Chapter 14:
Princess of Surprises

When I was young, I was told of rules and what happens if anyone dared to break them.  I also saw how merphans would rise up against each other just because they would look better.  This circumstance is different from any other. 

I was surprised when I was told with the rest of my family to come to the judging of Princess Izidra of Levantia.  But an even more surprise came when I found out Prince Zen himself sold her away by telling her location to the mermaid council.  I mean I guess it means he was not interested in her...But to do something like that?  A crime. 

It made me almost feel bad for being jealous of her.  And he got everyone against her, making her punishment so worse too.  Even his sister, his dear sister, seemed so upset about it.  He had to take her out.  I must have been worried so much that Miza left to see where they went.  But they have been gone awhile....

A while ago, Zen told me once.. "If I brought my sister here she would love it....You remind me of my sister, I am sure if you both met the other you would get along quite well."

I wonder if it is true.  I thought she was younger, but in fact she looks similar to my meris.  She is like a purple-haired and feminine version of Zen.  But would he mind being with someone who is similar meris to his sister?

Just then I saw Miza.  Were they back?

But Zen was not near.

Not caring, I swam up to Miza.  "Miza!  There you are.  I need to talk to you about..."  I trailed off when I noticed how sudden Zen and his sister appeared behind him.  Where did they come from?  A second ago, they were not even near.  And what I was going to say to Miza, I cannot say here.  "Oh...."

"Hello to you too, Isa." Zen nodded his head.

"How rude.  Why did she just say oh?  She should of bowed down and say hello wonderful prince Mivo of Kimoshei that will bless us all!" I blinked at the girl beside him.  She was glaring.  And he said we would get along.

"Yeah, Isa.  Why are you not?  Mina is right.  Call me that.  I think it suits me." Zen grinned, "Excellent prince of Kimoshei, no wait...Ace of them all... Beloved prince of Pacific." He started laughing.  How arrogant of him.

"That is stupid sounding.  Why should I?" I muttered bitterly.  He was being way too arrogant for my liking.

"What do you mean?  Why is she not treating you in fear like everyone else?" Fear?  Was he raised to be feared?  Another tactic I do not yet understand why.

"I am also one who wears a crown, like both of you!" I tried changing the subject.  Maybe this will make her see I am just like them and we could be friends.

"How?" She stares at me blankly.  I...

Did she just ask me how?  Well my parents were blessed with me and they are the rulers of the Rivalkai country in the Atlantic.

"Uhh what?" Zen was just there, swimming and looking amused.

"How are you one?  My brother and I are the only ones." I blinked as his younger sister asked that innocently.

"Rivalkai?  You know, in the Atlantic?  You know that, right?" She seemed to not know much about the stuff around, but that was not bad.  It made her less worried about things and still filled with life and joy.

Suddenly her face glowered, and she shook her head.  "That place..." The girl's face suddenly darkened.  "The merphans there always disagree with Mivo.  How displeasing...."

She hates me and my kingdom?  Why?  Just because we disagree sometimes.  "Mivo, where is Mom?" She suddenly brought their mother up after all of this.

"Oh?  Alright, she is with the rest of our kingdom's mermaids.  Come and I will sho-"

"I can get there fine, by myself.  Stop worrying it is not like I get lost and no merphan would dare hurt me here.  You are here, so it will be fine.  Besides everyone is on the edge already and you need to take a chill."

Zen opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it.  He then sighed.  I almost felt bad for her doing that to him.

"Yeah...I suppose."  Then she left.  "Ugh...What am I going to do with her?" I was not sure if he wanted an answer.

"She hates me." I crossed my arms.  Then he blinked and started laughing.  He NEVER laughs.  Never.  And now, he has the nerve to laugh?  "What is wrong with you?" 

"Huh?  Enlighten me, I do not understand." He says with an amused tone in his voice.  He was playing dumb.

"What you did!" I threw my hands up in the air.  "First you sold princess Izidra out, then you did nothing when your sister seemed to hate me, and now... you...you are laughing!  And what is worse, you never laugh!"

I exclaim trying to explain to him, but then he tilts his head and looks at me.  He is showing what seems to be a puzzling manner.

"I...I was laughing?" I stared at him.  Is he dumb?

"Miza!" I called him over.

"Calm down, princess.  Don't be so red in your gills." I will be red in my gills if I am red in my gills.  I do what I want.

"I honestly do not see what the big deal is.  Besides, what does Izidra have anything to do with you?  You can just not worry about what happened.  She knew something about me and was eventually going to betray me.  I had to do it first." He stated as if it was obvious.

