Author's Note: Hey guys! All right, so last time, we found out that the reason Layla's parents didn't want her to bring Jason home was because they set up an arranged marriage for her. This is the chapter when she's going to come up with an escape plan, then execute it. If you want to find out if she actually does escape back to Alfea, read on!

Chapter 4: Underwater Peril

Layla woke up the next morning, her eyes still red and swollen from the previous night. She looked in the mirror and saw her face tear streaked, an expression she'd always hated as a girl, but she didn't really care at this particular moment. She also realized she was still wearing the dress she wore to the wedding rehearsal. She had been so distraught that she had fallen asleep in it.

"I never get that upset," she muttered to herself as she entered her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face to remove the tear streaks. "But finding out your parents have arranged a marriage for you will do that to you." She sighed and had to fight back the tears that were once again threatening to spill down her face.

She then remembered she was going swimming with the mermaids that morning. She had to tell them everything that had happened. She wasn't going to be able to keep this from them; Cyrene and Tressa had always been able to see right through her and would know something was wrong. She knew they would be willing to help her, but wondered if they would be able to. She then cleared all doubt from her mind, knowing they would be able to do it no matter what. She put on a pale green bathing suit, put a t-shirt on over it, and walked down to the beach. She walked through the palace quickly and quietly, not wanting to talk to anyone. Fortunately, she didn't meet anyone on her way to the beach. She left the palace and crossed down to the eastern shore. When she got there, she saw Cyrene there waiting for her.

"Princess Layla!" yelled Cyrene, waving at her. "Tressa and Olivia are waiting for us. Are you all right?" She saw Layla's red eyes and tear marks on her face; she hadn't done a very good job of washing her face off. "Have you been crying? That's not like you."

"Oh Cyrene, I'm in such trouble, wait until you hear this," said Layla. She muttered, "aquarias oxsisana," which was a spell to make her breath underwater and dived in. The cold, clear water felt wonderful against her tear-streaked face. It was as though when she entered the water, all her worries vanished, every care in the world she had was whisked away. She was back where she belonged. She and Cyrene swam a few feet and found their two closest mermaid friends, Olivia and Tressa, who was the princess of the mermaids. They swam for a little while, away from the palace and, at Layla's request, stopped calling her princess because it reminded her of what her parents were trying to make her do. She told them what her parents had told her and by the time she was finished, all three mermaids had their hands over their mouths.

Finally, Cyrene managed to pry her hand from her mouth and said, "Layla, that's awful. Why would your parents just find you a husband out of the blue? Don't they trust you to find someone on your own?"

"I was sure they did," said Layla. "But I guess I was wrong. I don't even want to think of how Jason will take it when I get back to Magix. He'll be devastated, probably even more than I am now. In fact, he already was devastated when I told him I couldn't bring him to Ariel's wedding, this will crush him even more."

"Isn't there anything we can do help you Layla?" asked Tressa.

"Ariel and I came up with a plan last night, but I need you three to help me execute it," said Layla. "I'm going to run away, and go back to Magix. Once I get there, I'll have to think of something else to do, so they won't follow me. I need you three to help me get back to Alfea."

"What can we do?" asked Olivia.

"I'm going to go through today as though nothing has happened. I'll get through the wedding, be my cousin's Maid of Honor and go to the reception with everyone else. Then after a little while, Ariel will create a diversion. I think she's going to make an announcement and I'll sneak out and come down here. I want you three to wait for me by the western shore of the palace. I'll transform so it'll be easier and quicker for me to get out of here. Then I want you three to swim me out far enough, so they won't be able to sense my casting the spell to get out of here. If everything goes well, no one will suspect a thing until after the reception."

"What about the elite mermaid guard?" asked Cyrene. "They'll be patrolling the water during and after the wedding."

"Leave that to me," said Tressa. "I have a few friends in the elite mermaid guard. Some of them have a shift after the wedding and I'm sure they'll help us. Don't worry Layla, we'll get you out of here."

"Thanks guys," said Layla, hugging the three mermaids.

