I had originally planned for Trista to accept Rubeus' proposal, but RubyMoon-Snape suggested I change it so that the two of them spend time getting to know each other before Trista decides whether to accept or not.

Chapter Eight- Truths Exposed

Rubeus learned much about Trista over the next few days and he found himself loving her more with each thing he learned. She seemed to be almost the exact opposite of Michelle; for example, while both girls loved to wear pearls and flowers, Trista loved to wear the crown of a princess while Michelle did not. Trista was also a good teacher to him, showing him more advanced swimming techniques as well as the different plants and sea life they encountered on their many swims together. They didn't avoid any mermen that thought about approaching Trista. They still came up to her, but didn't stay long once Trista introduced Rubeus, calling him her "intended."

"Why tell them I'm your intended?" he asked when she made this introduction for the third time.

"I hope that they tell others about it and hopefully, they'll stop trying to win my interest. I know I'm technically lying, but they've been chasing me for years. I guess they kept pursuing me hoping that I had changed my mind about them."

"They've been chasing you for years?"

"That's right. So, Rubeus. I've told you a lot about myself, but you haven't told me about you. You're a sorcerer, right? How did that come about?"

Rubeus cleared his throat. "You're right. I haven't spoken about myself, I should remedy that. I was born into a magical family. My mother knew about potions and showed me how to make them while my father was more about spells and taught me to perform them."

"So, you were born to perform magic. That's interesting."

"I suppose so." He looked around. "You know, some of the plants you've shown me, I might be able to make new potions or provide them in a liquid form for their remedies."

"Remedies in a liquid form? I see. Merpeople would be able to store them in their homes instead of swimming out to look for them. That's a great idea."

Rubeus smiled at Trista's praise. She continued to ask questions about his life and he answered them while purposely avoiding mentioning his world domination plan. The more he thought about the plan, the more he was ashamed that he had even thought about it in the first place. If he had overthrown the king, he probably would have enslaved or even killed the two princesses and Amara. He grew sick to his stomach when he envisioned himself killing Trista. He was grateful that Michelle proposed him marrying Trista instead of ruling a water world. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have met the most wonderful mermaid in the world.

"Michelle, may I speak with you?"

"Certainly, but please be quick. I'm going to be introducing Amara to my father."

"I want to say thank you for introducing me to your sister. I've never been happier in my life."

"Whoa. Sounds like you've fallen hard for her."

"I have. Thank you again."

"You're welcome." Michelle smiled as Rubeus swam out of the room.

"He's changed," Amara commented.

"Yes, he's not the same power-crazed man he was a few days ago. I think Trista's responsible for that."

"Not just Trista, but you as well. You were willing to give him a second chance and it paid off."

"Yes, it did. For both of them. I've never seen Trista this happy in years and Rubeus is happier with Trista than without her."

"I know just how he feels. I'm happier with you than without you."

Michelle giggled slightly before kissing Amara. "So am I. Now, why don't we go see Father?"

Amara followed Michelle out, feeling confident and a little nervous at the same time. She was confident in meeting royalty; she had done it dozens of times before. This meeting, however, was different because he was the father of the mermaid she loved. She hoped he approved and that he didn't ask any awkward questions.

Rubeus swam out into open waters, far away from any merpeople or sea animals. He was intending to practice his new water powers and didn't want to be somewhere where someone could get hurt should his powers get out of control. I should start small. That's one of the important thing about magic. You have to start small before working up to something big. Now, what should I start with? Ah, I think I got it.

He held out an arm, wiggled his fingers, and a stream of bubbles issued forth. He smiled as he wiggled his fingers again and the bubbles formed into a gently swirling vortex. He waved a hand and the bubbles floated away into the water. He flexed his hands for a moment before moving them in a gentle swirling motion and a miniature whirlpool the length of his pinkie appeared. He swirled faster and the whirlpool grew to the size of his fist and faster still the whirlpool was soon as long as his arm. He kept the swirling motion at that speed and admired his effort; it was an impressive feat and knew that he was adept at controlling the power of Neptune as he knew he could.

I definitely would have been able to create a storm to pressure the king to move aside for me. I wonder, though. If I had tried to do so, would I have lost control in my greed to be king? It is true that emotions such as greed, hatred, and malice can cause one's spell to grow too powerful for the sorcerer or magician to control and utter devastation can occur. I know that Michelle can ask Neptune for a storm and it makes it happen. Perhaps, I could try that out sometime; not big one maybe just a small squall.

