The last of the rmaids, Thalassa, glided out of the cave in a cloud of bubbles and lavender scent, clutching a bottle of rose oil as if it were the most precious thing she had ever had.
"Sa ti tomorrow, Roxy!" she called back, her voice chiming like a bell. "I will bring the pearls from the Southern Reef!"
The water wall rippled shut, leaving the cave in silence.
Roxy slumped against the coral table, letting out a long breath. Her "Abyssal Salon" had been a roaring success. Piled on the table were bags of rare thermal spices, a pouch of massive, luminous pearls, and, most importantly, a jar of King Sturgeon eggs that looked three tis bigger than chicken eggs.
She was exhausted. Her fingers cramped from braiding, and her social battery was drained.
A bone spear hit the sand with unnecessary force. Roxy looked up.
Soone was trying to gain her attention.
Caspian was standing in the center of the room. He had finally erged from his sulking corner. His silver hair was ssy, his scales were dull from stress, and he was wearing an expression that could only be described as a pout on a god-like face.
He kicked a pile of kelp left behind by Vespera.
"They are gone," Caspian stated, his voice heavy with accusation.
"Yep," Roxy said, popping the lid off the jar of Sturgeon eggs. "And look what they left us. This is the good stuff, Caspian. We will eat like Kings tonight."
Except that one is the king, while the other is the king’s pet.
Caspian didn’t look at the eggs. He looked at her.
"You sll of them," he grumbled, stalking closer. He sniffed the air around her, his nose wrinkling. "You sll of Thalassa’s vanity and Vespera’s bloodlust. My nest slls like a public reef."
"It slls like comrce," Roxy corrected, walking past him to the fire. "I’m building alliances, Caspian. You should try it soti."
Caspian followed her. He was like a shadow, looming over her shoulder. When she moved to the left to grab the skillet, he moved left. When she moved right to get the butter, he moved right.
He wasn’t attacking. He was acting like a needy golden retriever who had been left ho alone all day.
"You ignored ," Caspian whined, poking her shoulder with a webbed finger. "You touched their hair. You rubbed their scales. You laughed at their foolish sounds."
"I was working," Roxy said, lting a knob of butter.
"I am the King!" Caspian insisted, puffing out his chest. "I brought the shark! Why did you not praise the shark?"
Roxy sighed, turning to face him. He looked so genuinely hurt that she almost laughed.
"Caspian," she said, reaching up to pat his cheek. "The shark was very big. Very scary. Good job."
Caspian leaned into her hand instantly, his eyes fluttering shut. "It was twelve feet," he murmured. "I bit its tail off."
"Very impressive," Roxy soothed, removing her hand to get back to cooking. "Now sit down. I’m making an olet with the Sturgeon eggs. If you’re good, you get the big half."
Caspian sat. But he didn’t relax. He watched her every movent with intense, starving eyes. He was jealous. Not just of the other males she talked about, but of anyone who got her attention.
The sll of the eggs hitting the hot butter filled the cave, rich, salty, and savory. Roxy folded the olet, sliding the golden, fluffy mass onto a slate plate.
"Eat," she ordered, placing it on his lap.
Caspian ate. He savored it, watching her over a forkful of eggs.
"It is... rich," he admitted, licking his lips. "Better than raw."
"Told you," Roxy said, eating her own portion.
When the food was gone, Roxy stood up to clean the pan, but Caspian caught her wrist. He didn’t pull her, he just held her.
"You are fed," Caspian said, his voice taking on a different, deeper timbre. "You are clean. The intruders are gone."
What now?
He stood up, towering over her. His bioluminescence began to pulse, a slow, rhythmic pink light that washed over the cave walls.
Roxy was at first terrified.
"Now," Caspian announced, "I will sing for you."
Roxy froze. "You’ll what?"
"The Wooing Song," Caspian explained seriously. "This is how a Trencher asks. I will weave a lody that vibrates your bones and binds your heart to mine."
