⋯

Frigid waters glitter against the cliffside, surrounding the isolated hideout of a cove. Two figures have settled in those waters, watching the unfamiliar intruders sit on that very cove. The first has long dark braids, embedded with frills of sea green and strings of crimson red. Her skin is painted teal, or maybe a deep turquoise of some kind, with heavy, prying eyes. Thick, noticeable gills settle over her skin, and her body morphs smoothly into a lashing tail that thrashes underneath the water. Beside her, another mer-creature, looking far more humanoid than his companion. Sun-kissed skin, with two jagged marks that run down his back. Charming, almost warm eyes greet them, sharp in contrast against the wicked, finned tail that stretches downwards into the wave.

Sulli's arm instinctually settled in front of Corinne, whose angry red burns had already begun to fade. Unfortunately, they haven't been that lucky. Quickly dismissing the uncomfortable throbbing sensation already crawling up their skin, they draw in a deep breath before releasing it. They aren't exactly sure what to say to a couple of mermaids, but saying something is probably better than saying nothing. "Hi."

The woman tilts her head, eyes briefly scanning them, before looking to her companion, who's mimicking the action. Sulli draws Corinne closer to them. This is honestly the last thing they probably need, to run into any hostile mermaids. They don't seem hostile right now, but Sulli's also aware they're probably defensive at the least, considering they're staring at a well-done human and a fae on the outcrop. Her eyes are alight with fervent curiosity, prying into them. "And who might you be?"

"I'm not really supposed to tell you my name, right?"

She laughs, and the sound is bubbly. Tail twitching under the chilling waves, "Oh no silly, that's just for Fae, we can't do anything with your name."

"You could be lying to me."

"You're pretty skeptical for having just jumped off a cliff into the ocean." The male raises his eyebrow, leaning over the outcove to rest his arms on it, setting his head in them as he regards Sulli. "I mean, what did you think was going to happen? You didn't scream when you saw us, so I figure you're some kind of friend to the supernatural beings."

Friend.

"Yes, I am." The confirmation sends sickly sweet euphoria down their throat, but they don't dwell on it, drawing Corinne closer. "I'm looking for my friends."

"Oh! I'm sure we can help!" The woman looks delighted at the idea, pushing herself up to sit on the rocky face of the cliffside. "What are their names?"

Sulli's hesitation is obvious, but the male mermaid shakes his head. "Look, you're stuck down here either way, so either you tell us who you're looking for, and maybe we can get you out of here, or you stay here and drown in the high tide. It's really up to you, cutie."

Cutie?

Sulli ignored that, bypassing what had felt like a snarky compliment as they turned back to the female mermaid. "What are your names?"

"Oh, right, I'm Siobhan- but you can call me Sio. And that's His Highness, Chase."

"His Highness, Chase?"

"Well that's your name, isn't it?"

"You could at least introduce me properly, Sio."

Siobhan ignores him all the same, turning to meet Sullie's eyes with those prying, burgundy ones. "And your name?" Sulli anxiously shoves away the His Highness comment, they don't have a whole lot of time to register the fact that there's probably a whole monarchy down there by the sea floor. It's really not their priority right now- because Corinne is still here, and they can't be a protector and a detective at the same time. At least not properly.

"No." They don't dare tell them Corinne's name. They aren't really sure what kind of repercussions it could have, not to mention- at least if they tell them their own name, they won't be putting anyone in potential danger except themselves.

"And your friends?" Siobhan seems undettered from the denial.

Madden.

He's a mermaid, he'd said so himself. It feels trivial to assume all mermaids know each other, but perhaps these ones would. They're in the same geographical location after all, so it might not be the biggest stretch in the world.

"Madden."

"Madden," Siobhan repeats, but Chase frowns slightly. It's only a second later that Siobhan's eyes light up, turning to face Chase, "Oh! They must be talking about Prince Archer."

