Chapter 9

Anduin realized that his mouth was somewhere around the vicinity of the floor and shut it with a snap. That had little effect, however, on his general shocked mien. Of all the people he had planned to find here, she wasn't one of them. Anduin wasn't one to look a gift dolphin in the mouth, though, so he swept a gracious bow instead and waited for his hostess to introduce them all.

Lizzie smiled at Anduin and addressed him. "May I present my husband, Duke Joshua Gilld, my four children in age order, Diana, Jonathan, Abigail and Anthony, and my niece, Princess Rose Bontecou." Rose, Anduin mused. What a pretty sounding name. He wondered, idly, what it meant. "Joshua, Rose, Diana, et cetera, this is our mysterious, nameless visitor."

"Nameless, eh?" Joshua murmured. "And voiceless, so I'm told. Perhaps we should name you."

Anduin shook his head vehemently, though he couldn't help but smirk.

"Do you mistrust my judgment?" Joshua asked slyly. Deciding that he liked the Duke already, Anduin nodded his head. Joshua burst out laughing. "Well said, I like you already."

Anduin just smiled charmingly, making sure to include Rose in his gaze. She smiled back at him and he felt himself shiver slightly, though he tried to hide it.

Diana stared openmouthed at the newcomer. And there was certainly what to stare at, for he was quite the good-looking man. He was tall, with curly auburn hair and gray-green eyes like the sea on a stormy day. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist that caused his current attire of torn castaways from the sailors to look more like the ragged uniform of a hero fallen on hard times. And when he smiled, dear Lord, that man could melt hearts.

"Love, I'd like you to take a look at something," Lizzie said, slipping her arm around Joshua's elbow and leading him towards the desk. Anduin was perfectly capable of divining her thoughts and lifted the piece of paper with his name on it. He held it out to Joshua to be examined.

"Thank you," said Lizzie, letting her husband take the paper. Joshua took one look at it and dropped it immediately.

"What is it?" Lizzie asked worriedly, while Anduin stared at him with a similar expression on his face.

"Get up," Joshua said, his voice suddenly changed. Anduin knew better than to disobey. "Follow me." He stalked out of the room and Anduin was right on his heels, wondering what he could have done wrong already. Diana moved to follow them, but Lizzie caught her hand and pulled her back.

"He'll tell us soon, don't worry."

"But what if-"

"What if what?" Lizzie asked. "Shockingly enough, your father does know what he's doing."

Diana fell silent, trying not to sulk. Figures, the first really gorgeous man to appear in her house was being taken and given the third degree by her father. This didn't bode well for any future swains she might encourage.

Rose laughed at her cousin. "Don't worry, I doubt he's doing this because of you."

"This is my father," Diana retorted, "Don't be sure." Her mother was stricken with a sudden, suspicious coughing fit.

Joshua stormed into his magical study and held the door open just long enough to admit Anduin before slamming it again. He took a few deep breaths as he stood behind his desk. Anduin watched him fearfully. He had no idea what was going on, but hoped that he was alive long enough to figure out.

"Come here," Joshua told him. Obeying with alacrity, Anduin found himself beside the desk. Joshua was holding a thin, metal rod in his hand. "Hold this," he directed. Anduin obeyed, hoping this wouldn't get him killed. It didn't, but that might only be because it would take a while to work.

"No," Joshua said softly, his voice as dangerous as ever. "This isn't going to kill you. It's just a very useful device that my father invented to see if someone was telling the truth by reading his or her thoughts. What you think is transmitted to my mind through this rod. It's surprisingly useful in this circumstance, don't you think?"

'Thank Neptune!' Anduin thought. 'Someone can understand me!'

Joshua smirked. "Yes, well, let's hope that proves to be beneficial to you. Why are you here?"

'Umm..,' Anduin began, not even sure how to formulate his thoughts.

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Let's start with something simpler, shall we? Where is your name from?"

Anduin shrugged. 'I was named after an old ally. Anduin is how my uncle always pronounced the name.'

Joshua sighed. Perhaps he had been too harsh on the boy; he didn't seem to have any idea what his name meant. But it had been years since he had seen the name Andrew spelled out in the ancient tongue of magic and to suddenly find a boy who carried his sire's name was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Yes," Joshua said, deciding to clarify things for his young friend, because he was getting vibes of confusion from the boy, "You were named Anduin after an old ally of your uncle's, Duke Andrew Gilld, my father."

