"How are we going to get back?" Melody asked as soon as they hopped out of a coach Elizabeth had arranged to bring them both to the bar near the center of town. They had changed their clothes behind the barn so that no one at the castle would see their low-cut, cleavage-revealing dresses.

"Come on, Mel!" Elizabeth called out loudly, pulling Melody's hand toward the tavern. Once inside, the girls halted at the door. Melody's jaw dropped at the sight of the rowdy crowd, while a wild grin spread across Elizabeth's face. She immediately wrapped her arm around Melody's and guided her over to the table where two castle guards sat, drinking beer and eating food.

"Princesses!" the guards said in unison, shocked to see the two young princesses dressed as they were.

"Shh!" Elizabeth hushed them with a finger to her lips, "You don't want anyone here to know, do you?" She sat at the round wooden table and pulled Melody down beside her.

"You know, the two of you could get in a lot of trouble for this," Andrew scolded the pair playfully with a raised eyebrow.

"You're not going to tell, are you?" Elizabeth leaned into the other guard and placed a hand on his knee.

"There are a few things that could keep me quiet," the other guard said, readjusting himself and leaning in more closely to her as well. Melody envied Elizabeth's boldness, she wished she could lean into Andrew and physically touch him somehow, but she wouldn't dare. Elizabeth went from sitting next to the guard, to sitting on his lap. "Would the princesses like a pint?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth smiled seductively.

"Oh, no, it's ok," Melody said, shaking her head at him.

"Are you sure?" Andrew asked her with a grin. His dreamy eyes and smile made her suddenly forget what she was thinking. "I'm not so sure that's a great idea."

"Uh huh," she nodded.

"So, you do want one?" Andrew asked, confused.

"Four pints!" the other guard raised four fingers up in the air at the barmaid.

"So, Melody, I didn't know you were allowed to be out here so late," Andrew turned his body toward her in his chair.

"Ah, well I am-," she lied. She tried to sit up straight, the tops of her breasts were squeezed tightly against her chest in the revealing dress and corset Elizabeth let her borrow.

"You really don't belong in a place like this."

"Oh? And why is that? I can be here if I want," she protested.

"Just look at it and look at you," he told her. Melody felt suddenly out of place as if she were sticking out like a sore thumb. She glanced over at Elizabeth who was locking lips with the other guard on his lap. She again wished she could be like Elizabeth and not care what anyone thought about her or fitting in. Melody looked down at her lap and hunched her shoulders in. "I don't mean it in that way," Andrew explained, "I just mean, you're much too beautiful to be in a place like this." Melody felt her cheeks get suddenly warm.

"Four pints," a woman with very large breasts came by and placed them on the table. Andrew reached into his pocket and tossed a few coins on the table.

"I can pay you back," Melody told Andrew quietly.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled, "I'll finish these two pints and then I'm taking you back to the castle."

"You are?"

"Melody, I can't let you drink. I'm sure your parents are worried about you. They can't possibly know you're here," Andrew told her with a raised eyebrow. She didn't realize that he did that, but she instantly loved how it made him look. A woman with tan skin and auburn hair suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and kissed his cheek.

"Andrew, will you be around later?" she asked into his ear. The woman's voice made Elizabeth take a break from kissing and turn around to face Melody. Elizabeth scowled at the woman as she felt her blood begin to boil.

"Not tonight," Andrew told her with a chuckle.

"Awww, are you babysitting your little sister?" she asked him in what seemed like a condescending tone. Melody looked away, completely mortified. It was unclear whether the woman was being sincere or not. Elizabeth's eyes widened, she quickly rose to her feet and grabbed the woman by the hair, pulling her back against her. She put her face very close to the woman's head and pulled out a small pocket knife, which she pressed against the woman's throat.

"You need to get your disgusting, peasant hands off of him before I slit your throat," Elizabeth snarled. The woman froze in place before slowly widening her arms from around Andrew's shoulders.

"Lizzy, stop it!" Melody yelled.

