Not All is Fair in Love and War
Chapter 1
Hailey's cousin Adrianna was really excited about the upcoming ball. She had been obsessing about what she would wear and how she wanted her hair for at least a month.
Adrianna had bright blonde hair and a red tail like her mother which only set off her very vivid emerald green eyes. She was considered by most, to be the prettiest out of all the grandchildren of Triton and she knew it. Hailey could care less, even though she was just as beautiful as her cousin, she had her mother's sense of independence and self sufficiency. Granted she never minded when she received praise of her beauty, what she really wanted was recognition for her intellect, she had inherited her fathers' voracity for knowledge and ingenuity, she was the brightest girl in her class.
Adrianna stopped Hailey in the hallway outside the main court. It was no secret that Hailey could care less for court appearances, to her- she wasn't really in line for any throne, so why should she waste her time in a room listening to politics that would never concern or affect her? So she usually tried to skip out on them.
"So have you decided what you are going to wear to the ball?" Adrianna asked.
"I don't know, nothing has arrested my interest I guess." Hailey answered.
"Well have you looked?"
"Kind of"
"Kind of...as in- 'no, not really'- right?" Adrianna guessed.
"Yeah..." Hailey admitted.
"Well considering it's not really your 'coming out' I wouldn't expect you to care even if the most gorgeous men are rumored to attend."
Hailey narrowed her gaze trying to figure out if it was worth biting onto the proverbial bait.
"How gorgeous are we talking?" Hailey asks.
"Have you ever heard the name 'Prince Israel'?"
"Yeah, he's the prince of...some nation on the other side of the world." Hailey answered dismissively.
"He's from Tezrah, Hailey, TEZRAH, from the Indian Ocean, one of the most exotic and beautiful oceans on the planet that happen to count the most exotic and beautiful people as it's inhabitants. But Prince Israel is 'rumored' to be so devastatingly handsome, that most girls swoon at the sight of him. I hear he is coming to the ball AND he's single."
"Ok...there are always going to be handsome single guys at balls, why are you focusing on him?"
"Because I hear his handsomeness has no equal, just like me, so I will tell you now, I call dibs." Adrianna proclaimed. Hailey laughed and shook her head. Adrianna always needed to have the best.
"Fine- he's all yours." Hailey replies, holding her hands up in mock surrender.
"So what does the great Adrianna think an old hag like me should wear to the greatest ball ever?" Hailey asks, so much sarcasm in her tone that it's obscene.
Adrianna looked at her cousin swam back just a little distance to take her in. Adrianna put her hand to her chin as if figuring out a great mystery, then swam around her getting all the angles.
"Well considering your hair color, your tail color and your eye color- go gold."
"Don't you think that's a bit ostentatious? I don't think I can pull that off, I thought you were going to say red or green maybe, but gold? Like real gold? No way."
"You asked for my opinion and that's what I gave you."
"What about black?"
"Eww, we are not going to a funeral."
"What? Black can be cute."
"Good grief, you are a royal, you are allowed to be ostentatious, all the people going will be dressed to the nines and you want to fit in don't you?"
"Seriously Adrianna, do you know who you are talking to?"
"Oh that's right, you don't care do you?"
"Well I wouldn't say I don't care but I just don't obsess about it like you do."
"Do you think I'm obsessive? Is that what's being said about me?"
"Good grief- can anyone not say anything about you without you getting all riled up?"
"Look you may not care what people say about you, but I do, I'm a royal, I could be next in line for the throne, you never know, and it's based on popularity anyway, so if I can score some popularity points now all the better right?"
"Whatever Adrianna, so what's your little sister Bethany wearing?"
"Gold."
"Seriously?"
"Yes to match me." Hailey snickered but gained her composure.
"Laugh if you want but I want to look amazing and gold is in fashion right now." Adrianna added.
"Uh huh, well, where are you getting your outfit from?"
"Well all the shops don't have anything I like, so I talked to Sophie and she will be making me and Beth semi matching outfits, if you had said yes to gold I would have had her make 3 but now, no you don't get to match." Adrianna said with mock conceit.
"Well maybe if you could get something mostly black and a little bit gold, perhaps on the trim, that would be nice."
"Really? Seriously?"
"As long as it's not over the top, I want to look cute, not gaudy."
"You got it."
"Thanks, well I got to go take care of something so I will catch you later." Hailey swam off to see what her Dad was up to. She found him in the library.
"Hey Dad." Hailey called from the door way.
