Willow Creek The McCartney family were getting ready for the arrival of the Lothario family. Erika was excited to meet Aurora again and hadn't stopped talking about her ever since they first met. Her and Joey's father, William, was proud to hear his daughter had found someone to be with. He didn't mind that Erika had fallen for a woman, as long as she's happy, and loved her no matter what.
"I don't know what to give her," Erika said.
"Why not some flowers?" Joey said.
"That's too cliché. I wanted it to be special."
"Well, you don't have enough time for that."
"You're right," Erika sighed and got up to visit the small garden community from across the street.
A doorbell bell rang, and William answered the door and greeted his old friend's son and his family.
"Liam, it's nice to see you!" the older man said. "How's your father been?"
"Nice to see you too. He's doing alright, enjoying the life of being a grandfather," Liam replied.
Not too long, Liam's brother, Sean, and his husband, Paris, are the proud parents of twins, two girls named Penelope and Gwen.
"It's good to hear. After what happened to Arabella, bless her heart."
Cindy frowned, thinking about what her dead mother-in-law had done to her.
"You must be Aurora. My daughter talk a lot about you lately," William said.
Aurora blushed and smiled sweetly, thinking of her meeting with Erika.
"If you're wondering where she is, she's at the garden just across the street," Joey said.
"Thank you," Aurora said and was about to walk out when her mother called out to her.
"Sweetie, hope you brought some extra clothes cause of the weather," Cindy said.
During the summer, it gets extremely hot.
"I bet you and Erika wear the same size of clothes," William said. "Her bedroom is upstairs."
"Thank you so much, Mr. McCartney."
Aurora walked out back and found Erika walking around the garden.
"It's beautiful out here," the brunette woman commented as she gazed at the flowers.
"Thanks, my mother and I brought it back to life when we moved here," the blond woman said. "You know, she would've love to meet you."
By the tone of her voice, Aurora knew something happened to Erika's mother.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened?" Aurora asked.
Erika sighed as she looked up at the sky. "She passed away a few years ago. The illness took a toll on her," she replied. "Ever since then, I would come here and have a nice conversation like she was with me."
"She sounds like a lovely woman who cares so much to everyone," Aurora said.
Erika smiled, almost tearing up a bit, then remembered something. "Oh right. I got something for you."
Aurora was given a red rose and smell the sweet fragrance.
"Thank you, it's beautiful."
"Not as much as you," Erika complimented.
"Meow..."
Aurora and Erika looked down to see a black cat.
"Oh aren't you such a cutie," Aurora cooed and pet the cat, who purred at the affection it was given.
Layla laughed softly as she watched the whole scene using the magic mirror to look through her cat's view.
"My, look how much she's grown. So much beauty," she said and sighed. "Too bad it won't last long."
Aurora went out for a nice jog through the ruins and took a break for awhile. Her time with Erika was still on her mind, and she smiled of having her happily ever after. She was then brought back when she heard rustling in the bushes and thought it must've been one of her sister's woodland friends.
"Hello?" Aurora called out and felt something...or someone...watching her from behind. She turned toward the trees. "I know you're there. Come out...don't be afraid."
The brunette woman heard a chuckle. "Why would I be afraid?"
"But can you come out?" Aurora asked.
"Then you would be afraid."
"I won't."
Stepping out of the shadows, Aurora was confronted with the woman in black and noticed curled horns on her head. Something about this mysterious woman was very familiar to the brunette woman.
"You're a brave soul to ever face me," Layla said. "Anyone would have run away in fear."
"Why would I be afraid of someone who watches over me?" Aurora said.
"Oh."
"I overheard the Moonwater sisters, something about magic and a curse...then I realized they were my guardians..." Aurora explained. "And so are you."
"Meow." Aurora recognized the cat and pet it on the head, smiling when she heard a purr.
"I remember you," the brunette said. "Such a cute lil' fella."
"Her name's Nyx," Layla said, quite surprised at this, since her feline familiar never got along with anyone but her. She thought of Aurora being an odd woman, but in order to complete the curse, she had to gain her trust.
As they strolled through the town, Layla learned a lot more about Aurora, her family (Aurora's mother's story sounded quite eventful), and her dream of going out with her true love.
"It took almost three hours to find Alice, and she showed up all of a sudden, saying she was looking for her rabbit friend and fell down a hole," Aurora said, laughing. "She's been telling us crazy stories of a wonderful land she found."
"She sounds as mad as mad hatter," Layla commented.
Aurora looked at the time of the clock tower and gasped in surprise.
"How time flies by," the brunette woman said. "Maybe we'll see each other again?"
Layla thought for a moment. "We shall see," she said and was about to walk away when she found herself in Aurora's hug.
"It's been nice to finally meet you," Aurora said and ran back home, leaving the flustered Mistress of Evil.
"Meow."
"Now now, dear, this would all be over soon," she said, picking up Nyx, and disappeared in the night.
Although Joey's the next in line of the McCartney family, William wanted his daughter to have her own happy ending and gave Erika the ring he gave to his wife. He commented that she would be so proud if she was here.
Sulani Erika and Aurora went to spend the day at the beach.
They visited the where they build sandcastles, sunbathing (which Aurora got a nice tan), and went out for a swim.
While they were splashing at each other, Aurora lost her bikini top by accident, and Erika giggled.
They then went snorkeling, despite Erika having Thalassophobia, but she wanted to enjoy her date before popping the question.
The day had gone by so fast, and the sun was setting already.
"It's so beautiful out here," Aurora commented, gazing out the horizon. "Maybe we can rent a beach house and come here every summer."
"Sounds like a great idea," Erika said, her attention all on Aurora and not the sunset.
Thinking it was the perfect time, Aurora leaned over and kissed the surprised blonde.
"Sorry, you just look so cute, and I couldn't resist," Aurora said with a giggle.
"There's something I want to ask, and..." Erika started and laughed a bit. "I don't know how you'll react."
Aurora was confused at first, then gasped when she watched the blond woman get down on one knee, knowing full well what's about to be asked.
🌹 Chapter Six: Betrayal 🌹
Everyone was ecstatic when Aurora and Erika announced about their engagement, and the wedding was booked at Von Haunt Estate, where Demetria and Adonis eloped and where Cindy and Liam met during the ball. To Aurora, it felt like a fairytale, and her dream was coming true.
But not all things go according to plan...
Erika went out for some fresh air after dealing with the owners of the Von Haunt Estate for the wedding and walked aimlessly through the maze, thinking of the future.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard rustling, and she went to investigate the sound, only to find nothing.
Before she headed back out of the maze, she was caught from behind and glared at the attacker.
"Going somewhere, Your Highness?"
Later on that night... Aurora was getting her hair down when she heard feathers fluttering behind her. She smiled and turned around to see Layla.
"I heard you've gotten engaged," the Mistress of Evil said with a smile.
"Isn't it wonderful? I know Erika and I were going to be together, but this is so much," Aurora said.
"I have a surprise for you," Layla said. "A perfect gift for you and your soon-to-be wife."
"How thoughtful of you, thank you!" Aurora said.
Aurora followed Layla to the room and was suddenly in a trance. In the room was a spinning wheel.
"You know what to do, dear child," Layla said and watched Aurora walk up to the spinning wheel.
Downstairs, Rose felt a chill run down her spine and looked around.
"You girls feel that?" Rose asked.
"Yeah...it feels so wrong...like..." Violet trailed off. "Where's Aurora?"
"Upstairs getting ready," Lily replied.
"She wasn't supposed to be left alone when SHE'S -- oh no!" With that, the Moonwater sisters ran upstairs and found Aurora not in her bedroom. Violet noticed a faint teal glow in one of the empty rooms and tried to open it, but it was locked.
Layla heard the Moonwater sisters and used her magic to lock the door.
"Aurora!" "Don't do it, Aurora!"
Aurora stumbled back a bit, and Layla glared at the brunette woman, her eyes glowing an eerie purple.
The Moonwater sisters managed to enter the room and was met with Layla.
"Where's Aurora? What'd you do to her?" Rose demanded.
"Oh, she's taking her beauty sleep," Layla said and stepped aside to reveal an unconscious Aurora lying on the ground.
"Aurora!" The Moonwater sisters rushed to Aurora as Layla disappeared, laughing.
"We're all to blame," Rose said as she held the princess.
"Rose! Lily! Violet!" The said sisters looked up to see Alice and Joey running into the room. The younger sister gasped when she saw Aurora. "What happened?"
"Layla had got to her..." Violet said.
Alice was told of the curse that was brought on Aurora and cried as Joey comforted her.
Not too far, Layla wanted to smile for her curse had been completed, but it felt so...wrong. She had just got along with Aurora, then betrayed her. If only she can revoke the curse in the first place.
"What have I done...?"
The Moonwater sisters, Alice, and Joey went to the abandoned Glimmerbrook Museum, and Rose placed the unconscious Aurora on the bed in the basement.
"We have to tell Cindy and Liam," Lily said. "They need to know about this."
"No," Rose retorted.
"What?" Violet was shocked.
"We're not going to tell them," Rose said. "We'll put everyone to sleep, except for Alice and Joey. We'll need to find a way to break this curse."
"But didn't Vivi said that the only to do so is true love's kiss?" Lily pointed out.
"True love's kiss...Maybe Erika can help," Alice said.
"That's the problem," Joey said. "I came to see you guys if you've seen her."
"What happened?"
"Erika went to the Von Haunt Estate to help our dad set up the wedding, and now she turned up gone," Joey explained. "The last thing father remembered was Erika going out to the maze to get some fresh air."
Rose thought for a moment, then gasped in shock. "I think I know what happened."
Somewhere in Windenburg... Erika was trying to find a way to escape the dungeon, but froze when the door opened. The blond woman glared at Layla.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Your Highness," Layla said. "We're about to throw a celebration for the fall of the ongoing legacy."
"What'd you mean?" Erika asked.
"Your fiancée had been succumbed to the curse placed upon her," Layla explained. "And there's nothing you can do about it. It's a shame she won't be having her happily ever after." The Mistress of Evil smiled at Erika's disbelief expression.
Erika felt the whole world crash down on her. With little strength she had left, she charged at Layla, but was thrown back by the magic, nearly knocking her out cold from the impact on the wall.
Layla giggled and left the heartbroken woman alone in the dungeon.
"Erika."
The said woman looked up and was shocked to see her brother and Alice.
"Wha....how did you -"
"No time to explain, we need to get you out of here," Alice said.
"What's the point? Layla won....Aurora's gone..."
"Not quite," Joey said. "There's something that wicked witch left out. The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss."
"Curse?" Erika didn't know Aurora was cursed...but why?
"She put this curse on my sister when she was a baby, and thanks to Violet, the curse didn't kill her. She was only put under a deep sleep," Alice explained.
"Then how do we get rid of it?"
"You mean how do YOU get rid of it."
"Huh?"
"The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss, and her true love is you," Rose replied. "But we don't have much time. My sisters are protecting Aurora."
Erika couldn't believe what she was hearing. Aurora's still alive, but was under a curse that can be easily broken.
"We'll take you to where we hid Aurora," Rose said. "But first..." she took out her wand and used her magic on Erika.
"What'd you do?"
"I gave you some of our magic to defeat Layla, but be very careful. If you use too much magic, you'll combust into flames. This happened last time to an evil priestess."
Glimmerbrook Erika was relieved to find the door unlocked and went inside. She felt a chill running down her spine as she walked through the empty lobby. Something doesn't feel right...
"So nice to see you here, dear."
🌹 Chapter Eight: Final Showdown 🌹
Erika spotted Layla standing in the hallway, with a grin on her pale face. Behind the wicked witch were Violet and Lily, both unconscious.
"Just in time for a celebration," Layla said. "Too bad not many will attend."
"This has to end now!" Erika shouted.
"We'll see about that."
Layla used her magic to push Erika out of the building and threw a fireball at the blond, only for it to be blocked by a shield.
"What?!"
Erika smirked at the shocked expression on Layla's face.
"Looks like that goodie fairy helped you, but nothing can stop me!"
"Bring it!"
Layla felt her power depleting as aura ran throughout her body. If she keeps this up, she would implode from overuse of magic. And seeing how determined Erika is to defeat her and save Aurora, it's not going to be easy.
Thinking back of her time with Aurora, something changed Layla, and she felt regret overcome her after completing the curse.
Erika was ready to finish her off, but something wasn't right. The blond woman noticed Layla isn't fighting back as she laid on the ground, but she kept her guard up in case this was a trick.
"I've done terrible acts throughout my life..." Erika's eyes widened a bit at what Layla just said. "And this...this is the worst I've ever done. Betraying...a friend..."
Erika lowered her wand and frowned. Layla may be the Mistress of Evil, but ever since meeting Aurora, there was a sudden change of heart.
"Do what you have to do to save her..." Layla said.
"I won't..."
"Yes you will. I cannot carry this guilt I've caused...and I want you to end it all. It's the only way to stop all this chaos. No one...not even Aurora...will remember me."
Erika held back the tears forming in her eyes and did as Layla told her to.
Not too long, Joey showed up and saw his sister finish off the Mistress. It was finally over, but Joey noticed Erika was crying.
"Erika...?"
"She's not a monster..."
Erika ran down the stairs and went inside the room where she spotted the Sleeping Beauty. She walked towards Aurora and leaned over to give her a kiss, hoping...praying...this would work.
The blond woman watched Aurora stir awake and smiled as the brunette gazed up at her with a loving smile.
🌹 Epilogue 🌹
Everything was back to normal. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough time to set up before the big day and a storm was coming, so Aurora and Erika got married at the church built at home, surrounded by their loved ones.
A year later, another wedding was held, and this time: it's Alice and Joey. The happy couple had a wonderful time at their honeymoon in Sulani, and a few months later, they had two daughters, Mirana and Iracebeth.
Not too long, by some miracle (and a little bit of magic), Aurora and Erika were blessed with seven children: six daughters and one son.
Brindleton Bay "Ren! Ren, where are you!" An older Japanese man, Hinata, called out and found his niece in the kitchen. "Natsumi, have you seen your brother?"
"Take a lucky guess," Natsumi replied.
"Of course," Hinata groaned and left the mansion, heading to the pier at Whiskerman's Wharf.
Ren Yoshida was gazing at the ocean, enjoying the cool breeze...only to have his peace be interrupted by his uncle.
"Ren, what're you doing out here?! It's not right for someone like you to be out here!" Hinata complained. "You could've fallen off the dock and drown!"
"Oh come now," Ren laughed. "What's wrong with that? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face...a perfect day to be out rather than being stuck inside and doing boring stuff."
Hinata nearly gagged at the smell of fish nearby. "Oh yes...delightful."
"A fine strong wind and following sea it is!" a sailor, Lucian, said. "Looks like King Triton must be in a friendly mood."
"King Triton?" Ren asked.
"Ruler of the merpeople. Thought every good sailor, and royalty, knew about him," the captain, Rowan, chuckled.
"Merpeople, bah!" Hinata shouted. "Pay no attention to these nautical nonsense!"
"Oh but it ain't nonsense," Lucian said. "It's the truth. I'm tellin' ya, down in the depths o' the sea they live. My grandfather actually met one a long time ago when his boat sunk during a storm, and it saved his life."
"Whoa..." Ren gasped.
"I still say it's nonsense. Probably drank a bit too much of salt water," Hinata accused and grabbed his nephew by the arm.
"Have it your way then," Lucian said with a shrug.
'Maybe someday I'll get to meet one,' Ren thought to himself as he and his uncle went back home when the thunderstorm hit, looking back at the ocean.
Sulani It was a nice sunny day at the tropical island of Sulani. The weather was perfect to have fun at the beach and a nice swim, and that's what this individual was about to do.
Standing at the shore was a young man gazing at the horizon before him.
"Caspian!" The said man looked back to see his friends running towards him.
"Lilo!" Caspian called out, laughing. "Gotta keep up!"
"You know I can't run as fast as you," Lilo complained as she was catching her breath.
"What? You're like the most energetic in all of Sulani," the blond man commented.
"We may never know anything about ya," Makoa said.
"Now that we're here, what should we do?" Lilo asked.
"Like we always do, go for a swim," Caspian responded.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Makoa asked. "This is where so many shark attacks had been reported."
"Don't be such a wuss, Makoa," Lilo teased. "Last one there is a rotten fish!"
