"Be careful, brother", Leonore told his brother before following the king and the princess.
Reagan's blank, emerald eyes turned to glance at Aletta and noticed instantly that she looked a little pale and apprehensive. "You're scared"
"I'm not", Aletta immediately retorted. "I'm...not a good swimmer is all."
Reagan's eyes sized her up. He noticed the fresh cut he had given her just that morning...he noticed how fast it was healing.
"Then stay on board. We don't want you drowning", he replied.
Aletta pursed her lips. The offer was tempting. She really didn't want to be submerged completely in the water. Just being knee deep in the water had her almost hyperventilating.
"I...I'm the queen's escort," she said, taking a deep, steady breath. "I go wherever she goes, it's not an option for me. I will be fine."
Reagan sighed. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.
He looked around, his eyes searching for something, and when he found it, he went to pick it up.
Aletta watched him suspiciously. She saw him pick up a green, snake-like vine and tie it around his wrist tightly.
"What are you doing?," she asked when he offered the other end of the vine to her.
"You won't be of any use to me or the queen if you're dead", Reagan spoke. "Tie this around your wrist."
Aletta shook her head in refusal instantly. "I don't need-"
"It's either this or you hold my hand," Reagan cut her off firmly, saying. "The vine is very strong. It's strength is equivalent to chains...but unlike chains, it's very light so it won't drag you down. Believe it or not, the current of the water won't affect it either."
Aletta sighed deeply before receiving the other end of the vine.
Once she had it tightly wrapped around her wrist, Reagan suddenly yanked on it.
Aletta was pulled towards him and she stumbled forward, almost falling into his arms. But Reagan caught her in time.
Aletta reddened. "How dare you!"
Reagan tilted his head to the side, gazing at her blankly. "I was only making sure you tied it properly."
Aletta glared at him, annoyed by the blank expression on his face. She couldn't tell if he toyed with her on purpose or unintentionally.
She opened her mouth to scold him but abruptly remembered the way he had mercilessly had her spar with him earlier this morning.
He was formidable and significantly stronger than she was.
He had ended up giving her a few sword wounds. It was nothing too serious but it wasn't something Aletta wanted to re-have.
She shut her mouth, afraid that he would bring out his sword and kill her if she said one word wrong.
"Let's get going," Aletta said, pulling herself away from Reagan's hands, which had previously rested firmly on her shoulders.
Reagan nodded. "Let's go."
⚓⚓⚓ ⚓⚓⚓
Aletta's hand stubbornly remained tightly gripping Reagan's shirt. But Reagan didn't mind it. He merely ignored it.
The sight was beautiful, nothing Aletta hadn't seen before...she was familiar with it after all.
The beauty of the sea would never leave her mind. It was imprinted in her memories, the same way that fateful day was imprinted in her memories.
It was a beautiful memory, yet it broke her heart every time she thought about it.
"Reagan, do you go underwater often?," Aletta tried make conversation, desperate to push her memories of that day to the back of her mind again, back into the dark.
"More often than most," came Reagan's casual reply.
"Have you ever...drowned before?," Aletta asked.
Reagan nodded. "When i was younger."
Aletta frowned. She hadn't expected that answer. It almost seemed unbelievable, that Reagan could actually drown. "You were learning to swim?"
She didn't know why she was prying. She wanted to stop, but her curiosity was piqued.
"No. I was thrown in. My brother jumped in to save me," Reagan replied.
Aletta turned to look at him, her brows knitted together, wondering why Reagan didn't seem affected by what was coming out of his mouth.
"Really? By who? Why?"
"My mother," Reagan replied, nonchalantly. "She didn't want any of us. We weren't planned. But i was sick as a child and was of no use to her. We were poor, barely surviving off the scraps that fell from the rich's tables, so to save money, she tried to get rid of me."
Aletta's eyes widened in shock. Somehow, to her, it was far more upsetting that Reagan didn't look or sound like he cared.
He was his usual calm, collected self. His eyes were indifferent and he had a bored expression on his face.
"Was your mother caught? Was she punished?," she asked, prying further.
"Yes. She was sentenced to death," came Reagan's reply, a smile tugging at his lips. It was sadistic and amused. "By drowning."
A shiver ran down Aletta's spine. She shut her mouth, afraid to ask another question.
Thankfully, before she was enveloped in an awkward silence, Leonore yelled.
"Brother!," came his voice from afar. "Over here!"
Reagan and Aletta made their way to Leonore and Aletta's brows furrowed when she didn't see the king or princess.
"Where are the King and Queen?", Aletta questioned.
Leonore turned to look at her. His emerald eyes, unlike Reagan's, were anything but calm. They were excited and wild, unhinged even. It frightened Aletta enough that she subconsciously tightened her grip on Reagan's shirt.
"Guess," he chuckled playfully.
Aletta pursed her lips, a frown on her face.
It was no time to be joking. She smelled something foul and it gave her a rather anxious feeling.
Before she could retort however, Leonore turned back to look at his brother.
"I've found where the myriad weed is," he said, an excited grin on his face. "Like I'd suspected, the security around is tight."
Aletta's eyes widened. "Myriad weed? Why are you interested in myriad poison?"
Reagan spared her a glance. "We're preparing for tonight. Myriads are stronger than we'd like to admit. Their only weakness is the weed."