Re: Skysong: Where the Ocean and Heavens Meet

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred could taste the tang of salt in the air and picked up on the reason fairly easily, but chose to act as if he didn't notice at all. Not that Arthur could do much about it now, he was fast asleep. Not that the siren would have teased him about it. He didn't relate, but Alfred could sympathize.

Though Alfred said he would take the first watch, he let Arthur sleep the entire night. He had gone his fair share of nights without sleep and was sort of used to the occasional all nighter, where he was certain the changeling never went a day without a comfortable night's rest of some kind.

It was when the sun started to rise that Alfred felt his throat tighten with thirst. He licked his drying lips and gave his head a shake. They were only one day into three of their journey to the ocean and traveling slower than Alfred had ever managed before.

We're about a half day away from the lake... It was risky, but he would have to get Arthur to pick up the pace. The changeling was smart and he'd catch on as to why in a few hours when the more obvious signs of a siren's dehydration started to show.

But what will Arthur do when he realizes that? Alfred shifted uncomfortably. Judging from last night's outburst, he wasn't so sure Arthur would stick around. Maybe he'd leave and try to take up his former life as a human in the next town over.

Only one way to find out. The siren stood and walked over to Arthur, taking a minute to watch the peaceful rise of his chest. He seemed to have stopped crying and was resting with ease. Alfred almost didn't want to wake him up, but found the will to do so, kneeling on the ground and giving the changeling's shoulder a firm shake.

"Rise and shine, Arthur. We're burning daylight and all." Alfred tried to keep his tone cheerful, but his voice cracked mid way. Clearing his throat, he put on a smile and playfully pulled the blanket off of Arthur, and began to stuff it into his pack.

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur awoke the next morning when the blanket was pulled off of him and blinked dazedly, noting the feeling of hard ground underneath his side and the colourful sky of sunrise. For a moment, he was disoriented and wondered why he wasn't in his bed. Then he remembered.

Arthur sat up and groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked, annoyed. "I was supposed to take the next watch!"

The changeling suddenly registered the crack in Alfred's voice and looked up at him. "Hang on a tick, are you all—"

Arthur's question died in his throat at the sight of his companion. Alfred was most definitely not all right. His lips looked bone dry, and his face was flushed red as though he'd spent many days in the sun without water. Which, Arthur realized, recalling Alfred's admission of his race's weakness from the previous night, is rather akin to what must be happening to him.

He stood up immediately and grabbed his bag. "Are you all right to walk? Do you know how far the nearest water source that you can drink from is? How are you feeling?" He had to resist the urge to lean forward and feel Alfred's forehead.

He watched Alfred fuss around with his pack for a few seconds before huffing impatiently and snatching it out of his hands, placing it on his own back. He glared at Alfred, daring him to protest (the one advantage of hideously large eyebrows — a truly impressive glare). "Hurry up, let's get a move on. And don't even think about taking your pack back. Think of it as revenge for not waking me up to stand guard." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "I won't steal it, if that's what you're worried about. Now do stop dilly-dallying and let's go!"

[Siren Alfred]

Things taking a sudden turn for the caring and concerned surprised Alfred, but he knew better than to argue. On one hand, he couldn't deny that he needed the help in his current state. And on the other hand, it was quite a pleasant change to see Arthur so outwardly protective, if not downright doting on him.

Alfred trailed after Arthur, laughing lightly in spite of the situation. "Didn't know you cared so much, Arthur~" He was walking behind the changeling and couldn't see his expression properly. "Yeah, there's a place I know, it's about a half day's walk from here, on the way to the ocean."

As they walked for a few hours, Alfred pulled the hood off of his cloak. They were far enough away from any human town to where it wouldn't be a problem if passers by discovered their identities as fae. At this point, any humans they'd encounter would be travelers, who would just run away, or bandits, who would steal and kill them whether they were human or fae.

His beautiful, otherworldly ears were drooping and pressed low against his head. Alfred knew he projected exactly how he felt on the inside- sick and miserable. It wasn't long before he was lagging behind Arthur by a distance of more than a few safe paces, his feet dragging as if they were made of stone.

