Look who got done with her school work earlier than expected and has decided to reward you lot for it! Coming to you now, both Chapters 25 and 26! Things are getting a bit hardcore.

On an off note; it's been a really weird year so far…so very strange…I've gotten into writing more so than I have breathing, but that's not a bad thing…I think.

I have nothing more to say aside from thanks (again) for the comments! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are excited to continue and, as always:

Read. Review. Enjoy!

Consequences

Aaron was right.

With nothing to distract him from the bleak environment, no way to mark the passage of time or any type of entertainment to ease the punishment; there was no telling how much longer this would last. Uriah had yet to return since leaving him there on that first day, but- if the boy's unhappy stomach was anything to go by -he wouldn't be too much longer; unless, of course, his appetite had changed since being in the presence of so much food. Just the thought of the feasts he had attended made his hunger all the more ravenous. Looking back, he could hardly understand how he was able to refuse their offers of more. As if reinstating the thought, Aaron's stomach growled loudly in displeasure.

He was so hungry. Surly Uriah would come soon.

Trying to distract himself, the young prince let his mind ponder over his recent visit. Unfortunately, the first thought that came to his mind was that he was unable to say goodbye to the princesses. He had been close with them once; that he remembered as soon as he saw their faces. Family was supposed to be close, though, wasn't it? Though, if they were, then why was the king so hateful towards him? Aaron could not make sense of it. That was his father, but the merman acted as if he had done something horrible; or was something horrible. Triton had been so angry, even after the prince woke him from his sleep that would have surly lead to his death.

It was confusing to say the least.

Shaking his thoughts of such notions, he focused on the better moments of his adventure. The guard, Sebastian, sparked a memory that the two of them had acted together as a father and son should. Perhaps that was why he had been so easily comforted by the merman. His actions spoke of care as well. Though Uriah had never brought a hand to the prince, there were multiple occasions that ended in Aaron getting hurt like cutting his hands on glass, rocks, or cooking utensils; irritated skin due to the harsh collar; or even having adverse reactions from the chemicals he was ordered to work with. His master had always waved him away to clean the wound before returning to his task saying that he didn't want to hear of it if it wasn't life-threatening. With that mindset, Aaron found the guard's actions towards his wrist and cheek strange.

Memories fought to get to the surface of his mind and- as opposed to all the other attempts –there was nothing to distract the prince from the thoughts. They were fuzzy as the boy struggled to clear them; it had been far too long since he cared enough to try. Worry for his master's reaction to his thoughts, he surprised himself by continuing. It wasn't long before hazy images began to shift back into place within his mind.

How far had he fallen? Helping the creature who was his enemy; calling him 'master'. He couldn't blame himself, though. He had been here far longer than the idea of hope lasted. It had been so much easier for him to fall into the ever-looming darkness that surrounded him than it was to fight for something he felt fading with every passing moment. This, of course, did not lessen the harsh realization that it was partly his fault that some of the 'customers' ended up in their present form; perhaps not entirely his doing, but it was close enough to bring shudders to the lost prince's shoulders.

No wonder the Atlantians reacted to his presence with so much relieved pity. His father's actions no longer baffled him as they had only moments before along with his sisters' failed attempts at reconnecting. The way Sebastian accepted him in open arms without hesitance brought a faded and dusty hope to the prince. How hard was it for Sebastian to find him only to have to leave him in the enemy's clutches? Surly the guard was doing nothing short of tearing the land and sea apart to find a way to set his prince free.

Land…it was just as wonderful as it had been that first time he'd laid eye on it as was the princess it harbored. Aaron closed his eyes with a smile as he brought the human girl to the forefront of his mind sided with the newer, older version he had met recently. She had grown just as he had, but she was far more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. A spark of something ignited a fire in his heart at the thought of his best friend, though he found his brows twitching at the classification. She was his best friend so why did his stomach pull so tight when considering that fact.

