Andy could not get out of the castle fast enough after breakfast. His parents had come roaring back into his and Eric's lives in the same manner they always did, by making a huge scene. When he and Eric were children, they had been spoiled immensely. Their parents had given them everything, had let them do as they pleased. Any discipline the two of them had received when they were young had come from the nannies. But even that hadn't always been effective. When a nanny was too strict, Eric almost always managed to get her sacked.

Now after years of letting their two sons do as whatever they pleased, the king and queen seemed perplexed that they suddenly weren't willing to blindly obey their every command. Did they really expect Eric, who hadn't heard the word no as a child nearly enough, not to marry exactly who he wanted? Andy had no doubt that his brother would find a way to get what he wanted. Eric most assuredly would marry Ariel if he decided that she was worth fighting for.

Andy wished he had the gall to tell his parents no like Eric did. If he did, then he wouldn't be stuck going to college after he graduated from his boarding school to study whatever his father instructed him to. He wanted to study music. He wanted to play piano for the rest of his life. But he knew the king would never allow it.

Pushing thoughts of his impossible dreams from his mind, Andy knocked on Virginia's front door. He was leaving early the next morning to return to school and was there to say goodbye. The butler opened the door.

"Is Virginia home?" Andy asked.

"She is out back in the garden, Your Highness," the butler responded. "I shall escort you to her, if you desire."

"Thank you, but no," Andy said. "I think I can manage to find my way back there on my own."

"Very well, sir," the butler said, his lip curling very slightly in distaste, no doubt having noticed the sarcasm in Andy's tone.

"I'll just walk around the house," Andy said, backing out the doorway.

The butler shut the door and Andy trudged around the Ashworth's house, into the backyard. Virginia was perched on a railing inside the large white gazebo. Timothy Dewitt, the boy Ginny had confessed had more than once lost his temper and hit her, was leaned up against the railing beside her, whispering something in her ear and stroking her arm.

If it had been any other boy, Andy probably would have rolled his eyes and left. Ginny was a natural flirt and neither of them were serious enough about the other to get very jealous about encounters with the opposite sex. But Andy did care enough about Ginny to want to make sure that the piece of shit who had hit her never went anywhere near her again.

He strolled across the lawn, trying to keep his temper under control as he stepped inside the gazebo.

"Hello, Ginny," he said loudly.

She glanced up, her face paling when she saw who he was. "Andy," she muttered, shoving Timothy away. "I didn't know you were coming to see me today."

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Did you forget?"

"Oh," she murmured. "Yes, of course. I guess it must have slipped my mind."

"Too distracted by Dewitt to remember?" he asked icily.

"You're sounding a bit possessive there, Your Highness," Timothy drawled, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking as he leaned back against the railing. "Worried she'll leave you and fall back into my arms?"

Andy's eyes narrowed and he had to clench his fists at his side to keep from smashing the asshole's face in. "I'm not possessive, Dewitt. If Ginny's going to leave me I'd just rather it be for someone who isn't a piece of human filth."

"Andy," Ginny whimpered. "Don't."

"You need to leave, Dewitt," Andy said. "Now."

"What if I don't want to?"

"If you know what's good for you, you will get the hell out of here. Right. Now."

"You threatening me, Your Highness?" Timothy asked, still looking far too smug for Andy's tastes.

Andy looked Timothy up and down, attempting to assess how strong he might be. He was a couple inches shorter than Andy, but filled out his shirt well enough. But Andy had never lost a fight in his life, not unless you counted the fights between him and Eric when they were little, back when Andy was smaller than him.

"Yes," Andy said through gritted teeth. "I am."

Timothy let out a short laugh. "C'mon, mate. It's not that serious."

Andy's fist smashed into Timothy's face before he had even completely registered what he was doing. Timothy let out a howl of pain, his hands flying up to his nose, which Andy was fairly sure he'd broken.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, wincing in pain as he drew his hand back and noticed the blood on his fingers.

"Get the hell out of here before I give you a black eye to match that broken nose," Andy snarled.

"You're not going to get away with this," Timothy said, as he backed out of the gazebo.

"Of course I am," Andy replied. "I'm a fucking prince."

"Andy," Ginny murmured, speaking for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Calm down."

"I hope you and your prince are very happy together, Ginny!" Timothy called over his shoulder as he disappeared around the side of the house, his voice muffled by his hands, which remained firmly clasped over his bleeding nose.

"That was a bit uncalled for, don't you think?" Ginny murmured, hopping off the railing and coming to stand by Andy. "You didn't have to hit him."

"Why?" Andy snapped. "He's allowed to hit you, but I can't hit him? Seems a bit unfair. Why the hell are you even letting him anywhere near you?"

She shrugged, glancing down at her shoes. "He said he was sorry. He said he still wanted to marry me."

She looked smaller than she usually did, Andy noticed, frailer somehow. Like a strong breeze could knock her right over. He reached out and gently brushed away a lone tear that had begun its descent down her pale cheek.

"Are you going to do it?" he asked softly. "Marry him, I mean."

She shrugged. "It's a good match."

"He's an ass. You deserve better."

She shrugged half-heartedly. "Maybe."

He wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and pulled her in close. "Don't marry him, Ginny. You do deserve better. Believe me."

"I do, huh?" she asked, as he buried his face in her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses against her soft skin. "Like who—you? The boy who'll go running back to Clarissa Dufresne as soon as she'll have him?"

"You've always known that about me," he said, pulling his head back to look her in the eye. "You know I'll always choose her and I know you'll always choose someone richer and more powerful over me. Or, hell, maybe you'll even find someone you love and leave me behind without a second glance. If that happens, I can assure you I will be thrilled on your behalf. I care about you a lot, Ginny. But Timothy Dewitt isn't richer than me, or more powerful. And you sure as hell don't love him. So don't choose him. Promise me."

She didn't promise him, he noticed. Instead she studied him thoughtfully for a moment. "Do you think she'll ever want you back?"

"Who? Clarissa?"

"Who else?"

He shrugged irritably. "I don't want to talk about her anymore."

"Why? You love her."

"She still hurt me. Badly. I have no idea if she'll ever want me again. I have no idea if she ever wanted me in the first place. Sometimes I wonder if everything she ever told me was a lie."

Ginny was silent for a long time. "I'll miss you, I think," she finally said, staring out over the garden as she spoke.

He reached out, twirling one of her blonde curls around his finger and then released it, watching as fell back into place.

"You could come visit me at school," he said. "I could sneak you into my room. It might be fun."

She turned her head, surveying him haughtily. Her previous demeanor had vanished altogether. She was back to her old self. He liked her better this way. This was girl was strong and proud and wouldn't let a boy like Timothy Dewitt push her around. If only this version of didn't disappear when he came around.

"That sounds highly inappropriate, Andrew," she told him, her voice dripping with condescension.

He smiled. Only Virginia Ashworth could take such a superior tone with a member of the royal family.

"You're really something else, Ginny," he murmured.

She smiled. "I know."

The hallway that led to General Ashworth's study was dimly lit and Andy considered turning back several times as he slowly walked down it. But he kept going. It was important that the general hear what he had to say.

He came to a stop in front of the door. It was slightly ajar and creaked ever so slightly when he lifted his hand and knocked.

"Come in," a gruff voice called from inside.

Andy took a deep breath and pushed the door open and stepped inside. The general glanced up from behind his desk, his eyes widening ever so slightly when he realized who had just walked into his study.

"You lost, boy?" he barked, setting down his pen and leaning back in his seat.

"No, sir."

"Then what are you doing here?" General Ashworth asked. "I hardly pegged you as someone who'd willingly seek out my company."

"I wanted to talk to you about your daughter," Andy said.

The general eyed him suspiciously. "Don't tell me you want to marry her."

"No, sir," Andy replied. "That's not what this is about."

"Go on then."

"You probably know that I'm returning to school tomorrow." He paused, waiting for the general's affirmation.

"Thank heavens for that," General Ashworth muttered.

"Right," Andy continued. "I know you don't like me. And I know that as soon as I'm gone you'll probably be pushing Ginny in the direction of whatever suitor you think will make the best match for her. I'm not going to try to talk you out of that. But I want you to assure me that you will not let her anywhere near Timothy Dewitt."

"Why shouldn't I?" the general asked.

"He hit her, sir," Andy said bluntly. "Multiple times."

General Ashworth's face paled. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Don't tell Ginny that I told you," Andy said, turning to leave. "I don't think she'd be too happy about it."

"Wait," the general called just as he reached the door.

Andy stopped, turning back around. "Yes, sir?"

"Thank you for telling me," he said. "I appreciate it."

"I care about your daughter a lot, sir. I don't want that asshole to hurt her anymore. Promise me you won't allow him anywhere near her."

"That boy is going to be lucky if he lives to see tomorrow morning," the general grumbled.

"I punched him in the face," Andy offered.

"Did you?"

Andy nodded. "Broke his nose."

General Ashworth gave a sharp nod, signaling his approval, and went back to his work. Andy knew he was dismissed.

Ariel sat at the edge of the water, letting the waves lap at her toes. After breakfast had ended, Eric had stormed out of the room without even a glance in her direction. Confused, hurt, and not particularly eager to stick around and attempt to make conversation with his parents, Ariel had come down to the beach to sort through her thoughts.

She couldn't believe that Eric hadn't told the king and queen about her, not even the briefest mention tucked somewhere in a letter. They absolutely hated her. She wasn't even sure the wedding would even happen now. The queen looked as if she would allow it only over her dead body.

It was so frustrating, not being able to tell them the truth about her background. They didn't want her to marry their son because she wasn't of good breeding. But, of course, she was. She had royalty in her blood just like them. During the entire discussion, all she had wanted to do was scream "I'm a princess!" But she couldn't, not without having to then explain that her kingdom was located underwater. She couldn't even tell Eric. She wished that he remembered that time he'd seen her on the beach when she was still a mermaid. It would make things so much easier. She hated keeping such a big secret from him.

"There you are," she heard a voice say. "I was looking all over."

She whipped her head around, expecting to see her fiancé, but was disappointed to see that it was just Andy. Had they always sounded so similar?

