Hello to all my fans and those who are new to my stories :) I'd like to thank all of you for your support up to this point. I'm enjoying where this is going, and I hope you are too :D I'm just stopping in to let everyone know that I may not be able to update a chapter next week because I will be touring England with my marching band. *backs away in case of jealous fans* I'll answer a few questions I'm sure some of you have. Yes, I will look for Arthur Kirkland while I am there. Yes, I will be looking for the rumored blue police box there for some avid Whovian friends of mine. And yes, I will update if it is at all within my power. If I do not get the opportunity, I apologize ahead of time. So, without further ado, please enjoy this next chapter :3

Alfred and Christov paled noticeably. Arthur was the only one that held his composure, but his lips pressed together into a tight line. I could tell he was already coming up with some kind of plan. We weren't allowed to dwell on it for long, however, because the Council began to talk again.

"You will be given a short head start, so please try not to get caught in the building. It would be inconvenient to have to clean up all that blood..."

"Inconvenient..." Arthur growled. His hand strayed toward his cutlass, but he didn't draw it. "Do you have a plan?" he hissed at me.

"Other than swim like crazy? No."

"Useless..." he mumbled and shook his head. "How fast can your dolphin swim?"

"Fast," I assured him.

"Good. Have him take Christov and the kid out of here."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I'm a pirate, love. I never stay caught for long." A crazy smile appeared on his face as he drew his weapon. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"Gee, thanks."

I turned to my dolphin and explained everything in a low voice. He nodded once and nudged me sadly. I pet his snout affectionately. If there was anyone that I could trust to take care of my friends, it was him. And yes, they were my friends because I've never had anyone stand up for me the way they have.

"Ready?" Arthur's green eyes locked onto mine.

"Yes," I answered.

"Open the doors!"

"GO!" Arthur roared.

Alfred and Christov went shooting through the doorway clinging to my little dolphin. I took off after them with as much speed as I could muster. The sharks were chained by the door and snapped at me as I swam past. Their beady eyes followed me hungrily, and I tried not to think about how their teeth would feel sinking into my legs or arms.

"(Y/n)! Hurry!" Alfred shouted. He and Chrstov were already far ahead of me.

"Wait..." I turned to look for Arthur.

He was slowly following behind me while keeping his eyes on the sharks. The beasts seemed to sense the approach of the bigger threat and averted their eyes to the pirate. They strained against the metal collars around their necks, which shimmered with some sort of magic. I wasn't surprised. These sharks were massive, and there was no way ordinary chains could hold them.

Their jaws opened wide in anticipation. They could have easily swallowed one of us with one bite, but I had the feeling they preferred to mangle their prey instead. Something about the bloodthirsty glint in their eyes told me that. That, and the definitely malicious thoughts radiating from their minds. I was never particularly fond of sharks, and these were no exception.

"Release the executioners!"

Time seemed to slow as the collars around the hungry beasts dissolved into sea foam. They beelined straight for Arthur, and he met them with a hungry expression of his own. Unless the pirate had some kind of supernatural powers I didn't know about, he was about to become a pile of bloody chum.

My body moved without my consent. There was only one thought on my mind. "Arthur, nooooooooo!"

Some kind of cry sounded in the distance, but the Captain couldn't really make it out. All he could hear was the sound of his blood rushing and thumping in his ears. That was perfectly fine with him because he didn't want to hear what awful kinds of sounds sharks made when they tore someone to shreds.

He had volunteered to stay behind as decoy, but the truth of the matter was he had no plan as to what came after that. Sure, drawing his blade seemed like the right thing to do, but what good was that against at least three sharks intent on making him their lunch? Arthur almost smirked. He really should stop being witty in life threatening situations and a little quicker on his feet. Or in the water in this case.

The pirate raised his cutlass. He didn't know if he could do any real damage, but it was better than being eaten. The first shark didn't even slow down as it approached Arthur. He barely sidestepped and used its momentum to cut a long gash from its mouth to its pectoral fin. A bright red cloud grew in the water as blood mixed with the sea. This seemed to throw the other sharks off, and gave the Captain a perfect window of opportunity to escape.

A pirate's got to do what a pirate's got to do, and sometimes that meant running away. He sheathed his blade and swam away from the sharks as fast as he could. Wet clothing didn't make for easy swimming, but Arthur couldn't dump his heavy coat. There were too many important things tucked away in its various pockets. However, some of those things were not useful, so he pulled out two revolvers, a compass, and a knife to drop as he swam. He did hold onto his gold though.

Someone pulled up beside him, and it took the Captain a moment to realize it was the mermaid. "Are you a bloody idiot? I told you to go ahead!"

"I couldn't leave you behind!"

"I said I could manage!"

"I was worried!"

"Well, don't be! I'm a pirate! We take care of ourselves!"

"Look out!"

Just then one of the sharks came out of nowhere and almost got a mouthful of Arthur's head. If it weren't for the mermaid, he would have been a goner. By now they were out of the Council Building and swimming through the city. The other sharks weren't far behind, and Arthur was out of clever tricks to pull out of his hat.

"What were you saying about pirates taking care of themselves?"

"Shut up," he grumbled. "You're awfully calm for someone being hunted by sharks."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

This made the Captain hopeful. "Got a plan then?"

