All Ashore

King Ethan stood at the shores of the small cove, a familiar location to him by now, one he was sure that he would be able to find in his sleep he had come there so often. Not as often as he would have liked, it was difficult to manage sneaking out of a kingdom, especially as the king, but being king meant he knew the layout of the castle, he knew a particular hidden passage behind a tapestry in the throne room that led outside the walls of the castle itself, something he made use of frequently just to get where he was right now.

He fought valiantly against a smile threatening to form on his face as he pulled a small object from his pocket and tossed it into the water, waiting only moments before he began to see the rippling of the water in the moon's reflection, a full moon, much like the moon that had hung in the sky the first night he had come to the cove. He watched, as fascinated as he always was, to see the pale hair rising out of the water, the face that followed, the striking dark eyes of the Siren he had somehow managed to summon each and every time he so much as tossed a pebble into the waters.

"Ilayda," he breathed, the smiling winning his fight as he looked upon the woman before him.

She was a sight to behold, as youthful and beautiful as ever, not having aged a day in the year that he'd been coming to that spot to speak with her, at first to beg of her to drown him, to try and trick her into the very act, to try and tempt her and taunt her and…then…to just…talk to her as, despite her vows to keep him away from her family, to keep his threat from reaching her home, she still came to see him each time.

"A pearl?" she held up the small, shining object in her hand, examining it in the moonlight, before she looked at him, "Why throw this to me?"

He took a few steps closer to the shore, Ilayda mirroring his actions as she drew nearer, holding out the pearl to him to return, but he shook his head, holding up his hand for her to keep it, "The most beautiful of jewels from the sea," his eyes twinkled as he observed her, "For the most beautiful jewel of the sea."

Ilayda blinked at that, lowering her arm, "You speak such foolish words."

"You speak such long ones," he countered, unable to help but chuckle at that. She had a habit, he'd noticed of not shortening her words, of using a full set of them, such as saying 'do not' instead of 'don't,' it was endearing to him in a way that, he was sure, others would find less than appealing.

Ilayda was quiet a long while, observing him, watching him almost like a predator that was expecting to be attacked, yet not appearing fearful at all, "Why do you come for me?" she asked him after the silence grew too much for her, she needed sound, she needed noise, the quiet was too…uneasy in her ears, "Why do you insist on seeking me out? Summoning me?"

"I have not the power to summon you," Ethan shook his head, chuckling inwardly at how he was starting to sound like her, talking long ways instead of short, "I merely toss an object and yet you always see fit to return it to me."

"I will not have you polluting and filling my cove with rubbish," her eyes narrowed, growing defensive at the implication that she was being kind to him in returning his objects.

"Always you though?" he eyed her, "Never any of your clan?"

"I warned them away from this cove," she nearly hissed at him, "I warned them away from you, land-walker, they shall not draw near here in their lifetimes."

"Yet you stay," Ethan was smiling now.

Ilayda's brows scrunched for a moment, thrown by his reaction, by his…happiness at that fact, "I stay to keep them safe."

"Hmm…" he hummed, considering that, "No, I don't think you do."

"You know nothing of me."

"I think I know a fair bit by now," he looked at her gently, "You stay here, when you have no need to. You rise to the surface each time I toss you something in the water. You never tried to harm me after that first attempt, you don't depart after you've brought me my object, you…talk to me. You speak to me instead of attempting to drown me…"

"I have already stated the reason," she almost growled, "You pose me no challenge, no value, if you throw your life away so easily. If it is worthless to you it is worthless to me."

"I'm still alive," he held his arms out.

"I know not what you…"

"You KNOW that I don't wish for death any longer," he cut in, speaking so…easily that he could have been commenting on the weather. He looked at her, really looked at her, seeing that she wasn't disagreeing, "You know I would struggle now, you know I would fight. Yet you make no move to drown me, even though," he stepped closer, till he was as close as he could be to her, his boots feeling the lap of the waves over them, "I am within reach, even though I was closer than this many times before," he looked into her eyes, "And even now, you hesitate. Why?"

"You would not struggle," she argued, "If I were to seize you now, you would let me."

For some reason unknown to her, he smiled, "I would."

"Why?"

"Because it is YOU."

"Then it still poses no challenge to me."

"No," he shook his head, "That isn't the reason, and you know it."

