“Nero, where have you been wandering off to these past few days?” King Artem wonders, stopping Nero from leaving his father’s quarters.

Ever since meeting his mother, Nero had been venturing into the ravine to see her. She would greet him happily, quick to ask him how he was feeling or if he was well. Nero would answer her sheepishly, finding himself embarrassed at her cooing over him.

Nero never realizes how long they talk. The last couple of days, they told each other stories. His mother often wanted to know what she had missed, what Nero had endured. Then, she’d apologize.

She would always apologize.

Nero isn’t sure why. It wasn’t her fault. She was driven out by the very merfolk that watched over Nero now.

“I haven’t been going anywhere special,” Nero says, clasping his hands together. “I’ve just been going out to the coral reef just outside the city.”

“Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Nero answers, hoping he doesn’t look too nervous. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’m worried about you,” King Artem begins, swimming over to him. “You seem more distant than before. Your mother and I don’t know what to do, me especially. I can’t seem to forget your outburst from the other day.”

King Artem rests his hand on Nero’s shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how lonely you must feel.”

Nero bites his lip, looking down the ground.

He’s not too sure if that’s what he needed to hear.

“No,” Nero begins, looking back up to meet his father’s face. “You can’t...It would be impossible for you to understand how I’ve felt all these years.”

“Then help me understand. I want to be able to help you, Nero. You should be able to talk to me about these things!”

“But I can’t! I...can’t. I’m enough of a burden to you. There’s no reason for you to shoulder my problems as well…”

“Nero, you are not a burden to me!”

“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better,” Nero mumbles, moving away from his father’s grip. “I know I don’t exactly make things easy for you.”

“I...Just what is it that’s eating away at you like this?” His father asks, and Nero can hear the sincerity in his voice.

For a moment, Nero thinks about asking about Lady Kirin, but he quickly clamps his mouth shut before he can say anything. What would he think if Nero told him he had been venturing down into the ravine to see his assumed birth mother? What would he say to him?

Though, Nero can’t think of a better opportunity. It’s just the two of them. There are no servants, none of Nero’s siblings, and Queen Lucia isn't around either. There is no outside force preventing his father from answering him.

Nero could believe Lady Kirin was his mother all he wanted, but hearing his father confirm it would be another thing.

It would free him.

It would answer the question that Nero had sought the answer to all his life. Yet, his father could easily decide not to say a word and the silence would hurt more than anything.

But not asking...Nero couldn’t afford it. He’s too close to getting an answer.

“I...think met my birth mother.”

Nero notices his father’s eyes widen, almost in shock.

“What?” His father breathes out.

“I think met my birth mother,” Nero repeats, sincerely.

“You think?”

“I-I mean, I feel a connection to her that I’ve never felt before, but in saying that, it would be nice if you could confirm that she is.”

His father takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Where did you meet her?” He asks.

“At the bottom of the Icy Ravine…”

“What did she look like?”

“She was rather tall and her skin was a rich brown. She has curly purple hair, grey eyes...oh! She’s half-jellyfish and there was a bright blue marking that wound around her arm,” Nero describes.

“...her name?” His father wonders.

“Kir-”

Before Nero can say her entire name, King Artem sighs, shaking his head.

“It seems that despite everything, you two managed to find one another.”

“Wait...then is she…”

“Yes. She most certainly is and there isn’t a day that goes by that I look at you and see your mother looking right back at me.”

“Why...why didn’t you ever tell me?!” Nero cries.

His father grits his teeth, running his finger through his hair.

“When you were born, there was panic, especially when everyone realized who your mother was,” his father explains. “They chased her out like a monster and I couldn’t seem to dissuade them that she meant no harm. In her anger, she destroyed everything in her wake. I had never seen such destruction before and for a moment, I feared the one I had loved so much.

You...weren’t safe once your mother left. I kept you close because I couldn’t trust anyone around you. I could tell they only intended to hurt you. They were afraid that you would turn out like your mother and bring ruin to the sea. I tried to convince them otherwise, but they seldom listened. They threatened to hurt you more times than I could count.

Lucia was the only one who could take it. With your birth, we had to change the conditions of our marriage. Before long, I wasn’t allowed to tell you anything about your birth mother.”

“But I...I don’t even…”

“They let up a bit when Caspian was born,” his father interrupts. “Even more so when Titania and Nebula came along. By then, the council had decided that if you ever found out about Kirin, they’d come for you. They’d justify it by saying it was for the good of the kingdom, saving it from a potential threat…”

King Artem sighs, resting his hand on Nero’s head. Nero looks up at him with wide eyes, wavering with fear.

“Be careful, Nero,” his father warns. “If the council catches a whiff of this, they--”

“Artem!”

The doors to his father’s study open wide, slamming into the walls with a loud thud. Queen Lucia swims in quickly, grabbing the king’s hand with a sharp tug.

“A ship...A pirate ship has entered the Glassy Sea!”