A/N: Sexy little number is Fabian.

When we surfaced at the docks, two guards swarmed us immediately.

By the fact they didn't attempt to arrest us or harm us, I knew we were safe. But we were in big trouble. Somehow, I realised with a sinking feeling, Sirena had found out. There hadn't been guards stationed here before.

My transformation back to Angel was slower than Fabian's, who was already running a hand through his wet hair as I stepped, shivering, onto the platform. The guard had placed some loose tunic clothes out for him: word had gotten out, then, that Fabian could transform. He donned a simple black smock, and it only made his features stand out further. Fabian moved to give me a hand, but his guard stepped between us, arms folded. I had to be content with dressing myself, rubbing a towel into my hair and pulling a cloak over the thin material I'd been left as a jumpsuit. My wings were furled sleepily underneath the heavy wool cloak.

The guard closest to me— a heavily moustached Mer with a disgruntled curl of his lip— signalled for us to follow with a single grunt. As both guards flanked us, one in front and one behind, Fabian reached for my hand, curling my cold fingers into his.

Our footsteps on the floor were march-like, as though Fabian and I were part of Sirena's army. The corridor we were walked down was empty. Something about the emptiness reminded me of a prison cell, but that, in turn, reminded me that we were Sirena's guests, not her prisoners. We were not under her control.

So I held my head a bit higher as we approached her throne room.

The banquet table had been cleared away, and there now remained a vast space between the door and the large throne made of bronze and meticulously carved seashells. Conches became armrests, and spiral shells made wavelike patterns where they rested against the floor. Woven among the carved shells were fish, suspended in the colossal framework.

Lounging on the cushions of the throne was Sirena, her green hair coifed and her dress a deadly red. Her arms were loose, her head propped lazily against one whilst the other rested along the throne's arms with a poise only seen in painted pictures. Although she dressed as though she were at a party, her expression read war.

Behind her stood our friends: all staring at us, expressions unreadable. Arianna, our lookout, was stood closest to the Queen— placed as if under particular notice. Her green eyes were round and wide. Sirena's daughters all stood behind their mother, glittering in resplendent dresses. All aside from Niamh. I realised she was not to be found.

What could that mean?

'Welcome, son, Opal princess!' Sirena called out to us as we approached. The audience— around twenty other Mer, mingling with one another— stopped to appreciate their main entertainment.

Fabian bowed low and elaborately, a courtier's smile plastered on his face as he straightened. I hastened to copy, but mine came out only half as charming. It was hard to smile the scowl that covered my face. Sirena had chosen this moment, this setting, to speak to us.

We weren't in trouble. We were going into a battle.

'How nice of you to join us,' Sirena said, sipping a bubbling drink with a dainty hand. Her eyes never once moved from us. 'I hear you have an incredible tale to tell.'

I kept my mouth shut. If I opened it, I feared I would curse her.

Thankfully, Fabian's answer was much more diplomatic. 'We have fulfilled your requirements: Lumina has gained Mer form and the backing of your shamans. We must journey back to the Sapphire District to collect the Sapphire, hidden within my tower.'

If Sirena was angry that Fabian managed to divert attention from the situation, she did not show it. Her smile was as glittering as the dresses in the room. 'Of course, my son,' she said.

I flinched.

My son.

She knows.

Fabian's gaze had turned bitter. 'We leave the day after tomorrow.'

I didn't dare look at him to question his timing, but so soon? I doubted he was in such a hurry to return home. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his nails were biting into his palms. Anger was eating into him, and that was his reason for haste. The first time Sirena had recognised him as her son, and it was because he'd shown power.

There was something about this Mer Queen that I didn't trust.

'Will you be accompanying the princess in your form, Prince Fabian?' Sirena asked sweetly.

There were no gasps or double takes. Nothing was secret underwater, it seemed.

Fabian took my hand, much more gentle with mine than his own. 'I would follow Lumina wherever she asked.'

'How noble,' she agreed. 'You will make a great husband for a lucky woman one day.'

Sirena said the words lightly, but my internal eyebrows creased at the phrasing. Considering Fabian's suggested meaning, hers were deliberately vague. She could have added "to someone" and made things a lot clearer: not Lumina.