Realization crosses Chase's face too as he nods, "My cousin, yeah-"

"I'm sorry, prince??" Sulli knows the disbelief is painted across their face, and their chest tightens and squeezes with an abnormal amount of questions. "He didn't say anything about being a prince."

Siobhan and Chase share a look of mutual conversation before Chase's striking eyes dance back over to Sulli's. "My cousin doesn't really tell people. For a couple of reasons." Chase manages a shrug, dropping back further into the water. "He asked us not to tell his friends, but you're obviously here asking about him.." Chase shrugs, "And I never really thought he shouldn't tell you guys anyway."

Siobhan reaches over, swatting the back of his head, "Archer didn't tell his friends for a reason, but-" Her words stall, and her head snaps back over to face Sulli. "I thought you might have known, because we're supposed to meet with him today to fill him in on the council, we always meet here, so maybe he sent you instead."

"Right, 'cause I jumped off a cliff to attend a meeting for underwater royalty." Sulli can't help the sarcasm that drips through their words, but they shake their head, rapidly trying to assemble the data. "Well, Madden didn't send me. I came here looking for him."

Siobhan and Chase then exchange a worried look, before she looks back, absently tapping her fingers against her thigh. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"Um, yesterday night." Sulli pauses, their thoughts stalling. "Just..it hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet." The realization is sinking, but Sulli shakes their head, "It's just- I guess it's been a pretty eventful twenty-four hours-"

"So it hasn't even been a day?" Chase looks skeptical now, and maybe mildly irritated. "He could have just been late for the meeting today Siobhan, or he forgot."

Sio looks unconvinced, but frowns, "What makes you think he's missing?"

That's a long story.

"He didn't pick up the phone." Sulli offers weakly. It's not much of a statement, and it's even less proof to the two mermaids. "Okay- alright, but, I just jumped out of a burning house into the ocean, carrying a Fae child, surely something is going on here."

Chase still looks like he doesn't believe them, but Sio pulls at her fingers. "I don't know Chase, that's a good point. I mean, Archer is pretty punctual, he's seldom been late to a meeting. And the house had to catch fire somehow..not to mention..the rumors of the Devil of Dublin." Siobhan shudders, and Chase's eyes darken.

"We're perfectly safe in the water Sio. It's not like they can breathe underwater, and none of us are going to take a stranger down there." His hand sets against Siobhan's bouncing knee, before pulling it back away and meeting Sulli's eyes once more. "If Archer is missing we have more problems than just a missing mermaid." He shook his head, "He's the only other heir to the throne, there's a reason we just call him Archer to the people, so they can't find him up here, or spread rumors about where he might be."

"What, um, what throne?"

"Tenaloch." Chase runs a hand through his hair, glancing down towards the deep, endless waters. "His mom and my mom are half-siblings, and, with the outbreak of hunters and pirates in the last century, the rest of our cousins and potential heirs are dead. It's just me and him."

"And you're first in line?"

He nods, "I'm older by around a year, but even if I wasn't, I'm pretty sure Madden would want me to be crowned as it is."

Sulli frowns, waiting for an explanation. Siobhan, fortunately, is ready to give one. "Well, the heir has to produce a mermaid child, and they're much more likely to do that if they marry another mermaid. Of course, an Aquatic shifter could be permitted, but we're an underwater kingdom, so we need people who can, you know, stay underwater."

Adelaide.

Of course, he'd give up the throne to keep his friends, to keep her in his life, even if it wasn't romantically, for as long as he could. It's just who Madden was, honestly. Sulli knows that he comes across as childish at times, not naive, but reckless and trivial. But even hearing this, it's a great realization that Madden would give up everything if his friends asked him to.

Selfless.

Siobhan is quiet for another beat, shaking her head, "So..you're going to find him then, aren't you?"

"What- Yeah- I mean, I want to find him, obviously-"

"Sio, you can't just ask someone that." Chase frowns at her, "We have no clue where Archer is, or if he's-" Chase cuts himself off, and the silence is enough to know what he had been going to say. The crashing waves of cold, frigid waters storm upon the rockface, and the sky has been kissed with an evening blue.

