PRINCE Eric had begun spending increasing amounts of time by himself following the shipwreck, where he had somehow miraculously washed up on shore and had survived.

He had been saved by a beautiful woman with hair like winter fire and the most melodious bewitching voice he had ever heard, her voice as lovely as the sunrise itself.

Some, especially Grimsby and Carlotta, and even his best friend and maid, Molly, had thought him touched following the shipwreck, claiming that perhaps he had hit his head or swallowed too much saltwater as a result, but Eric vehemently denied imagining it. He'd begun to wonder whether or not the magnificent voice that had sung to him while he teetered on the brink between that place of life and death was real, or if it was just a figment of his imagination.

Desperate to prove everyone wrong, he'd gone in search of her and prayed that it was the former. She had somehow been strong enough to pull him from the fathoms below and none of his men had brought a woman aboard the ship that had crashed, which in his mind, could mean only one thing. The stranger with the beautiful voice who had saved his life was a mermaid.

Though merpeople could walk on land. He knew the tales of the merfolk from sailors and prayed that perhaps she was close by, somewhere here in the simple fishing village of Ipswich.

Mermaids especially were known to be remarkably curious creatures, and Eric found himself wondering if she would have lingered on land, eager to perhaps catch a glimpse of him as the weeks passed, up and walking about, to see with her own two eyes that he was still, in fact, alive.

Eric sighed as he tiredly closed his eyes for a moment, expertly navigating the crowded cobblestoned streets of the simple fishing village, the smells of the spices and roasted meats in the air nearly overwhelming to his senses. His mind once more conjured what little he could remember of her face. Her red hair had flowed around her face like a halo and framed her face in stray wisps and strands. A light smattering of freckles dusted the bridge of her slender and cute nose, and the stranger's sparkling blue eyes reminded Eric of the sky after a fresh rain.

The Prince was jolted out of his thoughts as he was so engrossed in his mind's own wanderings of the siren from the sea that he had not been paying any attention to where he was going and ran into the back of a passing young woman as he'd come to a grinding halt in the middle of the marketplace.

"I need to—oh, excuse me!" she squeaked, and upon hearing the stranger's shaky voice, it nearly caused Eric to jump right out of his skin. It was her. The siren, the beauty from the sea who he had been fantasizing about seeing again only a moment ago. It hit him squarely in the chest as an arrow sent straight to his heart, and he nearly stumbled backward. His chest constricted and it was almost painfully tight and hurt him to breathe as he nervously lifted his gaze to the speaker.

The red of the young woman's hair was the first thing Eric took in his sight. It was long and loose and flowing, no jewels or flowers or clips or braids adorned it, and it flew wildly about her face. He did not pretend to understand why women in general bothered to waste any time on their hair, though Eric was quick to admire the rich vibrant hues and decided he liked it this way. Liked her that way.

Everything about this creature in front of him was absolutely breathtaking, and for a moment, the Prince was sure that his heart had nearly ceased to beat right there on the spot.

She wore a simple ivory chemise and dark green overdress, the green complementing her red hair and bringing out the vibrant blue of her eyes.

The young redhead was looking nervous, all but squirming under the intensity of his gaze as she awkwardly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, shifting the basket of food she carried in her hands. She parted her lips as if she meant to speak to him, however, it took the girl a moment to find her voice.

"C-Can I help you, a-are you lost?" she asked, pursing her lips, her blue eyes making a quick scan of him, and for a moment, the Prince felt self-conscious.

He tried to convince himself at that moment that he neither looked nor smelled funny and was grateful that Carlotta, his old nursemaid, had insisted that he bathe this morning before heading out of the castle to begin his search for the mermaid who had saved his life.

A strange seeping pressure began to seep into his chest, and suddenly, Eric's ears were burning, and his heart was in his throat as the redhead quirked a thinly plucked eyebrow at him while she waited for him to respond. He remembered he owed the mermaid an answer and when he spoke again, his voice held a slight stutter to it, due to nervousness.

"I-it's you," he breathed, his eyes widening as he reached up a hand, wanting to brush back a lock of her red hair off of her shoulder, though he hesitated, unsure if she would allow that.

