Siren School

King Ethan stood at a window of his castle, smiling gently as he watched his daughter playing in the courtyard, crouched down in her small blue dress, trying to lure a mouse out of a small hole with a bit of bread. She was…his everything, that little girl, she and her mother, were his entire world. He would give anything for them, but, he let out a sigh, he too had to think of his kingdom as well. It was something he struggled to balance, even now, years after he'd been named king of the realm. It was always there, niggling at him, all the people of the kingdom that depended on him to rule them, to see to their needs and safety and welfare, the whole of the kingdom had to come first in many ways. Yet that little girl, just barely turned 4, was also something to do with that. She was his heir, she would be Queen when he passed on to the next life, so, equally so, she had to come first too.

It was difficult, to balance both being a father and being a king, but he tried. He failed in some regards, failed his people, failed his wife and child in others. But he tried, and that was what Leopold would remind him if he were there to clap him on the shoulder and speak to him as brothers do, he would remind him that trying, the effort you put to it, was what mattered in the end, to not even try was to fail in the worst way. He couldn't help it though, not when he looked at his sweet daughter, to consider all the ways he wouldn't be able to help her in the future. Oh he could teach her how to rule and rule well, he could teach her all manner of courtly customs and spend days lecturing on politics and treaties and so many other things that came with running a kingdom. But his daughter wasn't just a princess…she wasn't just human either.

She was half-Siren, his wife, her mother, was a full-blooded one, and that made his daughter…different. It wasn't a bad different, not at all, he loved her all the more for what made her special in his eyes. But he knew it would be a difficult road for her and whenever he looked at her he couldn't help but feel such…guilt. He had been a selfish man, the worst sort of selfish when he'd been made king. He'd let his own doubts and fears consume him, he'd been selfish in not wanting to deal with them and nearly lost his life. And after his attempts failed, after he'd met his wife, Ilayda, he'd become even more selfish for he'd asked her hand, asked her to leave her family, her clan, something Sirens were never meant to do. But she had, for him, for his safety, she'd left the Sea and come to live with him on land, cutting her ties to the ocean and her family at the same time merely for the chance at having all of that with him. And he'd been selfish to let it happen, to want it to happen, to take someone from their family just so he could keep her with him. He'd been weak and he'd…he'd needed her, she made him want to live again and she made him happy. She advised him in a blunt, sometimes harsh, way that his advisers never would. He valued her opinion, her perspective, she made him a better, stronger man, a firmer ruler, and he loved her for that.

And when their child had been born, he'd been overjoyed, he was going to give his people an heir, he was going to be a father…the people hadn't been pleased, hadn't been when he'd taken Ilayda for a wife as well, but they'd accepted it as a fact and as something they could not change. They themselves as subjects, in all kingdoms, put pressure on their rulers to have an heir to continue the bloodlines and monarchy. They could not fault him for producing one even if they did fault him for his choice in Queen. When Rose had been born, his little Rose Red, and he'd held her in his arms, he'd been filled with such overwhelming love for the little being that depended on him. And he had done all he could as she grew to be there for her, to be someone she could depend and rely on, tried his best to protect her and teach her, guide her.

But there were some areas, he was realizing, he wouldn't be able to do that for.

He had always know, when he wed Ilayda, that their children might be like her, possess her unique form of magic, a talent for using music and sounds to manipulate others, a magic that came from tones and vibrations. He had tried to prepare for it, but looking at his daughter now he knew nothing could have truly done that. He gazed at her and he knew that she was just like her mother, she had inherited her talents and magic, even if the girl didn't realize it yet.

And that…that could be dangerous for a girl so young.

She'd had that magic from the moment she was born, as evidenced by the way the walls and ground would shake when she was but a babe, screaming in her cot for food or a changing or just for them to pick her up. For such a small being she had…quite the set of lungs. They had been fearful that it would continue into every area of her voice, that just talking would be a danger to others, but it had proved a relief when, as the screaming died down, so did the magic it seemed. There was a distinct feel in the air whenever she would hum or sing though, something Ilayda had told him was as sign of her magic really starting to form and orient itself within her. Being so newly born, the magic was frantic and uncontrolled, it escaped in every burst it could from her, but as she grew it would start to settle.

