I stood frozen in place, like I was in a block of ice. I tried to move, strained even, but I didn't budge.

She leaned into him and laid her head on his shoulder. That's when I moved into action, I walked up to them and cleared my throat. Diaspero's eyes widened and she picked her head up she whispered something I didn't pick up. "Well if it isn't the greedy little mermaid from Carretta." She spat in my face. I looked at the prince, who just had a blank, vacant stare. Diaspero looked at Alex slyly and kissed his cheek. My jaw dropped as she did this and he didn't do anything about it, I felt a mist of tears overwhelming my eyes, tears quickly spilt over.

"It's okay, don't be a baby over it. It's only your prince charming falling deeply and unconditionally in love with a witch, no biggy." She said. I wanted to smash her face in so bad. I was trembling, I almost couldn't control myself. "And he doesn't seem to even notice you exist. Do you remember Nafia, Alex?" she asked him.

"Who? Oh no, is she coming to the wedding?" he asked looking at her.

"Oh, we can certainly invite her, but I don't know if she'll be able to make it, sweetheart."

"What a pity, you know the wedding will be the most romantic thing on earth, do you have a boyfriend you could bring if you could go?" he asked me.

"I thought I did, once, but he turned into a horrible self serving, cheating jerk." I hissed looking to the ground holding back tears.

"Oh, well that's horrible." He said. I nodded.

"Well of you don't mind, dear, we were in the middle of something," Diaspero said as she pulled Alex's collar, he smirked. I turned and ran away, onto the beach and sat in the surf. The waves rolled in lightly and onto the edge of my dress and feet. The salt felt like it was washing away the cuts on my feet, but they were still bleeding. I cried and cried, I couldn't just sit and do nothing, then it finally clicked, I had to break the spell Alex was under…!

I sat up and walked back to where they were standing; only footprints remained, bloody footprints, which belonged to me. I followed them, they led inside to the ballroom, on the stage I saw the prince and his wicked fiancé, and they stood hand in hand. "I would like to make a toast to us, that we may have a long, happy and prosperous life together." Alex said as he lifted his glass of champagne in the air. "I love her, and promise to love her forever and ever, for as long as the tides wash in. She is my pearl, my moon if I am her tide and her lover for all of time. Diaspero, I promise my love." He vowed. I felt weak, like I was going to fall over, my knees buckled and I fell to the floor, while everyone cheered. My vision went blurry and I had trouble with depth perception, the crowd roared faintly as I hit the cold unforgiving floor.

I woke up in my bed, my room, in my light. I still felt nauseous and weak, but held myself together. I opened the door and walked down the hall. I had a terrible dream last night, that I was at a ball, and Alex vowed to love Diaspero forever. I walked down the large staircase. My heart stopped when I saw Diaspero latched onto Alex's side. My blood ran cold, and everything froze, my memories were flooding back into my mind. Everything that has happened, just hit me full force.

Diaspero looked at me, smiled and waved. I held onto a pillar for support, I used it for cover, so no one would see me. I took deep shallow breaths, trying to calm down my breathing. I heard them talking to Chester about…wedding dates. "Today, Chester, soon as possible." Alex said sternly.

"Well alright sir." He said professionally. I ran back up to my room and jumped into my pillows.

"What's wrong Princess?" Al asked.

"A-a-Alex is g-g-getting marr-ried to a witch today!" I sobbed.

"Well, you are nice, and pretty, I wouldn't call you a witch." He said sarcastically.

"Not me, another princess." I cried.

"What…?" he questioned, quietly. I nodded and sat up looking in the mirror, still in my dress. I ran back down stairs, but ran into Marcus along the way and bumped right into him.

"Oh, why hello sunshine." He said brightly. I nodded and tried to get around him, but he caught my arm. "Why in such a rush, dear?" he asked slyly.

"Really have to go, I'm so sorry, Marcus." I said in my musical voice, I missed so dearly.