Roxy pressed her hand against her chest, protectively.
If it were that, I definitely don’t want to hear it.
He cleared his throat. He threw his head back, expanded his massive chest, and opened his mouth.
Roxy expected a siren song. A haunting, beautiful lody like in the movies. But instead, what she got was a massive weapon that could destroy cities.
It sounded like a banshee.
The sound waves were visible in the air. The water wall rippled violently. The skillet vibrated on the stone.
Roxy clapped her hands over her ears. "Caspian! Stop! Stop!"
Caspian didn’t stop. He closed his eyes, getting into it. He added a series of high-pitched clicks and whistles that made Roxy’s teeth ache.
"CASPIAN!" Roxy scread, grabbing a pillow from the bed and throwing it at his face.
The pillow hit him. The song cut off abruptly.
Caspian blinked, the pillow falling to his feet. He looked offended. "I was reaching the crescendo! The part where I describe the strength of my fins!"
"It’s terrible!" Roxy yelled, rubbing her ringing ears. "It sounds like you’re dying! Is that supposed to be romantic?"
"It is powerful!" Caspian argued, looking hurt. "Vespera would have swooned! It shows lung capacity!"
"I am not Vespera!" Roxy snapped. "I am not a rmaid! I don’t care about your lung capacity! I care about my eardrums not exploding!"
Caspian’s shoulders slumped. The pink light faded from his scales, replaced by a dull grey.
"I do not understand," he whispered, looking at the floor. "I hunt. You do not swoon. I bring gold. You do not swoon. I sing. You throw stuff at ."
He looked at her with wide, wet eyes.
"What do you want, Little Landwalker? I am trying to be... what you need."
Roxy looked at him. Honestly, she was exhausted.
He was a monster, yes. A kidnapper. But he was trying. In his own alien, aggressive way, he was trying to bridge the gap between their species because he was terrified of being alone in the dark again.
Roxy sighed. The anger drained out of her.
"Sit down, Caspian," she said softly.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously. "Will you hit with the iron pot?"
"No," Roxy said. "Just sit."
Caspian hesitated, then complied. He sat on the sand, his back to the coral chair where Roxy sat.
Roxy pulled out the silver, jewel-encrusted comb she had received in the care package.
She reached out and touched Caspian’s hair. It was silver, thick, and wild.
"You want to like you?" Roxy asked quietly, starting to comb through the tangles at the ends of his hair.
Caspian flinched at the first touch, then went still. "Yes."
"Then stop trying to impress ," Roxy said, working the comb gently through a knot. "Stop trying to be a King. Just... be Caspian."
She scratched her nails lightly against his scalp.
Caspian let out a low, rumbling purr, just like Nimue’s, but deeper. It vibrated through the chair and into Roxy’s bones.
"That..." Caspian mumbled, his head tipping back against her knees. "That is acceptable."
"I know," Roxy smiled, continuing the rhythm. For a long ti, there was only the sound of the fire and his purring.
Roxy braided a small section of his silver hair, admiring how it shone in the firelight. It was a strange, dostic peace at the bottom of the world.
And Caspian wanted to eat it.
Caspian opened his eyes. He looked up at her, his head still resting on her knee. His golden eyes were soft, unguarded.
"Little Landwalker," he whispered.
"Hmm?" Roxy humd, focusing on a braid.
"The noisy females," Caspian said. "The ones who cackle and take your attention."
"You an your sister and her friends?"
"Yes," Caspian nodded. He reached up, his cold hand covering hers, stopping the comb.
He looked at her with a desperate, bargaining intensity.
"If I bring you more shiny stones," Caspian asked, his voice thick with hope, "will you stop allowing the rmaids to be near you?"
Roxy paused. She looked down at him. He was trying to bribe her so he could have her all alone to himself. He wanted to be the only one sitting at her feet.
She smiled gently, squeezing his hand.
"We’ll see, Caspian," she whispered, looking past him to the water wall, where the dark ocean waited. "We’ll see."
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