Chapter 5

"Your Highness!" One of Taehyung's men, comes from behind him, panting. He had left his horse at their farm house and had been so thrilled to convey his message that he came running to the shore to find His Excellency.

Taehyung turns around and swings him arm to put it around the half bent soldier's neck, "What's wrong Luhan? Did anyone mess with you?" He asks smiling.

The soldier, Luhan, shakes his head and speaks after few moments, "The ship," Luhan bends and places his palms on his knees and stands straight again, "we had sent to Wakoku, is broken."

"Broken? You mean attacked? Ah, must be the pirates again. Father has got a lot of work to do now." Taehyung sighs, not interested.

"No, no. They were not attacked by the pirates," Luhan shakes his head, "they say," he pauses for a second and puts emphasis on 'they', "they say, it was a mermaid."

Silence.

Taehyung makes a poker face and starts walking away from him, "Luhan, when I say you are my favorite boy among all the men I have, it does not mean I can't cut your head off for fooling around with me."

"Your Highness," Luhan follows behind, "no pirate ship was around, and, we had sent two ships, among which only one is broken, and the people and merchants in it dead, while the other was left at mercy only to witness everything!"

"Only the King entertains such things. What have you got next? Is he going out there in the sea to find mermaids?" Taehyung laughs playfully, shaking his head. His father, although wise, always falls for such things.

They walk in silence beside the sea, a faint peaceful smile playing on Taehyung's lips. He looks down to kick a pebble and Luhan clears his throat to speak again.

After a moment of contemplating whether to ruin His Excellency's mood or not, he decides to tell His Excellency about the task he had been given by the king, now, rather than letting him know by the King's men.

"His Majesty wants you to look into the matter."

Taehyung stops dead in his track.

Luhan looks at his movements closely knowing what exactly Taehyung might do now.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," after a few moments of child like cry, "I am tired already!" Taehyung whines and Luhan snikers, expecting this all along. Even if it spoiled His Excellency's mood, it was worth watching. Only now Luhan regrets for not revealing the news to His Excellency in front of all the soldiers at the farm house.

"What did he say?" Taehyung grunts.

"His Majesty said you need to know how the world works."

"That is what I am doing here, so far away from the luxury of my palace!"

"His Majesty wanted you to know, that the world,"

"Is greater and bigger than what I think. Yeah yeah. And what if I say I don't believe mermaids exist?" Taehyung turns around to face Luhan.

"That is why His Majesty wants you to go. Said, if you do not believe in miracles,"

"Miracles. Fine, I will believe in them! But mermaids are no miracle. And how do you think one mermaid would break our ship and kill our two-hundred men?" Taehyung cuts in, even if he had liked the idea of mermaids existing, he wouldn't believe it.

Luhan decides not to argue with the prince. He had been told to give the message. And he had completed his task.

Taehyung walks to his horse and rides back to the farm house, the sea not feeling peaceful anymore.

Meanwhile in the sea,

'Did you find him?' A desperate voice whispers, on the verge of breaking into tears.

Hidden behind the rocks, inside a dark cave, injured Sehun sits, hanging his head low, feeling useless for not being able to help his hyungs find their father, because of his injuries.

Yoongi shakes his head, too exhausted to even think, and closes his eyes briefly, feeling distraught, shattered. What is he supposed to tell his people now? How is he supposed to answer his sister's questions? How is he supposed to meet their eyes? He couldn't even save the king, his own father. How is he supposed to save his people who had put their trust in him?

Seokjin places his hand on Yoongi's shoulders, making him sit on the rock beside Sehun. Yoongi places his trident beside him and holds his head in his hands.

'Anything from Jungkook?' Kwon Jiyong, the 2nd prince of the sea asks. All the princes' turn to look at his stern gaze.

'Not from Jungkook, but one of our men had heard that a human ship was destroyed by the shark king, every single one dead. The human prince is looking into the matter.' Seokjin answers.

'Huh. Has a death wish.' Kwon Jiyong clenches his teeth.

They hear someone coming and everyone stops moving. Yoongi loathes this situation where he has to hide in order to save his brother's and his own life. He had never feared anyone all his life, and today was a shame for him. But he had to be quite for the safety of his brothers. He had already failed to protect his father. He does not even know if his father is alive or dead already.

