A/N: Sorry for the delay! This chapter's fairly simple. I thought we needed to see Elise and Jason interacting happily before the conflict starts making things difficult.


Crashing Waves

Chapter Eight


She'd stood him up.

The day after the announcement of her engagement had been a hazy one; filled with anxiety over the realizations she'd made the previous night, as well as her run in with Queen Emma, Elise simply slept most of the day, urged by her maids to rest after fainting the previous night.

She awoke the following morning feeling much more optimistic. The bruises on her wrist were already beginning to yellow, and the castle seemed a bit more normal than it had in the past few days. The turmoil she'd been feeling had begun to settle. While her problems were nowhere near being solved, there appeared to be a calm before the storm, and living near the sea her whole life, she knew to take advantage of it. Nothing was more brutal than a storm, especially now that Elise found herself metaphorically – and literally, to an extent – alone in the water.

But her calm was quickly replaced by another bout of panic when she realized she had planned to meet Jason the day before.

Their relationship, however small it may be, relied on dependability, and Elise immediately felt ashamed. She'd given someone her word and had failed to follow through, and a word given to Jason, nonetheless! With her life in its current state, Elise hoped that the merman would present himself today as well; she couldn't bear to lose her only friend.

Elise dressed quickly. It was a warm summer day, so she wore a simple, light dress made of pale green with short sleeves, her long curls tied back with a matching green ribbon. Pleased enough with her appearance, she quietly entered a back hallway usually used for servants. It would let her out onto the beach in a different spot than usual, but she was also far less likely to run into anyone. She didn't want to risk any undesirable encounters, she needed to wait for Jason if there was any hope of seeing him again.

Soon enough she was freed from the castle, out on her rock and able to breathe freely. It felt so incredibly good to be outside again. She rarely spent a day indoors, and the effects of having done so proved to be stifling. Elise felt as though she'd wilted somehow; she was too accustomed to feeling the sun on her cheeks.

Her relief was short lived however, her anxiety returning to her. If Jason weren't to arrive – which she wouldn't blame him for, after all she had been the one to stand him up – she would have no way of contacting him. Their separation terrified her.

"Well look who decided to show up."

Elise whirled around to face her friend who, as if by tradition, had suddenly surfaced beside her. She had never been happier to see him: the wavy blonde hair plastered to his forehead with seawater, with his tanned skin and twinkling blue eyes. The young woman nearly let out an audible sigh of relief.

"You came!" she exclaimed, almost throwing herself down to sit beside him, a wide grin on her face.

Jason gave her a strange look, as if thrown off by her enthusiastic reaction, but he eventually just laughed.

There was a pause before Elise spoke again. "I-I'm very sorry about yesterday!" she said suddenly, staring down at her hands. "I was asleep for most of the day and our arrangement slipped my mind. I promise it won't happen again."

Elise could feel Jason's eyes on her in the silence that followed, and she began to wring her hands in her lap, still refusing to meet his gaze.

Jason laughed again, although softer this time. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It's nothing."

Elise snapped her head up abruptly, shocking the merman yet again with her erratic behavior, her green eyes now gleaming with fierce intensity.

"I gave you my word and I failed to follow through," she told him sternly. "That isn't nothing, not for someone who's supposed to rule an entire kingdom someday."

And Elise meant that – she had truly disappointed herself. She didn't normally forget engagements with people, for it horribly reminded her of her father's abandonment following her mother's death. People were important, and forgetting about them was an insult in her eyes. Elise lacked in many ways, but she always tried to treat others with respect and compassion.

"Well then I accept your apology," he told her with a smile. "You're really something else, you know that? Are all humans like you?"

Elise cocked her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

Jason just shook his head. "You're so moral. When you think you messed up, you punish the hell out of yourself," he said. "I don't know anyone who cares about things as much as you do."

Elise blushed, adverting her eyes once again as she tucked a few escaped curls behind her ears. Jason's amused expression slid off his face quickly. Just as the princess was opening her mouth to speak, he grabbed her hand, gently tugging her arm towards him.

It was then that Elise realized her error: she'd lifted her injured hand to mess with her hair, and her dress had left her bruised wrist visible. She hadn't thought to conceal it before departing that morning, and Jason's stiff demeanor told her that his reaction wouldn't be slight. Jason was careful in handling her, aligning his hand with the ugly marks and enclosing her in a fist similar to the one Vincent had grasped her in.

Despite the thudding of her heartbeat in her ears, Elise couldn't help but note how nice his hands felt in comparison to her stepbrother's. His were warm and slightly calloused, and his touch was almost too light, as if he feared she would break.

"Who did this to you?" he asked in a low, dangerous tone that Elise hadn't heard him use before.

Elise placed her other hand over his, her dainty fingers brushing over him. "Jason, it's really noth-"

"Don't say it's nothing, this isn't nothing!" he snapped, cutting her off. Elise blinked several times in surprise, and Jason's expression quickly softened. "I'm sorry. Could you just tell me what happened yesterday, please?"

Truth be told, Elise would prefer not to recount yesterday's events. She would rather put the awful memory behind her, to minimalize it until she's convinced herself that it truly was nothing. That was how she dealt with all her problems; growing up without any true friends, she'd always lacked the support needed to work through much of anything. Introspection, while valued by Elise, could often turn one's thoughts sour over time. She'd learned that it was better not to wallow.

