Nathaniel's eyes were full of curiosity and he tried cupping a bubble in his hand as he sat in the large tub of warm water. The bubble popped and Nathaniel attempted to hold another one. Suddenly water was poured over his head and he immediately closed his eyes. The woman that poured the water continued to clean him while gossiping about the situation to the laundress sitting across the room.
The once merman didn't pay attention to what she was saying, however, and simply looked around the lavishly decorated bathroom he was in. After he was deemed immaculate by the woman in charge of bathing him, Nathaniel was dried and brought a fresh set of clothes similar to the ones that the human prince was donning.
While the red-haired boy was getting bathed, Marc simply waited in the castle's large dining area while gazing out of the windows which took up two of the room's walls. The green-eyed boy's thoughts were stuck on the mute boy that he had found on the beach. Marc was pretty sure that the boy could have been the one that rescued him if it wasn't for him not being able to speak.
With a quiet sigh of frustration, Marc turned away from his view of the setting sun only to hear one of the castle's servants asking, in a friendly manner, for someone to just follow her. Marc glanced up at the entryway leading into the room and noticed the very boy that had been on his mind stepping into the room, which allowed the light from the sky to fall onto him.
The dark-haired prince felt his breath slightly catch in his throat as he noticed that both of the red head's wonderfully bright blue eyes were visible and his hair was neatly held in a bun. Marc swallowed gently as the silent boy approached him and stopped in front of him. Unable to fight the shy smile making its way onto his face, Marc said the first thing that came to mind.
"Um, you look wonderful."
A light blush lit up Nathaniel's cheeks as he shyly smiled back while nodding slightly in thanks. Quickly, everyone was sat at the table and Nathaniel waited until everyone else had begun eating before attempting it for himself. After watching how they ate the dishes that were present, the red-head closely copied their etiquette and found the different food amazing.
Once the meal was drawing to an end, Marc thoughtfully glanced at Nathaniel before making a suggestion to the blue-eyed boy.
"I'm not sure if you would be interested, but I would like to take you on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow. If you want to, that is."
Nathaniel immediately nodded, his eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of spending an entire day with Marc and getting to see more of the human world. After wordlessly bidding Marc a good night and retiring to the guest room he was staying in, Nathaniel changed into pajamas and wandered out onto the balcony that was branched off from the large room.
Barking was heard and Nathaniel looked out over the small, grassy courtyard below where Marc was sitting and scribbling away in his journal while the human prince's dog excitedly raced around him. The newly turned human let out a silent sigh with fondness resting in his gaze as he watched the dark-haired boy continue to write.
As if he could sense the gaze on him, Marc stopped his pencil's movements and glanced up at the balcony where Nathaniel was. The green-eyed boy smiled and waved up at him. The red-head shyly smiled and returned the gesture before heading back into the room. Nathaniel placed a hand on the bed and pushed down slightly, testing the bed's softness. Quickly, he pulled back the covers and got beneath them.
Once the candle resting on the stand beside the bed was blown out and the room was cloaked in darkness, Nathaniel's mind went through different ways of how he could get Marc to kiss him. Unable to think of anything, the blue-eyed boy frowned slightly and closed his eyes in an attempt to get rest before the tour and soon dozed off, unaware of his mother's frantic attempts to find him going underway and of her guilt for the way that she had talked to him.
Once the morning had come and Nathaniel was dressed, he and Marc had set off into town in a horse-drawn carriage. The red-head looked around in awe as the kingdom stretched out before him. From time to time, Marc glanced at the excited boy beside him while using the reins to control the horse's movement.
The clacking of the horse's hooves and seagulls crying were heard as the carriage made its way through the busy town. Not known to Marc and Nathaniel, Alix and Marinette were staying close by using the small canal that was running beneath the bridges that the carriage was passing over.
The carriage soon arrived in a bustling square and Marc halted the horse before getting out and helping Nathaniel down out of it. The red-head curiously looked around at everything that was going on. After walking around and turning a corner, Nathaniel noticed a crowd of people dancing and smiled softly as he recognized the sight from one of the paintings that he had in his grotto.