Little did they know that someone had been listening to them. Layla's so-called fiancée, Prince Nezaro of Fergal, had seen her leave with the mermaids and being a warlock, had cast a spell so he could hear what they were saying.

"So the princess wants to escape," he said. "Well she's not going to. I'll let her leave the reception, lure her into a false sense of security and once she gets in the water, I'll get her. She'll think twice about messing with me. Maybe I should cast a spell on her to make her marry me, but that's been done too many times. That's what I hated about Paritho's plan. It just lacked the originality I think should come with all evil schemes. And besides, attacking her underwater and dragging her back into the palace will be much more fun. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes she can't escape."

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When Layla got back to her room, she found her mother there waiting for her.

"My dear, I realize this is very difficult for you, but it's for the benefit of everyone if we united Tides and Fergal," said Queen Lyra.

"Everyone except me," said Layla.

"I know you love your boyfriend, but you have to let him go. I'm sorry."

"Can I ask you something Mom?" asked Layla.

"Of course dear."

"If you had been asked this when you were my age, and you were deeply in love with someone, would you have gone through with this marriage? What would you have done in my place?"

"It would have to depend on the circumstances," said Queen Lyra. "But I would have followed my heart, unless the marriage was something I could not get out of. And this Layla is something you cannot get out of."

"I can try," said Layla. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for Ariel's wedding. At least, she's getting to marry her true love or did you think that her personal feelings were more important than mine?"

"Layla!" said the queen sharply, but Layla was out of the room before her mother could say anything else. She spent the rest of the day being bathed and groomed for the wedding. She put on her bridesmaid's dress, a beautiful blue green gown that reached to the floor. It had a piece of silk across the waist as a belt and had long sleeves, with slits on the sides. The color of her dress reminded her of the plan she and Ariel had cooked up and how Cyrene, Tressa and Olivia were going to help her get back to her friends at Alfea. She walked downstairs and saw that the guests were already seated and they were waiting to begin the service.

"If everyone is ready, let's get started," said the friar. Layla put on a fake, yet convincing smile as she walked down the aisle with the Best Man and watched Ariel marry the love of her life. She was happy for her cousin, but at the same time was worried if something went wrong with the plan.

Despite her fears, she couldn't help but smile broadly when Ariel took her wedding vow and then kissed her groom. The ceremony ended and the entire congregation walked to the reception in the grand ballroom. Layla was asked to dance quite a few times and one time, she had no choice but to dance with Nezaro.

"From what I hear, you aren't too happy with this match," he told her.

"No, I'm not," she said.

"There's nothing you can do about it," said Nezaro. He gave her such a penetrating glare that she felt a little twinge of fear, one emotion she hated more than anything, second only to helplessness. He spun her once under his arm and asked her, "Do you understand me? There is nothing you can do."

Layla didn't reply, but instead pushed him away and walked away to get a piece of wedding cake. A little while later, she caught her cousin's gaze and saw Ariel wink at her. It was time to put their plan into action.

Ariel walked to a microphone a few feet away and said, "ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for helping me and Chris celebrate the most joyous day of our lives." She started a small speech and with everyone focused on her, no one saw Layla slip out of the room. No one that is, except for Nezaro. He waited a few minutes to give her a decent head start and then slipped out after her.

Ariel had to stifle a gasp as she saw Nezaro leave after Layla. She faltered for a second, but continued with her speech as though nothing had happened, so as not to make anyone suspicious, but the instant she put the microphone down, she started for the door. But before she was even a quarter of the way there, she was stopped by a large group of people showering her with congratulations. She took them as gratefully as she could, but she desperately wanted to get out of there and see if Layla was all right.

"Curse you, Nezaro," she said silently. "If you touch Layla, I swear to God, I'll use every single curse and hex I can think of and get really witchy on you. I'll do things I'd normally never even considering doing if it means keeping my cousin safe. Please be careful, Layla."

