Attention: Now that I've stopped dancing around my room with a pretend microphone, AnimaAmore has made fanart of Brine and Wendy from Envy is Green & Ocean is Blue. And it is AMAZING. She actually drew Brine. And BRINE IS PERFECT. Support your fellow artist/author. Go to her Deviant Art page (same name) and look for the picture titled "Wendy and Brine." And AnimaAmore - you've made this writer's dream come true!

Chapter 20: The Iceberg Palace

Conch glanced at Brine. He grinned. "Smitten."

Brine faltered. "What?"

"Smitten." Conch repeated. His teeth glowed against the ice. "You, little brother, are sma-itten with the blue eyed squirt, back there."

Brine blushed. Stomach skipping, he turned to apologize for Conch's outspokenness. But Wendy had not heard. She and Peter were clumsily navigating the iceberg channels. Still, Wendy sensed Brine's gaze. She looked up. She smiled before slipping on the ice. Peter glowered before blundering after her.

"Yes she was looking." Conch captured Brine in a choke hold. "You charmer you."

"Conch—"

"Luring a little Neverlander to the big iceberg city. You scoundrel!"

"Conch!" Brine swerved. His trident scraped the ice. "Get off! Clam it! She's – Wendy is – I hurt her once! I wouldn't trick her like that again!"

Conch softened. "I'm sorry Brine. I was only fooling."

Brine's jaw stiffened. Looking away, he nodded.

Conch followed Brine's gaze. Silently he watched Wendy weave through the iceberg. It was dark, but her eyes reflected luminously against the ice.

Conch sighed. "Come on Brine. The waters were muddy when you bargained with Hook in Neverland. Nixie was in trouble. You didn't trick Wendy to be cruel. You did what you did to save Nixie. Take a gulp, it's not your fault. Besides…"

Conch flicked Brine's fin. Scars calloused the indigo scales. "Pirates gave you these when you tried to save her, right? Think of that? Grappling hook? Through the scales? Am I wrong?"

Brine did not move. His scars tingled in memory of that torturous night on the Jolly Roger. But Brine ached more remembering Wendy's horror when she realized he had lied and bargained her life for Hook. And even though his sins had been redeemed, Brine still felt guilt.

Among…other feelings.

"I missed her, Conch."

Conch paused. "Yeah. I know, little brother. I know. You've got a tough curse. The hidden kiss. And the one you kiss…well for you it's…." Sympathetically, he squeezed Brine's shoulder. "More like the kiss of death, right?"

Brine half laughed. Bitterly. He rubbed the corner of his mouth. "I guess. But…"

"You'd do it again?"

Brine gazed from Peter to Wendy. "Every time."

Conch smiled. "Hang in there, buddy." he said, drifting towards Peter and Wendy. "Hang on. Okay, ya gangly humans! Time's ebbing! Grab an arm!"

Peter looked up into a face full of Conch. He swerved, several seconds too late. "Hey! What the –? Codfish!"

"At your sea-snail pace, time will start going backwards!" Conch shoved Peter good-naturedly under his arm. "And I can already feel my stomach acids simmering away that icicle fish oil. So! Because I don't want to burn up all the ice and you humans are slow-pokes, we proceed humpback style!"

Conch tapped Peter's chin with his trident. "Red. You're with me."

"Codfish!"

"And Squirt – " Conch twirled his trident at Wendy. "—you go with Brine. And hold him tight. Really tight."

Grinning widely at Brine's blush, Conch dove under the ice. His voice bubbled over Peter's protests. "Iceberg gets pretty twisty! Don't want to get lost in the ice. Or else worms'll get ya! Come on you two! Move it!"

Wendy gasped. "Worms? What – " She bumped into the ice. The cold bit her back. "Wait! Wait, wait Conch! Don't take Peter – What worms?"

She felt Brine rippling in the water beside her. "Wendy. Don't worry. The worms are only at the graveyard. And the graveyard is back from where we came. Conch is only teasing. He's always teasing. Here – take my hand."

"But!" Wendy swallowed water. She spluttered, unused to her gills. "It's so dark! And the ice – it's everywhere. Will Conch – will he guide Peter – what are the worms –?"

Brine took Wendy's waist. Gently, his hand worked into hers.

"Don't be afraid."

Neither dark waters nor unhappy thoughts could hide Brine's smile as Wendy squeezed his hand. She held tight, shaking a little while pretending to be brave. Cautiously, Brine rubbed Wendy's waist, pretending himself that the action was purely consoling. But the ice might have melted with his desire.

"Slowpokes!" Conch called distantly. He paused for what sounded like a chorus of 'you dirty rotten codfish.' "Start swimming! We're almost to the kingdom!"