Marc noticed the happiness on Nathaniel's face and considered asking him to dance, but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea because of how many people would see. But the green-eyed prince quickly thought of something and gently tugged on the other boy's sleeve to get his attention.
Nathaniel turned and looked at Marc, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. Marc wordlessly led the red-head to a deserted spot that was nearby so that the music surrounding the dancing crowd could still be heard.
"We can dance if you would like to."
After offering that, Marc shyly smiled at the red-head.
Nathaniel smiled back the same way and nodded before realizing that he wasn't sure how to dance. Marc immediately noticed the puzzled expression that the blue-eyed boy had and stepped closer to him before holding one of his hands and gently resting a hand on Nathaniel's waist.
A blush rose up on Nathaniel's face as he rested his free hand on Marc's shoulder. The dark-haired boy smiled reassuringly at him before starting to lead him in a dance. The next few minutes were spent with the two dancing together and their smiles were larger by the time that they decided to stop.
After some shopping and once back in the carriage, they started heading out of the village and over a bridge. While Marc was focused on steering the horse, Nathaniel took the opportunity to glance at the dark-haired boy while his thoughts began to fill with a nagging sense regarding the deal and what he had to do.
Somehow, he had to get Marc to kiss him, but he wasn't sure how. Nathaniel's gaze soon fell onto his lap where he was holding all of the items that he and Marc had bought in town. He looked at the small journal that he had excitedly pointed out and Marc had immediately bought afterward. While looking at the small leather-bound book, Nathaniel started to get an idea.
Before he could make a move to test his thought, Marc nudged Nathaniel's shoulder and offered the reins to him. The red-head handed what he was holding to Marc before tentatively moving the reins up and down to urge the horse to move forward. Nathaniel slowly led the carriage through the peaceful countryside as the sun was starting to get lower in the sky.
As the sky became streaked with purple, Marc had helped Nathaniel into a small boat and began to row it through a densely wooded area that had a waterfall in the distance. The blue-eyed boy glanced around and pulled the small journal out before pulling a pencil, that Marc had given him, out as well.
Nathaniel immediately began to roughly sketch the waterfall and trees surrounding it as they slowly made their way past trees and lilypads floating on the water. Alix and Marinette were secretly watching Marc and Nathaniel from behind some rocks.
"What is Nathaniel doing? He doesn't have that much time and he's not even trying to get the human to kiss him."
Alix shook her head as she spoke frustratedly.
"I don't know. Maybe we should help him out."
Marinette suggested with a thoughtful look.
Alix simply nodded and silently swam closer to the boat while being careful so she doesn't get spotted. Marinette immediately followed.
Nathaniel stopped sketching and glanced up to see Marc watching him. The former merman felt a twinge of embarrassment but the feeling quickly went away as he noticed the soft smile that the green-eyed prince had. The red-headed prince returned the smile before Marc's attention fell onto the journal in Nathaniel's hands.
"I couldn't help but notice that you were drawing earlier. May I see what you were working on? If you don't mind of course."
Marc sheepishly added the last part, not wanting to feel like he was being too demanding.
Nathaniel slightly bit his lip before carefully holding the small journal out to the other prince. Marc took it and opened it up to the first page where the sketch of the waterfall was. The dark-haired boy couldn't stop the way that his mouth fell slightly agape as he silently admired the close detail that Nathaniel was able to capture on paper.
With a light pink hue resting on his cheeks, Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided looking up. His attention was soon caught by Marc speaking quietly with awe seeping into his voice.
"This is amazing. You're really talented."
All that Nathaniel could focus on was the excitement filling Marc's eyes as he was gazing straight at the red-head. Neither seemed to notice that crickets had begun to chirp or that water was beginning to softly lap at the sides of their rowboat as small waves started to roll across the water's surface.
The wind started to rustle the leaves of the vines that were draping down from a tree and forming a curtain, shielding the two from view. Marc found himself unable to look away from Nathaniel as a sense of familiarity radiated from the mute boy. Nathaniel shyly smiled and fiddled with a loose strand of his hair that had managed to escape from the bun that was holding his hair back.
