Days passed. The man would struggle for a few hours and pass out. His eyes would flare red and fade to blue, slower and slower. The red was getting less and less vibrant. She could tell his stamina was depleting much faster than he was replenishing it. Which was to say he wasn't replenishing himself.

Lucia sat against a damp wall. She could feel the moisture slowly seeping into the thick cloak and dress beneath. She sat there in silence, watching the man. He was struggling again. He fought the ropes. It almost made Lucia feel bad. She only wanted to help him get better so he could be on his merry way. With all the struggling he did, she knew there had to be bruises forming under his wet shirt sleeves. His eyes glared through the darkness a muddy red. She tried to get him to stop on many occasions, but it got nowhere.

“Are you hungry?” Lucia asked. Her voice made the man jump and momentarily stop struggling.

“Are you going to untie me?” He asked.

“No.”

“Then no,” he said. He continued his feeble struggle.

She’d noticed he was less hostile toward her. He now seemed more angry at the situation as a whole. But it was hard to deny he was in a tough situation.

Lucia sighed, “Will you at least tell me your name then? Maybe if I saw you as less of a threat, I could untie you.”

He took a slow, deep breath, causing his eyes to shift to his calm blue.

“Now, why would I do that? If I tell you my name, you still have the upper hand. If you untie me, you still, technically, have the upper hand with the fact you can still see for some reason… and you could poison my food.”

“I told you my name, didn't I? Doesn't that mean something?”

“Ok, Lucia,” He started to struggle methodically as if he was feeling for any weak point. “Imagine my situation. I’m in a strange land, in a dark cave. You seem to be very comfortable. You can see. I have no idea where I am. I’m alone. If you do let me go, like you say, how do I know you won't follow me? Who's to say you won't hunt me like some twisted game? Your Father’s truly a deranged man.”

Lucia felt a small flicker of anger with his last sentence. “He is not deranged!”

“Whatever!” He said. “Let's just agree to disagree.”

Lucia paused, her anger completely fading away. Agree to disagree? What an odd statement, but it made sense.

“I like that phrase,” She said. “Is it from your country?”

He stopped struggling and looked in her vicinity, one eyebrow raised. His eyes were full of confusion. “What?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“What do you mean you ‘like the phrase?’”

She didn’t like his tone. “It’s just a funny phrase, ok. I’ve… never heard it before.”

What came next completely astounded her. The man started to laugh, to actually laugh, not just a little chuckle but a full belly laugh. The ropes held him fast to the rock. He would’ve been rolling on the ground if the stone pillar hadn't been there.

“Have you truly never heard that saying?” He laughed.

Lucia felt her irritation rising, “No, I have never heard it before! Do you really have to laugh at me?”

“How could I not?!” His laugh carried down the long cavern. “It was such an innocent compliment.”

She huffed loudly, “Well, excuse me if I had a more sheltered upbringing.”

His laughter slowed, “I have no idea what kind of an upbringing you received from the famed King Thalis. Especially if his own daughter doesn't even know the saying "to agree to disagree.’”

Lucia stood sharply, forgetting he couldn’t see her. “I am leaving. I won't sit here and have you laugh at me.”

With one last snort of disapproval, she stomped off. To her disappointment, each stomp of her foot only let out a squishing sound. It was far from the assertive air she wanted. His laughter trailed after her.

“What a…” she couldn't think of an insult to fit her annoyance. “Flat-faced blue tip!”

This made her feel better, and a sly smile crossed her lips. The image of a blue-tip fish danced in her mind. It's sideways, with slanted lips and askew eyes. She was satisfied with this insult.

She kept walking, eventually reaching the far end of the tunnel. The soft sound of waves rolling against rock was soothing. She kept on walking. The water tickled her toes at first, but as she kept walking, it engulfed her foot. As she walked, she felt the tepid water slowly hug her body. She didn’t care if she got her thick cloak wet. She had more, and this one was due for a washing anyway. It was bothersome how it weighed her down, but it was a subtle nuisance. She just wanted a swim to calm her down. Before fully submerging her head, she took a deep, slow breath.

She opened her eyes to a beautiful array of colors. The coral glowed its familiar deep purple while the swaying anemones slowly flashed their vibrant orange. Brightly colored fish swam past her in schools of color. It had to be almost sunset. The surface was far less vibrant than the sea bed.

The water was lovely this time of year. She felt peace. The open ocean was safe to her. Life swirled in every direction. Living, breathing, life. Her loneliness between Father's visits was suffocating. Alone in the dark cave with only algae to break the complete darkness. Here, she wasn't alone. A fish the size of her palm brushed across her exposed ankle, making her laugh, and swam away at full speed. Her hair floated softly around her face. Its blue hue almost blended in with the water around her.

It’d been almost a whole week since she had visited the ocean, the same time the man had arrived. Him staying with her had helped stave off the loneliness. He hadn’t been much company, but it was still nice.

Her keen eyes searched the ocean floor for any sign of a net or line. It wasn’t long before she spotted a stray fishing net. The interwoven ropes tangled to a dead spot of jagged coral. Inside were three dead fish. She reached in and grabbed one. It had to have only died that morning, but it was still good to eat. The others were the same. She did this often. She would find dead and stuck fish that the fishermen could not draw up with each visit. She didn’t have the heart to kill them herself. She stuffed them deep into her pockets.

She looked up. There was no sign of any light. Content that it had to have been well past sunset at this point, she swam for the surface. She felt her lungs tighten, informing her of their dwindling oxygen supply. She hadn’t thought 15 minutes had passed, but it must have. With her webbed hands leading the way, reaching the water's surface took a few short minutes. Lucia took in a deep breath. The air was warm and clean. It didn’t smell like the air in her caves, which seemed more humid and musty. She felt pangs of guilt as she looked up at the castle walls. Father would be angry with her if he knew she visited the outer walls. There was a chance of someone spotting her, but it was dark, and she stayed low to the ocean surface.

Soft laughter touched her ears: Happy people living their comfortable lives. She wished just to see what it was like for them. To live and breathe in the open air. Father told her they loved her, but she wanted to see it. But this was always an impossibility.

She slowly sank below the smooth waves, watching the stone wall as she went. The sound faded to nothing as she fell. The soft glow below welcomed her home, soothing the emptiness away. Lucia turned to swim the way home. She had been gone long enough to clear her head. She would apologize to the man. He wasn't trying to be mean, probably. Through all the anger he had for Father, she hadn’t felt any of it directed at her.

She reached the tunnel opening and slowly walked up the rocky incline. As she emerged from the water, gravity slowly pulled her down again. With every step, she felt heavier and heavier. Her wet clothes stuck to her slender frame. She checked her pockets to find the same three fish. With a confident stride, she walked back down the tunnel. She would first check on the man, who was most likely passed out. He struggled for less and less time these days. Then, she would have a quick bath and change into clean, dry clothes.

Lucia slowed as she walked into the room with the man. Her blood ran cold. The ropes lay limply on the ground where the man had bound. She backed up against the wall, her heart racing so fast she could hear it in her ears. Where was he?