Makoa shook his head in disbelief as Caspian and Lilo ran to the ocean. "Oi vey..."
Meanwhile...
"Caspian?" Aurora called out, then found her daughters lounging in the living room. "Girls, have you seen your brother?"
"He said he's going out with his friends," Mariana replied.
"Does he even know what he was supposed to do today?" Ophelia asked.
"Whoops," Jenny said.
"You are so forgetful, Jen," Misty complained.
"Maybe we should've put a leash on that boy," Erika pointed out, ignoring her wife's glare.
"That's a bit uncalled for," the brunette retorted, then to their daughters. "Anyone want to volunteer and fetch him?"
The sisters looked at one another, then responded in sync, "Misty."
"What?! Why me?!" Misty complained.
"You're more close to him than us," Ophelia replied.
Misty groaned and went out to look for their brother.
Later on... "What'd I say about the sharks?" Makoa asked, glaring at the duo.
"Shut up," Caspian groaned.
He and Lilo got a bit too far from shore and nearly got attacked by a shark. Thankfully their aquatic friends, the dolphins, distracted the shark for the two friends to swim back to shore safely.
"Not our fault we wanted to have fun," Lilo complained.
"If your parents ever found out what happened-" Makoa started.
"I know, I know," Lilo snapped. "They'll flip out and would never let me see you guys again."
Her parents were always worried whenever their daughter would go out with her friends, especially when Caspian's involved. They thought he was a bad influence to Lilo, but she ignored them.
"Okay guys, I think we have enough for today," Caspian said.
"How can you be so calm after what happened?" Makoa asked.
"Yes, it was bad, but at least we made it back in one piece."
"Oh yes, let's celebrate!"
"Oh snap!" Caspian gasped. "I forgot about the meeting my parents arranged! And I was supposed to be there!"
"Took you that long to remember?"
"Heh...hey Misty..."
"No need to act all innocent, time to head back home," Misty said.
Caspian groaned and waved at his friends. "See ya guys."
"Bye Cas!" Lilo called out. "Have fun at the party!"
As Caspian and Misty headed back to their beach house, two women watched them from a distance.
Somewhere, a woman, Morgana, watched the Lothario siblings in her mirror and laughed softly.
"Hurry home, dear child," she cooed. "We wouldn't want to miss Mommy's gathering now, would we?"
It was already dark when Caspian and Misty made it back to their beach house.
"This is the fifth and last time I'm bringing your sorry behind back home!" Misty shouted. "You're old enough to know this!"
"I know, and I'm sorry for causing trouble for you," Caspian said. "And I'm sorry for forgetting about the 'party' Mama arranged."
Misty sighed heavily. "Alright, just don't do it again. And sorry for snapping at ya, I don't like being told what to do, ya know."
The two siblings laughed at the statement. They sometimes butt heads since they were kids, but in the end, they would forgive each other and move on.
"I'm not the only one you need to apologize," the blond woman pointed out.
"Yeah....I'm so dead," the blond man groaned.
"How right you are," a female voice said, causing Caspian and Misty froze.
They turned around to see their parents, and the one who spoke was Erika, who was giving Caspian a stern look.
Misty gave her brother a sympathy look and walked back inside the house.
Once Misty went inside, Caspian and his parents went to sit at the patio.
"Sorry...." Caspian muttered.
Erika sighed. "I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young man."
"I just forgot about it, I -" Caspian started but was interrupted.
"As a result of your careless behavior, the man you were suppose to marry and his family all left this morning," Erika explained.
"But I don't want to marry someone by your choice, Mom!" Caspian snapped. "Didn't you say I can choose someone I love?"
"Yes, and it had been a long time, and you still didn't find anyone," Aurora replied. "You're chosen as the heir of this legacy, and it's your --"
"--responsibility to continue the family name," Caspian finished, having to hear this countless of time. "Why didn't you choose any of my sisters? I bet they're more than happy to be the heiress."
"True, it would've been a wise choice," Erika said. "But you've been chosen by uh...the Watcher. It's...sort of a tradition from your mother."
"Then can you let me choose who I want to be with?" the blond man asked.
Erika and Aurora looked at one another, then Erika responded, "Of course. Remember, you only have one year to find someone of your liking."
"Also, make sure we get to meet him before you get knocked up," Aurora said and giggled at her son's flushed face.
"Mama!" Caspian cried, but he was smiling.
"Now, where were you and your friends at to miss this day?" Aurora asked.
Caspian looked nervous. "We uh...we went to the beach and swam at the area where I go all the time."
"You..." Erika looked upset. "You went to where reported shark attacks happened."
"Well, there was a shark, but the dolphins scared it away for me and Lilo to swim away. Nothing serious happened," Caspian explained.
"Except for the shark," Aurora added.
"How many times have I told you to not go there again?!" Erika shouted. "You could've been hurt. What's even worse was that you put your friends in danger!"
"Makoa didn't swim with us."
"At least you have someone who had brain than that Lilo girl," the blond woman muttered, but Caspian heard what she said.
"You know, I'm tired of hearing you talk down about my friends," Caspian said and went inside.
"Caspian!" the brunette woman called out and sighed heavily as she looked over at her stressed wife.
"Was I a bit too hard on him?" Erika asked. "Watcher, I'm a terrible parent!"
"No, love, you're not," Aurora reassured, snuggling up on Erika. "Caspian's still young, and he needs some time for himself. Being the heir isn't that easy."
"You never had a problem with arranged marriage," Erika pointed out, and Aurora had to agree on that part.
"Must be tough to be the heir," Lilo commented. "I don't think I can deal with all the responsibility."
"I wish this never happened to me," Caspian sighed. "This would've been a lot more easier if either of my sisters were picked."
Lilo thought for a moment and got an idea. "How about we go out somewhere? Just you, me, and Makoa."
"You sure it's a good idea?" Caspian asked. "And what about Makoa?"
"We'll let him know. Besides, you've been here for the whole summer, so let's do something different before you head back home," she said. "But first, we need a change of clothes."
Brindleton Bay With some help from Lilo's cousin, the three friends moved in a cozy house in a nice neighborhood.
"At least the weather here is more tolerable than back home," Makoa said. "But why do we need a change of clothes?"
"I ain't going around half naked," Lilo protested.
"Come on guys, we just got here," Caspian said. "Let's head over to the pier we saw earlier."
The three friends arrived at Whiskerman's Wharf and stopped by at the bar near the pier.
Caspian stayed outside to enjoy the view while his friends went inside to order drinks, only to hear a dog barking from behind. He turned around and was caught by surprise when a large sheepdog jumped onto him.
"Hey there, buddy!" the blond man laughed as the sheepdog snuggled up to him.
"Mimi, whatcha doing, you silly girl," a male voice said with a chuckle, causing Caspian's heart to skip.
The blond man looked up to see a Japanese man before him and was instantly head over heel, while Mimi got herself comfortable with her new human friend.
"Sorry about her, she gets so excited to meet new people," Ren said, petting Mimi when the sheepdog got up to greet her owner.
"It's alright, she's just keeping me company," Caspian said.
Ren was checking Caspian out. "I've never seen you around here. You're new?"
"Yeah, but my friends and I are only here for a visit," Caspian replied. "We're from Sulani."
"Sulani? Wow, that's pretty far from here. You live there?"
"My friends does, but me and family are only there for the summer," the blond man replied. "We rented a beach house."
"Nice, better there than living here in the gloom," Ren joked. "Usually we would get thunderstorms, so you and your friends are very lucky to stay after it."
Caspian was half paying attention at what Ren was saying, but he couldn't help it but to admire him.
"Where are my manners, I'm Ren," the said man introduced himself.
"Caspian."
"That's a really cool name," Ren commented. "Is it okay if I call you Cas?"
"Sure, I don't mind." Caspian couldn't help but fall for Ren, maybe he might be the one.
"Already making friends, Cas?" Makoa called out, with Lilo following behind. "Not sure if he told you about us, but I'm Makoa, and that's Lilo. I watched out for them if I were you, with them together is trouble."
"Oh shut up!" Lilo giggled.
Ren ordered everyone drinks, and the three friends got to meet the locals.
"Yo Ren!" A woman called out and showed up beside Caspian. "I was wondering where you are."
"Whatever," Ren chuckled.
The woman took noticed a few new faces, especially one that her brother seemed to take interest. "And who's this cutie?"
"This is Caspian, he's from Sulani."
"Ooooooh, that's awesome!"
Ren rolled his eyes at his sister's enthusiam. "Cas, this is my crazy sister, Natsumi."
While the three friends and the Yoshida siblings were chatting and drinking, Caspian noticed Makoa checking out Natsumi while Lilo looked a bit disappointed and knew something was wrong.
Not too long, Lilo admitted her feelings for Makoa, but didn't have the confidence to do so, afraid that it'll ruin their friendship.
"Whoa, look at the time!" Natsumi gasped. "We should probably get back home before our uncle wakes up."
"What'd you do to him?" Ren asked, but he already know what she did.
"I put a bit of a sleeping herb in his drink," the Japanese woman replied.
"Wha -- oh my Watcher," he groaned, not wanting to believe his sister had spiked their uncle's drink.
"Maybe next time, I'll show you around town," Ren said. "Tomorrow sounds right?"
"I really like that," Caspian said.
"Sounds like a date then."
Unbeknownst to the friends, one of Morgana's daughters was eavesdropping on them.
"Oh my, dear child is already in love," Morgana giggled as she watched the image of Caspian. "Mommy and Mama would be so proud!" She glanced over at the jars filled with souls who would tricked by the sea witch. "Caspian would make a beautiful addition to my little collection."
The Next Day... "Cas, my dear lovestruck friend, you hit the jackpot!" Lilo exclaimed. "That guy you fell for yesterday is actually the son of the Prime Minister of Mt. Komorebi."
"No way! Really?" Caspian gasped.
"Yup, and their uncle is the Mayor of Brindleton Bay, Mister Hinata Yoshida," she explained. "You got one of the higher ups to fall for ya. I am impressed."
"You're not one for doing research and stuff like this," Makoa said.
"Hey, it's for a friend."
"I know that I really like him, and maybe he likes me," Caspian said. "But what if he's just being friendly?"
"I can tell Ren really likes you, Cas. The way he looks at you, he's head over heels."
"Hate to burst your bubble, guys, but being the kid of someone important can be risky," Makoa explained. "You know, with being the next in line and the whole arranged marriage. I'm just saying if things didn't go well."
Caspian sighed heavily. "Makoa's right, maybe it's not going to go well between me and Ren."
"Don't listen to him" Lilo said and smiled when they heard a knock on the door. "But it doesn't seem to bother our special guest."
Caspian went to answer the door and was surprised to see Ren.
"Hey Ren."
"Hey Cas," Ren greeted, still in awe of Caspian. " Ready to go out to see the town?"
"Sure, let me get dressed first. Hot day it's gonna be," Caspian said.
"Not as hot as you," Ren thought as he checked out the blond man.
"Aren't you such a flirt."
Whiskerman's Wharf
"So what'd you do for a living?" Caspian asked.
"I work as a conservationist just like my aunt," Ren replied. "She has a fascination with Sulani and wanted to help restore its true beauty. Not only that, but I wanted to learn more of its history."
"Maybe I'll let my friends talk to you about that. They live there longer than me."
Before heading out, they ordered some food at the seafood vendor.
Cavalier Cove
"It's nothing like how it is back at Sulani," Ren said. "But if you feel a bit homesick, you can always come here."
They spent half a day at the beach, cloudgazing and building a sandcastle.
Someone left a bucket full of water balloons at the pinic area, and they had a blast, ending with a few hits on the head.
While Caspian was looking around and waiting for Ren who went to the bathroom, he was greeted by a teen girl, who was giving out some fruits she and her family grew. She offered one to him and stated that it would taste good if eaten fresh.
"I hate using public restrooms," Ren complained and met up with Caspian. "Ready to go on a boat trip?"
"Sounds fun, but to where?"
"You'll see."
Deadgrass Isle
They made it to the top of the lighthouse, and Caspian was in awe of the sight.
"This is amazing!" he commented. "I can probably see my house from up here!"
Ren was glad that Caspian was enjoying his day. "It really is amazing here, but you're the only one I enjoy the most."
"That may be so cliché, but you're just too cute."
They went back to Whiskerman's Wharf and relaxed near the firepit behind the restaurant, watching the sunset and enjoying each other's company.
It was getting a bit late, and before heading back home, Caspian caught Ren by surprise.
"There's more of that after our date next time," he said and left the flabbergasted man.
Later... "CAS! HURRY UP!" Lilo shouted from upstairs.
"Alright, alright!" Caspian called out and was about to head to the backyard where Makoa was relaxing in the pool. He then remembered the fruit he was given by the girl at the beach and ate it. "Blegh! Gross..."
Minutes later, Lilo had just got changed into her swimsuit when she heard Makoa called out for her.
"Lilo, come here quick!"
When Lilo got out to know what's the problem, she gasped in shock. "CAS?!"
"Oh my Watcher! Oh my Watcher! What're we going to do?!" Lilo panicked.
"How about we calm down first?" Makoa said.
"Calm down?! How are we going to calm down after what just happened?!" She went over to the tub containing the unconscious Caspian...who had a green merman tail. "What are we going to tell Mrs. Lothario what happened to her son?"
"We don't tell her anything about this," the man replied. "It's a good thing we're staying here for two weeks, which gives us enough time to fix this."
Lilo sighed and looked up at Caspian. "What did you get yourself into, Cas?"
"We should've told him about this in the first place."
"What'd you mean we? You're the one who wants to keep this all hush hush!" Lilo snapped.
"Well I regret doing so then!"
"What'd you guys yelling about?" Caspian groaned and noticed the tail. "What happened to me?! What the hell is this?!"
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Lilo went over and grabbed hold of the thrashing tail. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that."
Lilo dragged their fishy friend to the backyard pool and jumped into the water. Her legs then turned into a mermaid tail and, to lighten up the mood, she splashed at Caspian.
Caspian was quite surprise to see both of his friends were just like him as well...
"But why would you keep this a secret to me?" Caspian asked.
"We didn't want you to freak out and all," Makoa replied. "So we used up some energy to keep from turning like this every time we go out swimming."
"Not only that, but we can also do this," Lilo said and sang a tune that made Caspian feel inspired.
It's crazy how two of his best friends were actually mermaids (or mersims?), but there was one thing he had in mind...
"How do I get my legs back?"
"Easy, just climb out of the pool, and viola! You're back to being a human," Lilo replied.
"Sort of, you're still a merman until you make physical contact to water," Makoa pointed out.
Caspian could get used to this, as long as he doesn't get in either the pool or the ocean. As he was prepping up dinner, he got a text from someone with the initial H.D. It turns out to be the teen girl he met at the beach.
'You may know me as the girl you met earlier, and I've been told about the fruit and its' odd effect. If you need any help, my mother would like to meet you at the small house near the beach.' - H.D
"Cas? Where are you?" Makoa called out as he walked back inside the house. He found a note on the counter and read it.
'Going out to meet someone at the beach. She goes by the name of Morgana." - Cas
"Oh no..."
"What?" Lilo took the note and read it. She gasped in shock. "You don't think he..."
"Unfortunately."
Later... Caspian met up with Hazel and the other girl at the house near the beach.
"Did you dyed your hair?"
"Nah, this is natural."
"Enough with the small talk, Mother is waiting for you," the other girl said.
Makoa and Lilo arrived as soon as Caspian followed the twin sisters inside the house.
"I never like those two snakes," Lilo retorted.
Caspian was led to a purple lit room and saw a woman sitting on the couch from across. She looked exactly like the twin sisters.
"Don't be afraid, little one," the woman cooed. "I won't bite. You have so much things going on in that head of yours. Like how you want to live normal than be a fish out of water. And before you say anything, yes...I do know what you're going through. You're not the only one."
Caspian gasped in shock as Morgana's legs turned itno a mermaid tail without being in the water.
The woman giggled at the blond's reaction. "Like I said, don't need to be afraid."
"Do you know how to...turn me back to normal?" he asked.
"Hmmm....the solution to your problem is very simple," Morgana replied. "It may be harmful, but it's worth it...if you're willing to risk it."
Makoa and Lilo snuck their way inside and tried to figure out where Caspian's at.
