The following day, Ariel met the princesses separately for their date, mandated by tradition and Carbouran law. He understood it was to give every prince candidate an equal chance at getting to know the princesses, since at the end of the trials, it was ultimately their decision who to choose. But after the night he had, Ariel simply wasn't in the mood.
"You look like someone beat you with a cane. We didn't have that much fun last night," Maren smirked as she approached the table. "Don't tell me Lady Twelve is finally awake." Then, after a brief moment of amusement, Maren's expression twisted into clear worry, her hand resting on the chair opposite to him. "Perhaps that was crass." She rested her body in the chair, scooting herself closer to the table and when she was finally comfortable, she took a good long look at him.
Ariel knew exactly what she was looking at.
Deep bags weighed down tired eyes, half-lidded from not sleeping a wink the night before. His skin was paler than usual and his hair lacked its usual shiny sheen. His eyes were set on the cup of tea in front of him that the ball of shame in his throat refused to let him drink.
"Ariel, are you alright?" Maren asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. "We don't have to do this so early."
"No," he replied flatly, raising his eyes to meet hers. "Now is fine."
Maren blinked, pursing her lips slightly in thought. In truth, Ariel was tired, but his exhaustion couldn't be explained by only his sleepless night. It was everything — the trials, fighting for a relationship he didn't even want, his mother, and the damned mask he wore every day. He let out a deep sigh.
Ariel was tired.
So very tired.
Two scenes replayed in his mind the previous night — his argument with his mother and the princesses dancing. They played in his mind over and over until finally, he came to a decision.
"Maren," he said, averting her worried gaze. "I have…something to say."
Maren's eyes widened. "You can tell me anything."
Ariel's mouth flattened into a thin line, and a slight blush formed across his cheeks. He cleared his throat so that his volume would dwindle to a whisper but could be heard clearly enough. "S-so…you and Cora…huh?"
Maren's back straightened, her hands pressing into her lap. Her eyes scanned the courtyard and saw nobody but empire knights standing guard at each corner, far enough that there was no way they could hear the conversation. Maren cleared her own throat and answered, "u-uh, yes. I…suppose we are…something."
Ariel glanced up at her, noticing her expression — the way she averted her eyes. That same emotion dwelling inside her, was in him as well. Through their time at the academy, Maren didn't discuss her sexuality but hinted toward it far more than he thought she realized, likely due to her closeness with Lexi, who was a little older and very open about hers as well. As for Ariel, he was always more tight-lipped when it came to matters of the heart.
"How did you know for sure?" He asked, looking away from her again. "How did you know that you–that she was–"
Maren took a deep breath in and answered. "It just felt right. On some level, I think I always liked her. And eventually, she couldn't hide her feelings either." Maren smirked, "well, I guess I had to pull it out of her a little."
But then her smile faltered.
"What do you mean?" Ariel asked.
"You saw us," Maren began, using her head to gesture to the night previous, "last night I mean. She told me how she feels about me, but we haven't exactly discussed us…or how we feel about the prince candidates and the trials now that things are…different."
Ariel nodded, taking in her words. "That seems like something you should do."
Maren mirrored his nod, her lips tightening into a line. Then, she straightened, sipping her tea as silence hung between them. When she set her cup down, she replied, "Why do you ask?"
Ariel shifted uncomfortably, the slight blush in his cheeks spreading across his face, all the way to his ears. "Because…I…" he started, slowly curling into a ball, the table catching his forehead as a barrier, "...I don't believe I can continue with the trials after this one. I'm planning to withdraw." The sky was clear in Avelle. Birds chirped around them, and the bushes swayed with the ocean breeze, but the silence that fell between them was thick as smoke. He knew the consequences of withdrawing from the trials would be enormous, not just for him but for the other prince candidates too. To them, Ariel was one of the strongest competitors because he had an actual relationship with the Sapphire Princess. But he knew his plans to withdraw could carry even great consequences for his country. All eyes would be on him, and everyone would be asking the same question. And if he didn't give a convincing answer — well, they'd come to their own conclusions. Ariel could tell Maren was doing her best to keep her wits about her, but her breathing changed the moment he uttered the words. Still, he continued. Ariel raised his head, staring at her with his wide, baby blue eyes and said, "I love you Mare, but…I don't love you like that. I…don't want to marry you." His eyes shifted and he added, "or Cora. I like men."
Maren smiled softly but said nothing. She reached her hand from her lap to pick up her tea and took another sip. He knew she couldn't have been expecting this discussion, on their date of all times. But he was confident in their friendship — enough to be fully transparent. But still, it made him nervous.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" He asked sheepishly.
Maren set the cup down and replied, "I was thinking of what to say, but there's really nothing. I've always known, at the very least, that you've never wanted to be with me. Nor I, you. Though I'd be the luckiest person in the world if we were to marry." She looked at him for a long moment, the breeze rustling their blonde curls as she added, "You will always be my friend, Ariel. And I hope that life brings you everything you've ever wanted."
Ariel swallowed back tears that threatened to escape. He couldn't let the knights think anything was wrong. But the relief he felt in telling Maren everything that had been bouncing around in his mind since his vision in the Forsyth trial was indescribable.
"And" Maren added with a smirk, "this is the kindest way I've ever been rejected." Ariel let out a puff of laughter — the first all day — and Maren giggled alongside him.
After some laughter, Ariel said. "I appreciate you letting me say that. I think I've been holding that in for some time."
"You're very welcome," Maren replied, her tone oozing sarcasm.
"Speaking of rejection," Ariel added, "if Cora doesn't reciprocate, at least you have Lexi."
Maren rolled her eyes, "Lexi and I aren't like that."
Ariel blinked, staring at her, mid-sip of his tea.
"She teases me," Maren added, "and, sure, she's had a little crush, but it's not like she has actual feelings for me. She used to shoo me away from her room in the barracks. Always bringing girls in or what not." Maren rolled her eyes again, "she definitely is not so serious that she wants to win the trials and marry me."
"Maren," he began, setting the cup down on the table slowly, looking at her as if she were the dumbest person in Carbouran, "do you really think that?"
She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling more quickly than before. "Well, I suppose she could have more than a tiny crush but," she shook her head, "we're friends, Ariel. Same as you and I are."
"That might have been true when marrying you wasn't a real option," Ariel said, "but I don't think that's true now, Maren. Why do you think she let herself become an empire marionette in these games, if she wasn't serious? Why would she consider ruling an empire when she always said she just wanted to live an easy life, and joke about making enough money to rake about in the brothels?"
Maren stared at Ariel, her eyes wide and glowing, and Ariel knew she was finally beginning to understand.
"It's because of you, Mare."