'Woah, princess," the other guard chuckled from behind her, removing Elizabeth's hand from the woman's neck by her wrist. He then wrapped his arms around her and snuggled his face into her neck. The woman quickly scurried off hysterically and the guard folded the knife back into place in Elizabeth's hand. "You princesses sure are wild, huh," the guard kissed her, a little turned on, but completely terrified. He looked at Andrew who was still at the table and completely dumbfounded. Elizabeth only giggled and the pair went back to kissing.

"Excuse me," Melody said politely and left the table. She felt mortified and embarrassed by Elizabeth. She walked away toward a corridor, but she had no idea where it lead. She tried to find a washroom or somewhere she could just be in private. When she finally found a room, it had a wooden box on the floor with a hole on the top. It smelled terribly of feces and urine and was adorned with flies. "Ugh!" she had the sudden urge to throw up, before she did, she quickly left the room. She decided to just go back to the table to tell Andrew to take them back to the castle, but right as she turned the corner, she froze.

"What are you doing with my daughter?!" It was Adam, nearly foaming at the mouth. The guard stuttered, panicked.

"Oh, stop it, Dad," Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"Elizabeth! Outside!"

"What's going on?" Eric came in behind him. Melody ducked back into the corridor before she could be seen.

"Oh, no!" she cried to herself. She noticed there was a door that seemed to have a draft blowing through the cracks of its old wood. She opened the door and slammed it behind her, exhaling deeply and panicked. As she looked up, she notices that she isn't alone. There is a young man, frozen in place with his hands in a tank filled with crabs and is carrying a sack filled with them. The young man is wearing a wool, navy blue fisherman's hat, a dark sweater and tan linen pants. He had no shoes on.

"Crabbing is illegal!" she shouts at him, but then notices the room has 4 tanks filled with crabs.

"I know, that's why I'm freeing them," he said sternly and went back to stuffing his sack.

"That's so wrong! Why would they have these poor crabs in these tanks?" she said, almost to herself. The young man glanced at her in disbelief that someone could be so naive and shook his head.

"You can help me or you can leave, but right now you have to keep your voice down," he scolded between his teeth.

"Fine. What do you need?" Melody agreed stubbornly.

"Grab that box and put some in there," he pointed to a crate near the door.

"That's a crate," she said, not meaning to correct him, but also not wanting to pick up the wrong thing.

"Yes, whatever it is! You're wasting time, come on!"

"You don't have to yell!" she picked up the crate and pulled over a nearby chair in order to be able to put her hand in the tank. She began picking up the crabs two by two and placing them in the crate.

"Did you see a boy around here?" a deep voice said from outside the door.

"Oh, no! Lock the door!" the young man whispered to Melody.

"How?"

"There's a latch, just go do it!" he told her. She quickly hopped off the chair and pulled the thick latch into the metal ring. Just as she did, there was loud pounding on the door which made her jump back.

"Who is in there?! Get out of there boy!"

"We've gotta go!" he called out, loading more and more crabs into his sack.

"I have an idea," she said, and took the crate with her as she stood on the chair.

"What are you doing? You need to hurry."

"Come on, guys, jump in- we're going back to the ocean," she said, sinking the crate inside the tank. The boy watched in awe as all of the crabs willingly jumped into the crate and Melody lifted a soaked crate full of crabs. The pound on the door got strong as if someone were trying to kick the door down.

"Come, let's go out this back door," he told her.

"You go, I'll buy you time," she told him.

"Are you crazy? They'll kill you, come on!" he held the door open for her since she needed both arms to carry the crate. The latch on the door seemed to be on its last few seconds.

"Wait, what about the rest of them?"

"I'll come back for them, I promise," he told her. His hair was completely covered but she noticed he had big blue eyes and stood a whole head and a half taller than she. Suddenly, the door busted open, breaking off its hinges and collapsing directly to the floor. The two were standing in the door frame that led straight to the pier.

