"When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain." -Mark Twain
"Father!"
Garth swam excitedly around the winding pearl covered halls, weaving through the countless tails and fins or visiting royals before eventually entering the grandeur throne room unexpectedly since he slipped inside before the guards could properly announce his arrival as pertained to noble law. But such ways were normal for the young prince, who despite his high status still lacked the proper etiquette of a future ruler. The king no longer seated by his lovely queen hustled over to his son, far too smitten by the boy to give him a scolding for his lack of manners.
"Hello father!" Garth cheerfully greeted, as he kicked his legs up to propel himself so that his face was level to the king's luminous crown.
"Greetings my son! For what has riled up your spirits that I have been so blessed to witness?" He laughed as he pulled his floating child back into his arms listening to the gleeful giggling.
"Oh, I have had the most exhilarating time recently! I now have found the most dearest friend to play with! He's wonderful, father! You would be delighted to meet him!"
Aquaman ruffled down the wavy black locks replying, "Perhaps I will. Where does he reside in Atlantis? Shayeris? Tritonis?"
"No father!" The boy twittered as he spun halfway to the open ceiling of the chamber, "He's from the surface!"
"The surface!" The king roared, drowning out the background chatter. Garth timidly sank back down chewing his lip as his father towered over him. The benevolent man was glowering with a contorted expression, his nose was scrunched to his brows, and his upper lift curled into a tense snarl.
Queen Mera immediately rose, her face scorned with horror. The other dignitaries and servants stilled their movements as an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
"You know you are forbidden from ever crossing onto the land, boy!" Aquaman uncharacteristically bellowed, "Humans cannot be trusted, they will hunt you down, torment you. Do you understand?"
"But father Roy's different!" Garth argued, his cheeks puffing up in defiance.
"Do you wish to abandon your people? You're place among the royal court?" His father questioned, gesturing to his wife's heartbroken expression, "You must never go to the surface again! Do you understand me? Think of the danger you will put yourself in, and what of your mother? How will she be if she loses her only child?"
The prince was apprehensive as he nervously fidgeted with the webbing laced between each of his fingers.
"I do not wish to upset anyone," He admitted his violet pools staring intently at the hiding scallops galloping behind the kelp decor, "But I have already given my word to him."
Aquaman's jaw tightened as he loomed over in disappointment at his son.
Pridefully shouting, "And as a prince I must stay true to my oath!"
With that the boy fled back the way he came ignoring the calls from his parents and dodging the occasional grabs from royal personnel as they tried to collect the fleeing highness from escaping the inner palace. But his agility and speed below the waves paired with his petite frame allowed the prince to easily access the narrow spaces to out maneuver the frantic guards.
Vehemently seething, the king pulled out a foreign communicator from his belt. Dialing quickly he lifted the device to his ear and spoke.
"This Aquaman to the Justice League. I am requesting assistance from Martian Manhunter for my son."
Breaking through the surface of the rolling waves Garth dragged his exhausted body onto shore only to come crashing down onto the no longer dry body of his best friend.
"Roy!" He cried, gripping the tattered shirt of the other, weeping into it, "Roy! Roy! Roy!"
"What happened?! Are you okay? Are you hurt?!" The worried auburn haired human rambled, as he pushed the other up and hastily observed him, pulling at each of his sore limbs checking for injuries, "You don't look hurt. What's wrong?"
"Father says no to you!" Garth exclaimed woefully in his broken english, "Says cannot be on surface. Surface not safe to be here."
"Oh."
Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly Roy sighed, "You're dad's not wrong. It really isn't a nice place up here sometimes, but," He took a deep breath, "I don't wanna lose you back to the ocean. You're the only friend I got."
"My friend too." The aquatic prince copied, throwing his arms around the other only to be engulfed into a temporary peaceful lull. Slipping his webbed hands further around the spotted shoulders of the shorter boy Garth inhaled the sweet pine sap scent from Roy as he became buried into the other's rust colored tangles.
An unsuspecting jerk pried the two boys apart, their lithe beings pressed down to the rocky ground; the invisible pressure was smothering, completely immobilizing them. A platoon of golden armored men shot out from depths marching firmly towards the children. The soldiers then in uniform separated their lines to reveal a disastrously smoldering king carrying himself in all his glory, trident in hand.