"Where is he?" Makoa muttered to himself and heard Lilo struggling from behind. "Lilo, what're you --" He turned around to see Lilo in the grasp of one of Morgana's daughters....
...unaware of the other daughter behind him.
"Can you do that?" Caspian asked.
"Dear child, it's what I do," Morgana said, getting up when her tail turned back to legs. "It' what I live for. To help the poor unfortunate souls like yourself...with no one else to turn to."
"What happened to the others?"
"I've done unspeakable things in my time, and others had accused me of being a witch," Morgana replied.
"Why accused you of that? Almost half of my sisters and mother are witches as well," the blond man said.
"Times were different back then, they call you the spawn of the Devil if you practice witchcraft. They claimed that having too much magic can make you insane, but I only use it for the miserable, lonely, and depressed."
"How?"
"For example, one girl wants to be thinner, and one man wants to be with the girl," the white-haired sea witch explained. "Unfortunately, things never go so well. It only happened a few times when someone couldn't pay the price, so I have to take what I can get: their souls."
Caspian frowned at the thought of others who had been dealt with as he glanced over at the orbs.
"So here's a deal," Morgana said and led him over to the cauldron. "I'll make a potion that will turn you back to normal for three days."
"Three days?"
"Let me finish first. Within those three days, you've got to have this hunk of a man to fall for you," the woman explained and laughed softly at Caspian's shyness about Ren. "But that would be too easy since you two are already in love. To get rid of your fishy problem, you need true love's first kiss before the sun sets on the third day."
"Still sounds easy," Caspian commented. 'As long as I don't lose my soul.'
"Indeed it does," Morgana agreed. "Oh, there's one more thing, we haven't discussed the subject of payment. Not everything's free, especially from a sea witch."
"But I don't have --"
"I'm not asking much," the sea witch interrupted. "What I want from you is...your voice."
"Don't do it, Cas!" The said man looked over to see Lilo and Makoa being held back by Hazel and Maeve.
"Don't worry about your friends, nothing bad will happen to them," Morgana reassured. 'Yet...'
Caspian was hesitant at the deal and sighed heavily. "Alright, I'll do it," he said, much to his friends' disbelief.
"Now, drink this potion," the sea witch said, offering the potion. "Not to sugar coat this, but you will feel excruiating pain in your throat as your voice will be removed. Remember: you have three days before your time's up."
Caspian took the potion and took a deep breath before drinking. Morgana wasn't kidding, the pain was so strong, it knocked Caspian down.
Lilo and Makoa tried to struggle out of the twins' grip, hearing him scream in agony until his voice faded away. They were then let go and was shocked at their sudden surroundings.
It looked empty and abandoned...like no one hadn't lived here. No furniture, no lights...nothing. Lilo was the first to reach Caspian, who had fallen unconscious from the pain, as Makoa checked the house to find the evil mer-witches.
"Morgana and her lil' minions aren't here," Makoa said and glanced over at Caspian. "I hope you know what you're putting yourself into, Cas."
They soon left after they heard the sound of police sirens coming closer, believing that anyone nearby may have heard screaming.
Here's what Lilo and Makoa look like in their mermaid (and merman) form.
He thought he was dreaming about being a merman, his friends being mermaids as well, and making a deal with a sea witch. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he noticed a scar across his neck and tried to call out to his friends, but no sound. That's when it hit him: the deal he made with Morgana cost him his own voice.
Maybe he should've think twice before heading off to get help from a stranger.
"We can't just go up to him and say 'Hey Ren, what's up? Oh, your boyfriend, Cas? He turned into a merman and then sold his voice to an evil sea witch. To get him talking, you need to kiss him before he becomes a fish.' Ren's gonna think we're complete nut jobs!" Lilo complained.
"We got to come up with something," Makoa said.
Caspian heard his friends downstairs and wondered how he would communicate with Ren without his voice. He doesn't know how to do sign language, nor does he know if Ren can too. If only he had listened to his conscious, then none of this would've happened.
His train of thoughts were interrupted by the small tune from his phone, indicating he got a text message. He checked it and smiled when he saw it was from Ren.
Ren: I know it's a bit too soon, but think it's ok if you come over to my place? My parents are coming over from Mt. Komorebi.
They had just been going out a couple of times since he and his friends arrived, and now he's about to meet Ren's parents. But...what would they say about their son going on a date with another man?
Ren: If you're worrying about them judging us, don't worry. They're very open-minded.
This made Caspian feel relieved, and he sent a message back that he'll love to come over. He blushed when he received a...
Ren: See ya soon!
"You'll be getting that kiss in no time." Caspian jumped at the sudden appearance of Lilo, who had snuck up behind him and reading the text messages.
"It would be nice to meet the parents," Makoa commented. "But to make a good first impression, we need to hide that scar on your neck."
"Oh right," Lilo said. "Shopping time!"
At the Yoshida Residence...
"Natsumi, my dear airhead of a sister," Ren started. "This has been the fifth man you had rejected. I get it's hard to find the right one, but your expectations are too high."
"Like you would know how to find that special someone," Natsumi snapped.
"You're right, I don't. Cause I already got a special someone."
"These two had never changed," Hinata commented while his brother was playing with Mimi.
"As much as your bickering is more entertaining than ever, is he coming over?" the older woman asked Ren.
"Yeah, and speak of the Watcher," Ren replied and got up to open the front door. He smiled when he saw Caspian and checked out his new outfit. Kind of odd to wear a turtleneck during summer, but the blond man pulled it off quite well. "Wow...you look amazing."
Caspian could only smile on the compliment.
"Oi, instead of eye woohooing your boyfriend, invite him inside!" Natsumi called out and yelped when her mother smacked her on the back of the head for being rude.
"Mind my sister, she has no filter," Ren groaned, feeling embarrassed.
"You must be the one who had my son fall head over heels for," the older man said. "It's nice to meet you." He frowned a bit when Caspian only waved. "Ren, can he talk?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. He came down with something that caused him to lose his voice," Ren explained. "He's feeling better now, but can't talk anymore."
"Oh, the poor thing," the older woman said with a warm smile. "No need to be shy. I'm Ayumi, Ren and Natsumi's mother, and this is my husband, Kenji. I can see why my son loves you so much."
Caspian blushed at the comment and looked over at Ren, who was a bit embarrassed but was smiling.
"Ren, this is the first time I've seen you really smiling," Kenji said.
This made Caspian concerned.
"What our father meant was that Ren was always a gloom, moping around and stuff," Natsumi explained. "He does go out, but he always feel left out when our friends back home are with their date."
"So, what'd you know about Caspian?" Hinata asked and chuckled when he noticed his nephew was staring at the blond man.
"Earth to Ren, come back down!" Natsumi shouted, causing Ren to jolt.
"Wha-? Sorry, what was that?" Ren asked.
"Your date? Since he can't talk, maybe he might've talked about himself," Hinata replied.
"Oh, umm..." Ren thought for a moment. "He lives at Windenburg with his mothers and six sisters."
"Six sisters?! Holy cow, that must've been one big family!" Natsumi exclaimed. "I don't think I can take care of that much kids."
"He mentioned about his grandmother being the youngest of her six siblings, so having a lot of kids runs in the family," Ren explained and a got silent agreement from Caspian.
"And Windenburg is such a lovely place, especially during the winter," Ayumi said and sighed as she gazed at her husband. "That's where we had our honeymoon."
"The best times of my entire life," Kenji commented.
Times flies by so fast, it was already evening.
"It was great to see you, and my parents really like you," Ren said. "How about tomorrow, we go out somewhere? Also, I feel kinda terrible for pulling you away from your friends, so maybe they want tag along as well?"
Caspian nodded. Maybe this is a chance for Lilo to confess her feelings for Makoa.
That night, Caspian was sitting in his bedroom and had explained (or written down) how the day went to Lilo and Makoa.
"I bet it was nerve whacking to meet the parents," Lilo said and was given a silent disagreement. "No it wasn't? They already like you, huh?" A nod. "That's awesome!"
"It won't be long before we end this ordeal with the sea witch," Makoa said.
"It's obvious Ren's head over heels for Cas, but why didn't you guys just kiss already?"
Caspian does want to kiss Ren after their second date, but he wanted to take things a bit slow and not rush this. They've been going out a few times, and he just met the family who accepted him and their relationship. Speaking of relationship...
Lilo read the new note and giggled. "Ren invited us over for dinner tomorrow night? Sounds fun!"
"Very generous of him," Makoa said.
Meanwhile, at Sulani... It was the last week of summer until it's time to head back home to Windenburg, and the sisters were either sunbathing or splashing around in the ocean.
Erika had received a letter from her son about his days at Brindleton Bay and was thrilled when Caspian mentioned about meeting a cute guy at the bar and his family.
"We should pay a visit to see Cas and his friends," Aurora said. "Kind of like a surprise."
"Not a bad idea," Erika agreed. "Before we head back home, we should do that. I want to make sure this Ren guy treats our son with respect."
"I bet he's wonderful, so don't be such a worry hen," the brunette giggled, and Erika had thanked her lucky stars as she gazed lovingly at her wife.
Brindleton Bay "You want to marry this boy?" Kenji asked.
"I really do, from the moment I first met him," Ren replied.
Kenji chuckled. "You remind me so much of myself. When I met your mother, I knew from that day on...I want to marry her. Despite what anyone said, even my own family. They never approve of me marrying with a commoner, but I didn't care."
Ren remembered hearing how his parents met and how spiteful his grandparents are.
"I wanted what's best for not only myself and your mother, but for my children. If you or Natsumi ever find someone who loves and cares for who you are, go to them before it's too late."
The four friends went to a restaurant at the dock called the Yacht Club. There wasn't much people during this time, and a storm had already hit unexpectedly.
"You lose your taste buds while onboard of an airplane?" Makoa wondered. "That's a very odd fact."
"That's why I prefer to travel on either boat or train than on air," Ren said.
Lilo couldn't believe her friend actually felt for Ren's trick. Makoa may not be the brightest crayon, but he was nice and helpful to others and cute...
She stopped her thought at that and turned over to Caspian. "I don't think I can do this," she whispered. "What if he doesn't feel the same for me?"
Caspian gave her a smile and typed out a message on his phone for her read.
"'Do what you're good at. Impress him.'?" she read the message. "You sure about this? What if I mess up?" Her answer was a shook of his head. "Just how am I going to do this?"
Lilo and Caspian cringed at the horrible sound of the woman singing what was supposed to be a romantic song, but it sounded like a poor animal begging to be put out of its misery.
"Surrounded by amateurs..." Makoa groaned, then leaned over to Lilo. "This isn't putting on the mood. We need to think of something."
"What'd you want us to do, dress in drag and do the hula?" Lilo asked.
"That won't be necessary."
Lilo thought for a moment and hatched an idea. "I know what to do. Time to shine."
"What're you doing?" Makoa asked.
"I'm going to sing."
"Can you really sing?"
"Makoa darling, you wound me," Lilo said and went to the woman. Looking around for anyone looking this way, she dragged the woman to the backroom and came back.
Lilo took a deep breath and started to sing that would fit perfectly for her friend and his date.
(Although the song is called Kiss the Girl, but I changed her to him to fit the story.)
🎶 There you see him
Sitting there across the way
He don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about him
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss the boy 🎶
"Your friends are full of surprises," Ren commented, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Caspian.
Even Makoa was amazed at this.
Caspian blushed at the lyrics as he and Ren danced to the music, wishing he wasn't so shy.
As the words were getting to him, Ren had been enthralled by Caspian all day and looked over at his blushing date. He then noticed the scar on his neck, but didn't say anything, knowing it would make Caspian uncomfortable.
It was a perfect setting for a first kiss, but before the boys could do that...
SPLASH!
"Oh I am so sorry!" The woman cried. "I didn't see where I was going!"
"That's alright, accidents happen," Ren said.
Caspian was embarrassed about this and was relieved as Ren helped clean up the mess. The shirt and jacket was already stained from the red drink.
The woman watched the four friends leave the restaurant with a smirk on her face.
"Nicely done, Maeve," Morgana said as she watched the scene from her lair. She sighed heavily. "That was so close. Lil' Cas is getting better than I thought, already had the man fallen for him."
She walked over to the cabinet and looked over the potions, thinking what to do next. She then smiled and giggled.
"Well, it's time I took matters to my own hands," she said. "Soon Caspian's soul will be mine, and he'll be nothing but a lonely lil' fish."
As she laughed, her body began to glow brightly as her appearance began to change.
Later that night... Ren went out to take a night stroll at the beach, umbrella in hand. He thought back the times he spent with Caspian, even if they met not too long ago. Back at the restaurant, he wanted to pop the question to the blond man, but forgot about it when the woman accidentally spilled her drink on him.
"There's always next time," Ren said to himself, then spotted something - or someone - lying on the sand. He took a closer look and was shocked to find a woman. "Ma'am, are you alright?"
The woman woke up and got up on her feet, thanks to Ren's help. She took notice of her rescuer and was infuriated with him.
"I'm fine, thank you so much," she said.
As soon as their eyes locked, Ren was unaware of the magic circling around him, and it took control of his mind as his eyes went blank. The woman had him under her dark hypnotizing spell.
Random Moment
Before Caspian and his friends left the restaurant, I spotted Aurora with her co-worker. Apparently, she thought it was just a nice outing with her friend, but it turns out that her co-worker asked her on a date. It looks like he just found out that she was married to another woman. Whoops!
The next morning, Caspian was sleeping peacefully. The birds were chirping outside the window, there was a gentle breeze, and...
"Wakey wakey Cas!" The said man woke up, startled by Lilo's shouting. "Rise and shine, lover boy!" Lilo said with a big smile. "Guess what day it is?"
Caspian blinked and tilted his head in confusion. He still felt groggy and didn't quite understand what was going on.
"Makoa and I overheard from Ren and his father last night about you, and there seems to be wedding bells in the distance."
Caspian's phone rang, and the blond man gave the phone to Makoa after putting on speaker.
"This is Makoa speaking, you're on speaker."
"Hey Makoa!" Natsumi greeted. "I was wondering if Cas is awake."
"He is and with me and Lilo."
"Oh good, this is perfect!" Natsumi sounded just as excited as Lilo. "Cas, can you come over to our house? Ren got a special surprise just for you!"
"Cas would love to!" Lilo answered for Caspian, who got up to get ready for the day.
"Perfect! I can't wait!"
After Natsumi hung up, Makoa and Lilo went downstairs to wait for their friend.
"Hey Lilo?" Makoa started, feeling a bit nervous. "About last night, at the restaurant? You were really amazing."
"Thanks," Lilo said bashfully.
"I was wondering, since Cas is going out to see Ren...you wanna go out to the dock?" he asked.
"Like on a date?"
"Must be your lucky day."
Later, Caspian made it over to the Yoshida Residence and was about to ring the doorbell when he heard talking from the garden.
"I must say, Ms. Kimiko looks very stunning," Hinata said.
The blond man peeked over the bushes to see Ren, his father and uncle, and a young Japanese woman, who was holding onto Ren's arm.
"We wish to be married as soon as possible," Ren said in a flat voice, completely stone-faced.
Caspian's eyes widened as he listened to the conversation, his heart already starting to break. Did Ren really love him? Was this all for nothing? Also, where did Kimiko come from? And why did Ren want to marry her?
"Hmm, if that's what you want," Kenji said. "But are you sure this is the right choice? What about -"
"This afternoon, father," Ren said in the same monotone voice. "The wedding will take place here at sunset."
Caspian felt his heart split in half as tears fell down from his eyes. Every word hurts even more.
"Very well then, son," the older man sighed, knowing it was pointless to change his son's mind. Ren was quite like his mother, stubborn.
Caspian couldn't bear it anymore. He stumbled as he attempted to run down the path that led to the beach. The only one to see him leave was Kimiko as she slyly placed her head on Ren's shoulder.
And the one hiding the other entrance of the garden.
Something's definitely wrong, Natsumi thought to herself and glanced over at the garden to see Kimiko snuggling up against her brother. What the heck just happened? Ren was head over heels for Caspian ever since they first met...and now this thing appeared out of nowhere?
As much as Natsumi want to punch her brother for his stupid choice - and the woman for intervening - she ran off the same direction Caspian went to and found him at the beach, crying his heart out.
"Cas?" Natsumi called softly as she knelt down beside the heartbroken man. No response, and she sat next to him, trying her best to comfort him.