"He's alive," Sulli says. He has to be alive. They all do. There's no other option. They raise their eyes to Siobhan, alight with rejuvenated determination. "I'm going to find him." Because Sulli has to find them. What other choice is there?

Chase looks at them for a long time, before pressing his arms up on the cove again. "You're Sulli."

Siobhan eyes light up, "Oh- Sulli. From Archer's color theory class, you found out about them on Samhain." She nodded, legs crossing over themselves. "He's told us about you."

What does that mean?

"You care a lot for a human." Sio muses. "But why are you back to being their friend, you left them before."

Okay, ow.

Still. She's not exactly wrong. Sulli did leave them, and they really had thought it'd been for the best. Of course, all that went out the window now that they were missing. "Just because I left Club Lore doesn't mean I stopped caring about them. It's- I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place."

"But you were. And you found out. You were already in danger, so one could make the argument you were in more danger after you left."

Guilt threads the needle, stitching down the scars in their heart as they swallow thickly. Chase, shakes his head, "Sio. Sulli also had good reason to leave. They're right, having a human there in Club Lore could lead to a weak link in the secrets of our community."

"I still don't think leaving was the right option-"

"Siobhan." Chase's voice is firm, and Siobhan frowns, "It doesn't matter now anyway. It happened, and now Archer is missing. We have bigger problems than worrying about what anyone could have done differently."

"You don't ever confront the past, do you Chase?" Her voice is accusatory, and Sulli glances between them, absently registering that they aren't talking about them or the fact they left Club Lore anymore.

Chase's body tenses and his face contorts in wrath and anger. "Oh, and you do? Maybe instead of worrying about Sulli's guilt, you should think about your own."

Sio blanches, then looks away from him, crossing her arms over his chest in silent dismissal. Chase glares at her for another second, before grumbling something and turning to Sulli. "You can come with me."

"What?"

"Well. You need to find out about Archer to find him, don't you? And to do that, you have to come to Tenaloch." Underlying fury sparks across his words, but it's clear it's not directed at Sulli. Siobhan glances back, voice softer than it had been a moment ago.

"I'll take the little one if you want."

Sulli's arms immediately are around Corinne, holding her to their chest. "No." Innate protectiveness rouses from his stomach, desperate to keep one of the only things from Club Lore that remains, safe and sound. "I'm not leaving Corinne." Corinne is still unnaturally quiet, eyes dull, still holding on to Sulli like they might vanish all at once. It breaks Sulli's heart a little as they draw her closer, brushing her hair. "I can't leave her."

Sio purses her lips, thinking on that for a moment, "She shouldn't go to Tenaloch. It could be damaging."

"Why?"

"She's Fae." Chase isn't looking at Siobhan, "She'll be affected by the songs and music we have down there. She's young still too, so she might have a bad reaction to being in the arcanic fields of Tenaloch - especially if she wasn't raised in the Feywild."

"Right, of course." Sulli tries not to sound sarcastic, biting back the temptation to accept this information like it's common sense. It very might well be to the supernatural, but it's certainly not to them. "I can't go then. I won't leave Corinne."

"I can take her back inland." Siobhan nods, and Sulli shakes their head.

"I can't trust you." The words sound harsh, but they do mean them. They can't just trust someone, especially not with one of his friend's daughters. 

"Well, we can't take you to Tenaloch then." Chase crosses his own arms over his chest. "You don't exactly have a lot of options, Sulli."

In their arms, Corinne shifts, holding out her pinkie to Siobhan. "Promise?"

Siobhan pauses, and Chase seems hesitant, but she nods. "I promise to return you to who Sulli tells me to, safely, as soon as I can."

She reaches to interlace her pinky with Corinne, but Sulli stops them "Corinne, honey, I don't know if your dad would like that."

"Baba is missing." Corinne echoes, "You said you would find him. All of them?" Sulli sighs, holding her tighter, then looks to Siobhan.