He dissipated the whirlpool before hearing movement. He turned to see Trista emerging from behind some seaweed and approaching him with an expression of awe on her face. "Rubeus, I had no idea you could perform spells like that. It's like something Neptune itself could create."

Rubeus grinned at the comment. "Actually, it is Neptune's power. You see, Michelle wanted to find the legendary Mirror of Neptune so that Amara, a human princess, could stay a mermaid after I gave her a potion to make her one temporarily. What they didn't know was that I wanted the mirror so I could flood the planet, change humans into merpeople, and convince your father to make me king or I would destroy the kingdom. It was Michelle who asked Neptune to take the mirror from me. She destroyed the mirror but its power remained and it went into Michelle and me and it was your sister who-,"

"You WHAT!?" screeched Trista bringing Rubeus's explanation to a halt. "You had planned to usurp my father and flood the world!?"

"I…I did." Rubeus paled when he realized what he had just said. "But, not now. Trista, please let me say-,"

"Silence! You will address me as Princess Trista. We're through. There will be no marriage and I wish to never see you again!" Trista turned and angrily swam off toward the palace.

Rubeus dropped to the floor and stared after Trista, shocked at her reaction and disgusted at himself for boasting about his power. I still love her, but she doesn't love me. There's no reason for me to stay in the ocean. I'll head back to the beach, change back to a human, and resume my career as the kingdom's top sorcerer. He rose and started swimming for the surface.

"Father, I would like you to meet Amara. She is the one I intend to spend the rest of my life with. Amara, this is my father, King Diamond."

Amara bowed at the waist. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty."

Diamond smiled at the mermaid. "Likewise, Amara. My daughter has good taste. I'd like to say she got it from me, but I must give the credit to my dear departed wife."

At that point, the double doors of the Throne Room opened and Trista swam in and grabbed Michelle's arm. "We need to talk sister. Please excuse us, Father." Trista swam out of the room with Michelle in tow, leaving an awkward silence in their wake.

Diamond and Amara stared at one another, before the king said, "So, Amara. Tell me about yourself."

"Trista, what is going on?" Michelle demanded as she was dragged through the water.

The dark-haired mermaid came to a stop and turned around. "Michelle, did you know Rubeus was planning to use The Mirror of Neptune to usurp our father and turn this whole planet into one big ocean?"

Michelle gaped at her. "How…?"

Trista gave a bitter laugh. "Rubeus let it all slip out. He said the Amara was actually a human princess who fell in love with you and he gave her a potion to make her a temporary mermaid. He told her about the mirror, knowing she would spend her time here to acquire it in order to be with you. He went on to say that when you asked Neptune to snatch the mirror from him, you destroyed it to stop his plan and that the power of the mirror went into him and you. Well, Michelle? What do you have to say?"

Michelle took a deep breath. "It's all true. The adventure Amara and I went on was to find the mirror so Amara could stay a mermaid. Neither one of us knew of Rubeus's plan nor what would happen if the mirror was destroyed. I only wanted to stop him from succeeding.

"Let me point out that he's been a merman for a few days now. If he still wanted to carry out his plan, he would have already done so. Since he hasn't, this proves that my suspicions of him actually being a good person were correct. I believe he's a good person and that he truly does love you."

Trista stared at the seafloor with a thoughtful expression. Michelle believed he was a good person even when he revealed his plan to her and Amara. I see her point about him not carrying out his plan. He could have overthrown Father and I would probably be either an ordinary mermaid, a slave, or dead. Yet, I'm still a princess and nothing has changed except that I loved Rubeus and now he's out of my life.

"Michelle," Trista said, her voice shaking. "What have I done? I still love him and I said that I never wish to see him again."

Michelle wrapped her arms around Trista. "It'll be all right. I'll find him and bring him back."

"But, we don't know where he went."

"I think I do."

"Michelle! Trista!" Both mermaids turned to see Amara swimming toward them. "Geez, Michelle, you didn't tell me your father was going to interrogate me the moment we were alone."

"I didn't intend to leave you alone with him. What did he say?"

"Honestly, all he did was ask for me to tell him about myself."

"What did you say?"

"I said I was just your average mermaid." Amara looked around before saying, "Hey, where's Rubeus?"

"He and I had a fight and I said I never want to see him again, except that I do want to see him."

"I'm going to look for him," Michelle said. "You two stay here. I'll be back." Michelle swam off.