"Natsumi, where have you been?" Ayumi asked, walking over to her daughter. "You wouldn't believe what...oh, what happened?"
"I called Cas over to meet with Ren, but then he heard about Ren and that snake getting married," Natsumi explained. "He's heartbroken."
"The poor thing," Ayumi said with a frown. "This isn't like Ren at all. The way he acts and talks...it's like he's under some kind of spell."
"I noticed it too."
"I never like that Kimiko girl," the older woman retorted. "She reminds me of those snobby women that only wants to marry your father for his family's wealth."
"What should we do?" Natsumi asked.
"I don't know. We should let Hinata help us, maybe he'll understand," Ayumi said. "Invite Cas as well. I know it's not right, but he needs to be there once Ren is snapped out of his mind."
Evening
"Cas is going to love these!" Lilo said, indicating at the flowers she and Makoa picked out during their date at the pier.
Once they got to bedroom, they heard a woman humming and peeked through the partial opened door. The woman was freshening up and giggled to herself.
"Everything's going according to plan," she said. "Once the sun sets, Caspian's soul will be mine."
Makoa and Lilo saw something that shocked them when they looked at the mirror.
Caspian was watching the sun setting towards the horizon, knowing his time will be up.
"This isn't right," Natusmi complained. "Why can't father just change Ren's mind?"
"He tried to, dear, but your brother is quite stubborn than me," Ayumi replied with a sigh. "Even Hinata doesn't Ren to marry this estranged woman."
"CAS!" The said man looked up to see his friends running towards them.
"We were looking for you, so we can give you these flowers for good luck," Lilo gasped, sounding a bit out of breath. "And instead, we saw this woman. But we wouldn't believe what we just saw! Her reflection isn't showing!"
Caspian tilted his head in confusion, even Natsumi and Ayumi were too.
"Oh my Watcher...don't you get it?!" Makoa asked. "Ren's marrying Morgana in disguise!"
Caspian's eyes widened in shock.
"Morgana?" Natsumi was confused. "Who's that?"
"This may sound crazy, but you have to trust us," Makoa said and explained to the mother and daughter of Caspian's deal with the sea witch.
"You gotta be kidding me?!" Natsumi gasped as Ayumi was in shock. No way in heck is her brother getting married to a sea witch and gets away with it!
Caspian shrugged his shoulder in hopelessness and looked back at the sun dropping towards the horizon. Time's running thin! Ren had to give him true love's kiss, or his soul will be taken away.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think now would be a good time to call Mama Bear," Lilo stated.
"Mama Bear?"
"Cas' mom," Makoa said. "You don't want to get on her bad side if you mess with her children. I'll call her right away."
"While that's being taken care of," Lilo said. "What're we going to do?"
Natsumi got an idea. "Mom, I know you won't like this, but this is for Ren and Cas."
"Whatever it is to stop the wedding, please do."
"Lilo, what'd you think of crashing the wedding?" Natsumi asked.
"I'm a natural at party crashing!" Lilo grinned. "It's showtime!" She turned over to Caspian. "Don't worry, Cas, you're going to be with your man in no time!"
Caspian nodded his head with a smile, hoping this works.
Meanwhile...
"Come on, pick up..." Makoa muttered.
"Makoa? Is everything alright?" A woman's voice asked, and the said man looked over his shoulder to see...
Half an hour later, Lilo and Natsumi still weren't back from wherever they went, same with Makoa.
Caspian was sitting next to Ayumi, who was holding his hand for comfort, as Kimiko walked down the aisle, head held high.
"It's going to be alright, dear," Ayumi whispered, and the blond man could only nodded and saw the sun getting lower than before.
"We are here today to witness the marriage of Ren Yoshida and his betrothed, Kimiko," Hinata started, sounding a bit bored. He wondered what was up with his nephew and continued with the ceremony until the end. "Ren, do you vow to protect and care for Kimiko as you do your own family?"
"I do," Ren said in the same monotone voice.
Hinata arched an eyebrow at the response. "Alright...Kimiko, do you vow to obey and love Ren as you do your own family?"
"If she even have any..." Kenji muttered, and his wife silently agreed.
Before Kimiko could response, shouting and barking were heard, and the guests looked up just in time to see Mimi pounced on the surprised bride.
"What in the world?!"
"Get this mutt off of me!" Kimiko shouted, pushing away the dog.
"Mimi, come here!" Natsumi said and noticed the sheepdog had a purple necklace in her mouth. She took it out and crushed it by stepping on it.
Lilo saw what the Japanese woman did and gave her a thumbs up.
Two things happened all at once.
Ren was snapped back to normal and held his head from the mild headache. One minute he was walking through the beach in a thunderstorm (crazy as it sounds), the next he's standing at the altar with his confused uncle.
Caspian started to laugh as soon as he heard his voice.
"Cas?" Ren couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Ren." The blond man smiled and laughed when a happy sheepdog nearly knocked him over from the excitement.
"You can talk," the Japanese man said and rushed over to Caspian, bringing him into his arms.
"Ren, get away from him!" Kimiko yelled, not noticing the change of her voice.
"Oh, how much I miss hearing you."
"Ren, I wanted to tell you," Caspian said, unaware of the sudden thunderstorm.
"NO!" Morgana shouted, enraged that she was about to lose.
Just before their lips touched, the sun - hidden behind the dark clouds - vanished completely under the horizon. Caspian screamed and clutched Ren as he felt an overbearing pain in his legs.
"Cas!" Ren gasped as he tightened his hold and lowered the blond man to the ground. "What's wrong?"
Caspian gasped in agony as a bright light emitted his entire body. After the light dimmed, he was barely conscious.
"It's too late," the blond man groaned.
"What?"
Something cold and a tad bit slimy touched Ren's hand, and he looked down to see what he felt. He gasped, as did the Yoshidas. Where Caspian's legs had been, was a green tail.
"A merman..." Natsumi said, couldn't believe what she and her brother thought was just a fairytale was real.
After knocking out Ren and Lilo, Morgana used her mermaidic power to levitate Caspian.
"Don't worry, darling, this will only hurt a bit."
"MORGANA!"
The said sea witch looked over and smiled at the new arrival. "Well, what do we have here?"
"I see you brought your wife," Morgana said and gave them a mocking bow. "A pleasure to meet the royalties."
"Enough of the chit-chat, sea snake," Erika growled. "Unhand our son and get out!"
"Not a chance!" Morgana giggled and pulled Caspian against her side. "Your baby boy's all mine. We made a deal."
Caspian hung his head in despair, avoiding his parents' glance. "I'm sorry..."
Aurora was in tears at the sight of her son.
"It's going to be alright, Cas," Erika said softly. "We'll find a way to free you from this bargain."
"I'm afraid it's impossible," the sea witch said. "In order to set free your son, there's going to be an exchange to be made."
"What kind of exchange are you talking about?" Erika asked.
"A soul for a soul. You give me your soul, and lil' Cas goes free."
"Erika..." Aurora whimpered.
The blond woman looked at her wife and son, then at the sea witch, and sighed heavily. "Alright."
Morgana smirked and snapped her fingers, causing Erika to stiffen. A dim glow surrounded her body and left Erika, leaving only a hollow shell as she collapsed with a heavy thud.
"MOM!" Caspian cried as he watched Aurora kneel down beside her wife, tears running down her face.
"I would do the same to you, Mrs. Lothario," Moragana said. "But where's the fun when you get to witness me taking out your son."
Meanwhile, Makoa and Natsumi were dealing their own problem. Morgana's daughters broke into the house and attacked him and the Yoshidas.
They managed to knock the sisters out and threw them in the bathroom until the bigger problem was taken care of.
"You said you would set him free!" Aurora shouted.
"Must've slipped my mind," the sea witch giggled and used her power to freeze Aurora before walking over to the frightened merman. He wasn't fast enough, due to the lack of legs, and was pinned to the ground when the sea witch grabbed his throat.
At that moment, Ren stirred awake and sat up, clutching his head. He looked over to his right to see his uncle helping Lilo up and spotted Caspian gasping for air in the sea witch's grip.
"Any last words?" Morgana asked.
"Drop...dead..." Caspian rasped as he tried to push the woman off of him.
"Good enough."
With that, Morgana raised her clawed hand and was about to land a fatal strike on the merman...when she jolted at the sudden pain on her back. She looked over her shoulder to see an enraged Ren and smiled softly.
"Ren, my love..." she said and let go of the now unconscious merman. "Why would you do this to your own wife...?"
"You are not my wife, and you will never be!" Ren growled, causing the woman to flinch. "Not only have you hurt my love, but also our friends and family. You will no longer harm anyone."
Morgana felt her life drain rapidly as Ren took the dagger he found out of her back and collapsed on the ground. Her body withered, then melted into a puddle before being absorbed into the grass.
Makoa and Natsumi jumped when they heard splatters behind the closed door. He took a peek inside and closed the door instantly, feeling sick in the stomach.
Aurora leaned back as her wife's body glowed and watched as Erika let out a loud gasp and sat up, breathing heavily. The brunette woman knocked her wife down, wrapping her arms around Erika's shoulders, and cried.
Erika smiled as she held her weeping wife and spotted Ren checking over Caspian. She noticed her son's merman tail and remembered what Morgana said about the deal he made.
Everything was back to normal after the wrath of the sea witch.
Well, not everything...
Sulani
Once everyone was asleep, Caspian managed to get himself in the ocean and swam far enough, away from land.
Before he could move on and start a new life as a merman, he heard his name being called out from behind. He stopped and turned around to see Ren swimming towards him, not bother about being in his clothes.
"Ren, what're you doing out here?"
"I was looking for you, and your sister saw you leaving," the Japanese man replied.
Caspian groaned. Leave it to Misty. "If you come here to say goodbye, then now's a good time before I'm gone...for good."
"That's not it. I wanted to say that...I love you! I loved you since the day we first met!"
Caspian was lost of words at the confession and can only stare at Ren.
"I know it's impossible for us to be together with your...fishy problem," Ren said, causing Caspian to smile a little. "I don't even care if you're a human or a merman, but I rather be with you than anyone else."
"Are you sure? What about your -"
"They don't mind at all," the Japanese man interrupted. "Yeah, it's a shock after what happened, but they can get over it."
As much as Caspian appreciate Ren's choice, it feels like he was also wasting his time by loving him. Before he could protest, he was taken by surprise when Ren leaned in to kiss him for the first time...and maybe their last.
Watching from the shore, Lilo teared up at the couple, then noticed a faint glow around Caspian. She nudged Makoa, who was trying to hide the fact that he was crying, and pointed at their blond friend.
Caspian helped Ren swim back to the shore and felt an odd sensation on his tail fin.
"But first...we need to get you some clothes," Lilo giggled, looking away, as Makoa had an interest with that palm tree.
"I wouldn't mind, but yeah let's do that," Ren said.
Later...
After all the hustle and bustle that happened, Caspian and Ren agreed to wait a few days before getting married.
Aurora and Erika were proud of their son and the love of his life after all that happened to them.
Cindy and Liam knew what it's like to have something - or someone - intervene their love for one another.
"Congrats Cas!" Lilo cheered as she gave Caspian a big hug. "You live a good life, you hear?"
"You know I will," the blond man smiled at his friend, who gave his husband a look.
"You better treat him right, or I'll take you to deep end of the sea," the mermaid warned, and Makoa rolled his eyes with an amused smile.
Cindy went out to meet with her grandfather and parents in the small family cemetery. She told them how proud she was for her grandson and wished they were here to see their family thriving.
"Won't be long for Liam and I to join you," Cindy said and wiped a tear away.
"Grandma, are you alright?" Caspian asked.
"Yes, dear, just reminiscing with the family," the elderly woman replied.
Honeymoon at Mt. Komorebi
The happy newlyweds went to Mt. Komorebi for their honeymoon.
"Is this safe?" Caspian asked.
"Don't worry, it's actually fun," Ren replied. "My sister and I always do this all the time when we were kids."
WIPEOUT!
Caspian noticed Ren wincing from the pain on his lower back and felt bad for his clumsiness, but Ren brushed it off and comforted his husband, showing Caspian he's not upset.
Before heading back to their rental house, they ordered some spicy sandwiches (forgot what they were called) to warm them up in the cold.
Like any honeymoon, they ended their night with woohoo.
The next day started off well.
Caspian's reaction is exactly mine whenever a fire started in this legacy.
And apparently the maid is here as well...?
She was hired back at Widnenburg, but I don't know if this was suppose to happen when your sims go on a vacation.
They went out for a stroll through the winter forest and stopped for a break, where they built a snowman.
Caspian wasn't feeling well lately, probably from the meal he had yesterday.
Caspian had a tendencies of acting like a dolphin sometimes.
To anyone, they would find him quite...odd.
But to Ren, he found it adorable.
The snowman being the only witness to see their affection to one another.
Nine Months Later.. A new addition was born in the family. An adorable baby girl named Isabella.
Random Moment
This lady ended her snowboarding down the hill perfectly...and slipped on a first step.
Late at night. there was a commotion in a holy place, where many believe will keep them safe from anything evil...or is it.
Sounds of beating and painful grunts were heard inside the chapel.
"That's enough," the boss said. "I believe he learned his lesson."
The injured man coughed and hacked up blood after what felt like hours of getting beating up, as the men in suit stood by.
"From what I've been told, there's been a mole in the business," the boss explained. "And you don't exactly seem innocent to me. Care to explain?"
After coughing through the pain, the injured man staggered up on his feet, hunched over as he clenched his stomach, and glared at the boss with a sinister grin.
"It won't be...long until your empire...collapse..." the injured man replied, breathing heavily through his teeth. "They know...And we will take everything after you're taken out. Even that precious wife of yo-"
He didn't finished his threat when his head was thrown back by force, after the sound of a gunshot echoed the chapel.
"Whoops, my hand must've slipped," the mob boss said mockingly, but was seething with anger at the threat towards his family.
"That's just great," a brunette man groaned. "We weren't supposed to kill the dirtbag, boss."
"Oh well, he had been a thorn on my side since he joined the business," the mob boss protested, putting away his gun. "Go take care of the body, Espinoza."
The Espinoza man looked annoyed, but did as he was told to, lifting the lifeless body over his shoulder, and walked out of the chapel, leaving his friend and the boss.
"Lachapelle." The said man straightened up and faced his boss. "I have an important mission for you and your coven. Since our little friend confessed of a threat towards my family- no surprise there, I want you to look after someone in Windenburg, while my men's on a lookout here. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," the Lachapelle man said and watched his mob boss left the chapel.
Windenburg
Isabella went straight to the family's vet clinic, where her grandmother was working, and doing her homework to pass the time, but she was thinking back at the dream she had last night.
She found herself in an elegant room, dressed in a pretty yellow dress, and was dancing with the man she never seen before. She couldn't make out with his face, but she remembered he had one green cat-like eyes.
It felt like she was a princess, with the most handsome prince, but unfortunately, it was all a dream.
Aurora knew the feeling of dancing with their supposed true love in their dreams...just like her dreams about Erika.
Isabella decided to take a break from her homework and finish it at home, so she went to the lobby and greeted a red-nosed cat.
"Hey lil' guy, you okay there?" The blond girl asked and noticed the cat didn't want to acknowledge with her. "Well uh...hope you get better."
"He sometimes doesn't like to interact with others when he's sick."
Isabella met the cat's owner, who had gnarly scars on his face, but he was actually a really nice guy.
Not too long, Aurora got a call from her wife that their son had just went into labor.
They made it back home and was given good news from Erika. Caspian had given birth twins: a girl named Melody and a boy named Kai.
Even Mimi's already attached with the newborns.
Isabella went outside to enjoy the autumn breeze and thought back of the dream. Remembering what her grandmother had said, will she also get to meet her true love in the future?
"For a second, I thought the boss was referring to the brunette woman," the Espinoza man commented. "Not the brat."
"Watch your tone, Marco," the Lachapelle growled.
"Calm down, Jean. I'm just joking," Marco said. "Unless...you're starting to like her."
"Are you serious? She's just a kid."
"I'm just sayin'. If she was an adult, would you court with the little lady?" Marco asked.
"You think any woman would want to be with someone like me?" Jean pointed out, indicating his eyepatch. "Impossible. Who could ever love a beast?"