"To her Aunt Mebh, and her sister Saorise. They should just be up on the cliffside, by the car."

"Good" Siobhan interlocks pinkies with the young girl, and Sulli watches as thick ink spurts from where their pinkies are interlocked, rapidly crawling up Siobhan's arm, and collecting in some kind of runic-looking symbol. It looks like it's half of a symbol in a way, waiting for another piece to complete it.

Chase must see the concern written on Sulli's face as Corinne is handed off to Siobhan, latching onto the female mermaid instead, because he shakes his head. "The tattoo vanishes after the contract is complete, it's a relatively simple promise, so it shouldn't even be on there long enough to have repercussions."

They watch Siobhan slip back into the water, a shallow, lighter shield hovering over Corinne's skin. "To keep you warm, dear.." Her voice is smoother than it had been before, warmer and gentled before he watches them both vanish underneath the rising waves and into the deep void of waters.

Sulli feels their throat constrict, but Chase places a hand on his arm. "Relax, there's an air bubble with her. Sio just has to go around the cliffs to find a slope to get up safely. Nothing will happen to Corinne."

"You know, the more people say that, the more things tend to go wrong." Unease settles into their stomach, but Chase laughs under his breath, his tail lashing in the water.

"You know, Arch was right, you are kinda cute."

Cute.

"You know, a lot more supernatural creatures have found me cute than humans have," Sulli grumbles, warily glancing at the cold waters underneath their feet. The tide was going to come in soon, and already they could watch the lashing waves growing steadily higher.

"You're so tense, it's rather adorable." Chase stretches his arms over his head, "Come on now, get in the water."

"I'm going to fucking freeze to death."

"You'll be fine, I'll give you a warm bubble too, and air, so just relax already." Sulli would almost rather die than get in that water again, but their brain argues that they once again, have very little choice on what to do here. Nodding reluctantly, they drop into the water, finding themselves surrounded by warm, coastal waters, summery warmth brushing against painful burns. They fight back a wince, drawing in a sharp breath. It's a moment before they realize they're now breathing while being submerged, protected by the caught air bubbles within their shield.

"You look surprised."

Sulli hears the voice in their head, and they snap their gaze to face an also submerged Chase, whose eyes are glaringly bright within the dark waves. They bite back the shock as best as they can.

"You can talk back like this, it's an open channel."

"So can you like, hear my thoughts?"

Chase shook his head, hand wrapping around Sulli's wrist as he quickly began tugging him deep into the unforeseen waters. Sulli tried not to think too hard about it, about what exactly might be down here. The ocean had never been quite so far up on their list of fears, but now they're thinking it should have been higher in the first place. "No, I can't hear your thoughts Sulli. Mermaids don't have that kind of telepathy. It's just a kind of communication we use underwater. It's the same as you speaking on land." There's a low humming sensation that surrounds the words, like a vibration through the water.

"So everyone could hear this conversation?"

"If they listen close enough, although you talk quietly like this, I can barely hear you."

"Sorry." Sulli echoes, trying to imagine their voice being louder- even if they aren't really sure how it might help. "I've never done this before."

"No shit, Sherlock." Chase pulls to a stop against the rock face, pressing his palm to it as water begins swirling around them, creating a heavy whirlpool amidst the cliffs. They're far enough down to where. A blooming emblem appears among the scars on Chase's back, almost like a trident of some kind, before it appears on the walls of the cliffs.

There's a heavy, aching sound as the rock itself seems to shift, and the whirlpool around them swells in strength, pulling them downwards into the sinkhole below their feet that seems to be almost inhaling the water around them.

"Hold on, Sulli."

Sulli doesn't even have time to ask why before the abyss swallows them whole. The only sensation they're entirely aware of is the pressing grip of Chase's hand on their wrist. The darkness is all-encompassing, consuming every inch of light for what feels like a second stretched into eternity. The dizzying sensation forces Sulli to close their eyes, focusing on the pin-point connection of Chase's hand.