But with the settling came a danger, not to Rose, but to others if she didn't learn to control her voice. She hardly every shouted, hardly ever got so worked up, so no one was the wiser about her magic for the most part. But he knew from watching his elder brother that, sometimes, even the best behaved of children could snap at times, and he wanted his daughter prepared, to understand that there were greater consequences if she lost her temper than for most. Recently one of her nursemaids had come to them with a concern, it appeared the windows had started to crack when they'd tried to tell her that she had to wear the blue dress, a color she didn't seem to favor, being so light blue, like the sky.

It was a minor, petulant tantrum, a small one, but it had been enough magic in her voice to start cracking the glass around her.

He let out a sigh, watching her now, playing with the mouse, sitting on the dirty ground without a care in the world to her outfit and still holding the bread out to it, seemed almost to be speaking to it, trying to coax it closer and he had no doubt she would. Animals reacted more strongly around her than people did, to the small changes in her voice, the gentle inpouring or magic into her words.

"What troubles you, my husband?"

He smiled at the voice of his wife, hearing her before he spotted her reflection in the window, walking towards him, regal in her sea-blue gown. She did that often, wore colors she recalled from her home, sea-blue, seaweed green, foam white, and many other colors that could only be seen in the vast seas. He knew it pained her to be parted from it, for him, and so he never begrudged her her particular sense of color in her outfits.

"Our daughter is a wonder, my love," he reached behind her, taking her hand to tug her beside him even as he kept his eyes on Rose, now flopped onto her stomach, seeming to think that she appeared too big to the mouse and that being closer to the ground would reassure it.

"That she is," Ilayda smiled at her, resting her hand on his shoulder, half turned to lean on him as they observed their daughter. She blinked a moment, considering the girl, listening intently, "She is using her magic."

"Is she?" he glanced at her, unable to really hear what Rose was saying to the mouse now, but, looking back, he could see the critter starting to approach her more easily than before.

Ilayda hummed and nodded, "She is growing stronger in it every day."

"That is what worries me," he admitted with a sigh, "I know we agreed that we would wait till she was five years of age before we began to teach her of her magic, but if it is manifesting now…"

Ilayda nodded, glancing out the window at her daughter, the mouse now sitting on her arm, eating its speck of bread, "I shall being her lessons on the morrow," she told him.

He smiled at her, reaching up to touch her hand on his shoulder in thanks.

~8~

"Now my darling girl," Ilayda smiled as she sat in the music room of the castle, Rose on her lap, her arms encircling her daughter as they spoke, "Do you remember what mother told you about how she sings you to sleep at night?"

Rose nodded, "That there's magic in it," she smiled, "That a song is magical and that, one day, you'd teach me how to sing people to sleep too."

"I did not quite say that," Ilayda hummed a small laugh, "I do believe I stated that I would teach you to control magic into music and song when you were ready," she may have told her daughter there was magic in her lullabies out of a wistfulness that it was true. She used to have magic, before she left the sea, but since being cut off from it, her magic had been cut off too. They hadn't expected their daughter to inherit the magic regardless of her having lost her own, but it had happened and, just because she was cut from the sea and possessed no magic of her own, it didn't mean she didn't know how it worked or how to help her daughter learn it.

"Oh," Rose sighed, "Yes, that's what you said," Ilayda was silent, waiting for the girl to make the connection. Only a moment later Rose gasped, looking up at her with wide eyes, "AM I ready now mother!?"

Ilayda nodded, "I do believe you are. Your father and I both feel it is time for you to begin your lessons."

"Lessons?" she pouted, "More lessons? I don't like lessons. They're boring. The tutors are boring and…and old and…and…and…not fun."

"And you think that of me?" Ilayda asked, mock-offended, resting a hand on her heart playfully, a side of her that others rarely ever safe, if any but her husband and daughter had seen it.

Sirens were protective of their families, of their children especially and it came about in a different way than humans. While a human could pretend, feign interest, act as though they were unconcerned when really they were calculating the potential threat another had on the children…Sirens were not quite so adept. They became cold and hard, a show of defense, a show of what another would face if they dared harm the child. They showed everyone as a warning to stay away from their offspring or face the one who protected them.

It was often why she appeared so cold and distant, so hard, around other people. She could not trust them. She trusted her husband, yes, always, she trusted his brother, his wife, and their daughter. Beyond that she could not afford to trust anyone. Too often had other humans tried to harm her and her family over the years for her to ever trust other humans that had no loyalty to her or her husband, no close, blood-bound loyalty. Oh the people might swear fealty to her husband, but often they could take that oath and stretch its meaning.