Layla, however, remained unaware of the danger that was following her and walked quickly through the palace halls, blessing the rugs on the floor for they muffled the sound of her heels hitting the marble floors. She hurriedly left the palace and made her way down to the western shore. Cyrene, Tressa and Olivia were already down there, waiting for her. They had been talking in whispers for the last several minutes and each one jumped as they heard footsteps approaching. However, their faces broke into relieved smiles when they saw that it was just their friend.

"Layla," whispered Cyrene, "are you ready to go?"

"Just one second," said Layla. She quickly transformed, and said, "aquarias oxsisana," again and waded out into the water. She took a deep breath, which was out of habit now considering she could breathe underwater and completely submerged herself, loving the feeling of the water against her skin. She couldn't deny though that she was still very worried about how this plan may or may not turn out and whether or not they'd get caught, so she asked them, "What about the elite mermaid guard?"

"I talked to some of my friends in the guard," said Tressa. "We're going to swim you out a little ways, we can't go too far or else someone will get suspicious. We'll meet a couple mermaids in the guard in a few minutes and they'll take you out further. Cyrene will go the rest of the way with you too."

"Thanks guys," she said.

"Don't thank them just yet," said a voice. She turned around and gasped. Nezaro was swimming towards her. He also apparently knew a spell that would allow him to breathe underwater and he was expertly navigating the currents so that he would be able to catch up with her in just a minute or two. "Didn't I tell you there's nothing you can do to escape this engagement?" he asked her.

"You can't blame a girl for trying," said Layla. "Don't come any closer. I don't want to attack unless I have to."

"Then you'll have to attack, for I am not letting you get away," said Nezaro.

Layla used her magic to create a whirlpool and tried to trap Nezaro in it, but he, having magic of his own, swept it away with a wave of his hand. "Now what do I do?" Layla thought desperately. She frantically racked her brain, trying to come up with a plan on how to beat Nezaro and get back to Alfea. She knew once she got there, her friends would be able to help her, but getting back would be an issue.

"Now I think you should come with me," said Nezaro. "Or things will just be worse."

"I'm not going anywhere unless it's far away from you!" yelled Layla. Nezaro growled at her out of pure anger and frustration and waved his hands around in a complex manner. It only took Layla a second to realize what he was doing, but a second was too much time. An undertow was already beginning to form and it was aimed directly at her and her friends. She was able to negate it with a quick and easy spell, but she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to defend herself against him. One thing she knew for sure, she had to handle him on her own and make sure her mermaid friends got somewhere safe before they got hurt.

"You guys," she yelled to her mermaid friends. "Get out of here!"

"No!" Olivia yelled back to her. "We're not going anywhere!" Cyrene and Tressa nodded behind her.

"Leave them alone!" they heard someone else yell. Suddenly, a few blasts were fired at Nezaro, forcing him to drift back in the currents for a moment. Layla smiled with joy when she realized the elite mermaid guard had arrived.

"No one threatens our princess!" shouted one of them. "Attack!"

The mermaids fired several attacks at Nezaro, but he deflected them. One of the guards came swimming up to Layla and said, "come Princess, I'll take you out farther so you can get back to Alfea."

"Thank you Misty," said Layla. She, Misty and Cyrene swam for it, Tressa and Olivia staying behind to help the elite mermaid guard. The trio swam as fast and far as they could, but behind them, they could hear the mermaids shouting. Nezaro had broken through their ranks and was swimming after them. And being a wizard with more powerful magic and longer limbs, it would be the easiest thing in the world for him to reach her.

"What do we do if he catches up to us?" asked Cyrene nervously.

"We're almost to the point where no one above the surface of the water will sense any spells down here," said Misty. "Swim past that point, Layla, and you'll be safe. After that, Nezaro is bound to leave the water. I don't think he can travel through the ocean like someone from Tides can."

"We made it," said Layla, as she felt a sort of shiver run down her spine as she swam past the range of the palace. She swam out a little further and hugged Cyrene goodbye. "I'll see you soon Cyrene, when all this business is cleared up."

"Good luck Layla," said Cyrene.