"Hey sweetie, what are you up to?" Jim replies with a smile, looking up from a pile of maps on a table.
"Oh nothing, skipping out on court again, and...I was talking to Adrianna and she wants me to wear a 'semi' matching outfit for the ball coming up."
"So? Are you?" Jim asked, his tone curios.
"I guess, I just don't get it, how can people use all of their focus on their looks and popularity. It just seems like a waste of energy, people's opinions change constantly and looks can fade eventually." Jim smirked at his daughters ramblings, her thoughts were no different from his own, and he couldn't be prouder of the fact that he had been a good enough father to instill into his children what's important, family- loyalty, honesty, and strength of character. He was also proud that his daughter was not like the rest, she wasn't caught up in looking cute and boys like all of her cousins were, instead she was mature and had a very good head on her shoulders.
"Well as long as you are comfortable and modest sweetheart." He replied, moving his attention back to the table over flowing with documents and maps.
"Thanks Dad, so what are you up to?" Hailey asks, picking up some of the things on the table and looking them over.
"Going over treaties."
"Nice, sounds exciting." Hailey couldn't help her slight sarcastic inflection.
"I know."
"So why are you going over them?"
"It appears some are missing."
"Missing?"
"There seems to be a territory dispute and I had thought there was a treaty signed by your Grandfather but I can't find it."
"Can I help you look?"
"Sure, it would have been signed about a hundred years ago or so by your Grandfather and the Sharkanians and the Glow Tribe."
"So what's it over? Those peoples don't even share a border."
"Actually they do, it would be Sharkania's lowest state- Tiger- it ends on a cliff, at the bottom of that cliff starts the Glow Tribe's territory, the dispute is the cliff face."
"Well, I guess you never stop learning huh?"
"Nope, you never do." Her father looked at her with a broad knowing smile. She returns the smile and helps her father search, she loved times like these, just spending time with her Dad, which to her was the most important man in her life- the second being her grandfather and third- her brother, even as annoying and rebellious as he may be.
After many hours, they couldn't find it.
"Dad, it's late, I'm hungry and it's almost time for dinner, let's try again tomorrow huh?"
"Ok Hailey, let's go, I'm sure dinner will be ready any minute anyway."
"I hope it's sea noodles, I've been craving those lately."
"They do taste good don't they?" He put his arm around his daughter's shoulders while she put her arm around her Dad's waist as they left the library.
They came to dinner, however because of the very large size of the family they had a few tables now. Parents sat with each other and then the girl grandchildren sat with each other while the boys sat at the other. The girl's table was ever changing; seats were swapped based on who liked each other on any given day, the boys' table- never changed. So many times Hailey would look at her parents and then at her brother just wishing just once she could hear a conversation that didn't center around boys, makeup, hair, clothes and gossip. The only consolation she had was her cousin Arianna, who didn't really care for that stuff either, she mostly cared about animals, sea horses in particular and weaponry. Well considering her father was Riley, who was in charge of the Special Forces, it kind of made sense. After dinner her family relaxed in their private quarters and talked about their day, their family life was warm and relaxed.
The days passed by all too quickly and the ball was eminent. Hailey was in her room adjusting the outfit Adrianna arranged for her, well the final product anyway, Adrianna couldn't decide how many ruffles she wanted, Hailey just went to Sophie and told her, 'NO RUFFLES on mine'. She looked at herself in the mirror, it was mostly black with gold details, the mid section however was sheer so her toned belly could still be seen which compared to her cousins' outfits was very modest.
She had done her hair herself, just simply let her bangs be themselves, which having her mother's bangs- that's really all they ever did. Then the top section of her hair was put up while the rest was down, she had made a black and gold flower like arrangement out of the extra material that was left over and put it next to her ear. And to the nagging of her cousins she actually put on makeup, which she was kind of proud of, so she took one more gaze at her self, and thought 'wow, I actually look hot, Adrianna better watch out, but then again, maybe the blinding colors and sparkles of my cousins will hide me or at least outshine me.' She could remember when her 'coming out' party was which she had to share with her cousins, she hated it, because she just felt like she was being judged and compared, but she wasn't going to let that happen tonight. She told herself she was going to stick to her Dad.
If any guy had the nerve to talk to her while she was next to her Dad, maybe they would be worth talking to, because well, her Dad was James Pleiades Hawkins the Admiral, who was intimidating- he was very strong and had a stare that would separate your flesh from your bones. Granted he was a bit of a papa bear to her but even her cousins were scared of him from time to time. He was a good deterrent, any guy that was up to no good stayed clear of him and she was hoping that if she was next to her Dad it would have the same effect. She heard her Dad say the magic line- 'Ok, let's go.' She finally came out of her room; her mother in a purple outfit similar to her own was waiting for her.
