Hello all! We have quite a long chapter here! I'm doing a little better, besides the massive fever that had me stuck to my bed for literally all of last week. But the good news is that I got to read tons, which of course left me mad inspired! All I can really say for this chapter is = two nerds go out on a shopping dateeeeee! lol, not really. I actually have to give a small trigger warning as there is a mention of rape and I don't want anyone reliving anything so god awful. I've found that there's a big problem with updating the story as you go when it's this long - you think of things you should have added in earlier but forgot to. Oh well. I hope you like this chapter, I'll see you all soon, and remember, review!

The next morning, Zen woke to a knock on the door. He blinked, wiping away the sleepiness from his eyes. He hadn't slept that good in weeks – literally. He rolled onto his back and sat up reluctantly.

Shirayuki was up already, pulling the dress Gladys had given her over her chest. Her back was bare – the dress was a little more complicated than the night gown last night. Her hair was down, and she was staring nervously at the door.

Zen blushed and looked away with a clear of his throat. "I'll get it, why don't you wait in the bathroom?" He swung his legs over the bed.

He heard a soft "okay" from Shirayuki and waited until he heard the bathroom door close before looking up. The sunlight was just beginning to slant in the room, it was probably just past dawn. Zen stretched and walked to the door, opening it carefully.

Gladys stood there, looking still shocked that he was the one who answered. "Oh, my Prince." She almost wept, her eyes tearing up. "I thought I may have been dreaming."

Zen held back his grimace. "Thank you, Gladys, for your hospitality to my friend and me. Without you, we would have slept in the streets."

"What a horrible thought." Gladys shook her head. She held out a black tray full of omelets, pancakes, and tea. "I made Your Highness breakfast. I am sorry it's not much."

Zen's mouth watered, and he blinked. "Your kindness surely knows no bounds." He grasped the handles from Gladys, who gasped when their fingers brushed. "Thank you, again."

"If you need anything, you just ring the bell on the tray and I'll come running!" She promised, gathering her skirts and bowing. "I did not tell anyone of your arrival, as promised. I will see you later." She then hurried off, which Zen smiled after her until he pulled back into the room. He put the tray down on a dresser, then closed the door. He wished that he could have kept his identity a secret from everyone, but it as for the best in the end. Without his title, he probably wouldn't have been able to get them a place.

Shirayuki emerged from the bathroom, her hair pulled up into a ponytail and sealed with the clip she had received from Below Surface. "What is that?" She asked, staring at the tray of food.

Zen didn't answer for a moment. Shirayuki was wearing a sturdy blue dress with green highlights throughout it. A collar wrapped around her neck gave way to two straps formed in an X over the top of her chest, reaching down to then hold the rest of the fabric. The sleeves didn't start until her bicep, where they fanned out in attractive wrinkles. She was also wearing a pair of dark blue boots to match. She looked incredible.

Shirayuki tilted her head at him. "Zen are you okay?"

Zen shook himself. "Uh, yes. Sorry." He cleared his throat, pointing to each food. "These are called pancakes. These are omelets. And this holds a hot liquid called tea."

"Are they good?" Shirayuki walked over and sniffed the tray, blinking.

"Yes." Zen looked down, realizing he was still in his night clothes. "Just give me a moment to change and we can eat."

Shirayuki did not like pancakes, so Zen let her have the omelets while he had the pancakes instead. She did not eat them with a vigor like he did, but he was just glad she didn't hate the food. "It's good." She said, though it had unfortunately gotten a little cold thanks to the mini lesson Zen had to give her in forks and knives.

She also liked the tea, thankfully. "It's very calming." She said, holding the cup delicately.

"I'm glad you like it." Zen said. Now that he had dressed and washed himself, he was starting to feel like a real human again. However, that meant he desperately missed his sword.

"I had a dream last night." Shirayuki said suddenly.

Zen blinked and looked up at her.

"The Moon appeared to me. She said we should travel by night, not sleep during it." She mumbled.

Zen nodded slowly. "That's a good point. She's supposed to lead us and all, I guess she needs to actually be there for it to work."

Shirayuki put down the tea cup, looking sullen.

"Is that all?" Zen asked, blinking. "Seems like a sort dream."

"She also gave me warnings about the New Moon, where she can't be seen. We're already on the waning, which is bad, because the guide she gives us will lessen each day until she's waxing again."

Zen hummed. "I see."

"So, what should we do?"

Zen thought. "We really can't wait around for a whole month. We'll have to move towards the castle, starting tonight."