  I cannot believe him.  He does not know what he did last time I saw him?  He seriously was about to kiss me and then he...Ugh why did he do that?  But then another question came to my mind.  Was he going to cut me off too?  Am I a loose string as well?

"Zen...Am I a loose string?  Is that going to happen to me someday." I looked down nervously.  Is he going to do this to me too someday?

"What?  No!" He shouted quickly.  "I never do that to you.  You are....You.  You are different from most merphans.  Better even.  And I...would never do that to you." Every frustrated emotion I had with him dispersed.

  I blinked. His words put me at ease.  He never cut me off, but why not?  What is different between us?  She was much prettier and seemed like someone he would be attracted to and then there was me.

"Why?  I am not any different.   Besides she is much better to keep around, and if any it should have been me who was cut.  Not her."

Why was she, who was way fairer and beauty blessed with her features all over?  And there is me who is just plain as an iceling.

"She knows too much that she would betray me, you would not.  You do not think like that.  And...That is what I...That is why I care for you."  He lifts my head up and smiles.  I chose to believe him and I felt my cheeks turn slightly red.

"Oh.  Thank you...." Then it was silent, so silent it was almost awkward.  But I had to know something.  It has been bothering me since he became the meris.  "Umm....Who will you de-"

"Actually, I was thinking," He interrupted me.  "What do you say, we sneak out?  Nobody will notice."

Sneak out?

My eyes gleamed with a glimmer, but what about him?

"But two of the crowns of two different kingdoms are gone?" I questioned.  I was worried what would happen if his parents found out.

"The mermaid league just likes hosting celebrations with luxuries, refreshments, and beverages.  The only thing they notice is merphans following or breaks rules, merphans making themselves look better with a good repetition, or....Well you get the point." He laughed dryly.

Wow...  So he has been to a lot of them.

"Oh, well I like it.  Where are we going?" I jumped in circles excitedly.

"You will see." And before I had a chance to protest, he grabbed my wrist and swam out of the room.  He swam faster than ever, even leaving Miza who was watching our conversation with such glee.  That little sneaky butler.  He is probably thinking something stupid such as:

'O look at you two as cute as two peas in a pod.  If you two are sneaking off, I'll cover.  You can enjoy yourselves- kissing each other to your heart's content, but please do not become desired.'

"You swim fast." I sucked in the water making it easier to breathe.

"And you are younger.  Way to state the facts, Isa." I shook my head.  Always having such a daring remark.

"Aye-suh....Eye-zee...Zeer-ree...Why do you do that?  I mean I like that you call me something other than everyone else, but why do you call everyone by a nickname?

" I referred to the names he used.  Me, Izidra, Azurine, and his sister he called other than their name.  Everyone else I never heard him call their name at all.

"Oh?  I thought I told you I never was good with names...never liked them." He must have seen my expression because he sighed and turned his head to me. 

"Isa...I give people names, a name no one gives them that way they will remember me.  That way it will be special and they will remember it.  Besides calling one Your Highness, or crowned one gets tiring after a while.  Why not call them their name, but unique?  But... you were the only one that gave me a name back."

His reasoning fills my heart with emotion.  He smiled at me with a hidden expression in his eyes, but I could not tell what it was.  Even so, I wanted to share that expression and ask him about it.

"Zen..." I whispered.

"Say my name, chéri.  See, wonderful, eh?" He muttered as he said a word in an ancient language that I did not recognize, but it sounded beautiful.

"Zen...?  That or your-"

"A beautiful name you gave me, my sea star." I lowered my head feeling the need to blush.  He said my!  My... I repeated in my head. 

"Blushing?  Never, thought I would have the audacity to have the honor of making the princess of Rivalkai blush, Isa." I just blushed when he said he cared for me too, and he chose to comment on this.

"Hey...Stop it." I muttered slowly.

"Why?  I am having fun." He had a smile lingering on his lips and he looked cute.

I shook my head, "This?  This is not fun.  Besides with the name thing, your name is just strange, weird, long and so unpronounceable.  Why did the mermaid council choose a name like that for you?" 

"Hey, it is not strange or weird!  I like it besides the council always names the first merling of every crowned one." He frowned.

"Yeah, I know." I then looked up.  Wow.  We were in some coral or sea anemone.  It was colorful and it looked amazing.  All kinds of fish filled the area as well!  "Amazing..." I sighed.

