#nate and cal are indeed too romantic

[likeafairytale]

"No I don't want him to leave, I'm in love with him. Please help!" - Nathaniel to Malachai about Achilles who's only been at the court for 3 days

Malachai looked up from the map he was examinating when he heard Nathaniel coming into the room. He frowned at his brother's attitude, and looked at him falling dramatically in the couch near him. Calypso, who was painting in her little corner, raised her head at her brother's words, and an amused smile was on her face. She didn't need him to say a name to know who he was talking about. Indeed, she noticed Nathaniel sudden interest on Achilles the moment he arrived in the Seelie Court –it was easy to spot on, for each time the bard was in the room, Nathaniel seemed to forget about his sisters, which annoyed her a lot.

The girl suddenly lost interest in her painting, and was way more interesting by her brother childishbehaviour right now. Nathaniel burried his face into the pillow in front of him and scream a little, probably out of frustration, while Malachai simply raised an eyebrow to that. The eldest Blackwater said nothing, simply shaking his head and sighing, before going back to the examination of his map. If the little mermaid noticed the sudden interest Nathaniel had about Achilles, Malachai, as for him, was still clueless about it.

“Xanthe is leaving? Where is he going?” Malachai finally asked, a bit distracting.

“He is not talking about him.” Calypso answered with amusement, which made the eldest frowned.

“I'm talking about Achilles!”

“Who?”

“The bard, pay attention at dinner, Kai!”

“Wait, you're in love with the bard?”

“I am! And he is not just a bard, he is so much more than that!”

Calypso couldn't help but laugh a little while leaving her little corner to come sit next to Nathaniel, who was still laying in the couch, his head under the pillow. The man raised to let his sister sit, before putting his head on her lap, surprising her a little. He whined and she pet his hair with amusement. He could be a real baby when he wanted. Malachai lost interest in his map, now, his entire attention was on his siblings. He was serious, as always, and the little princess had to admit that his seriousness was spoiling all the fun she was having. Her smile disappeared, and she tapped the siren's shoulder so he sat correctly.

“Don't be silly, Nate, you can't possibly be in love with him. You know him only for three days.” Malachai said gravely. Nathaniel stayed silent to that. He wanted to say that it wasn't true, that he knew Achilles for centuries now, he just kept it a secret and Achilles just did not remember him, yet. But he couldn't admit that, not know.

“You don't know anything about love, Mal.”

“That's quite hurtful.” Malachai sighed, and Nathaniel and Calypso could see that he indeed was a bit hurt by those words, and they felt bad about it.

“He is not wrong, though, did you ever fall in love?”

“My love life is none of your business.” Malachai said, a bit unease by the question.

“But our love lives are yours?”

“I'm your big brother, I have to make sure you're making the good decision, and apparently none of you can do that when it comes to love.”

“Now, that's hurtful.” Nathaniel pouted, and Calypso giggled, while Malachai rolled his eyes and sighed to his siblings' behaviour.

“Love works in a mysterious way.” Calypso said before Malachai had time to reply.

To his sister's words, Malachai suddenly looked away, unable to keep eye contact with her. The image of Yasmeen came in his mind, he was now tense, and he tried his best to not show the change in his demeanor to his siblings. Calypso was right, he knew it, love works in mysterious way, sometimes you fell in love with people who you technically shouldn't, for your social status were different, and never your father would approve of it... To that thought, Malachai closed his eyes and sighed a little, which puzzled his siblings. Calypso noticed the difference in Malachai's attitude, he seemed lost in his thought, and a bit... sad? She was ready to ask questions when Nathaniel abruptly took her hand, making her jump a little.

“Cally! You understand me, right?” Nathaniel gasped, making the mermaid frowned. “After all, you fell in love with Aeron after what? A day?”

“That's not true!” She defended herself, quite offended by the accusation. She set herself free from her brother's grip, making him pout a little.

“You both are way too romantic.”

“And you aren't enough. You should try, sometimes, it won't kill you, I promise.” Nathaniel joked, making Malachai rolled his eyes. “But seriously now, I don't want him to leave! He has to stay, please, help me make him stay!”

“If he has to leave, then so be it, you have to deal with it and focus on something else.”

“I don't want to! I want him here, with me! I am in love, Mal!”

“No you're not.”

“Stop dictating my feelings! I know them better than you do, they are mine.”

Malachai said nothing to that, he simply signed and rubbed his eyes. Now, his siblings were frustrating him, which wasn't the first time. He knew whatever he said, his siblings won't listen to him, they were too caught up into their fantasy world. When it came to love, Calypso and Nathaniel were way too naive, and not careful enough. After all, one was married to her kidnapper and from what he noticed she still had feeling for Aeron, while the other had his heart set on Xanthe, who was also the enemy, although now it seemed that Nathaniel changed his mind and was focus on someone else. In any case, they were too reckless with their heart. This is maybe all right for common people, but not for royalty. This was one of the rare time Malachai felt a bit jealous of normal people, they have the luxury to love who they wanted, something he unfortunately did not have...

“I don't like that.”

“You don't like a lot of things.” Calypso laughed

“I don't trust him.”

“Ten minutes ago, you didn't even know who Achilles was!”

“Precisely.” To that, Nathaniel sighed and put his head back on Calypso's lap. “Anyway, this isn't home, Nathaniel, we can't give order here.”

“Calypso!” Nathaniel almost screamed with joy while turning his face to look at his sister, and that made the girl jumped a little. “You can give order! This is your kingdom too, well, sort of. You can ask for him to stay, can't you?”

“I... I suppose I can, yes.”

“Calypso, no, this isn't your place.”

“Please, do it for me. For your big brother who is always there to protect you. Please, please, please!” The little mermaid looked at Malachai who shook his head to show his disapproval of this idea.

“I do like his songs very much, I'd like for him to teach them to me...”

“Calypso, don't encourage him.”

“And I know he does magic, maybe I can convince princess Lyra to ask him too. He won't be able to say no to two princesses.”

“Thank you!” Nathaniel said with joy before hugging his sister, making her laugh a little. “Let's ask him now!”

“Whatever I say, you'll always do the opposite, won't you?”

“That's how little siblings works, Mal. You should know that by now.”

Malachai sighed louder, showing how annoyed with them, he was, which only made his siblings laughed. Calypso stood up and kissed his cheek, while Nathaniel tapped his shoulder in a brotherly way. Without saying anything more, the two of them left the room in order to find Achilles, letting Malachai alone, with his irritation and his thoughts.