Melody woke to a dark hour, huddled on her red cloak. She lifted her head and looked around the ditch she'd fallen asleep in, before sinking back to the ground and the staring up at the ocean sky, where a few rocking white shapes hinted that the earlier storm was so violent, pieces of ice had been broken off from nearby glaciers. After Finn had left, she had tried to sleep on the night's events.

But now that she was awake, she had found panic racing around inside her head like a caged animal. Not only had he not come back, but she was replaying what happened in her head, feeling terrible about it all. After everything Zafrina and Bay had gone through what could be likened to physical and psychological hell, Melody had ultimately topped it all with the misfiring of the stone's energy that had sent them flying across the ocean.

How could she have been so foolish? Why didn't I listen to the voice? Why didn't I realize what could happen? In that complete moment of madness, Melody had ignored the goading voice that had clearly been trying to get her to fire the stone. It was obvious something was going to go wrong, but Finn had had a knife pressed to his throat, and she was terrified to lose him again.

It's my fault. How I could I let this happen? Zafrina's right. All this could have been so easily avoided. Everything has just been the wrong place and wrong time...

Melody sat up and hugged her tail to her chest, a habit she'd kept from when she used to hug her knees as a human. The implications of what happened started to dawn upon her. Zafrina and Bay were gone, who knew where, thanks to Ontari's necklace. Zafrina hated Melody now - her best friend, who was more of a sister than a cousin, hated her. She blamed her for everything that happened, because of course, if she hadn't fired the stone, if she had spent less time sitting dumbstruck in Circe's lair...

I did this.

Suddenly Melody was trapped by the ocean. She had to breathe real air. She rushed to the surface, and she came flying out of the water, crashing onto her hands and tail onto a sheet of ice which scraped her hands. The earlier storm had rolled away, so now light snow fell, freezing against her skin. Her lungs flooded with icy air as she gasped, feeling her panic intensify. She looked up at the cloudy sky, which was swollen with more snow.

Melody was convinced - it was her fault, for Bay being taken, for Zafrina killing Icarus to protect her, the stone misfiring... Her lower lip shook, as she reached into her bag and extracted Zafrina's bangle, which had come loose in the blast. She held the gold in her hands, seeing her eyes reflected in the metal, saw the seamud and scratches on her face. This pointless, painful journey, and for what? Nothing...

"Nothing." Melody repeated into the cold silence. She had never felt more alone.

Melody looked at the bangle, seeing it shudder in her hands - her hands trembled so much, the bangle fell through her fingers to a soft clatter onto the ice. Her eyes pressed shut as for a moment she tried to hold back her tears, trying to think of Ariel and Florian, but this only made her more feel worse. They could never destroy the stone, and with her mother and brother's merfolk blood, what if, if Lysidus cast his killing spell, they were victims too?

It caved in, and Melody suddenly fell apart, tears slipping from her eyes. Her body wracked with sobs, as she curled forwards, her forehead pressed to the ice. All of it - losing who she loved, her most important friendships, and when Lysidus got the stone back to cast the killing spell... everything she knew and loved would all be gone.

"All of this is because of me!" Melody didn't know who she was talking to, as she wept on the icesheet, the snow whirling around her, speckling white throughout her black hair. "It's my fault, it's my fault... I..." her head bowed to shield it from the flurry, and her tears dripped down her face, silvery trails. "I feel so lost." For the first time, Melody felt broken. All the way, she had held onto hope, kept herself together by tendrils, but the threads that she had struggled to sew had finally snapped. The hope was gone. Melody was finally broken.

"Why, grandfather? Why did you help kill an entire race? I don't understand..."

Melody leaned back against a slope of ice, her tears continuing to trickle down her face, remaining there; she was sure they were freezing on her cheeks. Desperate for some comfort, she took the wad of letters Circe had received from Triton but never replied to, comforted slightly that he had once written on the very sheets. No matter what Triton had done to Lysidus fifty years ago, Melody still loved him, even if it looked as though Triton had contributed to Lysidus' descent into madness. A snowflake twirled down, settling on the top letter. It was dated fourty years ago, a few years before Ariel's birth. Rubbing her eyes, read the faded writing.

You asked me to explain myself the last time we met, so I will. I don't know why you won't respond to my letters, but if you read this, this is my honest answer. Perhaps you have been waiting for my explanation? I cannot keep the stone here forever, so if there is something I must know, please tell me.

I was under orders and misunderstanding when I helped in the killing. I'm ashamed of my past, Circe, and you know it. There were so few of them left, it was easy to think that they were in on it together, that Lysidus was connected with the rogue group that killed thousands of innocents in Delorea. Someone overheard the plans - the rogues were planning the attack, they heard them mention that Lysidus had told them that what they were planning was monstrous. He wasn't involved afterall. But this news was only brought to light too late, after his family perished and he got the stone, where he lost his mind. The rest of the letter had been torn away, but it was enough.

Under orders and misunderstandering? A little part of her caved in relief - Triton had not helped in hunting down the nightlings purely out of revenge. Not only had he been ordered to - by whom, the letter didn't disclose - but they had wrongly believed that Lysidus was in on the killings. This was the 'Delorea Massacre' Circe referred to? A 'rogue group' of nightlings, who had murdered so many innocent people? Of course, the grief and loss would have blinded them from the truth. Like their own journey, it had all been a misunderstanding... Melody's fingers gripped the fragile page so hard it almost tore, but it wasn't enough to rekindle a little hope inside her heart.