He was unable to dwell on that feeling much longer than a minute before the large stone acting as a barricade opened to reveal Uriah's condescending smirk that had once eased the prince into relief- seeing as it meant his master was not angry. Now, however, it seemed more like a sneer one would face an unthreatening speck of dust rather than a play on power. This realization brought the slightest furrow to his brow which was no doubt noticed by the creature before him.

"It has been a full three days since your disobedience," Uriah announced pompously, "As I can see that you bear no remorse for your actions, I will be leaving you here for longer than I originally planned. I will not, however, condemn you to starvation."

At his words, one of his many tentacles shifted into the cavern and towards the prince who had to consciously stop himself from snatching the plate of food that was balanced on it. The plate was set down on the boy's lap where it lasted all of two seconds before it was inhaled.

He could never recall being so hungry. The food Uriah gave him normally made Aaron a bit nauseous, but there wasn't the slightest bit of hesitancy from him; he was far too desperate. All too soon, the plate was completely cleaned off, though his stomach was only just contented to stop growling. Fighting the urge to beg for more, Aaron lifted the plate towards Uriah who hadn't moved while the boy was eating; a dark grin on his grayed lips.

The creature chuckled as the tentacle retrieved the dish. "I see that you are thankful for my offerings," he leered, "I will be sure to bring another morsel or two with me for my next visit."

His face remained blank until the boulder was back in place, but as soon as it was, fury darkened his eyes. Anger like he had never felt burned within him as he glared heatedly at the space his master once occupied. Fists clenched as his jaw tightened enough for his teeth to hurt, but the only thoughts running through his head were that of bitter hatred. Deep down, he knew that this occurrence would normally not have affected him like this, but it was as if all of the horrible things the traitor had done to him over the years boiled into this instant.

Slamming his eyes closed, Aaron fought the urge to scream into the small space out of uncontrollable anger. He had no doubt he would regret it, but he couldn't care less for the consequences of his mounting rage. He began to take deep breaths in hopes of calming himself, though the efforts were in vain as the dark emotions continued to writhe against his emotional barrier. It wasn't until his logical mind tossed a slight hint at Emily's hypothetical reaction to his outrage that he was able to relax.

Tight-lined lips twitched into a slight smile at the thought. Going by what he knew of her temper, he could only assume she would be joined with him in his ire. For her to 'join' him in anything would be more than welcome. He missed her so much it hurt. How could he have let her fade into his memory for all of these years? It seemed impossible now; even if he wanted to he couldn't find it in himself to banish her face from his thoughts.

Though the human princess still lingered in his mind, he couldn't help but shrink slightly in shame. Sebastian would be disappointed in his potential outburst. The guard had always been more of a father than the king had so it was easy to admit that even considering a slack in the merman's pride of him caused remorse. Regardless, his ability to hold back his emotions was nothing to cast aside. Looking back, he was more than relieved that he didn't succumb to a tantrum. He did have his father's temper after all.

After a while, Aaron sighed. It had only been three days? He could have sworn it was nothing short of a week. Any more of this and he would be dragged to the brink of insanity, however, he knew he wasn't getting out of here anytime soon so there was nothing more to do than think which- he had quickly realized -was a very dangerous pastime.

She hadn't moved; she couldn't.

It was as if she had lost her best friend all over again. She had always looked back on that day all those years ago and inwardly screamed at herself for not doing more. If only she could have gone back and tried again, she would stop at nothing to keep him safe, but that was only a dream. The past could not be changed.

While her people were not as affected as she had been by Aaron's capture, there were obvious attempts to comfort the princess. The mer had not been on land long, but for the time he had been, he made friends with anyone and everyone he came into contact with. He was so curious that he disregarded statuses and mimed to whoever was nearest him when he had a question; and he always had questions. When his situation was explained, the council was the last group of humans to believe and it took them up until they caught sight of the merfolk to start. The villagers recalled the strange, silent boy who darted around pointing to common things with a bright smile on his face while the palace staff remembered the prince who never asked anything of them unless it was out of curiosity. They may not have known the boy well, but the affect he had on the princess was nothing short of inspiring.