There was a power in words, there were meanings to words that could be twisted to mean something else entirely. For instance, the people swore to defend their king with their lives, to keep him safe…that could just as easily mean an enemy holding a knife to his throat…or a siren being let into his bedchamber. The people could, at any moment, decide that she was a threat to the king, a danger, she was, after all, a dark creature, one who had killed many a man and woman before in her time. They had no reason to trust her, to trust that she did love her husband with all her hardened heart, to trust that she would never harm him. The people were so…close-minded, they saw her as a threat, as what she was, a siren, and yet didn't bother to truly LEARN about them. They heard tales of how evil and dangerous, how tricky and cunning, Sirens were and believed that without fail. But try to explain that once a Siren let someone into their heart they would always be protected and treasured above anything else, especially a mate, and they went deaf or cried lies.

She knew what it was though, humans were just eager to have a reason to want her cast away. They hated the thought of a half-blood heir to the throne, the thought of a creature being their queen more than they wished to honor their king and get to know her. She had to tread carefully around his people, despite his reassurances that she was safe, that no one would dare harm her. The people could argue they were merely upholding their solemn vow to protect and defend him if they tried to kill her.

So she had to protect herself, she had to be on guard at all times. She had to test her food before she ate it, sniff her wine before she drank it, carry a knife when she walked anywhere alone as, since she had left the sea, the sea and its magic had left her, forcing her to give up her magic to be with her love. And if her daughter was there…there was no helping the stone cold mask that settled upon her face around others. She HAD to be on guard, she could not relax her attention for even a moment lest a human attack her or her child. It was…tiring, to do so, but she would not risk her child's life, not even on the promises of her husband. He was the king, yes, he could punish any who dared attack, make laws and edicts to protect her…but he could not physically control his people. People broke the law all the time, they suffered jailings and executions for their actions, but they still attempted the actions in the first place.

There was truly no reassurance her husband could give her, short of a deal with the Dark One, an iron clad agreement that no harm could ever befall her or her child and even then…she would not put it past the imp to have some loophole he would exploit later.

No, it feel to her to guard and protect her family and that was what she would do, whether the people thought her hard and distant, a vicious cruel creature or not. If it kept her child safe, she would do anything.

"No mummy!" Rose gasped, reaching out to pull her hand off her heart, pulling Ilayda's thoughts back to the present, "I don't think that at all!"

"Then we shall have not a problem then," she smiled at her daughter, "Our lessons shall be far different than the others. Our lessons shall be about magic."

"Siren magic?" Rose's eyes grew wide at that.

"Yes," Ilayda nodded, "Siren magic, musical enchantments, magical instruments…"

"That's wrong," Rose shook her head, "It's magical enchantments and musical instruments…"

"Not to a Siren," Ilayda cut in gently, placing her daughter's hand on her throat, "THIS is your musical instrument, this is what filters your magic, it infuses your music with magic, it is both."

"Oh."

She chuckled gently at that, "Now, how shall we begin?" she murmured rhetorically, already knowing how she would want to begin.

But Rose mistook her words for an actual question, "I know!" she beamed, wiggling till her mother set her down and ran to the other end of the music room, to a small chest, hefting the top up and rooting around in it a moment before hurrying back, "With this!" she held up an instrument.

Ilayda blinked as she saw the small wooden pipe in her daughter's hand and reached out to take it, "A...pipe."

"Uh huh," Rose nodded.

"What drew your focus to this?" she began to examine it.

Rose shrugged, "It's small, like me, and it's wood, and wood is from trees and trees are plants and so are roses, like me."

Ilayda shook her head at that, amused, before setting the pipe to the side, "Then I shall teach you the pipe as your first instrument, however," she held up a hand to quiet her daughter, "That is not your prime instrument."

"But it's my favorite."

"I do not doubt that," she agreed, reaching out to take Rose's hands in her own, "But all Sirens possess an instrument that only we can use. Our voices," she reminded her, pressing Rose's hand to her throat once more, "Our voices are the means of our magic, it is what we use to draw up the energy, it is what we used to channel it, and it is the only instrument we can carry with us wherever we go without others becoming suspicious. That will be very important Rose," she squeezed Rose's hands gently, "You must always remember that, if all else fails you, if your pipe is snapped, if your harp's strings are cut, if your fiddle's bow is broken, that you will ALWAYS have your voice. Can you do that? Can you remember this always, your voice is your most powerful weapon."