'Father!' Sehun and Seokjin immediately swim towards the injured merman that has both of his arms around Namjoon and Seunghyun's neck for support, head hung low.

They help the king sit on the rock nearby and Seunghyun moves away, letting his younger brothers check their father, an angry furrow set on his brow. As if his own self was not already intimidating enough.

The king's tail had been injured slightly. They thank the gods, their father is not hurt as much as they were panicking.

'Where was he?' Yoongi asks.

Although Seunghyun does not think much and hates to answer questions - especially if they are asked by someone below his rank, answers this one anyway, 'Stuck below a broken ship, unconscious.'

Seokjin sits by his father, supporting him, while others sit in a circle around him, waiting for him to recover. That is all they can do for now. They had sent all the merpeople to the land safely and what remains of the merfolk in the sea, is only the seven of them.

'I,' the king breathes, 'have decided -'

'Sleep.' Seunghyun commands his father, suppressing his feelings.

'to get -'

Seunghyun punches the rock that comes up till his waist, and everyone gets silent, watching the rock crumble into pieces.

Seokjin gulps and looks back at the king, trying to smile, 'He cares for you father. Can't see you in so much pain. Just rest. Okay?'

Namjoon places his hand on Seunghyun's shoulder in an vain attempt to calm him down. He shrugs his hand off of his shoulder angrily and hisses, 'This is how I want to crumble your sister!' Seunghyun points at the rock he had just punched.

Even if Namjoon understands how his elder brother must be feeling, he has got no right to think about harming their little sister!

Yoongi glares at the eldest prince, not wanting to let their father listen them bicker even in this situation.

They have never got along with the eldest prince due to his temper and him avoiding everyone every time was also not very helpful.

After hours of deadly silence and no one moving a muscle, the king wakes up, his eyes that were droopy before looking much better.

He had struggled for hours with his injured body to free himself from the load of the ship. It was made clear by his body to him today, that he had grown so old that he couldn't even lift a vessel. It was difficult and painful for him to admit, but he wasn't strong anymore. He was an old fish. Who wouldn't be able to save his merfolk for long.

'Father had been thinking about getting help from the humans.' Namjoon tells to nobody in particular and gets four pair of eyes filled with incredulity on him, with Seunghyun not paying any heed and his father taking in all of his sons faces. He knows what each one of them must be thinking. But this is their last hope.

Merfolk either dies, or fights and then dies.

It is no secret that they would be hunted even on human land and tortured to death by humans after they get useless for them or get found by the shark lord who would show no mercy to merpeople as well as humans once he steps on the land.

The king knows that the spell is broken and the shark lord had just unleashed himself. And with passing days, will increase his power. The day isn't far away when the human world would have to witness his wrath and their destruction.

Meanwhile at the opposite side of the merfolk world,

In uruguay,

A distinct gravelly voice laughs, braying. Half of his body underwater and the other half out, witnessing his own deed. His sharp fin, almost hidden by the nest of his long hair. He had, without moving a muscle, burned down the whole town of uruguay empire.

His hee-haw laugh increases its pitch when he sees a woman crying out of agony, running into the water with fire all around her body, trying to save her son, but ends up killing him when she couldn't swim for her life after getting burned and dies.

He slaps his hands on the surface of the water laughing as if the cries of the burning humans running in front of his eyes are peaceful to his ears.

The two mermen who had helped him burn the town - as he himself couldn't step on the land - in exchange for the mercy of their own lives try to escape after finishing their task. Soon they get attacked by the sharks and are eaten alive.

The creature with gravelly voice, after looking at his demonic work for a long time, speaks slowly, drawling every word, 'They weren't here.' And starts laughing again, his sharp teeth, in a flash, bite the merman's head and spits it away, eating the merman's remaining body, a shark had just brought. His size almost the double of the merman in his hand.

'Where did you hide her?' He sings, his hee-haw laugh falling out of his lips again.

Jungkook is sitting on a branch of a tree in Jimin's farm. Jimin is nowhere around and Jungkook was tired, so decided to rest in Jimin's farm when he was passing by.

He thinks about the murders happening in this little village. Although today's victim was a human, Jungkook can't help but relate it to Wook.

What if Kim Jae Wook is behind all the murders?

But why would he do that?