"Let me help you, please." He said sincerely, looking into my eyes. I nodded and dragged him along behind me. I walked down to the large room where they were, but no one was there. I searched the whole castle, and only found hustle and bustle for the wedding, but no bride or groom.

Marcus and I walked around every inch of the tower, without exchanging any words. I finally had enough and walked to the court yard; I sat down on a stone bench and leaned against Marcus.

"I'm sorry we couldn't find what you were looking for here." He whispered into my hair. I turned my head into him.

"Thank you anyway." I said. He nodded. I looked up and saw Diaspero in her wedding dress, it was pretty, there were silver beads embroidered on the silk skirt, and pearls lining the bodice.

Her hair was piled up on top of her head, fixed into and around the crown of diamonds and pearls, her dark complexion and hair didn't match it though, and threw the whole thing off, if it was me in that I would look like a flightless angel. I wouldn't accept the fact that she was stealing my one true love from me. She walked up to me and picked a rose off of the bush. "Oh, poor little water Lilly, didn't get the happy ending she wanted? So sad, isn't it Marcus?" she asked. He nodded, in confusion.

He had the same distant look as Alex had. "Stop it, you witch! Stop controlling everyone like a little puppet!" I scolded, she laughed.

"You aren't afraid of me? You little brat! You think I can't control you too?" she barked. I stood nose to nose with her and glared at her with so much ferocity,

"Go ahead and try me." I spat competitively. Her pupils dilated and she started whispering in Greek

"σύμφωνα με μάγια μου σας πρέπει να είναι, όπως λέω εσείς θα μου κλειδί" she hissed under her breath, translated to 'under my spell you shall be, as I say you shall be my key' I felt my mouth run dry and eyes go unblinking, all expression wiping clear, revealing nothing underneath my shell. In my head I heard 'Turn around, walk to the beach and sit there, do not move until sunset.' My legs moved without my consent and marched my way to the beach.

I walked to where the waves caressed the shore and sat in the tepid water. I strained to get up and run to Alex, but a weight held me to the moist sand. I tried opening my mouth, it was no use, and it felt glued shut. I could barely think, the tide was coming in, and it was almost up past my knees, I couldn't move. My heartbeats and breathes were numbered, it was soon over for me, one way or the other. I had nothing left, my family would never accept me as a human, Alex never loved me, and no one else cared enough to save me from a tragically ironic watery grave. I didn't have a shred of hope, for I would be done for as the tide rose to my neck. I wept silently alone in the slowly temperature decreasing water, I heard the soft footsteps coming from behind me.

I didn't dare look behind me. I already knew whose cold eyes were burning holes in my slender back. But all I could do was abide in the now frigid waters.

"Now, princess, is this how the great heir to the throne will act in her last moments? Retaining her dignity and honor, or what's left of it?" she said standing on the warmth of the sifting sand, I was envious.

'Speak.' The voice in my head spoke. I felt my throat loosen up.

"Maybe, I have been defeated, but I will never go down without a fight." I said bravely. I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Is that so, dear? Well how about you meet your demise a little earlier than expected." She said smugly, and the water suddenly raised a foot, covering my whole head. I breathed through my nose, but a burning pain seized my nasal cavity and I still had no oxygen. My left hand glowed gold and the water level sunk, even though I wasn't a mermaid, I still have my powers, and they are always loyal, for they come from the heart.

I gulped deep breathes of sweet air. 'Freeze,' the voice spoke sternly; I turned to stone, not moving still as a frozen ice block. But I used my power to subside her strength. I moved, slowly but surely. It was like standing in jello. I wobbled towards the shore, faster now I had broken the spell. She stood awestruck I suppressed a smirk, trying to act professional. I saw Alex walk out and study us carefully.

"Dear, Diaspero, what's the matter?" he asked with genuine concern for his treacherous fiancé. I wanted to gag at how he cared for her, was he really happy with her, would it be best for him if I were out of the picture? Did he really love her, more than me? Was it all true?