'Oh,' Anduin said to himself, a little nonplussed. 'But how did my uncle know a human?'

"Human?" Joshua repeated. "What's the other option?"

'Merm," Anduin thought, before realizing that this might not be good information to share and shut off his brain, something he had become very good at from long sessions at the dinner table, listening to his elder sisters. But Joshua was too perceptive.

"A merman. So you're Triton's nephew," Joshua said softly. "I was wondering what had happened to your ilk. I remember when that treaty was signed; it was such a nightmare."

'You were there!'

"Yes, I was there. I was still working for my father then. This was a good three years before your were born."

'Is the pact you made still in existence?' Anduin wondered. 'Does your father still hold true to it?'

"My father has been dead for the past sixteen years," Joshua answered.

'I'm sorry," Anduin found himself thinking, almost like a reflex.

"I'm not," Joshua answered. "I helped kill him." The shock reverberating down the rod was oddly satisfying. "He was not the kind of man you wanted alive. But enough about him and the dubious heritage you carry along with his name. I won't hold that against you. What are you doing here? Why would a merman consent to lose his fins and voice to become human..?" Joshua trailed off as what he just said began to register. He had been the first to read the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, even before passing it on to his lovely lady wife and he remembered the premise all too well. "Not again," he groaned.

'What?' Anduin asked, glad that he was no longer in the Duke's bad books, but still puzzled by the man's unfathomable statements.

"Nothing," Joshua said, making a mental note to speak to his wife later on about recurring themes in their lives. "Carry on."

'Well,' Anduin began carefully, determined to lie by omission since he doubted the Duke would take kindly to his plans for Rose, 'I wasn't particularly happy at home and, after glimpsing life as a human, I decided it would be better for me, especially because I wouldn't have to take the crown and I'm second in line.' He grimaced. 'Anyway, I went to a sea witch and traded my voice for legs and was told that if I fell in love and married the girl, I would remain a human forever, but if she married another, I would become the slave of the witch.'

"And if you don't fall in love at all?" Joshua asked, though he privately thought that would be a very poor fairy tale.

'Nothing happens, or so I hope.' Anduin smiled winningly at Joshua. 'However, I would really appreciate it if you kept my history to yourself; I'm trying my best to leave it behind.'

Joshua smiled back. "I know how you feel. Very well, your secret will not pass my lips…except to tell my wife, but that doesn't count. And now, if you don't mind, this conversation had tired me out. The metal rod was never meant to be used for this long and it's a rather exhausting magic to perform. So you'll have to revert back to your silence."

Anduin shrugged. "Don't worry," said Joshua with a yawn. "I'm sure you're still quite the ladies man."

Anduin chuckled softly; this man had his measure, alright. "Shall we return?" Anduin rose to his feet and allowed Joshua to lead him back to the study where his true love was.

When the two men entered the room, Diana and Rose both leapt to their feet. "Are you alright?" they asked Anduin in synchronization. Anduin laughed silently, then nodded his head.

"My father didn't scare you too much?" Diana asked worriedly.

Anduin shook his head and made a face that suggested he was far above such petty attempts at intimidation.

"He's really not a bad sort," Rose said to him. "Just a little overprotective."

With a niece as beautiful as you, Anduin thought, I'm not surprised.

"Come," said Diana, "We'll show you around and try to find some way to help you communicate." There was no point in querying her father about what had happened; he had a look on his face that suggested he would prove to be even more silent than the boy himself.

Anduin flashed a grin at her. She was going to be an ally in his conquest, he could tell. He knew little sisters and younger cousins, so long as they liked you, were the best way to learn what you needed and he planned to…not quite exploit her, but make full use of his resources. And, with a little help over the communication barrier, he and Rose would live happily ever after.

Diana's heart, just as she had predicted, melted. She didn't care where he came from; she cared about where he was going and, more importantly, whether she could keep him here long enough to "get to know him better". They set off on their tour of the castle, careful to avoid any of the butlers who would insist that they visit the unusual inverted vaulted ceilings in the hall of armor, an example of the late neo-classic baroque period. Joshua called to their retreating backs that they might want to visit the gardens and, as an afterthought, that the boy's name was Anduin.

