Kazimir woke submerged in water.

For a moment, the relief was intense, to feel the warmth of water surrounding him.

Then he noticed something was wrong.

The water didn't move around him as it should.

There was no current or tide. No push or pull or shift.

And no salt.

His eyes snapped opened.

He was in fresh water, not salt water.

He sat bolt upright, staring around him. He lay against a bed of seaweed, coral surrounding him. He didn't know this place. He didn't know where he was.

He shot off the floor, looking around, trying to understand his surroundings, staring up at the sun but he couldn't see it.

Where was he?

Where was he?!

He went right. As fast as he could. If he could just see something that could help him figure out his location.

He turned over, looking back as he swam, trying to spy something above.

The force with which he collided with the wall almost knocked him out.

He let out a cry, gripping his shoulder, collapsing to the floor again, trembling before he looked around.

He blinked in confusion.

There wasn't anything there.

Nothing for him to collide wi—

His eyes widened.

Slowly, he turned around, lifted his hands and pressed them to the invisible wall, looking out beyond it.

There was a room beyond.

But... it wasn't a room like anything he would see at home.

His hands flew to his mouth and he pushed away from the wall, swimming back the way he had come, his heart in his mouth, panic raging through him.

He threw up his hands at the last second and slammed into the wall again, the force shaking his entire body, his nails scrabbling against it.

He shot upwards and collided with the same thing.

What was it?

What had his mother called it?

Glass?

Was that it?

He was surrounded by glass!

Glass could be broken.

Glass could break.

He slammed against the wall again.

And again.

And again.

Bruising his shoulder. Rattling his brain. He was going to break his arm at this rate.

But he couldn't stop! He had to get out!

He had to get out!

"Stop! Before you hurt yourself!"

The voice, muffled behind the glass, made him stop and he looked around.

Someone stood in the distance, on the other side of the glass, their features blurred until he carefully made his way over and the sight made him recoil.

It was a human.

They stood on the other side of the glass, in the water-less room beyond with its armchairs and tables and fireplace with fire lit.

Kazimir felt his throat close up.

Because it wasn't just a human.

It wasn't just any human.

It was Aeralie's human.

It was Dalton.

He stood barely a foot away from Kazimir with his arms folded. His hair was different from when Kazimir had last seen him – not that that was unusual, his hair was always changing somehow – this time it was blonde with the tips stained black. His eyes were the same though; deep, piercing blue, like the deep ocean.

Kazimir would have thought them beautiful if he hadn't resented the person who possessed them.

"I'm glad you're awake," Dalton said, "I was worried you had been knocked into a coma. Can a merman in a coma still survive below the water?"

Kazimir just looked at him. What a stupid question. All humans were so damn stupid.

Dalton raised a hand to his neck, then pointed at Kazimir.

"Is it too tight?" he asked.

Kazimir looked at him in confusion, then lifted his hand to his neck.

There was something around his throat.

His eyes widened, fingers digging into it, scratching into the skin below as he turned, staring. A chain.

There was a chain attached to a collar around his neck!

He hadn't even noticed it!

The collar was loose enough. The chain was so long it didn't stop his movements in any way... unless he left the confines of the glass.

"Can you understand me?"

Kazimir looked around, eyes wide, his fingers still dug into the collar.

Dalton tilted his head to the side.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Kazimir just stared at him. Of course he could understand him, he could even reply if he wanted, hold a full conversation, but he wasn't showing that monster this.

Dalton pursed his lips.

"I'll move you to a bigger tank at some point," he said, looking off to the left, "This is large but it's still just a fish tank, we need something more appropriate to your size."

Kazimir stared at him and a knock at the door off in the far distance made them both look around as a man walked in.

The man stared at Kazimir for a moment, then said, "Sire, one of your guests is here."

"Show them in, they can see," Dalton said.

The man stepped out and a moment later a young man, around Dalton's age, walked in, black hair swept back from honey coloured eyes.

He opened his mouth to speak to Dalton then froze when he saw Kazimir and Dalton gave his a grim smothered with such triumph Kazimir felt sick.

"Hello cousin, good journey?"

The cousin just gaped; hand on the door handle like he needed support until he found his voice.

"Well I'll be damned," he muttered.

"Language, Jazz, what if my mother heard that," Dalton said.

"Is that... is it... is it real?" the man, Jazz, asked, staring from Kazimir to Dalton and back again.

"He is," Dalton said, looking back at Kazimir, "Washed up on our shores earlier, he was found just before you docked. By the look of him when he came in, he was probably caught in the sinking ship, though... his ability to heal is somewhat astounding."