Shirayuki nodded. "Okay."

"But, today I need to get into town."

Shirayuki looked up at Zen. "Why?"

"We need supplies. At the very least, a horse would help. Looking at map on the wall last night, we're right on the border of Clarines. We must move towards the center, where Wistal Castle is. That's my home."

Shirayuki nodded. "Okay."

Zen reached out and grabbed Shirayuki's hand. "You should come with me into town."

Shirayuki flinched and pulled back her hand. "Um, no thank you. I don't want to go converse with humans."

"Not all humans are bad, and at least this way you can get used to them more." Zen coaxed. "Plus, you'll need more clothes, and I have no clue what size you are in human."

"And you think I do?" Shirayuki scoffed.

"It'll be miserable for you if you just sit here all day." Zen stood up. "Come on, trust me." He held out his hand.

Shirayuki hesitated. Then, with a sigh, she grabbed his hand and he hoisted her to her feet.

The town was a better place during the day. Last night, it had been rowdy and reluctant. Zen had spotted many thieves and poor people, all eying him and Shirayuki – scanning them for anything of value. Thankfully, they were half naked and had literally nothing worth bothering them about. And Zen had a good "wolf stare" – a glare that told people however bad you think you are, I'm worse.

Now, in the daytime, the town bristled and bustled with life. A thriving sea port – not exactly, there were still deep pockets of sadness and desperation, but overall it was a much bigger improvement to last night.

Shirayuki clung to Zen's arm, which was fine by him. At the first shop, they had bought shawls and a map. These shawls gave them both hoods, and Zen had gone so far as to wrap a small bandana around the bottom of his face. He didn't want anyone else to recognize him. The shawls they had bought were light weight but blocked out the cold. Upon asking Gladys, he realized the date was already early September. The summer was ending, and so the cold of fall was beginning to creep up.

Zen then ducked into a clothing supplies shop, where he took Shirayuki through the aisles, trying to find her suitable wear. After about ten minutes of Zen getting nowhere, he passed her off to a helpful woman working at the store. He then bought his own hiking gear and extra clothing and waited by the doorway.

The Moon had done more than warn Shirayuki, She had given the mermaid a heap full of gold, sitting on the bedside table. It wasn't too much, but it was enough to buy everything they needed.

When Shirayuki finally emerged, Zen checked out for her, whispering to her under his breath. "Was that so bad?"

Shirayuki smiled at him ruefully. She hesitated, then gripped his hand. An improvement from sticking on his arm.

The cashier wiggled his eyebrows at Zen. "That's a lovely girlfriend you've got there."

Zen blushed. "Oh, we're not – um."

Shirayuki blushed as well but squeezed his hand tighter.

The cashier winked. "You two take good care now."

Zen rolled his eyes and pulled Shirayuki back out into the street, stopping her as a horse and carriage passed by.

"Is that a horse?" Shirayuki gaped. "They're huge!"

Zen nodded. "Some are smaller, but their called ponies."

"We're buying two of those?" Shirayuki made a sour face. "You shouldn't buy living things."

Zen smiled and nodded in agreement. "What can I say, we're primitive here Above Surface. Come on, we still need to get packs and weapons before the horses."

"I still have the dagger." Shirayuki whispered to Zen as they walked.

"Really?" Zen blinked, pulling Shirayuki towards him as a man hurried by, nearly knocking her over.

Shirayuki looked breathlessly around. "By the Seas, you have way too many humans."

Zen laughed and pulled her forward. "What happened to your knife?"

"It's still enchanted, don't ask me how." Shirayuki shrugged. "I found it inside my purse – or, that is to say, Tori found my purse and brought it to me last night. He said that- "

"Who's Tori?" Zen paused to slide between two people, saying; "Pardon me" as he did. Shirayuki was pulled through them as well, though they gave her gross looks for not letting go of his hand.

"Tori's my pelican friend."

"Oh, I remember him from last night." Zen nodded. "Is the dagger still enchanted?"

"Yes." Shirayuki almost laughed. "Don't ask me how."

"Well, at least we still have it." Zen paused, reading the signs atop a large pole. "It's this way."

"What else are you looking to buy? We still have the Aigua."

That almost made Zen stop. He glanced back at Shirayuki, before pulling her across a street. "Do we?"

"I-I think so." Shirayuki blinked. "Doesn't it feel like it?"

