The Rules Keeping Us Apart

Finn Indigo

I'm tired of the diplomacy.

I think it's pretty clear that no matter what we do, people will always find a reason to hate us. There's nothing for me here anymore. Not even Alaric.

I leaned on the railing, looking at the moon over the water. I heard the door open behind me.

Speaking of Alaric...he paced over to the railing and stood beside me, gazing out at the moon.

Every second of silence layered on me until I thought my back would break. Finally, I just growled, "Go on, say it."

I waited. I hated to admit it, but I was fucking anxious. Since when did I care what someone had to say about me? Since Alaric, I thought before telling myself to just shut up.

"You're so pretty," Alaric started. "Your red hair and ruby eyes. It drives me crazy that I can't touch your hair all the time. Or kiss you." He cleared his throat and looked away. "Well...I mean, it makes sense. Aren't Sirens supposed to be 'intoxicatingly beautiful' or something?" He made air quotes.

"What? You know that's not what I meant." I said, trying desperately to hide my blush.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Alaric replied, infuriatingly calm. "If you're waiting for me to say that I hate you, you might be waiting for a long time."

I groaned. "But why?"

Alaric used his hand to cover a little smile. "Well, clearly someone has an awful memory. Literally yesterday you asked me what I would think if you were merfolk. Don't you remember my answer? I said that it wouldn't change the way I looked at you. That my knowledge would change, not you. You aren't suddenly a whole different person."

"So aren't you mad I didn't tell you?"

Alaric looked at the door. "I dunno, we didn't react so well... so I get where you're logic came from. Plus, in a way you did tell me, what with that oddly specific question yesterday. I kinda suspected since you asked me that, but I didn't say anything."

"So-"

Alaric cut me off by standing on his tiptoes to kiss me. I wrapped an arm around him to steady him and put the other hand in his soft hair. I felt him smile against my lips. When he pulled away, he hugged me tight and rested his head on my shoulder. "Oh my stars, Finn, enough with the questions! I really like you and that's that, okay? Stop being annoying for just five minutes."

"O-okay."

"Now let's go back inside."

"Okay."

He opened the door.

"And don't forget," he said softly. "Be honest. I can say for sure that one person will always be by your side."

We went inside.

***

When Fire and I finished telling the events that brought us here, the table was silent.

Solara spoke up. "I don't get it. You came all the way up here to save August and now you're leaving without him?"

"What can we do?" asked Fire helplessly. "Our best bet was the labyrinth, and that was just dumb luck that actually got us to our destination!"

Cas snapped his fingers. "Oh! We never did get to use Aether as bait. It's worth a shot."

"Uh-" Alaric said.

"We can get the pirates where we want them! Even out the playing field a little." Cas continued, oblivious to the uncomfortable silence weighing down the air.

Melody cleared her throat. "That's not going to work."

"Be reasonable," Alaric said, shaking his head. "Aether wants nothing to do with this."

Darius cut in desperately, "But it's not about August, it's about Aether's country! He can't be content with living like this forever out of spite! Right?"

"I don't know," Spring muttered darkly. "Spite can carry people a long way."

"We can ask him," Hazel said sarcastically.

Melody broke into a lopsided smile. "Not a great idea."

Hazel sighed. "Now what? Fire and Finn and Coral are ready to leave, Spring and Darius too. Aether is inconsolable with either grief or rage, and without him, we haven't got half a plan."

Fire heaved a sigh. "This looks bleak enough without me leaving. I guess I can stay."

Melody perked up. "Really?"

Fire nodded.

I crossed my arms and set my face into a scowl. What a mess. "I guess I can stay too," I said quickly. Alaric interlaced our fingers under the table and gave my hand a squeeze.

My mother blinked at me and then grinned. She didn't announce she was staying- she didn't have to.

Spring sat down heavily and lay her head against the table. "Well, I'm not leaving my son, unlike some people!" If Aether heard her raise her voice, he didn't answer.

"Fire," Cas began. "Do you think you could ask the merfolk for help?"

Fire rolled her eyes. "Wow, why don't you ask the landfolk army for help while I'm at it? 'Let's go save the merfolk you hate so much!'"

"The landfolk army would never agree, they hate your ki- oh."

"We just storm the palace!" I said, kicking a chair.

"What a suicide mission!" Hazel replied.

I threw up my hands. "Either way we're going to be miserable! Might as well go out in some kind of blaze of glory! Might as well try!"

There was a quiet, bitter chuckle. The room fell painfully silent as Alaric lifted his head to look me in the eyes. "Trying? Is it called trying if you expect to die?"

"Uh-"

"Is that what's it about? A blaze of glory, that was how you put it. You want to die a hero, is that your only plan?"

"You know that's not-"

"Only a little while before you showed up, I asked to be 'sent a star, the nicest one they had. Someone to be my... friend.'" There was a strain on the word 'friend'. Alaric laughed bitterly again, and I didn't like it. When Alaric wasn't bubbly and bright, it was unsettling. "They sent me you. Angry, mean, irritable. Now you're acting selfishly too?"

What could I say to that? "I'm not-"

"'You're not,' that's all you've been saying! You're not selfish? Then what good are you dead? What good to us? What good to your mother? What good...to me?"

"Alaric..."

"Only someone horrible, someone who's a monster, would leave me under circumstances like this, and call it trying." A long pause. He looked like he might cry. "Prove to me you're not that."

Oh, my stars. Those were my words from the dungeon. He was totally taking credit for my poetic brilliance and we would be discussing it later.

Hazel coughed into her fist, and we both jumped. "OKAY GUYS," she said loudly, to drive the point home. "If we're done with..." she waved her hand in our general direction. "...this. Can we discuss a plan that does not involve leading an impossible mission?"

Solara bumped her arm. "Stop it, Hazel, they're having a moment."

"Moment's over," I said with as much ice as I could muster. "Fine, whatever. A real plan."

Fire nodded approvingly. "We need bait, right? I have an idea, but a lot of cunning will have to be involved. A lot of things will have to go right. It's a long shot but...it's still a chance."

"Let's hear it," Spring urged.

She explained.