"Anduin," Rose murmured. "I like the sound of that, it's so unusual."

"Are you named after someone?" Diana wondered.

Anduin nodded. Then the two girls held a quick conference and decided that Joshua did have a point, so they took Anduin to the gardens, where he got his first good look at the flower his beloved was named after.

"Well," Lizzie asked as soon as the rest of their children had been herded back to their lessons, where they belonged, "What have you discovered?"

"A very interesting young man," Joshua answered. "I used the truth rod to read his thoughts."

"Brilliant," Lizzie breathed.

"I know," Joshua replied, winking. Lizzie smacked his arm lightly. "All right, all right. Well, the short version is that he's named Anduin after an ally of his uncle, Duke Andrew Gilld." Lizzie trembled, but she knew that Andrew was long dead and no longer a threat to any of them, so she schooled her face to show nothing. Joshua slid his arms around her anyway and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "He knows nothing about his namesake and is here to try and start life anew."

"Without a voice?" Lizzie asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, well that was sort of a caveat in his leaving."

"Oh?" Lizzie said with one eyebrow arched.

"According to him, he was a merman, second in line to the throne of King Triton. So he traded his-"

"Voice for legs and became human," Lizzie finished for Joshua, "I know the story. So who's his true love?"

"He said his deal was that he came up and, if he falls in love, then he can wed her to get his voice back and, if she marries another, he returns to the sea. Ergo, if he never falls in love, he just remains a mute human."

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't believe him."

"Me neither," Joshua answered, "but he was very careful with his thoughts, so I can't be too sure. If he was lying, it wasn't by saying anything untrue. He could have been misleading me, though."

"You believe the merman story, though?"

"Of course, why shouldn't I?"

"Well, it is rather ludicrous."

Joshua snickered. "I was witness to the treaty between Andrew and Triton, that part of the story is real and he is too young to have lived through it and remembered. And his name in the ancient language of wizardry is the same as Andrew's. He's telling the truth, all right." Lizzie conceded him that point. It was no odder than being married to a man who had the visage of a Beast until they were wed and being sister-in-law to the Beauty from the story.

"So what do we do with a transformed merman on the run from his heritage?"

"Help him fall in love with a fair maiden, get them married and send them off to live happily ever after."

"Sounds too simple," Lizzie mused, "It's a fairy tale so what's the catch?"

Joshua groaned. "Maybe not everything has to be as difficult as it was for Belle and me."

Lizzie rubbed his shoulder. "Keep dreaming, my love."

He laughed ruefully. "In the meantime, I'm starving. When's luncheon?"

"How does now sound?"

"Now sounds wonderful." They headed towards the kitchen; their discussion turning to the far more mundane plans for the beginnings of the summer season and where everyone was going to stay. Joshua left out the King's ominous words to him, he didn't want to frighten his wife unduly.

T.B.C.

A/N – And the plot thickens. I think I might wind up with a love square before I'm done with this. Anyway, I hope you all liked this latest installment and, while it was tempting to wait longer in between posts because I like getting reviews and I tend to get more if I wait, I'm just too nice a person to keep you all in suspense. So here you are, another chapter. And there's a not-so-hidden BATB reference in here, good luck finding it. Onto the thank yous, this round is short, but c'est la vie.

Shortstef – Anduin's good at getting himself into where he wants to be, it's one of his many talents. Glad you liked the name, but I hope you still like it after this chapter, I might have tainted it. And the problems are beginning to surface. Thank you for the compliment, the devil is in the details, but it felt right to make Anduin shocked at the human world.

Anarea Rose – Anduin is surprisingly likeable, and don't worry, you'll find out soon what's happening between him and Rose.

So, I'm glad you all liked it and, just a warning, I have my usual twists and turns planned. Nothing is what it seems and your only guide is the story of The Little Mermaid. Just a warning. The characters are Disney-ish, but the plot might turn out more like the original since I hate the way the Disney version works out, although Anduin is MUCH more likeable than Ariel will ever be (grins). So he should survive. Also, on a side note, does anyone know where I can find the story of Donkeyskin? Much thanks if you know. Anyway, more soon, if I can keep this up!

Levana (Damian)