"You just look so beautiful dear."
"Thanks Mom, you too, how is Dad ever going to resist?" They smile mischievously at each other and turn a shade of red.
"Oh trust me darling- he won't." Then the two shared a laugh and looked at Ayden and Jim who are just looking a little confused not hearing the conversation but hearing the laughs they look at each other and Ayden asks
"Dad?"
"Son, just leave it alone, I'm sure if they wanted us to hear they would have said it louder."
"So are you ladies ready or what?" Jim asked
"Yes, we are ready dear." Ariel answered
"After you Dad." Hailey said.
They arrive at the ballroom in the palace to see that it was a packed house. And of course their presence is announced and Hailey put on a brave face, suddenly turning slightly shy. She immediately notices her cousins in the middle of the room taking in all the attention, she sees the group of guys in the back ogling the girls and then at various points she sees the older ones talking business.
'Another long, boring night for me, oh joy.' Hailey thought.
"Dad?" Hailey whispers in her father's ear.
"Yeah?" He whispers back.
"Are you sure I HAVE to be here?"
"Yes, for at least half an hour, we have to have some sort of resemblance of an appearance tonight, but after that, feel free to sneak off and go home." Jim replied, striking a deal with his daughter.
"Deal." Hailey agreed.
So to Hailey's surprise the evening was going really smoothly, she got to meet a lot of dignitaries, of course being next to her father she knew the who's who of court, despite her nearly constant absence and she was really good with names and faces so occasionally when her dad couldn't remember exactly which one was which she was there to help which brought her great satisfaction. Hailey started to relax and enjoy the ball when she felt eyes on the back of her head, she turned around and saw a group of guys hanging out by a wall and when she turned a few quickly turned away while a few held her gaze and smiled flirtatiously. But she knew that none of them had the guts to come up to her and actually say anything. Then she looked back over the crowd and caught someone else's gaze, all she could see was his eyes, he was almost 20 feet away from her and was on the other side of small crowd but she could tell he had dark chocolate eyes and jet black hair- that was kind of slicked back but wavy. She felt her heart skip a beat and make her temporarily forget her own name. She fell out of her trance when her father nudged her-
"You ok there Hailey?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine."
"I take you just saw the prince?"
"What prince?"
"The prince you were staring at."
"You saw that?" She replied, sheepishly, knowing she got caught.
"I'm your father- I see everything."
"So who's the prince? I didn't recognize him."
"He is Prince Ishmael from Tezrah."
"Ishmael? I thought it was going to be a Prince Israel here, or at least Adrianna was hoping he would be here."
"Prince Israel was supposed to be here but had something come up last minute and sent his big brother Prince Ishmael in his place- which all things considered was probably a very smart thing to do. I've met Prince Israel and he's a self centered hot head. Not the best things to be when you are trying to negotiate a trade deal. Now Prince Ishmael on the other hand is surprisingly level headed."
"Careful Dad- you almost lead me to believe you like the guy." Hailey mock warned.
"So is he here for the ball and the negotiations or just the negotiations?" Hailey asked, turning serious once again.
"When I talked to him earlier I understood he really only had wanted to come here for the negotiations, it was Finn and your grandfather who convinced him to come tonight. So why don't you go over and say 'Hi' the poor guy has been by himself on the sidelines most of the night anyway."
"I might have but apparently I wasn't the only one who saw him- look- Priscilla, Adrianna and their group of glittering, ruffled clownfish found him too." Hailey pointed out.
"Oh, poor guy. You know you could save him if you wanted to."
"By the looks of it- he doesn't need to be rescued, no wait- yeah maybe he might, poor guy looks a bit overwhelmed. But how does a person take prey away from piranhas?" Hailey metaphorically asked.
"Piranhas can be easily distracted, I'm sure after they realize he isn't who they think he is they will move on. Prince Ishmael isn't one for flattery and girls like your cousins live on that." Jim pointed out.
"True- you can pick your friends but not your family." Hailey countered, shaking her head at her over zealous- look at me- cousins.
"Just go over there and save the poor soul before they eat him alive. If you need an excuse- just say that your father needs to talk to him, that usually shuts them up."
"Do you really need to talk to him or are you just giving me and excuse?" Hailey asks.
"Actually I do need to ask him a valid question."
