"Tywysog ifanc,"

"Jongdae, I don't understand, what's going on?" Joonmyeon is frantic, fluttering uselessly around his cabin. Wheezing, Chen tries to explain, 

"It is my mother. She can. ..power.... talk... mind." Each word is punctuated by a deep scraping breath, until Joonmyeon gets the idea to pour more water over the suffocating merman. 

"She's telepathic?!" Joonmyeon screeches. Not only does she set carnivorous animals on her child she also posses supernatural powers? Joonmyeon is beside himself with fear, hands shaking so much he almost misses Chen and gets water all over the floor.

"I don't know. But she is close. I have to. I can't-! She can't find me!" Chen beseeches, clinging on to his sleeve even though he hates the texture.

"But you need water and if she's out there then how am I supposed to get it?" 

"Rock pools," Chen gasps. Joonmyeon nods, and grabs the empty bucket, and is out of the door before Chen can even blink. He doesn't think he's ever seen him move that fast. If only he could reach the other bucket from here. His tail is useless for picking things up with, so instead he tries to push it closer, the bottom of the bucket scraping across the ground noisily.

Joonmyeon bursts back in before he succeeds, panting. He pours more water over Chen, looking oddly pale for having just run.

"Your mother. I think she was speaking to me. But I couldn't understand her, she was speaking merfolk language, so I just ran for it. I hope she doesn't take that as an offense." His voice quivers.

"It is my fault. She is angry with me, not you." Chen wants to apologise to him, but he wouldn't know what he's saying sorry for. This is all his fault, it's his fault that Joonmyeon might be in danger, and the guilt is almost overwhelming. But he promised himself that he wouldn't give in: he wants more than anything to stay with Joonmyeon here, but had he really considered the price of that before now? He'd never really thought about whether his mother would care, let alone what she would do.

"But-" Joonmyeon starts, but he cuts himself off, unsure what to say.

The silence consumes them as they wait with impending fear over what Chen's mother may do. Chen doesn't know what lengths she might go to to get what she wants. He guesses that the reason she's here is because she wants to keep the merfolk's existance a secret, but he knows Joonmyeon would never tell on him. He trusts him with his life.

Slowly, Chen runs out of oxygen, and soon he's gasping again, shards of pain constricting his lungs. Joonmyeon has tears in his eyes, panicking over the young prince's state. Fleetingly, Chen wonders if all humans can make water well up in their eyes like that. It would be useful for merfolk who want to live above the water, he thinks.

"We don't have a choice!" Joonmyeon shouts, his voice high pitched, "I have to take you back to the sea! You're going to drown if you don't!" He runs a hand through his already messed up hair, tufts sticking out wildly in all directions, making him look crazed.

"No! My mother-" He wanted to say that his mother might hurt him, but he can't get the words out. Joonmyeon takes his inability to speak anymore as acquiescence, and darts forward to scoop him up out of the chair sliding his hand underneath his back, and a little way down his tail. Just like the time he took him to the sea when he was stranded.

Chen flails a little, not wanting to go closer to his mother lest they get hurt, or banished, or taken away- or a whole host of terrible things. But his head hurts from the lack of oxygen, and his vision is starting to darken around the edges. Opening the door with his foot, Joonmyeon jogs as fast as he can to the rock pools, careful not to drop him, or jostle him around too much. 

Even just this much closer Chen can feel the immense force his mother exerts over her surroundings. She's getting angrier and angrier, he can tell. Its a good thing these rock pools are cut off from the tide, otherwise they'd be in trouble: while Chen might've been able to navigate these rocks relatively agilely, he doubts his mother would be able to. For one thing, she's over twice his size, which is what comes with age. And she is old.

"Tywysog ifanc!" He hears his title again, the words echoing through his mind. Judging by the wide eyed look of alarm on Joonmyeon's face, he heard it too. If he can, maybe other people on the island can too. Surely that's the opposite of what she wants? 

"What is she saying?" Joonmyeon breathes, while using his hands to scoop up handfuls of water from the rock pools and pour them over Chen's back. 

"She is calling me. 'Young Prince'." Chen replies, with a sour look. He hates his title. He might as well be called tywysog ddiwerth- useless prince. He casts a quick wary glance towards the open ocean, disturbingly tranquil in appearance. She wouldn't show herself above the ocean, not to a human.

