particularly eager for the ceremony and even though it was also his birthday, he always felt Alfred was the one everyone always remembered – although his parents always made sure to give Matthew attention as well. He didn't expect to even be noticed and while he was quite glad with how people were now finally looking at him, he also knew it wasn't with eyes filled with admiration. It was more like confusion.

"Hey, hey, who is that blond next to our prince?"

"I don't know, but they really look alike, don't they?"

"Maybe they're cousins?"

"I wonder…"

The whispers were getting louder and louder as everyone's eyes focused solely on Matthew. Alfred was trying to get their attention by laughing loudly, but until now his efforts hadn't really done much. Tony – and their bag filled with human trash – was nowhere in sight. He could see Toris and Feliks standing a little far away from the crowd but there was no sign of the Asian merfolk. The queen and king seemed to be mad because of the princes' lateness. The king, Berwald, was sporting an even more terrifying stare as Tino, the queen, was, for once, frowning deeply. Before Alfred could do something drastic and Matthew passed out, however, a loud voice echoed through the saloon.

"It's prince Matthew, of course! The best tracker and second quickest swimmer in the whole kingdom!" A large merman with tanned skin said with a big grin.

Matthew smiled back at him and uttered a quiet 'thank you'. The merman was Alex, one of the merfolk from the Tropical Seas and their main diplomat. Alex and Alfred never got along too well, but thankfully he was the best of friends with Matthew. Even though they had many differences, they shared a love for icy meals and cute – earthly – animals. Recently they haven't been too close after Alex had declared his feelings for Matthew, only to be kindly rejected. Matthew still couldn't feel completely at ease with Alex, knowing how badly his friend was hurt, but the tanned merman always did his best to keep everyone's moods up and Matthew could only silently thank him over and over again.

After that short moment of friendship the whole crowd started chatting animatedly about the young prince and his talents. The youngest prince was indeed the second quickest swimmer in the whole kingdom – only losing to his brother – and his apparent invisibility skill helped him in their tracking missions. Perhaps it was for that reason alone Matthew was thankful for his little 'gift'; that way people never knew when he was near and he could always hear the rumors surrounding the palace and village – not that he was an eavesdropper, but Matthew cared deeply about the affairs of their kingdom. Alfred did as well, of course, but lately it seemed the only thing in his mind were humans and their little affairs.

Matthew sighed. As much as he wanted to reprimand his brother for his foolish acts and his constant obsession with the humans, he knew he would be a complete hypocrite. Matthew himself was very curious about the humans and their world but not to the extent of Alfred. If he closed his eyes, he could still see those deep crimson eyes that never left his mind – but that was an absolute secret; one that not even Alex or their parents ever knew of.

Before he could keep musing in his thoughts a little crowd surrounded both him and his brother, asking of their whereabouts. With the usual quick and empty lies they already knew how to use, they were let easily off the hook. From afar, they could see the king and queen were not fooled, but let it be for the moment – it was their celebration after all.

Matthew sighed once more before he began answering the now larger group's constant questions. Now he knew how his brother felt when he tried to get away from the castle and act as a civilian every once in a while. Speaking of which, Alfred was smiling as always with his slightly bigger group of merfolk – especially mermaids, who kept moving their tails and blinking their eyes rapidly. Alfred never seemed to have much patience for those acts, but today he was taking it well.

Until now.

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"So, Alfred, you're now legal, right?" A dark brunette with yellow tail asked while blinking seductively at him.

"Haha, yes, but I still feel like a kid!" The older prince laughed as he waited for her to get the clue. She didn't.

"Oh, but now you're a merman, silly! And also our future king!"

Another mermaid butted in as she waved her brown tale excitedly. "Oh, yes! What do you pretend to do when you become king, Alfred?"

Before he knew it, the girls surrounding him were chanting the same questions repeatedly, demanding an answer.

He tried to laugh to wave the questions off, to no avail. As the mermaids – and now mermen as well – started to ask him questions that mentioned infrastructure to the price of seaweeds these days, Alfred was desperately trying to find a way out. Thankfully, his best friend was there.

