Caylender's A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's brotherly fluff. Hope you like it. :D

Disclaimer: We don't own any recognizable characters. I mean do we look like Vince McMahon? Well, you have no clue what we look like...Take my word; we're not him!

Chapter 13: If Only Part I (Seth Interlude)

Right by the shore of the castle, there was a staircase that lead down to the ocean. The waves would occasionally brush against it if the tide was high enough, but tonight there was a good amount of beach between the ocean and the castle.

Dean sat on one of the steps watching the waves gently roll up onto the beach. With his arm propped on one knee and his hand supporting his jaw he stared out into the great blue yonder.

What was he going to do? He had one day left to see if the Princess loved him as much as he loved Seth and Roman. Maybe she already did love him like that but he didn't know and if he didn't know he couldn't save Seth. If he couldn't save Seth, Seth would become Stephanie's slave and who knows what would happen to him and Roman? They'd probably still be forced to join Hunter's inner guard… if not worse if the tyrant king found out they had become human and what they had been up to here on the Surface..

Was there even hope that Sonia loved him like that anyway?

"This is hopeless," sighed Dean as he got up and walked to the water and put his feet in. He sure did love being up here, but he missed swimming and chasing his brothers in the bright blue ocean, but fun had vanished long ago when they were forced to grow up rather quickly. He remembered meeting Seth when they were just young merboys. Seth had managed to get himself tied up in a seaweed bog and it had been Dean who had to get him out.

Those were the times before the revolution, before they grew up, before all of this being forced to join the inner guard of the tyrant king. They were young, innocent little mermen who didn't know any better and weren't putting their souls on the line for freedom and true love.

"You miss being down there, don't you?" questioned a voice as Dean turned around to see Seth standing on the steps looking at him with a sad smile on his face.

"Yes... no... I don't know," sighed Dean in a hem haw manner, "I love being up here. I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances. I love Sonia. Have from the day she originally dropped her fork into the ocean those many moons ago. I just… I just… I don't want to lose you little brother."

Seth slowly walked over to Dean and placed an arm around the elder man's shoulders, "I'm not going anywhere, you know that. You're going to win Sonia's heart tomorrow and we're going to stay up here. We won't be slaves for anyone and I won't lose my soul. It will be the happy ending all three of us deserve."

"How do you know?" questioned Dean a bit worried, "I feel like this is all useless because every time I want to tell her, something happens. A cocky prince interrupts me, I get bucked off a horse, Stephanie's little eel minions knock over our boat-"

"Wait, what do you mean?" questioned Seth concerned.

"Tonight in the lagoon when I was once again this close to kissing Sonia and finding out her feelings, Stephanie's eels knocked over the boat." Dean answered shaking his head, "It's like she wants us to fail on purpose."

Seth shook his head. He didn't like this. If Stephanie was trying to stop Dean from getting the Princess that must have meant she had big plans for Seth and his soul. Something told Seth those weren't good plans either.

"It all seems quite hopeless, doesn't it?" questioned Dean in defeat yet again, "Trying to make her love me as much as I love the two of you, who thinks some stipulation like that up anyway?"

The Architect really didn't have an answer for his older brother, but Dean couldn't talk like this. If he did, that meant Stephanie won and they couldn't have that. They still had one day left.

"It's not hopeless at all, Dean. You know every time I see Sonia look at you her mouth always turns into a smile and her eyes brighten up. It's a complete flop from when she looks at the other suitors, who I'm pretty confident, she wants to murder in their sleep. The reason she fusses over you so much is because she cares about you with her heart. She's a good, sweet, kind-hearted girl, Dean and I'm sure she'll love you as much as you love us soon, if not already."

"I hope you're right, Seth."

"You know I'm right, always am, always will be." Seth said as he embraced his older brother in a tight bear hug, "For what it's worth, you couldn't have picked a better human girl to fall in love with, Dean."

Dean grinned broadly as he embraced his little brother's hug and ruffled his hair. All hope wasn't lost after all. They did still have until sunset tomorrow to meet their end of Stephanie's deal.

"Now, since you're missing the ocean, how about we have a little fun?" questioned Seth as he speared an unsuspecting Dean into the ocean as the two brothers began to play wrestle in the surf getting soaked in the process.

Their laughter could be heard throughout the kingdom and even drew the Princess out of her chambers as she stood on the balcony. Dean glanced up at her a few times before he finally saw Roman talking to her and she was smiling gently down at him. But right now, this was his time to spend with Seth.

For just a little while all their problems were forgotten about, there was no Princess, no evil sea witch, no crazy deal, no tyrannical dictator; it was as if they were those young merboys who used to play together all those year ago under the sea.

They were just as they should be, brothers.