The cousin walked forwards, still staring until he stood beside Dalton.

"I told you they were real," Dalton said.

"I take back everything I ever said about you," Jazz said, squeezing his cousin's shoulder, "You're not completely insane and I don't dislike you quite as much as before."

Dalton rolled his eyes. "You're too kind," he said, his tone bland, "How is your wife fairing? After such a fright at sea she may need a while to recover."

"Oh she's fine," Jazz said, looking at him. Dalton raised an eyebrow and received a smirk. "Her nerves are not so easily rattled."

"Of course," Dalton said, disbelievingly, "After being attacked by a pirate crew in a storm. She's just fine."

Jazz gave a dramatic shrug. "I married her for a reason," he said, then looked back at Kazimir.

Kazimir looked between them. They were cousins.

That word... yes, that translated into the same thing as he and Aeralie. So they were close... well sort of, there was still a subtle tension between them even if they spoke easily to each other.

"Is Cole here?" Jazz suddenly asked.

"I don't know," Dalton said, "I suspect he'll show up soon enough."

As if on cue, there was another knock at the door and the same man walked in. Once again, he stared at Kazimir, clearly struggling to really believe he was there, then looked at Dalton.

"Cole has arrived at the castle gates, Sire," he said.

"Well what are you waiting for? Show up in," Dalton said.

"Sire," the man said, "I know the history is there... but I must press that this is not appropriate. He should be arrested, not welcomed into the castle."

Dalton and Jazz just looked at him.

"I said show him in," Dalton said, and the darkness in his voice made both Kazimir and the man back away.

The man bowed and rushed out and Jazz looked at Kazimir.

"You frightened him," he pointed out and Dalton looked around.

"I'm sure he understands me," Dalton said.

Jazz stared at him. "That changes things, if he can understand human language, doesn't that make you question the ethics of all this? Doesn't that make him more like us than in just appearance?"

Dalton didn't reply.

"He's not just some sort of fish," Jazz pressed.

"How are you finding married life?" Dalton suddenly shot back at him and Jazz blinked.

"What?"

"Marriage? How is it? You were always the romantic idiot."

"I was not."

"You were. You were the one who proclaimed proudly at thirteen that you would only marry for love."

"Shut up!" Jazz snapped, his face going red.

"Such a girl."

"Well at least it means I'm happy in my marriage. You realise they wanted me to marry Daphne, don't you?"

Dalton turned on him, eyes like fire, "What?!"

Jazz laughed back at him. "Oh now who's bothered about marriage for love."

"Why would they want someone like you to marry her?!"

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It is!"

"Ladies, ladies, no need for lovers quarrels," someone said as the door opened. The pair looked towards it and Kazimir took the moment to move back, away from the glass towards some of the towering rocks off to the left of the tank, moving back to watch from a distance.

The man who had done introductions tried to walk in first but someone caught the back of his collar and yanked him back, sweeping in ahead, the man stumbling after him, straightening his shirt, glaring.

"Captain of the Black Dragon, Cole De Val... pirate." The last word he seemed to throw in for nothing more then spite.

Captain of the Black Dragon, Cole De Val (Pirate), didn't seem to care. He didn't seem to care about much with his easy grin and flashing silver eyes that almost glowed against his dark skin.

His dark hair, highlighted with blonde, was wild, only kept out of his face because of a length of fabric tied around his head.

He was dressed completely differently to the other men, who were sporting well-cut shirts, waistcoats and trousers.

De Val wore his waistcoat open, his billowing shirt untucked, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, neck open all the way down his chest, revealing tattoos.

Kazimir knew they weren't like his tattoos however. He knew humans weren't born with them like merfolk. They were just pointless accessories, like the numerous piercings the pirate had, all the way up both ears, one through the left brow and another through the middle of his lower lip.

"Hello lads!" he cheered, his smile dazzling as he threw up a hand in a wave, "How's the land treating you?"

He was probably a few years older then Dalton and his cousin, but the easy smiles that passed between them suggested they were all the same age – and one would think the same rank.

"Where the hell have you been? It's been two years," Dalton said, he and De Val embracing each other.

"Business, Your Highness, all business," De Val shot back.

"Of course," Dalton said.

"But I got back just in time," De Val continued, grabbing Jazz and yanking him into a hug as well, "What would you have done if I didn't spot your flag and realise you were friend? I could have decided to just sink you and our poor lost friend! Imagine the treasure I bet you were carrying!"

"Yes, yes, I'm grateful you remember me," Jazz said, hugging him back while rolling his eyes, "It's only been, what?, a year?"