Wendy was distraught. "Oh dear. Magic? Sea monsters? Ice? Worms? Kingdome? What next?"

Brine cradled her waist. Easing forward, he led Wendy under the ice. "Next? You trust me."

The way started unbearably bleak. Dark glimmers moved between the ice and Wendy's imagination. But Brine comforted every skipped heartbeat.

"It's all right." Deftly he glided over Wendy, hovering over her back. Guiding her waist with both hands, Brine wove through the narrow channels. "We're almost there. Look."

Wendy squinted. At first, she saw nothing. Then, fleetingly, she saw a light. The light pulsed once, like a blue candle extinguished as it's lit.

"Wait for it." Brine smiled, ducking under the last icy shelf.

Wendy's eyes lit. "Oh!"

"Welcome…" Brine said, "…to my home. The Kingdome of King Basalt. Heart of the Northern Neversea."

Wendy gazed. And what she saw was beyond all of her stories and imagination.

The ocean was enormous, black, and brilliant as the night sky. Blue bioluminescent squid and white bioluminescent jellies decorated the darkness. Ice mottled the ceiling like storm clouds swept in green glows. Crystal ice gardens sculpted the ocean floor. Flashy fish twinkled like snowflakes over giant multicolored sea stars.

And in the center, cast in moonlight, was an iceberg. An iceberg gouged into the ocean and bleeding with…

"Mermaids."

Hundreds and hundreds of mermaids. And mermen. And – to Wendy's delight – merchildren. Beautiful and powerful they streaked the iceberg. It was a symbiotic existence – the iceberg held the mer populace. It was a city both frozen in ice and flowing with energy.

Wendy exhaled. She'd been holding her breath. "Oh Brine. It's so beautiful."

Brine smiled. "Yeah." he said, watching Wendy in the pale glow. Slowly, he reached for her hand. "Beautiful."

"Okay! Light show is over!"

Wendy turned. Brine snapped away his hand as Conch approached, fingers curled around Peter's mouth.

"Oh my." Horrified, Wendy touched her cheek. "Peter."

"Don't worry Squirt. I'm not hurting him." Adjusting for Peter's flailing arms, Conch snapped a second icicle fish from his necklace. "But if Red doesn't stop shouting then you two are shark bait. So, we got to set some ground rules before seeing our parents. Specifically, before our parents see you."

"Why?" Wendy reached for Peter. She paused at his lethal glare. "Oh. Because of Shark and Nixie? You said they're not terribly fond of humans."

Conch guffawed. "Squirt, you are adorable. But it'll take some stronger descriptors than 'not terribly fond' to describe their feelings for humans. But still, you're terribly cute."

"Stronger descriptors?" Wendy looked to Brine. Luminous tendrils waved behind him. "What does that mean?"

Brine bit his lip. He glanced at Conch.

"Try hate. They hate humans." Conch chugged the icicle fish oil. He hefted Peter, using the boy to wipe his beard. "They hate, loath, abhor, disgust – "

"Conch. She gets it."

" – resent, despise, grieve, deplore and all around don't like humans all that much. It was the pirate-loves-your-daughter-and-works-for-another-pirate-that-tries-to-destroy-your-kingdom-on-a-regular-basis-kinda-thing. I dunno. Seems there are worse things to hold grudges against."

Peter kicked his fin. Wendy thought he shouted her name.

"The point is…" Conch said, speaking loudly so Peter would hear. "…Mom and Dad are king and queen with a whole lot of hatred, and a whole lot more power to act upon it. And take it from someone who knows: you want to be on their good side! Especially if you want their help to find your Tinker-whatever. So, Squirt. Red. I'll make this sweet and simple: If they find out you're human, they will kill you."

Conch released Peter. Peter pushed savagely, but was silent in the wake of Conch's speech.

Conch pointed his trident. "Remember. You're mer. Got it? We all in the same tide pool?"

They nodded. Even Peter, however angrily.

"Okay. Let me check my temperature." Conch touched his chest. His heart was reasonably cold, but Conch doused a third helping of icicle fish oil to be safe.

"Crabs and sea-snails…" Shouldering his trident, Conch dove into the glowing pods. "…here we go. To the Underturned Palace."

Wendy looked questionably at Brine. Brine steepled his fingers to a point.

"Underturned. Upside down. The iceberg is our city. Our home. It's called the Underturned Palace…" Brine inverted his hands, dropping the point. "…because it looks like an upside down mountain. A pirate called it that once."

Peter scoffed. "Before the mermen killed him?"

Brine took Wendy's hand. Luminous squid parted as he led them across the water. "No. Before the pirate killed the mermen. And escaped. His name was Bluebeard."