Comments
🌹 Chapter Three: Roses 🌹
The McCartney family were getting ready for the arrival of the Lothario family. Erika was excited to meet Aurora again and hadn't stopped talking about her ever since they first met. Her and Joey's father, William, was proud to hear his daughter had found someone to be with. He didn't mind that Erika had fallen for a woman, as long as she's happy, and loved her no matter what.
"I don't know what to give her," Erika said.
"Why not some flowers?" Joey said.
"That's too cliché. I wanted it to be special."
"Well, you don't have enough time for that."
"You're right," Erika sighed and got up to visit the small garden community from across the street.
A doorbell bell rang, and William answered the door and greeted his old friend's son and his family.
"Liam, it's nice to see you!" the older man said. "How's your father been?"
"Nice to see you too. He's doing alright, enjoying the life of being a grandfather," Liam replied.
Not too long, Liam's brother, Sean, and his husband, Paris, are the proud parents of twins, two girls named Penelope and Gwen.
"It's good to hear. After what happened to Arabella, bless her heart."
Cindy frowned, thinking about what her dead mother-in-law had done to her.
"You must be Aurora. My daughter talk a lot about you lately," William said.
Aurora blushed and smiled sweetly, thinking of her meeting with Erika.
"If you're wondering where she is, she's at the garden just across the street," Joey said.
"Thank you," Aurora said and was about to walk out when her mother called out to her.
"Sweetie, hope you brought some extra clothes cause of the weather," Cindy said.
During the summer, it gets extremely hot.
"I bet you and Erika wear the same size of clothes," William said. "Her bedroom is upstairs."
"Thank you so much, Mr. McCartney."
Aurora walked out back and found Erika walking around the garden.
"It's beautiful out here," the brunette woman commented as she gazed at the flowers.
"Thanks, my mother and I brought it back to life when we moved here," the blond woman said. "You know, she would've love to meet you."
By the tone of her voice, Aurora knew something happened to Erika's mother.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened?" Aurora asked.
Erika sighed as she looked up at the sky. "She passed away a few years ago. The illness took a toll on her," she replied. "Ever since then, I would come here and have a nice conversation like she was with me."
"She sounds like a lovely woman who cares so much to everyone," Aurora said.
Erika smiled, almost tearing up a bit, then remembered something. "Oh right. I got something for you."
Aurora was given a red rose and smell the sweet fragrance.
"Thank you, it's beautiful."
"Not as much as you," Erika complimented.
"Meow..."
Aurora and Erika looked down to see a black cat.
"Oh aren't you such a cutie," Aurora cooed and pet the cat, who purred at the affection it was given.
Layla laughed softly as she watched the whole scene using the magic mirror to look through her cat's view.
"My, look how much she's grown. So much beauty," she said and sighed. "Too bad it won't last long."
🌹 Chapter Four: Mistress of Evil 🌹
"Hello?" Aurora called out and felt something...or someone...watching her from behind. She turned toward the trees. "I know you're there. Come out...don't be afraid."
The brunette woman heard a chuckle. "Why would I be afraid?"
"But can you come out?" Aurora asked.
"Then you would be afraid."
"I won't."
Stepping out of the shadows, Aurora was confronted with the woman in black and noticed curled horns on her head. Something about this mysterious woman was very familiar to the brunette woman.
"You're a brave soul to ever face me," Layla said. "Anyone would have run away in fear."
"Why would I be afraid of someone who watches over me?" Aurora said.
"Oh."
"I overheard the Moonwater sisters, something about magic and a curse...then I realized they were my guardians..." Aurora explained. "And so are you."
"Meow." Aurora recognized the cat and pet it on the head, smiling when she heard a purr.
"I remember you," the brunette said. "Such a cute lil' fella."
"Her name's Nyx," Layla said, quite surprised at this, since her feline familiar never got along with anyone but her. She thought of Aurora being an odd woman, but in order to complete the curse, she had to gain her trust.
As they strolled through the town, Layla learned a lot more about Aurora, her family (Aurora's mother's story sounded quite eventful), and her dream of going out with her true love.
"It took almost three hours to find Alice, and she showed up all of a sudden, saying she was looking for her rabbit friend and fell down a hole," Aurora said, laughing. "She's been telling us crazy stories of a wonderful land she found."
"She sounds as mad as mad hatter," Layla commented.
Aurora looked at the time of the clock tower and gasped in surprise.
"How time flies by," the brunette woman said. "Maybe we'll see each other again?"
Layla thought for a moment. "We shall see," she said and was about to walk away when she found herself in Aurora's hug.
"It's been nice to finally meet you," Aurora said and ran back home, leaving the flustered Mistress of Evil.
"Meow."
"Now now, dear, this would all be over soon," she said, picking up Nyx, and disappeared in the night.
🌹 Chapter Five: The Proposal 🌹
Sulani
Erika and Aurora went to spend the day at the beach.
They visited the where they build sandcastles, sunbathing (which Aurora got a nice tan), and went out for a swim.
While they were splashing at each other, Aurora lost her bikini top by accident, and Erika giggled.
They then went snorkeling, despite Erika having Thalassophobia, but she wanted to enjoy her date before popping the question.
The day had gone by so fast, and the sun was setting already.
"It's so beautiful out here," Aurora commented, gazing out the horizon. "Maybe we can rent a beach house and come here every summer."
"Sounds like a great idea," Erika said, her attention all on Aurora and not the sunset.
Thinking it was the perfect time, Aurora leaned over and kissed the surprised blonde.
"Sorry, you just look so cute, and I couldn't resist," Aurora said with a giggle.
"There's something I want to ask, and..." Erika started and laughed a bit. "I don't know how you'll react."
Aurora was confused at first, then gasped when she watched the blond woman get down on one knee, knowing full well what's about to be asked.
🌹 Chapter Six: Betrayal 🌹
But not all things go according to plan...
Erika went out for some fresh air after dealing with the owners of the Von Haunt Estate for the wedding and walked aimlessly through the maze, thinking of the future.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard rustling, and she went to investigate the sound, only to find nothing.
Before she headed back out of the maze, she was caught from behind and glared at the attacker.
"Going somewhere, Your Highness?"
Later on that night...
Aurora was getting her hair down when she heard feathers fluttering behind her. She smiled and turned around to see Layla.
"I heard you've gotten engaged," the Mistress of Evil said with a smile.
"Isn't it wonderful? I know Erika and I were going to be together, but this is so much," Aurora said.
"I have a surprise for you," Layla said. "A perfect gift for you and your soon-to-be wife."
"How thoughtful of you, thank you!" Aurora said.
Aurora followed Layla to the room and was suddenly in a trance. In the room was a spinning wheel.
"You know what to do, dear child," Layla said and watched Aurora walk up to the spinning wheel.
Downstairs, Rose felt a chill run down her spine and looked around.
"You girls feel that?" Rose asked.
"Yeah...it feels so wrong...like..." Violet trailed off. "Where's Aurora?"
"Upstairs getting ready," Lily replied.
"She wasn't supposed to be left alone when SHE'S -- oh no!" With that, the Moonwater sisters ran upstairs and found Aurora not in her bedroom. Violet noticed a faint teal glow in one of the empty rooms and tried to open it, but it was locked.
Layla heard the Moonwater sisters and used her magic to lock the door.
"Aurora!" "Don't do it, Aurora!"
Aurora stumbled back a bit, and Layla glared at the brunette woman, her eyes glowing an eerie purple.
The Moonwater sisters managed to enter the room and was met with Layla.
"Where's Aurora? What'd you do to her?" Rose demanded.
"Oh, she's taking her beauty sleep," Layla said and stepped aside to reveal an unconscious Aurora lying on the ground.
"Aurora!" The Moonwater sisters rushed to Aurora as Layla disappeared, laughing.
"We're all to blame," Rose said as she held the princess.
"Rose! Lily! Violet!" The said sisters looked up to see Alice and Joey running into the room. The younger sister gasped when she saw Aurora. "What happened?"
"Layla had got to her..." Violet said.
Alice was told of the curse that was brought on Aurora and cried as Joey comforted her.
Not too far, Layla wanted to smile for her curse had been completed, but it felt so...wrong. She had just got along with Aurora, then betrayed her. If only she can revoke the curse in the first place.
"What have I done...?"
@adpfeifer Thanks
🌹 Chapter Seven: To the Rescue🌹
"We have to tell Cindy and Liam," Lily said. "They need to know about this."
"No," Rose retorted.
"What?" Violet was shocked.
"We're not going to tell them," Rose said. "We'll put everyone to sleep, except for Alice and Joey. We'll need to find a way to break this curse."
"But didn't Vivi said that the only to do so is true love's kiss?" Lily pointed out.
"True love's kiss...Maybe Erika can help," Alice said.
"That's the problem," Joey said. "I came to see you guys if you've seen her."
"What happened?"
"Erika went to the Von Haunt Estate to help our dad set up the wedding, and now she turned up gone," Joey explained. "The last thing father remembered was Erika going out to the maze to get some fresh air."
Rose thought for a moment, then gasped in shock. "I think I know what happened."
Somewhere in Windenburg...
Erika was trying to find a way to escape the dungeon, but froze when the door opened. The blond woman glared at Layla.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Your Highness," Layla said. "We're about to throw a celebration for the fall of the ongoing legacy."
"What'd you mean?" Erika asked.
"Your fiancée had been succumbed to the curse placed upon her," Layla explained. "And there's nothing you can do about it. It's a shame she won't be having her happily ever after." The Mistress of Evil smiled at Erika's disbelief expression.
Erika felt the whole world crash down on her. With little strength she had left, she charged at Layla, but was thrown back by the magic, nearly knocking her out cold from the impact on the wall.
Layla giggled and left the heartbroken woman alone in the dungeon.
"Erika."
The said woman looked up and was shocked to see her brother and Alice.
"Wha....how did you -"
"No time to explain, we need to get you out of here," Alice said.
"What's the point? Layla won....Aurora's gone..."
"Not quite," Joey said. "There's something that wicked witch left out. The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss."
"Curse?" Erika didn't know Aurora was cursed...but why?
"She put this curse on my sister when she was a baby, and thanks to Violet, the curse didn't kill her. She was only put under a deep sleep," Alice explained.
"Then how do we get rid of it?"
"You mean how do YOU get rid of it."
"Huh?"
"The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss, and her true love is you," Rose replied. "But we don't have much time. My sisters are protecting Aurora."
Erika couldn't believe what she was hearing. Aurora's still alive, but was under a curse that can be easily broken.
"We'll take you to where we hid Aurora," Rose said. "But first..." she took out her wand and used her magic on Erika.
"What'd you do?"
"I gave you some of our magic to defeat Layla, but be very careful. If you use too much magic, you'll combust into flames. This happened last time to an evil priestess."
Glimmerbrook
Erika was relieved to find the door unlocked and went inside. She felt a chill running down her spine as she walked through the empty lobby. Something doesn't feel right...
"So nice to see you here, dear."
🌹 Chapter Eight: Final Showdown 🌹
"Just in time for a celebration," Layla said. "Too bad not many will attend."
"This has to end now!" Erika shouted.
"We'll see about that."
Layla used her magic to push Erika out of the building and threw a fireball at the blond, only for it to be blocked by a shield.
"What?!"
Erika smirked at the shocked expression on Layla's face.
"Looks like that goodie fairy helped you, but nothing can stop me!"
"Bring it!"
Layla felt her power depleting as aura ran throughout her body. If she keeps this up, she would implode from overuse of magic. And seeing how determined Erika is to defeat her and save Aurora, it's not going to be easy.
Thinking back of her time with Aurora, something changed Layla, and she felt regret overcome her after completing the curse.
Erika was ready to finish her off, but something wasn't right. The blond woman noticed Layla isn't fighting back as she laid on the ground, but she kept her guard up in case this was a trick.
"I've done terrible acts throughout my life..." Erika's eyes widened a bit at what Layla just said. "And this...this is the worst I've ever done. Betraying...a friend..."
Erika lowered her wand and frowned. Layla may be the Mistress of Evil, but ever since meeting Aurora, there was a sudden change of heart.
"Do what you have to do to save her..." Layla said.
"I won't..."
"Yes you will. I cannot carry this guilt I've caused...and I want you to end it all. It's the only way to stop all this chaos. No one...not even Aurora...will remember me."
Erika held back the tears forming in her eyes and did as Layla told her to.
Not too long, Joey showed up and saw his sister finish off the Mistress. It was finally over, but Joey noticed Erika was crying.
"Erika...?"
"She's not a monster..."
Erika ran down the stairs and went inside the room where she spotted the Sleeping Beauty. She walked towards Aurora and leaned over to give her a kiss, hoping...praying...this would work.
The blond woman watched Aurora stir awake and smiled as the brunette gazed up at her with a loving smile.
🌹 Epilogue 🌹
A year later, another wedding was held, and this time: it's Alice and Joey. The happy couple had a wonderful time at their honeymoon in Sulani, and a few months later, they had two daughters, Mirana and Iracebeth.
Not too long, by some miracle (and a little bit of magic), Aurora and Erika were blessed with seven children: six daughters and one son.
🐠 Prologue 🐠
"Ren! Ren, where are you!" An older Japanese man, Hinata, called out and found his niece in the kitchen. "Natsumi, have you seen your brother?"
"Take a lucky guess," Natsumi replied.
"Of course," Hinata groaned and left the mansion, heading to the pier at Whiskerman's Wharf.
Ren Yoshida was gazing at the ocean, enjoying the cool breeze...only to have his peace be interrupted by his uncle.
"Ren, what're you doing out here?! It's not right for someone like you to be out here!" Hinata complained. "You could've fallen off the dock and drown!"
"Oh come now," Ren laughed. "What's wrong with that? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face...a perfect day to be out rather than being stuck inside and doing boring stuff."
Hinata nearly gagged at the smell of fish nearby. "Oh yes...delightful."
"A fine strong wind and following sea it is!" a sailor, Lucian, said. "Looks like King Triton must be in a friendly mood."
"King Triton?" Ren asked.
"Ruler of the merpeople. Thought every good sailor, and royalty, knew about him," the captain, Rowan, chuckled.
"Merpeople, bah!" Hinata shouted. "Pay no attention to these nautical nonsense!"
"Oh but it ain't nonsense," Lucian said. "It's the truth. I'm tellin' ya, down in the depths o' the sea they live. My grandfather actually met one a long time ago when his boat sunk during a storm, and it saved his life."
"Whoa..." Ren gasped.
"I still say it's nonsense. Probably drank a bit too much of salt water," Hinata accused and grabbed his nephew by the arm.
"Have it your way then," Lucian said with a shrug.
'Maybe someday I'll get to meet one,' Ren thought to himself as he and his uncle went back home when the thunderstorm hit, looking back at the ocean.
Sulani
It was a nice sunny day at the tropical island of Sulani. The weather was perfect to have fun at the beach and a nice swim, and that's what this individual was about to do.
Standing at the shore was a young man gazing at the horizon before him.
"Caspian!" The said man looked back to see his friends running towards him.
"Lilo!" Caspian called out, laughing. "Gotta keep up!"
"You know I can't run as fast as you," Lilo complained as she was catching her breath.
"What? You're like the most energetic in all of Sulani," the blond man commented.
"We may never know anything about ya," Makoa said.
"Now that we're here, what should we do?" Lilo asked.
"Like we always do, go for a swim," Caspian responded.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Makoa asked. "This is where so many shark attacks had been reported."
"Don't be such a wuss, Makoa," Lilo teased. "Last one there is a rotten fish!"
Makoa shook his head in disbelief as Caspian and Lilo ran to the ocean. "Oi vey..."
Meanwhile...
"Caspian?" Aurora called out, then found her daughters lounging in the living room. "Girls, have you seen your brother?"
"He said he's going out with his friends," Mariana replied.
"Does he even know what he was supposed to do today?" Ophelia asked.
"Whoops," Jenny said.
"You are so forgetful, Jen," Misty complained.
"Maybe we should've put a leash on that boy," Erika pointed out, ignoring her wife's glare.
"That's a bit uncalled for," the brunette retorted, then to their daughters. "Anyone want to volunteer and fetch him?"
The sisters looked at one another, then responded in sync, "Misty."
"What?! Why me?!" Misty complained.
"You're more close to him than us," Ophelia replied.
Misty groaned and went out to look for their brother.
Later on...
"What'd I say about the sharks?" Makoa asked, glaring at the duo.
"Shut up," Caspian groaned.