Zen shrugged. "I can't really tell. I hope so." He smiled, pulling Shirayuki to his side. He was enjoying having her hand in his, if he was totally honest. She seemed to be calming down, although her palm was sweaty, and she shivered occasionally.

They found the weapons store. Zen bought a bow and arrows, and spent a long time deciding on a sword. None felt quite like his old one – they all felt unbalanced in his hand. Too long, too short, too flat, too curved. Shirayuki began to grow bored with him, but she just followed him silently until he finally just grabbed a sword he thought was the best fit in the store. As he bought it, he wondered what had happened to his old blade. He had it when he dove into the ocean, but he was naked minus the tail when he woke under the Surface.

Shirayuki insisted on carrying the bow. "It'll look weird if you're heavily armed, and I'm not." She murmured.

Zen couldn't argue with that logic. He helped her adjust the arrows, and then showed her how to wrap the bow around herself like a sash. She put it over herself with relative ease after watching him and adjusted her hood. With her glimmering green eyes and shawl, she looked like an assassin.

Zen doubted he looked any better, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He grabbed Shirayuki's hand and they started for their last stop – the stables.

However, when they began to walk, Zen's heart stopped.

A group of three men were walking by. There was nothing outwardly wrong with them, besides them looking a little battle worn. One had a bottle of booze by the neck and was leering at every girl that passed him. Another was humming to himself, his boots squelching as if they were wet. The final was clearly the leader. He wore a black hat and his hair was long, tied in braids down his back. He wore a big, blue overcoat and looked at each person that passed like they were his next victim.

Shirayuki ran into Zen. "Zen, what are you- "

Zen turned swiftly and covered her mouth. His heart was thudding wildly in his throat, his eyes burned, and fear made his toes tingle. "Sorry, please go with me on this." He whispered. As the group approached, he leaned over and pressed his lips over his hand covering Shirayuki's mouth, tilting their position so that they couldn't see his hand there.

Shirayuki's eyes were wide, studying his wildly, trying to see what he was doing.

Zen could feel her breath under his fingers, the way her lips slightly twitched in surprise. She reached her hand up and grabbed the sides of his shawl, pulling his head closer towards her by tugging on it.

Zen tried to relay his gratitude through his eyes – she had caught on to what he was doing.

The men were taking their time, so Zen grabbed Shirayuki's waist with his free hand and gently rocked them. He was really selling it, as a few passersby gave them whistles. Zen waited until the men had officially walked by, then pulled his hand away and backed a pace away from Shirayuki. He adjusted his bandana, huffing out a breath of relief and pulling Shirayuki at a brisk pace in the opposite direction.

"Care to explain yourself?" Shirayuki demanded.

Zen would have blushed had he not been so nervous. "Sorry. Those three guys – they're part of the pirate crew that kidnapped me."

Shirayuki froze, pulling Zen back. "They were the ones who…?" Her eyes grew stormy. She started to turn, but Zen pulled on her hand and grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't. It's better if they don't notice me."

"Yes, but Zen, they could tell us who hired them." Shirayuki hissed. "We have a mission, don't forget."

Zen nodded. "I know. Shirayuki, we can't start anything right out here. If they're in this town, that means their ship must be too. We'll find it later, on our own. I don't want to follow them."

"But- "Shirayuki stopped, staring at his face. Hers lessened in sympathy. She squeezed his hand, pulling him to the side of the road, against a building. She reached out with her free hand and touched his cheek.

Zen jumped – he hadn't realized he had started to cry. Shirayuki wiped the tear that had been stopped by her finger. Zen reached up with his free hand and scrubbed his face. "Sorry, I-I don't know whats come over me."

"Zen." She said softly. "What did they do to you?"

The Prince shivered. "Not…Not here, okay?" Memories were trying to flood his mid, but he shoved them back. "Later."

Shirayuki nodded. A little unexpectedly, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head against his chest.

Zen blinked, then wrapped his arms around her as well. "Thank you." He murmured into her hair.

She nodded soundlessly.

They entered the stables. Shirayuki was scared at first, but after feeding a gray colored horse a carrot she began to lessen up. Zen eyed a black Quarter Horse, who eyed him right back. Zen reached over the stall and the horse nuzzled his palm affectionately.

"What kind of horse is that?" He asked the stable boy, nodding to the horse Shirayuki was slowly petting, running her hand down the horse's long nose in wonder.

"That's an Anglo-Arabian." The little boy responded. It broke Zen's heart to see someone so small be put to work in a barn like this. "His name is River." The boy nodded to the horse currently sniffing Zen's fingers. "And that's Diamond."

