It was the middle of the day. The sun was at its highest peak, shining down upon a gleeful meadow that was full of beautiful, blooming flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes. A semi-large river ran through it, cutting the tract in half.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look at me daddy!" A young vaporeon called out from her place at the middle of the light blue river. Her deep lavender eyes sparkled with joy, and her face was alight with a joyful smile. She swam around in the calm, glimmering river, looking around for her father as she did so.

The little vaporeon continued to search. Eventually, she located her father, who was sitting under the single tree that sat a good distance away from her. He smiled, and flicked his blue tailfin up and down.

"Remember," He said, "Use your tail as a rudder. It helps you to control where you go."

He chuckled as his daughter tried to do as she was told, and ended up swimming in circles. He supervised her swimming for a while, offering a little tip here and there, until he eventually grew tired and laid down to rest. He closed his eyes, resting for a while, content in the shade of the tree with the sounds of his daughter splashing in the river. He stayed that way for a long time until he heard more frequent splashes. They sounded... uncoordinated, random, panicky...

"DADDY! DADDY, HELP!" The frightened, high pitched voice of his daughter cried.

The father shot upwards to attention. "Azure!" He shouted. He scanned the river, still calm and serene, but no longer comforting. It seemed to speak of treachery, as if it would strike at any moment.

After what seemed like a lifetime, her head exploded from under the water, sending droplets flying everywhere. He could hear her gasp even from the distance he was from her, and she was very far downriver.

"Daddy help m..." She gurgled before being plunged back underwater.

The current downriver was no where near as calm as it was upriver. The water was so turbulent that it sent up froths of bubbles that gathered on several rocks that jutted out from the river. His daughters small, frail body was jostled through the water, slamming into the rocks and causing her to release what little breath she could hold. She whimpered, praying that her father would be able to save her and fearing that this would be the end of her short life.

As soon as he saw his daughter's head above the water, her father sprung into action. A blue blur, he raced along the edge of the river, sprinting forward with as much speed as he could muster. By the time he was able to reach where she was, the river was already getting close to the edge of a gigantic waterfall. He was tired from his burst of speed, and if he tried to swim to and save her, he knew they would both be sent tumbling over the edge. He didn't know what to do. He paced along the side, trying to decide what was the best course of action.

"Need a little help?" A snide voice behind him asked.

The father turned around and grimaced, hating to be caught in a moment of weakness. "Cimmerian," He growled at the shiny umbreon, "I see that you have come back from your exile."

"And I see that you have gotten yourself into quite a predicament." The dark type replied coolly, flicking his ears towards the struggling young vaporeon.

The father vaporeon sighed and said, "Lets put our petty grievances aside for now. My daughter is in trouble. Please," He flinched, hating to ask favors from this lowlife traitor, "Will you help me save her?" He turned his dark black eyes unto the umbreon's cold, hard, unfeeling red one's.

Cimmerian smiled. "Only if you promise me a favor, Cobalt."

Cobalt contemplated his situation. He knew full well how dangerous this 'favor' could be, but his daughter's life was on the line. He had no choice.

"Fine, have it your way." He snapped.

Cimmerian smirked, and jumped into the roaring river. He swam strongly towards the struggling child. Grabbing her by her head-fin, he slowly dragged her back towards the shore. Every once in a while, the umbreon would lose his bearings and be pulled under, but he always came back up. When they finally reached the shore, the shiny's black pelt was plastered to his muscular frame, but he did not show any sign of weakness or exhaustion. Nor did he shutter from the cold.

Spluttering and shivering, the little vaporeon broke free of Cimmerian's grasp, struggled towards her father, and slumped into him. She sighed with relief and passed out against his side.

Cobalt sighed with relief as well, and licked his daughter's tiny body. He picked her up by her head fin and carried her towards their castle. Once she was handed off to the maids, who shot Cimmerian shocked, scared, and angry glances, the two retired to Cobalt's meeting chamber.

"So," Cimmerian smirked, "About that favor,"

That was three years ago.

The funeral was a dismal affair. The Viceroy, the king's right-hand pokemon, read Cobalt's will out loud to all of the vaporeon gathered in the castle square. There were pokemon from all sorts of backrounds present. From the scruffy ally cats to the richest nobels. A few vaporeon even had baby eevee's with them, children not yet old enough to get their water stone.

There were rows of pews lined up in font of the casket for the royalty and hand-invited. The casket itself was on top of a small gray platform with built-in steps. The walls of the castle square were made of stone—old, old stone that had stood for generation after generation. The sun was shrouded in grey clouds that seemed to swallow the sky. Gloom descended upon the people, for Cobalt was a much beloved king.

Even though it was important, Azure was too saddened to pay much attention to the reading. She stared at her father's protective glass casket, his cold, lifeless blue form visible beneath. It would only be a matter of minutes until they opened it and let Cobalt's body liquefy into water. They would then tip the casket into the river, joining the vaporeon with its beloved waterway in death.

As the Viceroy read the final words he stopped, and gasped. Azure looked up from her reminiscing, wondering what was wrong. Whispers ran through the crowd. The Viceroy trembled, and continued in a shaky voice.

"In accordance to saving my daughter's life, I have promised Cimmerian, Tyrant King of the Umbreon Outcasts, my daughter's hand in marriage to his son's. This arrangement will solve the problem of the attacking Outcasts, and unite our kingdom's. I know will's are no place for letters to those after death, but I must explain myself. I write this in woe of what will become of my kingdom, but Cimmerian would not give me any other choice. If I had not agreed, my daughter would not be alive today. I must say to you all that it is with great sorrow that I announce the arranged marriage of Queen Azure and Prince Stygian. May the maker be with you all."

Horrified gasps went through the crowd. Many vaporeon shouted in outrage, while others gaped in disbelief. The eevees started to cry, while their mothers desperately tried to soothe them. In the midst of it all, Azure was stunned. There was no way that she could live her own life. No way that she could choose her own love. No way that she could live happily. Once the outburst calmed down, all eyes were on Azure, waiting to hear her dictation.

She couldn't take it. Azure never wanted to be the center of attention at the best of times, to have all eyes on her now was a nightmare. She whimpered, and fled. She ran and ran until she reached her room at the top of a castle spire. She then plopped down unto the bed, and cried.