He and Lilo got a bit too far from shore and nearly got attacked by a shark. Thankfully their aquatic friends, the dolphins, distracted the shark for the two friends to swim back to shore safely.
"Not our fault we wanted to have fun," Lilo complained.
"If your parents ever found out what happened-" Makoa started.
"I know, I know," Lilo snapped. "They'll flip out and would never let me see you guys again."
Her parents were always worried whenever their daughter would go out with her friends, especially when Caspian's involved. They thought he was a bad influence to Lilo, but she ignored them.
"Okay guys, I think we have enough for today," Caspian said.
"How can you be so calm after what happened?" Makoa asked.
"Yes, it was bad, but at least we made it back in one piece."
"Oh yes, let's celebrate!"
"Oh snap!" Caspian gasped. "I forgot about the meeting my parents arranged! And I was supposed to be there!"
"Took you that long to remember?"
"Heh...hey Misty..."
"No need to act all innocent, time to head back home," Misty said.
Caspian groaned and waved at his friends. "See ya guys."
"Bye Cas!" Lilo called out. "Have fun at the party!"
As Caspian and Misty headed back to their beach house, two women watched them from a distance.
Somewhere, a woman, Morgana, watched the Lothario siblings in her mirror and laughed softly.
"Hurry home, dear child," she cooed. "We wouldn't want to miss Mommy's gathering now, would we?"
🐠 Meet the Sims 🐠
Generation 14 Heir
Traits: Active, Loves Outdoors, Romantic
Aspiration: The Curator
Ren Yoshida
Traits: Genius, Outgoing, Ambitious
Aspiration: Nerd Brain
Lilo Ka'uhane
Traits: Goofball, Clumsy, Bro
Makoa Kahananui
Traits: Genius, Family-Oriented, Paranoid
Morgana Kaʻanāʻanā
Traits: Romantic, Snob, Evil
Hazel and Maeve Kaʻanāʻanā
Maeve: Evil, Hot-headed
Hazel: Evil, Loner
Natsumi Yoshida
Ren's fraternal twin sister
Traits: Romantic, Neat, Bookworm
Hinata Yoshida
Ren and Natsumi's uncle
Traits: Snob, Family-Oriented, Perfectionist
Misty, Nerissa, Ophelia, Cascade, Mariana, and Jenny Lothario
Caspian's sisters
Misty: Cheerful, Snob, Romantic - Spellcaster
Nerissa: Proper, Materialistic, Creative
Ophelia: Self-Assured, Gloomy, Foodie - Spellcaster
Cascade: Music Lover, Outgoing, Hot-Headed - Spellcaster
Mariana: Dog Lover, Jealous, Loves Outdoors - Spellcaster
Jenny: Vegetarian, Active, Bro
🐠 Chapter One: Family Fued 🐠
"This is the fifth and last time I'm bringing your sorry behind back home!" Misty shouted. "You're old enough to know this!"
"I know, and I'm sorry for causing trouble for you," Caspian said. "And I'm sorry for forgetting about the 'party' Mama arranged."
Misty sighed heavily. "Alright, just don't do it again. And sorry for snapping at ya, I don't like being told what to do, ya know."
The two siblings laughed at the statement. They sometimes butt heads since they were kids, but in the end, they would forgive each other and move on.
"I'm not the only one you need to apologize," the blond woman pointed out.
"Yeah....I'm so dead," the blond man groaned.
"How right you are," a female voice said, causing Caspian and Misty froze.
They turned around to see their parents, and the one who spoke was Erika, who was giving Caspian a stern look.
Misty gave her brother a sympathy look and walked back inside the house.
Once Misty went inside, Caspian and his parents went to sit at the patio.
"Sorry...." Caspian muttered.
Erika sighed. "I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young man."
"I just forgot about it, I -" Caspian started but was interrupted.
"As a result of your careless behavior, the man you were suppose to marry and his family all left this morning," Erika explained.
"But I don't want to marry someone by your choice, Mom!" Caspian snapped. "Didn't you say I can choose someone I love?"
"Yes, and it had been a long time, and you still didn't find anyone," Aurora replied. "You're chosen as the heir of this legacy, and it's your --"
"--responsibility to continue the family name," Caspian finished, having to hear this countless of time. "Why didn't you choose any of my sisters? I bet they're more than happy to be the heiress."
"True, it would've been a wise choice," Erika said. "But you've been chosen by uh...the Watcher. It's...sort of a tradition from your mother."
"Then can you let me choose who I want to be with?" the blond man asked.
Erika and Aurora looked at one another, then Erika responded, "Of course. Remember, you only have one year to find someone of your liking."
"Also, make sure we get to meet him before you get knocked up," Aurora said and giggled at her son's flushed face.
"Mama!" Caspian cried, but he was smiling.
"Now, where were you and your friends at to miss this day?" Aurora asked.
Caspian looked nervous. "We uh...we went to the beach and swam at the area where I go all the time."
"You..." Erika looked upset. "You went to where reported shark attacks happened."
"Well, there was a shark, but the dolphins scared it away for me and Lilo to swim away. Nothing serious happened," Caspian explained.
"Except for the shark," Aurora added.
"How many times have I told you to not go there again?!" Erika shouted. "You could've been hurt. What's even worse was that you put your friends in danger!"
"Makoa didn't swim with us."
"At least you have someone who had brain than that Lilo girl," the blond woman muttered, but Caspian heard what she said.
"You know, I'm tired of hearing you talk down about my friends," Caspian said and went inside.
"Caspian!" the brunette woman called out and sighed heavily as she looked over at her stressed wife.
"Was I a bit too hard on him?" Erika asked. "Watcher, I'm a terrible parent!"
"No, love, you're not," Aurora reassured, snuggling up on Erika. "Caspian's still young, and he needs some time for himself. Being the heir isn't that easy."
"You never had a problem with arranged marriage," Erika pointed out, and Aurora had to agree on that part.
🐠 Chapter Two: Love's A Fool 🐠
"I wish this never happened to me," Caspian sighed. "This would've been a lot more easier if either of my sisters were picked."
Lilo thought for a moment and got an idea. "How about we go out somewhere? Just you, me, and Makoa."
"You sure it's a good idea?" Caspian asked. "And what about Makoa?"
"We'll let him know. Besides, you've been here for the whole summer, so let's do something different before you head back home," she said. "But first, we need a change of clothes."
Brindleton Bay
With some help from Lilo's cousin, the three friends moved in a cozy house in a nice neighborhood.
"At least the weather here is more tolerable than back home," Makoa said. "But why do we need a change of clothes?"
"I ain't going around half naked," Lilo protested.
"Come on guys, we just got here," Caspian said. "Let's head over to the pier we saw earlier."
The three friends arrived at Whiskerman's Wharf and stopped by at the bar near the pier.
Caspian stayed outside to enjoy the view while his friends went inside to order drinks, only to hear a dog barking from behind. He turned around and was caught by surprise when a large sheepdog jumped onto him.
"Hey there, buddy!" the blond man laughed as the sheepdog snuggled up to him.
"Mimi, whatcha doing, you silly girl," a male voice said with a chuckle, causing Caspian's heart to skip.
The blond man looked up to see a Japanese man before him and was instantly head over heel, while Mimi got herself comfortable with her new human friend.
"Sorry about her, she gets so excited to meet new people," Ren said, petting Mimi when the sheepdog got up to greet her owner.
"It's alright, she's just keeping me company," Caspian said.
Ren was checking Caspian out. "I've never seen you around here. You're new?"
"Yeah, but my friends and I are only here for a visit," Caspian replied. "We're from Sulani."
"Sulani? Wow, that's pretty far from here. You live there?"
"My friends does, but me and family are only there for the summer," the blond man replied. "We rented a beach house."
"Nice, better there than living here in the gloom," Ren joked. "Usually we would get thunderstorms, so you and your friends are very lucky to stay after it."
Caspian was half paying attention at what Ren was saying, but he couldn't help it but to admire him.
"Where are my manners, I'm Ren," the said man introduced himself.
"Caspian."
"That's a really cool name," Ren commented. "Is it okay if I call you Cas?"
"Sure, I don't mind." Caspian couldn't help but fall for Ren, maybe he might be the one.
"Already making friends, Cas?" Makoa called out, with Lilo following behind. "Not sure if he told you about us, but I'm Makoa, and that's Lilo. I watched out for them if I were you, with them together is trouble."
"Oh shut up!" Lilo giggled.
Ren ordered everyone drinks, and the three friends got to meet the locals.
"Yo Ren!" A woman called out and showed up beside Caspian. "I was wondering where you are."
"Whatever," Ren chuckled.
The woman took noticed a few new faces, especially one that her brother seemed to take interest. "And who's this cutie?"
"This is Caspian, he's from Sulani."
"Ooooooh, that's awesome!"
Ren rolled his eyes at his sister's enthusiam. "Cas, this is my crazy sister, Natsumi."
While the three friends and the Yoshida siblings were chatting and drinking, Caspian noticed Makoa checking out Natsumi while Lilo looked a bit disappointed and knew something was wrong.
Not too long, Lilo admitted her feelings for Makoa, but didn't have the confidence to do so, afraid that it'll ruin their friendship.
"Whoa, look at the time!" Natsumi gasped. "We should probably get back home before our uncle wakes up."
"What'd you do to him?" Ren asked, but he already know what she did.
"I put a bit of a sleeping herb in his drink," the Japanese woman replied.
"Wha -- oh my Watcher," he groaned, not wanting to believe his sister had spiked their uncle's drink.
"Maybe next time, I'll show you around town," Ren said. "Tomorrow sounds right?"
"I really like that," Caspian said.
"Sounds like a date then."
Unbeknownst to the friends, one of Morgana's daughters was eavesdropping on them.
"Oh my, dear child is already in love," Morgana giggled as she watched the image of Caspian. "Mommy and Mama would be so proud!" She glanced over at the jars filled with souls who would tricked by the sea witch. "Caspian would make a beautiful addition to my little collection."
🐠 Chapter Three: Brindleton Bay Tour 🐠
"Cas, my dear lovestruck friend, you hit the jackpot!" Lilo exclaimed. "That guy you fell for yesterday is actually the son of the Prime Minister of Mt. Komorebi."
"No way! Really?" Caspian gasped.
"Yup, and their uncle is the Mayor of Brindleton Bay, Mister Hinata Yoshida," she explained. "You got one of the higher ups to fall for ya. I am impressed."
"You're not one for doing research and stuff like this," Makoa said.
"Hey, it's for a friend."
"I know that I really like him, and maybe he likes me," Caspian said. "But what if he's just being friendly?"
"I can tell Ren really likes you, Cas. The way he looks at you, he's head over heels."
"Hate to burst your bubble, guys, but being the kid of someone important can be risky," Makoa explained. "You know, with being the next in line and the whole arranged marriage. I'm just saying if things didn't go well."
Caspian sighed heavily. "Makoa's right, maybe it's not going to go well between me and Ren."
"Don't listen to him" Lilo said and smiled when they heard a knock on the door. "But it doesn't seem to bother our special guest."
Caspian went to answer the door and was surprised to see Ren.
"Hey Ren."
"Hey Cas," Ren greeted, still in awe of Caspian. " Ready to go out to see the town?"
"Sure, let me get dressed first. Hot day it's gonna be," Caspian said.
"Not as hot as you," Ren thought as he checked out the blond man.
"Aren't you such a flirt."
Whiskerman's Wharf
"So what'd you do for a living?" Caspian asked.
"I work as a conservationist just like my aunt," Ren replied. "She has a fascination with Sulani and wanted to help restore its true beauty. Not only that, but I wanted to learn more of its history."
"Maybe I'll let my friends talk to you about that. They live there longer than me."
Before heading out, they ordered some food at the seafood vendor.
Cavalier Cove
"It's nothing like how it is back at Sulani," Ren said. "But if you feel a bit homesick, you can always come here."
They spent half a day at the beach, cloudgazing and building a sandcastle.
Someone left a bucket full of water balloons at the pinic area, and they had a blast, ending with a few hits on the head.
While Caspian was looking around and waiting for Ren who went to the bathroom, he was greeted by a teen girl, who was giving out some fruits she and her family grew. She offered one to him and stated that it would taste good if eaten fresh.
"I hate using public restrooms," Ren complained and met up with Caspian. "Ready to go on a boat trip?"
"Sounds fun, but to where?"
"You'll see."
Deadgrass Isle
They made it to the top of the lighthouse, and Caspian was in awe of the sight.
"This is amazing!" he commented. "I can probably see my house from up here!"
Ren was glad that Caspian was enjoying his day. "It really is amazing here, but you're the only one I enjoy the most."
"That may be so cliché, but you're just too cute."
They went back to Whiskerman's Wharf and relaxed near the firepit behind the restaurant, watching the sunset and enjoying each other's company.
It was getting a bit late, and before heading back home, Caspian caught Ren by surprise.
"There's more of that after our date next time," he said and left the flabbergasted man.
Later...
"CAS! HURRY UP!" Lilo shouted from upstairs.
"Alright, alright!" Caspian called out and was about to head to the backyard where Makoa was relaxing in the pool. He then remembered the fruit he was given by the girl at the beach and ate it. "Blegh! Gross..."
Minutes later, Lilo had just got changed into her swimsuit when she heard Makoa called out for her.
"Lilo, come here quick!"
When Lilo got out to know what's the problem, she gasped in shock. "CAS?!"
🐠 Chapter Four: Poor Unfortunate Souls 🐠
"How about we calm down first?" Makoa said.
"Calm down?! How are we going to calm down after what just happened?!" She went over to the tub containing the unconscious Caspian...who had a green merman tail. "What are we going to tell Mrs. Lothario what happened to her son?"
"We don't tell her anything about this," the man replied. "It's a good thing we're staying here for two weeks, which gives us enough time to fix this."
Lilo sighed and looked up at Caspian. "What did you get yourself into, Cas?"
"We should've told him about this in the first place."
"What'd you mean we? You're the one who wants to keep this all hush hush!" Lilo snapped.
"Well I regret doing so then!"
"What'd you guys yelling about?" Caspian groaned and noticed the tail. "What happened to me?! What the hell is this?!"
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Lilo went over and grabbed hold of the thrashing tail. "You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that."
Lilo dragged their fishy friend to the backyard pool and jumped into the water. Her legs then turned into a mermaid tail and, to lighten up the mood, she splashed at Caspian.
Caspian was quite surprise to see both of his friends were just like him as well...
"But why would you keep this a secret to me?" Caspian asked.
"We didn't want you to freak out and all," Makoa replied. "So we used up some energy to keep from turning like this every time we go out swimming."
"Not only that, but we can also do this," Lilo said and sang a tune that made Caspian feel inspired.
It's crazy how two of his best friends were actually mermaids (or mersims?), but there was one thing he had in mind...
"How do I get my legs back?"
"Easy, just climb out of the pool, and viola! You're back to being a human," Lilo replied.
"Sort of, you're still a merman until you make physical contact to water," Makoa pointed out.
Caspian could get used to this, as long as he doesn't get in either the pool or the ocean. As he was prepping up dinner, he got a text from someone with the initial H.D. It turns out to be the teen girl he met at the beach.
'You may know me as the girl you met earlier, and I've been told about the fruit and its' odd effect. If you need any help, my mother would like to meet you at the small house near the beach.' - H.D
"Cas? Where are you?" Makoa called out as he walked back inside the house. He found a note on the counter and read it.
'Going out to meet someone at the beach. She goes by the name of Morgana." - Cas
"Oh no..."
"What?" Lilo took the note and read it. She gasped in shock. "You don't think he..."
"Unfortunately."
Later...
Caspian met up with Hazel and the other girl at the house near the beach.
"Did you dyed your hair?"
"Nah, this is natural."
"Enough with the small talk, Mother is waiting for you," the other girl said.
Makoa and Lilo arrived as soon as Caspian followed the twin sisters inside the house.
"I never like those two snakes," Lilo retorted.
Caspian was led to a purple lit room and saw a woman sitting on the couch from across. She looked exactly like the twin sisters.
"Don't be afraid, little one," the woman cooed. "I won't bite. You have so much things going on in that head of yours. Like how you want to live normal than be a fish out of water. And before you say anything, yes...I do know what you're going through. You're not the only one."
Caspian gasped in shock as Morgana's legs turned itno a mermaid tail without being in the water.
