Melody was lying on her bed at Grandfather's staring up at the ceiling. The pink paint and sunshine swirls up there were all that made sense at that moment. She replayed the night before in mind over and over again, trying to understand it. But all that kept coming up was denial.

"What do you mean I have to get married?" Melody yelled at her parents and grandfather.

"We're sorry, Melody," Triton apologized. "We are as shocked as you are. I had no idea this was going to be signed into law-"

"How can you say you're as shocked as I am? Did you just find out you have to get married?"

"Now, Melody," Eric soothed, "Grandfather is just trying to help. We aren't happy about this either, but we have a whole month to-"

"Wait a second." Melody held up her hand to cut him off. "A whole month? A whole month to do what?"

The adults exchanged significant looks. Finally, Ariel spoke.

"Under the new law, all unwed royal mermaids of a certain age must be married by the end of the month. It's an effort to unite some of the surrounding mer-kingdoms. A lot of the kingdoms on land are doing it too, and-"

"THE END OF THE MONTH?"

"It'll be okay, Melody." Triton smoothed his granddaughter's hair. "There are plenty of eligible young men around. A wedding will be very exciting."

Melody could hear the forced excitement in her grandpa's voice. "But, Grandfather-"

"Besides," Triton rushed on, still using that forced calm voice, "I will make sure the Council chooses the very best match for you. Anything for my granddaughter!"

Ariel and Eric cringed automatically, as though anticipating what their daughter's facial expression was about to look like.

"Choose? Choose for me?"

Triton looked uncomfortably at Eric and Ariel. "Well-"

"So that's it." Melody stood tall and stared down the adults in the room. "Not only do you expect me to get married within thirty days, but I CAN'T EVEN CHOOSE MY OWN HUSBAND? What about true love, like you, Mom and Dad? Or you, Grandfather, with Grandmother?"

Pure pain was reflected briefly in Triton's eyes. It hurt him so much to think that none of his grandchildren would ever know their grandmother, Athena, who died when Ariel was young. But he shoved the thoughts away. "I know how hard this is for you, Melody. But the council-"

"The council." Melody sneered, rolling her eyes in disgust.

"Melody!" Eric reprimanded her. "You are not to interrupt your grandfather when he is speaking to you."

"I am so sick of hearing about the council. Why are we letting them rule our lives-my life? You're a king, Grandfather. Surely you can do something."

"Right now, I don't think I can," Triton answered. "We just have to make the best of it."

"Fine." Melody retreated for the door. "If none of you can or will help me, I'll just have to fix this myself."

"Fix this your-Melody, where are you going?" Ariel hollered.

The only answer any of them got was a slammed door and silence.

Less than 24 hours had passed since that fateful conversation, and all Melody had done so far was lie there. She had told the adults yesterday she was going to change things, but she certainly wasn't going to do it lying down. She got off her bed and started to pace, which wasn't nearly as satisfying under the sea as it was on land.

Peering out the window at the sands below, she saw Alex standing at the front of the palace gates. Her heart leapt with joy. She had half a mind to swim out the window then and there to her boyfriend of about sixteen hours. But she didn't; she swam down the stairs and out the door.

Alex was standing there holding out a bunch of sea lilies to her and smiling shyly.

"Uh, hi, Melody. These are for you." He gave the flowers to her.

"Sea lilies!" Melody inhaled deeply and leaned in to hug him. "My favorite!"

"Nothing is too good for my girlfriend," Alex said proudly.

Girlfriend. The word echoed over and over again in her mind. Only last night, it brought her so much joy, and now…

"Melody? What's the matter?"

Concern was written all over Alex's face. "You look so sad all of the sudden. Did I say something wrong?" He suddenly looked panicked. "Do you…do you not want to be my girlfriend anymore? Because-"

"Alex!" Melody held up her hands to stop his tirade. "Of course I want to be your girlfriend. Here, I'll prove it." She leaned in and kissed him, right there at Grandfather's front door. They broke apart and smiled at each other shyly.

"Why did you look so sad then?"

"Well…" Melody quickly took stock of her surroundings and decided not to tell Alex the whole story where anyone could come across them, interrupting precious (and finite, unless she thought of a plan) alone time with Alex. "Let's go for a walk."

Alex agreed, and the two set off. It took a solid half hour to relay everything to him that she had heard last night, because he kept interrupting to yell about how unfair it all was. Finally, she was done and turned to face him.

"So that's why I looked so sad," she concluded. "I definitely do not want to get married to some merboy I don't even know, and..."

"And…what about us?" Alex whispered. "You're finally mine…I'm finally yours…and now you're going to marry someone else?"

"No!" Melody cried. "You need to help me come up with a plan to fix this, so we can be together."

"We could run away together!" Alex suggested earnestly. "Just me and you! None of the adults will know where we are going. Then, we can always be together."

Melody loved half of that plan-the part where she was with Alex forever-but not the part about never seeing her family again. As angry as she was, she had learned a lot about the importance of family ever since she started coming down to the sea a few years ago.

"I like the way you think," Melody told him. "But…"

"But what?"

"We aren't just going to run away," Melody declared. Suddenly, her mind was made up. "We are going straight to the headquarters of the Coalition for the Coexistence of Mers and Humans."

"We are?" Alex asked in amazement.

Melody nodded firmly. "We are going to petition them to change this ridiculous law, and get mers all over the ocean out of these arranged marriages."

Alex stared at his girlfriend in admiration. She really was something special.

"Of course, it'll take us a while to get there…" Melody mused. "Hmm…"

"Where is their headquarters?"

"It's at the point where all seven seas converge on the ocean floor, about a week's journey from here," she explained.

"And we're really going to go there?" Alex asked breathlessly. "Together?"

"Of course." She cuddled against her boyfriend's chest. "There is no one I'd rather travel with."

Alex wrapped his arms around Melody and kissed the top of her head. If only they could stay like this forever…

But that was impossible. They were going to go on a mission. Together.

Alex walked Melody back to the palace, making plans the whole way. When he dropped her off-after several hugs and kisses good-bye-, Melody ran into her parents and grandpa almost immediately.

"Good morning!" Eric trilled, trying to sound cheerful. "We haven't seen you all day. How are you feeling?"

Melody didn't answer; she just stalked past them.

"Melody Athena!" Ariel's voice thundered from the lower floor. "Get back here this instant, young lady!"

Melody felt a stab of guilt as she willfully ignored everyone downstairs. But they couldn't help her now anyway. It was up to her…and Alex!

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