It's only another moment before they're still again, and Chase's hand falls from their wrist, prompting them to open their eyes. So Sulli does, and their eyes widen as they take in the sights of the kingdom of Tenaloch.

It's extensive, open, roaring ocean echoing high above them, far beneath where the edges of the cliff hang. It's a wonder how they got here so fast, but Sullli's mind doesn't dwell on it quite yet. The architecture is dawning here, extensive stonework inlaid with glowing runes, probably to prevent the work from suffering from erosion. Strings of waterweed, adorned with colorful beads and glittering decor light up the make-shift pathways. Hanging lamps sway in the soft tides of the water, caressing strings of hair as children dart off into the waterways to play a game of sharks and minnows. Conversations mingle at vibrational frequencies, and although Sulli knows they're within range to hear, their focus is ultimately on the beauty of Tenaloch.

Thick guilt sinks into their stomach, mind recalling that night on Samhain. Monsters.

No. Sulli wants to scream at their past self, taking in the sight before them. No, they have a home. They have families. It's almost unfathomable to think that this has been here all along, so secretly hidden from the prying eyes of humanity, but all at once Sulli begins to feel like they understand.

Of course, you had to hide from us.

"Sulli?" Their thoughts are pried from the sidewalls, eyes dancing back to their guide's before a sheepish smile darts over their face. Chase looks unimpressed, "You didn't hear me, did you?"

"No, sorry."

He shakes his head, hand again finding Sulli's wrist as he tugs them down the pathways, towards the center city, where a heavy-set spiral sits. Towers lash off of it, running underneath the waterways before emerging in four more spirals at the corners of the extensive city. They're iridescent almost, glittering in the arcanic light that has been placed down here. "I said don't worry if you get strange looks down here, you're a human."

"Right."

"And they probably assume you were trying to become a siren." Before Sulli can ask, Chase begins to explain. "It's forbidden to do that, and it's punishable by death." Chase shook his head in distaste, "It's one of the laws I'm working on overturning, It's brutal, and a little sadistic. Anyway, the process has a high mortality rate, so very few humans actually do end up changing. Regardless if the human dies or not, the performance of the spell itself is a crime."

"Oh." It's all Sulli can manage, suppressing the shudder that cools their blood. It's a haunting thought. "Not many survive?"

"No." Chase's own voice sounds forlorn, wistful, and longing in a way as if he's seen it countless times firsthand. "In the last couple of centuries, there have been hundreds of attempts, but less than a dozen successes. And even in those successes, the spell-casters are still slaughtered because of their work, even if the newly born siren isn't."

"So there's a difference between mermaids and sirens?"

"Sirens are humans turned mermaids." Chase nods, grimacing, "Siobhan's family, the girl you met earlier, extends from Siren's blood. Her great-great-grandmother was one of them."

Sulli swallows the bile in their throat, "Did the one who changed her, die?"

"Yes." The response doesn't leave any hope for questions. It's the end of the conversation, clearly, not that Sulli was exactly planning on pressing for details as is. Instead, they nod, turning their eyes to the Castle before them, it seems to stretch upwards, into the vast, eternal darkness, and Chase glances at them.

"It reaches land up there, carved into the land above us, so that we can meet with other council members from other races." It's a simple explanation and one that makes enough sense to Sulli to accept it. Chase tugs them into the archway, and a rush of vibration jolts through their skin. "Protection runes, that's all." He offers, before entering the empty opening into a hallway towards the throne room, filled with moving watercolor paintings, a rune embedded in the wall beneath each one. "With Sirens, we often tell stories of them to the children, to warn them."

"Like the boogeyman?"

"The what?"

"Never mind- continue." Sulli shakes their head, thoughts occupied by the sheer glory of Tenaloch, the images of that view painted freshly in their mind.