The woman giggled at the blond's reaction. "Like I said, don't need to be afraid."
"Do you know how to...turn me back to normal?" he asked.
"Hmmm....the solution to your problem is very simple," Morgana replied. "It may be harmful, but it's worth it...if you're willing to risk it."
Makoa and Lilo snuck their way inside and tried to figure out where Caspian's at.
"Where is he?" Makoa muttered to himself and heard Lilo struggling from behind. "Lilo, what're you --" He turned around to see Lilo in the grasp of one of Morgana's daughters....
...unaware of the other daughter behind him.
"Can you do that?" Caspian asked.
"Dear child, it's what I do," Morgana said, getting up when her tail turned back to legs. "It' what I live for. To help the poor unfortunate souls like yourself...with no one else to turn to."
"What happened to the others?"
"I've done unspeakable things in my time, and others had accused me of being a witch," Morgana replied.
"Why accused you of that? Almost half of my sisters and mother are witches as well," the blond man said.
"Times were different back then, they call you the spawn of the Devil if you practice witchcraft. They claimed that having too much magic can make you insane, but I only use it for the miserable, lonely, and depressed."
"How?"
"For example, one girl wants to be thinner, and one man wants to be with the girl," the white-haired sea witch explained. "Unfortunately, things never go so well. It only happened a few times when someone couldn't pay the price, so I have to take what I can get: their souls."
Caspian frowned at the thought of others who had been dealt with as he glanced over at the orbs.
"So here's a deal," Morgana said and led him over to the cauldron. "I'll make a potion that will turn you back to normal for three days."
"Three days?"
"Let me finish first. Within those three days, you've got to have this hunk of a man to fall for you," the woman explained and laughed softly at Caspian's shyness about Ren. "But that would be too easy since you two are already in love. To get rid of your fishy problem, you need true love's first kiss before the sun sets on the third day."
"Still sounds easy," Caspian commented. 'As long as I don't lose my soul.'
"Indeed it does," Morgana agreed. "Oh, there's one more thing, we haven't discussed the subject of payment. Not everything's free, especially from a sea witch."
"But I don't have --"
"I'm not asking much," the sea witch interrupted. "What I want from you is...your voice."
"Don't do it, Cas!" The said man looked over to see Lilo and Makoa being held back by Hazel and Maeve.
"Don't worry about your friends, nothing bad will happen to them," Morgana reassured. 'Yet...'
Caspian was hesitant at the deal and sighed heavily. "Alright, I'll do it," he said, much to his friends' disbelief.
"Now, drink this potion," the sea witch said, offering the potion. "Not to sugar coat this, but you will feel excruiating pain in your throat as your voice will be removed. Remember: you have three days before your time's up."
Caspian took the potion and took a deep breath before drinking. Morgana wasn't kidding, the pain was so strong, it knocked Caspian down.
Lilo and Makoa tried to struggle out of the twins' grip, hearing him scream in agony until his voice faded away. They were then let go and was shocked at their sudden surroundings.
It looked empty and abandoned...like no one hadn't lived here. No furniture, no lights...nothing. Lilo was the first to reach Caspian, who had fallen unconscious from the pain, as Makoa checked the house to find the evil mer-witches.
"Morgana and her lil' minions aren't here," Makoa said and glanced over at Caspian. "I hope you know what you're putting yourself into, Cas."
They soon left after they heard the sound of police sirens coming closer, believing that anyone nearby may have heard screaming.
Here's what Lilo and Makoa look like in their mermaid (and merman) form.
🐠 Chapter Five: Meet the Yoshidas 🐠
Day One
He thought he was dreaming about being a merman, his friends being mermaids as well, and making a deal with a sea witch. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he noticed a scar across his neck and tried to call out to his friends, but no sound. That's when it hit him: the deal he made with Morgana cost him his own voice.
Maybe he should've think twice before heading off to get help from a stranger.
"We can't just go up to him and say 'Hey Ren, what's up? Oh, your boyfriend, Cas? He turned into a merman and then sold his voice to an evil sea witch. To get him talking, you need to kiss him before he becomes a fish.' Ren's gonna think we're complete nut jobs!" Lilo complained.
"We got to come up with something," Makoa said.
Caspian heard his friends downstairs and wondered how he would communicate with Ren without his voice. He doesn't know how to do sign language, nor does he know if Ren can too. If only he had listened to his conscious, then none of this would've happened.
His train of thoughts were interrupted by the small tune from his phone, indicating he got a text message. He checked it and smiled when he saw it was from Ren.
Ren: I know it's a bit too soon, but think it's ok if you come over to my place? My parents are coming over from Mt. Komorebi.
They had just been going out a couple of times since he and his friends arrived, and now he's about to meet Ren's parents. But...what would they say about their son going on a date with another man?
Ren: If you're worrying about them judging us, don't worry. They're very open-minded.
This made Caspian feel relieved, and he sent a message back that he'll love to come over. He blushed when he received a...
Ren: See ya soon!
"You'll be getting that kiss in no time." Caspian jumped at the sudden appearance of Lilo, who had snuck up behind him and reading the text messages.
"It would be nice to meet the parents," Makoa commented. "But to make a good first impression, we need to hide that scar on your neck."
"Oh right," Lilo said. "Shopping time!"
At the Yoshida Residence...
"Natsumi, my dear airhead of a sister," Ren started. "This has been the fifth man you had rejected. I get it's hard to find the right one, but your expectations are too high."
"Like you would know how to find that special someone," Natsumi snapped.
"You're right, I don't. Cause I already got a special someone."
"These two had never changed," Hinata commented while his brother was playing with Mimi.
"As much as your bickering is more entertaining than ever, is he coming over?" the older woman asked Ren.
"Yeah, and speak of the Watcher," Ren replied and got up to open the front door. He smiled when he saw Caspian and checked out his new outfit. Kind of odd to wear a turtleneck during summer, but the blond man pulled it off quite well. "Wow...you look amazing."
Caspian could only smile on the compliment.
"Oi, instead of eye woohooing your boyfriend, invite him inside!" Natsumi called out and yelped when her mother smacked her on the back of the head for being rude.
"Mind my sister, she has no filter," Ren groaned, feeling embarrassed.
"You must be the one who had my son fall head over heels for," the older man said. "It's nice to meet you." He frowned a bit when Caspian only waved. "Ren, can he talk?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. He came down with something that caused him to lose his voice," Ren explained. "He's feeling better now, but can't talk anymore."
"Oh, the poor thing," the older woman said with a warm smile. "No need to be shy. I'm Ayumi, Ren and Natsumi's mother, and this is my husband, Kenji. I can see why my son loves you so much."
Caspian blushed at the comment and looked over at Ren, who was a bit embarrassed but was smiling.
"Ren, this is the first time I've seen you really smiling," Kenji said.
This made Caspian concerned.
"What our father meant was that Ren was always a gloom, moping around and stuff," Natsumi explained. "He does go out, but he always feel left out when our friends back home are with their date."
"So, what'd you know about Caspian?" Hinata asked and chuckled when he noticed his nephew was staring at the blond man.
"Earth to Ren, come back down!" Natsumi shouted, causing Ren to jolt.
"Wha-? Sorry, what was that?" Ren asked.
"Your date? Since he can't talk, maybe he might've talked about himself," Hinata replied.
"Oh, umm..." Ren thought for a moment. "He lives at Windenburg with his mothers and six sisters."
"Six sisters?! Holy cow, that must've been one big family!" Natsumi exclaimed. "I don't think I can take care of that much kids."
"He mentioned about his grandmother being the youngest of her six siblings, so having a lot of kids runs in the family," Ren explained and a got silent agreement from Caspian.
"And Windenburg is such a lovely place, especially during the winter," Ayumi said and sighed as she gazed at her husband. "That's where we had our honeymoon."
"The best times of my entire life," Kenji commented.
Times flies by so fast, it was already evening.
"It was great to see you, and my parents really like you," Ren said. "How about tomorrow, we go out somewhere? Also, I feel kinda terrible for pulling you away from your friends, so maybe they want tag along as well?"
Caspian nodded. Maybe this is a chance for Lilo to confess her feelings for Makoa.
That night, Caspian was sitting in his bedroom and had explained (or written down) how the day went to Lilo and Makoa.
"I bet it was nerve whacking to meet the parents," Lilo said and was given a silent disagreement. "No it wasn't? They already like you, huh?" A nod. "That's awesome!"
"It won't be long before we end this ordeal with the sea witch," Makoa said.
"It's obvious Ren's head over heels for Cas, but why didn't you guys just kiss already?"
Caspian does want to kiss Ren after their second date, but he wanted to take things a bit slow and not rush this. They've been going out a few times, and he just met the family who accepted him and their relationship. Speaking of relationship...
Lilo read the new note and giggled. "Ren invited us over for dinner tomorrow night? Sounds fun!"
"Very generous of him," Makoa said.
Meanwhile, at Sulani...
It was the last week of summer until it's time to head back home to Windenburg, and the sisters were either sunbathing or splashing around in the ocean.
Erika had received a letter from her son about his days at Brindleton Bay and was thrilled when Caspian mentioned about meeting a cute guy at the bar and his family.
"We should pay a visit to see Cas and his friends," Aurora said. "Kind of like a surprise."
"Not a bad idea," Erika agreed. "Before we head back home, we should do that. I want to make sure this Ren guy treats our son with respect."
"I bet he's wonderful, so don't be such a worry hen," the brunette giggled, and Erika had thanked her lucky stars as she gazed lovingly at her wife.
Brindleton Bay
"You want to marry this boy?" Kenji asked.
"I really do, from the moment I first met him," Ren replied.
Kenji chuckled. "You remind me so much of myself. When I met your mother, I knew from that day on...I want to marry her. Despite what anyone said, even my own family. They never approve of me marrying with a commoner, but I didn't care."
Ren remembered hearing how his parents met and how spiteful his grandparents are.
"I wanted what's best for not only myself and your mother, but for my children. If you or Natsumi ever find someone who loves and cares for who you are, go to them before it's too late."
🐠 Chapter Six: Kiss the Boy 🐠
Day Two
"You lose your taste buds while onboard of an airplane?" Makoa wondered. "That's a very odd fact."
"That's why I prefer to travel on either boat or train than on air," Ren said.
Lilo couldn't believe her friend actually felt for Ren's trick. Makoa may not be the brightest crayon, but he was nice and helpful to others and cute...
She stopped her thought at that and turned over to Caspian. "I don't think I can do this," she whispered. "What if he doesn't feel the same for me?"
Caspian gave her a smile and typed out a message on his phone for her read.
"'Do what you're good at. Impress him.'?" she read the message. "You sure about this? What if I mess up?" Her answer was a shook of his head. "Just how am I going to do this?"
Lilo and Caspian cringed at the horrible sound of the woman singing what was supposed to be a romantic song, but it sounded like a poor animal begging to be put out of its misery.
"Surrounded by amateurs..." Makoa groaned, then leaned over to Lilo. "This isn't putting on the mood. We need to think of something."
"What'd you want us to do, dress in drag and do the hula?" Lilo asked.
"That won't be necessary."
Lilo thought for a moment and hatched an idea. "I know what to do. Time to shine."
"What're you doing?" Makoa asked.
"I'm going to sing."
"Can you really sing?"
"Makoa darling, you wound me," Lilo said and went to the woman. Looking around for anyone looking this way, she dragged the woman to the backroom and came back.
Lilo took a deep breath and started to sing that would fit perfectly for her friend and his date.
(Although the song is called Kiss the Girl, but I changed her to him to fit the story.)
🎶 There you see him
Sitting there across the way
He don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about him
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss the boy 🎶
"Your friends are full of surprises," Ren commented, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Caspian.
Even Makoa was amazed at this.
Caspian blushed at the lyrics as he and Ren danced to the music, wishing he wasn't so shy.
As the words were getting to him, Ren had been enthralled by Caspian all day and looked over at his blushing date. He then noticed the scar on his neck, but didn't say anything, knowing it would make Caspian uncomfortable.
It was a perfect setting for a first kiss, but before the boys could do that...
SPLASH!
"Oh I am so sorry!" The woman cried. "I didn't see where I was going!"
"That's alright, accidents happen," Ren said.
Caspian was embarrassed about this and was relieved as Ren helped clean up the mess. The shirt and jacket was already stained from the red drink.
The woman watched the four friends leave the restaurant with a smirk on her face.
"Nicely done, Maeve," Morgana said as she watched the scene from her lair. She sighed heavily. "That was so close. Lil' Cas is getting better than I thought, already had the man fallen for him."
She walked over to the cabinet and looked over the potions, thinking what to do next. She then smiled and giggled.
"Well, it's time I took matters to my own hands," she said. "Soon Caspian's soul will be mine, and he'll be nothing but a lonely lil' fish."
As she laughed, her body began to glow brightly as her appearance began to change.
Later that night...
Ren went out to take a night stroll at the beach, umbrella in hand. He thought back the times he spent with Caspian, even if they met not too long ago. Back at the restaurant, he wanted to pop the question to the blond man, but forgot about it when the woman accidentally spilled her drink on him.
"There's always next time," Ren said to himself, then spotted something - or someone - lying on the sand. He took a closer look and was shocked to find a woman. "Ma'am, are you alright?"
The woman woke up and got up on her feet, thanks to Ren's help. She took notice of her rescuer and was infuriated with him.
"I'm fine, thank you so much," she said.
As soon as their eyes locked, Ren was unaware of the magic circling around him, and it took control of his mind as his eyes went blank. The woman had him under her dark hypnotizing spell.
Random Moment
🐠 Chapter Seven: Heartbroken 🐠
Day 3
"Wakey wakey Cas!" The said man woke up, startled by Lilo's shouting. "Rise and shine, lover boy!" Lilo said with a big smile. "Guess what day it is?"
Caspian blinked and tilted his head in confusion. He still felt groggy and didn't quite understand what was going on.
"Makoa and I overheard from Ren and his father last night about you, and there seems to be wedding bells in the distance."
Caspian's phone rang, and the blond man gave the phone to Makoa after putting on speaker.
"This is Makoa speaking, you're on speaker."
"Hey Makoa!" Natsumi greeted. "I was wondering if Cas is awake."
"He is and with me and Lilo."
"Oh good, this is perfect!" Natsumi sounded just as excited as Lilo. "Cas, can you come over to our house? Ren got a special surprise just for you!"
"Cas would love to!" Lilo answered for Caspian, who got up to get ready for the day.
"Perfect! I can't wait!"
After Natsumi hung up, Makoa and Lilo went downstairs to wait for their friend.
"Hey Lilo?" Makoa started, feeling a bit nervous. "About last night, at the restaurant? You were really amazing."
"Thanks," Lilo said bashfully.
"I was wondering, since Cas is going out to see Ren...you wanna go out to the dock?" he asked.
"Like on a date?"
"Must be your lucky day."
Later, Caspian made it over to the Yoshida Residence and was about to ring the doorbell when he heard talking from the garden.
"I must say, Ms. Kimiko looks very stunning," Hinata said.
The blond man peeked over the bushes to see Ren, his father and uncle, and a young Japanese woman, who was holding onto Ren's arm.
"We wish to be married as soon as possible," Ren said in a flat voice, completely stone-faced.
Caspian's eyes widened as he listened to the conversation, his heart already starting to break. Did Ren really love him? Was this all for nothing? Also, where did Kimiko come from? And why did Ren want to marry her?
"Hmm, if that's what you want," Kenji said. "But are you sure this is the right choice? What about -"
"This afternoon, father," Ren said in the same monotone voice. "The wedding will take place here at sunset."
Caspian felt his heart split in half as tears fell down from his eyes. Every word hurts even more.
"Very well then, son," the older man sighed, knowing it was pointless to change his son's mind. Ren was quite like his mother, stubborn.
Caspian couldn't bear it anymore. He stumbled as he attempted to run down the path that led to the beach. The only one to see him leave was Kimiko as she slyly placed her head on Ren's shoulder.
And the one hiding the other entrance of the garden.
Something's definitely wrong, Natsumi thought to herself and glanced over at the garden to see Kimiko snuggling up against her brother. What the heck just happened? Ren was head over heels for Caspian ever since they first met...and now this thing appeared out of nowhere?
As much as Natsumi want to punch her brother for his stupid choice - and the woman for intervening - she ran off the same direction Caspian went to and found him at the beach, crying his heart out.