If I could break my spell could I break his? Both my hands glowed of amber and I released my power to the love of my life. He was stunned and his black hair blew back. And gold dust settled on his head and shoulders. His eyes opened and were no longer glazed with love and concern, but confusion and disgust.

"W-what's going on?" he stuttered.

"Ale-" I started but couldn't finish my voice was being sucked right out of my throat; a golden mist flew from my throat to the witch's necklace. I gasped.

"Nafia!" he yelled diving for me. I crumpled up on the ground, my feet started burning and bleeding, I couldn't hold in my silent screams. I sobbed with Alex holding onto me, he kept whispering into my ear, that everything would be alright.

I climbed up to my feet and wobbled towards the sea witch, she walked away, slowly, mocking me. My hands started to glow and glow, even brighter than before. My eyes were burning with fury. I stepped closer. I took a shot, blasting the necklace into tiny bits onto the floor. My voice was floating through the air, and back to its rightful owner.

"N-Nafia?" I looked up at him and smiled.

"Hi Alex." I said smoothly. His whole face lit up.

"Y-you can speak!" he exclaimed. I nodded, ecstatic. He looked up to Diaspero, "What have you done, you monster." He spat at her.

"Haha, I'm no monster, but she is." She said pointing at me.

"How am I a monster? I haven't taken one innocent girl's hopes, dreams and voice for her own personal gain." I hissed.

"Haha, love is a crime." She said.

"No, no it isn't, it's beautiful, I can't believe I thought I loved you, you horrible, miserable princess." He said disgusted.

I dragged myself to the water, to soak my feet, they hurt so badly. "No one cares about you, you little brat. Alex doesn't love you, your parents don't love you, even Ase doesn't love you for what you've done to him." She laughed. I glared at her.

"I've never done anything to him." I spat.

"Oh, actually, little princess, yes you have, you betrayed his love for you, and left him lying in the bubbles all alone." She cackled. It dawned on me that she was telling the truth. Tears spilled over. Alex came over and held me. I looked out to sea and saw a little brown head pop up. This rekindled that little shred of hope. It came closer and closer till Ase was sitting right in front of me.

"Hello, I'm sorry." I said through my thick tears. He smiled and said

"Don't worry I forgive you, I always will." Wiping away my fresh tears. Alex retreated, letting us talk awhile. "Maybe you should just blow off this bet with the witch and come back, be with Me." he said moving the hair from my face.

I shook my head, "I have nothing left to give her, and I love Alex." I said looking to the brackish water.

"Witch, what will you take from me to change her back." He called. I looked up appalled at what he was saying.

"Ha, you'd be willing to give me anything to change her back?" she questioned. He nodded. "Well, this is amazing. I want your fin." She said. His eyes slightly widened, and he nodded.

"Wait, what, go back where, Nafia, don't leave Me." he said seizing my hands, holding on for dear life.

"I don't want to go back, Ase don't do this to yourself, please, you mean to much to me to be unhappy." I gushed.

"Wait, what will you take to make me human?" he asked.

"Your fin," she said coldly. He nodded. She shot him with a blue light. He rose in the air and screamed,

"No, what are you doing to him!" I screamed at the witch. He dropped to the sand wearing jeans, and that's it. I scrambled over to him.

"I'll be back for you at sunset princess." She sneered the word princess. She walked and vanished into the grey liquid iron waves. I was laying over Ase, crying into his bare chest. I heard him groan and quickly lifted my head. Alex put a hand on the small of my back.

"What the hell just happened?" he questioned. I giggled and hugged him as he sat up. He hugged me back, and buried his head in my golden curls, now slightly wet from the cold water.

"Haha I can't believe this! It's going to be great." I exclaimed.

"For the rest of the day anyways." He said glaring at Alex. I turned to him and smiled.

"Oh, my god, I can't believe you can actually speak!"Alex said grabbing me into a tight hug. I smiled and laughed.

"Now we can carry on a real conversation." He said excitedly.

