She felt something clammy on her tail and shrieked. Uh, mentally. Artur let go of her and swam up beside her.

What ails you, Little Rika?

How did you get behind me? Oh, forget it. This. THIS ails me. She clawed at her hair. Yeeesh!

Our mother, our home? How can you be more comfortable in a sterile inland pool?

Two words: no seaweed.

Little Rika, you never cease to amaze. Or amuse. Ah! Nice to have room to breathe again.

Yeah, it’s swell.

They swam together close to the bottom, avoiding the thousands of boats and ships that had turned the harbor into a saltwater highway.

I do not deny I have often wondered what it would be like to dance in the waves with you.

Was that—? It was! She snatched the clot of seaweed out of her way and threw it as hard as she could which, fifteen feet under water, wasn’t very.

Ick! Ick!

I admit, this is different from what I imagined.

Shut up. How could you “often wonder” anything? You haven’t even been here three days yet.

My father knew his queen at once.

Bully for him. That doesn’t have anything to do with me.

It could.

She chose to ignore that absurd statement and they swam in silence for a while. She swam ahead in a quick circle, then came back.

I don’t smell anything so far. I mean, it’s busy, you can tell it’s the harbor and not the middle of the Caspian Sea, it’s not exactly pure, but I’m not getting anything unusual.

The water here is not as fresh as I would like, but you are correct; neither is it poisoned. It may take us time to find the source. However will we pass the time?

Don’t get any nutty ideas, Prince Grabby.

I cannot help it, Little Rika. Seeing you in your true element, your true form, with no interference from arrogant bipeds…

You’ve got nerve, calling anybody arrogant. She stopped swimming and he nearly banged into her. They bobbed together for a moment and she told him, When I have legs, that’s my true form, too, Artur. Half ‘n half, except not as creamy. Er, that could have sounded sexier.

He put his arms around her and kissed her gently, nothing at all like the bruising, possessive kiss from earlier. Perhaps because he didn’t feel he had anything to prove in the water? Away from Thomas?

She let him. What the hell. She deserved a treat after the stressful week she’d had. And kissing Artur, no doubt about it, was a treat. She felt positively tiny in his arms, cradled, protected. She had the feeling that he could handle whatever problem came up: a great white, a sarcastic barracuda.

Ah, Rika, my Rika.

Shut up. More kissing.

He chuckled and obeyed, snuggling her into his embrace. At least he didn’t point out that, this way at least, they could chat about current events the entire time they were making out and never miss a smooch.