Hailey nodded and left her fathers side and made her approach seeking the best angle. She found a way in and at a moment when the girls were breathing in she touched his elbow she was prepared with a smile when he turned to look at her.
"Prince Ishmael?"
"Yes?"
"I am sorry to pull you away but you are needed by the Admiral who is just over there. So if you will just follow me." Ishmael looked a bit relieved looking back at the girls who tried their best to look as doe eyed as possible and excused himself. Hailey made the mistake of looking back at the girls who had death looks waiting for her, she looked back and shrugged as if to way 'What? I had to' then takes him over to her Father. But on the way she tries to break the ice.
"I really am sorry to take you away."
"No, you are fine, Miss...?"
"Hailey, Hailey Hawkins"
"Wait; are you any relation to the Admiral?"
"Yes, father's often use their children as messengers." Hailey admits with a small smile.
"Ah, so Hailey is a nick name for you then? Because I thought you had a different name."
"Yes, I do, but it's horribly long and ridiculous, just call me Hailey like everyone else." Hailey managed to say before coming up to her father.
"Ah- Prince Ishmael, I do apologize for the interruption to your evening." Jim said as the prince approached.
"Please, Admiral, if anything I should thank you. Your daughter saved me from the mass of giggling girls." Prince Ishmael replied which earned a snicker from Hailey who tried to suppress it.
"They can be trying. So I was wondering how Atlantica was treating you, I understand it is a bit cooler here then your home waters."
"A bit is an understatement but it is not at all unpleasant." Prince Ishmael replied.
'A generic, well rounded answer...I guess.' Hailey thought to herself, she had a hard time actually listening to the conversation because the answers he was giving her father were very diplomatic and starting to bore her. When her ears picked up one of her favorite songs being played and she made her escape.
"If you will please excuse me." Hailey excused herself so she could go and dance, the song called to her and she shimmied her way to the center of the group so as not to be seen too much but still stay in the action. After a few songs a slow one came up, she tried to exit the dance floor but just as she got to the edge of it, someone had very gently taken her hand from beside her, she looked up and it was Prince Ishmael to her surprise. Her jaw nearly dropped on the floor but a grin then was plastered on her face as she tried to regain her composure.
"Would you please dance with me Miss Hailey?" He asked, doing his best to bury his nerves.
"Sure." Was all she could get out without falling on her own words. She watched as a smile of approval came over her fathers face as he too had joined the dance floor.
"So about that name- what would your full name be if Hailey is a nick name?"
"Why are you so interested?" Hailey asked, mildly amused that he was so persistent.
"Curious I guess. Most Princesses read off their names to show their pedigree, so for you to simply go by a nickname shows a humility and modesty that most others fail to possess." He smoothly said, trying his best to be charming.
"Well, technically speaking, I'm not just a Princess, I'm a Duchess, so there you go." She countered with a smirk, usurping his logic and complement with her own brand of humor. Ishmael looks at her, a bit flabbergasted before an amused smile came across his face, he was determined to get an answer now. So he does the unthinkable in Hailey's mind, he stopped dancing. He just stood there, holding her in a dancing position, in the middle of the dance floor. She looked at him in shock and tried to get them moving again but he held them still.
"No, we're not moving until you tell me your name. Your full and complete name." He said, his grin belying his actions. Hailey narrowed her eyes and his grin grew into a full blown victorious smile. She mildly struggled to get out of his grasp and he just held on tighter, but no where near the force it would take to actually hurt her.
"I'm waiting." He said, his smile breaking her will to resist him.
"Abirra... Mahalia... Orabella... Hawkins. See? Horribly long and ridiculous." Hailey replied, unable to fight him further.
"No- it's neither of those things, it actually has a nice ring to it. So I take it Mahalia and Orabella are middle names?" He asked, moving them seamlessly on the dance floor yet again, much to Hailey's relief. She eyed him, suddenly reminded of the tenacity and stubbornness her brother is so famous for.
"That would be correct. So can I ask you a question Prince Ishmael?" Hailey countered.
"Please, just call me Ishmael." He replied, not caring for titles.
"Ok...Since you mention being curious, I have a question of my own...Why did you ask me to dance? I am not the prettiest girl here, I'm not the best dancer, I'm not the crown princess, there are at least 75 to 100 other girls here- many of whom would gladly give their right arm to dance with the most handsome prince at the ball, you are spoiled for choice- so I would just like to know... why me?" She asked, putting him in the hot seat and enjoying the sudden- even if it was only slight- discomfort.
