RIPPLE

{Three}

Song: Part of your world — Jodi Benson

* * *
Warmth washes over me like a blanket as we walk into the palace together.

       "Wow," I murmur as I gaze around.

        It's wonderfully colorful in here. I'm so used to seeing blue and white that be in thrust into a world of color hurts my eyes. Although the gray marble floors beneath my feet are cold, everything about this place feels more like home than Atlantis ever has. I feel slightly jealous of Lachlan, though I don't let it show.

        A crystal chandelier lights up the room around us, and its so spacious here. There's no need to hover, tread water anymore or float. I am - for once - comfortable with my two feet. Despite the ocean calling to me, this place hums a quiet rhythm unlike anything I've ever heard. Its so light, open, brilliant.

       I can tell Lachlan is enjoying this.

        There's two set of stairs on either side of brilliant columns that expose the floors and floors above us. Windows are everywhere. The common color theme appears to be red, gold and gray.

        "Come on, I'm sure my mother wouldn't appreciate us dripping wet all over the foyer."

        But before we get more than a good few steps forward, a girl in a beautiful bejeweled dress angrily storms down towards the middle of the stairwell. Her anger is enough alone to remind me of my younger sister, my fourth sister Melody.

        But this girl does not look like a Melody. "where have you been?" she shouts. My appearance surprises her, and she takes me in with a sneer, deep blue eyes widening in distaste. "And what is this? A new guest?" She gestures towards me, crossing her arms over her chest. There's a small silver crown woven in with her thick curly blonde brown hair just like Lachlan's.

        "Yes, Waverly. She is my guest for the evening. She was swimming a little too far out, and I saved her from drowning near the reef. This beautiful woman is Nerissa. Nerissa Caraway." I pause a beat to catch up with his lie, Lachlan's pleading gaze meeting mine. "Ner, this is my younger sister . . . Waverly."

        I nod my head, "nice to meet you." I can feel the heat creeping up in my cheeks, and I'm glad suddenly that Lachlan gave me his shirt to borrow.

        "Likewise. Get her into a dress before mother finds her." Waverly glares at her older brother, "you always were a sucker for a damsel in distress, Lachlan." Rolling her eyes, Waverly disappears up the opposite stairwell and thankfully out of view.

        "Why did you - " I start.

       He touches my face with his hands; silencing me when he rubs his thumb along my lip. "The walls have eyes and the servants can whisper, Rissa. I don't know how things are in mermaid land, but please follow my lead here . . . " his eyes plead with mine. "please."

         When he nods, his fingers drop my face. Each time he touches me I start to wish he wouldn't stop... A boy I barely know. A liar. A Prince. I can't think around him, but I find myself agreeing, now knowing what Cordelia must have felt like with the human man she fell in love with. I immediately miss his touch again, craning to reach for Lachlan but resisting.

        "I don't trust that Waverly isn't lingering somewhere nearby," He doesn't take my hand like he did on the stairs. He doesn't touch me like he had on the beach. I think about what Lachlan said: the walls have eyes and the servants can whisper. What have I gotten myself into? "Come on, we need to get you to the guest house first... just in case anyone else decides to take a special little walk around the palace tonight."

        Lachlan is more on edge in the palace, and I'm not so sure I like this new him. He was so open, brilliant, playful . . . but in a moment it all washed away with the tide.

       I follow Lachlan up the left flight of stairs, and we move quickly down a corridor. There are torches along the walls, bouncing shadows along sleek wooden walls in places the darkness shouldn't find. But still do. The wood is cherry red, and the corridors are almost as bland as empty as the palace in Atlantis.

        You will not start feeling homesick. I'll be lucky if dad doesn't send a search party on land, or come himself. He'll probably lock me in the dungeons to keep me from leaving Atlantis again when I do finally return.

        We pass a series of doors all marked with a number. Most were locked and thankfully this corridor is empty, as is the next one and the next one. We pass doors of all shapes and sizes, and I can hear strange noises coming behind some of them. Most appear locked. But Lachlan knows where he's going, and he occasionally looks over his shoulder, slowly down slightly so that I can keep up.

        We finally come to a door marked with a shimmering gold '13'. Lachlan produces a set of keys from his pocket to unlock the door.

        "Welcome," he waves me inside, "this is where you'll be staying... "

        This is much bigger than my room back home, with a tall four poster bed and curtains that could be pulled closed for privacy. There was a large window facing the gardens, the cliffs, the ocean and I slowly drift towards it. I press my hand against the window, loving the pitter-patter of the rain outside.

        The door closes behind Lachlan, and he walks slowly behind me. "Why do you look so frightened of the ocean?" Lachlan asks suddenly. "What do you really have to go back to, Princess?

        I slowly cover the window with the dusty deep purple covers, turning away from the window to sit on the bed. "my father wants to set up an arranged marriage between the son of Poseidon and I. . . " I can't look him in the eyes. "to keep me away from the surface world."

        Lachlan peers out the small crack between the curtains and tugs it closed. He comes to sit beside me, and my cheeks grow hot. I've never been in bed with a man before. "Did you runaway?"

        "Its not exactly running when my father doesn't know I've left." I chance a glance at him, "my older sister, Aquamarine, passed the responsibility of Atlantis onto me because she fell in love with one of the palace servants." Its so easy to talk to Lachlan that I can't help but spill all the details of my life all at once. All the overwhelming anxiety. "I have five other sisters that could take my place, but I know my dad will come looking for me."

        "do you want to go back?" Lachlan asks. "do you want to marry your prince?"

        "Eventually I'll have to go back to tell him everything. But not now. The ocean calls to me. Its my home. But I want to explore this wonderful place. And as for the prince, well, he's not my prince. . . " Lachlan is so close I can feel his hot breath on my face and I breath in his wind-blown, care free scent. "isn't there a Princess for you?"

         I like Lachlan's playful smile, "just one." and before he can stop himself, before I could stop him, he separates the few inches of space between us and his lips are on mine.

        He tastes like sea salt, like the wind and rain outside. His face fits perfectly in my hands and he dares to place his hands against the small of my waist. He kisses me slowly. Softly. But I want more. I want more of this sweet, stranger prince . . . I let my tongue graze his and that's when Lachlan pulls back.

        "Too fast," he murmurs breathlessly. "I want to do this right, Rissa. I want to fall slowly." I have never been good at falling slowly. I'm like the tide; I fall quickly and crash hard... Head first. "I've never been very good at this kind of thing . . . but I want to try."

       I can't stop my smile. "So do I."

       "Come on, why don't you change out of these wet clothes and I'll come back in a few minutes? I should probably grab a shirt." Lachlan turns to go.

       I could feel the heat creeping up in my cheeks again, trying to avoid gazing at his chest but unable to. He smiles back and turns to go. When Lachlan has his hand on the knob, I call out to him. "Wait, Lach... " And he turns slowly, ever so slowly towards me. "Thank you."

       The Prince winks, "don't thank me yet."