Rose frowned at that, "Weapon?"

Ilayda let out a small sigh, "Magic comes in many forms, my darling girl, and not all are accepting of those that possess it. Some…some may be fearful where others may be excited…like your cousin, Snow, I am certain she would be most excited to learn you possess magic, to show her your skills in it when you are ready."

"But other people," Rose tried to work it out, "Other people won't like it?"

"I am sorry," Ilayda murmured, not having wanted to tell her daughter about that, but it had slipped out, and…there was never a good time to discuss something like this, the younger though, the younger she was the more time she would have to understand and learn, "Some will not."

"Why?"

"I know not," she answered, "Some will fear those that use their magic for harm. Others will fear them merely for possessing it, regardless of if it is used for good or evil. There is no way to tell how a person will react. Which is why it is important to remember your voice. If ever someone tries to harm you, which I pray to the goddess Ursula shall never happen to you, you possess within you the power to stop them, to escape, just through this," she poked a gentle finger at her daughter's throat, "Many people will care not if you possess magic or not," she used her finger to lift Rose's chin to look at her, "Your father shall not, nor your cousin, your uncle and aunt, nor I. We will love you always, Rose, magic or not. I merely wish for you to be careful and to understand that if someone tries to hurt you, you are allowed to fight back."

"I don't like fighting," Rose mumbled.

"You know how you beg your father to allow you to learn to use a sword, like your cousin Snow is trying to convince her father to do the same?" she gave Rose an amused look, telling her silently that she was aware of the begging both girls were doing and had no illusions that they'd come up with the attempt together, "This is the same thing, but instead of using a sword, you use your voice. It can be used to attack as much as defend, and not just defend you but those you care about."

"Like Snow?" Rose blinked, "I can use my music to protect her? And you? And father?"

"Exactly," she nodded, "I am going to teach you how to use your voice, use your music, Rose, it will be up to you how you choose to use it after. Understood?"

Rose nodded, "I want to know how to be like you mummy. I want to be able to keep everybody safe."

Ilayda had to smile at that, at the knowledge that her daughter was aware of her efforts. Rose was a clever girl, she knew that her daughter noticed a change in her mother from where she was alone with her or her father, to when she was surrounded by others. She was thankful the girl realized it was an attempt to keep them all safe than that she didn't care at all.

That would be the worst thing, for a siren to be told she didn't care for her family at all.

"Then, shall we begin?"

Rose nodded, determined and focused.

~8~

Ethan would have laughed at how the roles had reversed from him being the one to watch their daughter with his wife sneaking up on him to him being the one walking up to her as she watched Rose. He would have laughed…had it not been for the frown upon his wife's face.

He came up to her, winding an arm around her waist to look over her shoulder at their girl. She was outside again, sitting on the ground, her back to one of the walls (and he really would have to speak to her about not soiling her gowns like that) though this time there was no mouse in sight. Instead, she was frowning, just as her mother was, though with a more scrunched face as if she were trying to work something out. And indeed she had to be, he made that exact same face when something was irritating him that he was trying to work out on his own without asking for help. Leopold often made fun of him for it, pointing out that a king could not have that expression when he was trying to help a subject or debate with his advisers. It was easier now, of course, he only had one adviser he actually listened to and spoke at length with enough to make that face, his wife. He was sure that was another strike against him in the eyes of his people. Oh he had a council, he did listen to them, but not as much, nor did he speak to them as much, as they would like, something he was sure had trickled down to the people as well.

Still, he couldn't help but look as Rose, watching her, hoping to see what was confusing her so much, perhaps some hint that would tell him why his wife looked concerned without needing to ask her. Despite being married for years now, his wife was still hesitant to discuss her emotions in such an open area as the hall they were standing in. He was certain whatever conversation was coming would be one that would best be discussed behind closed doors, but if it was truly bothering her enough that she was wearing her emotions on her face instead of the mask he knew she wore when they were somewhere others roamed, it would undoubtedly happen here regardless of desires.

Rose let out a huff and rubbed her neck, her throat, a moment before opening her mouth and singing a sort of scale, the girl wincing as she hit a higher note, her voice cracking. She let out a frustrated groan, and started to pluck at the grass around her, pouting.