Not that Fabian would care what his newfound mother wanted, but there was almost a threat to the tone. We were relying on their alliance to keep us here safe until the solstice...if they gave us up to Freya...

How much choice would Fabian have if Sirena used all her leverage?

Fabian's hand clenched mine in alarm.

So, in that moment, I made a decision. Possibly, a very, very foolish one. Certainly, a very one-sided one. And more to the point, a very sudden one.

But I had to win this game. This public competition could work both ways.

I acted as best I could, and I giggled.

'Oh, Fabian, you told them already?'

The beautiful creature he was, Fabian didn't even need to look confused. He played along so smoothly I had to question if I was actually lying through my teeth. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me closer. His heat leeched into mine, and I let out an involuntary shiver. I was so cold. Why was this place never warm?

My step closer was only half for show. I laid a hand on his chest, stroking the soft muscle like a besotted lover. The act came naturally, so maybe I was. Everyone around us became a blur; Kirsten and Iggy, glancing at each other with uncertain looks. Nautia, hands on hips and pouting. Valkyrie, looking wild with excitement. Scarlett and Sakura, smiling at one another, shoulder to shoulder. I ignored them all, as if Fabian was my world.

Fabian was my world— one of many in my universe. But all the same, he was a world I cherished and would not see cowed by his mother and queen.

Staring up at him, I smiled. I smiled up at him with the confidence he had in me, and I in him. I smiled and he smiled back.

'We're engaged,' I said.

Let that one distract you and stop you from getting any manipulative ideas, was what I really said.

Whooping and cheering came from half the room, and we glanced bashfully over. Arianna was jumping on the balls of her feet, hands raised in the air. Valkyrie's mouth had fallen open in a kind of happy shock, and Iggy was wiggling his eyebrows. Even Kirsten was clapping— quietly and politely, but clapping all the same. Morwena, tucked in the corner, was smiling grimly and nodding in agreement.

Fabian smiled as though he'd asked for my hand himself. 'I couldn't help it. Mother gave us her blessing.'

Nice touch, my snap grin said.

Teamwork, his smirk said.

Sirena was looking sour. 'There's no ring,' she said.

Fabian tucked a long, stray strand of black behind my ear. 'When times are not as difficult, I will give her as many rings as she wishes. For now I was just relieved she said yes.'

He leaned down into my body and hugged me, long and deep. His sigh was a breath next to my ear.

'Of course, the wedding will be after the Solstice,' I added, 'As Fabian will be helping me get my throne back.'

And we may be dead before we even say our so-called vows.

Sirena's smile was forced as we pleaded tiredness and escaped early. There was a lot of whistling as we retreated, playing up to our role of lovers sneaking off to be together.

As soon as we were out of sight, we collapsed into one another.

'I'm sorry,' I said immediately, in a voice so low I hoped he could at least hear. 'It was the only thing I could think of to stop her selling you off to the highest bidder as her new asset.'

I had heard Sirena's glittering tones before, when an orphan might make a certain childless merchant a great investment as a son or daughter.

'Are you kidding? It was brilliant. It backfired her public meeting— now she can't be seen to be attempting to arrange a marriage for me.'

He hugged me again. Muffled against his chest, I could only say, 'I'm suspicious of her...'

He had to let go of me to hear me properly. Whispering my conspiracy theory, I told him how Sirena planned to put me on the throne by Solstice. What greater marriage prospect was that of marrying the future Queen? Why would she arrange otherwise?

Fabian considered it, chewing his lip. Then he shrugged.

'I can't pretend to understand Sirena,' he said. 'Maybe she's just controlling, and wants to choose who her son can or can't marry. Maybe you're too strong for a daughter-in-law.'

I kept my doubts. 'We need to watch her. What if she plans on betraying us on Solstice?'

'Well I'll still be there. She'd risk killing her son too?'

Yes, my brain screamed.

'I'm not having you there as insurance!'

'We'll take Niamh too. Then we're both insurance.'

'Speaking of Niamh...' I looked around. 'Did you notice she wasn't at that meeting? What could have happened?'

