This one was a long stretch, and Kris knew it. 

He hadn't really wanted to, but Tao had begged him.

"I've never seen a mermaid, before.  Besides, what if she's 'the one'?"

(What he didn't mention to Tao was that he had met a mermaid just once before, and that was something that prepared him for the occasion with dread.)

Kris had complained, but as usual, it was more bark than bite.  He let Tao point him toward the seaside, already tense for what was coming ahead. 

At least it would be a nice break in scenery, Kris supposed.

They'd been traveling nonstop for little over a month now, and they'd encountered dozens of princesses in their travels.  Some princesses were more ...complicated than the others, so meeting each one was a different trial each and every time.  And although he would have never freely admitted it, Kris was glad to have had Tao as company.  The journey would have taken twice as long without the other prince's help.  The two of them also worked surprisingly well together, matching each other's strength and covering for each other's flaws.

Kris was the decision maker, the thinker and the leader.  Tao was the sociable one, good in tight situations and a resourceful fighter.  Between the two of them, they had yet to fail.

Kris had even gotten used to the other man's chatter, no longer frowning as he did whenever the other opened his mouth.  Instead, he learned to be patient, to listen, and in return, Tao did his best to tone down his chatter and his mischief making, no longer baiting Kris as much as he had.

Kris was getting to used to the other man's presence in his life, and that was problematic in itself.

"For the last time, peasant, you will sell me your ship.  I am already offering you much more gold than your ship is worth."

The stoic young man in front of Kris hardly batted an eye at his threat, lazily leaning back in his chair as he began to pull his line in.

"Noooooooope."  The young man responded, enunciating the last syllable with a pop.

Grumbling under his breath, Kris gestured for Tao, switching places with the other man as he took over his job of leading Pearl over to the stables.

Now, he finished tying the white horse's reins to the post, pulling the door shut and sliding the wooden bar over it to keep her within the stall.  Pearl stamped her foot, uneasy at being left behind, comforted only when a warm hand slid over her muzzle.

"Don't worry Pearl, it should only take half the day - that is, if Tao can get us that boat."

The two of them turned to face the docks, watching as the man in question leaned over the fisherman still seated on the docks.  Tao was saying something to him with a smile.  The fisherman blinked a few times before grinning and nodding bashfully, setting aside his pole to hold a hand out for the prince to shake.  The fisherman said a few more words to Tao before standing up and beginning to pull at the rope which tied the boat down to the docks.  Tao turned to face Kris with a wide smile, lifting his fist in the air in triumph.

"What the hell, how did he do that?"

You've got to learn some people skills, Kris, Pearl snorted, tossing her head in a laugh.

Kris shot his horse a baleful glare.  "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

Neigh, I am but a horse, was Pearl's only response.

"...you got that sullen bastard to loan us his skiff for the entire day for free?  This is ridiculous."

"His name was Sehun, and he was quite nice, actually."

"He had some behavioral problems, if you ask me."

"Really?  He reminded me a lot of you."

"...whatever!"

The waters of Migki's Reef were an intense deep green, so clean and so clear that one could see through to the bottom where the light of the sun still touched the sand underneath.

The wind was strong, blowing sea foam against their fluttering white sail as they shot across the water.

Kris was manning the motor, one hand on the rudder as the other hand looped the rope that controlled the direction of the sail with his other hand.  Tao was standing at the head of the small skiff, giving breathless whoops of joy as the breeze whipped his hair and clothes back, laughing carelessly as water splashed against his face. 

Kris watched him silently, his mouth in a neutral expression even as his eyes betrayed the soft warmth that shone from within. 

"It's wonderful out here - I've only seen - but I've never actually been -"

Tao was gasping, leaning over the ship to trail the tips of his fingers into the water.

"Oh, Kris, it's so beautiful - I -"

Sea birds were sailing past them now and Tao became quiet, his head tracking their movements across the bright blue sky.

"I know, Tao.  I know."

How great it was to share in this experience with someone else.

Unlike it's name, the Ruined Beach was a beautiful island, an isolated paradise on its own with green plants, tall palm trees and white, hot sands.

