Kaelen returned a little while later, his hands clutched to his chest. Aria looked up from where she sat curled against the cold cave wall, her knees drawn tight to her chest. Tears still clung to her lashes, her face hot and puffy from crying. She barely noticed him at first, lost in the haze of her thoughts.

But when he swam closer, all the way to the edge of the pool, her instincts kicked in. Her swollen eyes met his, sharp and wary. He didn't speak at first, only watching her for a moment before something wet and slimy landed beside her with a loud, wet slap.

Aria let out a loud squeal, instinctively scrambling back in shock, her heart racing. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps as she pressed herself against the cave wall, fighting the urge to run even though there was nowhere to go. Only once she felt she was far enough away did she dare to look back at what he had thrown.

A fish.

She blinked staring at the poor creature as it flopped helplessly on the cave floor, gasping for air.

"Neal," Kaelen said, motioning to the fish. "Valor," he pointed to his mouth making a chewing motion and emitting a low exaggerated chewing noise. "Valor," he repeated, his voice firm, as if he thought she might not have understood the first time.

Aria gaped at him, mouth hanging open as she shifted her gaze between him and the fish. Was he serious? Did he actually expect her to eat that? Raw? The thought turned her stomach, and she shot a disgusted look at the fish, which was still struggling weakly. She could almost feel the slimy scales beneath her fingers before she even touched it, the thought making her gag.

Reluctantly, and still shaking with hesitation, she edged forward and picked up the fish with a grimace, ignoring the way it felt in her hands. From the corner of her eye, she caught Kaelen's expression - a small expectant smile playing on his lips, as if he were waiting for her to comply.

But instead of eating it, she tossed it into the pool with a swift flick of her wrist, watching with satisfaction as it disappeared beneath the water's surface.

For a heartbeat, everything was still.

Kaelen's eyes widened, a shadow flickering through his glowing blue irises. His expression darkened, the playful light from earlier vanishing. "Celestara Alaria, valor nael." His voice was colder now, more commanding as if her defiance had tested his patience. He paused for a beat, his eyes narrowing before he added, "selor."

Aria stared back at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She recognized some of the words now - 'nael' was fish, she was sure of it. 'Valor' must have mean eat. But 'selor'? That one she couldn't place. And what about the title 'Celestara,' that he kept calling her? The more he spoke, the more curious and frustrated she became.

Before she could say anything, Kaelen dove back underwater, vanishing into the depths. Aria's pulse spiked - was he leaving her again?

Her question was answered moments later when he resurfaced, another fish clutched in his hand, his eyes stormy. His movements were less graceful this time, more forceful as he swam toward her.

"Valor!" He growled, his sharp teeth flashing in the dim light as he mimicked the eating motion once more, his irritation evident. He held the fish out to her again, his gaze unyielding.

"No!" Aria's voice rang out, louder than he expected, her frustration and disgust giving her strength. She recoiled from the fish, her stomach turning. She could barely imagine eating it alive, let alone raw and slimy. Her anger flared for a moment, a vivid thought flashing through her mind - maybe she's filet him instead of the fish. But she bit back the impulse, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

Kaelen let out a low, frustrated huff, his eyes narrowing further as he studied her defiant stance. The tension between them thickened, the air in the cave growing heavy with their silent standoff.

Huffing again, he threw the fish her way, clearly hoping she'd give in this time. But Aria, without hesitation, grabbed the fish and tossed it right back into the water, meeting his gaze with a glare of her own. Her breath came faster now, and for the first time since she had arrived, she felt something other than fear - a spark of defiance, a flicker of control.

Kaelen blinked at her, a mix of confusion and annoyance flashing across his face. For a long, tense moment, he hovered there in the water, staring at her as if he was trying to figure out what to do next. But then, without another word, he turned and dove beneath the water. Disappearing into the inky depths.

Aria held her breath, waiting for him to resurface. But seconds passed. Then minutes. And still, there was no sign of him. Her heart pounded harder with each passing second. Was he really gone? This time for good? Her pulse throbbed in her ears, torn between a strange relief and the familiar gnawing fear that clawed at her chest.

Time dragged on, and eventually, the cave fell eerily silent, save for the occasional drip of water echoing through the cavern. Exhaustion, both emotional and physical weighed down on her, her eyelids growing heavier by the second.

She glanced around the dark, damp cave one last time. Her thoughts racing. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating her with the knowledge that she was still trapped - still alone. And there was no telling when Kaelen would come back. If he ever did.

Finally, as hours slipped by unnoticed, sleep claimed her, pulling her into its comforting embrace.

~

The next morning, a soft ripple echoed through the cave as a small wave lapped against the rock, pulling Aria from her dreams. She stirred, blinking away the remnants of sleep, assuming it was morning, judging by the fact that she felt like she'd slept for quite a while. She rubbed the crust from her eyes, shivering as the seaweed blanket shifted and fell to her knees. Her eyes travelled around the cave; her fear had settled enough for her to truly take it all in. The cave appeared to be rather large but consisted of only one chamber - the one she resided in. In the center was the pool that connected to the ocean, taking up most of the cave's space, leaving just a couple of meters of the floor for Aria to walk around the perimeter. The walls were covered in breathtakingly beautiful bioluminescent algae, emitting a soothing bluish-green light that was a small comfort to her. She shuddered at the thought of being trapped in this cave without any light source. The idea of spending all her time in the pitch-black shadows, unable to see when Kaelen might appear or what he might give her until it was too late, made her skin crawl.