'If Sirena knew about us, she must know about everything— especially how Niamh helped us,' Fabian murmured. A couple of guards strolled past, doing their rounds. They gave us knowing glances, and we pretended to whisper to one another like romantic fools.

When they turned the corner, we resumed actual scheming.

'Do you think she's in trouble?' I asked.

Fabian's expression was cold. 'I'm not sure, Lu. Something tells me Sirena isn't averse to punishments.'

'We have to speak to the others,' I said, looking back in the direction of the hall. Voices were echoing from the distance, a buzz of chatter from the throne room. What was keeping everybody? I'd expected a trail of Sakura by now, at the very least.

'They'll find us,' Fabian assured me. 'Let's wait for them, and plan so that we're ready to leave tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow?' I gave him a sharp look. His eyes glinted with amusement. 'But you said...'

'And since when did you want to make things easy for Sirena?' he grinned. 'I don't trust her either. We leave tomorrow, before they can stop us.'

I stifled a yawn. 'Alright. I suggest we leave tomorrow night, so we have a full twelve hours or so before they notice we're ahead...and so I can get a full night's sleep.'

'My fiancée needs her beauty sleep,' Fabian said with a tone full of teasing. I still blushed and opened my mouth, unable to think of a retort. His laughter tinkled in my ears all the way up to our rooms, and stayed with me even after he bid me goodnight.

I woke early the next morning to heated voices outside my door. They were trying to stifle their noise, and I realised that they were speaking in rising whispers. The two girls bickered.

'You cannot go with them, Sakura! You don't have Mer form!'

'I will ask Fabian to keep an air bubble around me, so I can breathe.' Sakura's voice was low and stubborn, short when Scarlett's voice was rising.

'It's too dangerous,' Scarlett whispered furiously, her voice breaking from quiet tones to shrill and back again. 'If anything happened to Fabian, underwater or otherwise, you'd be dead.'

Sakura remained firm. 'My life is secondary to Queen Lumina's and our future King Fabian's.'

'They're not...they're not actually engaged!' Scarlett sounded desperate. 'Please don't gamble your life away!'

'I must protect her, Scar,' Sakura's voice softened, ever so slightly. 'I'm sorry. You know that I put what Lumina needs before anything.'

Scarlett sniffed. 'You put what Lumina wants before anyone.'

Sakura's voice hardened once more. 'Yes.'

Outside the door, my sister stifled a sob. I blinked, rubbing sleep from my eyes. Looking down, I realised I'd fallen asleep in my clothes from the night before, too tired to change. At first, I'd thought the voices meant I was still dreaming. But no— Sakura and Scarlett's voices, trying to stay quiet, were wholly real.

Scarlett sounded almost...jealous. Of Sakura's devotion.

I rubbed the creases on my forehead, trying to remember if I'd noticed Scarlett jealous of me before. She seemed honest...to my face. I couldn't recall a time when she had been anything but supportive. What if these were her true feelings?

I cost her everything: mother, father, Opal. I wouldn't blame her for holding a grudge.

My insides clenched painfully. Real or false sister, it seemed I could keep neither as my friend.

Scarlett said something too low to hear: the murmur sounded angry and upset.

All Sakura said was, 'Please. I cannot change who I am.'

A long pause filled the air, and I wondered whether Scarlett had left. I hung on the edge of my bed, scared to stand and stretch in case my movement alerted them to my eavesdropping. After what might have been a full minute, I heard Scarlett speak once more before stomping away. I frowned further, puzzled by her phrasing and the way she emphasised certain words.

Scarlett gave a derisive laugh. 'And I cannot change who I am.'

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A/N: Oh wow, it's been nearly two months since I updated Solstice! I am SO SORRY! I have been a very lazy author. 

Actually, I've had a bit of writer's block on this one. Mainly how to get Solstice to where I want it to go...and how to do it. Hopefully I'll be back on track with it again with some regular updates, and some VERY SCARY PLOT TWISTS COMING UP!

AAAAH, I'm so excited to make you all cry.

What did you think of the chapter? Lumina and Fabian are "engaged", and what was all that about with Scarlett...? 

lots of love

Larissa

xxxxxxxxxxxxx