"Princess Layla, go! He's coming!" yelled Misty. But in another second, both she and Cyrene had been swept away by a blast from Nezaro's hand.

"Crafty Layla, very crafty indeed," said Nezaro. "But I've grown tired of this little game of cat and mouse, haven't you? Just give up and I won't tell anyone that you tried to escape. Then we can have a nice, quiet wedding back in my realm and no one will be any the wiser."

"No way!" yelled Layla. "I refuse to marry anyone like you!"

"Why do you girls have to be so stubborn?" asked Nezaro angrily.

"It's just part of being a girl," said Layla. "Ocean Blast!" Her attacks automatically magnified in strength because she was underwater, but even with the power of her Charmix aiding her, it still wasn't enough. He sent one blast out of his hand, which knocked her out of her Winx form. She found it hard to swim now, for her dress was very heavy in the water. She was lucky even that she could still convert water into oxygen. She focused on the lake close to Alfea and found that Jason was sitting by it. "I have to get back to him," she thought. But she was very tired and knew that it would take all the strength she had left to cast a spell to get back to Magix.

"Are you ready to give up Layla?" asked Nezaro, starting to swim closer to her.

"Stay back!" she yelled.

"I don't think so," he said, but he suddenly stopped swimming. Misty was back and she had created a very strong rope. She was restraining Nezaro so Layla could escape.

"Princess Layla, get out of here! I can't hold him much longer!" she yelled. Seeing that Layla was about to protest, she continued, "Don't argue with me! There's no time, just go!"

Layla muttered under her breath, "transportus." The next instant, she felt the currents begin to swell around her, creating a portal that would carry her back to Alfea, back to Jason. Nezaro screamed in rage as he watched her disappear bit by bit, until finally, she was gone.

After a moment of deep concentration, Layla sensed the currents begin to die down and knew that she had left Tides and was deep in the lake close to Alfea. But her oxygen spell was wearing off and she knew she couldn't get back to the surface before it did; her dress was weighing her down too much. Her only hope was to get Jason to find her. She concentrated her magic to cast a spell that would let him hear her call.

"Please Jason, come and get me, hurry," she said, as she used the last of her oxygen. She passed out and started to sink to the bottom of the lake.

Jason meanwhile was thinking of Layla. The rest of the group had gone out for dinner but he wasn't very hungry. Besides, he hated going out with the guys when they all had their girlfriends with him and he didn't. He wondered why Layla's parents wouldn't want him in Tides with her, or if she had made that up after all. He sighed, but couldn't seem to shake the dreaded feeling that Layla didn't feel anything for him.

"Maybe I should head back to Red Fountain, it's getting late," he said. He stood up and started to walk away, when he stopped dead in his tracks. He thought he'd heard Layla's voice for a minute. "Maybe it was just my imagination, maybe I miss her too much," he thought. He was halfway back to his levabike, when he heard it again: a far off voice calling for help.

"Help me Jason, please help me," she said. He dashed back out and stood on the shoreline, looking out over the lake. He then saw something about halfway to the bottom of the lake. He couldn't tell what it was at first, but then recognized Layla's flowing hair and then saw she was sinking fast.

"Layla no!" he yelled. He ran onto a rock that jutted out into the lake and dived into its icy depths. He swam as fast as he could, worried that he might get there too late. Layla had already fainted from lack of oxygen and knew if he didn't get her to the surface, she wouldn't open her eyes again. He put on an extra spurt of speed and grabbed her hand. He pulled her into his arms and started to swim to the surface. He was starting to run out of oxygen too now. It was getting harder for him to swim, with Layla in his arms, no air and the water was so cold, he was starting to get numb. But he had to get there, he just had to. He kicked his legs furiously, water pouring into his mouth and lungs.

Suddenly, his head broke the surface of the water. He pulled Layla above the surface and took a few deep breaths, coughing up water as he went. He heard her coughing as well and knew she was getting the water out of her lungs. He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard her breathing, but she didn't open her eyes and look up at him. He swam to the shore and sat on the grass, holding Layla tightly, but not only didn't she acknowledge him, she still wouldn't awaken.

