(POV Aileen)
As Aura and Amina escort me down the coral-lit corridors, I let myself imagine the gala waiting ahead. Music. Light. Applause.
"We're here," Amina says softly as we reach the towering doors of the Grand Hall.
"This is where we leave you," Aura adds, already retreating with her sister.
I barely register their departure.
Two tritons stand guard at the entrance, and the sight of them steals the air from my lungs.
They are… breathtaking. Carved bodies. Cascades of luminous black hair falling like liquid night. Tails gleaming beneath the lantern glow.
Can I really do this?
I'm not one of them. I'm not even a siren.
I don't even know what I am.
How will the sea receive me?
Me—their guest of honor? It's absurd.
They'll laugh. Whisper. I'll embarrass the sovereigns in front of an entire kingdom.
"Princess," one of the guards says, bowing low, "we are honored you accepted the invitation. Their Majesties and the guests are waiting for you."
My eyes widen before I can stop myself.
Too late to run.
I lift my chin. Offer a small, careful smile.
The doors open.
I hesitate—just a heartbeat—then step forward.
Below me, at the foot of an opulent ivory staircase built expressly for this night… for me… the hall unfolds.
It's alive.
Sirens and tritons fill the vast chamber, adorned in shimmering silks and jewels. The sea's nobility gathered in full splendor.
They turn.
All of them.
My heart stumbles.
This is it.
And yet—
They aren't staring with mockery.
They're staring as if I'm something rare. Something luminous. Like a pearl risen from the abyss.
The sovereigns swim toward me. The queen takes my hand.
"You are pure beauty, my dear," she whispers at my ear.
Then she and her husband face the crowd.
"Sirens and Tritons," the king's voice echoes through the hall, "behold this year's long-awaited guest of honor—Princess Aileen of Clouderland."
Clouderland.
That name again.
Princess of… what?
Why does it echo inside me like something distant—something lost?
Why is there nothing there?
Applause crashes around me, pulling me back to the present.
I breathe.
Step by measured step, as if I've done this a thousand times before, I descend.
The sea parts for me. Two perfect lines of bodies forming along the staircase, heads bowed in reverence.
If I cannot remember who I am… I must be someone important.
And then—
Something catches my eye.
A cage.
Here.
At a gala.
It's woven from hardened seaweed—stronger than diamond, I've heard.
I drift closer.
There are two prisoners.
Let me see…
The first is enormous. Three—no, four times my height. Massive limbs. Thick, coarse hair. Jagged tusks jutting from his mouth.
Good thing he's caged. I can't imagine facing something like that up close.
He has legs, too… but nothing like mine. Thick. Heavy. Brutish.
And beside him—
His companion.
Beautiful.
Golden curls. Pale gray-green eyes. A lean body, almost too lean—like someone who's endured more than he should.
A triton? No. No tail.
Wait.
He has legs.
Like me.
My breath catches.
Another like me… here?
Why would he be imprisoned? What could he possibly have done?
His gaze finds mine.
Heat floods my face.
He's saying something—I can see it—but no sound reaches me. As if he's speaking through glass. As if he's voiceless.
"Princess of Clouderland—what brings you to our depths?"
"You are unlike any beauty we've seen."
"That gown was made for you."
"May I have this dance?"
Voices swirl around me.
I almost laugh.
And I was afraid of being mocked.
Instead, they court me openly—eagerly.
They're charming. Attentive. Warm.
But I have legs.
How could I possibly dance with them?
Music rises—liquid and hypnotic. Sirens and tritons form a wide circle, clearing space at the center. Pairs glide inward, tails weaving in fluid arcs as they begin to dance.
It's mesmerizing.
Their bodies move like water itself. Seamless. Effortless. Their tails bend and spiral in ways I could never imitate.
I want to join them.
Gods, I want to.
But how?
I don't belong here.
It's almost cruelly ironic.
There's only one being in this entire hall I could dance with without feeling ridiculous.
And he's behind bars.
Maybe…
Well.
Asking costs nothing.
I swim toward Queen Selìna.
"My Queen," I say carefully, "would you allow the prisoner in the cage to dance with me?"