Her eyes flashed dangerously, "Do not presume to understand what I know or do not."

"I will presume," he nodded, "Because I know exactly the same thing that you do."

"And what is that?"

"That I love you."

Ilayda didn't even notice the silence that fell from his words as she took a single step back towards the sea, staring at him, her mouth pursed, but her eyes wide…and he just stood there, smiling away, "You do not."

"I do."

"No, you do not."

"I DO."

"No…"

"Ilayda," he reached out, managing to catch her hand as she tried to step back once more, looking down at it as she stilled, allowing his thumb to brush over the back of her skin, it was smooth, if cold, to the touch. He smiled at that and looked back at her, "I love you, I do. I truly do. And I know, as surely as I feel it, that you do as well."

Her lips were pressed so tightly together that they nearly disappeared.

"THAT is the reason you have not tried to drown me," he continued, "That is the reason why you speak to me, why you remain here, waiting, why you rise to return these…useless trinkets to me. It is why you come here and stay every night with me."

"Not every night," was her weak reply.

"Then you notice the nights I am not here," he reached out to touch her cheek as she looked away, "Ilayda, I love you."

"Stop saying that," she glared at him.

"Never," he squeezed her hand, "Tell me," he dared her, "Tell me you do not feel the same, and I shall leave and never return."

The third round of silence that fell at his threat was answer enough.

"You can't do it, can you?" he lightly teased, knowing not to push her, "I come here, every night, because it allows me to see YOU. I throw these odds and ends into the water because I know YOU will return them and speak to me. I…I have no desire to die," he finished, "For it would mean not being able to see you, ever again, and that…that would be a worse fate than mere death."

Ilayda let out a shallow breath at that, sensing the truth in his words, seeing it in the eyes that were staring right into hers.

"And you come for the same reason," he nodded to himself, "You come, alone, without your clan, to see me. They stay away so that only you will be here for me. You…" he hesitated a moment, guessing at this, "You do not wish the others to be here for you know, if they were to come upon me, they would take me as their prey. You are protecting ME as well, and a Siren only protects those they love."

She looked away at that but didn't deny it, which was all he needed to know.

"Is it not fate," he mused idly, "That the one I meant to take my life, is the one that has given me it back?"

"It means nothing," she murmured, forcing herself to look back at him, "Nothing can come of this besides heartbreak."

"No," he stepped closer to her, more into the sea, "There is a way," he began, though his expression grew grim, "But it is too much to ask of you."

"Would not I be the better judge of that?"

His smile turned sad, "Marry me."

She blinked at that, but remained silent.

"Come with me," he elaborated, "And marry me. Be my wife, let me be your husband."

"We cannot," she shook her head, he could swear he saw a hint of tears in her eyes, "I cannot leave the sea. I cannot leave my family!"

Not even to find a family in him, she just…they were her clan!

But this man…he was right, he HAD become important to her, someone she cared for, someone she…loved. She didn't know how he'd done it. He had irritated her at first, she had been suspicious of him, had done all she could to drive him away, yet he continued to come back. At first she had thought it was the stubbornness of humans, that he had selected HER to be his executioner and would not stop till she had done the deed…but slowly, it had begun to change. He started to speak to her more, treat her as…as a sentient being, as a being at all. He talked, he debated, he argued, he shared with her his struggles and the weight of his crown. A time or two she may have offered him stone cold and blunt advice from her perspective…and he always returned with overwhelming thanks that her words had helped him settle a matter. They talked about nothing and everything, she even found herself offering information she had sworn never to tell a land-walker.

She began to trust him.

She began to respect him.

She began to care for him…

She began to love him.

And now he was offering her his love, his heart…but her clan…they had been her family for so long, to leave them was unthinkable. Nothing was more important than the bonds of family to a Siren, and she could not abandon them, not even for her heart.

"I am sorry," she whispered to him, before she let go of his hands and turned, rushing back to the sea, not daring to look back at the man and see the expression on his face as she fled from him and his offer of love.