"Oh," she said. "It's you."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," he said, coming to sit down beside her.

"I was hoping you were your brother," she murmured, digging her fingers into the sand. "He disappeared after breakfast. Didn't say a word to me either. I'm worried."

"He'll be back soon enough. He probably just needed to cool off a little. The conversation got a little heated."

"Your parents hate me," she said, letting the sand in her hand fall through her fingers. "Especially your mother. I might as well just leave now. There's no way she's going to let me stay in the castle, let alone actually marry Eric."

"She'll come around," Andy said, throwing his arm over shoulder and pulling her close. "If it makes you feel any better, she hates everybody at first. Plus, she and my father are convinced the sun rises out of Eric's ass, so they're not going to think anybody's good enough for him. Don't it so personally."

She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I don't want you to go back to school. You're my best friend here."

"I know, doll. You're mine, too."

They sat in silence for a little while, as Ariel tried to think of something to say.

"You should say goodbye to Clarissa before you leave," she finally murmured.

She felt him stiffen. "I've already told you that I don't want to talk about her," he snapped.

It was when he was angry that Andy looked and sounded the most like his brother, Ariel decided as she pulled away to study him. They looked a lot alike no matter what, but the resemblance became almost uncanny when they were upset. Sometimes it was hard to believe they weren't twins. They were so similar, save for a few small differences. Eric's jawline was more square. Andy's hair was wavier. Their eyes were nearly identical, except Andy's were more hooded and had a certain brightness, a twinkle almost, which gave the allusion that he was trying to seduce everyone he looked at. Ariel had overheard giggling girls in town saying that Andy was going to end up even more handsome than Eric.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I don't mean to pry."

"No, I'm sorry," he replied. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She closed her eyes, laying her head back on his shoulder.

They stayed like that for quite some time.

Ariel managed to make it back into the castle and to her bedroom without either of Eric's parents noticing her.

When Eric found her, it was nearly dinner time and her stomach was growling. She had missed lunch, not wanting to face the king and queen without Eric present.

He didn't say anything to her, just climbed into bed and started kissing her. She considered pushing him away and insisting that they talk about what happened at breakfast that morning. But she kept silent instead and let him tug her dress off. Soon they were both naked and he pushed inside her.

To her surprise (and slight discomfort), it was then that he chose to finally talk.

"I hate my parents," he growled. "I really, really fucking hate them."

"Shh," she murmured, her fingers weaving through his hair. "You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do," he panted, pushing deeper inside of her. "The things they said to you were inexcusable. But I'm going to take care of everything, darling. We're going to get married. I promise."

She didn't reply. There was something unsettling about talking about his parents while he was inside her.

Afterward, he rolled off of her and stared up at the ceiling. "I remember on my sixth birthday, my parents threw this huge party for me. All my friends were there and I got more presents than I could count. We played games and had a huge feast with all my favorite food and I loved every minute of it. But that evening, on the way back to my bedroom, I passed my sister's room. And I realized it was her birthday too. I had forgotten about my own twin sister on our birthday. I went inside her room and she was just lying there in the dark by herself. My parents hadn't gotten her a single present. I doubt they even went to see her once the entire day. I sat down on the edge of her bed and it was wet. She had wet her bed and her useless nurse hadn't even noticed. Mariah had been lying alone in her own urine for god only knows how long on her birthday. That was the first time I realized how little my parents cared about her. They were ashamed of her and they hid her away. It was the first time I really truly despised them and I have to admit that my opinion of them has only gone down since."

"I'm sure they loved her in their own way," Ariel offered quietly, not sure if she really believed what she was saying. "They just didn't know how to say it."

"I doubt it," Eric said icily, standing up and throwing on his clothes. "I have something I need to take care of," he told her. "If I'm not back in time for dinner, go down and eat anyway. Andy will be there. You won't have to face them alone."

"Eric, wait," she said.

Where in the world was he going?

He didn't wait. He didn't even acknowledge that she had spoken. He opened her door and disappeared from sight without even a glance backwards in her direction.

The door to the apothecary shop creaked as Eric pushed it open. The wrinkled, stooped man behind the counter glanced up as he stepped inside.

"Your Highness," he wheezed, "what can I do for you this evening?"

"I need a vial of poison," he declared.

The apothecary studied him, his thick, overgrown eyebrows knitting together. "Rat infestation at the castle?" he asked.

"No," Eric replied. "I need something much stronger than that. And undetectable."

The apothecary nodded knowingly. He never asked questions. As long as a person had the money, he would mix up any sort of medicine—or poison—that they desired. He wasn't the only apothecary in the kingdom, but he was the one where the shadiest of characters went, the people with the biggest secrets and the most at stake. Eric had met his fair share of colorful individuals there over the years, some of whom had been vital in his research of mermaids and the Sea Witch, Ursula.

A little while later, Eric slipped out of the shop, tucking a small vial into the pocket of his jacket. He glanced about. The street was deserted, just as it had been when he had entered. Nobody had seen him go in or come out.

He smiled to himself.

Things really were working out perfectly.

Eric's up to no good, as usual!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I suck.