No good, it's too much. I'm holding us back this time. Alfred's eyes drooped and he pulled his glasses off, rubbing his eyes furiously. As he attempted to push his glasses back onto his face, they fell to the ground, rolling a little in the dust and settling themselves just in front of the siren's reach.

As Alfred leaned down, the combination of the sun beating down on him and his already exhausted state had the siren falling to the ground in an awkward heap. He struggled a bit to regain himself, then sank back into the dirt and dust, finding the smallest bit of cooling comfort on the Earth's surface.

He just barely managed to tip his face toward Arthur and tried calling out to him, but only managed a weak, soft rasp.

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur blushed at Alfred's teasing. Despite the other's weakened state, he couldn't hold back his knee-jerk cantankerous reaction. "I'm not doing this for you, you plonker," he grumbled. "I'm doing it because... because you'd inconvenience me if you went and died on me. So don't!"

Arthur was lying through his teeth, and he knew it. He could never be that callous, despite all of his attempts to project an image of being just that. Arthur had always been the type to complain loudly and at length about how wild animals were a nuisance and they should all be killed, and then sneak out and release the rabbit from its snare or the fox from its trap. Perhaps he'd only met Alfred, but he couldn't just sit there and let him die!

Besides, Alfred was more than one of his secretly rescued animals. Much more. Alfred was quite the opposite of Arthur: easygoing, carefree, full of boundless energy. He was teasing and brilliant blue eyes and a smile that lit up his whole face. And a voice, a voice that made it sound as though each note was being sung by heaven's angels. Arthur would be damned before he'd let any of that fade, not while it was in his power to stop it.

Arthur nearly stopped in his tracks when the rest of his brain caught up with his thoughts about Alfred. You're acting like one of those silly, twittering noble girls who swoons over that romantic trash they have the gall to call proper literature! For God's sake, Arthur, man up and stop acting like such an utter pansy!

Surely it was Alfred's siren magic that was influencing his thoughts and making him behave this way. Yes, that had to be the explanation. Because, well, if it wasn't Alfred's magic.... Arthur didn't like to think what that would have to mean.

He was damn well not falling for Alfred the bloody siren, smile or no smile.

Arthur's musings were interrupted by a thump behind him. He turned around, sarcastic remark at the ready, and froze when he saw Alfred, lying in a crumpled heap on the ground some distance behind.

Arthur ran to the prone siren, yelling his name frantically. He felt a sharp pang of relief when Alfred moved his head slightly — Oh, thank God, he's still alive — but the relief quickly turned to near-panic when Arthur heard only a slight rasp coming from Alfred's throat. His voice!

From what Alfred had told him, and what Arthur had seen, a siren's voice was everything to them. Alfred needed water, and fast, before his voice took permanent damage, or worse, he dehydrated completely. But Alfred couldn't walk a single step farther, and Arthur couldn't carry him.

There was only one option left, then. Arthur didn't hesitate; he grabbed a quill and parchment from his bag and set it in front of Alfred. "Alfred, I need directions to the lake. I'll go and get you the water you need and bring it back." Alfred shook his head, and Arthur felt himself growing annoyed. Didn't this idiot have any sense of self-preservation whatsoever? "Look, I'm not going to argue! Just write down whatever I need to know on that parchment, or I'll just have to leave anyway and try to find the lake on my own."

Arthur bit his lip. He couldn't just leave Alfred lying there, weak and exposed to the elements. He looked around, spotting a patch of grass underneath a tree nearby. That'll have to do. With quite a bit of effort (Alfred was heavy), Arthur snatched up the glasses lying in the dirt and managed to drag the siren to the grassy area and picked up two suitable-looking branches, driving them into the ground. He pulled the blanket out of Alfred's pack and threw one end over the makeshift poles, hanging the other over a low branch of the tree. Now Alfred would at least have some moderate shelter from the sun. The little clearing was surrounded by rocks and blocked from view on most sides by the tree, so it was doubtful that any people or animals would find him there.