A fitting "kingdom" for a mermaid princess.

Kris had his sword unsheathed, shield out the moment they had jumped out of the skiff and onto the sands.  Kris had to readjust his feet as they began to sink into the sand, the heavy iron armor he usually wore weighing him down into the ground.  Tao, on the other hand, was just fine, dressed as he usually was in light, flowy clothing that wouldn't restrict his movement.  Kris had to push the other prince behind him as he began to wander forward in curiosity.

"Stay behind me.  I don't like this place at all."

It had been too easy to find the Ruined Beach, and for as beautiful and peaceful as it might have seemed, there was always some catch with cases like these, and that had put Kris on his guard right away. 

A single river emptied itself into the ocean and it only made sense for them to track it upstream, slowly making their way inland as they ducked underneath naturally carved archways of old, ancient stone.

At some point in their trek across the sands, a haunting, sad melody filled their ears, growing gradually louder as they walked further in.  It echoed across the stone, making it seem as if it was both near and far.  Tao seemed enraptured with it, eyes shining bright as he looked around them for any sign of the origin of the noise.  Kris, on the other hand, kept his wits about him, keeping Tao firmly behind him with a tight grip on his hand.

Sure enough, when they made it to the middle of the island, the sand sank into a small, glistening pool of water.  Wading in the middle of the pool was a young, blonde woman sitting with their back facing them.  Just her top half remained above the water, her long hair covering parts of her back but unable to hide the fact that she was topless.  The two men came to a slow stop, knee deep in water, just ten feet from her, watching as she pale fingers through her long locks of hair. 

She was still singing softly, her voice as clear as it was enchanting.  Abruptly, though, the song ended in tears, the princess covering her hands over her face as she sobbed in sorrow.

Tao made a noise of obvious discomfort, shifting in his place behind Kris. 

"Kris... she's crying.  Let's go up to her already!"

Kris let go of Tao's hand briefly, shaking his head as he retraced their steps, reaffirming the fact that where they had originally come in was the only entrance in sight.  "Not yet.  Let's make sure we're aware of our surroundings first."

He took a brief look around, noting that this entire part of the island was closed off from the rest, stone walls pushing up from the ground to cover the area in a large, circular arena.  Distantly, he could hear movement in the water, as if there was something larger moving within the small pool.  It made Kris frown, turning back to suggest to Tao that they leave, that it just didn't feel right - but then he realized Tao was no longer behind him, instead already inches away from the mermaid, a hand extended out toward her shoulder as he looked over with concern.

"No - Tao!  Don't touch her!"

Tao whipped his head back to him, but it was already too late.  A hand firmly planted itself on the woman's shoulder, and the woman whirled around, revealing the face of a hideous, fish-like monster, face splitting in half with a roaring hiss to reveal a deep cavern-like mouth full of teeth. 

Tao gave a high-pitched shriek at the sight, falling backward into the pool of water.

Kris rushed forward, sword raised high above his head.

Kris grunted as another tentacle slammed into his shield, suction cups sticking to the iron.  It used its grip to drag him up into the air with it, shaking him around as he struggled to free himself.

Tao ran toward him with a shout of his name.  His pole slammed into the ground, bending and snapping forward to vault the man into the air.  Feet slammed into the appendage, causing it to lose its grip on the shield.  Kris landed back into the pool of water with a splash, getting up quickly and shaking off droplets of water as he did.  As Tao kept the monstrous tentacles at bay, Kris focused instead on the woman in the center controlling them all, a hissing, ugly monster with contorted features.

While she was distracted with Tao, Kris ran around to her exposed back, splashing through the water toward it with a roar.  The princess whipped around at the sound, sending a tentacle flying at him which he shoved away from him with his shield.  Another came at him, higher this time, and he knelt to the ground, raising his shield flat above his head.

"TAO!"