Chen knows he doesn't have much time before she does something drastic. She calls his name again, and Joonmyeon jerks stiffly, looking at Chen to see if he'll do anything about it. As far as he can see there isn't anything to do. It's either give in and go back with her or wait until she does something, probably with magic. He doesn't know exactly what her magic would allow her to do when not submerged since her powers are drawn from the water, he has no idea if she can breathe air, or manipulate the water so she can move over the surface: maybe she can turn into a human? All he knows is she possesses the strongest powers of anyone he knows.

"Why did she come for you?" Joonmyeon whispers, crouching against the rocks, flattening himself to the surface to minimalise the chance of him being seen- by what Chen has no idea, his mother isn't omniscient as far as he knows. She can't see everything all at once, just what's in front of her like anyone else,

"Because humans are dangerous," Chen replies, whispering back to appease Joonmmyeon's heart. He can tell he's scared out of his wits right now, and he doesn't blame him. But to be honest, he wouldn't have it any other way, and he knows it's selfish of him. Since he met Joonmyeon, his life has become so much more interesting. Before it was just a matter of aimlessly floating around the ocean, trying to find something to do that could hold his attention for more than a few seconds, while at the same time not getting in anyone's way. He woud never leave him, not for his mother, not for anyone. Joonmyeon is his friend.

"Tywysog ifanc, this is your last chance. I know you are there, reveal yourself." This time when her voice reverbrates in their minds, Chen can see Joonmyeon visibly shiver, though that might just be because of the temperature of the water soaking through his clothes. Trying to reassure him, Chen places his hand on Joonmyeon's forearm. He feels awfuully brave and bold for doing so, and it makes his heart pound, but the look of grateful relief on his friend's face makes the contact worth it.

Chen translates her mother's orders back to Joonmyeon, who then purses his lips, and stares pensively out to sea.

"I think we should go," Joonmyeon mumbles. Chen stares at him, aghast. He can't really mean that? 

"You are crazy? She will take me away and maybe hurt you!" Chen forgets about keeping their voices quiet, and all but yells at him. His voice can be heard for miles, he thinks, which means his mother almost certainly heard that. He's done for now.

"No. She's your mother, she's probably just worried about you. I mean, you're her child, right? That's got to mean something," Joonmyeon explains, using is knowlege of human mothers as the basis for this statement. 

"There are lots of children, Joonmyeon. I am youngest, the baby. She only wants me to keep our secret, that's all," 

"Be that as it may, I still think we should go talk to her. We might be able to come to some sort of compromise," 

"We won't." Chen states, as surely as the sun will rise.

"Please, Jongdae. Try. For me," Joonmyeon pleads. Chen doesn't want to, he really doesn't want to face his mother. But at the same time his first ever friend is asking him a favour. He tries to resist, he really does, but he can't. He can't go against Joonmyeon's wishes, not when he's looking at him like that. So he'll go. But he won't make it easy for him.

"You'll have to carry me, then. If I go into the water, she will have me." He reaches for Joonmyeon to pick him up, arms outstretched in the air like a human child. Joonmyeon smiles down at him affectionately, making a warmth bloom in Chen's chest. Not hesitating for even a second, Joonmyeon takes Chen's hands, wraps them around his neck, then hooks one arm underneath Chen's tail, and the other supports his back. Lifting him is no easy task, and he jostles him, trying to settle him so that he's comfortable to hold, and not going to slip out of his grasp.

Chen clutches at Joonmyeon's clothes, and rests his cheek on his shoulder, suddenly terribly scared, a great deal more than he was just moments ago. His mother is going to be terrifying. He doesn't know if he'll be able to handle talking to her, let alone persuade her to let him stay here. His skin, darker than it had been initially, slides against Joonmyeon's. It feels good to have him so close. Comforting.

As they draw nearer to the shoreline, Chen feels a surge of awareness, which must surely mean she's spotted them. He shivers, and cringes further into Joonmyeon's neck, knowing full well that nothing Joonmyeon can do will protect either of them from her wrath, but still feeling reassured by him. He likes how it feels this close, skin to skin.

