Chapter Text
When Lance woke the next morning, Lance was pleased to find Keith lying beside him. He was on his side, facing Lance, one hand on Lance’s chest. Smiling, Lance lifted Keith’s hand and kissed the back of it. He watched Keith calmly breathing, still asleep. While he’d been in Keith’s castle, he had watched Keith from a distance. Now, he could do it right here, right next to him, and his heart no longer ached. It was full of love and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out.
Keith was beautiful. His hair fell across the pillow; it was getting longer and Lance wanted to show him how he could braid it. For now, Keith always wore it in a long tail which he must have taken out when he lay down beside Lance. Fascinated with it, Lance ran his fingers through it, gently teasing out any tugs that obstructed him. Keith’s hair was soft and Lance raised the strands to his lips, kissing them.
With Keith’s eyes closed, Lance could now see that Keith’s eyelashes were long and thick, dark under his eyelids. Lance trailed his fingers on Keith’s cheek, wondering at how he had managed to get his happy ending. Well, almost. They had to stop whatever was happening and get Keith’s annulment before they could have their happily ever after.
Lance ran a thumb over Keith’s bottom lip, thinking. Once they were married, he wondered how it would work. Would he find another sea witch to give him legs? Or would Keith sacrifice his life and the chance to see his brother once more to become a merman with Lance? Was there a way to get the best of both worlds? Lance’s parents didn’t seem to like the idea of him being with humans and he doubted that Keith’s parents would be approving of his relationship with Lance. He frowned. Was he deceiving himself about their happily ever after?
Suddenly, Keith kissed at Lance’s thumb and he shook away his thoughts, watching as Keith’s eyes fluttered open. Lance gave him a weak smile, still worried, and Keith reached up to grip Lance’s wrist. “What’s wrong?” he murmured, voice husky from sleep. “What are you thinking about?”
“It’s nothing,” Lance whispered. “Go back to sleep.”
Keith shook his head. “If you’re awake, I want to be, too.” And he reached for Lance who moved closer.
They fell easily into their kiss, as if they had been kissing forever. Lance felt his worries dissipate as he pressed his lips more firmly against his lover’s. Keith’s arms wrapped around Lance’s waist and Lance could feel his fingers trailing circles there. He felt warm and safe.
A knock on the door made them pull apart, both of them pouting at the interruption. “Who is it?” Keith called.
“It’s me, your loving wife,” Allura said, teasingly.
Rolling his eyes, Keith said, “Come in.”
The door opened and Allura entered, followed closely by Thace. He shut the door behind them quickly, clearly trying to prevent anyone from seeing Lance. Allura had a tray in her hand, filled with breakfast foods: smoked fish; berries and cream; fresh bread slathered with butter; sausages packed with pork and herbs; eggs that had been hard boiled and sliced; two oranges, peeled and ready to eat. There was even a pot of tea in the middle, steam wafting up from it. The delicious smells were mouth-watering; both Lance and Keith’s stomachs grumbled and Allura was quick to set the tray down for them.
“Anything to report?” Keith asked, all business as they began to pick at the food.
“Just more ocean, Your Highness,” said Thace. “The captain is getting antsy - he believes we should be turning to head to where your mother expects you to be heading. So far, he’s agreed to continue on our current heading, but it would be best to speak with him.”
“Where are we heading?” Lance asked around a mouthful of haddock.
“Daibazaal,” Keith explained. “That’s the last place Shiro was supposed to be. He was on a diplomatic mission, but King Zarkon sent word that Shiro never arrived. His ship was found just off the coast, heavily damaged and with only half the crew. None of them could remember anything.”
“Yes, it’s not just Shiro that we need to find,” Allura told him. “Pidge was on that ship, and she’s a good friend of Keith.”
“And Hunk,” Keith added. “He’s a friend of hers and they’re very clever. I’m sure they’ll be together. In fact, I’m sure that they followed Shiro to wherever he disappeared to.”
“Alright,” said Lance. “So we’re looking for something between here and Daibazaal, then?”