"Layla, Layla!" he yelled worriedly. She didn't wake up. She supposed it was because she was so tired after whatever it was she had just been through. He'd have to get the full story out of her in the morning. He could hear her breathing and could also see her shivering and knew that story time would definitely have to wait until then.

"I have to get her back to Alfea," he thought, starting to walk to the fairy school, carrying her in his arms. "The girls will be able to help. I just hope they're back from their date."

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The girls had just gotten back from a romantic evening with their boyfriends. Since the guys weren't allowed in the girl's rooms, they stayed out in the quad to say goodnight. Each girl got either a kiss on the lips or on the cheek from her boyfriend and the guys waited until all the girls were safely inside the school before leaving for Red Fountain. The girls talked amongst themselves for a few minutes, chatting about the date and wondering what was happening on their realms at the moment.

"Musa, are you all right sweetie?" asked Flora. They all looked at Musa and saw she was leaning out over the balcony in Bloom and Flora's room, staring towards the lake.

"What is it Musa?" asked Bloom, coming out to stand next to her.

"I don't know," said Musa. "I just get this really bad feeling that Layla's in trouble and needs our help."

"If she needed help, she would have called wouldn't she?" asked Nirvana. "I mean, she has all our cell phone numbers."

"I know," said Musa. "But something just doesn't feel right."

"Do you mean like a nagging tug at your heart that's bugging you so much you can't think of anything else?" asked Guinevere.

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Musa, turning away from the balcony to face her friend.

"Because I've been getting that feeling a lot lately," replied Guinevere. "But I haven't for a couple weeks, not since the last adventure. Come to think of it, I've gotten it every time a new adventure starts."

"Does that mean Layla's next?" asked Stella. Tecna was about to reply, when there was a loud gasp. Musa had turned back to the balcony for a moment and it took all her self control to gasp and not to scream. Jason was walking across the quad, carrying an unconscious Layla in his arms. Musa ran down to the quad as fast as she could, all the girls following close behind wanting to know what the problem was. When they saw Layla, they all immediately began fussing over her and trying to get her to wake up.

"What happened to her?" asked Tecna.

"There's no time to explain," said Jason. "Can one of you girls cast a spell and warm her up? I found her in the lake close by and the water was freezing."

"No problem," said Stella. "Dryus aquesas." In a minute, both Layla and Jason were completely dried off and starting to warm up. Jason let out a small, contented sigh as he felt the water evaporate from his body.

"Jason, what happened?" asked Nirvana.

"I was sitting out by the lake and I heard her voice inside my head, calling for help," he replied. "I thought it was just my imagination but then I heard it again. Then I saw her in the water about halfway down, so I dived in after her and pulled her back up to the surface."

"Thank you so much Jason," said Guinevere.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of her," said Bloom. "We'll take her upstairs, make sure she's all right and then first thing in the morning, you and the boys come over and we'll find out what this is all about.

"All right," said Jason reluctantly. He wanted to stay with her the whole night, but he knew he couldn't do that. He just watched as the girls walked back inside the building, Musa and Tecna supporting Layla in between them. He headed back for Red Fountain, unable to get the image of her drifting to the bottom of the lake out of his head.

The girls got her back to her and Guinevere's room after a minute and laid her down in bed. Stella cast a small spell that changed Layla into her nightgown, knowing it would be uncomfortable to sleep in her bridesmaid's gown.

"Poor thing, I hope she's all right," said Flora.

"Have faith Flora, she's fine," said Nirvana, the paragon of faith.

The girls each went to bed worried and afraid, but all able to fall asleep quickly. What they didn't know was that after they'd gone to bed, a smile had appeared on Layla's face.

"Thank you Jason," she said silently before drifting off to sleep.

Author's Note: All right, another chapter done. So we have our bad guy introduced and Layla is safe at Alfea, but how long is that going to last? The next chapter is going to have her and the girls make more arrangements to keep her safe. You won't believe the plan they come up with. Stay tuned!