Hearing the sound of light feet pounding against the ground, Kris braced himself for Tao's weight as the other man jumped onto his raised shield, standing quickly and pushing upward at the same time as Tao boosted himself off his shield.  Time seemed to stop for both Kris and the mermaid princess as they watched Tao flew through the air in graceful form, pole held above his head with both arms.  The moment passed quickly, and Tao brought the pole down, thwacking the princess directly in the head, instantly knocking her out.  The mermaid collapsed back into the pool of water, tentacles shrinking back as she reverted to her human form.

Tao landed back in the water with a grunt, breathless for a second as he knelt.  A hand extended out toward him and Tao took it, gripping it tightly to raise slowly back onto his feet.  The two of them stared down at the now beautiful blonde woman who lay floating on her back in the middle of the pool, completely .

Tao gestured at the woman, still panting.  "Well?  Is she- is she the one?"

Kris looked down at her, pulling open one of her eyes briefly before standing back.

Dark brown eyes.  Hair that was more a red color than a yellow.

Kris silently shook his head, too exhausted to speak, and Tao turned away in exasperation, tossing his pole back into the water in frustration.

The journey back was quiet, at first. 

Tao was leaning over the side of the ship, kicking at the water, so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the dense fog that filled the air, enveloping the ship quickly.

It wasn't until he shivered in cold that Tao looked up to see the grey mist, pulling his legs back into the safety of the ship as he turned to Kris. 

"What's going on?  Why've we stopped?"

Kris shook his head, having stopped the motor as they floated in the water without any visibility. 

"I don't want to scrape the bottom of the boat against anything.  Don't be frightened though - it's just a passing whisp."

Tao pulled his shawl closer around him.  "A what?"

"A whisp.  It's good luck.  They say that it's the long, whispering breath of a maiden separated from her lover - blowing ships back onto course, back home to their loved ones."

Tao relaxed a little, although he still stared out with worry.  "This is... a little creepy for good luck, don't you think?"

Kris said nothing in response, too busy peering into the water.

The silence that ensued preyed on Tao's uneasy mind as the minutes passed.  He pulled out the flute Baekhyun had given him, pressing it to his lips as he blew into it nervously.

Kris looked over to see Tao playing an imitation of the same song they had heard the mermaid singing, the trembling effect of Tao's untrained breaths making the song seem eerier in the dim light of the slowly clearing fog.

The words came out automatically before he had an opportunity to stop them. 

"You're like my own little mermaid."

Tao gave him a sharp look, surprised at first before an angry flush spread across his cheeks.

"...I wish you'd stop comparing me to horrible things.  Do it again and I'll leave next time." 

Kris chuckled at Tao's empty threat, turning away as he looked back toward the dispersing fog.

"Oh really?  And where are you going to go?  Just swim off into the distance?"

A splash.

The boat was still rocking slightly as Kris whipped his head back to see the empty spot where Tao had once been sitting.  A shawl lay discarded on the bottom of the boat.  Kris rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha, very funny.  Get back on the ship before I leave without you."

Silence answered him, and Kris began to make motions at pulling the cord to start the motor. 

"I'm leaving without you!  I'm leaving!"

Still, nothing.

Kris left his post by the motor to lean over the side of the skiff where Tao had been sitting, staring down for any signs of bubbles appearing on the surface of the water.

When he saw none, Kris swore. 

Quickly pulling off his armor first and then his shirt, Kris looked around once more before diving straight into the water, appearing moments later to tread frantic circles in the water.

"TAO!  Tao, where are you?  This isn't funny!"

Kris dove down below the surface, trying to peer through bleary eyes for any sign of another presence in the water.  Still underwater, he turned back toward the boat, not noticing the presence beside him until it had already grabbed his ankle.

Kris screamed silently within the water, swimming back up and breaking the surface with a sputter only to have Tao surface next to him seconds later, laughing hysterically.

"Oh god, you should have seen the look on your face!"

Kris coughed for breath.

"What the hell Tao?!"

Tao was still laughing.  Blowing a lock of wet hair out of his face, Kris glared sullenly at Tao before an idea sprang into his mind.  Kris hooked a strong arm around the other's neck, holding him in place as he began to splash water directly into the man's face, hearing the other prince's squeals of displeasure.  Kris began to laugh, feeling Tao break out of his grip and holding arms in front of his face defensively as the other began his counterattack, sweeping waves of water at him. 