“Yes,” said Thace, “but we won’t get anywhere if the captain decides to turn the ship.”
“We’ll have to bring him in on where we’re going,” Keith decided. He looked at Lance who smiled at him, bemused at the frown on Keith’s face. “We may need to tell the captain about Lance, too.”
“Is that a good idea?” Thace asked, worriedly. “We don’t know how he’ll react.”
“Why does he need to know?” Lance asked, frowning now. “We’ve kept it from him so far.”
“Well… It’s just…” Keith reached out to Lance and ran a hand down Lance’s tail. Lance gasped in surprise, then yelped. Looking down, he realised that his tail was drier than it had ever been. He poked at it and felt pain shoot along it, much like the pain from walking.
“Ow! What-?”
“You’re drying out, Lance,” said Keith. “You can’t stay out of the sea for long, and it must have been difficult to get back onto the ship. So, if you’re going to stay on the ship for long periods of time, we’ll need to haul up some salt water so that you don’t dry out. It’ll be difficult to do that without anyone seeing and asking what we’re doing.”
“Oh,” said Lance, pleased that Keith was thinking of him.
“We might need to let everyone see Lance,” Keith added, distractedly gazing back at Lance.
“That’s good, in one sense,” Thace agreed. “Some of the others have been worried that they haven’t seen Lance since the wedding. Though, most of them are assuming that he’s heartbroken.”
Keith blinked. “Wait. They know?”
“Of course they do, Keith,” Allura said, shaking her head. “It was very obvious.”
“Oh.”
After a moment of contemplation, Allura said, “I think we should tell the captain first. While our retinue is familiar with Lance, the sailors are not. I don’t think they’d be happy with having a merperson on board.”
“Why not?” Lance asked curiously, as he munched on some bread.
“Ah, well…” said Allura, looking uncomfortable.
“It’s considered unlucky,” Thace said, gently.
Keith frowned at them. “Don’t listen to them. There are stories of mermaids dragging sailors to their deaths so the sailors will be scared of you.”
“Oh, they don’t need to be worried about that,” Lance said, earnestly. “We’re not allowed up to the surface. It’s, like, a rule. Maybe a law…?”
“Then, um… How did you get here?” Thace asked.
“I was bored,” Lance explained. “My siblings were all settling down, and I didn’t have anyone. I hadn’t met Keith, of course.” Lance turned to press a kiss to Keith’s cheek. Keith blushed and it was delightful, but Lance turned his attention back to the others. “I had to save his life and then I watched him from a distance.”
“You did?” Keith frowned at that. “How?”
“With the Seeing Orb,” Lance explained. “It lets the Royals make sure no-one is going to attack us. Humans have a lot of terrible weapons that could destroy all of us, so we keep a watch over their movements. I was able to watch Keith. I wanted to know more about him.”
Keith seemed thoughtful. “I thought I could feel eyes on me, before I found you on the beach.”
Lance grimaced. “I’m sorry. But I had no other way of getting to know you, not when you were on land. Though… I didn’t really get to know you until I met you properly.”
That made Keith smile. “I’m glad that we got to know each other together. Even if…” Keith grimaced. “Even if the last few months were painful…”
There was a brief pause. “Well,” said Allura, clasping her hands together. “It seems as if the sailors need not worry, after all.”
“That will not assuage their suspicions,” Thace told them. “We will have to be careful, and some of our retinue will have to guard Lance. If we were to leave him alone, the sailors could try to attack him.”
Lance recoiled. “They- What? But… All they would need to do is throw me overboard to get rid of me. Surely I’ll be fine?”
Thace shook his head. “They will be aware that throwing you overboard will do nothing. They might try to kill you instead.”
Terrified, Lance grasped at Keith who pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Lance’s waist and putting his chin on Lance’s shoulder. “I won’t let them,” he murmured to Lance. “You’ll be safe.”
“But why would they do that? They’ll see that I mean them no harm, so why would they…?”
“People’s prejudices can often blind them to the truth,” Allura said, sagely. “Thace is right. You could be in real danger.”