"So long!" De Val said, "I could forget!"

"Not childhood friends," Dalton and Jazz shot back but De Val had already lost interest in them. He pushed passed the pair and set his hands on the glass of the tank, looking around.

"What have you got in here then? Rumour is going around the city that you procured a mermaid."

"Rumours do spread fast," Dalton sighed.

"So what kind of fish is it? Some type of carp? A manatee? A shark? Don't tell me you caught blob fish."

"I did not catch a blob fish. And it's not a mermaid."

De Val sighed dramatically. "Ah, shame."

"It's a merman," Dalton corrected.

De Val's smile vanished in a second as he stared into, what he perceived, an empty tank. He blinked, a forced smile forming, and he slowly looked around.

"W-what?" he asked with a small laugh.

"It was a merman," Dalton repeated, folding his arms. "He's over there, behind the rocks."

De Val looked around. "I don't see anything."

"Well he's hiding," Dalton said, as if he were stupid, gesturing to the man who did the introductions.

The man hurried to the far side of the tank and leant down to pick up something.

Kazimir watched him as he went, a ringing sound starting.

Something moved on the floor, making him look down, and he spied the chain that was draped lax against the floor starting to drag up towards the ceiling.

His eyes widened and, seconds before he could react, the chain tightened and he was suddenly yanked upwards by the neck, his fingers scrambling to get between the collar and his throat, thrashing violently as he was wrenched into view.

De Val stepped back, mouth open, eyes wide, staring up at Kazimir.

"M... my god," he breathed.

"Dalton! Stop!" Jazz snapped, grabbing his cousin's arm. "What if you hurt him?"

"He wanted to see," Dalton said.

"No, he's right, stop," De Val said, still staring at Kazimir, "Stop, before he gets angry."

They didn't stop in time however. Kazimir's hands shot upwards, grabbing hold of the chain and, with one almighty tug, wrenched the chain back towards him.

The crank the servant was holding span so fast it almost broke the man's arms, throwing him head over feet and there was a threatening groan from the ceiling at the top of the tank as the attachment that threaded the chain into the water from outside began to creak and shake.

De Val was the first to react, running around the tank and grabbing hold of the chain before Kazimir could pull the chain so hard it tore the crank right out of the floor.

Muscles straining, he threw his weight back and heaved down on the chain.

"Calm down!" he shouted, fighting as Kazimir pulled against him, "Calm down! We're sorry! We're sorry, alright! We didn't mean to hurt you!"

Kazimir pulled harder, nearly pulling De Val off the floor until he managed to hook a foot under the crank to steady himself and pull down again.

Jazz appeared a second later, grabbing the chain to pull down as well, Dalton just after, all three heaving against Kazimir's strength.

Kazimir released them without warning and the trio crumpled in a heap on the floor, hissing and groaning.

"Note to His Highness, don't anger merfolk!" De Val snarled.

"Oh shut up," Dalton snapped back.

"Like fighting a sail in a damn storm," De Val muttered as he got to his feet, straightening his clothes and untying the cloth around his head, his wild hair going everywhere.

He looked at Kazimir who floated in the middle of the tank, watching them, white hair flaring around him, skin shimmering in the light.

"I'd think you gorgeous if you didn't look like you'd be happy to kill me!" he called, tying his hair back again.

Kazimir didn't react or reply, instead moving back to his hiding place behind the rocks.

The door opened again as the other men picked themselves up off the floor.

"Sire? Are you alright?" someone asked.

"Fine, what do you want?"

"It's the lady, Sire, she's woken up."

"Oh yes, and how is she? What could she tell you?"

"Well, that's the thing, Sire, she's obviously very confused and was probably hurt. She's struggling to walk and... well she can't talk."

"Just bloody great," Dalton muttered, "Alright, we'll look into it."

The group trailed out soon after, Jazz directing servants to help the man Kazimir had managed to knock over.

De Val was the last to leave.

From where he stood at the crank, he could see the tendrils of Kazimir's hair.

Kazimir didn't look at him again however and eventually De Val followed the others out, closing the door behind him, leaving Kazimir in silence.

As soon as he was alone, Kazimir sank to the ground, pressing his hands to his face.

Now what was he going to do?

~~~~

Next Up: Monday (Maybe, that's the day i'm travelling back to the UK)

Art by: Google Image

I know I haven't been replying to as many comments and PMs as quickly as usual, I will get to everything soon - promise - just as you can imagine, I've got a lot going on (Or I was sick, but that was a one off lol) 

I will reply to everything soon

But for noooow, I'm going to aquarium and shopping at Thunder Gate lol