The two spent the next half hour playing in the water until they were too exhausted to go on, pulling themselves back onto the skiff only to collapse back into it in a comfortable silence, broken only by their pants of exertion. 

Tao turned to Kris with a beautiful smile that Kris couldn't help but return. 

"This isn't milk."

"Of course it isn't, idiot.  It's ale."

"Ale?  But I asked for milk."

"You're a big boy now, time to move onto alcohol.  Just take a sip."

"But, I've never..."

Tao looked down at the unappealing brown liquid in front of him with a frown.  He picked it up slowly, holding it up to his mouth as he took a small sip.

He immediately set the mug back down, a disgusted look pulling onto his face as he stuck his tongue out.

"This is disgusting!"

Kris clapped a hand down on the table as he leaned over it.  His shoulders were shaking as he began to snort in laughter, tears coming to the corners of his eyes. 

Tao grumbled at his partner's reaction, looking back down at his drink with new determination in his eyes.  This time he took a deep breath, pinching his nose before tossing the drink back.

Kris watched with a gaping mouth as Tao finished the entire drink in half a minute, slamming it back down on the table as he raised his hand and called for another.

"Tao - you shouldn't - you're going to get drunk if you -"

"I can handle myself!  I'm a grown up!"  Tao sniffed, stealing another drink off a tray as a barmaid walked by.

"Oh God,"  Kris moaned, "I can already see how -"

"- this is going to end."  Kris muttered for a second time, half carrying, half dragging a very drunk Tao up the stairs of the inn to their joint room.

A bit inebriated himself, it was a struggle enough to keep the two of them walking in a straight line until they reached their door.  Kris set Tao against the wall for a second as he pulled out the keys and threw open the door.

When he turned back to Tao, the man had slid down the wall, now sitting on the floor giggling uncontrollably.

With a long-suffering sigh, Kris bent down, this time heaving the man over his shoulder as he walked into the room, closing the door behind them with his foot.

Walking over quickly to the bed, he set Tao down gently on top of the blankets, maneuvering the sleeping beauty's uncooperative deadweight to pull the covers up and over the man.  The drunk man mumbled, snuggling back into the covers with a sigh.  Kris leaned back with a grunt, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead as he began to move away, prepared to go back downstairs to ask for a basin of water.

He was stopped, however, when a hand reached out, gripping onto his wrist tightly.

"Don't leave."

Kris paused, turning back to see Tao looking back at him with half-lidded eyes. 

"I'm just going to grab some water, I'll be right back."

There was uncertainty swirling in those cloudy brown orbs.

"Don't leave.  ...I might fall asleep if you do."

Kris frowned.  Moving back, he slowly came to sit on the bed. 

"And why are you so afraid of going to sleep?"

Tao pursed his lips in thought.

"...what if my prince never comes for me, Kris?"

Tao's fingers were still clutching Kris' wrist tightly.

"...I'm afraid."

His eyes softened.

"You'll find him soon enough, don't worry.  I'm sure he's out there somewhere -"

"- And if he's not?"

Kris didn't have an answer for that.

"I'm afraid to fall asleep, because I'm afraid I'll never wake up again."

Kris watched as Tao's eyes suddenly grew wet, and could feel his own heart thudding uncomfortably against his chest.

"Don't worry," The words came tumbling out of his mouth, "If you don't wake up - and if your prince charming doesn't come - I'll come find you, no matter where you are, and I'll sit there kissing your hand until you wake up.  Alright?  So just... go to sleep already."

Tao broke into a small smile at his words, sniffing lightly.

Kris turned his wrist over in Tao's grip in order to hold onto his hand. 

"...Would you like me to sing you a lullaby my mother used to sing to me as a child?"

Tao nodded with a smile, settling back into the bed without once letting go of the other's hand, eyes already beginning to slide shut as a low voice began to sing softly into his ear.

I know you I walked with you once upon a dream

I know you that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam

Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem

But if I know you I know what you'll do

You'll love me at once the way you did once

Upon a dream