"You can judge yourself if you really want that." Ase muttered. I hit him in the stomach, hard. He just laughed. I stood and helped Ase up, he was like a baby horse, very wobbly. Alex grabbed my hand and kissed it. I blushed. Ase cleared his throat uncomfortably. We made our way back into the castle.

"Hey, I'm really sorry I acted that way, with Diaspero, I never really did love her, she controlled me too."

"I know, it was, I was just so torn up about it, you know. She taunted me, and you would just side with her." I said getting angry.

"Hey, hey don't worry, I know she was a witch, and evil, but you don't need to get jealous over it, I already told you I would never love anyone else, beside the girl who saved Me." he said staring off in to the distance. Something sparked in his vacant eyes, a realization. "W-was that you, the girl who saved me?" he asked, smiling. I nodded, bursting with joy. "Oh my god, why haven't you said anything, I-I love you." He said hesitantly. I looked up at him, my eyes widening and I smiled.

"I love you too." I whispered. He leaned forward and parted his lips, when a huge bolt of lightning hit the ground a few feet away from us. "Holy crap!" I screamed. The bright burst of heat left a big black charred mark in the sand.

"We better finish this inside." Alex said cautiously. I nodded hurriedly and ran back indoors. We ran in to the ballroom laughing hysterically. He pulled me into a hug and smothered his laughter in my hair.

"Alex, I need to speak to you immediately." His mother's sweet but stern voice called. He broke away from me, kissed my cheek and went. I picked up my lavender skirts and danced around by myself, humming the song I sang for Alex the time I saved him.

I was so happy I lost track of time, it had been almost an hour, as I sat alone on the floor. My skirt flooded all around me. I sat and waited a little longer; I wouldn't just sit and wait to be turned into foam. I got up and searched for my prince. I walked down a long corridor. At the end a door was slightly opened, and I heard quiet voices coming from within.

"You can't marry her; she was washed up onto the beach, no better than a sea turtle." The queen said, this made a little crack in my heart. I once liked her; she was a role model for me.

"Mother, you don't understand, I love her, and she saved me. I will marry her." Alex said determined.

"Son, if you marry her, you will be banished from this kingdom, I mean it." His father threatened.

"Father! How could you, I thought you both loved me, but now I see it's just to grow your kingdom, not about us, but power, your greedy and power hungry. That's all you are. I didn't marry Diaspero to defy you, but because I didn't love her, but someone else, Nafia." He said.

"She is clouding up what is really important to you. Son, don't you see, you don't love her, and you love what she has done for you." The king said.

"It's what's important to you, not me. And I do love what she has done for me, but I also love her caring and compassion, and beauty, and she's funny. And I will love her forever and we will be happy until the end of time, together." He said defiantly. "No, you will not, I will not allow it. If you do I will kill her. And I don't want to; believe me, but if necessary I will go to drastic measures. I will not have my son married to a wash up. So if you want her stay with a beating heart keep away from her." He said finally.

This mended that tiny crack and all the others until my heart was whole. "I don't believe this, son. I thought we raised you right." The king said ashamed.

"You didn't raise me at all, I raised myself." Alex spat. I ran down the corridor and up the marble steps, to another level and up more steps and around the corner to the very end of the hallway to my room. I ran In and out to the balcony. I hit the side with a thud and sunk down to sit on the floor. I cried and cried, I was done for, and he couldn't love me. This was all my fault, everyone's unhappiness was caused by me; if I wasn't so greedy and selfish then we all wouldn't be in this mess.

Someone knocked on the door. "Hey, what's the matter?" Alex called opening the door seeing me crumpled onto the floor. "Oh, Nafia, please don't cry darling. What's the matter?" he asked concerned.

"Just go, go away." I wept.

"Why? What's the matter?" he asked again.

"Nothing, I need to be going anyway." I said getting up and walking towards the door.

"Wait, why, where." He asked.

