"Take me to the ocean. Let me sail the open sea. To breathe the warm and salty air and dream of things to be."
~Erica Billups
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One week later...

Logan stared down at the map of Mermaid Bay, marking possible locations of the Kaiakenna. His packed bag of supplies sat at his feet. He marked a small, uninhabited island nearby as his base of operations, a place he could rest and reset. He refused to return home until he found the ship again.

"Logan Conway!" Laurel screeched, sweeping into the room. She thrust his sword into his chest and hissed, "You boarded a pirate ship unarmed?!"

"Where did you find this?!" Logan demanded, staring at the weapon in shock. It glinted in the sunlight filtering through the window.

"On my ship! Where you apparently left it before you boarded the-"

"Laurel, I had this with me!" He interjected, locking eyes with her. "I brought it with me when I commandeered the ship. It wasn't in the lifeboat with me when I woke up. Seriously, where exactly on the ship did you find this?"

Laurel cocked her head. "On the port stern next to the railing. Where you left it."

"I didn't leave this behind, Laurel. I know I had this with me when I boarded that ship," he said firmly. "Plus, don't you think you or someone else would've found it sooner if I'd left it behind?"

"I- yes," she admitted reluctantly, clasping her hands behind her back. "Well, if you didn't leave it behind, how did it get there?"

Logan shrugged, lost. "No idea. Maybe my mystery savior found it and returned it?"

"You're telling me a person dragged your unconscious body in a lifeboat all the way to Cordelia Bay over the course of three days, swam back to Mermaid Bay, found your sword, swam all the way back to Cordelia, and dropped it off on my ship unseen?"

"You got a better theory?"

"No, but yours is just as absurd as anything I could come up with." Laurel sighed and tipped her head back. "Are you sure searching for the ship is a good idea? You blacked out last time, and Cordelia needs its future king."

"Yes. Besides, I was half delirious from exhaustion when I saw it, and I wasn't expecting to see it in the first place. This time, I'm actively seeking it out. I just... I have to do this. Cordelia has you in case anything happens to me. You were meant to rule them first anyway," he said, rolling the map up and swinging his bag over his shoulder, "but you passed it on to me because you wanted to travel the seven seas without the weight of ruling a kingdom on your shoulders."

"You'll make a better king than I would a queen. I've never liked politics, and you were always so great at it," she replied, walking alongside her brother to the Royal Docks. "I'd rather face pirates than politicians. At least you know exactly what a pirate wants. Who knows with politicians. Snakes, all of them."

"That's an insult to snakes everywhere."

"Fine. Criminals. Is that better?"

"It's certainly more accurate, although I think you just called me a criminal."

"Your stupidity is criminal sometimes, but you as a person aren't. You and I are different than most other rulers."

"I appreciate the backhanded compliment," Logan said, patting his sister on the shoulder. He hopped aboard his tiny sailboat. "If I'm not back in a week, you can come look for me, okay?"

Laurel grimaced. "Can it be four days?"

"No."

"Three?"

"You're horrible at negotiating."

"Hence why I passed the scepter of leading Cordelia to you. My idea of solving a dispute is to try and run a sword through the person."

"I, personally, think that's a great way to solve a dispute. I might consider bringing the idea to the table," Logan said, grinning cheekily at her.

Laurel rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

"According to you, I'm stupid enough to do it."

"No, your stupidity only applies to personal situations." Laurel crossed her arms and added, "When it comes to your people, you take care of them."

"Aww, thanks, Laurie."

"Don't call me that," she snapped.

"Or what? You're going to impale me with your stiletto?" He glanced down at her boots, the pointed heel appearing more like a weapon than ever before. Logan scrunched up his face in distaste. "I shouldn't have said that."

Laurel grinned evilly. "Better get going before I try it out on you."

"You wouldn't do it because then you'd have to rule Cordelia."

"Get going before your mouth convinces me to do something I shouldn't." Laurel pushed the sailboat with her foot. "Be careful, would you? I don't want to have to search for you again."

"I'll definitely try," Logan promised. Saluting his sister, he took to the helm and sailed off towards Mermaid Bay. With the cool breeze caressing his skin, the seawater spraying gently on his face, and the sun warming his back, the day couldn't be more perfect for sailing, and it gave Logan hope his mission would turn out successful. He checked the map every few minutes, though, reassuring himself he stayed on the right course. There could be no room for error.

For the next few hours, Logan navigated his boat through the rocks, keeping his eyes peeled for any formation that might appear familiar and give him confirmation he was on the right track. However, he quickly realized he had paid more attention to the seabed rather than the surface topography, and Logan couldn't exactly stick his head under the water while he steered the boat. Maybe this trip was a lost cause. He'd taken a wild guess about which part of Mermaid Bay he'd ended up in and an even wilder guess about where the Kaiakenna was located. Sure, he'd used his superior deduction skills to try and pinpoint the best possible locations, but even Logan had to admit this quest was most likely a lost cause.

Finally, as the sun began to set and hues of orange and yellow painted the sky, Logan reached the island he'd chosen as a base camp. A cluster of palm trees provided excellent cover for the days when the sweltering sun refused to relent. One tree rested close enough to the shore that Logan could use it to tie up the sailboat to prevent it from drifting away. He hadn't decided whether or not he'd sleep on his boat or the island, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Logan made his first priority studying his map to choose the first location to search for the Kaiakenna shipwreck. He selected one close to the island to avoid swimming after dark. Sharks tended to patrol the waters at night, searching for prey, and an unsuspecting human would be a prime target.

Ditching his shirt and pants, slipping on his goggles and flippers, securing his dagger to his waistband, and grabbing his spear, Logan slipped into the water, gliding smoothly and soundlessly to his destination. Colorful fish watched him curiously, and a playful pod of dolphins even tagged along with him for a bit. He always enjoyed the wildlife, no matter how often he saw them. It never got old, and more than once, Logan wished he'd been born a mermaid instead of a human. He spent so much time in the water it was a wonder he hadn't developed fins and a tail.

When he reached his target destination, Logan was dismayed to find no shipwreck. He swam around the general area, praying he'd come across it, but much to his chagrin, the only thing he discovered was an underwater cave. Any other day, he would've been thrilled to explore such a find, but not this time.

Dismayed, Logan returned to the island and trudged onto shore, vowing tomorrow would be the day the Kaiakenna saw a familiar face once again. He let the remaining rays of the setting sun and warm summer breeze dry him off as he made a simple dinner of beef jerky and chips. He'd taken enough food from the palace kitchens to have small meals every day; however, Logan quickly realized that he'd have to catch a fish or two to replenish all the energy he exerted in his searches.

Deciding to deal with the problem tomorrow, Logan threw on his clothes and boarded his boat, crawling into bed and falling asleep within minutes.