Zen nodded, murmuring softly to Diamond. The horse picked up her ears and walked forward, nudging Zen's hand aside to then instead nudge Zen's shoulder. He laughed. He had always been good with horses. And Diamond reminded him of his stallion back at the Castle – Snowflake.

He patted Diamond on the cheek in temporary goodbye and moved over to Shirayuki. "Would you like that one?" He asked.

"I-I think so." Shirayuki nodded. "He's very friendly."

"Did you hear the boy? His name is River."

Shirayuki nodded. "River." She repeated, gently running her hand down the horse's neck.

Zen turned to the boy. "We'll take them."

Their horses awaited them in the stable until later that day, when they would retrieve them. But right then, they had a new mission – find the Poisoned Rose at the port.

"Are you sure you feel ready for this, Zen?" Shirayuki asked.

Zen nodded. As they had walked through the town, Zen had talked instead about the basics of horseback riding – how it worked, where to sit, all of that. When Shirayuki asked about the pirates, the Prince had clamped up.

Shirayuki didn't want to press, but at the same time was desperate to know. She hadn't thought much of Zen's times with the pirates who kidnapped him and dropped him in the sea. From what she knew of most pirates, they didn't treat their prisoners kindly. It hadn't occurred to her until today when he saw his kidnappers that he might have been on the receiving edge of the pirates' full brutality.

This close to the Sea, Shirayuki felt a little better. She heard a caw and saw Tori flying high overhead. She grinned at the sight of her friend, but stayed close to Zen. The port was very similar to what it had been when it was night. Humans milled about, what seemed like hundreds of dead fish lining tables as more were charted in.

"Does that gross you out?" He asked.

Shirayuki studied the fish, squeezing his palm. "Not…really. The quantity is disturbing, but it smells delicious."

Zen smiled slightly at that. She could only tell because the skin around his eyes crinkled up.

Shirayuki thought her heart was going to stop when he had almost kissed her earlier. They had kissed plenty of times, more than she truly would have liked to admit. She wasn't sure why Zen's action had affected her so this time. Thinking about it made her ears hot.

As they walked, Zen's eyes scanned desperately. His palm was sweaty, so despite his earlier reassurance to her, he wasn't really alright. She tried to squeeze it. "You don't have to push yourself, you know."

Zen blinked in surprise at her, then cleared his throat and smiled. "I do. It's alright though. I'm just checking to see if the ship is even here. Pirates don't stay in one place for very long."

Shirayuki frowned at his answer but walked besides him. "Can you tell me about them, now?"

Zen sucked in a deep breath, eyes carefully on the horizon. The sea reflected in them, like a deep blue memory surfacing gently. "They…. stole me. I just remember hearing a noise like something ripping. That turned out to be my tent, which they were cutting open. I turned around, but before I could they knocked me out. The next thing I knew, I was in a barrel."

"A barrel?" Shirayuki blinked.

"One of those." He pointed with his chin at a cluster of slightly curved boxes. They looked incredibly small in comparison to Zen. "We were moving, and then suddenly I was rolling. I was dizzy, blindfolded, and then we were at sea. Someone pulled me from the barrel and they tied me out to the main mast of the ship, right in the sun. No one would tell me what was going on until a whole day had passed. Then the captain approached me…"

Zen felt the sting of the salt; the motion of the waves would have made him sick had he been allowed to eat. He had no water in a horribly long amount of time under the sun. He looked up as the Captain approached. He couldn't look him in the face, his head wouldn't lift, and his vision was doubled.

"Well, aren't ye a sight for sore eyes." The Captain drawled. "You know what happened to ya, matey?"

Zen felt the prod of a sword tip in his side and winced. "You kidnapped me, duh." His voice was weak and cracked, but he still got his sarcastic tone across.

"You bet yer ass we did!" Another crew member hooted.

"The beloved Second Prince, Zen Wisteria." The Captain hummed as his crew cheered. "You weren't hard to capture."

"You used dirty tactics, of course not."

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" The Captain leaned his weight from one leg to the other.

Zen didn't bother responding. His head was killing him.

"Tch. We've got a good few days before we get rid of ya. Suppose we need to keep you alive til then."

"Why not just kill me now?" Zen croaked. Half as a jab, half from curiosity.

"Well, we always good." The Captain put his sword under Zen's chin, forcing his head upwards. "But it's been a while since we've had such a pretty captive, why not have a little fun with ya?"