"What troubles you my love?" he murmured in his wife's ear, hearing her sigh at their daughter's actions. He had been away the last week, settling a matter in the outer villages. What should have only lasted a day had taken three and a half and by the time it was resolved, it was too late to travel. But he was back now and excited to see his girls again, though he had hoped for more bright expressions than the ones they were wearing now.

"She struggles," Iladya admitted quietly, "Rose struggles with her music."

"That is normal," he waved it off, "She is young and you only just began your lessons and…"

"I taught her a basic scale," she looked at her husband, "She has been practicing it a week now, yet there is no improvement," she glanced back at Rose, frowning, "It should not be this difficult."

"It is as I always say, my love, a first lesson does not master make."

"She is half-siren, though."

"She is also half human."

"You do not understand," she turned to him.

He trailed his hands from her upper arms to her hands, squeezing them, "Then explain it to me."

She nearly smiled at that, at how patient he was with her when she was frustrated or trying to sort her emotions. She was not used to…showing them much. Sirens could tell the mood of another merely by the sounds they made, their intonations, their pitch and volume and other little nuances when they simply spoke. Humans were not quite so keen.

"It should not take this long," she expressed, "As a siren, she should be more attuned to this, more…adept. This should be as natural as breathing to her and do not say she is half human," she added quickly, seeing him open his mouth, "Even as a human it should not take her this long to master a single scale," she glanced over at their daughter, the girl now starting to play with the grass as well, the mouse from the other day examining the pieces she'd tossed away in a search for a piece she was pleased with.

"Ilayda…"

"No," she looked back at him, "I…hear trembles in her voice," she continued, "It is not as strong as it should be, both by human and siren standards. She struggles and she should not. It is truly a simple scale, the simplest, I fear for what it may mean."

Ethan frowned at that, listening intently to his wife's words, knowing that she often said more than she realized with what she held back on or what she repeated to him, not knowing or willing to voice other fears aloud, so it was left to him to interpret her fears himself. He was fairly certain he understood what was bothering her this time.

"You fear that if she continues to struggle, that she may never be able to master her magic," he spoke quietly, understanding what was frustrating and worrisome about it all. Their daughter wasn't just human or siren but both, something, as far as they knew, had never been before. There was not telling if the human in her would ever be able to control the siren magic, or how the siren magic would even develop or affect her being half human. It was complicated and there was little they knew of such a situation to know what to do or what to expect.

Ilayda let out a breath, looking down, "I fear she may never be able to control it if she cannot control her voice for a simple scale."

He nodded slowly at that, "Her magic will grow stronger as she grows older," he realized, thinking about things they had discussed when Rose had been younger, "And if it grows stronger, but her control and mastery does not grow at the same time…"

"I will not see our daughter targeted by the people for things she cannot control," she warned her husband.

And that was the crux in it, wasn't it? If Rose was struggling to learn the methods that would help her control her magic while it was still relatively weak, what would it mean when she was older and her magic was that much stronger? She barely had control of it now, and it was more that her magic was too weak to truly do any damage, she didn't have need of control of it, she didn't control it consciously, it was truly mere luck that nothing more had happened so far. But in the future, that would not hold true.

They both knew what would happen the moment Rose lost control of her magic, or if her magic and music overpowered her. And if someone else was around that couldn't defend themselves, if someone else was harmed…it would be outrage among the people. Depending on how hurt someone could be…it could be truly bad. Worse yet, if Rose proved a danger to others…he doubted his brother would take Rose in around his own daughter and risk Snow's safety despite whether or not Snow believed her cousin would not hurt her, despite Rose not wanting to harm her cousin. He knew Leopold and Eva were struggling to have a second child, Leopold would not risk his child's life…the same as HE would not risk Rose's life, not for anything, not even for magic.

He knew things were fragile among his people right now, all that kept his wife and daughter safe was that they posed no threat to the people, they had harmed no one, the people had no reason or evidence to base any attack or accusation on. But it would change in an instant the moment Rose's powers grew too strong.

"I will continue to teach her," Ilayda spoke quietly, looking back at their daughter once more, the girl seeming to examine two different pieces of grass intently, "I will…I will spend more time with her, as much as we can spare towards her practice. And…hope," she hated that word, hope was such a dangerous thing, "Hope that she shall be able to conquer this."