~8~

Ilayda drifted in the sea, her mind and heart in turmoil as she tried to force all thoughts of Ethan out of her mind. She was a Siren, she was not meant for a land-walker, it should be easy to erase him from her thoughts…yet it wasn't. Sirens did not love easily. They loved their families, yes, but to find a mate, a love, of their own was difficult and took time, or so it was said. Perhaps it was because other Sirens were just as cautious to allow love into their hearts as well, to trust another Siren with their families. It wasn't like that with Ethan, her family was far from the cove, there was no way he would know where they were or be able to harm them. He had had an entire year of meeting with her, yet no harm had come to her clan nor even herself. He was a human that did not wish to harm them, but wanted to understand HER. He posed no threat to her family so long as they stayed away from the cove and they would. He was easy to trust, in a way, he had been willing to give his own life so he did not value his own family in a way that would cause him to pick them over her and her own…

But could a man that was so willing to leave his family be trusted with a new one? With one from…from her? From them?

She shook her head, he had claimed that SHE had made him different, he claimed he loved her, and if he did, if he loved her in a way where he thought they could be together, where he would fight for her…and what other love was there for a king who wished to take a Siren for his Queen?...then maybe it meant he would value THEIR family over his own, that he could be trusted with her heart or perhaps children…

Her clan though, she could not just abandon them, and all these thoughts plaguing her were doing her head in. She was sure that some of her sisters and aunts had noticed her melancholy. She was going to one of them now, her eldest aunt, the matriarch of her line and the one that had all say over when a Siren could leave the clan to being a clan of their own with their chosen mate. She wasn't planning to leave, not yet, but she needed to talk to someone and, surely her aunt had heard tell of other such pairings, a Siren and a land-walker? She had heard rumors of some mermaids doing the same, perhaps there was a legend of what would happen if a Siren were to choose a mate on land? She doubted there were any though, unlike Mermaids, Sirens were forbidden to leave the sea, the sea was what tethered them to their magic.

She drifted down, deeper into the see, moving for an underground cave that had an airpocket in it. It would be private, where others would go so that their voices didn't carry upon the waves and to others through the waters. The air was notorious for holding secrets, just as the water was notorious for holding the songs of others away from ears above it.

She had just been about to surface, having seen her aunt from below, when she realized the woman was not alone, there was another Siren with her, one of her cousins, and kept her head below, moving behind a large rock in the center of the cave to listen. Had she been outside the cave she wouldn't have been able to hear anything, but being in water so close to them, she could make out what they were saying without fear of them hearing her song. Above water songs could be heard but only if the other was above the water as well, below, the water tended to mute it. She would have swam away, would have left the two women to speak in the privacy they desired…had it not been for hearing her own name echo through the room.

"She is not herself," her cousin was saying, "She partakes in no hunts, she captures no prey…it is as though her mind has departed her."

"I see it too, child," her aunt intoned, "I have had your sister keeping eyes on her."

Ilayda's eyes widened at that.

"What she has told me, disturbs me greatly."

"What is it?" her cousin whispered.

"Ilayda has taken to visiting the cove," her aunt began, solemn…disappointed, "She speaks with a land-walker."

"Ilayda would not…she ordered us away from the cove."

"For that reason, so she might continue to meet with her land-walker," her aunt's voice grew dangerous, "She has not been the same since she has visited him. Surely you have noticed this?"

Her cousin must have nodded at that, "She…is different."

"She is too different," her aunt muttered, "Especially now. She is despondent, depressed, ill at ease…I fear for her. I fear that the land-walker has done something to addle her."

"But what? Our magic protects our minds and…"

"Our minds, yes, but not our hearts."

Her cousin gasped, "You do not believe…"

"I believe he is stealing hers, he is stealing her away from us. He means to hunt us down, to destroy us, and use Ilayda to lead him to us. He is corrupting her, tricking her, and I will not stand for my family to be used in such a way!"

"Ilayda would never let him harm us though," her cousin defended, "She loves us, we are her clan."

Her aunt was silent for a long while, and Ilayda almost dared to hope that the woman was considering her cousin's words and realizing the truth in them, that they were safe, that they would find no danger from her, that she would NOT lead to harm to her family…

"I fear she loves him as well," her aunt spoke, disgust in her words, "She loves a land-walker. She has selected him for her mate."

"How is that possible?" her cousin cried, the horror in her voice cutting Ilayda to the core.

"Your cousin has listened to their songs," her aunt spoke, "They blend. He is her true love."