"Because I need to get home, my parents are probably worried sick, and my friend needs to get home, he'll get sick here. He isn't used to it." I said walking out, not bringing anything. I walked by Ase's door, banged on it, when he opened he say my teary eyes and knew something was wrong, and followed me, holding on to my hand.

"What's the matter, princess?" he asked.

"Were leaving." I said.

"Why?" Alex asked from behind. I turned,

"Because obviously your parents don't like me, and I don't want to tear you from them." I spat.

"Why? That's what you did for him, you gave up everything, and you bet your life." Ase whispered.

"Oh, you heard that? I told them I didn't care what they said; I would love you and run away with you." Alex explained, obviously not hearing Ase. I looked him in the eyes, looking for lies, but found none. A smile broke across my face.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." I said. We broke apart when I heard someone walking down the hall. I saw Elizabeth standing there.

"Hello, Nafia. May I speak with you?" She asked.

"Of course." I said and walked with her into her room. It wasn't pink, like most little girls, but soft sea foam green. The balcony door was covered in beads streaming down.

"Are you going to marry my brother?" she asked. I was a bit shocked.

"I honestly don't know, if he asks me I will." I said.

"Oh, well if he does, would that make you my mommy?" she asked innocently. I laughed.

"No, sweetie it wouldn't, why do you ask?" I asked.

"Well, my mommy doesn't love me, and I thought if you were my mommy, then maybe you would love Me." she said looking at the ground. I was shocked.

"Oh, why of course your mother loves you, she has to." I said, reassuring her, and myself. She shook her head,

"No she said, that she didn't have to love me, just feed me and teach me and put up with me." she looked at me her eyes misty with tears.

"Oh my, that's the most horrible thing I have ever heard. What about your dad?" I asked, almost afraid that he would beat this poor little girl.

"He said never to speak to him until we have our own kingdom or it's a danger to his kingdom." She whispered. My heart was re-breaking.

"Oh my, if we do get married, I promise to be the best mother in the whole entire world. And even if we don't, I will still love you like my own." I vowed. She smiled a sweet ignorant smile. I pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you, so much, all I ever wanted was to be loved by someone." She huffed out. I smiled and kissed her forehead. She giggled. The door swung open, with Queen Geena walking in.

"What is going on!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Mother, she loves me more than you ever will, and I'm living with her!" she yelled.

"No, you are my daughter, and you will not touch or speak to her, and fill her head with such nonsense." She scolded. Alex heard the ruckus and walked into the room screaming unintelligibly at his mother. I sat there in silence. My hand glowed, and everyone fell silent.

"Now listen to me. Queen Geena, why do you hate me so much? What have I done to you?" I asked, releasing her from my tiny spell.

"Because, you aren't fit to run a kingdom, if my son does marry you, you'll be ruling this kingdom, and wash up's don't do such a thing, the kingdom is all I care about." She said.

"Well, that's horrible; I don't think I've ever met someone with such a sadistic heart. And I've met a lot of contorted people, but acting this way in general is bad, but in front of your children!" I admonished.

"Why you miserable little brat!" she hollered. I stood my ground, I wasn't afraid of her. My hand glowed again, and a rush flamed through my veins as she froze in place and the others mouths were opened, I charged out the door.

"Wait, what the hell was that?" Alex asked coming behind me.

"Do you even know what happens to your poor little sister? She's so alone, and no little girl- or for that fact anyone should be left alone and be so unwanted like this, it's not right." I said looking from Alex to Elizabeth. Silence.

"Uhh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way, Elizabeth, why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked bending down to her.

"Well, I never wanted to bother you, and I don't know…" she trailed off. He pulled her in to a hug and picked her up.

"Sorry sweetie." He whispered in her dark hair. She shook with sobs, Alex pulled me into the hug too, and we all hugged and cried together.

"I need to get out of here, it's depressing me." I said dismally. I walked down the hall way, alone. Until a little hand came up and held on to mine, I looked down and smiled at her. Her facial expression said, I'm coming with you. I nodded. Alex came up on the other side and took the other hand.

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