"Ilayda," he murmured, tugging her back as his wife began to step away from him, turning her to face him, "I do not wish to say this, I would rather you rip my tongue out than say this," Ilayda frowned at his choice of words, he only ever used such 'dark' terms when he was truly being serious about something with her, "But…" he swallowed hard, "We may need to consider…other…options."

"Other options?" she tilted her head.

"If we cannot teach her control," he began, "There must be other ways to control her magic itself, some totem to dampen it, some charm to nullify her voice, or…"

"Or?"

"Or some way to remove her magic entirely."

Ilayda tensed at that, "I would not see that happen."

"Nor would I," he squeezed her hands, "Not ever, never," he swore to her, just how much he did NOT want that last one to come to be, "We must consider all options though, as…as rulers, as parents, we cannot afford not to."

Ilayda nodded slowly, her lips pursed at the mere thought of it coming to any of those options, "Come," she tugged his hand this time, "I shall tell you all I know of my magic, of my thoughts on Rose's, and we shall look into what may help her control her magic."

He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it in reassurance, before they turned to leave down the hall, discussing exactly how Siren magic worked so they might think of all the possibilities that could help their daughter control her magic.

But, in leaving when they had, neither saw Rose select a blade of grass and place it between her thumbs, blowing through it to create a shrill whistle and beaming in utter joy when the mouse beside her started to run in circles at random, stopping only when she stopped her whistling.

Why couldn't her mother teach her to use instruments first? It was SO much easier than using her voice. She nodded to herself and got up, blinking a bit as she got dizzy for a moment, staring to walk away, yawning as she felt suddenly tired, but searching for her mother. She had to tell her that she'd done it, used her magic, all on her own! Well, with a bit of grass for help. And maybe that was it, maybe the instruments helped her, maybe her voice, because she wasn't all-Siren, wasn't as strong as it should be, but she'd been able to get the mouse to run! And if she could do that with grass, maybe other instruments would help!

Maybe she'd be able to learn the pipe now!

A/N: I AM SO EXCITED! ^-^ Lol, not really to do with this story per say but what this chapter means as a whole for my FF in general. This chapter has put me over the edge to 10 MILLION words archived! :D I squealed posting this chapter because of that :') I never thought I'd hit 1 million let alone 10 and I'm just really excited to hit that mile marker :)

Getting back to the chapter though...I wanted to sort of show that Piper's unique through her bloodline but also that the mixing of the blood/species sort of went against her at first. Sirens shouldn't be as dependent on instruments as she is, but she's not full Siren, she needs something to channel her magic instead of just her voice. She can use her voice now, if she needs to, but it's easier for her to use her pipe and it's taken her a very long time to get to a point where actually singing or using her voice is powerful. Humming a little here and there might work for a short while, with an animal or two, but it took her quite a while to be able to use her voice. The first attempt does not a master make after all ;)

Some notes on reviews...

True, he could have frozen Hook :) I think he likes tormenting Hook with how he 'fails' in certain regards, how he's not clever or cunning because he didn't see the trap and also sort of gloating, as villains do, about his plans and the fact that Hook walked right into the trap lol :)

Piper's told Gold that she ripped Hook's heart out, but not Henry ;)

We'll definitely get a chapter of the attempt to remove Piper's magic yup, I can say it'll be nearer the second half of the season where we'll see it ;) I like to think that Neal does have magic he hasn't shown yet :) I like the idea that if true love creates magic then true love children have magic :) But that might just be my sort of lingering Robin/Regina favoring there, if Roland doesn't have magic then Robin and Marian weren't really true loves. And, as they try to say that true love is rare in the show (despite like every other couple somehow having it), it would make sense and be refreshing that a sort of iconic couple was just deeply in love but not on a true love level :) It might give hope to others that you don't need true love to be simply happy and IN love sort of thing :) I plan for Emma to be reminded of Neal and how she didn't mourn him yup, but I won't say if it's in this story or next season though ;) But Emma will talk to Henry about Hook yup :) I sort of feel on the fence about Charming and his remark. He's sort of like Ethan here, as a ruler he HAS to consider that things won't always work and what he knows from all angles, not just what he wants to happen or what he hopes will happen. He's sort of trying to be the voice of reason, in his own way, because he thinks Snow is biased for Piper, despite it being that he really doesn't know much about Sirens at all ;) He might end up with some common sense, but there may be a few events coming that will backtrack him a little, but then have the point rammed home to him lol ;) I really do love the picture, it's wonderful :')

Oh there's still plenty of betrayals to come };)