The last flower was planted, and Mist sadly set the name card into the ground in front of it. "That was the last one."

Tamotsu nodded from beside her, patting her back. "What do you want to do now?"

Mist thoughtfully gazed down at the flower, fiddling with it's petals. "The woods."

"The woods?"

She nodded, rising up and helping Tamotsu stand. "I used to explore them all the time when I was younger. It's a lot of fun."

And so they explored. The little adventure was a nice change from the harsh seriousness of their new life in the castle, as war has taken the life and joy from many in the castle and connected city. As they traveled, Mist slipped in the mud. Laughing, Tamotsu had offered to help her up, extending a hand, but Mist had just pulled him in with her. Tamotsu was horrified at the sight of the mud staining his uniform. Mist, in response, shoved a handful of mud onto his shoulder and promised to get him a new uniform. They playfully continued the childish fight, until Mist decided to lead Tamotsu to the river to clean up a bit. The dress Mist wore that day was practical and modest, and therefore the only large change was her soaked hair and complaints of her thighs rubbing together uncomfortably. Tamotsu simply chuckled and offered his condolences. She decided to lead him into the cave, to rest and hopefully introduce Tamotsu to the merfolk.

"This sucks ass." Mist managed to groan out, indecently tucking her dress in between her thighs. Even though it looked strange, it felt amazing. Tamotsu, holding back laughter, didn't mind the decency at all; he was used to it, and understood her pain. He's faced his own thighs rubbing together painfully before, when he had to wear traditional robes and didn't think to wear shorts underneath.

"Language."

"This sucks butt."

"Be careful with your tongue, it might spread to your diplomacy."

"I'm pretty sure my tongue is smarter than that, Tamo." Her heart swelled at the familiar sight of the glowing cave walls, which still glowed a passionate red. It had been so long ago... She advised Tamotsu not to touch the walls as they continued, remembering her fear of something that had happened long ago. They came across the cavern sooner than Mist had remembered, her smile growing as they approached the pool. She could faintly see the merfolk's home, resting quietly at the bottom of the dormant water.

"When did you find this place? It seems... Ominous." Tamotsu muttered, a single eyebrow raising in surprise when he saw the small house at the bottom of the pool. "Merfolk?"

As she nodded, Mist responded, "Yes, Una and Ostia. They're very friendly for merfolk, I suppose.."

"You suppose?"

"Well, merfolk are notorious for their... Wilder qualities, with the exception of the Zir tribe that united with the kingdom years ago. Una and Ostia aren't as calm as the Zir have become, but they're close enough to be safe." Mist calmly sat beside the water.

"The Zir may have fins and gills, but they surely are not merfolk. They have cute little legs like you." This new voice arose from the water itself, and following it's proclamation, a small redheaded merfolk with a dark gold tail emerged from the depths. It was Ostia. Her icy-tailed companion Una followed quickly behind her. Tamotsu backed away in surprise, giving Mist a questioning look. Mist hadn't been very surprised at all, not moving from her sitting position near the pool. "Dear princess, it has been years! You look enchanting, as I expected." Una held her gaze on Tamotsu, who had not yet recovered from the merfolk's arrival.

"And who's this young lad? He's very easy to scare, isn't he? Hello, darling? You alright there?" Una calmly requested, her head tilted in curiosity. Mist patted the ground beside her, and Tamotsu obediently sat next to her. As Tamotsu kept to his own thoughts for a few moments, Mist easily answered,

"This is Tamo, a close friend of mine. Give him a moment, he'll recover soon enough." Tamotsu, returning to his senses, gave a bashful smile and held out a hand for the merfolk to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of the princess is-"

"Tamo I swear to the gods above we are beyond titles call me by my name or I swear I will cut your throat here and now." Again, as stated before, Tamotsu is used to her antics, and recovered quickly.

"Any friend of Mist is a friend of mine."

14,16

Ever since that certain evening, Alan has made it his own responsibility to cheer Alden and himself up. It was a job that didn't always require two arms, and the fluttery feeling he got when Alden smiled was worth the occasional struggle or awkward moment. It wasn't hard for Alan to cheer himself up, as the moment Alden laughed, the skies cleared and his heart nearly popped. So for the good of himself and Alden, Alan decided to take Alden away from the stressful job as King for a single day.

"Come on, Alden, you can leave for a few hours, can't you? If anything happens I'm sure Sir Illian or Lily can take care of it. Lily is 19, she can handle things." Alden simply shook his head, not looking away from the paperwork on his desk. His back was slouched, something unusual for the middle aged man. Alan was sure that the bags under his eyes weren't healthy, either. "You look like shit."

"Alan, please..."

Alan ignored the begging. "Don't give me that tone, you manipulative insomniac. Come on, up you go," and with the strength gained after two years of training, Alan managed to lift Alden out of his seat. The King sighed, but only swatted at Alan's arm, pushing his chair under the desk.

"Fine. Where are we going, Alan?" Alan happily snatched Alden's hand, dragging him out of his room. The hallway was bustling with staff again. Leading him through the busy hall, Alan practically dragged him to the castle sorceress' room. Two drinks were sitting on the counter, clothes carefully folded beside them. Alan handed a set of drink and clothes to Alden, beaming with delight.

"Drink that and put on these clothes." Alden's eyebrow raised, curious, but he obediently downed the drink and started getting changed. Alan nearly choked on his own drink at the sight of Alden shirtless. Once they got changed, Alan swept Alden away, out of the castle and into the city. "The drink and clothes should make us look like common folk. Which means..." Alan lifted up a small pouch of money. "We're going shopping. You've never been in the market, have you?" Alden wordlessly shook his head, and both of them brightened considerably. Alan led him to the different stalls, observing the different items for sale, buying a few sweets to eat as they explored. Alden soon recovered from his stressed state, and returned to his usual laid-back attitude.

The day went smoothly. Alan walked with Alden to his room, hesitating at the door. His eyes flickered to the unfinished paperwork on the table. "Do you want some help with that?" He tentatively questioned, his eyes filled with worry. Alden, already sitting at his desk, shook his head.

"I'll be fine, Alan. Thank you for today, it was fun." Alan smiled through his worry and exchanged good nights, then quickly headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed a few small snacks, and headed back to Alden's room, knowing he would need them. However, as Alan entered the room again, he found Alden fast asleep, slumped against the desk. Gently, Alan set the snacks down on the dresser. He grabbed the blanket and laid it onto Alden, tucking him snuggly. A quick blow of his breath put out the candle Alden had lit. After a moment's hesitance, Alan shyly kissed the top of Alden's head and quickly made his way out of the room.