“Then, do we really need to tell them,” Lance asked, fearfully.
“Lance,” said Keith. He reached up and turned Lance’s head with his fingertips on Lance’s chin. Lance found himself gazing into Keith’s eyes, consumed by the swirl of blue and purple. “I will keep you safe. I won’t let them hurt you. No-one’s going to hurt you ever again.” And Keith kissed Lance firmly, sealing his promise with a breathtaking kiss.
Thace cleared his throat and they parted. Lance continued to stare at Keith with hooded eyes, unable to look away. Keith’s cheeks were red, but he was calm as he turned back to his wife and advisor. “That is all very well,” Thace said, “but we should be prepared.”
Keith nodded. “Very well. We will bring the captain here so that we can have a conversation. Then we will take Lance on deck and get some water on him.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Thace said. He bowed and left to find the captain.
Allura turned to them. “Once we tell the captain and his crew, we will have to trust them to get us to where we’re going,” she commented. “Do you think that’s a good idea? We don’t know if any of them hail from Daibazaal.”
“We’ll take the chance, but keep our eyes open,” Keith told her. “Don’t worry,” he added, addressing both Lance and Allura. “We will find our answers. I’m sure of it. I can feel it.”
Once Allura had left and they’d finished eating, Lance had curled up next to Keith. To stave off Lance’s dryness, Keith poured the cold tea over him. It was somewhat of a relief, but Lance felt a little unclean afterwards. Still, he snuggled into Keith’s side and sighed, happily.
After a while of peaceful quiet, Lance sighed again, this time heavily. “I wish we didn’t have any troubles. That we could stay like this forever.”
Keith kissed Lance’s head. “Yes. I love you, Lance. Don’t forget that, no matter what happens.”
“I won’t,” Lance promised. “And I love you. I’ve always loved you. Don’t forget that, either.”
His nice pillow - Keith’s chest - shifted a little and Lance pushed himself upright to look at him. Keith was smiling at him, and Lance gazed back, his heart bursting with love. They leaned in at the same time and kissed again. Lance couldn’t get enough of kissing Keith. He would never stop. Nothing and no-one could make him stop.
Yet again, there was a knock at the door. Lance pulled away and huffed, annoyed. “When this is all settled, we need to find somewhere without doors,” he grumbled.
Keith laughed, a lovely, sweet sound. Lance gazed at him in awe and traced his lips with his fingers. Catching his hand, Keith turned it to press a kiss to Lance’s palm. “Patience, darling,” he murmured, and the pet name sent shivers along Lance’s tail. He flapped it and smiled at Keith. “Ready?” Keith asked.
“Yes.”
“Then…” Keith turned to the door and called, “Come in!”
The door opened and Allura came in, followed by the captain and then Thace. As he walked in, the captain said, “I don’t appreciate you summoning me-” He stopped when he spotted Lance and froze where he was.
“Good morning, Captain,” said Keith. “I am bringing you into our confidence. Do not let that be a mistake.”
“What…? What is this?” The captain’s lip curled in disgust, his gaze focussed entirely on Lance. Unnerved, Lance shrank back from him. Keith pulled Lance into his side.
“First,” said Keith. “This is Lance. He was at the wedding. I believe you spoke to him briefly before you realised he had no voice.”
“Indeed.”
“Well, as it transpires, there was magic involved. Magic, which has returned Lance to his original form as well as returned his voice to him. He is a prince of his realm, and he will be treated accordingly.”
“It’s a mermaid!” the captain snarled.
“I’m a merman, actually,” Lance pointed out, growing annoyed with the man. He hadn’t seemed this horrible when they’d first met. Lance had forgotten his name because he’d been preoccupied, but he’d been comforting when he greeted Lance, had even given him a one-armed hug when he’d noticed that Lance was staring at Keith. Now, the man was grating on his nerves.
“It should be killed,” the captain snapped.
“Captain Swan!” Thace barked. “Have some respect!”
“You will not harm him,” Keith told him, firmly. “If anything happens to Lance, I will have you tried for treason and killed.”