Trista smiled at Amara. "Rubeus let it slip that you were actually a human princess. Please, tell me how human princesses differ from mermaid ones."

Rubeus surfaced and swam over to the exact spot where he had traded his legs for a tail. He pulled himself onto the sand until he was sitting on land with only his fins and a third of his tail still in the water. He clenched his fists for a moment before opening them and placing his hands on his tail. I call upon my power to split my tail into legs…tail to legs…tail to legs.

He had closed his eyes while focusing on his request and he kept them closed. He reasoned that if his power worked, his hands would feel the change from scales to skin. He remained in this position for several minutes before opening his eyes and removing his hands. His red tail was still there. His eyes narrowed before waving his hands up and down his tail and thinking, Neptune, spirit of the sea, please change my tail into legs. He waited for another several minutes and still nothing happened.

He swished the part of his tail still in the water as he wondered why he hadn't become human again. He had been very firm and confident in what he wanted and had even asked Neptune to change him, so what went wrong? It wasn't difficult when I changed into a merman or when I was practicing with the whirlpool, so why can't I change back to human? Is it possible that Neptune's power is stronger than I believed? If so, then I'm stuck as a merman.

"Rubeus?"

The redhead looked at the shallows. "Oh, hello Michelle."

"Rubeus, what are you doing here?"

"Trying to become human again, but apparently the power of Neptune is stronger than I had thought. No matter how I word my intent, my tail won't change to legs."

"Of course, it won't. Merpeople cannot change into humans. That includes humans who become mermaids or mermen.

"I'm guessing you were trying to change because of your fight with Trista, am I right?"

Rubeus paled slightly. "She told you, didn't she?"

"She did. I'm not mad that you told her that I have half of the mirror's power and I explained how you no longer seek to rule a world of water and that you are really a good person who loves her."

"I do love her. After spending a few days getting to know her, I found that I truly love her. But, I doubt she loves me; not after what I let slip out."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Come back into the water and let's go see her."

"Michelle, no. I don't think I can."

"Yes, you can. As your princess, I order you to follow me and see my sister."

Rubeus smiled slightly. "You're right. You are my princess and I'll go with you." He slid himself back into the water and the pair dipped below the water once they were out of the shallows. "I must say, Michelle, your order sounded very royal back there."

Michelle grimaced. "I know. I still can't believe I said that."

Rubeus followed Michelle, not sure that going to see Trista was a good idea. No doubt she was still very angry with him and she did state that she didn't want to see him again, so why was Michelle insisting on seeing her? It's possible that Trista didn't tell her about not wishing to see him. If that was the case, Michelle would be in for a surprise.

Michelle returned to the spot where Trista and Amara were waiting. Both seemed to be having an animated discussion with one another and hadn't noticed her return, so she decided to announce it. "I'm back and look who I found."

Both girls looked up and smiled when they saw Rubeus behind Michelle, who was looking down and avoiding their eyes. He couldn't bear looking at Trista who no doubt had anger and disgust in her eyes and he was waiting to hear her demand that he get out of her sight. Once he heard that, he would tell Michelle that he was right about her feelings toward him before swimming away. Where he would go and what he would do with his life, he wasn't sure, but he would eventually think of something.

"Rubeus, please look at me," Trista said gently.

He complied before giving a bow. "Princess Trista."

"Don't call me princess. Just Trista will do."

He straightened and looked at her. "But, you insisted I address you with your title."

"I did. But Michelle explained everything. She said that you gave up your plan and that you truly love me during the few days we spent together. She also added that you're really a good person and that if you still wanted to carry out your plan, you would have already done so."

"That's true. But after telling you about my past, I thought back on the plan and I felt shame that I even considered it in the first place. I don't blame you for being angry with me. I would have reacted the same way if I were in your place. I am so sorry about what I had intended to do."

Trista leaned over and took both of Rubeus's hands in her own. "You're forgiven. Now, Rubeus, will you marry me?"

Rubeus blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I did say that when I feel that I know you well enough, we would wed. You still love me and I love you. So, shall we wed?"

Rubeus's eyes lit up and a matching smile came to his face. "Yes, Trista. I will marry you."

"Excellent. Let's go tell my father."

"Trista, can Michelle and I come with you? I think I need to be honest with your father."

"What do you mean, Amara?" Trista asked.

"Well, I told him I was an average mermaid and now I don't feel right about that. I want him to know I was human and a princess too."

"Very well. Come on, let's go."

