Siren

XIII. treachery

Trails were woven in the wet sand as many tiny feet skimmed it, carrying the king's personal red crab. The small creature, gathered his great courage, which was bigger than the throne room around him - bigger than he could ever know, as he was allowed to enter. He had noticed the gazes, the gasps and the glares from all those who had seen him as soon as he had returned back to the kingdom. Everyone had known of Sebastian Redcrab and how he and Flounder Flatfish had disappeared when their princess went missing seven years ago. And everyone was either very worried still or really angry at the two.

He only hoped their sad king was not the latter.

And so he walked further into the shiny room, trying to ignore the nostalgia setting in his heart. His heart clenched as his eyes fell upon his king. Oh, what a shattered Nix he had become.

The great man sat on his throne, tear trails showing on his once porcelain, glowing skin. He looked... Older. Age had wrinkled his skin as loss had killed his heart. His hair and beard looked even grayer. His great, large fishtail, said to be the largest among the Nix to show grace and royalty, was dulling. Its magnificent turquoise colour was losing its shine as the scales were gradually falling off. Only his great trident was still clenched in his aged hand.

He really is fading, Sebastian's breath hitched as he had not expected his friend's condition to be that bad.

And just as he thought how much the king had started to look like one of his statues, the king turned his head to face him.

"Sebastian..."King Triton tried to smile. "...My old friend."

"My King..." Sebastian greeted, bowing in respect. Sebastian prevented himself from shifting nervously, knowing the king would catch it. He was starting to regret coming back, because as happy as he was to be back in his own land, speaking his mother tongue, the pain of seeing his suffering king killed that little happiness.

Both still stared at each other in question, both wondering why Sebastian's return was so sudden.

"Where have you been all this time, my friend?" Triton frowned in question.

"I do not even know." Sebastian chuckled humorlessly as he remembered the isolated island in which he had kept Ariel company for some time, sitting down on the ground in exhaustion.

Triton gazed at him, giving him the look with which Sebastian always thought his king saw through people's souls. The red crab shifted uncomfortably under his eyes.

"It has been seven years, Sebastian. What brings you here, now?" The slight glint in his eyes, brought by the sight of the red crab, disappeared as the thought of the crab coming back from his hiding place only to leave once more rang in his head. Could he possibly know what happened to Flounder? To my daughter?, he almost cried out. He wanted to cry out. To get rid of that agony. To have his daughter back by his side, coddled by her sisters and running around with her clumsy fish friends as she always used to.

However, Sebastian could have praised himself for reading through his king for the first time ever. He could read his agony through the emptiness in his eyes. And he could not find it in his large cold-blooded tiny heart to lie to him.

"My King... Chaos has taken refuge on land." Sebastian started desperately.

The king rested his head back, sighing. "Sebastian, you know we have no business with above anymore. You know it is forbidden. "