However, she felt as though she owed him an explanation. She couldn't help but be touched by how much he appeared to care for her.

"Vincent sent for me after I last saw you. He was angry, and I was too so I provoked him. He grabbed me and –" Elise felt tears well up in her eyes and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "H-he says that I'm to marry him, and that he would keep an eye on me. I, um, fainted, and when I came to his mother was there." Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Elise's lip trembled as they streaked down her cheeks. "She told me that my father would suffer if I didn't cooperate. I-I'm so sorry Jason, I'm so weak! They terrify me and I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

She felt incredibly foolish, sitting beside her friend and crying once again. Elise was so tired of feeling helpless, but how could it be helped? Her books did nothing to save her. She was outmatched by those around her, and she felt so hopeless. She couldn't help her father, and she certainly couldn't help herself.

Jason pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. "You shouldn't apologize for this. You aren't weak," he said, his tone more subdued than usual.

Elise laughed darkly, untangling herself from him and angrily batting the tears from her cheeks. "Is there another word for it, then?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm helpless against these people."

Jason leaned in towards her so that his intense gaze was only a few inches from hers. "You aren't weak, and you don't deserve this. These people are evil if they can do these things to someone like you."

For someone usually so carefree, Elise was shocked by Jason's seriousness. She shifted uncomfortably, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Someone like me?" she asked. "And what are you referring to?"

Jason's expression softened a bit, his blue eyes flicking around her face as though uncertain on what to settle on. "I mean you're… Amazing," he murmured. "You're smart and kind and beautiful. You can't defend yourself from these people because you're too good to stoop to their level."

Elise found herself at a loss for words. A strange tension stretched between them, one that Elise couldn't place. It was odd: she found herself entirely at ease, but there was also this incredible sense of urgency. She felt as though she needed something.

No one ever spoke so highly of her. She had always been the odd, quiet girl who reads a lot. She was the forgotten princess – she was only important now because of her high birth – but Jason apparently saw something in her.

Jason, who was kind himself, who always said what he thought, who she found herself becoming increasingly attached to in the few weeks of their companionship. And how awful could she truly be if someone as admirable as him could hold her in such high regard?

She was leaning in before the realization truly struck her: she needed him. She needed to have him, she couldn't be alone anymore.

His lips were soft and tasted like saltwater, and he reciprocated immediately. Elise looped her arms nervously around his neck while he pulled her into him, deepening their kiss.

Elise had never been kissed before, so she couldn't exactly tell if they were doing it right, but it definitely felt right. It was slow and careful, yet cautiously hungry all the same. When they had to pull back for lack of air, they simply stared at one another, unsure of what to do next.

"Don't marry him," Jason breathed, his gaze moving from her eyes to her lips.

"I don't think I have a choice." The girl sighed, once again lost to her own self-loathing, as was common nowadays.

Jason kissed her again, only this time it was harsher, and he broke away far too soon. "There's something I have to do," he told her, his goofy grin returning to his face as he pulled away from her.

"What?" Elise sputtered.

"I can't let you marry some creep just because your father's telling you to," he said simply, as if it were obvious. "So I'm going to keep it from happening."

Elise gaped at him for a moment before her words returned to her. "I – Jason, there isn't anything you can do! I appreciate it, but –"

Jason brushed a piece of hair from her face. "Listen, I noticed you sitting here over a year ago," he confessed, stopping Elise's protests. "I spent a year just noticing you before I actually met you. I don't want anyone to hurt you, but I'm also being pretty selfish. I don't like the idea of any guy thinking they own you."

Elise's brow furrowed in concern. She couldn't deny that she was touched by his clumsy declaration, but she was also worried. Her world was swiftly becoming a dangerous one, and she couldn't bear to see him injured because of her.

Just as she would endure anything to protect her father, she would do so for him.

"What do you have planned?" she asked him uneasily.

Jason laughed nervously, his smile crinkling his blue eyes. "I'm more of a make-it-up-as-I-go kind of guy, honestly," he said teasingly. "I always figure something out, and I'll come here every day until I do." His expression grew a bit more serious. "But when I figure it out, I'll probably just disappear for a while. I won't be able to get word back to you right away."

"Jason, I don't like the sound of that," Elise contested. "I-I'll worry about you, I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

Jason kissed her again. "Do you trust me?" he asked her softly.

Elise looked at him for a moment. Despite the fact that they'd only officially met a few weeks ago, she knew that she did indeed trust him. He had done nothing but express genuine care for her, and she in turn cared for him, deeply. She nodded in response.

"Then know that I will always come back to you. I'm not going to allow anything to keep me from you."

Elise's heart soared for a precious moment, her mind clinging to the bit of hope that Jason had provided her with. She smiled, her anxiety subsiding a bit.

She had to believe in him – what else did she have to believe in anymore?

"And I will always wait for you," she promised.


A/N: Don't know about you guys, but I've been waiting for this for a while. Jason needs to get a move on with his plan! I apologize for any errors this chapter may have, or if it seems rushed, poorly written, et cetera. I hit a bit of a block with writing this chapter for some reason. Oh well!
More conflict to come next chapter, and as always, please review! I really enjoyed reading your reviews from the last chapter. Some of you rather enjoyed Emma's characterization, which is good considering how much of her we'll be seeing in the near future!

So yeah, this story is only continuing because of you guys. Thank you so much for your help in writing Crashing Waves!

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