"No."

Arthur swore rather loudly. "Then what are you doing coming back for me?"

"I told you, I was worried. But I think I may have a plan now."

The streets were all empty as the merpeople all hid in their houses to avoid being mistaken as the ones to be executed. Arthur paused as the girl filled him in on what she was thinking. His lips pressed together tightly the further she got in her half-baked plan.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"What other choice do we have?"

"And what if you don't make it?"

"Then you won't have to worry about me anymore."

Captain Kirkland's eyes darkened. As annoying as she was, he didn't want that to happen. It didn't even have to do with their connection. He just didn't want anything to happen to the mermaid. The thought was almost laughable, but he couldn't deny it.

"(Y/n), that's not how-"

"No time! Head for the exit!"

She pushed him away as a shark spotted them in the distance. It swam toward her with eagerness, but Arthur couldn't watch what was going on. He was too busy gritting his teeth as he swam away.

My mind decided to abandon ship as the shark closed in on me, which left me about as responsive as a sea cucumber. Somehow, I regained conscious control of myself hardly a moment before a large pair of jaws snapped where my feet once were. It would have been much faster to outrun a giant, bloodthirsty shark with a tail, but even then I wouldn't have been able to stay ahead.

My only true advantage was my ability to maneuver quickly in the water. Because of their size, the sharks had a much tougher time changing direction once they got going. That didn't mean they were easy to escape. Two more sharks joined the first, and I was constantly dodging to keep any part of me from becoming fish food. I just prayed that Arthur had made it to the exit.

Once I figured enough time had passed, I swam in the direction of the exit too. The sharks would be too big to fit through the tunnel, and I would be home free. Weaving around the last big of sea grass, I shot straight for the tunnel and made it inside before being nabbed by rows of razor teeth. It felt good to take a quick breather before continuing on my way. I had nothing to worry about now except getting back to the ship.

Boy, was I wrong.

I could tell there was something amiss the moment I exited the tunnel. The sea floor was much too quiet. There were no fish darting around between the coral and anemones. Dread pooled in my stomach. It wasn't possible the sharks made it out here, was it?

The answer came sooner than I liked.

"Swim! Hurry, (y/n)! Swim!" Alfred was shouting and waving from a distance, but my dolphin and Christov were nowhere to be see.

"Alfred? What's going-"

"Move, idiot!"

Someone tackled me back into the tunnel just as something large and gray streaked past. It was a shark. I looked up to see Arthur pressing me against the hard ground breathing heavily. His face was so close to mind that I almost leaned up to kiss him. Almost.

"Somehow the sharks made it outside," he said without realizing what kind of position we were in.

"S-so I noticed."

"They only stray so far from the island, so Christov and the kid are safe."

"That's good to hear."

"Got any more brilliant ideas?"

"We could start with you getting off me."

"Oh...right." Arthur quickly scrambled off me with a slight hint of red on his cheeks.

"I actually do have one more trick," I said as I stood up. "But it's dangerous."

"How dangerous?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"You just have to promise to swim away as fast as you can."

"But what are you planning on-"

"Promise!"

"Fine!" He sighed. "I promise, happy?"

"Yes. Now, swim when I say so. Ready. Set."

"But what-"

"GO!"

We both shot out of the cave like frightened tuna. Arthur swam away while I swam up to meet the sharks. They grinned with sharp teeth, and a few even opened their mouths like they expected me to just swim inside. As if. Instead, I stopped a good distance away and focused. Focused on the push and pull of the ocean, the rising and falling of the tides. If I tried hard enough, I could still feel the immense force of the ocean around me.

"I hope you're all ready for some fun," I murmured to the sharks.

Their thoughts became confused, but their goal was still to eat me as messily as possible. I wasn't about to let that happen. Water began to swirl around me as I harnessed the power of the mighty ocean. It wasn't the first time I had manipulated the sea, but this time was different. Instead of feeling an infinite supply of power, I felt like I was being drained. I wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

"Come and get it," I growled as the sharks charged. That was when I released a full blown whirlpool around me.

It was faint, but Arthur felt a slight disturbance in the water. He had promised the mermaid to swim on without her, and he really didn't want to break that promise. It was not gentleman like. Yet as a nagging feeling in the back of his head grew, he found it harder to keep that promise. Finally, he turned around to get a quick peek of what was going on, and his stomach dropped.

There was a gigantic whirlpool in the exact spot he had left the girl not even a minute ago. The sharks were in chaos as they tried to keep from getting sucked into the swirling vortex. But where was the mermaid? He looked for her without success. If she was still there, she was in the whirlpool.

"(Y/n)."

The Captain was about to go back for her, but he stopped. He could leave now and forget this whole thing ever happened. Sure, there was that whole heart-bond to worry about, but if the mermaid wasn't dead yet she would probably be fine. This was Arthur's chance to leave this whole mess behind and pretend like it never happened. He was so tempted to do it, but her words came back to him.

"I was worried."

And so he was too. There was part of him that was anxious to get the girl back to safety aboard his ship. He didn't know if it was their connection, magic, delusions, or what. The most important thing now was to find her, and not leave until he did. The Captain sighed as he took off back toward the mountain. She was going to owe him big time for this.