"You! I'm going to kill you, boy!" a big, husky man screamed before running into the room. Melody put down her crate of crabs and rushed back in. She ran directly behind the tank and pushed it to the floor, nearly hitting the man. The glass shattered around the room and water spilled all over their feet. Crabs scurried out from between the pieces of glass and made their way out the door and to the pier. Melody pushed another tank, the last tank with any crabs remaining. "No, stop that!" the man shouted at her, as more crabs ran out of the room and made their way to the ocean. Trying to catch her, the man tripped and fell on the glass.

"Come on!" the young man yelled from the door, with the sack in hand. Melody watched as the last of the crabs on the floor hurried out the door and she followed behind them quickly.

The town was built right on the coast and the tavern sat directly on the pier where sailors could dock their boats and have a short walk to a cold pint of beer. She followed him around the building, where a group of men who worked at the tavern suddenly appeared.

"This way!" he called out, running in the opposite direction away from them.

"Get back here thieves!" they called out, chasing behind them. As he ran, the young man untied the sack and began to dump the crabs onto the boardwalk so that they could jump back into the ocean. Melody stopped to toss the crate over the peer as far out as she could.

"Don't stop!" the young man called to her, but as she began running again, one of the men grabbed a hold of her arm.

"Don't touch me!" she tried to pull away and then slapped the man hard across his face. It didn't seem to do any good and more men began holding her down. Melody screamed as loudly as she could, kicking her feet in the air as they lifted her off the ground and dragged her back to toward the tavern.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fist flew across the air, punching the stocky man in the face and then pushing the other two men who were holding Melody toward the ground, Melody falling with them. For a moment Melody thought it was her father, but it was the young man, pulling her up to her feet and pushing her away to safety.

"Run! Hide!" he told her, before being kicked down to the ground by one of the men who were on the floor. He pounced on the man and let out a series of punches, while another tall brute kicked him in the head.

"Oh, no!" Melody cried to herself, watching as she hid behind a stack of barrels. He felt light-headed and suddenly winded as he blinked hard, trying to get his eyesight straight from seeing double. Just as he could see clearly again, the stocky man struck down on the boy's head with a large piece of wood, striking him over the pier and into the ocean. Melody almost instinctively pushed the barrels down, causing a diversion. She quickly dove off the pier and into the waters below, after him. She struggled for almost a split second before she felt her legs melding into her salmon-pink fins. She searched for him, trying to sense any nearby movement in the water. She finally found him, unconscious and slowly sinking to the ocean floor. She swam after him quickly and in a panic. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and tried to pull him up toward her. But she was barely making any waves.

"Oh, come on!" She grunted as she struggled, "Come on, wake up, please!" She tried to shake him as she pulled him slowly to the surface. Suddenly she felt a pressure coming from below and his body immediately felt much lighter. Something was pushing him upward and she wasn't sure what, she took all the help she could and pulled him to the surface. Once she reached the castle and had his head above water, she saw a shiny brown head pop out of the water. It was a brown seal with friendly, dark eyes.

"Thank you, girl," Melody said to the seal with a smile and pet the top of its head. "Help me get him to the castle? It's right around this bend." The seal dove beneath the water and began to push on his body again. Once Melody got to shore, her legs reappeared in the shallow waters, helping her carry the boy's body onto the sand. The seal followed behind her.

"Wake up! Come on, wake up!" she cried loudly, shaking him by his shoulders, her long, wet black hair falling forward over her face. She turned him over on his side and pounded her palm forcefully against his back several times. He coughed loudly, spitting out sea water before gasping for air. The seal suddenly disappeared back into the water without Melody noticing.

"Ohh," he groaned, collapsing on his back and rubbing his head.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Melody cheered, "Are you ok?"

"It's you," he made out, a little more than a whisper.

"Thanks for saving me," she told him, leaning over him as he looked up at her.

"What's your name?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"Melody," she told him.

"Melody," he echoed.

"Melody!" yelled a voice from the balcony.

"Oh, no, it's my mom!" Melody cried, in a panic, unsure of what to tell her mother.

"Melody!" Ariel called out again, running down the long stairs to the beach.

"Melody," he whispered again, before closing his eyes.