"Tywysog ifanc, what do you think you're doing?!" Chen's mother bellows, audibly this time, in the merfolk language that Joonmyeon can't understand. Well, even though he doesn't understand the words, he's sure he can understand the rage infused in her tone. Joonmyeon's arms tighten around him, and this gives Chen the courage he needed to speak. 

"Mother, I intend to stay here," he calls out, measuring his breath, then cringes, waiting for the backlash of angry magic which, sure enough, washes over him as soon as he's finished. Joonmyeon staggers under the force, but doesn't fall, or drop him. 

"No. You will return to the palace with me," She commands. He can feel her trying to bend his will, but it's not going to happen, not now that he has something more important to stay for. He won't leave him, and he won't go back there with her. He won't. 

"I refuse. I wish to stay here, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You can try to persuade me all you like, but it will never work. This human is good, and I will stay with him." His lungs are starting to burn again, and patches of his skin are begining to prickle as they dry,

"Humans are never good. Return with me now, and don't you ever defy me again!" She orders, her voice imperious as only a queen can manage. He wonders what she looks like-this water is far too shallow to contain her upright, so she's probably lying prostate in the water. How indecent, he thinks. Using the last of his breath, he says weakly,

"This human saved my life, mother," then he inhales, the air scraping his throat as it goes down. It's not doing the job, his body has lungs, but they're small and not mean to work with air like this. Joonmyeon's hands squeeze the parts of Chen's body he's holding onto. When Chen looks up, he sees Joonmyeon looking down at him worriedly, silently asking him if he's ok. Chen doesn't answer, because the only answer he'd be able to give is 'no'.

There is a pause, wherein the only sounds either of them can hear is Chen's laboured almost-breathing and the sound of waves buffeting the nearby cliffs. Surely in reaction to the queen's emotions.

"Chen please come to the ocean. You are dying," She pleads. Chen shakes his head, and is caught completely unawares by the burst of desperation the courses through him. But he still won't give in: he's not giving up his newfound freedom so easily as that, even if his vision is starting to go dark around the edges again. Joonmyeon shifts him in his arms again, so he's easier to carry, then leans downs so that his mouth is right beside Chen's ear,

"Chen you need to go into the water," he urges, eyebrows furrowed anxiously. Chen refuses, but his tail is jerking sporadically now, like a fish on land. Which he sort of is. "Just the shore, so you can breathe, please," Chen really wants to refuse again, but there are tears in Joonmyeon's eyes again, threatening to spill over, and a look of anguish that brings on a new set of pains in his chest, different from the burning already there. This one feels more like something tearing inside him. He screws up his eyes and resigns to nod.

Joonmyeon immediately springs to action, jogging forward as fast as he possibly can without bouncing Chen around too much, and wades into the water as deep as his waist. He submerges Chen immediately, and the relief is so acute that that almost hurts too. He gulps down water, the oxygen making him woozy and alert at the same time. He resurfaces, smiling slightly at Joonmyeon, grateful.

A sudden surge of water alerts Chen to her iminent arrival, the water rapidly rising to levels that have Joonmyeon grappling to hold on to Chen so he can keep his head above the water. Joonmyeon cries out as strong waves wash over them, and looking where Joonmyeon is staring with wide fearful eyes, he sees a huge shadow in the water, drawing gradually nearer and expanding. So this is her tactic: use magic to scare the human and intimidate her son. Well, Chen will remain resolute.

"Chen!" Her voice is thunderous, and it echoes off the cliff face, making the few birds that still remain there fly away. Chen shivers, and twines his arms around Joonmyeon's torso, swimming for the both of them. The surface of the water rises in a dome shape, then she breaks through and cascades of saline water shower over them, temporarily blinding Joonmyeon, and sending them closer to the shore.

"I won't go!" He screams, visceral and defensive of what he has come to think of his home. He has to protect this, has to protect Joonmyeon and his freedom. He can't go back to the palace, not now, not after he's tasted what it's like to be free. The palace was a prison, or at least that's what it felt like. He won't go back.

The queen's head rises above the water, rivulets of ocean pouring over her virulent face like waterfalls, catching in her furrowed eyebrows and eyelashes. Her eyes glow with the power of the ocean- she is the ocean, if you think about it- and the stones inlaid into her crown shimmer with the build up of excess energy. 