"One of the more popular stories is only a couple of centuries old. It also teaches the children to be wary of humans." Chase sends a glance backward towards Sulli, and despite the guilt that deepens in their chest, it worries them further that those same children just saw a human with the crown prince. Chase shakes his head, pausing at one of the paintings. Lashing tentacles in the darkness, wrapping around a ship, but the ship has harpoons lodged into the creature as if trying to drag it upwards towards them, rather than the creature dragging the ship to the depths of the sea. "With the increase in pirates and hunters over the past few centuries, we've grown more wary of you all. The story is of Sedna, a young, maybe six-year-old human girl, thrown into the ocean by her own mother." Chase shakes his head in disgust. "She was found by a group of mermaids, a cult, and made siren. But afterward, the group of mermaids swore revenge on the human mother, and tormented her until she drove herself insane."

"What happened to the-"

"The mermaids were killed for the transformation of not only a human but a child." Chase turns his head, moving forward, and it's obvious the idea haunts him deeply, even though he wasn't born at the time, and couldn't have done anything to stop it. "They were killed, mutilated and maimed, before being fed to the sharks, and Sedna vanished deep into the open ocean. Some believe she died, some believe the story never happened at all, and Sedna was also killed that night."

"I don't understand, why would they kill them for saving that child?"

Chase pauses, turning to face Sulli, "In your world, do all the rules make sense? If someone killed their child, and you killed them, is that still not murder?"

"But that's not fair, it's-"

"I'm not telling you it's fair. That's why I'm trying to fix it. But rules aren't easily overturned, Sulli. They take time, and a lot of persuasion." Chase sighs, deeply, and runs a hand through his hair. Sulli falls silent too, looking towards the moving paintings.

"I'm sorry Chase, that's not fair. I don't know anything about Tenaloch, or about mermaids and sirens and the complicated story with them" Sulli hesitates, before reaching over and squeezing Chase's arm gently, "I'm sure you'll be a fine king though, if Madden approves of you, you have to be doing something right."

"Archer likes everyone."

"Not true. Madds hates some people, there was this one shifter he despised actually, but we won't go into that."

"The one that attacked you on Samhain?"

"Yep."

Chase sighs, and the sound is heavy, "I still think Arch would make a better king than I would."

"I don't think so." Sulli shakes their head, feeling the intense stare of disbelief from Chase. "Because there is hardly anything worse for a community, than a leader who doesn't want the title."

They sit in silence for a moment, and Sulli takes the time to admire the paintings. They're all familiar like they've seen them before, but they're different too. All of these paintings are against humans, showing the creatures of the water defending themselves, and protecting their homes from pollution, exploitation, shipwrecks, and test bombings.

Only winners write history.

The thought echoes into their mind, painted in neon lights. Of course, in mythology, plenty of those sea creatures are painted as the villains. Because they lost.

"You know Sulli." Chase starts, his voice has lightened a little, subdued by Sulli's optimism. "I hate to say this, but I believe you. I think you'll find them."

Good.

Sulli doesn't have real words for what that means, but seeing this, even knowing the first part of their friend's real past, is starting to open a lot of doors into mythology they didn't even know existed. They still had plenty more places to visit, plenty more stories to hear, and much more research to conduct.

But they were going to find the seven members of Club Lore.

Even if it killed them.

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WYN

fifteenth chapter !!

hi, friends <3, it's felt like forever since I've updated (even though it has not been, it's just the fact that I was updating daily and then stopped doing that), so I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (4500 words!!)

Tenaloch sounds so pretty though, I wish I could go (sob)

also! update on my dog. Unfortunately, he did end up passing away. My sister found him a couple of days ago in our backyard, but thank you for your kind wishes, and we all know he's in a better place now <3

Friendly reminder that Chase and Siobhan are from the side cast! And also have beautiful, extravagant forms! I hope you also enjoyed the drop that Madden is indeed a prince (giggles), I hope that was fun to learn, me and Gabe conspired a bit to surprise you all <3

I love you all, don't forget to get on your homework! And take lots of study breaks <3 MWAH