Arthur surveyed his work. "It's not much, but it's the best I can do, I'm afraid. I'll leave your pack and most of mine here; I'll move faster that way." He emptied out most of his supplies and belongings and placed them next to Alfred's pack along with the siren's spectacles.

[Siren Alfred]

It was the subtle things that Arthur did that showed Alfred he cared on a level greater than "you're just my traveling companion, git!". Moving Alfred as carefully as he could into the shade, to get him out from the sun's scorching heat. Managing to put together a makeshift shelter, to keep the weakened siren hidden from predators. Unpacking his share of provisions, to make the travel easier...

... and as a reason to return. There's a town a day's walk from the lake, but Arthur doesn't know that. He means to come back after he secures some water.

Reassured, Alfred put all of his focus into writing out the best directions he could manage. Halfway through, he paused, set the quill down, and moved a hand to the side of his ear. Wincing, he gave a single scale a firm pull, freeing it easily in his weakened state. He hurriedly finished writing and pushed the items back to Arthur.

Keep to the path we've been walking on. It shouldn't be too far, maybe about an hour or two away. You should find yourself in the middle of a small forest, the lake concealed inside.

The lake is guarded by an Undine, a water spirit. She's got a bit of a temper and probably wouldn't let just anyone take water from her home, but that's why I gave you one of my scales. She owes me one, so I know that if you tell her what's happened, she'll allow you some of her water.

Don't try to bring back more than you can carry. My canteen will be enough to get me running again.

Alfred sat up and pushed his canteen, the closest thing he had to a lifeline, into Arthur's hand, gently brushing his fingers to the changeling's. He looked into Arthur's forest green eyes and was not surprised to find resolve, fear, and determination flickering in their depths.

The siren nodded his head, willing Arthur to go. He tried to give him one last bit of encouragement, but only managed another shaky rasp. He furrowed his eyebrows and settled for mouthing "I trust you. Be safe." before laying back and trying to find comfort, but not too much of it, fearing he'd never wake up again if he went to sleep at this point.

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur couldn't help but flush slightly at the feeling of Alfred's fingers touching his own, but quickly shoved such thoughts to the side and grabbed the canteen tightly, nodding.

Alfred trusted him? Well, Arthur supposed that the siren really had no other option at this point, but he still felt a slight bubble of happiness beneath the worry and fear at the thought. "I... I won't let you down, Alfred." Now it would be his turn to repay Alfred for the things he'd done for him.

Arthur set off as fast as he could along the path. His hand still tingled from the feeling of Alfred's skin against his own, and, needing something to take his mind off of worrying himself sick over the boy, began to ponder the implications of that.

Arthur was no fool, and he'd read enough romances (look, he wasn't proud of it, but eventually one starts to run out of books if they're picky about genre, all right?) to be able to pick up on the meaning behind his mysterious symptoms. Inability to stop thinking about him, finding his features rather (well, all right, very) attractive, having his emotions hugely affected by the smallest thing that the other did, worrying incessantly about him, and now having this reaction to skin-to-skin contact? It was textbook, cliché, even.

But surely, Arthur protested against the dawning realisation, surely it's only his siren magic, like I thought before. Sirens are supposed to lure people in with their charms, after all! They're infamous for it in the few myths and legends where they do make an appearance! Yes, that had to be it! The other option was just silly. Arthur certainly wasn't actually falling for someone he'd only just met — another man, to boot, and one who wasn't even the same species.

Arthur felt reassured by his logical deduction until he looked up and realised that he'd made it into the forest, too wrapped up in his inner monologue to notice. Which meant that Alfred was, by now, much too far away to still be affecting him magically — not to mention, hadn't the siren said that his magic came from his voice? The voice which, at the moment, is entirely gone. Which means that... if Alfred is still having this effect on me....

Damn it. Arthur turned bright red, his denial crashing down around his ears. There was no way around it, was there? He was falling, and falling hard. Sometimes he hated having a logical mind.

Luckily, Arthur was spared from having to think about the implications of this revelation when he stumbled into a small clearing and saw the calm waters of the lake before him. He opened his palm to reveal Alfred's scale, recalling his instructions and warning about the undine. For a moment, he stood there staring at the scale, entranced by the way the beams of sunlight that made their way through the thick trees of the forest glinted off of it. When it caught the light just right, it was the same colour as Alfred's eyes.