"Humans are not good for our kind. Stop behaving like an infant, and return home," She doesn't even move - which is set in a snarl that shows off her dangerously sharp teeth- when she speaks, projecting her words with the use of her magic.

"When was the last time you spoke with a human, mother? You dont know anything about them!" Chen grips tighter to Joonmyeon as he screams back at her, indignant. Joonmyeon wraps his legs around his waist in an attempt to stay afloat, but it doesn't really register in Chen's mind. He's too busy tryng to excersise what little magic he has to protect him from being influenced by any spells she might send their way. She might try to make Joonmyeon go back to the shore, and then they'll be separated, possibly permanently.

"You don't even need me anyway, do you?" He shrieks, his words coming out of his mouth like blades, "You have so many sons, what does it matter that you're missing one? All I want to do is stay here, with Joonmyeon, why won't you let me do that?" 

She is immovable, staring down at him like one of the generation statues in the palace gardens, but seemingly bigger and more imposing than anything made from cultivated coral. Not even the waves jostle her, breaching on her like she's a cliff. Something is swimming inside her irises, something Chen doesn't understand but fears it might be bad for his cause.

She says nothing. Just narrows her eyes at them, staring them down. This gives Joonmyeon the chance to rearrange himself, so he's not inhaling burning breaths of saltwater, and ask Chen what's going on, in a marginally less crazed tone of voice. Not that he doesn't have the right to be wetting himself in fear: a giant angry mermaid queen just surfaced in front of him and is threatening the tiny merman prince in a language he can't understand. Chen is more than afraid too.

"What does she want from you?" He asks, almost inaudibly, quivering like he's cold even though it's a warm day. Chen turns them around so his mother can't read his lips, but so he isn't fully turning his back on her, and wonders how to explain this to the terrified human. He settles for recounting their conversation- if it can really be called that- and translating it as best he can. Every few seconds, Joonmyeon, teeth chattering, looks past his head and upwards at his mother, skin even paler than usual and fingers so cold.

Joonmyeon reaches closer, and wraps his arms around Chen, squeezing him. 

"Why won't she let you stay with me?" Joonmyeon mumbles into his neck. Chen blinks, and almost stops moving entirely out of surprise, which would be catastrophic considering Joonmyeon isn't a very good swimmer. He's never been this close to anyone in his life, and he's almost 100% sure that this shouldn't be causing him to want to smile, or feel all weird and warm inside, especially not when he's scared, but there's no stopping it. 

A sharp cry from Joonmyeon and swirling waters draw him from his musings, and he looks up at his mother, eyes still bubbling with magic and other things he doesn't understand. He agilely pulls Joonmyeon's arms around him so he's perched on his back, and wishes he were older and bigger too, then he might be able to actually stand a chance against her. If only he wasn't so useless.

The queen lowers her head, so she's no longer looking down her nose at them. Its makes Chen feel even smaller than he really is. He puffs out his chest, and furrows his eyebrows defiantly. He has to protect Joonmyeon at all costs. He's not sure when Joonmyeon and freedom become synonymous, but he's going to fight for both of them.

She opens ,

"You cannot stay here. You are merfolk. You do not belong with a human. It is illogical and merfolk cannot survive alone,"

"But I won't be alone, I'll be with Joonmyeon." He tries once again to persuade her, though he's begining to see the inevitability of his dreams being crushed. Again. But he has to keep trying. 

"Doesn't she have magic powers? Can't she magic a way for you to stay here?" Joonmyeon asks, shouting to be heard over the rush of the water swirling around them. That's a good question. He hadn't thought about it much, but when he was searching through the library to find information about humans, he did recall seeing something about magic that could transform merfolk into a human, if only temporarily. He knew that however it worked, he wouldn't have enough magic to pull it off, so he disregarded it. His mother however...

"There is a way I could become the same as him." Chen tries to explain, but the way her eyes darken suggests she doesn't like this idea, "It could make it so that I could belong here. Please mother. I don't want to go back there, I hate it there. Everyone hates me." If he were human, he thinks he would be crying.

"Chen. I know I don't show it, but you are my son. I do not hate you." 