"Excuse me, Alfred-san. I believe our meeting was scheduled for now?" A soft voice pertaining to brown beady eyes asked.

Alfred turned around with a grateful smile to meet Kiku. Beside the small merman were two other Asian ones and another merman of slightly tanned skin, who came from a distant region of the Seven Seas. His name was Heracles and his tales of his homeland always enchanted the whole palace. Nowadays, the green-eyed merman seemed to always be near Kiku, which was a source of many rumors. Not that Alfred cared – he liked Heracles and he knew Kiku always made good choices.

"Yep! Thanks for reminding me, guys!" Alfred smiled brightly at the small group.

As a response, Kiku only nodded while smiling and holding Heracles' hand. Im Yong Soo – the human objects specialist – nodded animatedly while Yao – the most experiences in human culture – only nodded absentmindedly. The Asian group – which was now lacking two members, the sweet pink-tailed mermaid Mei and the mysterious merman who never seemed to have more than one expression, Hong, left for their honeymoon – plus Heracles was Alfred's one and only group for human discovery. They held meetings every week or so and those were always the times the prince was eager to have during the week.

"It's no problem! After all, we have to discuss today's events, right?" Im Yong Soo said with a large beam – it was obvious he meant about the travel to the ship. Somehow that bit of information managed to be passed around the room, but only few believed in it.

"Let's just get this going, aru. I believe Tony has the bag?" Yao said non-enthusiastically. The oldest merman – which didn't look his age at all – while being the most knowledgeable about the human world, didn't seem to care much about Alfred's passion.

The blond just shrugged and nodded eagerly. But before they could hide between the crowd and escape, his mother called out for him with a very serious expression. Alfred turned around to see Matthew already going with them and ignored the curious questions coming from the guests. The remaining group stayed in the saloon, waiting for what would happen. The celebration had been cut short.

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Alfred was fiddling with his own tail while Matthew seemed to be hugging himself – both odd acts the princes had whenever they were nervous. Toris was at the end of the room looking very nervous, even more than usual. The king got up from his throne and now was standing in front of them. The queen was at his side, frowning – a very bad sign – as he looked at his sons. Today was a day of celebration and happiness, when his two boys had now become men, and Tino just wanted to skip it all and hug them, but Berwald reminded him of why they were there.

Anxious to end the silence, Alfred started. "So, uhm, hey dad… Sorry we were late today, but you know how it is… Matthew here lost himself in the corals and I had to go looking for him…"

At that, Matthew frowned, but hid his face from his parents, fearing they would see through his brother's lie. There was no need, really, because Tino always did it.

"Stop, Alfred." The queen said with a sigh. "I know you're lying and besides, Matthew was in the palace until twenty minutes before the ceremony, when he suddenly disappeared. I even asked Toris and he didn't seem to know where either of you were."

Berwald nodded with a gruff. "D'you r'lly th'nk Matt w'ld g't l'st so eas'ly?"

Alfred flinched while Matthew looked at his father with awe. The violet-eyed merman knew their parents were aware of their individual skills and noticed both of them equally, but it always felt good whenever it happened.

"Alfred, where were you?"

When the older prince looked at his mother's eyes, Alfred knew he could never lie to Tino. Dropping down his head with a sigh, he answered in a low voice.

"At the deepest part of the ocean, in the human ship."

Both Tino and Toris gasped. Berwald seemed to be impassive to the news, though whoever knew him well was aware of how shocked he was.

"You did what?" Alfred flinched once more at his mother's distressed tone. "Alfred, you know you can't do that! That ship – and any other, at that – is absolutely off limits! The deeper part of the ocean is dangerous, there are many terrifying creatures living there! Or do I have to remind you of the Black Magician?"

Now both Toris and Alfred gasped. The brunette was paralyzed with fear and the king's eyes hardened from the bitter memories. The tale of the Black Magician of the Seven Seas was one known throughout the whole kingdom. The queen and the princes' assistant had once been servants of the Magician, who was known for his dark aura and terrifying smile. Berwald, at the time only a prince, had fallen in love with Tino and therefore risked everything when he sent a whole army to the Magician's nest. The majority of the army had either died or been transformed into something else, but in the end the Magician had finally lost due to the army's strength and his servant's betrayal. All servants, aside from Toris and Tino, had changed names and started living in other parts of the Seven Seas, now completely free from Ivan. It was said that only one tried to remain loyal to the Magician, his beloved sister, and so both were sealed off in a cave hidden in the depths of the ocean. That was the tale Alfred feared the most of all – partly because he was a coward and partly knew this one was true.