"Cas?" Natsumi called softly as she knelt down beside the heartbroken man. No response, and she sat next to him, trying her best to comfort him.
"Natsumi, where have you been?" Ayumi asked, walking over to her daughter. "You wouldn't believe what...oh, what happened?"
"I called Cas over to meet with Ren, but then he heard about Ren and that snake getting married," Natsumi explained. "He's heartbroken."
"The poor thing," Ayumi said with a frown. "This isn't like Ren at all. The way he acts and talks...it's like he's under some kind of spell."
"I noticed it too."
"I never like that Kimiko girl," the older woman retorted. "She reminds me of those snobby women that only wants to marry your father for his family's wealth."
"What should we do?" Natsumi asked.
"I don't know. We should let Hinata help us, maybe he'll understand," Ayumi said. "Invite Cas as well. I know it's not right, but he needs to be there once Ren is snapped out of his mind."
Evening
"Cas is going to love these!" Lilo said, indicating at the flowers she and Makoa picked out during their date at the pier.
Once they got to bedroom, they heard a woman humming and peeked through the partial opened door. The woman was freshening up and giggled to herself.
"Everything's going according to plan," she said. "Once the sun sets, Caspian's soul will be mine."
Makoa and Lilo saw something that shocked them when they looked at the mirror.
Caspian was watching the sun setting towards the horizon, knowing his time will be up.
"This isn't right," Natusmi complained. "Why can't father just change Ren's mind?"
"He tried to, dear, but your brother is quite stubborn than me," Ayumi replied with a sigh. "Even Hinata doesn't Ren to marry this estranged woman."
"CAS!" The said man looked up to see his friends running towards them.
"We were looking for you, so we can give you these flowers for good luck," Lilo gasped, sounding a bit out of breath. "And instead, we saw this woman. But we wouldn't believe what we just saw! Her reflection isn't showing!"
Caspian tilted his head in confusion, even Natsumi and Ayumi were too.
"Oh my Watcher...don't you get it?!" Makoa asked. "Ren's marrying Morgana in disguise!"
Caspian's eyes widened in shock.
"Morgana?" Natsumi was confused. "Who's that?"
"This may sound crazy, but you have to trust us," Makoa said and explained to the mother and daughter of Caspian's deal with the sea witch.
"You gotta be kidding me?!" Natsumi gasped as Ayumi was in shock. No way in heck is her brother getting married to a sea witch and gets away with it!
Caspian shrugged his shoulder in hopelessness and looked back at the sun dropping towards the horizon. Time's running thin! Ren had to give him true love's kiss, or his soul will be taken away.
"I don't know about you guys, but I think now would be a good time to call Mama Bear," Lilo stated.
"Mama Bear?"
"Cas' mom," Makoa said. "You don't want to get on her bad side if you mess with her children. I'll call her right away."
"While that's being taken care of," Lilo said. "What're we going to do?"
Natsumi got an idea. "Mom, I know you won't like this, but this is for Ren and Cas."
"Whatever it is to stop the wedding, please do."
"Lilo, what'd you think of crashing the wedding?" Natsumi asked.
"I'm a natural at party crashing!" Lilo grinned. "It's showtime!" She turned over to Caspian. "Don't worry, Cas, you're going to be with your man in no time!"
Caspian nodded his head with a smile, hoping this works.
Meanwhile...
"Come on, pick up..." Makoa muttered.
"Makoa? Is everything alright?" A woman's voice asked, and the said man looked over his shoulder to see...
Random Moment
🐠 Chapter Eight: Wedding Crashers 🐠
Caspian was sitting next to Ayumi, who was holding his hand for comfort, as Kimiko walked down the aisle, head held high.
"It's going to be alright, dear," Ayumi whispered, and the blond man could only nodded and saw the sun getting lower than before.
"We are here today to witness the marriage of Ren Yoshida and his betrothed, Kimiko," Hinata started, sounding a bit bored. He wondered what was up with his nephew and continued with the ceremony until the end. "Ren, do you vow to protect and care for Kimiko as you do your own family?"
"I do," Ren said in the same monotone voice.
Hinata arched an eyebrow at the response. "Alright...Kimiko, do you vow to obey and love Ren as you do your own family?"
"If she even have any..." Kenji muttered, and his wife silently agreed.
Before Kimiko could response, shouting and barking were heard, and the guests looked up just in time to see Mimi pounced on the surprised bride.
"What in the world?!"
"Get this mutt off of me!" Kimiko shouted, pushing away the dog.
"Mimi, come here!" Natsumi said and noticed the sheepdog had a purple necklace in her mouth. She took it out and crushed it by stepping on it.
Lilo saw what the Japanese woman did and gave her a thumbs up.
Two things happened all at once.
Ren was snapped back to normal and held his head from the mild headache. One minute he was walking through the beach in a thunderstorm (crazy as it sounds), the next he's standing at the altar with his confused uncle.
Caspian started to laugh as soon as he heard his voice.
"Cas?" Ren couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Ren." The blond man smiled and laughed when a happy sheepdog nearly knocked him over from the excitement.
"You can talk," the Japanese man said and rushed over to Caspian, bringing him into his arms.
"Ren, get away from him!" Kimiko yelled, not noticing the change of her voice.
"Oh, how much I miss hearing you."
"Ren, I wanted to tell you," Caspian said, unaware of the sudden thunderstorm.
"NO!" Morgana shouted, enraged that she was about to lose.
Just before their lips touched, the sun - hidden behind the dark clouds - vanished completely under the horizon. Caspian screamed and clutched Ren as he felt an overbearing pain in his legs.
"Cas!" Ren gasped as he tightened his hold and lowered the blond man to the ground. "What's wrong?"
Caspian gasped in agony as a bright light emitted his entire body. After the light dimmed, he was barely conscious.
"It's too late," the blond man groaned.
"What?"
Something cold and a tad bit slimy touched Ren's hand, and he looked down to see what he felt. He gasped, as did the Yoshidas. Where Caspian's legs had been, was a green tail.
"A merman..." Natsumi said, couldn't believe what she and her brother thought was just a fairytale was real.
After knocking out Ren and Lilo, Morgana used her mermaidic power to levitate Caspian.
"Don't worry, darling, this will only hurt a bit."
"MORGANA!"
The said sea witch looked over and smiled at the new arrival. "Well, what do we have here?"
🐠 Chapter Nine: Exchange 🐠
"I see you brought your wife," Morgana said and gave them a mocking bow. "A pleasure to meet the royalties."
"Enough of the chit-chat, sea snake," Erika growled. "Unhand our son and get out!"
"Not a chance!" Morgana giggled and pulled Caspian against her side. "Your baby boy's all mine. We made a deal."
Caspian hung his head in despair, avoiding his parents' glance. "I'm sorry..."
Aurora was in tears at the sight of her son.
"It's going to be alright, Cas," Erika said softly. "We'll find a way to free you from this bargain."
"I'm afraid it's impossible," the sea witch said. "In order to set free your son, there's going to be an exchange to be made."
"What kind of exchange are you talking about?" Erika asked.
"A soul for a soul. You give me your soul, and lil' Cas goes free."
"Erika..." Aurora whimpered.
The blond woman looked at her wife and son, then at the sea witch, and sighed heavily. "Alright."
Morgana smirked and snapped her fingers, causing Erika to stiffen. A dim glow surrounded her body and left Erika, leaving only a hollow shell as she collapsed with a heavy thud.
"MOM!" Caspian cried as he watched Aurora kneel down beside her wife, tears running down her face.
"I would do the same to you, Mrs. Lothario," Moragana said. "But where's the fun when you get to witness me taking out your son."
Meanwhile, Makoa and Natsumi were dealing their own problem. Morgana's daughters broke into the house and attacked him and the Yoshidas.
They managed to knock the sisters out and threw them in the bathroom until the bigger problem was taken care of.
"You said you would set him free!" Aurora shouted.
"Must've slipped my mind," the sea witch giggled and used her power to freeze Aurora before walking over to the frightened merman. He wasn't fast enough, due to the lack of legs, and was pinned to the ground when the sea witch grabbed his throat.
At that moment, Ren stirred awake and sat up, clutching his head. He looked over to his right to see his uncle helping Lilo up and spotted Caspian gasping for air in the sea witch's grip.
"Any last words?" Morgana asked.
"Drop...dead..." Caspian rasped as he tried to push the woman off of him.
"Good enough."
With that, Morgana raised her clawed hand and was about to land a fatal strike on the merman...when she jolted at the sudden pain on her back. She looked over her shoulder to see an enraged Ren and smiled softly.
"Ren, my love..." she said and let go of the now unconscious merman. "Why would you do this to your own wife...?"
"You are not my wife, and you will never be!" Ren growled, causing the woman to flinch. "Not only have you hurt my love, but also our friends and family. You will no longer harm anyone."
Morgana felt her life drain rapidly as Ren took the dagger he found out of her back and collapsed on the ground. Her body withered, then melted into a puddle before being absorbed into the grass.
Makoa and Natsumi jumped when they heard splatters behind the closed door. He took a peek inside and closed the door instantly, feeling sick in the stomach.
Aurora leaned back as her wife's body glowed and watched as Erika let out a loud gasp and sat up, breathing heavily. The brunette woman knocked her wife down, wrapping her arms around Erika's shoulders, and cried.
Erika smiled as she held her weeping wife and spotted Ren checking over Caspian. She noticed her son's merman tail and remembered what Morgana said about the deal he made.
🐠 Epilogue 🐠
Everything was back to normal after the wrath of the sea witch.
Well, not everything...
Sulani
Before he could move on and start a new life as a merman, he heard his name being called out from behind. He stopped and turned around to see Ren swimming towards him, not bother about being in his clothes.
"Ren, what're you doing out here?"
"I was looking for you, and your sister saw you leaving," the Japanese man replied.
Caspian groaned. Leave it to Misty. "If you come here to say goodbye, then now's a good time before I'm gone...for good."
"That's not it. I wanted to say that...I love you! I loved you since the day we first met!"
Caspian was lost of words at the confession and can only stare at Ren.
"I know it's impossible for us to be together with your...fishy problem," Ren said, causing Caspian to smile a little. "I don't even care if you're a human or a merman, but I rather be with you than anyone else."
"Are you sure? What about your -"
"They don't mind at all," the Japanese man interrupted. "Yeah, it's a shock after what happened, but they can get over it."
As much as Caspian appreciate Ren's choice, it feels like he was also wasting his time by loving him. Before he could protest, he was taken by surprise when Ren leaned in to kiss him for the first time...and maybe their last.
Watching from the shore, Lilo teared up at the couple, then noticed a faint glow around Caspian. She nudged Makoa, who was trying to hide the fact that he was crying, and pointed at their blond friend.
Caspian helped Ren swim back to the shore and felt an odd sensation on his tail fin.
"But first...we need to get you some clothes," Lilo giggled, looking away, as Makoa had an interest with that palm tree.
"I wouldn't mind, but yeah let's do that," Ren said.
Later...
After all the hustle and bustle that happened, Caspian and Ren agreed to wait a few days before getting married.
Aurora and Erika were proud of their son and the love of his life after all that happened to them.
Cindy and Liam knew what it's like to have something - or someone - intervene their love for one another.
"Congrats Cas!" Lilo cheered as she gave Caspian a big hug. "You live a good life, you hear?"
"You know I will," the blond man smiled at his friend, who gave his husband a look.
"You better treat him right, or I'll take you to deep end of the sea," the mermaid warned, and Makoa rolled his eyes with an amused smile.
Cindy went out to meet with her grandfather and parents in the small family cemetery. She told them how proud she was for her grandson and wished they were here to see their family thriving.
"Won't be long for Liam and I to join you," Cindy said and wiped a tear away.
"Grandma, are you alright?" Caspian asked.
"Yes, dear, just reminiscing with the family," the elderly woman replied.
Honeymoon at Mt. Komorebi
"Is this safe?" Caspian asked.
"Don't worry, it's actually fun," Ren replied. "My sister and I always do this all the time when we were kids."
WIPEOUT!
Caspian noticed Ren wincing from the pain on his lower back and felt bad for his clumsiness, but Ren brushed it off and comforted his husband, showing Caspian he's not upset.
Before heading back to their rental house, they ordered some spicy sandwiches (forgot what they were called) to warm them up in the cold.
Like any honeymoon, they ended their night with woohoo.
The next day started off well.
Caspian's reaction is exactly mine whenever a fire started in this legacy.
And apparently the maid is here as well...?
She was hired back at Widnenburg, but I don't know if this was suppose to happen when your sims go on a vacation.
They went out for a stroll through the winter forest and stopped for a break, where they built a snowman.
Caspian wasn't feeling well lately, probably from the meal he had yesterday.
Caspian had a tendencies of acting like a dolphin sometimes.
To anyone, they would find him quite...odd.
But to Ren, he found it adorable.
The snowman being the only witness to see their affection to one another.
Nine Months Later..
A new addition was born in the family. An adorable baby girl named Isabella.
Random Moment
🌹 Prologue 🌹
[Warning: Contains dark theme]
Late at night. there was a commotion in a holy place, where many believe will keep them safe from anything evil...or is it.
Sounds of beating and painful grunts were heard inside the chapel.
"That's enough," the boss said. "I believe he learned his lesson."
The injured man coughed and hacked up blood after what felt like hours of getting beating up, as the men in suit stood by.
"From what I've been told, there's been a mole in the business," the boss explained. "And you don't exactly seem innocent to me. Care to explain?"
After coughing through the pain, the injured man staggered up on his feet, hunched over as he clenched his stomach, and glared at the boss with a sinister grin.
"It won't be...long until your empire...collapse..." the injured man replied, breathing heavily through his teeth. "They know...And we will take everything after you're taken out. Even that precious wife of yo-"
He didn't finished his threat when his head was thrown back by force, after the sound of a gunshot echoed the chapel.
"Whoops, my hand must've slipped," the mob boss said mockingly, but was seething with anger at the threat towards his family.
"That's just great," a brunette man groaned. "We weren't supposed to kill the dirtbag, boss."
"Oh well, he had been a thorn on my side since he joined the business," the mob boss protested, putting away his gun. "Go take care of the body, Espinoza."
The Espinoza man looked annoyed, but did as he was told to, lifting the lifeless body over his shoulder, and walked out of the chapel, leaving his friend and the boss.
"Lachapelle." The said man straightened up and faced his boss. "I have an important mission for you and your coven. Since our little friend confessed of a threat towards my family- no surprise there, I want you to look after someone in Windenburg, while my men's on a lookout here. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir," the Lachapelle man said and watched his mob boss left the chapel.
Windenburg
Isabella went straight to the family's vet clinic, where her grandmother was working, and doing her homework to pass the time, but she was thinking back at the dream she had last night.
She found herself in an elegant room, dressed in a pretty yellow dress, and was dancing with the man she never seen before. She couldn't make out with his face, but she remembered he had one green cat-like eyes.
It felt like she was a princess, with the most handsome prince, but unfortunately, it was all a dream.
Aurora knew the feeling of dancing with their supposed true love in their dreams...just like her dreams about Erika.
Isabella decided to take a break from her homework and finish it at home, so she went to the lobby and greeted a red-nosed cat.
"Hey lil' guy, you okay there?" The blond girl asked and noticed the cat didn't want to acknowledge with her. "Well uh...hope you get better."
"He sometimes doesn't like to interact with others when he's sick."
Isabella met the cat's owner, who had gnarly scars on his face, but he was actually a really nice guy.
Not too long, Aurora got a call from her wife that their son had just went into labor.
They made it back home and was given good news from Erika. Caspian had given birth twins: a girl named Melody and a boy named Kai.
Even Mimi's already attached with the newborns.
Isabella went outside to enjoy the autumn breeze and thought back of the dream. Remembering what her grandmother had said, will she also get to meet her true love in the future?
"For a second, I thought the boss was referring to the brunette woman," the Espinoza man commented. "Not the brat."
"Watch your tone, Marco," the Lachapelle growled.
"Calm down, Jean. I'm just joking," Marco said. "Unless...you're starting to like her."
"Are you serious? She's just a kid."
"I'm just sayin'. If she was an adult, would you court with the little lady?" Marco asked.
"You think any woman would want to be with someone like me?" Jean pointed out, indicating his eyepatch. "Impossible. Who could ever love a beast?"