"Hey, stay awake, ok?" Melody told him, rubbing his cheek with her hand.

"Melody," he breathed.

"Melody!" Ariel screamed from several feet away.

"Mom! Help me with him, he's hurt!" Melody cried. She felt a bit of relief as she saw a couple servants and some guards hurrying behind Ariel. They all circled the young man and carried him back inside the castle. Ariel was too preoccupied to even look at Melody, which made Melody feel off-the-hook- for now.

"Eric, do you know what she was doing? Out so late, with Elizabeth, at a tavern?!"

"They were probably drinking and I'm sure it has something to do with a boy," Eric responded the next morning to an infuriated Ariel.

"You make it sound like it's an acceptable behavior for a young lady!"

"No, Ariel. I'm not making it sound like anything. I'm just telling you what they were most likely doing."

"Did you see what she was wearing?"

"No, I didn't see her- only Elizabeth."

"Well, you should've seen her. She had a corset on with her chest out," Ariel paced the floor in front of the window of their bedroom, "Her hair was loose, her face was painted up like a circus performer or like one of those- those, tavern women."

"Whores?"

"That's such an ugly word."

"Prostitutes."

Ariel let out a long and drawn out sigh, "I just- I just don't know what I'm going to do with her." She plopped down on the bed.

"Ariel," Eric sat beside her and took her hand, "We'll just have a talk with her and see how she's feeling. Hopefully we find out what's behind these sudden changes." Ariel pulled her hand away and got up from the bed.

"No," she told him, "Melody knows better than this. This is all your fault. You enable her and let her get away with everything. Melody likes toeing the line when it comes to rules and whenever she's with that Elizabeth- ugh!" Ariel groaned, raising her hands to cover her face dramatically. "After I told them they shouldn't be wearing corsets, she did it anyway. They both did! She likes making a fool out of me and that attitude of hers!"

Eric could tell Ariel was very upset, he knew arguing with her would only upset her more. He knew her all too well. It was best to wait until she was in a calmer state to disagree with her.

"Look, I'll take care of this. You don't need to do anything. I'll have a stern talk with Melody during our horse ride today," Eric told her.

"You're still riding? Oh, of course you are!"

"Ariel!"

"Eric! She needs to be punished! No riding, no swimming, no trips to Atlantica, no leaving the castle!"

"I really think you should reconsider that," Eric told her, before rising up and leaving the bedroom. It upset him that Ariel was upset. But he also knew that punishing Melody would only make her rebel more.

Eric went straight to Melody's room and knocked on the door.

"Hi, dad," Melody said a little shyly, from her bed. She was fully dressed and had her head propped up on a pillow, staring out the window at the ocean. She hadn't spoken to either one of her parents all day because she had gotten up too late for breakfast. Eric closed the door behind him.

"Melody, we're going to have to have a little talk," he said, pulling out a seat from her desk and sitting on it to face her.

"I know. I know, dad, I'm sorry. But Elizabeth-"

"No. Don't you dare mention your cousin. I thought you were your own person, who made your own decisions to be the kind of person you want to be," he scolded. Melody looked down at her lap. "I didn't think you'd be the kind of person who followed others blindly into a situation you know will be dangerous- for the sake of, having a good time."

"I'm sorry, dad," she said, feeling as if she were about to cry. She hated disappointing her father.

"Now, tell me what happened last night," he told her.

"Nothing really happened, honest."

"Was this about a guy?" he asked. Melody finally felt her cheeks become warm.

"What? No!" she reacted quickly.

"Does it have to do with the young man who is injured just a few doors down?"

"No, no, dad. You've got it all wrong."

"Well, then- fill me in," he asked her.

"Are we still going riding today?"

"It depends. If your mother says it's okay. She's very upset."

"Ugh, of course she is."

"Melody!" Eric nagged.

"What? She is always upset with me. I can never do anything right for her!"

"That's not true."

"Last night Lizzy thought it'd be a good idea to get dressed up and go out to the tavern. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I mean, I knew you'd never let me go and I had never seen the inside of a tavern before and I thought- I dunno, that it would be fun," Melody started sharing.