Her expression hardens instantly.
"With him? What nonsense."
"Why? I don't know what he's done—but he's the only one here like me."
"He is nothing like you," King Nèilos snaps, his voice sharp as coral. "He is the son of the Orc King. His kind is far too dangerous for my people."
An orc?
But he doesn't look like—
Unless…
Has he been enchanted? Masked? Or perhaps they mean the other prisoner. Yes. That must be it. They've misunderstood.
I'll explain. I'll ask again—
But—
Where did they go?
They've already moved on, speaking to other guests, laughter flowing as if nothing was said.
I can't interrupt now.
Fine.
I'll settle for watching the others dance.
Without warning, I feel fingers brush my shoulder.
A light touch… yet certain.
And then—
"May I have the honor of this dance?"
I turn.
And immediately freeze, heat rushing to my face.
The most beautiful triton I have ever seen.
Midnight-blue waves of hair falling to the middle of his tail, a single luminous silver strand threading through the darkness. Deep ocean eyes I feel myself slipping into. Soft features, full lips, a voice that resonates through me… a powerful build… and likely three or four years older than I am.
"Oh… I… I—" I stammer, completely unable to form a sentence.
He smiles.
And I melt.
"Yes?" he asks gently.
"I… I don't think I know how."
"That," he says softly, "is the least of our concerns. I'll guide you."
He takes my hand — large, warm, steady — and leads me to the center of the floor.
Other tritons draw their sirens into the circle, but somehow… the next dance becomes ours.
The music fades.
Anticipation thickens the air. Silence spreads around us.
I barely notice.
I'm completely caught in his gaze.
He draws me closer until his chest touches mine.
What is happening to my heart? Why is it beating so fast?
My cheeks burn.
What do I do?
I find an answer.
I hide my face against his shoulder.
Instantly… I calm.
We remain like that for a long moment, and I realize his heartbeat moves in time with mine.
Then the orchestra begins.
He moves — and I follow.
One beat. Then another… slowly… our bodies begin to turn, spiraling together in perfect motion.
I feel no effort.
No strain.
It feels natural.
We are… one.
(POV Dorcha)
"No! Stop! Stop it—damn it, stop!"
Grogher and I shout together, our voices tearing through the air.
She doesn't hear us.
I don't think she can.
Not anymore.
It feels like something inside my chest is collapsing.
Aileen keeps dancing, eyes locked with that Triton.
And then—
No.
No… this can't be—
"Aileen! Aileeeeeen!"
I scream until my throat burns.
Nothing.
Her shoes vanish.
Her feet.
Her legs—
They fuse.
Shimmer.
Scales ripple up her skin.
She has a tail.
A tail.
I can't breathe.
Grogher's hands catch me before I fall.
I watch the girl I love change before my eyes. Her hair darkens—bleeding into midnight blue. Her golden streak turns silver, luminous, mirroring his.
Even as a siren… she's the most beautiful being in the world.
But she has nothing to do with me anymore.
She isn't mine.
She isn't even herself.
She's his reflection.
The female echo of the Triton she's dancing with.
(POV Aileen — Alisea)
The music softens.
He leans closer.
His lips almost touch mine.
Is he really going to—
My first kiss.
I swallow. If I don't, I might stop breathing altogether.
And then I let go.
I kiss him back.
Applause erupts around us, thunderous and distant at the same time—but I can't pull away.
I don't want to.
Father approaches.
Anam releases me, just enough.
Oh no. I hope no one can see how flustered I am.
"Sirens and Tritons," my father announces, pride blazing in his eyes, "allow me to present Prince Anam… and Alisea, Princess of the Dark Abyss—your future Sovereigns."
The hall explodes in cheers.
Mother embraces me tightly.
"My daughter… my sweet Alisea," she whispers, voice trembling with joy. "May your life beside Prince Anam be happy. Perfect."
Anam.
I didn't even think to ask his name.
His arm wraps around my waist. Together, we turn toward the crowd, accepting their devotion before making our way to the Royal Chamber.
I have never felt this happy.
From now on…
Anam and I will always be together.