“Keith!” Lance exclaimed, worriedly. “Don’t!”
“He would deserve it,” Keith growled.
“It’s very sweet that you would do that, but please don’t blame him. He’s obviously had bad teachers.”
“Are you saying that my mother is at fault, beast?” demanded the captain.
“If she has taught you to be prejudiced against my people, then yes,” said Lance, calmly. “I have not harmed anyone on board.”
“You have obviously ensnared the prince with… with your- wiles!”
“Captain Swan,” Allura interjected. “I suggest that you take a deep breath and calm yourself. You are not thinking clearly.”
“I’m not thinking clearly?” the captain demanded.
“Captain,” said Thace, his tone a firm warning. “Do as you have been asked.”
Still furious, the captain took several deep breaths, his eyes closed. Eventually, his face relaxed and he opened his eyes. “Look, as much as I can accept that this creature hasn’t harmed anyone - yet - the fact is that mermaids are dangerous, Your Highness. They can lure you in.”
“Lance is important to me,” Keith told the captain. “You will treat him with respect. Besides, when was the last time that you heard of a merperson dragging someone off of a ship?”
“Only weeks ago,” the captain said, smugly.
Heart sinking, Lance said, “It’s already happening.” He turned to Keith, desperate. “Humans are blaming mer for the disappearances, when someone else is at fault.”
“What?” Captain Swan’s ire seemed to be receding. “What does it mean?”
“He,” said Keith, pointedly, “means that we believe that someone is kidnapping merpeople as well as humans. Someone wants us to blame each other and start a war. Who knows what would happen to the world if that was allowed to happen.”
Captain Swan shook his head. “But who would want that?”
“The sea witch has something to do with it, I think,” Lance explained. “But I don’t think we’ll know for sure until we find the people who have gone missing. Which is where you come in?”
“Me?”
“We’re headed towards Daibazaal because my brother disappeared somewhere along the route,” Keith told Swan. “We need you to continue on that course so that we can stop what’s coming and so that we can find the missing people, including the Crown Prince. We also need to keep Lance hydrated, so we will need to draw up buckets of seawater for when he is staying on board.”
The captain’s lips twitched before it pulled down into a frown. “Do the King and Queen know of this quest?”
“No,” admitted Keith. “But I hope to return with Shiro and surprise them.”
For a moment, Captain Swan looked between Lance and Keith. “And you want me to lie to my crew so that you can get there in peace?”
“No,” said Allura, gently. “We wanted you to be the first to know before we revealed Lance to the crew. And, hopefully, you can break the news to your crew about why we have changed the destination.”
Still frowning, the captain rubbed at his neck. “I’m not sure how they’ll react to the mermaid.”
“Merman,” Lance corrected him.
“I doubt that it will be a smooth transition,” Swan continued, ignoring Lance.
“That is why we wanted you to tell them first,” Allura informed him. “If your crew are rebellious, we can ask those in our retinue to help in place of them. They all know how to sail and will be a valuable asset.”
“So they have to accept it or they’ll be thrown overboard?” the captain said, suspicious again. “To the mermaids?”
“Of course not!” Allura exclaimed. “They will be put in the cells that are on the ship for this very purpose.”
They all fell silent, everyone watching the captain. Swan looked between them all before landing an irritated gaze on Lance. “Fine,” he said. “They won’t believe me, so you’d best be on deck at some point today.”
“We’ll come up around the time that you announce it,” Keith told him. “It will take me a while to carry him up the stairs.”
Nodding, Captain Swan headed to the door. He paused there and turned back to bow to them. “Your Highnesses,” he said, his gaze once again finding Lance with a displeased expression.
Once the door was closed, Thace said, “That could have gone worse, I suppose.”
Lance didn’t see how it could.
Later, Keith stood at the end of the bed, dressed in fresh clothing. Lance sat in front of him, his tail curled in to give Keith room to be close to Lance. He smiled up at Keith. “You look handsome,” he told Keith.