"Martian Manhunter," He announced, a phantom-like man with skin the color of eels appeared out of the air beside Aquaman, "This human boy is a threat to my nation! He mustn't remember my child in order to protect the Kingdom of Atlantis! Therefore his memory of all interactions with my son must be erased with great speed."
"No!" Garth screamed, as he wriggled through his unseen restraints, "Father please do not do this! He is no threat!"
"Perhaps the prince needs an adjustment too!" The King proceeded, as the Martian floated silently to a struggling Roy.
"Get away from me, you freak!" Roy screeched as he felt cold hands dig into his temples, "Don't touch me!"
"Relax child, it will all be over soon." The alien said, as his eyes glowed eerily.
"No, please… I can't… lose anyone… else… Garth."
Garth watched in terror as he saw Roy's body go limp, lying crumpled in the sand. The energetic greenish irises of best friend were closed lifelessly as the Martian made his way over with his cloak behind waving ominously in the wind.
"NO! Stay away from me! Roy wake up! Roy! Roy!" The prince shrieked, desperately fighting the telekinetic hold the strange man had over him, "Get up! Roy! Please get up!"
Threatening fingers prodded the sides of his forehead as the boy wailed.
"It is for the best that you forget all you have seen. I am sorry for this young one."
Moon kissed eyelids fluttered shut as the world faded to black and when Garth awoke on his father's lap without a single worry creasing his brow, for the surface and its magic was lost in the sea of forgetfulness. Or so was thought if not for an unnoticed trinket tied around the prince's wrist, representing the last surviving memory. It would be many years before the truth swam back to the land, and winter above was viciously erasing all the time that was once spent basking in the sunlight's glow, becoming nothing but a forgotten era of frostbitten dreams.
"That bracelet…"
"Hmm?" Aqualad looked down at his wrist where the blue woven band was tied loosely around him. He'd forgotten that he had taken his gloves off earlier to help Bee with the never ending dishes that always seemed to overflow onto the counters. Not realizing he never put them back on he continued on through the day unaware of his bare hands.
"Oh this? I've had this on me for years. Someone I used to know gave it to me as a child. I wish I could remember who it was though. I always have this feeling that we were really close." He said while he plucked it with his fingers, feeling the soft string rub soothingly across his skin.
Gazing back up the prince was shocked to be met with the unmasked eyes of his team's archer. At first he tried to find the right words to say, but became lost in the gentle earth tones of Speedy's hidden gems. His eyes were a multitude of shades of rich forest greens, and golden amber tints, absolutely mesmerizing and awfully familiar. Perhaps even too familiar.
A memory of a young boy sitting alone in docile waves came crashing into the aquatic titan as his heart began thumb wildly in his chest. That same little child lying helplessly defeated in the sand as his royal father dragged his struggling self back into the watery depths flashed alongside the blurred image of another man gripping the sides of his temples murmuring about how it was best to forget. Forget? Forget that boy? But who was he?
The room was spinning like one of those teacup rides Bumblebee made him go on at the park, and he felt like hurling over onto the carpet. Stumbling forwards he was caught straight into Speedy's arms, once again confronting those wonderfully, disturbing, gorgeous eyes. Biting his thin lips the bow wielding hero mumbled a name he never felt like he'd longed to hear.
"Garth?"
Could this be him? That mysterious person hauntingly looming in his mind? Almost crying out in disbelief Aqualad wheezed out a ghostly name feeling his lungs nearly bursting from shrill anticipation.
"Roy?"
Speedy nodded his gorgeous hazel irises glistening in the dusk's sleepy sunlight as he came closer to the other teen's side, a glimpse of unbridled relief briefly crossing his freckled face. Aqualad audibly gasped feeling the sensation of joyful warmth flood his veins as two rough palms cupped his trembling face, and brought his forehead against the burning skin of the fiery auburn boy.
Whispering quieter than night's fog misting over the sea, the prince mumbled in heartfelt astonishment, "By Sweet Poseidon… it can't be. It can't be."
But it was, and it was beautiful. And just like the awakening of spring outside the tower with the growth of flowers and sweet songs of arriving birds. Their blossoming love was born again, no longer frozen in time by the harsh blizzards from their snow-covered past, but instead fluttering heavenly, surrounded with light floral scents and caressed under tender showers.