As the quartet headed back to the palace, Michelle and Amara lagged behind. "Amara, do you think it's a good idea to tell Father everything? About you, the mirror, and Rubeus? I mean, what if Father decides to imprison Rubeus for attempted treason?"

Amara bit her lip. "I hadn't thought of that. But, I want him to know I was a human princess."

"I think I have an idea. Leave it to me."

They caught up with Trista and Rubeus just as the elder mermaid pushed open the Throne Room doors and swam up to the throne. Diamond smiled at the group. "Well, this quite a surprise. Now, what can I do for you?"

Amara swam forward. "Your Majesty, I have a confession to make. I'm not an average mermaid. I was, in fact, a human princess. I caught a glimpse of your daughter and fell in love."

Diamond was taken aback. "A human princess? But how did you become a mermaid?"

"I sought the aid of a sea witch," Michelle spoke up. "I was fortunate to find a kindly one and she provided me with a potion to give Amara a tail during the nights of the full moon and the days in between. I remembered the legend of The Mirror of Neptune and the two of us journeyed to find it. As you can see, we found it and used it to keep Amara a mermaid."

"Oh, I see. Where is the mirror now?"

"It got caught in an undertow on our way back and before I could grab it, it smashed against a rock."

"That's awful. A wonderful treasure like that would have earned a spot in the royal treasury. Amara, I must say I'm a little disappointed that you lied to me earlier, but I am pleased that you chose to speak the truth."

Amara bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty." She swam back to allow Trista and Rubeus to come forward.

"Father," Trista said. "I would like you to meet Rubeus…my future husband."

"Trista, that's wonderful! Young merman, how did you catch my daughter's interest? She's a rather picky princess."

"So, I've heard, Your Majesty. I come from a far off ocean and my parents were both practiced in the ways of magic. I don't know how my father came to possess magic, as we all know that only sea witches have magic. I have both the skills of making potions and performing spells. Trista saw me performing a spell a few days ago and was immediately impressed."

Diamond was intrigued. A merman who could do magic? "You are a very special merman, Rubeus. It is no wonder that you caught Trista's attention. My daughter, the wedding will be held in a week's time. I will have a declaration drawn up and announced within two days."

"Oh, thank you Father!" Trista exclaimed, swimming up and hugging him. Diamond laughed at her enthusiasm.

"All right, Trista. Go off with her fiancé to plan the details and take your sister and her intended with you."

"Yes, Father." Trista looped her arm through Rubeus's and swam off side by side with Michelle and Amara behind them. She led the three of them up to her room and closed the door behind them.

"Michelle, Rubeus. Those were great stories you came up with. But why didn't you tell the whole truth?"

"I was afraid that if I spoke the truth about Rubeus, that Father would imprison him. So, I came up with the story of the kindly sea witch."

"I too sensed that speaking the truth of my origins would not be wise. I chose to present myself as a merman from far away. I kept the truth about my parents so as to explain my own magical abilities."

"It will certainly cover up the fact that you have Neptune's power."

"Half of the power, but yes the story will cover it."

"My subjects, it is with great joy that I announce that my daughter, your princess, Trista, has found the merman who will become her husband," Diamond announced two days later from a balcony that overlooked the front gates of the palace where the entire kingdom had gathered. The crowd roared its cheers and applauded until the king raised his hands to call for silence.

"It is now my pleasure to present Trista's fiancé. Rubeus, please come forward and greet the kingdom." Diamond gestured for him to swim forward and he did so.

The crowd cheered again and Rubeus slowly raised a hand and waved to the merpeople below. He could hardly believe the number of merpeople below him and the fact that he would one day be their king who would see to their safety was a little intimidating. Trista caught sight of the expression on his face and she took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He returned the gesture and his face relaxed into a pleasant and winning smile that he directed to the crowd.

Trista glanced back at Michelle and winked at her before facing forward again. Michelle and Amara grinned at each other. It seemed the kingship that Rubeus dreamed of was not matching the reality and he was uncertain that he could handle the position. But, a squeeze from Trista seemed to have calmed his nerves and he most likely realized that he would not be ruling alone.

Michelle listened to her father as he outlined the couple's wishes for their wedding day which would happen in just a few short days. She liked some of the decisions Trista and Rubeus had made; others not so much. She began to think about some wedding decisions she would like to make and naturally she would share them with Amara. She knew she would have to wait for her turn to be married, but in the meantime she would get to know her beloved as well as Amara getting to know her. One day, we will be getting married and Father will also announce it and our wishes to the kingdom.

The End