A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Limbs sore, (f/n) felt smooth and cold stone beneath her. Her body shivered from the ice-like rock, but there was nothing to alleviate it. (F/n)'s hands grasped for something, and her mind played the trick on her that Tarhuinn was nearby. When still nothing met her fingers, she opened her eyes. Groaning from the aching of her body, she steadily pushed herself into a sitting position while she regained her vision.

She turned away from the stone wall in front of her and shifted to look the other way. To her fright, she was met with several pairs of eyes. Merfolk watched her, and some whispered some things betwixt themselves. Frankly, she doubted that their words were in her favor, but she was still alive so that was a positive. Where was Tarhuinn, though? Had they killed him?

Panic beginning to bubble up, she scanned the space. There was only the small stone area that she was on and the surrounding merfolk-filled water. Her stomach was starting to feel sick. What if they really had ended his life? She would never get to enjoy his warm embrace again or the teasing that they had with each other. It was as though a void was slowly creating itself within her heart and mind. Was this how he had felt when she left for the cabin? If so, she was gradually beginning to understand why he had wished for her to come back so badly.

Meeting the gaze of a mermaid, she managed to ask without stuttering, "Where's my husband?" The mermaid in response looked to another one. They spoke a few quiet words, but this only increased her distress. "Please, tell me ..." She nearly couldn't form the next question. "I-is ... he d-dead?"

Before the mermaid that she had previously made eye contact with could answer, the one next to her took her place. "He's near to dying, but we're keeping him alive for now. His fate will be decided soon as will yours. Hopefully, we'll be able to take back what was stolen from us."

Despite being perplexed by the mermaid's last statement, (f/n) was relieved to hear that her husband was breathing still. There was a chance for them both after all. Unfortunately, the odds were stacked against them. If Tarhuinn wasn't fighting or even calling out to her, he was most likely in a less than satisfactory position. For all she knew, the merfolk could be torturing him, and his cries were merely muted by the water.

Those thoughts made her inner torment all the worse. She needed to find a way to him, but she wasn't near the swimming capabilities of the creatures before her. Her eyes looked over the room once more. (F/n) kept doing so to find a way out if there was one. It didn't help that the merfolk were growing more accustomed to whispering among her.

All of them seemed to have some opinion about her fate. Some desired to eat her, stating that she would be a feast. Others simply wanted to drown her and toss her body into the snow. There were a few that wished to keep her as a pet of sorts. In general, the remarks were only increasing her want for escape. These creatures would most likely not let Tarhuinn or her out without a few scratches. Their injuries would most likely be worse than that, though.

A conversation between two of the merfolk caught her attention. She didn't try to pinpoint them among the crowd; she needed to keep her gaze on the more important matter at hand. The only issue was that one of them was progressively growing more ill with regards to their words.

"I think that we should at least let her see her husband before he dies. That would be the proper thing to do. She deserves that much. Her husband is the one that we despise, not her."

"Yes, but she still loves him. A human, not in love, wouldn't have dived into a pool of merfolk and tried to attack them. For loving that wretched kelremm, she deserves no decent treatment from us, but I do agree that she should see him before he dies. The council will probably decide for him to be tortured before he's killed. We can let her watch the whole display."

"No, that is taking things too far. That would bring more pain to her than to him. He's our focus, not her. Her seeing the end result of his treatment will be enough for her. You're acting crueler than that kelremm." A low growl emitted from the other speaker, but it was returned by the most recent one. It was most likely a warning sign to back down.

The heightening tension between them didn't go unnoticed by the other merfolk. Whisperings among others began to quiet down as heads turned towards them. Noting the newfound attention that they were receiving, they halted their wordless threats. Of the two, the one that was planning a worse fate for her stared at her and grinned.