"So, what happened?"

"Well, it wasn't fun. It was dumb and boring. The people there smelled and were drunk. We saw some guards from the castle and felt safer sitting with them than by ourselves," Melody embellished, a little.

"Ok, good choice."

"But, Lizzy started a fight and pulled a knife out on a woman there. I was mortified, dad!" For some reason, that made Eric chuckle. He knew Elizabeth was almost a female clone of Adam. "We didn't drink, but the guards were drinking. They yelled at us and told us they were taking us straight home after they finished their drinks." Eric raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was true. Melody continued, "I couldn't deal with Lizzy anymore, so I tried to go to the bathroom but it was this disgusting hole, but then I found that guy-"

"What guy?"

"The one that's hurt. Dad, they had crabs, dad- in tanks!" She told him. Eric looked surprised. "He was freeing the crabs and then I started helping him and oh, it was just a big mess. We got caught- but don't worry, we got all of the crabs out. They chased us out to the pier and they caught me, he came to save me. He fought them off me so I could escape. But, then they hurt him pretty badly and threw him into the water. I couldn't let him drown, dad."

"Ah, I understand," Eric said sympathetically, hearing some familiarity in her story "What's his name?"

"I have no idea. I don't even know him. It all happened so quickly and then he wouldn't wake up and oh, it was terrible. Mom came outside and helped get him in."

"Good thing you were there to save those crabs," Eric told her.

"There were at least one hundred of them!"

"That's illegal. I'm going down to that tavern myself today to have a word with the owner."

"Did they already leave?" Melody asked, referring to her cousins.

"Yes, they left after breakfast this morning."

"Was uncle Adam upset with Lizzy?"

"No, but Elizabeth is a bit older than you and a little more-"

"More what? Mature? I'm tired of you both treating me like a baby!"

"Rebellious. I think they've given up on trying to control her. Your cousin John is still here. Elizabeth will be back with Adam and Belle some time next week."

"Cousin John is so quiet. He hardly talks."

"He talks when he has to," Eric responded, "He's exceptionally bright. I always get the feeling he's up to something. You know, you should try to spend some time with him while he's here."

"Dad, but I don't even know what he likes. Am I supposed to sit and read with him?"

"He's a great archer and he likes horses- like you."

"I suppose."

"Melody, I'm not entirely convinced last night's outing wasn't about a boy."

"Dad-!"

"But, I just want you to know that you're a very beautiful young woman. Your mother knows it, I know it. I think it's part of the reason why she doesn't want you to grow up too quickly. Melody, you don't need makeup or corsets to make you beautiful. You need to respect yourself and young men will respect you for it."

"Thanks, dad," she told him. She didn't want to argue, but she didn't know how to tell him she didn't want to look like a little girl when her body felt like a woman.

Ariel looked down at the young man who was sleeping in bed. His entire head from above his eyebrows was bandaged and wrapped in linen strips. She sat on a chair beside him and just watched him as he breathed softly, unconscious and bruised. She took a hold of his hand and squeezed it gently, rubbing her thumb over his soft skin.

"I'm right here," she told him and she wasn't sure why. She figured she wanted him to know that he was not alone. "I'm right here next you. You know, you really had me worried. You and my daughter. She scares me more than anything ever has in my life. I don't want to lose her. You're a very brave man. I heard what you did. I don't want to lose you either. It's been three days now. You've been resting for three days and I need you to wake up so that you can eat. I need you to get well so that I can meet you and thank you." Ariel put another hand over his and pressed it firmly. Suddenly, she felt a squeeze that made her jump up.

"Mhhh," the young man groaned, moving his eyelids a little before fluttering his eyes open. The light from the window blinded him a bit and he used his free hand to shield his eyes. "Mhhh. Melody," he breathed.

"Hi. No, I'm Ariel," she told him with a warm smile.

"Ariel," he repeated.

"Yes, Melody is my daughter." The young man suddenly sat up in bed, a little frightened.