Arthur shook himself and closed his palm over the scale again. No time for that. Alfred's in danger. He stepped forward, seeing no sign of the water spirit. "Hello? Lady Undine?"

No answer. Arthur tried again. "Lady Undine, my companion is in terrible danger and badly needs some water from your lake. May I take some?" He removed his shirt, revealing his wings — perhaps the undine would be more likely to trust him once she saw that he was a fellow faerie.

There was still no answer. Arthur bit his lip. He couldn't afford to waste time here; who knew how much worse Alfred might be already? Cautiously, he uncorked the canteen and moved to the side of the lake, bending down to draw water into the container.

[Siren Alfred]

((I-I CAN'T HANDRE THE CUTE. ARTIEEEEE ♥♥♥))

The water rippled and, defying all forms of logic, pulled back from Arthur's reach.

"How dare you steal from my home, little thief." A voice rippled across the water, drawing the changeling's attention to the center of the lake, where a woman stood. Her hair fanned in the air like free flowing water and her eyes were dark with anger.

She glared at his hand, still tightly clenched around the scale, and bristled. The water rose around the lake, swirling and instantly flooding over Arthur's feet.

"The item you conceal in your hand doesn't belong to you." Her eyes narrowed and the water continued to rise, darkening ominously. "Tell me how you came across such an important thing. Do not lie, little thief, or I will make sure your death is slow at set at my leisure."

((Yeah, I know, I send a minnow at a whale. DX FORGIVE MEEEEE))

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur jumped at the sudden appearance of the water spirit. He stumbled back, nearly dropping the canteen. "No, wait, you misunderstand!"

He stopped for a moment, confused by the undine's choice of words.Important...? Perhaps all water fae consider each other important, or something. "Please, this scale belongs to Alfred the siren. He gave it to me, told me to go to your lake and get him water. He's in a very bad way, and he needs it desperately!"

[Siren Alfred]

The water rose faster now, up to Arthur's knees, the current lapping strongly at his legs.

"LIES!" She yelled, small waves rolling out and away from her. She murmured darkly, more to herself than Alfred, and walked forward on the water. Her face was shadowed, but there was no mistaking her intent with the eerie smile on her lips.

"Alfred's too important- He wouldn't let himself get that weak- He'd never show a small, insignificant speck like you- You're just trying to trick me, yes, that's right, it's all a lie!"

The water rose so forcefully it knocked Arthur's feet from under him, plunging him downward into the watery depths.

[Changeling Arthur]

There was that word again! "I-I'm not lying! And wait, what do you mean about Alfred being imp—" Then the water hit him with full force and he was suddenly flailing in liquid that reached far above his head.

Arthur kicked desperately and flailed his arms and wings, trying to reach the surface and air, but to no avail. I knew I should have learnt to swim....

Arthur could feel himself sinking down farther and farther, his energy ebbing away. There was nothing he could do; he was going to drown here. I'm sorry, Alfred.... I failed.... He opened his hand to look at the scale one last time. It floated slowly up to the surface of the lake.

[Siren Alfred]

She stands on the water above Arthur, looking down smugly as he attempts to swim and fails. Her eyes flickered curiously to something floating away from the changeling's hand, a beautiful blue speck catching the light. Kneeling down, she reached under the water's surface and scooped it up in a hand.

She let out a surprised gasp. It was a siren's scale! And not just any siren's scale, it was Alfred's. But the condition of the scale told her everything she needed to know- Alfred was weakened and dying. She pressed her hand to her cheek, taking in the feel of the scale against her skin.

The Undine's eyes narrowed and she clenched her jaw. The water drew back to the lake, streaming and trickling away as if a sense of urgency was behind its movement. She grabbed Arthur by his soaked hair and pulled him back to the shore, throwing him roughly to the wet Earth.

"You," She breathed angrily. "Are a waste of Alfred's time. He knows what he means to our world, and to send a little insect like you to preserve his life... Unbelievable!" She threw the canteen so that it hit Arthur squarely in the chest.