Bluebeard. Wendy shivered deep within her spine. Why, she was not sure. She'd never heard the name before. Curious. Blaming the cold, Wendy followed Conch and Brine into the palace, Bluebeard's name still stinging in her ears.

Wendy's was not the only unease. The crystal calm iceberg palace was filled with restless mer. Judging by Brine's concern and Conch's confusion, the discord seemed misplaced. But the commotion served well to mask Wendy and Peter's abnormal presence among the bickering Neversea mer.

"Who's to fault? Who's to fault?"

"Pirates! Crawling over the ice. You can hear them, tide in and tide out."

"Dropping hooks and barbed chains where our fry play!"

"And sweeping nets under the sea. There won't be any food left!"

"No but their catching all the icicle fish! Gutting them first then tossing the bellies overboard!"

"Icicle fish? Icicle fish?"

"And all other creatures caught between."

"Mer?"

"A dozen or so by this day. Three of them children. Three of them fry."

"…we need to speak to the king."

"And Celadon. Her grace."

"To the king! To the queen!"

Mer whisked by. Conch and Brine watched with identical frowns.

"So. Pirates are hunting mer and icicle fish now." Conch twisted his trident shaft. "That's not good."

Brine looked concernedly at his older brother. "If pirates kill all the icicle fish –?"

"—then how will I stay cold?"

"Yeah."

"I won't Brine."

Brine paled. "Conch why would pirates kill all the icicle fish?"

Conch fingered his trident. Stiff with worry, he shook his head, unable to speak.

Wendy swallowed. "…it…"

They turned. Wendy shrunk, sick with guilt. "It...the fish that ate Tinkerbell…"

"…was an icicle fish?"

Wendy turned. Peter had finished her sentence, but not cruelly. He frowned only with the effort to interpret the pieces of the puzzle. "You said it was a fish. Remember? When you woke up. After Shark….hurt you."

Peter flinched. Quickly, he regained his hostility towards Wendy. "So was it an icicle fish or not?"

"Don't talk to her like – "

"—yes." Wendy interrupted Brine. Nervously she waited for a pod of mer – all armed with tridents – to pass. Several had noticed Peter and Wendy's unusual appearance and were taking second glances. One actually turned and pointed to Wendy, and then to his eyes.

"Yes." Wendy continued as Conch waved the mermen on. "Yes. The mermaids at Mermaid Lagoon said it was an icicle fish. That ate Tinkerbell. Unless…" Wendy rubbed her arms, turning bitter at the memory, "…unless they were lying."

"The girls don't lie."

Brine coughed. "Justdrown!"

Peter advanced. "Say it louder, Codfish!?"

Conch groaned. "I'm getting too old for drama!" Exasperatedly swimming between Peter and Brine, he took Wendy's hand. "Come on Squirt. If we leave they'll either follow us to the throne room, or kill each other, but either way they'll clam it and we won't have to listen! Hey rock fish?! You coming or what?"

Brine and Peter glared, seriously considering Conch's option to fight to the death. Then, after Wendy's call, Brine shook his head. Disgusted, he turned to follow.

Peter caught Brine's arm. "You can't have her."

Brine's silver eyes flashed. "What?"

"You heard me." Peter dug his fingers into Brine's forearm. Scales slipped beneath his nails. "I won't let you trap her again. Hurt her again. You. Can't. Have. Her."

Wrathfully, Peter charged after Conch and Wendy. "Codfish."

Brine stared at the ice. Cavities reopened as he remembered that night on the Jolly Roger…seconds from death…seconds from a bargain that could save his sister from eternal doom.

Brine closed his eyes. Captain Hook had extended a hand. The only thing Brine had to do…to save his sister…was capture a human girl from Neverland…

…a girl with sky blue eyes.

"Brine! Brine! Please come!"

Brine smiled, eyes still closed. Wendy Darling. The best thing he had ever done was refuse Hook's bargain on that adventure so long ago. He'd suffered for it. Cerntainly. But Wendy had been worth every scar. She was even worth a hidden kiss…and a life of unrequited love.

But…then. Carefully, Brine allowed himself to wonder. Wendy was here now. Wasn't she? Had fate overpowered his curse? Had their crossed stars realigned to offer a second chance?

"Brine! Brine!"

"Yeah. Come on Codfish."

Brine opened his eyes. Spitefully, he watched Peter's emerald tail slash around the corner after Conch and Wendy.

"I really hope Mom and Dad kill you."

It was an offhand comment that Brine would quickly find was all too conceivable for the king and queen of the Northern Neversea.

sutal's note: Thanks for waiting for "Taking Fantasia" to be done. Hope to have Chpt 21 up in the next few days.

keep writing.