Sehun sat in the castle library with piles of books surrounding him while he shuffled through each page, hoping to find answers. He brushed back his overgrown bangs from his face and heaved a tired sigh. Leaning against the wall, he shut the book in his hands and grabbed another one.

            “You’re not going to find anything,” Kai sauntered into the room carrying two mugs, “There’s nothing on mermaid’s other than legends.”

            He offered the steaming mug to Sehun and sat down beside him, picking up an overturned notebook, “She told you too?”

            “Yeah,” Sehun sipped his drink, eyeing the flickering flames that burned in the fireplace.

            “Do you think your mom knows anything?” Kai organized the books and put them to the side, stretching out his legs. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

            “I’m sure she does.”

            “You think she knows how to help her?”

            “Maybe.”

            The two princes sat in silence, taking in the day, letting their minds rest for a moment. Both thought they’d seen the end of all the drama. Kai eventually opened his eyes and saw Sehun putting away the books. He moved mechanically, picking up a book and shoving it in a random place before repeating the process. Kai tapped his fingers against the cup in his hand and thought for a moment, debating whether or not to tell Sehun that he had cancelled his marriage to Taura.

            “Sehun,” Kai let the man’s name linger in the air for a moment before he turned to see that the siren wasn’t looking at him, “I broke off the engagement if you’re wondering.”

            This had Sehun stop for a moment, “Because you found out she’s dying?”

            Kai could hear the edge in his voice, quickly trying to find the words to explain himself, “No, no of course not. I decided awhile back actually,” he looked down at his bare hands.

            “What made you change your mind?” Sehun looked down at Kai feeling a tinge of anger at the man for potentially breaking Taura’s heart or hurting her emotionally.

             “I saw how much she depended on you and I couldn’t be the one to take her away from you. Besides, she wouldn’t be happy with me.” Kai knew that this marriage was every much of a chance for him to try and move on just as much as it was for Taura. It was an opportunity for both of them to try and forget passed loved ones that neither could pass up at the time. Kai had thought about it and knew that Taura was nothing but a friend to him, someone he could lean on, and decided to spare themselves the commitment.

            “But she was happy with you, you made her smile and laugh and took her mind off of him. I couldn’t even do that. ” Sehun tried to hide the hurt that struck him with a quiet laugh but it still came out sounding forced and uncomfortable.

            Kai stood up and came up behind Sehun to give him a pat on the back, “Hey, give yourself more credit. You’ve helped her through a lot and have stayed with her through thick and thin. Heck you saved her life! Look, Sehun, you’ve done more than enough for her and if she still fails to see that then…”

            Kai trailed off, not having the nerve to finish his own sentence.

            “Then what?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Morning came and the king called for a meeting just to talk with the other pertaining to some things. Kai was already there along with his father, Talya and Seungyeon. She was the only one to look up from the discussion to acknowledge Sehun’s arrival. He shuffled through the door, ruffling his hair he didn’t have time to fix. Seungyeon’s lips spread in a meek smile while her eyes gave off sympathy that constricted the male’s throat leaving him to only nod his head as an answer to her quiet greeting. He sat down beside his mother when the rest of the group decided to redirect their conversation.

            “Taura,” Kai’s father put the name out there like it was the only thing that needed to be said. All heads bent down to the table and hands shuffled as if the mermaid was a subject they all wished to avoid.

            “I’ve talked with Haemon and her people are wondering about her whereabouts. He said a lot of them have presumed her to be dead.” Talya shook her head at the thought.

            “And her condition?” The King asked.

          “She doesn’t look to be getting any better, but I have people trying to come up with some sort of aid for her.” Talya replied. Sehun glanced up at his mother, seeing her hollow face and the dark crescents under her eyes.

            “Can she walk?”

            “Barely, the mo