"Don't you desire to view the methods that will kill your husband? I can guarantee you that it'll be quite a show. You'll get to see ..." Before the merman could even continue, the other merman attempted to hit the male with the shaft of a spear. This attack triggered several merfolk to hold back the one with the weapon. The other laughed it off before he returned to describing the various atrocities that would be performed upon Tarhuinn. None of the other merfolk tried to stop him.

(F/n) pushed herself to keep searching for an exit, but his descriptions were piercing her heart and mind. Each felt like they were being done to her. Nausea formed, and her arms hugged her body. She felt that she might collapse into the water and sink to the bottom, never to return. Tears threatened to escape her eyes; some were able to. It didn't only take her strength to keep looking but also to prevent herself from striking out at the merman.

Brushing her few tears away, she gave her inspection one last chance, but it resulted in a fruitless outcome. She could hear his remarks still, but her ears were growing numb to them. There were enough images in her mind already, and they were stealing her energy. (F/n) collapsed to her knees. Her head hung down. Tears arrived quicker while sobs were aching to escape past her lips.

They had gotten past the pixies and Will only to wake up in a lair of merfolk, and most were intent on killing them. Their only hope was the merman who had acted out against the one speaking presently. He seemed like he could be reasoned with. Unfortunately, he was restrained at the moment. For the moment, she could only think of one thing to ask. "C-can I go se-see hi-him? Please, I ju-just w-want t-to see hi-him," she spoke between sobs.

"Oh, so you want to witness his punishment?" the one merman chuckled out.

"I'll take her, then. You might try to torture her on the way there," stated the one who was currently being held back. The two merfolk keeping him back shared a glance before they nodded their heads and released him. They stayed at the ready in case he tried something again.

"We'll accompany you two there, but we'll have to wait outside of his room until we're given the signal that we may travel inside. The council still hasn't decided upon either of your fates," one of the two merfolk voiced. Her eyes turned to (f/n). "And, the moment that you try something, we'll bring you back here and break your legs. Do you understand?"

Giving a weak nod, she heard movement coming towards her. Almost instantly, she was pulled into the water. She let out a cry, but it fell deaf due to the water. Roughly, she was tugged up above the surface and passed over to the merman. He didn't give his name; he merely moved her to be in front of him. His left arm wrapped around her waist and pressed her to his chest. Before she could protest, they were back under the water.

Like lightning, they sped through it. It reminded her of when Tarhuinn took her to his home. He wasn't as fast as the merman, but he was near to it. Due to the quickness, she gripped the male's upper arms to hang on better. Darkness raced by them as she couldn't see anything around them anymore. The merman probably had a similar capability of vision to that of her husband.

Lack of vision was the least of her worries, though. Her lungs were beginning to demand for air. Despite their present speed, she loosened her grip on his left arm and patted it. Hopefully, he would understand the meaning behind it. Or, maybe, his behavior was all a ruse. This could be a trip to her death, and she would never get to see Tarhuinn again. If only, she could hear him call out to her again. Should be on her way to her death, she would like to at least hear his voice one last time.

As her hope depleted, the water around them became illuminated to some degree. She could barely view her surroundings, but there was some light. They broke the surface of the water. Around them was a large domed room. Torches were on the walls, and the flames flickered, but she was glad to have air once more. (F/n) took a deep breath in and exhaled. Her lungs were celebrating, though; this didn't cure her mind.

With the requirement of air no longer invading her mind, negativity seemed to soar in again. She could once again feel the tears running down her cheeks. Right now, she was incredibly vulnerable to the merman in front of her. He could kill her within a heartbeat, yet she couldn't help it. Remembering what she went through with Will only made things worse. The two other merfolk surfaced but paid her no mind. If anything, they looked annoyed at her constant crying.

Feeling something rest on top of her head, she peered up at the merman. He didn't wear a smile or have a reassuring gaze. The gesture of his hand was all. "You'll be able to see him before he dies. I know that the council will offer you that much. I'm sorry that you caught the attention of a kelremm. If you hadn't, you wouldn't be in this mess."