Ilayda's let out a silent gasp at that confirmation. A siren could not hear their own song, they had to rely on their family, when they found a potential mate, to tell them if their songs blended in harmony or created a cacophony. They trusted their families to tell them the truth of such a serious matter as love. It was a matter dealt with with solemnity and respect and great care, for a Siren to find their mate in all the sea. Their songs had to blend for the matriarchs to allow their clan members to branch out and create a clan of their own.

To find out that hers and Ethan's actually blended, that HE was her true love despite being a land-walker…it was…

She didn't know.

She truly didn't. There was no way she would be able to continue with him. To leave the sea would be to leave her family, her clan, to never be allowed to return until her death, when her spirit would return to the sea from which she came and become part of the foam upon the waves…

If she left now, she would be cutting all ties to her family, she would be shunned, she would be cast out essentially. To leave the sea was to leave everything, even her magic behind. There would be no return, no reconciliation, her family would look upon her as though she had given them the ultimate betrayal to leave them for the land. It was one thing to find another Siren as a mate, to choose them and branch out, extend the clan and add to it, they were still around, they were still in the ocean, their children would know their family and their family the children, they were still together in a broader sense…

Land was a place no other Siren would choose to go, no place they could go without risking automatic banishment.

If she left, if she chose Ethan, she would be betraying her clan…

But her aunt's next words made the decision to do just that all too easy…

"We must ensure Ilayda is no longer tempted by this creature," her aunt declared, "I will not see my family torn apart, my niece betrayed, by a land-walker."

Ilayda froze at that, there was…there was no way her aunt could have just said that, not about her true love!

"But…if this man is the one her song blends with…" her cousin seemed hesitant.

"She will find a new song-mate," her aunt brushed it off, "The sea is vast, there must be one within our own people that can match her song than a disgusting land-walker. He will corrupt her, turn her from us, and I will not see my family torn apart because of him."

Ilayda closed her eyes, feeling her body shaking at the venom in her aunt's words. She reached up to her chest, pressing her hand against it as her heart thumped painfully in her chest.

They were going to kill Ethan.

Her family, her clan, was going to try and murder her true love.

And for what? So she wouldn't leave them? Because they thought her so weak willed or feeble minded as to fall for a trap? They thought he would destroy them, cause her to betray them…but they were doing it all on their own. They were going to kill her true love without even telling her he was her song-mate!

She gasped, hunching over as she felt the pounding in her heart grow more painful, there was a coldness setting into her, coming from her heart, her eyes flew open as she realized what was happening.

"No…" she breathed, shaking her head, but her heart wouldn't stop its painful pounding.

Her hand curled into a fist in the fabric above her heart, her other hand digging into the rock behind her as she shook, as she felt the cold seeping into every poor, every bone, every inch of her. She could feel it, her heart was hardening…

And it was hardening against her family.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the pain of it, hunching over in on herself as the pounding started to grow agonizing. A Siren's family was everything to them, and now her own was turning against her, willing to massacre her true love just to keep her in the ocean instead of celebrating that she'd found a song-mate. They were turning on her, they were planning to harm her, to take away her love…to kill him before she could even express the love she did feel to him.

Her eyes snapped open, a hardness in them, and slowly released her chest, straightening under the water as the cold settled in her very soul. She looked up, through the water, to her aunt and cousin no doubt plotting how they would get to Ethan, and felt her lip curl into a snarl at the mere sight of them.

All the love she had felt, all the compassion, all the loyalty to her clan that had been her driving force for all her life…was gone.

Replaced only with a feeling of betrayal, of disinterest, of…apathy, sheer and utter apathy for their fate.

Why should she stay there? Why stay among the ones who would betray her in such a cruel way as to murder her true love? Why care for them? Why give them any loyalty at all? Why show them any love?

They deserved NOTHING.

She should kill them for this betrayal, she should…she could feel it inside her, the very real assurance that she would, undoubtedly, do just that…if only she had the time. Everything inside her had twisted and warped, the concern and love for them now bitter hatred and anger. She would do it, she would slaughter them all, or die trying, for their plots against her love…but she couldn't. Because they WERE plotting, and time was of the essence to get back to Ethan, to tell him she had no ties to the sea, that the only love in her heart existed just for him.

She had to go now, to get there before any of her clan realized what had happened, before they could attack him themselves.

