1781, Apollonian Sea

There was a floating island on the horizon. Ro hated that Azul called them that. All islands floated. This was a moving island. And it was moving closer to her by the second.

A silly, childish, hope overtook her that perhaps it was her parents finally coming to get her. She brushed the thought aside as soon as it came. There was no need for parents here. What could her actual father give her that Sagi hadn't already? What companionship could she get from her brothers and sisters that she didn't have with Azul? What could she experience taking care of her younger siblings or any children she might have that she didn't do for Tika?

Tika was just like her, washed up onshore just a few months ago, with no family to take care of her. The one thing Tika had was vivid knowledge of where she came from. She had lived on the savannah, the youngest elephant in her herd. Poachers came one day, killed every one of the adults, and taken her and the other calves prisoner.

Their ship had sunk, and Tika was the only survivor. The humans saved themselves, letting her brothers, sisters, and cousins drown.

So it made sense that when Tika had seen Ro for the first time, she didn't trust her at all. She quickly made an exception to her rule about all humans being evil for Ro, but only Ro.

Tika knew floating islands were bad. Ro knew she would convince herself that they were here to take Tika's new family away from her too.

"This doesn't happen every day!" she said, urging Tika to come with her to see the newcomers, to catch a glimpse of the tall, young one.

"I'm not coming. They'll try to take me away again! I'll be locked up!"

"Tika, I promise, I won't let that happen. Wouldn't you do the same thing, if you saw one of your own kind?"

The elephant sighed. "I suppose. Just be careful! I don't want to lose you."

"I will!" Ro called over her shoulder. She couldn't see them anymore.

Where did they go?

The answer came to her in the form of a growl and then a,

"Bloody hell! Crocodiles!"

Oh, fiddlesticks. She was going to have to rescue them now. Jumping from cliff to cliff and using a vine for a particularly wide ravine, she reached the lagoon. She tried for a tone she vaguely recalled someone using with her in her old life, someone maternal.

"Taj, Kiki! That's enough!"

This was a calculated risk. She could speak to the crocodiles, they didn't eat her or her family, but it wasn't as though they were friends, like she was with the dolphins or birds on the island. Truly, the only reason Taj and Kiki's float hadn't killed her yet was because she could translate what all the other animals said, which no one else on the island could do, save for her family's communication within itself.

"Come on Ro, they were asking for it! Scaring all the meat away, what else are we supposed to eat?"

"Fang! Don't even think about it!" Directed at Taj and Kiki's son, who had far less brain than, well, fangs.

"Just a little piece?"

Did Taj think they were lizards? As if their flesh would grow back if he bit it off!

"No! Not even a little piece. Now swim along."

"Go to hell, Ro." Fang called out as he dove underwater.

She looked at his parents, rolling her eyes as she responded brightly (and perhaps a little sarcastically, she wasn't perfect), "Thank you!"

The two newcomers stared at her in disbelief, and to her delight, fascination on the part of the younger one. Forcing nonchalance, she turned to them with an overly dramatic sigh.

"Sorry about that! We're not used to visitors! Who are you?"

Green eyes met blue. Had there always been a symphony in her mind?

"Who are you?"

Ro swung down to their level.

"Come. I'll help you climb up and then I'll show you."

Green eyes' brow furrowed. "How hard is it to tell me your name?"

"We're losing light, and it's a lot harder to get back up than it was to go down. Unless you want to swim through Taj and Kiki's nest?"

He smirked at her. "Lead the way."

"Ro? Is that your name?"

It was rather funny, really, because that was the nickname he'd given to his fiancee, the charming (and dead) Rosella Du Châtillon.

He hadn't been in love with her, he never truly thought about marrying her the entirety of their brief acquaintance. Truly, the thing he still mourned was the knowledge that his wife would also be his friend.

He and Rosella possibly could've fallen deeply, passionately, in love; but even without romance, he would've been happy. They'd make an heir and a spare, attend state events together, and whisper funny things into each other's ear. If he'd wanted a mistress, Rosella would've made some bawdy joke about it, then suggested some lady in waiting she thought he might like. And he would've done the same if she'd wanted a lover of her own.

Not like his parents.

His father had countless mistresses, all with new titles and estates and jewels. His mother had ducked her head and accepted it. However, when Peter deemed a friendship of Danielle's to be too close for comfort, that man was promptly sent from court, (or exiled, in one unfortunate man's case).

Rosella's parents were the ideal. Her father would be walking with him on the beach, pick up a rock (a rock!) and pocket it, turning to him with an embarrassed smile and saying,

"My wife would absolutely love this."

Antonio recalled being shocked. His father always gave his mother expensive jewelry, sometimes an exotic bird or a new bolt of silk, but it was always the day after he slept with his mistress, or if Danielle had done something particularly helpful for Apollonia. He'd never seen the type of love that makes someone see another person in everything, even rocks.

He broke from his reminiscing to look at the girl in front of him. Quite honestly, she resembled Princess Rosella greatly, if a little older, tanner, grittier. But she had the same dark blue eyes, the same long blonde hair, and the same easy smile.

The same smile, that she turned on him, saying,

"I can't remember, honestly. Everyone just calls me Ro and I've always answered."

"Have you lived here your whole life?"

She shook her head.

"Sagi says I came from the sea, a long time ago."

Aphrodite was born from seafoam. Perhaps this was her reincarnate, appearing to him as the love he never got to experience.

"Maybe a shipwreck?"

She shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"I don't remember." Then, raising her chin just a little, "I'm very important where I come from, I know that."

This was her. Antonio was absolutely sure of it. How many times had Rosella looked at him with that exact expression, informing him,

"I'm the Dauphine of Palladia. I'd be just as important as you if I didn't have brothers."

He'd take her back to Apollonia, introduce her to his parents, and then all this nonsense with potential brides would go away. He'd marry her, and then Prince Julian would call him son, and thank him with a hearty pat on the back.