"That means nothing to me. I never had a friend back there. Joonmyeon is the only one and I will not leave without him," 

"There is a way he could live in the palace with us." She suggests. Chen curls his lip in disgust; there's no way he'd force Joonmyeon to live a captive life at the bottom of the ocean. Not in a million years. He closes his hand over Joonmyeon's wrist, and listens to his harsh breathing next to his ear,

"No. Here is where we want to be. Neither of us will tell our secret- I will stay loyal despite how untrustworthy you seem to find me. And Joonmyeon will not either." 

Waves crash around them, violently battering the shoreline and the cliff face. Joonmyeon yelps, pressing his face into Chen's neck, and constricts his arms even tighter around him. 

"You dare to try and force your will on me?" She bellows, raising her arms and raises huge lurching walls of water, battering them around and sending them up and down and under until neither of them know which way the sky is anymore. He screams. The water is blinding, even though he's supposed to be able to see better underwater, it's a task to keep himself from choking on the whirlpool building around them, let alone keep Joonmyeon from drowning too, but with a burning throat and dizzy eyes he somehow manages.

"Please stop, mother!" He pleads, words garbled by the water in his mouth. It's no use begging. Instead, with steely determination, Chen makes it his priority to keep Joonmyeon safe, fighting and flailing against the strong currents that force him this way and that. Joonmyeon's grip loosens from his shoulders.

"Joonmyeon!" He yells desperately, grappling at his clothes, but he's slipping through his fingers-

Everything stops abruptly, the ocean receding to it's usual level, and looking calmer than Chen's ever seen it. Sunlight sparkles off the surface, making the area seem idyllic. Both of them look up at the mermaid queen.

Taking advantage of the sudden tranquility, Chen darts forward and holds Joonmyeon close, keeping him from sinking. He coughs twice, then moans, 

"Chen?" He whispers, voice hoarse, "are you ok?"

"Yeah." Chen smiles waveringly at him, leaning forward until their faces are all each of them can see.

"Is this the way you truly want to live?" Her demand makes him jump. He moves Joonmyeon behind him again and nods. The queen blinks at him, troubled.

"You have two moons. If I do not find a way to grant your wish to be human in that time, you must come back. Is that understood?" She leaves no time for contest, sinking back underneath the water surface and swimming away before what she said really sinks in. 

She's letting him stay.

She's letting him stay.

Conditionally of course, but still. She's letting him stay here. With Joonmyeon! 

He whoops, throwing his arms into the air and almost dislodging his friend in the process. He relaxes his body and allows himself to sink below the water, his hair flowing out behind him as he ducks under the surface, only remembering that Joonmyeon is still clinging to his back when he splutters and grapples at his shoulders. Chen rolls over in his arms and arranges them so Joonmyeon is sitting astride is waist as he leisurely transports him back to shore. 

"She is gone," He reassures him breathily, with a grin. "I can stay here!" 

"Really?" Joonmyeon gasps, sitting up further and almost falling off, "that's brilliant!" Chen laughs gleefully in response, then the smile slides off his face as he remembers exactly what his mother said,

"Well. She said that I can stay if she can find a way for me to be human. If she can't find a way in two months, then I have to go back." 

"Oh." Joonmyeon says. He thinks about it for a moment, not noticing when Chen slows down and stops completely. "You want to be human?" 

"If it means I get to stay with you, then yes," he replies, resolute. Even though it hadn't truly considered it before, this would be the ideal solution to all his problems. Hesitatingly, he reaches up and cups Joonmyeon's cheek, feeling the smooth damp skin in his palm. Joonmyeon smiles, and leans into the touch, sending unknown bubbles of warmth through him. 

He allows himself to be mesmerised by Joonmyeon, to revel in how he can stay with the precious creature with his black hair plastered to his head, glistening droplets hanging from the ends of spiky strands. Then he realises Joonmyeon still looks scared, eyes darting left and right and chest heaving. 

"I guess this means we have two months to ourselves," Joonmyeon muses, mussing his hair and looking out to sea. Chen admires how the light catches his eyes, and how his hair doesn't make him look stupid, the way it would on him. 

"Yeah," he beams.

"Can we head back? I think i've had enough of the ocean for one day,"

FINALLY

whew that was so hard and im sorry it took so long but i spent basically over a month staring at this and wondering why it wasnt right

comment and subscribe and whatever <3

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