Ishmael blushed at the notion of her thinking he was the most handsome but had to give her respect for having the kind of spunk it took to ask that kind of question.
"So I'm the most handsome prince at the ball?" He asked, turning her words against her. She hadn't thought about her word choice carefully enough.
"In the way a particular monkfish can be the most handsome among other monkfish." She replied with her own smile of victory. He chuckled at the comparison.
"You are so charming." He said with a splash of sarcasm.
"Of course I am, so is that why you asked me to dance? Because I'm SO charming?" She asked.
"Well if you must know-" He started, trying to think of the right words, his tone taking on a more serious note.
"I would like to."
"Because..."
"Because?"
"Because... you saved me earlier, I just thought I would ask you to dance to say thank you, that and it would keep the other girls at bay."
"Oh, well, you're welcome, anytime, I know they can be like piranhas sometimes, I do apologize."
"Why are you apologizing for them?"
"Because some of those girls are my cousins, and family can be a headache to deal with sometimes. So do you have any siblings?"
"I have a brother and two sisters."
"Older? Younger?"
"I have one older sister the rest are younger."
"Nice, I have one older brother- that's it."
"Is he here?" Prince Ishmael asks.
"Yeah he is over by that table just over there..." She said as she tried to point with the hand he was holding while they danced.
"He is the one the dark green tail with auburn hair, well more red but anyway he is talking to the mermaid with the pink tail." The Prince nodded and looked back to the ever increasing ravishing beauty in his arms he started to look at her a little more closely and began to appreciate the deepness of the blue in her eyes, as if he was looking into her soul. Her flawless complexion, and her deep auburn hair that every time they made a turn, would just graze his arm and it was super soft. Which only made him want to turn her more. Ishmael soon heard the beginning notes of the tango and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.
"Tell me Hailey, do you like to tango?" Prince Ishmael asked, hopeful.
"I...am not that good at it." Hailey replied, a half truth, she loved the dance but could never find anyone she wanted to dance it with. But the looks she was getting from some of the other dancers were making her nervous.
"But you are a naturally gifted dancer, surely you know how." He tried to reason.
"Well if you want to get TECHNICAL, then I may know the dance but I am horribly out of practice." She replied truthfully, trying to weasel out of it. But he could read past it, he had a feeling she was downplaying herself and was just even more curious to see what she was capable of.
"So what can I possibly say or do to convince you to stay with me? On the dance floor that is." He asked, becoming more determined not to let her leave. Hailey was taken aback by the way he said it but recovered quickly enough.
"Say please." She replied, not coming up with anything better to say.
"Please Hailey, please continue to dance with me..." He stated more then asked. More softly then she had expected.
"Okay, fine, since you asked nicely." She replied, giving in.
With that the tango was getting into full swing. And the Prince started out soft and slow but still with the music. Hailey just looked into his eyes trying to find the trust needed to perform the dance correctly; she was not one who trusted people easily. She was also trying to gauge how much of her dancing ability she should exhibit. Then the Prince spun her and was gentle in spinning her back in which helped her put faith and trust in his abilities which helped her confidence. Then the music picked up some more, she thought she would try to surprise him by a smooth move here and there. So the Prince threw in a few of his own. Hailey surprised herself by anticipating his movements correctly and keeping up remarkably well. At the very end of the song it builds to a large climax they start to twist around each other really fast as if in an eye of a storm and at the end they simply bow and to their amazement they heard cheering.
Both of them had been so caught up in the moment they almost-rather kind of-forgot- that other people, well A LOT of people were watching, at the dramatic movements part of the song the other dancers had left the dance floor leaving everyone to watch the two try to out perform the other while working together remarkably well. It was actually really fun to watch for the observer. Jim and Ariel had left the dance floor before the others and were standing on the sidelines with their son who at one point asked his father-
"So who is this guy and why is he dancing with Hailey like THAT?"
"Prince Ishmael from Tezrah, here on a trade deal." Jim answered his son.
"And you're letting him dance with her like this because...?" Ayden inquired, confused as to the sudden laid back attitude his father was sporting.
"Because your sister is an adult like you and can dance with whom she wants." Jim replied, watching his daughter enjoy herself on the dance floor as if she didn't have a care in the world. Ayden looked at his dad like he had gone senile but didn't argue. Ayden knew when his father was holding something back but knew now was not the time or place to argue, but Ayden also knew that this wasn't over.
'Alright- who are you and what are your intentions...' Ayden thought to himself as he continued to watch his sister dance.