Is he somehow working for the shark demon?

Did the mermaid he kille the day before, knew something?

He has got no clue about what is happening. All that he knows is that the shark demon have attacked them and another bastard, Kim Jae Wook, is roaming freely on the land, killing people.

But he is not sure if Wook did all of this.

He shakes his head furiously. What could it be?

But if Wook was behind all of this, the shark demon would have already known where they were on the land.

He sighs. Not able to figure out.

Jungkook smiles as soon as he sees Jimin returning to his farm.

He watches him go into his house and come out a little later. he roams around, looking at his plants proudly, smiling.

He sits don below the tree after plucking few persimmons to eat and sighs.

Rough day? Jungkook thinks, looking right below him, where Jimin is seated.

He watches him for a few moments. Jimin sings faintly but Jungkook can clearly hear. His voice is soothing and Jungkook thinks his voice is better that any mermaid's.

He rests is head on the tree branch and closes his eyes, listening to Jimin sing. Jimin stops suddenly, making Jungkook open his eyes. He looks down at the small man, who is sitting, lost in his thoughts.

Would it be okay if I interrupt? He thinks.

He looks around and plucks an apple on the tree branch to drop it down. It lands on Jimin's lap and to his disappointment, Jimin does not even budge.

He drops another one and then another and another.

"You are wasting them." Jimin's voice startles him. He is looking up at him standing and smiling.

Jungkook forgot to look down at Jimin while he was plucking the apples. He smiles sheepishly and waves at Jimin.

"When did you,"

"I apologize. But I was not going to steal anything." Jungkook cuts in.

Jimin laughs and shakes his head.

"Do you want to come up here?" Jungkook asks, as if it's his farm and he is offering Jimin to join him.

Jimin nods and starts climbing up.

He sits on another branch, and suddenly starts feeling embarrassed. He did not think before coming up here. And now what was he supposed to do? He is not even good at making friends. How is he supposed to talk with this man in front of him? He is anyway going to think he is not interesting and run away.

"Jungkook." Jungkook tells Jimin his name, not looking at him. Jimin looks at him confused at first but then blinks and nods his head.

"I am Park Jimin." He says cheerfully.

"You live here alone?"

"Ah, yes."

Jimin stares at Jungkook's purple hair and studies his face as if looking at a face for the first time.

He looks at the branch Jungkook is sitting on and wonders how such a light branch is handling his weight. And as if just on clue, the branch cracks. He looks up at Jungkook in panic, who has not felt or heard the crack, "Jungkook, you should sit on - "

Thump!

Jimin shuts his eyes tightly, cursing. He opens his left eye, his lips apart and watches Jungkook get up unsteady.

He starts laughing at him from above and Jungkook forgets the pain his back is causing because of the fall, laughing together with Jimin.

Lalisa had come to the shore alone. She had planned on coming with Rose, but Rose was out with Jackson and Lalisa felt so restless, she couldn't stop her feet.

Lalisa inhales the scent of the sea, a wide smile decorating her face and opens her arms, to let the wind make her feel things she couldn't in Rose's house. She sits down on the sand, hugging her legs. Her hanbok gets pulled up and she looks down at the feet. Tail looks much better, she thinks and covers her feet under the hanbok.

She looks around her to watch fishermen coming back fron the sea, some with net full of fishes while some disappointed with empty or one and two fishes in the nets in their hands.

Children run around, playing and few making sand forts. She recognizes them from the day before and smiles to herself, watching them play.

And then her eyes meet someone unexpected, who, by now she has started to believe is following her. She is not complaining though. She would miss those innocent eyes and the whole breath-taking human.

She does not know what to do next now that her eyes had found his. Is she supposed to smile?

This time, he smiles and it makes Lalisa's heart go into - what, even she does not know.

He looks away immediately, making Lalisa's rosy pink cheeks turn red even more, if that is even at all possible.

Lalisa looks ahead at the sea, trying to suppress her smile, biting her lips. Jungkook hyung wouldn't be so happy if he comes to know she is letting a human get close to her without anyone around, she thinks. But the human wouldn't come close, she thinks and smiles brighter when she notices him sitting down away from her but not so for away. So that he could at least watch her.

She closes her eyes letting her guard down and even she doesn't know why she would do so.