"I'll be keeping this scale as payment for my water." She turned her back on Arthur and moved back to the center of the lake. Without facing him, she yelled over her shoulder. "Go on already! You'd better not let him die! If you do..." She let the icy inclination hang in the air before ignoring anything Arthur might have to say to her after that.

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur coughed weakly, but clutched the canteen to his chest, hearing the sloshing of water inside it and awash with an intense feeling of relief. He'd gotten the water; Alfred was going to be all right.

So many questions about Alfred and his apparent "importance" waited on the tip of his tongue, but he held back. That wasn't important right now, curious as he was. What was important was getting the water to Alfred, and fast.

Arthur picked up his shirt from the ground and ran out of the clearing without another word, putting it on as he went. He wasn't one for running, having been raised as a noble and failed miserably at his father's attempts to train him as a warrior, but spurred on by adrenaline and worry, he somehow managed to run the whole way back to Alfred.

Panting, Arthur got a good look at the state Alfred was in and realised that there was no way he'd be able to hold the canteen, much less drink it on his own. He uncorked the container and held open Alfred's mouth, pouring the water in.

The changeling was very aware of just how awkward this situation was with his recent epiphany concerning his feelings for Alfred. H-he's so close... and I'm actually feeding him.... Arthur didn't think he'd ever blushed so much in his life. "A-are you all right, Alfred?" he asked, trying desperately to pull his mind away from such thoughts.

[Siren Alfred]

Every hour Arthur was away felt like a day in the hot sun to Alfred. His eyes had never felt so heavy in his entire life, nor had his mouth ever felt so dry.

Is this how things are going end for me? Dying alone, out in the middle of nowhere...? The siren glared off to the side, his bangs sticking to his forehead. He wanted to brush them aside, but couldn't for the life of him lift a hand to do so.

If I die... There was so much weighing on that statement. His responsibilities back home, never seeing the ocean again, never seeing Arthur again...

Arthur...

What would happen to the changeling if Alfred died here? He could go back home or perhaps the nearest town, but the life he would lead from then on would be a complete lie. There was a possibility that he would run into another fae, but one being as helpful as Alfred would be far and few between.

His consciousness was fading fast and his thoughts were becoming muddled. Funny, I feel like... I don't want to die just yet... must be close to the end now. I wanted to see him, just one last time...

At that exact moment, Alfred felt the cool sensation of water trickling down his throat. It rushed to the very pit of his stomach, reaching out to the very tip of his toes, sending life pulsing throughout him. He drank deeply, his eyes still shut, scared to open them in case this was all a very vivid, at the edge of life and death illusion.

Then he heard Arthur's voice, muffled, but close. Is he... he's giving me water...? He tentatively opened his eyes and blinked them a few times. The image that slid into place didn't fade. Arthur was there, and he had managed to secure the water Alfred desperately needed.

Alfred drank for a minute longer before nodding his head, gently pushing the canteen away and gasping for air. He sat up quickly, then flopped forward, dizziness hitting him hard.

"A-Arthur-!" He gasped, weakly finding his voice. He looked down at his feet, unable to meet the changeling's eyes. "... I'm... sorry. You probably had one hell of a time getting the water, then making it back... so, um... go ahead and yell at me. You probably thought of a hundred things to tell me off about on the trip there and back, huh? I probably deserve it, so... let me have it."

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur's jaw dropped open comically as he stared at Alfred. Was he honestly apologising for this?! The one who'd saved Arthur's life and done so many things for him, thinking he deserved to be yelled at for something he couldn't help and tried to rectify himself to the point of collapsing?! All Arthur had had to do was travel a little ways to a lake and get some water!

Well, the undine had tried to kill him, but that hadn't been Alfred's fault. In fact, it was his scale saved Arthur's life. Again.

Alfred certainly wasn't making it easier for Arthur to resist falling for him, that was for certain.

"Idiot," Arthur mumbled, looking down in an attempt to hide his burning face, "I'm not angry at you. And you don't have to apologise. You... you've already done so much for me. It was the least I could do."