Smiling shyly, Keith absentmindedly nodded. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yeah. My parents are not going to be pleased about this, though. We’re meant to stay a secret.”
“Maybe,” Keith said, “after this, you won’t need to hide.”
“I doubt it,” Lance said. “Maybe not to your kingdom, but I think the rest of the world will need to be kept in the dark. There was too much killing the first time around.”
“Well, this can be a test, to see how humans react.” Keith hauled Lance up into his arms again. Lance snuggled in and pressed kisses to Keith’s jaw and neck. After a moment, Keith groaned. “Stop that. It’s very distracting.”
Lance giggled and pressed his lips to Keith’s neck one final time. Instead, he gazed at Keith’s confident expression as he made his way out of the room and up the stairs to the deck. The sea was calm today, as if it knew the gravitas of the situation. When they reached the deck, Lance could see the sun high in the sky, clouds dancing around it. The crew were gathered on the deck, looking quite perplexed at whatever the captain was saying.
Then they spotted Lance.
“A mermaid!”
“We’re doomed!”
“A curse - a curse is upon us!”
“Kill it!”
“Throw it overboard!”
“That won’t work, Julian, don’t be daft.”
“I still want it off the ship!”
“Maybe the kraken will come for revenge if we kill it! The kraken… We’re all going to die!”
Lance rolled his eyes. Keith held him tighter, clearly worried as the sailors backed away - or moved closer with weapons in hand. Trying to reassure him, Lance petted Keith’s head. They leaned into each other, keeping an eye on all the sailors. Lance noted that those in the palace’s retinue looked shocked, but were otherwise calm.
“Enough!” Captain Swan finally shouted. “That’s enough! I know you’re all worried, but the mermaid- mer man was on our ship as a human before. It- He’s not going to kill us.”
“How was he a human?” demanded one of the sailors.
“I asked the sea witch for legs,” Lance told him.
All of the assembled people gasped. “It can talk ,” said another sailor.
“I got my voice back, too,” he explained. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here… for love.” He tilted his head to rest against Keith. His love’s fingers dug into his waist in response, holding him close. “And I’m here to help find the missing people. Some of my friends have been taken, too.”
Keith stepped forward. “Prince Lance is to be treated with respect. He is here at my behest. Do not harm him, or I will be forced to try you for treason.”
“He’s not our prince,” pointed out one of the retinue, a man called James.
“For all intents and purposes, he is,” Keith retorted, glaring at James.
No-one else voiced their opinion after that, but there were mutterings and dirty looks. Clearly, none of them were convinced that Lance meant them no harm. Lance didn’t know what else he could do to convince them.
“We are heading to Daibazaal,” Allura declared at that point, apparently deciding to steer the conversation away from Lance and his nature. “That is where the Crown Prince was going when he disappeared. If any of you have heard anything about the disappearances - other than merpeople being behind it - then I implore you to come forward. We need all the information that we can get, as we know very little.”
The crew continued to mutter to each other for a moment. Many of them kept sending displeased glances at Lance. He watched them back, meeting their eyes when they looked his way. Eventually, a young sailor stepped forward. “I heard something, several weeks ago. A ship had been sailing away from Daibazaal when they entered a fog. Their lookout had disappeared by the time that they had gotten out of the fog, but some of the crew remembered hearing him saying ‘land ho’.”
“Land? Near Daibazaal?” said Captain Swan. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Perhaps the fog was magical,” Allura suggested. “An island that has been obscured and is hard to find… I expect that that is where our missing people are.”
“But how will we find a hidden island?” the captain asked, looking annoyed.
“We will figure that out,” said Keith. “Just get us close to Daibazaal and we will do the rest.”
Resigned to this plan, Captain Swan turned to his crew. “You heard the prince! Get to work. It’s going to be a long voyage…” Captain Swan glared at Lance and then swept away.
As the crowd slowly dispersed - still staring at Lance - he turned his head to look at Keith. “Do you think we’ll be safe to move around the ship, now?”
“I hope so,” Keith said, though he was watching all of the sailors warily. “Come on. Let’s get you wet again.”