"What? Where am I? I have to go," he said frantically as he looked around the room and retracted his hand from Ariel's hold.

"No, rest. You're in good hands. You're at the castle and you're hurt pretty badly."

"Oh, my head," he moaned and rested back down in the bed. "It feels terrible."

"You got in a nasty fight, but you're getting better each day."

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days," Ariel responded.

"Three days?! Oh, man," he rubbed his head.

"Don't take the bandage off," Ariel nagged, tugging on his forearm.

"Ah," he winced, "I wasn't." He chuckled at himself being reprimanded. Ariel smiled at his smile; it seemed so familiar to her. For the first time she realized he was a very handsome young man, with a defined jawline and bright blue eyes. She wondered if he was the reason Melody snuck out to the bar that night.

"You need to eat something," Ariel told him, "I'll have someone bring you a plate of food."
"Where am I?"

"You're at the castle," Ariel repeated patiently.

"How did I get here?"

"Melody can probably explain that to you a bit better than I can."

"Melody," he remembered, "I know that name. Who is that?"

"My daughter," Ariel said again, getting up from her chair beside his bed, "I'll go get your food. Wait right here."

He watched as Ariel walked away and wondered if he was dreaming. He had heard of royal people doing weird things to capture people and keep them as their prisoners or servants. As soon as she left the room he darted out of bed and scanned the room- almost immediately grabbing at his side in pain. He limped from the bed to the door and poked his head out. There were guards talking to each other at the end of the hall. He rushed back in and made his way toward the large window then moved the desk that was in the way. He propped up against the ledge and was able to slide the window open. He looked down and saw that he must've been at least four or five stories high and he overlooked only a paved balcony.

"That's a bad idea," a voice said from behind him. He turned to see a beautiful girl with a pink bow in her long black hair. He slowly closed the window and jumped back down to the floor. He began to pull the desk back into place but then winced in pain. "Leave it," the girl told him, "You should really be resting." He felt defeated and caught and made his way back into the big comfortable bed with dark blue linens and a large overhead silk canopy.

"Hey, I know you, right?" he asked her as he rested back against the sheets.

"I'm Melody," she told him.

"Melody, yes! We were- swimming? I was wet," he tried to recall.

"Yes, you were wet," she told him, sitting down on the bed beside him.

"You were wet too, right? Melody- yes! You're Melody. Wait, what were we doing?"

"Do you remember crabs- in tanks?" Melody asked. He paused for a moment and looked down at his lap.

"Ohh! That's right! I followed some fishermen to that tavern. I was loading the crabs and then you were there," he laughed, "Man, I took a beating for you. You're a brave one." Melody looked at him and smiled, she loved being called 'brave'.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not great, but I'll live. I've been in worse conditions," he said casually, "But, who are you? What is this?"

"You're at the castle. We're not too far from town," she explained.

"Castle. So you must be the-"

"Princess," she cut him off before he could say it.

"Wow, a real live princess. Never thought I'd see that day. Wait, so what were you doing at the tavern?"

"Ugh, don't you start with that too," she groaned.

"Haha," he mocked her, "Did you get in trouble?"

"You don't know the half of it," she said

"Good, you should. That isn't the kind of place for a nice girl like you," he told her.

"Thanks, dad," she retorted sarcastically.

"I'm serious! You're much too young," he told her.

"How old would you say I am?"

"Uhh, maybe thiirt-" he started, a little drawn out while he tried to read her facial expression. Melody's eyes widened. "Fooouurteen?"

"Ugh! No!" she exclaimed, "I'll be sixteen next week."

"Oh," he said, "That's nice. You should know better for an almost-sixteen-year-old."

"Fine!" she jumped to her feet and off the bed.

"Wait! Don't go," he said, "Could you tell me why I'm here?" Melody rolled her eyes and sat back down beside him.

"You were asleep for three days," she told him.

"Oh, yes, Ariel mentioned that. She's beautiful."

"That's my mother," Melody told him, a little annoyed he didn't just assume Ariel was her mother.