So sure she would see him again, she promised herself that he would come to no more harm and that she would do everything in her power to keep him safe; even if she had to go against the entire score of fat, old, and useless council members to do so she would. That thought was what kept her going despite her mounting depression as the years passed. What if she truly lost him? What if she never saw him again and was left with the horrible knowledge he was imprisoned by that cruel monster? Try as she might, the questions remained unanswered and ever looming as her eyes constantly found themselves trailing over the sea's horizon looking for the one she feared would never be found.

But he was; he was found.

The moment her window burst open to reveal a breathless Scuttle (curiously named by Sebastian who seemed to be able to speak to the bird), she dropped the papers her tutor had assigned her in favor of chasing after the clueless seagull. Though she knew exactly where the bird was leading her, she couldn't help screaming at its idiocy. The way her heart throbbed at the sight of him brought tears of relief to her eyes. He had changed so much yet he was still the same boy she had become so attached to, though it quickly became obvious that his memory was off a bit. A moment of worry shuddered through her at the thought of him not knowing her, but as soon as those familiar arms wrapped around her, she knew that all was well.

His voice was just a melodic as she remembered, but it was quieter; as if he had gone a time without using it. She didn't want to think about him living all those years in silence. Her guilt pushed through her laughter as she tried to bring his wonderful smile back to his face, though, she was almost surprised by the hint of sternness in his words as he attempted to rid her of her remorse. How could the world be so horrible to such a kind soul? Better yet, how can he still be so caring after everything he had been through? She would never understand.

Parting that first day was painful, but it was nothing compared to the sharp pang in her chest at the sight of blood on his pale face. She hated his father's temper with a passion that rivaled her endless guilt, but it did little to distract her as he sadly explained his approaching departure. The way he tried to defend his captor was both painful and inspiring at the same time, though her anger mounted again at him reference to the beast. 'Master'…he was forced to call that thing his 'master'? How demented could this monster be?

Despite the warring emotions within her, she could not resist holding him tightly as the sun began to set. She never wanted to let him go just as he didn't seem to desire allowing her to. The kiss they shared brought her too close to tears as her heart leapt in her throat, begging to be taken by the boy before her. All too soon, however, the moment ended with Sebastian's interruption. As much as she wanted to scold him for his actions, she could only manage a gasp at the sight of the sunless horizon.

Never had anything hurt more than his arms pulling away as his eyes shone too many emotions for her to read in those beautiful blue eyes.

She hadn't moved; she couldn't.

It was a short hour later that brought the weathered guard back to the surface where he immediately met the princess' eyes with the horror that was flooding his.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly. It was unlike the merman to show such fear.

His breath came in short gasps proving that he hadn't wasted a second to rest. "Uriah…he has…he has Aaron in a prison…for a punishment," he gasped hurriedly. Taking a deep breath to slow his words, he continued, "He chained Aaron to a wall in a small cove and placed a large boulder at its entrance saying that he would decide when the prince is fed and freed. We must do something, but I do not know what we can do to void the contract."

Emily's breath hitched. He was trapped in a prison? He was being starved in a prison? All this as punishment because he was late getting back due to her inability to let him go. It was her fault all over again. "Why is he doing this? What can we do?" She begged.

The guard's eyes darted everywhere as if searching for an answer that couldn't be found. "I do not know, Emily. I cannot think straight knowing what he is going through. I can only imagine that this is a ploy to anger or perhaps enact revenge on the king."

"The king!" the princess cried, "Surly he can do something. You told me about his trident-thing that gives him kingly-power. Can't that do anything?"

"I don't know, but what if our involvement only makes the prince's situation worse?"

"How much worse could it get? Plus, if he knows we are trying to save him, won't it make him at least feel better about facing it?"

Sebastian blinked in understanding, "Gather your council-men however you can and meet me by the far cropping of rocks where this was last attempted in four days before the sun reaches the center of the sky. I will do the same. Perhaps gathering forces will help us in this."

Emily nodded in agreement and quickly bid the merman goodbye before racing back to her room to sit anxiously until morning came. As soon as it did, she would set the plans into motion.