Blunt

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"Wake up!" Wesley jolted awake when a heap of something landed on his chest. His eyes shot open to see a narrowed set of lavender eyes, but not the ones he was used to.

"Now please!" Andromeda shoved him a little when he only seemed capable of staring stupidly at her.

"Who is that?" Valentine asked sleepily, still curled up to his mate's side but much more alert with the strange woman in the room. "What's going on?"

"I'm your grandmother, boy," Andromeda placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look.

Valentine squinted at her, "No you're not. My grandmother is dead."

"Well I might as well be. I may only be your mother but you made me like this."

Valentine squinted at her, "Old?"

"Yes," she deadpanned. "Just a fortnight ago, I could still pass for my forties. Now I look like I'm on the edge of death all because you had to go and get yourself killed by the Kraken."

Valentine sucked in his lips as he sat up and watched the woman scurry about the cabin.

"I take it you didn't have any luck finding a cure?" Wesley asked, also sitting up.

"No, I did. It'll just take time to reverse the effects," she said while quickly braiding up her long hair. Then, without warning, she grabbed a knife that was laying on the table and started lopping off the silver strands.

Wesley slowly turned to look at Valentine with an expression that was equal parts worried and mortified.

"Get up," she instructed with the same urgency as before. Then she pointed at the satchel she'd thrown at Wesley's chest. "Grab some weapons and anything else you think you might need."

"Where are we going?" Wesley asked, more awake now as he slipped out of the cot.

"Aurelia," she said.

"I'm not ready," Valentine said almost immediately.

"I know, but you're not going to have much of a choice," she said to him before looking at Wesley. "Your friend is on his way with some people who are keen to arrest Valentine and send him to the gallows. If we don't leave for Aurelia now, they'll catch him and this will all have been for naught."

Wesley swore under his breath, running his hands through his hair and looking around the room. He had no idea what they would need subsurface. He took Andromeda's advice and grabbed a few knives but other than that, he really had nothing to go off of. Luckily Valentine seemed to have some better ideas as he stuffed some apples they'd recently purchased and some metal trinkets into the satchel and tied it up so they wouldn't fall out.

"Let's go," he said, slinging the bag over his naked chest.

"Is Aurelia really the best choice? Won't he be in danger there?" Wesley asked worriedly as he followed the two sirens out of the front door. Neither he nor Valentine had bothered getting dressed, since they'd be stripping and transforming once they were in the water anyway.

"Abyssal still doesn't know he's alive, so he'll be fine for now," she said, turning to her son to continue. "Besides, Calloway and the others want to meet you."

"Calloway?" Wesley was the one to ask as they trudged across the sandy beach.

"One of the leaders of our movement."

"Which is still motionless, I presume?" Valentine asked with a raised brow.

"Not for much longer," Andromeda said, the moonlight illuminating a crazy halo of silver hair around her head. The now short strands were sticking out in every direction, but Wesley supposed that it suited her regardless. She was chaotic and blunt, and now her hair was too.

The sound of horse hooves in the distance made Wesley turn his head. Through the trees, he could make out the glow of firelight.

"They're coming," he announced, knowing in his heart that Castor was in their ranks.

"Into the waves. Quickly," Andromeda instructed, ushering the pair forward.

They all quickly waded into the water, removing their clothing as they went. Valentine took a few of the garments and stuffed them into his satchel for the next time they needed legs.

Andromeda dove in first, quickly swimming out into deeper water. Before Valentine took his true form, he pressed his lips into Wesley's, giving him the magic he needed for the transformation. Then, he too was gone.

Wesley's change was slower than theirs, since he didn't have much practice. He gave himself gills first, submerging himself in the water up until his chin so he could get the hang of breathing. After that, he focused on his tail, all the while watching the torches swarm Andromeda's cottage, which had been like a second home to him since Valentine returned. A few of the men dismounted their horses and entered. They came back out moments later upon discovering it was empty.

"Wes!" he heard Castor's familiar voice call out. "Wesley! Where are you? I can help!"

His voice sounded strained and desperate.

"I know he's making you do this! Please just come out and we can fix it!"

Wesley furrowed his brows. Did Castor think Valentine was singing to him this whole time? That he was under a spell?

It would certainly explain his mood swings and his sudden protective nature over the vile pirate that killed his crew and kidnapped him on a whim.

Perhaps Castor believing that was for the best. It was certainly better for him than the truth: that his captain was a traitor that fell in love with the man that killed his friends.

Wesley nodded to himself slightly. It was for the best.

Noticing that his tail had fully replaced his legs now, Wesley slipped under the water. He knew his disappearance would trouble Castor but there was nothing he could do about it now.

There were bigger fish to fry.

And one of them just so happened to be the King of Aurelia.

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A/N

About time the plot thickens, eh?

What are your to three favorite TV shows on Netflix?

See you Saturday,
-Mora Montgomery

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