After a few minutes, "Lalisa! Thank god you are alright. I searched for you in the whole town!" Jackson comes running towards her, relief washing over his features.

Lalisa looks guilty for making them worried. She hadn't given a thought about people getting worried because of her absence. She just couldn't stop herself from coming here.

"Rose was very worried about you, let's go home."

Lalisa looks a bit upset, which jackson immediadely notices and offers, "Uh, now that I have found you, and I know you are alright, we can wait here, till you feel like you want to go back."

Taehyung sits in the same position as Lalisa, and instead of resting his chin on his knees like her, he rests his temple on his knees, facing her. He keeps his eyes on her, her eyes closed, a wave of peace washing over his heart.

He sighs, wishing he was a normal human and not a prince. For he would never be able to choose his own life parter, and even if he does, she should be a princess.

A man calls Lalisa and Taehyung watches them talk, with a sad look in his eyes.

He notices another girl he had always seen with Lalisa come towards her and he lets his eyes fall away from Lalisa and gets up. He truns around and bumps into Hoseok who had come from behind him and without warning.

"Are you spying me hyung?" Taehyung asks.

Hoseok keeps glancing at Lalisa's friend.

"Ya hyung, you like her?" taehyung asks, wiggling his brows.

Hoseok smiles sadly and Taehyung stops teasing him, looking at him concerned.

"Remember when you had read a letter I wrote and made fun of it?" Hoseok asks, laughing slightly at the memory.

Taehyung nods.

"I was writing it for her. She is Rose."

"But you never gave her that letter," Taehyung states confused, "let's do it now hyung!" he says cheerfully.

"I wsih I could."

The prince looks at him confused again, "Are you afraid she wouldn't take it? She cannot refuse you! And who would?"

"She is married Tae. To the man standing beside her."

Taehyung looks at the man standing with them, who he had mistaken for Lalisa's someone. Tarhyung feels releaved but immediately regrets after looking at Hoseok's sad eyes looking at Rose.

"I wish I would have given her all the letters I wrote for her. But I guess she wouldn't be as much happy with me because of my general duties, as much as she is with the fisherman." Hoseok finally smiles a genuine smile.

Taehyung looks at Lalisa one last time and his heart couldn't decide if she would be more happy with him or any other man.

Lalisa looks back at the place where he was seated. He isn't there now. Her smile fades just a bit and she looks back at Rose who is scolding Jackson for not finding Lalisa quicker than he already had.

"Let's go," Rose says, holding Lalisa's hand, "the baby wouldn't stop crying. Even the 7th prince is not home and she wouldn't stop crying unless she sees either you or the prince."

Meanwhile in the palace,

A woman, dressed elegantly in red and blue hanbok embroidered with gold thread, her gold crown fitting perfectly above her head, walks to the throne hall with her court lady and six assistant court ladies behind.

The guards open the door to the throne hall and the court ladies stop outside, while the queen enters.

"Your Majesty!" The queen speaks as soon as the doors closes, without bowing to the king, who is sitting on the throne with papers in front of him looking at her, and no one around, "why do you keep putting my son in such situations?" she demands, standing right in front of him.

"What situation?" The king smiles, looking back at the papers.

"Please bring him back," she pleads, "people have already started talking about it. They say the other ship witnessed it."

"Let me teach them things my own way, queen," He speaks calmly, "moreover, I believe, he wouldn't harm my son."

"I don't believe it was them. Spectators say, it was double the size of a human. And they certainly are not of double size. Something is wrong. You have to take back your command." She pleads, on the verge of tears.

The door opens, revealing a young man. He marches in, "Your Majesty." He bows.

"Son, tell your father to let your brother come back. Don't let him to the sea." The queen faces the man who had just entered.

"My decision won't change queen. Leave me with the crown prince now." The king orders and the queen looks at the crown prince, helplessly.

She walks out, furious.

"We will be leaving early tomorrow morning. Be prepared." The general commands his soldiers.

"It's going to be bloody pirates. Not fantasies." The prince says, looking at a nervous soldier.

"I am not taking the jumpy ones." General announces with a poker face, looking at his soldiers, who look uneasy thinking they actually are going to fight mermaids with magical powers. And even if that was the case, he had prepared them for the worst and not to see them getting all worked up because of some rumor.