"Knew you love it.  I found it during my prior visit to the mermaid council's headquarters.  The same one we were at today.  It it so beautiful here and I thought you would too.  I just thought of you instantly and I-"

"All I am hearing is that you love it and you keep thinking of me...." I spoke lowly.  After I said it, I realized what I said and wondered how I gained the confidence to even say that.

"I...er...I-I...mean...I..just-" He stuttered turning pink.  I laughed at his stuttering and cuteness.  Wait cute?  He is not cute, he is more than that.  Yet he refused to kiss me.  Seaweed, he said.  Pfff that had to be an excuse, right?

"That is sweet." I pressed my lips together.

"Oh?  Yeah.  Isa...I care for you.  A lot.  So please do not do anything reckless, okay?" Now I really wanted to.  Jeez what am I doing, someone trying to anger my... Zen for?

"Reckless?  Why would I do anything like that?" I laughed at him.

"You are you." Fair, he knows me well.  "Come on, we should head back." I decided we should be anything else happens.

"Think they noticed?"

"Besides my parents?  No." My eyes furrowed when I thought of his parents.

"Wait...Your arm." I suddenly went to check and looked down on his shoulder.  "How are you?"

"I am alright.  But...If you heal me more, I will not mind." His eyes gleamed at me.  He always liked it when I healed him.  I did too;  I could be close to him and have him in my arms.  I could feel his skin against my palm.

"If I did not know any better, I would say you like getting healed by me...." I trailed off lowly.  Suddenly I widen my eyes, jeez what am I saying?  Again, I said something that I would not normally say.  What is with this low-key flirting?

"Well I do not hurt as much, what do you expect?" Oh... That was not the answer I was looking for.  Come on, tease me, joke around, or something.  He is acting a little more closed off than usual.  Like he does not want to get near me or get close.

"Are you hiding something...No not hiding.  You are acting a bit distanced than usual.  Well lately since...." Since you almost kissed me.

"What!  No!  N-no.  I..." He stuttered turning red and then he sighed.  "Just come here and heal me already."

"Okay," I laughed.  And I proceeded to heal him.  He was in my arms, but he did not even try to help it either.  He laid his head back on my shoulder and pressed his chest and arm against my flesh.

"Isa.....I-"

"Shh, it will be alright.  I will heal.  And I will heal you more.  More than any healed you before." I closed my eyes as I got the magic and flowers to work.

"Isai I really...." But I shook my head.

"Hush....Calm down.  You need to calm your nerves."

"Is that so?  I am calm." I frowned as I opened my eyes, I knew better than to believe it.

"Lies.  Something is bothering you greatly.  I feel it, I know it." I closed my eyes again as I felt his pain.

"But...Wha....How?!  N-nothing is." Zen was stuttering with worry.  It will be okay, I thought.  You can trust me...

"Tell me." I begged,  "Please, you know you can tell me anything.  Come on, Zen you care for me a lot.  It would be a shame to hide things from one of your first friends." I used his own words against him.

"Care....Too much if you ask me.  And we are not friends....Really." I arched my brow.  Yes tell me, tell me what we are?  Tell me what you see me as because to me you are more than that.  We were friends at first, but not anymore.

"Really?  Then what are-"

"Thank you." He suddenly said, avoiding my question.  "My shoulder is better, I think we should head back now.  We have been gone far too long."

"Oh...Yes."

But Zen was hiding something, and by changing the subject he confirmed it.  I just needed to find out what...

~~~

"And we should just sneak in?" I whispered back.

"Yes!  It is the only way." He yelled, but in a low voice.  "And go in first, then I go...."He sighed,  "My parents are so going to kill me."

"Your amazing idea, smart one." I grinned, trying to push him around a bit.

"You are the ruthless, playful one.  Servants always say how you are messing with them." I raised my eyebrows, he is not.... wrong.

"That is because it is so boring.  I am alone practically every day and everyone is so serious!" I exclaimed, putting my fins together.

  They are always bowing and being proper.  They are always trying to please me way too much.  That is why Miza is fun to hang around with.

I am so glad he came to us, even though he dealt with some things.

"Serious is not bad." He shook his head.

"It is when no one ever lightens up.  See that is what I like about you."  Please take a hint.

"Well wish me luck." He lowered his head and right before he entered, I grabbed his other arm and tried to pull him back.

He looked at me and I grinned, "Only after me, Zen.  Remember feminines first." And I sneaked inside without anyone paying attention.

AN// I really liked rereading and editing this chapter.

This one was fun.

~~~ Side note I redid AMD's cover.
And I am thinking of doing a special thing for next Saturday..
t's not like it my birthday or anything... heh