Feeling a waterdrop land on her cheek, she tilted her head upward. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, casting soft shadows where the glowing algae could not reach.

The pool Kaelen had previously occupied was large, and oddly calming. Small waves rippled on the surface, the algae's glow giving the water an inviting look - almost as if it were beckoning her to take a dip, to relax for a moment.

But the sight of Kaelen emerging broke the thought immediately. She felt exhausted just looking at him - the muscled merman - and had no energy left to yell at him or even cry in the presence of her captor. Her lips were still bruised, and the small cut on the left side, which she now realised ran along both her upper and lower lips, was healing slowly. The scab pulled painfully whenever she moved her mouth too much.

Kaelen's mahogany brown - almost black - hair hung over his eyes. He slowly brushed the strands away, his gaze sweeping across the rocky walls before finally settling on Aria, who hadn't moved from her spot since arriving in the cave.

A smile tugged at his pale pink lips as he spotted her. Kaelen inched closer until he reached the edge of the pool, his hand now close enough to touch her if only he extended it fully. His navy-blue tail shimmered behind him, lazily swaying from side to side on the water's surface.

He held out his hand, claws loosely wrapped around something. "Valor," he said, nodding toward his hand. Aria hesitated but shakily reached out. Please don't let it be another fish. She thought. I could go for some bacon, maybe a pasta? Her hopes were quickly squished as he loosened his grip on whatever he was holding. In an instant, she wished it had been another fish.

A squeal escaped her as she saw what it was. She shook her hand violently, trying to dislodge the creature - its pincers now tightly gripping her flesh. She screamed again, tears streaming down her cheeks. Panic took over. She hated it! She didn't want it!

She continued to wave her hand wildly until the crab finally let go and scurried off into the cave. Aria ignored Kaelen as he spoke. She didn't know if he was trying to soothe her or scold her for letting her 'food' escape. There was no way she would ever - ever - eat that crab!

Eventually, Aria calmed down enough for her to glare in his direction.

"What was that?" she growled, her hand stinging where the pincer had broken the skin. He looked at her, confusion in his eyes. He didn't understand her words, but he understood enough to know she wasn't happy. He just didn't grasp why she refused the food he had provided.

"Valor," he spoke softly.

"No, not valor! That's not food! No!" She stomped her foot, anger boiling inside her. Her stomach grumbled with hunger, but she refused to acknowledge it. There was no way she would eat raw, living fish or crabs.

Kaelen shook his head while mumbling something incoherent under his breath. He ducked back under the water before re-emerging. Aria turned her attention back to him; he held his hand out again, waiting for her to take what he offered. Another small crab rested in his palm.

"Valor," he repeated sadly, but after one sharp look from Aria, he sighed and dropped the creature back into the cool ocean water.

Aria let out a relieved sigh, glad he had finally understood. But her stomach growled again, loudly echoing in the cave. She didn't care. If he cared, he would take her home. Back to the surface.

Kaelen gave her one last glance before disappearing beneath the waves once more.

~

The next time he returned and said he had food; Aria was anything but excited. He neared her and gently held out his hand. She eyed the offering warily. This time, it was a handful of blackish-green seaweed. Aria gulped as she looked at Kaelen. At least it wasn't a living creature, but still, the thought of eating this was far from appetising.

She slowly pinched it between two fingers, her face contorting in disgust. The texture was slimy, cold, and wet. Her stomach growled again, and for a moment, she seriously considered eating it. She liked sushi, and that had seaweed. It didn't need to be cooked. But this... this wasn't sushi.

Reluctantly, she brought it closer to her mouth. She was so hungry. But the texture alone made her shudder, and the drop of seawater that landed on her tongue made her realise just how thirsty she was. She glanced at Kaelen before lowering the seaweed to her lips. The moment it touched her tongue, her eyes watered. The taste was vile - salty, slimy, and something indescribably awful. She spat it out, coughing violently, rubbing her hand over her tongue to rid herself of the taste.

Laughter echoed through the cave, and Aria barely had enough energy to glare in his direction. Eventually, Kaelen calmed down enough to nod at the food, silently urging her to eat.

"No," she said firmly.

"Ilan," He nodded again, repeating the word again. Aria tilted her head, trying to figure out its meaning. Was he saying 'yes'?

Ignoring him, she turned her back and walked over to a stalactite, waiting for fresh drops of water to fall into her mouth. She savoured the tiny drips as they fell on her tongue. Behind her, she heard a splash but ignored it, focusing on the water. Another drop.

Eventually, another splash caught her attention. She turned away from the stalactite and looked at Kaelen.

"Syran," he said, pointing at the object he held, making a drinking motion. She looked curiously at it. It appeared to be some kind of old jar - a stone vase of sorts, with a lid made from tightly woven seaweed. Aria cautiously took it from his hands and unwrapped the seaweed. Glancing inside, she was confused.

Water?

"Syran," Kaelen repeated, motioning for her to drink. She nodded slowly and dipped a finger in. Bringing it to her lips, she was amazed to find it was fresh water. Delighted, she greedily drank, quickly emptying the vase.

"Thank you," she mumbled gratefully. With that, Kaelen disappeared into the water again, leaving her alone with the silence of the cave and her own thoughts.

Translation: "Neal," = fish. "Valor," = food / eat "Selor." = safe "Celestara" = Goddess "Ilan," = yes "Syran" = water