"He's still there, Alfred! Not even your father, who was cast as the most powerful white magician of this kingdom could do a thing, so imagine how dangerous he is!" Tino's distressed cries echoed throughout the room. Everyone was tense and no one knew how to say. The queen was always smiling and happy, just like his oldest son – it was a fundamental part of the palace.

Alfred hated himself for making his mother so distressed. But not just his mother, either – he knew he had worried his brother, his father and even Toris during all of this and the feeling of guilt was just terrible. He only wanted to know more about the humans, never to bring their people any sort of harm. What type of king would he be, with that terrible attitude? He felt like the worst merman… no, being in the whole universe then.

"I'm so sorry, mom… dad… Matthew." At each name Alfred bowed deeply as a sign of respect – something he learned from Kiku. He kept his head low, not expecting forgiveness at all. Anything but that horrible silence.

There was a sigh, which could only be from mother. He didn't hear anything else for a few moments, so he concluded everyone was exchanging glances. Still, he didn't want to see their faces filled with disappointment. He waited for the words that were to come-

"Alfred, go to your room."

Did his mother just forgive him? Reaching a conclusion on his own, the blond looked at his mother's eyes only to find pain. Tino's face was serious and hurt – which was much, much worse than disappointment. His father's face was more serious than usual and Alfred could only flinch.

"But-"

"No buts. I already know where you went today and you should've known for a very long time that that region is strictly prohibited. You are no longer a child and so you should be responsible of your actions. By Poseidon, Alfred, you are going to be king and you still lull yourself in those little childhood stories we used to tell you? If I've known how you seriously you would take them, I'd have never told them!"

Those words hurt like a knife in his heart. Those stories had been his all time favorites and he longed to hear them every night. It hurt how easily his mother tossed them away and how much pressure went to him and his future position. His mother didn't understand and he was sure his father never understood that particular wish of his. Matthew didn't understand it either, much less Toris who was afraid of his own shadow. Not Tony, either, his best fish friend never did care much about humans. Even his best friend Kiku, who often helped him with his hunt for human knowledge, only took it as a hobby and Heracles simply went along with it. Im Yong Soo, while enthusiastic, didn't have the same need to actually meet a human and was quite content with only seeing their treasures. And truthfully, he had no idea of what Yao thought.

No one understood him. No one could understand how much he longed for human contact, to only see one human – or that particular human again – to see them walk, talk, breathe, smile… see how they lived on the shore, what types of buildings they had, how they ate, how they made friends, how they kissed, how they had babies… that last part had always been a mystery for him, since it seemed they were mammals (but he probably heard it wrong, since there was no way humans were like dolphins. Maybe Yao was just getting too old). No one ever understood him or took his wish and need to see the humans seriously and it devastated him.

Without another word, Alfred left the saloon and went to his room, feeling now more lost than ever. That night, he refused seeing any of his friends and even his brother, who had remained quiet for an unknown reason during the scolding. Still, Alfred didn't want to see any of them. It wasn't like he hated them, because he didn't, but he was completely lost. He didn't want to take someone else's opinions and admit it as his own. He was curious about humans and wished to meet one and that was something no one else could change.

In that sleepless night, the newly merman adult prince began to plot a plan on how to finally complete his lifetime wish.

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A/N:

"D'you r'lly th'nk Matt w'ld g't l'st so eas'ly?" = did you really think Matt would get lost so easily?

Berwald's speech is complicated and I fear I can't write it at all, so that's why he will stay quite silent in this story.

Yes, 'by Poseidon' is their 'by God'. You can see in my profile that I'm currently in semi-hiatus, which means my updates will take much longer than usual. I hope you may all continue to read this story, regardless.

Thank you all for the feedback,

Fieldings