[Siren Alfred]

"T-that's a relief!" Alfred smiled and managed a light chuckle. He sat up and managed to hold the position, getting a good look at Arthur and seeing how flustered he was.

What in the world happened to him out there...?

Cautiously, he reached a hand forward and touched the palm to Arthur's forehead. He felt the changeling startle at his touch, but ultimately freeze in place. Alfred frowned when he realized that Arthur was burning to the touch.

"Artie, you're so warm! Don't tell me you got sick out there or something!"

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur couldn't move.

Arthur couldn't think.

His thoughts were a garbled mess of incoherent babbling.

All he could register was that Alfred was right there and touching his forehead and that if his face got any redder, he would pass out.

Arthur opened his mouth weakly, trying to say something. No words came, only a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

[Siren Alfred]

"Arthur? You in there?" He moved his hand back and waved it in front of the changeling's face.

When that didn't prompt a response, Alfred felt worry settling in his stomach. He leaned forward, brushing the strands of hair out of Arthur's face and softly pushed his forehead to Arthur's.

Alfred slowed his breathing and counted a few seconds. He could have sworn that Arthur's temperature had only risen in the last passing moments, if that were even possible!

"Say something, Arthur, you're kinda freaking me out here! Not yelling at me, being all silent 'n stuff... it's not like you!"

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur nearly fainted when Alfred touched their foreheads together. The utter shock snapped him out of his trance, and he jerked his head away from Alfred's. "G-get away from me, plonker! I'm not sick!"

Arthur tried to calm himself down, but to no avail; his face was still burning as hot as the sun and his heart was racing at a million kilometres an hour.

But Alfred was looking at him with concern and worry in his eyes (damn it, why did the boy have to be so bloody kind to him?), and Arthur had to try his best to defuse the situation. "R-really, Alfred, I-I'm fine, honestly. J-just, er, a little tuckered out from the trip." He hoped desperately that Alfred would buy it.

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred eased back as Arthur pulled away, but he picked up on the changeling's stammering, not to mention a certain familiar emotion flickering in his eyes. These small outward emotions were what siren were raised to pick up on, to nurture and use as means to ensnare weak minds to do their bidding.

He's... falling in love with me...

Alfred felt his stomach tighten. Arthur was well educated and logical, and Alfred was almost certain he blamed siren magic for the sudden surge of emotions. It was because Arthur thought with his sharpened mind that made Alfred guess the changeling resented his emotions being manipulated like that.

Only Alfred wasn't doing that, not by a long shot. Even though he had only spent a short time with Arthur, Alfred had truly come to enjoy his company, right down to the snarky banter the two often exchanged. The way Arthur scolded him, the way the changeling's eyes lit up when Alfred mentioned his future capability of flight... there was no way Alfred would risk messing up those important memories by using his siren magic.

Realizing that he was being just as uncharacteristically quiet as he accused Arthur of being, Alfred cleared his throat and gave a weak grin. "Your clothes are still a bit damp. Anya tried to drown you, huh?"

[Changeling Arthur]

With Alfred no longer at such close quarters, Arthur found his mental faculties working properly again, and sat down hard as a wave of exhaustion from the panicked run back hit him. The changeling took a deep breath, finally managing to calm his racing heart. Luckily, it looked as though Alfred had believed his falsehood. "Yes, well, she did rather. Somewhat annoying to be dumped in the middle of a lakeful of water when you can't swim. Charming young lady, she was."

Speaking of what had happened back at the lake.... Arthur suddenly recalled the undine's mysterious words concerning Alfred that hinted that he might not be as ordinary has he'd pretended. Deciding that the blunt approach would be best (knowing Alfred, subtlety might go straight over his head), he said casually, "She did have some very interesting things to say about you, though. Called you 'important' and said that you 'meant too much to our world' for someone like me to be entrusted with your life." He looked up, meeting Alfred's eyes squarely. "Alfred. What did she mean?"

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred laughed. "As charming as a harpy and twice as prone to attacking!"

