"We must get him to Seraphin Island." The queen flipped her tail anxiously as she looked down at her only remaining son. "It is the only way."

"That is dangerous, my queen," The king lay his hand over her's, trying to comfort her. "We do not know if the legends are real, the only accounts we have are from those who could have very well been delirious when they washed up on that cursed shore."

"What legends, Mother?" Tressa whispered, her hand clenching her brother's."

"Legend of a healer, my daughter. They say that a being of great healing power lives there and all who are deathly injured in the sea will wash up on that island's shore."

"But it is only myth," The king scoffed, "We have no proof of the truth in any of this! No one has ever been able to find it again."

"If we don't try, he will die!" The queen pointed angrily at the unconscious figure of Nereus, "Do not make me lose another son!"

"If this is what we must do, then let us waste no time." Tressa swam up, flicking her tail as hope rose within her. I will go with my brother."

"Very good daughter," The queen nodded proudly and pulled a necklace off from around her neck, a pendant swung from the coral band. "This pendant will take you there, it can only be used in time of the most desperate need. Go, and hurry!"

Placing the pendant around her neck, Tressa wrapped her arms around her brother and intoned an incantation meant to release magic. Pressing her eyes closed tightly, she counted as the sounds around her started to change.

After a ten-count, Tressa opened her eyes: they were in wide-open oceans, and in the distance, was a shore! "It worked!" She gasped, swimming quickly towards the island, pulling her brother with her.

When they reached the island, Tressa pulled herself as far up into the shallows as she could and called out, "Healer! I know you are here, please! My brother is dying, he needs your help!"

A couple minutes later, a shadowy figure appeared in the treeline. "Leave him here, and return home! You will not find this island again, I will send him back to you when he is well."

"Come forward so that I may see you!" Tressa demanded suspiciously.

"No." Her voice called from the tree-line. "If you want him healed, you must trust me. I will not come forward until you are gone. And believe me, I will know when you are."

Biting her lip, Tressa looked from her brother, to the open seas, and back again, unsure as to what she should do. Finally, she whispered, "Goodbye Brother," And dove back into the sea, speeding away as fast as her fins could carry her.

As soon as the Mermaid Princess was out of sight, Seraphina stepped forward. Her face and body was concealed under a white cloak and hood, which contrasted starkly with the bright beach. Walking forward carefully, Seraphina reached down into the water to latch her fully-tangible hands around Nereus. Holding him close to her chest, she whispered, "Oh sweet prince, I should not have let you return so soon. Forgive me."

Walking carefully down the beach, she returned, on foot, to the cave where she had kept him before. Kneeling next to the cold pool of water in the cave, she lowered the prince carefully before turning around and hurrying back the way she had come to gather what she needed.

It took less then five minutes to gather her supplies and she hurried back to the cave. Kneeling on the damp ground, she lifted the prince out of the water and lay him on the rough stone floor. Hissing as she got a good look at the would on his side, she shook her head sadly. "Oh no, it has become infected." Looking into Nereus's face anxiously, she gulped, "This will be touch-and-go for a while."

Nereus blinked his eyes open slowly, trying to figure out where he was. His tail brushed against the rocky edge of the pool of water he was floating in, startling him, he knew were he was. I'm back in Seraphina's cave. he thought to himself. But how did I get here?

"Seraphina?" He called out hesitantly, "Seraphina are you here?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows, startling him. "I am here Nereus," She spoke softly. She was draped in a white cloak which covered every part of her, he could not see any part of her face because of the deep hood. The only part of her that showed were her bare feet and her golden hair which was pulled through the hood so that it hung in a shining waterfall down to her knees.

"Seraphina? What's going on?"

"I should not have allowed you to leave when I did. You almost died, your sister brought you here."

"Tressa? Is she here?"

"No, I made her leave."

"Seraphina," Nereus reached out to her, "Won't you come closer to me, why do you stand in the shadows like that? You should be overjoyed! The Sirenix curse has been broken, you can touch the ocean again!"

"No," She turned away from him, "I will never leave my island."

"Seraphina," Nereus whispered, "Won't you at least let me see you? I have missed you dreadfully."

Blinking away tears, Seraphina whispered, "I have missed you too Nereus, but I can not leave."

"Why not?"

"I just can't ok!" She yelled as she turned to stalk out of the cave. But before she could move, Nereus lunged forward and grabbed the hem of her cloak, making her fall backwards and the hood fall off.

Crying out, Seraphina covered her face with her hands as she fell into the water and Nereus caught her. "Seraphina," He whispered, curling his tail around her legs. "What is wrong, please look at me."

"No!" She sobbed, trying to push away from him without revealing her face. "Nereus, why are you so cruel to me? Just let me go!"

"I can't let you go," He spoke softly, wrapping his hand in her golden hair. "You are differant than anyone I have ever met, and I am afraid that i have completely fallen in love with you."

"Don't say that!" She sobbed as she wrapped her hands around his neck, crying into his shoulder.

Placing his gentle hand on her heaving back, he tried to calm her down, "Seraphina? Please! Tell me what is wrong."

"Look at me!" She yelled, sitting upright so that he could see her face for the first time. Bawling harder, she added, "Just look at me."

"I am looking at you," He rested his palm over her burned and disfigured cheek. "You are beautiful."

"Don't lie, its unbecoming of a prince," She sniffled, wiping the tears out of her eyes, "I was caught in a fire as a child, it destroyed my face. I'm a monster."

The mer prince ran his finger over the burned and scarred skin on the side of her face. He had never been able to see appearances, he could only see their hearts. And she glowed like none he had ever met. "I am looking at you," He whispered again, "And you are truly beautiful, for your heart shines like diamonds."

Blushing furiously, she wiggled out of his grasp and crawled back onto the solid ground of the cave. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything." He replied, lifting her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles, making her turn red again.

Shaking her head as if to clear it, she commanded, "Come on, quit horsing around, I need to check those wounds."

"How long have I been here?" Nereus asked, laying a hand over his bound chest, which didn't hurt nearly as much as it had before.

"You've been unconcious for eight days, I thought you were going to die."