"Oh, really? You must be so lucky," he said, looking around. Melody moved to the foot of the bed and leaned against the thick wooden post of the canopy. She took her shoes off and put her feet up on the bed, adjacent to his covered legs as they now face each other.

"Yeah, right," Melody crossed her arms across her chest.

"I would love to live in a place like this," Tristan said to himself, putting his arms up behind his head as he leaned back. "Ow!" he winced in pain and clutched his side. "My ribs are killing me."

"They kicked you pretty badly and then they threw you overboard. I think you also hit the rocks."

"Those cowards. I should really go back there," he said.

"My dad is taking care of it," she told him.

"Your dad? Huh. He must be a pretty important man."

"What's your name?" Melody asked curiously.

"My name? I'm Tristan."

"Tristan?"

"Yup."

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Hey, what's with all the questions?"

"I guess it doesn't matter. At least we have something to call you other than 'the boy'."

"Boy? How dare you, I'm a man!" he said in a deep, proud voice. Melody giggled at his silliness. He was much taller than she had remembered him and a lot bigger too. The night of the tavern was such a blur to her. She pegged him to be no more than three or four years older than she.

"Here you are!" Ariel came into the room as bright as the sun with a maid carrying a tray of food behind her. Ariel carried a pitcher of water and filled up a glass that was on the nightstand beside him. "Oh, hello, Melody," she said, surprised to see Melody in the room and on the bed with him. Melody pursed her lips and jumped to her feet, she slipped on her shoes and walked out the door without another word.

Tristan noticed the tension as he watched Ariel sigh deeply to herself and then immediately smiled at him, raising a glass of water to his lips.

"I can hold it myself," he said politely with a smile and took it from her, "Thank you."

"Of course, let us know if you need anything at all."

Ariel sat on the chair beside his bed and watched him closely as he ate in bed.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Tristan," he responded, with a mouth full of bread. He gulped down the glass of water quickly to wash down his food. Ariel smiled and refilled the glass for him.

"Tristan. Where is your home?"

"Huh?"

"Home, where do you live?"

"Oh, I don't know. I live here and there- anywhere really."

"Do you have a home? A family?"

"You're asking me a lot of things," he laughed nervously as he ate.

"Oh, sorry. That's rude of me," she apologized, realizing that it would be best to ask the questions once he felt more comfortable.

"Thank you, for caring and all," he said warmly.

"Melody told me you were saving crabs," she tried to change the subject, "You know it's illegal on these lands to fish or crab."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I just thought it was the right thing to do."

Ariel loved his answer, it made her feel immediately close to him.

"You know, we can send word to your family so that they know you're safe and well," Ariel suggested, hoping again to prod.

"That won't be necessary, but thank you," he told her, knowing very well what she was trying to do.

"Eric is going to be so glad you're awake. He'll be back in a few hours. You'll really like him."

"Eric?" Tristan asked in between bites, "Is that your son?"

"Eric?" Ariel laughed at the thought of that, "He's my husband. The prince."

"Ah," Tristan ate some more, seeming completely unfazed by being around the royal family.

"Tomorrow, we'll see how well you're doing to get around and such."

"Tomorrow?" he asked sharply, "Thanks for the food and bed and everything but I won't be staying for much longer. I have to go."

"Go? Where?" Ariel asked.

"Just go," he smiled, finishing his last bite. He lifted the tray and Ariel took it from him and set it aside.

"You can't go. You need to stay here and recover. You haven't been on your feet in days and you need to get the proper care. Stay and heal, it's really no problem,"

"I don't really know any of you, it's not right for me to stay here," he told her.

"Please stay, as a favor to me. I won't be well with the thought of you out there hurting. Stay until the doctor says it's ok for you to go and we'll talk again then. Yes?"

Tristan was quiet, he thought long and hard. Although he was in some physical pain, he had never felt more comfortable.

"Alright," he smiled at her, "Thank you so much." Ariel took his hand in hers and held onto it tightly like she had for many hours over the last few days. Tristan laid his head back and slowly felt his hand relaxing in hers. She was so beautiful, he felt like he was in a dream.