He knew he did not want to frighten her away, not when he had spent the better part of six months attempting to search for her, much to Grimsby's frustration. His Head of House was growing adamant that he marry any princess within the next two months before his twenty-first birthday, to a princess, any princess. But he did not want a princess. He wanted…her. Just her.

Eric reluctantly lowered his arm and felt the blood drain from his face as the redhead shook her head, the furrow of confusion between her brows deepening as she looked at him.

"I-I'm very sorry, b-but…do I know you? I-I think you must have me confused with someone else," she asked, her voice heavily accentuated and thick.

Eric could only watch, confused, as she clutched at her basket with both hands and took a step back, lowering one hand to clutch at the skirts of her dress in a defensive manner.

It was almost as if she feared that Eric would attempt to force himself on her.

Eric froze, staring at the mermaid who had somehow managed to find a way to turn herself human. He did not think he could bear the mistrust she was eyeing him with. He was clearly a stranger to her, though he knew that something was very wrong.

Something more than she apparently did not or could not remember saving his life.

He vowed to find out what had happened, but in order to do that, she would need to return to the castle with him, and she would need to be monitored closely. He hesitated.

"I…no," he blurted out, his words clumsy and blunt as a light pink blush speckled along his cheeks. "But…I…if you've nowhere else to be, my lady, I-I was wondering if perhaps you would…be interested in working in the castle for the Prince?" he asked, doing some very quick thinking in coming up with a plausible excuse in order to see her back to the castle.

He cringed as the words left his mouth, thinking that everything about this situation was more than awkward. The girl who could not have been older than sixteen or seventeen at the most was looking like she wanted nothing more than for a hole in the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Desperate, he continued on his path, eager and in the mood to convince her to come back.

"I am a messenger for His Highness, and he's granted me the responsibility of finding a new maid for him. I-I thought…considering that you, er, well, look like you're struggling, that you might need the work."

This much, at least, seemed true, if judging by the pitiful-looking apples, hard crust of bread, and rind of nearly moldy cheese in her basket was anything for him to go off of. He wondered if someone here had taken her in, if she lived in a small hut somewhere close by. Perhaps a fisherman had taken her in out of the kindness of his heart. He could only hope so.

Eric was jolted out of her thoughts as she spoke, much to his disappointment, she shook her head no, sending away his offer as she stepped away.

"I-I, th-that's very kind of you, b-but I can't. I-I h-have to go, I'm expected back, I am needed at home. G-good luck with your search," she whispered once she managed to actually draw in a breath, her expression crestfallen at the immense disappointment that sparked to life behind Prince Eric's blue eyes. Twisting on her heels, she paraded her back to him and hurried down the street, seemingly not caring about how she was making him feel, and why would she?

He was no doubt ridiculous to feel betrayed by this woman, this mermaid, this siren, as she owed him nothing special. But he had wanted in his mind more time to linger now that he found her, now that the image of her sweet face was burning itself into his retinas, permanently.

He stood there for a long moment, rooted to his spot, watching her go.

Once again, his heart ached at her disappearance, only this time, there was an added layer of salt on top of the already tender wound that was his damaged heart.

She was slippery, she had slipped through his fingers like grains of sand for a second time.

Well. Not a third time. He would find her again, now that he knew her home was somewhere within this very village, he would wait and be patient. As long as it took. It took the Prince a few moments to move, to bring himself to brave the stain of her rejection, but he knew that he could not allow himself to dwell on the shame or heartache that she had refused his offer to return with him. Perhaps she'd had a good reason, and he vowed to find out what her reasons were.

For now, his only concern was finding out who she lived with, and how to convince her to return to the castle with him. He had questions about this little mermaid, far more than he knew he had any right to, and somewhere deep down, he desperately hoped to see the siren from the sea again, if only so that he could get answers to his questions.

With that simple reality fueling him, Eric felt some hope swell in his chest as he finally willed himself to turn on the heels of his boots and follow the same path along the cobblestoned road the redhead had just traversed, eager to find her again, hope beginning to sparkle in the man's blue irises.

One way or another, however long it took him, days, months, years, even, the rest of his life if need were, he would find the mermaid who had saved his life again and convince her to stay.

In time, once she trusted him, he would make sure that she could not leave.

In time, he would make sure that she was part of his world.