She would not let her true love be harmed, not because of her, not from her family, not from anything, ever again.

~8~

Ethan sighed as he stood at the edge of the shore to the cove, looking at the calm waters. He had tossed in a small ring with a pearl fixed into the top of it, modest, by lovely, simple. That had been hours ago and there was no ripple, no sign that Ilayda would rise and greet him. He had come back the very next night, not caring if he was spotted, just needing to get to the cove as quickly as he could…and it had been hours now. There was still nothing. He didn't know if Sirens followed human customs, he hadn't spoken or dared speak of the mating rituals of Sirens, wasn't sure if he wanted to know if she had a mate or how that worked…but he knew that the ring he'd tossed, to him, was a sign of engagement, of betrothal. He wanted her to have it, even if she didn't want him.

He could just feel it inside of him, how his heart beat for her, quite literally. He had been so ready to throw his life away that first night, and it was only because of her, because of her constant appearance, her constant refusal to allow it to happen (even after he wanted to live again), her time with him, that he had started to want to keep going, for her. She had been the thing that pulled him out of the darkness, had helped him cope, seeing her, being with her was…indescribable. He knew, without a doubt, that he loved her with all his heart and there would be no other woman in his life but her.

Let the people complain about him not producing an heir or taking a wife, let them. Leopold and Eva were already with child, let Leopold's child be heir to both kingdoms if need be.

He just wanted Ilayda, her or no other.

He nodded to himself as he looked up, as though realizing the sun was starting to rise. It appeared he'd been there much longer than he'd originally thought he was, had been staring at the water longer than a mere few hours if the night had already started to break into morning.

He had promised himself, if Ilayda did not rise this night, after he had tossed in the ring, that he would take it as a sign of her wishes to be away from him, to not see him. For her words had implied that, while he hadn't been able to come to the cove every night, SHE had. If she was not there this night, he knew it would mean she would not be there ever again. And he promised he would respect her desires, step away, allow her to live her life with her clan and not seek her out.

It hurt, it hurt so terribly to know that, when he turned his back and walked away, it would not just be the last time coming to his small sanctuary, but the last time seeing his angel of salvation as well.

He took a breath, looking at the sea, "I love you, Ilayda," he said one final time, before turning to walk away.

"And I you."

He stopped suddenly, a few paces away from the shore at the sound of Ilayda's voice, and turned to see her already risen and walking towards the edge of the shore, stopping just at the line of the water. His breath was stolen from him as he saw her, for the first time, in the daylight, in the sunlight, instead of the moon…and silently cursed himself for never staying long enough to witness such a breathtaking event. If he thought she was lovely in the pale light of the moon, it was nothing compared to her radiance in the light of the sun.

"Ilayda…" he breathed, taking a stunned step towards her, moving quickly after the first step to stop right before her, "I feared you would not come."

"I feared what would become of you if I did not," she countered, a hint of a smile on her face, "I…found a rather odd trinket on my rise," she looked down at her hand as she opened it to reveal his ring sitting on her palm, "I know not the meaning of this."

He smiled at that, reaching out to put one hand under her own, his other hesitantly touching her cheek before drifting under her chin to lift her face to look at her, "Among my people, it is a sign of a serious courtship, a contract," he began, "It is a symbol of love and intent to wed."

"To mate?" she tilted her head.

"Yes," he accepted.

"You do not just…mate?"

"We could," he smirked at her, a teasing note in his voice that had suddenly gone deeper, "But my people consider it improper to do so before being wed."

She seemed a little confused by the difference between wed and mate, but nodded, "And this," she lifted her hand, the ring between her first finger and thumb, "Is a sign of acceptance to…wed?"

"Yes," he nodded, swallowing hard, "It means that two people agree to be together, forever, and take no other as a…mate," he offered.

She nodded slowly at that, "And I wear this?"

His heart stopped, "If you accept."

She looked at the ring, before looking up at him, "I know not which…"

She didn't even get a chance to finish that she didn't know which finger to put it on before he'd snatched it and slid it onto her left ring finger, grinning at her as heh held her left hand, not about to let it go.

"You…you love me?" he shook his head at her, "Truly?"

She nodded, smiling a bit as she looked up at his eyes, eyes that were shining with love, for her, and could feel her heart harden more in her chest at how her so-called family was going to take that away from her, "I do."