His eyes met Arthur's and he resisted the urge to avert them. He liked how Arthur, though having no idea about their world and fae politics, treated him. True, they argued and Arthur spoke harshly to him from time to time, but that's the kind of thing Alfred wanted more than anything- to be treated as if he wasn't special.

Alfred settled on walking firmly between the truth and a white lie. He took in a deep breath and tried to put on a convincing face.

"Anya... erm, well, I helped her find the lake she lives in. Because of her tenacity, my mother considers her to be a good candidate for-" Alfred couldn't help himself and broke eye contact. The subject was very embarrassing, not to mention extremely unpleasant for him to talk about. "-marriage. That's why she said I was 'important'. Anya's kind of, no, let me correct that- really obsessed with the idea of us getting together, so that's probably what she meant by 'important to our world'. I think she meant 'important to her world', anyway. Who really knows when it comes to Anya!"

Alfred hoped that sufficed. In any case, there was another matter nagging at the back of his mind. Raising his gaze to Arthur again, it was his turn to ask a serious question. "Artie... you can't swim? Why are you traveling with me to the ocean, then?"

[Changeling Arthur]

Arthur frowned. Something still seemed off about Alfred's reply, like he was holding something back. But, well, he didn't expect Alfred to want to share every single tiny detail of his life with him. Some things... some things are private. Arthur certainly sympathized with that....

Shadowy memories of punishments he'd suffered at his father's hand were pushed firmly aside and locked back up in the back of Arthur's head. He was free of his father now; no need to revisit those experiences ever again.

Instead, he pondered Alfred's question, eventually answering rather quietly, "Why am I going to the ocean if I can't swim? You're the one who offered in the first place. And it isn't as though I have anywhere else to go."

[Siren Alfred]

Alfred blinked at Arthur's somber response. He gently bumped a fist to the changeling's shoulder. "Guess that just means I gotta show you how, then! No better teacher than a siren~!"

As Arthur began to object, Alfred pushed his legs under him and stood, tentatively testing to see if they could hold his weight. After a minute of getting used to standing again, he set about packing up the belongings Arthur had used to hide him from view.

"If you don't mind," Alfred said while managing his pack closed. "We'll take the way around Anya's lake. Don't worry, I've got enough water now to last us until we get to the ocean."

[Changeling Arthur]

Swimming? As in... in the water? "N-no, really, that's not—"

Arthur cut himself off as Alfred suddenly stood, astounded by his lightning-fast recovery. He looked like he was about to die a minute ago, and now look! He was immensely reli— not relieved! Of course not! He hadn't been worried at all!

... I really need to stop attempting to lie to myself. It's pathetic.

Arthur gathered up his things and nodded fervently at the mention of not having to run into the undine again. "Yes, please. I'd rather not be nearly killed again if I can help it."

He straightened up, slinging his pack over his shoulder. "Shall we go, then?" He'd seen the look in Alfred's eyes when he talked about the ocean; the pull it had on him was like something tangible. Even if he himself was rather nervous about the prospect of so much water thanks to a certain incident from his childhood, he knew that Alfred wanted to get there as soon as possible. No point delaying anymore if the siren was feeling up to travelling again.

[Siren Alfred]

The two continued their journey for the next day and a half, things going much smoother this time with Alfred having his water supply refreshed.

A salty breeze washed over the two as they neared the rocky beach. Alfred had been fighting with his nature to break into a run the minute he could smell the sweet scent of the ocean, but now that they were so close, he couldn't keep the urge under control and sprinted ahead through the thinning grass.

Having done this sort of thing several trips to the ocean before, Alfred dropped his belongings at the edge of the grass, and easily slipped out of his clothes, tossing them carelessly about while not breaking his sprint. He scaled rocky outcrop in an adrenaline-boosted jump and leaped himself off at the edge. Balling himself in the air, the siren hit the water at full speed, making an impressive splash.

Alfred didn't come up for about a minute, but when he broke the surface again, the siren propelled himself high into the air, showing off a beautiful, blue scaled tail instead of human legs for traveling on dry land. Alfred dove back into the water and swam for a few minutes, almost as if he had forgotten he had come to the ocean with Arthur to begin with.

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