Shirayuki stiffened. "Oh no, they didn't."

"They didn't – not all the way, at least." Zen shivered. They had reached the end of the docks, thankfully there was no sign of the ship. Zen and Shirayuki decided to sit at a more abandoned part of the town, feet dangling off the edge of the port. Beneath them, undisturbed sand was slowly scraped at by the high tide of the sea. It took a lot in Shirayuki to resist jumping down and running back to the ocean.

Shirayuki grabbed Zen's arm. "You didn't tell me any of this before."

Zen shook his head.

"What did they do to you?"

Zen sighed. "Took me below deck. They stripped me and whipped me, almost to the point of blood. But I fought back – they backed off a little more after that." He smiled, almost evilly. "The one crew member is probably still nursing the wounds I gave him."

Shirayuki nodded. "I should have sunk that ship after all."

Zen shook his head. "I don't think I'd wish that kind of death on anyone, no matter what." He looked at Shirayuki.

Shirayuki huffed in mock irritation. "Excuse me, what are you accusing me of?"

Zen smiled, clearly seeing her jokes. He nudged her shoulder. "Thanks."

Shirayuki felt an odd tingle in the base of her stomach. She dipped her head. "Anytime. If you ever need to talk to someone…about…about anything, I'll- "She was interrupted by a squawk and the arrival of a pelican.

Zen jumped, but Shirayuki smiled. "Good morning, Tori. How are you today?"

Tori ruffled his feathers.

Zen shook his head. "I can't understand what he's saying, how come you can?"

Shirayuki shrugged. "It's not really understanding, I just get a general idea of what he's trying to say." She stroked Tori's head gently. "Even with these legs, I'll always be a mer. But you're human."

Zen nodded. "Oh, I see."

They fell into comfortable silence, until Tori squawked in alarm and spread his wings, flying out to sea.

Shirayuki blinked.

"What was that about?" Zen asked.

"Probably us." A gruff voice said from behind them.

Zen and Shirayuki whirled around.

The three pirates were standing in front of them, sneering.

Zen had let his bandana fall while they were sitting here, trying to get some fresh air. He had totally forgotten to put it back, so when the pirate in the red coat drawled; "Prince Zen of Clarines. We meet again," he cursed.

"O-oh, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" The pirate drawled, drawing a small dagger. "I don't know how you escaped drowning, but that means we didn't do our job. You see the problem, don't you?"

Zen and Shirayuki scrambled to their feet. "I do." Zen muttered through clenched teeth. "It means your bad at your job."

The pirates cackled. "Still got that tongue on you. Better make sure we cut it out." The other two pirates pulled swords.

Shirayuki scanned left and right. There weren't any other humans around – of course. The one and only time she wanted to be near other humans, and there were none to be found.

"Oh, look at this! He's got a nice-looking girlfriend!" The pirate on the left hooted.

"Alright, we get to have some fun!"

Zen clenched his teeth. "Don't you touch her." He drew his new sword. "I'm not as defenseless as last time, and you don't have the rest of your crew." He grinned at the pirates, leveling the weapon at the group. "Let's see how well you can fare against me in a fair fight."

Shirayuki thought the threat was a bit overboard. She took a deep breath, feeling the tide push and pull. She felt the call of home, the power of the Sea return to her. She opened her eyes, green eyes glowing. As Zen stepped forward on the dock, she stepped back. She lifted her arms just in time for the time to come in.

With a roar, the newest incoming wave lifted, rising over the docks in a massive wave, easily three times the size of the biggest pirate.

The pirates gasped as the shadow of the wave curled over them. Two of them dropped their weapons, leaving them clattered on the ground. "What…. how in the…."

Zen jumped as he felt a drop of water hit his shoulder. He turned, looking at Shirayuki with surprise and…. admiration? He had been giving her odd looks like that all day.

She smiled at him. "What?"

She could see the glow of her green eyes in his blue as he grinned. He planted his sword tip between two of the planks beneath him, leaning on his sword casually. "Whenever your ready, boys."

The pirates turned tail and fled back into the city.

Shirayuki breathed out, letting the wave return to the sea just as it would if it wasn't hovering thirty fins above the ground. She dropped her hands as Zen turned and sheathed his sword.

"Thank you." He said.

She smiled. "I told you we still had the Aigua."

Zen grinned. "And thank goodness for that. You ready to head back?" He held out his hand.

Shirayuki nodded, feeling braver knowing she had the Aigua. She took his hand, but for her to lead him back into town.