Finn... she had to find Finn. She may have lost Zafrina and Bay, but she wasn't about to lose him too.

Meanwhile

Zafrina and Bay swam through the street, hand in hand. Several people were giving them odd looks, due to their obvious bruises and scratches. "Ignore them." Zafrina said, when she sensed Bay's anxiety.

"What must they think of us?"

"They'll think we had a fight with some coral." Zafrina replied, mildly. However, she felt him tugging on her hand, making her stop and turn. She came up close, her hands lightly on his sides. "Are you okay? We can go back to that cave, if you want..." She certainly wouldn't mind. "Your hair looks great, if it's making you self conscious." They'd made slight adjustments to his hair before leaving the cave for a swim, so it was a little more styled. Bay was struggling to adjust to it, even if he thought it looked good himself.

"It's not my hair that's bothering me, I just..." Bay gently placed his hands on her arms. "Did we do the right thing?" He asked, uncertainly, the mist of relief starting to clear somewhat. Zafrina blinked at him, her gaze moving to his chest as she retreated into her thoughts.

She had been trying not to think about Melody and Finn. She was starting to rethink her words. She had said some awful things. She blamed Melody entirely and her rage filled self had made sure she knew it. But away now, able to focus in a quieter situation, Zafrina had realized something. In her anger and stress, she had taken it out on her cousin when it wasn't her fault - Zafrina knew that it was an accident. The past weeks, Zafrina had bottled up her emotions, and Melody was right - she had pushed her away all that time, she now realised. Melody had tried to help, but Zafrina hadn't let her... yet her stubborn side rose it's ugly head.

"Of course we did." Zafrina said, but Bay heard an edge to her voice that revealed her uncertainty. She pulled away from him and continued on, with Bay following slowly. They swam on to a quieter part of the town, but this time, Zafrina stopped. She turned around.

"Bay?"

"Yes, Rina?"

"I..." Zafrina tried to remember what she was going to say, her mind a blank slate. Bay looked at her patiently, awaiting an answer. Zafrina couldn't find the words, not out of uncertainty - there was something far more distracting behind him. She released a gasp and suddenly pulled him behind her. "Stay away from us!" Bay looked, startled, before realizing why she was suddenly terrified.

An aquademon had just emerged from a cave, with the unmistakable white hair piled on her head in a messy bun, so that gills on her neck were visible. Her eyes were soft and tired before she gave them a strange, bewildered look. She was young and rather pretty, which surprised both Zafrina and Bay. Weren't they meant to be monstrous? Even the reptilian hands seemed delicate.

"What? You don't even know me..." the female aquademon floated, still looking confused. She backed away, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Zafrina and Bay were not convinced, believing it to be a show.

"Rubbish! How did you find us?" Bay grew angry, reminded of what had happened to him.

"Find you? Who even are you?" She looked utterly confused and even offended at their hostility.

"Rhapsody?" a voice from inside the cave. "What's going on?" To their horror another emerged, also female. She looked uncertainly from Rhapsody to the terrified pair of merpeople. Not hearing their panic, she looked concerned as she slid her hand into her companion's for comfort and support. "Are you two alright?" Slowly, Bay felt less anger, but more confusion. What was this? Genuine concern? There was something different about these two - they looked more worried than anything, afraid. He didn't see any weapons...

He glanced at Zafrina who was still shamelessly glaring at the pair.

"I don't know, Lokia." Rhapsody replied. Lokia tilted her head at the two merpeople. I wonder... their appearances seemed to match a description they'd been given.

"Your friends attacked us earlier! Nearly killed us!" Lokia looked at Rhapsody, eyes widening, as she started to connect the dots. Urgently she whispered in her ear, and Rhapsody blinked and looked at Zafrina and Bay.

"Oh, no - what have they been doing?" Rhapsody whispered, but not quietly enough.

"I'm sure you know full well!" Zafrina said, accusingly.

"Zafrina, maybe..." Bay whispered in her ear, but Zafrina was in defence mode, still not letting Bay go closer. Luckily the street was empty at this point, so nobody noticed the drama. Rhapsody appeared tired of their aggression.

"Look, whatever happened, it was nothing to do with us. We left Lysidus last week." Zafrina stared at them in bewilderment, confused by this information. "Are you..." Lokia looked at them strangely, trying to match their appearances with Lysidus' descriptions. "Which ones are you? Finn, Melody, Bay, Zafrina?" Zafrina and Bay were disturbed, and made even more unsettled that they knew their names.

"How do you..." Bay looked suspiciously at Zafrina. "How do you know our names?" Rhapsody and Lokia exchanged a look. Could this - could this be their chance, to bring Lysidus down?

"If you're who we think you are, maybe you'd better come inside."

"I am not doing that." Zafrina said, bitterly. The pair gave them a look of irritation.

"Alright. Let's sit down here, then." Rhapsody dragged a rock out from the cave, placing it opposite another by the entrance. "We'll explain everything - we hate Lysidus as much as you do." Zafrina stared at them, speechless. "Please," Rhapsody said, eyes filled with pleading. "We're different from the others. Let us help you - please sit down."