Ritsu had decided to steel his nerves and return to the private beach he had discovered yesterday. However, as per usual the young prince constantly had someone around him. But, if Ritsu was anything, he was determined! He would not allow himself to give up!

"Anchan." Ritsu said to the young princess, the two of them strolling in the royal garden. Their parents were allowing them to spend time alone together, hoping the children could form a better connection without watchful eyes, although there was always a guard or servant not far from sight, just in case.

"Yes, Richan?" An looked at him with a bright smile.

"I...I have a favor to ask of you." Ritsu said. "I want to leave the castle grounds again. Alone. Would you be able to cover for me?" He asked in a hushed voice. This wasn't the first time such a proposition had come up, however it was usually An asking Ritsu to cover for her.

An was a picture perfect princess; beautiful, intelligent, and talented in the arts. The only trait she lacked that one looked for in a princess was submissiveness. Often she went horseback riding on her own, snuck off to watch soldiers and their swordplay, sometimes even went as far as to pick up a sword herself while Ritsu stayed on lookout to warn her if anyone was coming. Of course, it wasn't smart for a child to pick up a sword, but neither were worried about the danger of a weapon as much as they were worried about the danger of getting caught.

An was equally confused, intrigued, and worried at Ritsu's request. Ritsu was always the voice of reason, always trying to convince An against breaking rules until eventually giving into the temptation, and now he was going to attempt to sneak off the castle grounds on his own? After all that apologizing yesterday and the harsh scolding he had to go through? If he was caught leaving again, surely he'd face a worse punishment than a sharp tongue.

"Only if you tell me why." An said. "It's not dangerous, is it?" She asked. Even if An's adventures weren't consistently the most safe, Ritsu was pretty much always by her if anything went wrong. If Ritsu went off on his own, he would not have someone to fall back on and that worried her.

"No." Ritsu had never lied to An before. The truth was he didn't know whether or not it would be dangerous, but he couldn't let An know that, otherwise she would not agree to help him. "And I'm...meeting a friend." Ritsu said after a moment of consideration. Another lie. That siren was not his friend. But! He hoped that he would be.

"A friend?" An asked, surprised.

"Yes. I met him yesterday when I fled and I told him I would meet him again today."

"What kind of friend Richan?" An asked, rightfully suspicious. They were royals afterall. Ritsu was the crowned prince! This boy Ritsu met could easily come back with a group of people to kidnap Ritsu and hold him for ransom.

"He's kind, An, really. And he doesn't know who I am. He has no reason to betray me." At least, Ritsu assumed the siren wouldn't be aware of his status. He couldn't imagine a legendary creature keeping up with petty human politics.

An stared deeply into Ritsu's eyes, trying to find something to make her say 'no', but all she could find was a deep desperation. She sighed, cursing herself for never being able to deny him. "When will you be back?"

"How long will you be able to cover for me?" Ritsu asked instead of answering. It was the early afternoon now, the two of them meant to have lunch in the garden together.

An pursed her lips in thought. "Up until dinner. If you don't join us at the table our parents will undoubtedly get suspicious. I could always tell them you retired early, that you were not feeling well, but surely they would send our healer to your room to check on you only to discover you were not there."

Ritsu nodded. "I will return before supper then." He said. "And if I don't...then something's gone wrong." He added. "Not that I think anything will go wrong! It's just...you never truly know. Thank you, An." He finished his sentence with a genuine smile.

"Don't thank me yet, first we need to get you out of here." An said, leading Ritsu off to a more secluded part of the garden where they wouldn't be spotted. "I'll help you over." She said, nodding towards a wall covered in vines.

"How do I get back over?" Ritsu asked. An shrugged.

"You're a smart boy, Richan. I'm sure you'll figure it out." She said with a smile.

Ritsu felt a little discouraged at that, but he pushed forward regardless. An knelt down as she cupped her hands together, letting Ritsu step into them as she helped him find his way up. She was grateful that Ritsu wasn't too heavy, the prince still quite lanky and small. She herself was surprisingly strong for a girl her age. After all, it wasn't easy to lift those swords she liked to secretly swing when no one was looking. Ritsu gripped on to some stronger vines, eventually finding himself sitting on top of the wall.

"Be safe Richan." An waved.

Ritsu nodded. "Thanks again." He said before hopping down. The landing wasn't great, making him stumble slightly, but he wasn't hurt so he counted it as a success. He moved quickly, not sure if there were any guards patrolling the perimeter, but he wouldn't be surprised if there were. He didn't want to get caught before he even had the chance to truly step off the castle grounds.

It was a little difficult to remember how he had found the small beach, after all he had just stumbled upon it after wandering aimlessly, but he eventually heard the sound of water and followed it.

The sand still had branches and broken shells strewn upon it, but no longer was there any trash in sight. On a large rock near the shore, Ritsu saw the siren. His back was to Ritsu, allowing the prince a good view of his wings.

They were sleek and the feathers seemed to shine in the bright sun. They looked rather large and Ritsu wondered just how massive they were when expanded. He had yet to see the siren take flight and he imagined it would be nothing less than enchanting.

Why is he here? Ritsu wondered. The stories he knew of sirens told of beautiful, but lecherous and dangerous creatures that targeted ships and their crews. Their singing persuaded men to either jump over the side and into the unforgiving ocean or to crash the ship all together. It was then, once the sailors were vulnerable, that the sirens would truly attack and devour the men they had entranced. But...this spot did not exactly seem ideal to hunt ships from. Ritsu could see nothing over the horizon of the sea, not a single speck that indicated there were any ships nearby. Being a seaside kingdom, there were constantly ships coming in and out of port here. This part of the ocean was obviously not a part of anyone's route. So why was the siren here of all places?

Ritsu held his breath as the siren suddenly moved. He leaned forward, looking over the edge of the rock and slowly reaching out toward the waves in front of him. His hand hovered over the water, completely still until it shot out so quickly that Ritsu nearly jumped. When the siren pulled his hand back out of the water, he was tightly gripping a small fish and he did not hesitate to rip those sharp teeth into it.

Ritsu looked away, slightly nauseated at the sight of the siren eating a live fish. He understood the appeal of freshness, but this was a little too much.

Maybe sirens don't actually eat humans? Maybe that's why he's not going after any of the ships?

Ritsu looked back over, seeing the siren was now empty handed after devouring it's snack and was once again waiting with his hand poised above the water to catch another one.

Or maybe this siren just eats fish. Or maybe sirens eat both? Ugh, I have so many questions!

Ritsu, no matter how bad he wanted to, couldn't possibly approach. This siren was obviously hungry, eating fish after fish after fish, and Ritsu couldn't risk being it's next meal.

Maybe I can bring him some food as a peace offering of some sort, Ritsu contemplated. It was possible the two of them didn't even speak the same language, but perhaps with a kind gesture Ritsu's intentions could be made clear.

Or he could eat my food and then eat me for dessert, Ritsu sighed. He continued to watch and waited until the siren finished his little hunting spree. Maybe Ritsu would be safer once the siren was full.

I might not get the chance to talk to him ever again. If I somehow get caught once I return to the castle, my parents will surely keep a tighter leash on me. I don't even know when we'll be returning to the Kohinata Kingdom after we depart.

And this was how Ritsu, being only twelve years old and not having fully developed the part of his brain that assisted in reasoning, convinced himself to step on to the beach in complete view of the siren if he were to turn around.

"Hello?" Ritsu spoke.

And the siren did, in fact, turn around.