He beamed at that, "I don't know what to do next," he admitted, though there as admittedly quite a lot to do after this step…namely tell his own family he was getting married…to a Siren…

"I do," she repeated, looking down at the water she was still standing in. She took a deep breath, squeezing his left hand…

And stepped out of the water, her bare feet touching the sand for the very first time.

She took another breath, feeling an odd…warmth settle in her even as she also felt as though something were unraveling around her. She couldn't feel it any longer, the sea, the pull of it, the coldness of it…she couldn't feel her family either, that warm pressure she always held in her heart though she wasn't sure if it was because her heart had hardened against them or because she was now cut from them as cut from her magic.

But she found, as she looked back at Ethan, who was gazing at her with such a wondering, devoted expression…that she felt something else, something so much better.

Love.

She gave the sea one final look, before firmly turning away, allowing him to lead her away from the waters, away from the cove, away from her clan…and towards a new life, and a new love, with him.

A/N: Aww, Poor Ilayda and her clan, but yay for Ethan! :) I sort of wanted to show what drove a full-blooded Siren to leave her entire clan and give up her magic and her home just for Ethan, partly love...partly her family turning on her first :(

Some notes on reviews...

I can say that Robin came very, very close to finding Marian, but didn't manage to do it before the curse was broken ;) Oh my god, that part disturbs me like you would not believe! It's rape and the part that bothers me is that the writers are actually defending it and not calling it what it is, from what I've seen, which is upsetting :( I can say though that, depending what they do with Season 5 (and I'm hoping they DO something about it in Season 5) that I have at least 3 twists for my 3 OCs that will take care of that little issue and, hopefully, make it a little more bearable if the show doesn't fix it first ;) I can't say if she is or isn't, but I can say that we'll find out which it might be before the end of the story ;)

I felt the Snow Queen's 'redemption' was a little forced too, she spent the entire half a season building up this insane plot...and then just stopped after a letter? :/ I can say that I plan to stay pretty true to the show with the last moments of the show ;) I have a lot planned for Piper in Season 5, a lot of the next half of the story is going to be pretty heavy for Piper to deal with, especially with Snow, so the season 4 finale twist will be very meaningful and impactful because of it in the story :)

Oh I still have something painful planned for Hook }:) And Anna's reaction to Gold being there and seeing him just focus on Piper will come up yup ;)

I'm pretty ok with Season 4, some parts felt a little rushed and it felt like WAY too much background scenes that were necessary for a good story telling were cut out because of cramming so much into half a season :/ But overall I thought it was good :) I'm more dreading Season 5 due to a few plots, not the Emma-going-dark plot (though it confuses me because if her parents sucked out all her darkness, then wouldn't the new darkness just balance her out?) but more the Robin and Zelena one :/ But I'm going to wait till Season 5 to see how it goes and try to trust the writers have something up their sleeves :)

Oh Piper will definitely be bringing up that she was NOT showing Mercy to anyone in the next chapter, she'll be making it very, very clear to everyone that, if she had the energy, they would all be dead right now instead of just put to sleep lol :) There will be a little bit of the curse playing in for what Snow said, but I agree, it's a definite balance between what she actually thinks/feels and what the curse might have made her think even worse of. Piper believes it was the curse, but the events of the next half of the season will have her questioning just how much of it was what her cousin really thinks }:) Lol, I think Hook was thinking, HE could protect Henry from the murderers on the street, and get him to his ship for safety, and afterwards Emma would think he was a hero for protecting her kid...though he would have also had to explain how he even got Henry to safety or why HE was able to fight the curse to protect someone, I don't think he quite thought that far ahead lol :) That's cool with me ;) I wish you the best on your story! :) But awww, I wish I had a cat, if only 3 out of 5 people in my family weren't allergic :( Lol, I keep threatening them that, when I move out one day, I'm going to get a cat just so they can't just pop in to visit me unannounced, because I'd have to clean and spray some freshener and put the cat in another room or something and need time...unless they want to be sneezing the entire time lol :) My brother's dog, Chip, is like that, he's a puggle and if he sees you sitting down anywhere he can jump, he'll jump up and lay right across your lap, or sit on you with his paws on your chest and make you pet him first :)