Marc fought the urge to lean forward and, instead, continued to slowly row. Alix and Marinette, who were the ones creating the small waves, frowned and chanced moving closer to the boat, determined to get the two boys to kiss. After rowing a few more times, Marc carefully released his hold on the paddles and sadly gazed at Nathaniel.
"I just realized that I don't even know your name. I feel bad about that."
Nathaniel gazed back with a similar expression as Marc continued to speak.
"I might be able to guess, perhaps. Is it Marion?"
Nathaniel made a slight expression of disgust and Marc quietly chuckled.
"I guess that's not it."
Marc gained a thoughtful look before trying again.
"How about Dennis? Russell?"
Nathaniel shook his head to each name.
Alix, who was right beside the boat and listening, facepalmed before quietly whispering.
"Nathaniel. His name is Nathaniel."
Marc, not sure where the whisper came from, repeated the name in a confused way.
"Nathaniel?"
Hearing his own name fall from Marc's lips caused the blue-eyed boy to lean forward and rest a hand on the dark-haired boy's arm while happily nodding.
"Nathaniel? Oh."
Marc shared Nathaniel's happiness as he repeated the name.
Nathaniel smiled at Marc while moving his hand to hold onto the green-eyed boy's hand instead of his arm.
"That's a really nice name. Okay, Nathaniel."
Marc gazed fondly into the red-head's eyes while gently placing a hand on top of Nathaniel's. The two simply stared into each other's eyes, a hint of longing filling both of their gazes, neither noticing the fireflies beginning to lazily drift through the air around them.
Slowly, Nathaniel and Marc leaned towards each other while closing their eyes. Marinette and Alix happily watched while silently cheering as the two boys continued to move closer, their lips centimeters away from touching. Suddenly, as if a giant wave had struck the small boat, Marc and Nathaniel were roughly dumped into the water.
Spluttering a little and shaking water off of himself, Marc immediately helped Nathaniel stand up before the two started to head back to shore. The two were completely unaware of the sinister mermaid watching from a distance where the water was deeper. Lila sneered as she watched the boys clamber up out of the water.
"That was a close one. Too close for my liking. It's a good thing that I was able to stop them."
Lila quietly spat out as she started heading back to her lair while continuing to rant.
"I can't believe this! I didn't think that he would come close to succeeding at all!"
Lila soon arrived back at her hideout and angrily grabbed various bottles sitting around before tossing them into the cauldron sitting in the middle of the room.
"With the way things are going, Nathaniel will be kissing that human before sunset! I'll just have to handle this myself! I WILL win this deal! Nathaniel will belong to me! And then I'll be able to force dear old Queen Caline to do whatever I please."
As Lila uttered that last part, a glow erupted from the cauldron and surrounded her. She laughed menacingly while changing into a woman closely resembling Nathaniel and the seashell containing the blue-eyed merman's voice was on a necklace that she was now wearing.
Marc quietly stood at the edge of the courtyard closest to the sea and gazed out at the moonlit water while his thoughts wandered. He still couldn't get the mystery rescuer out of his mind, but he's been having some feelings rising up for Nathaniel. Maybe he should pursue what was in front of him instead of waiting for someone that he's not even fully sure exists.
One quick glance up at a castle window where Nathaniel could be seen brushing his hair confirmed Marc's feelings, but the green-eyed boy sighed as he realized that he and Nathaniel could never be together. Two men being romantically involved with one another wasn't allowed in the village and especially not in the castle.
While sighing again, Marc started to head away from the sea but stopped as he heard a familiar voice in the distance. The voice that he had heard from the mysterious figure who saved him was echoing through the night air. Marc rushed back to where he was standing and immediately noticed the cloaked figure walking down the beach.
The dark-haired prince squinted his eyes slightly, trying to see the face of the figure, but the hood prevented him from doing so. As he continued to listen, he noticed that the voice was slightly off and wasn't as masculine as it was the day he was brought to the shore.
Before Marc could dwell more on that fact, he noticed a glowing object resting on the person's chest. As he continued to stare at it, a strange light flowed from the object and went into Marc's eyes, changing the bright green to a pale yellow and all of the human's thoughts suddenly stopped.