A seagull cried out plaintively from overhead. Ramiri looked up, his green eyes squinting in the late afternoon sun. A wave splashed against the side of the boat, spraying him with a cool mist of salt-water.

Ramiri stood at the stern, one callused hand gripping a rope. He shifted his balance slightly with the sway of the boat. The sun shone on his dark hair, glinting off red highlights. His face was tanned and weathered; a testament to his many years on the high seas. Eyes crinkling with laughter, he watched a pod of dolphins playing in the wake of the ship.

"Ramiri." Garik, another deckhand and Ramiri's first friend among the crew of the 'Ocean Star,' approached him. He regarded Ramiri oddly, raising a single eyebrow at the quiet sailor. "Dreamin' agin?"

Ramiri grinned wryly, shaking his head at his friend. "Just watching.."

Garik laughed merrily and slapped his friend on the back. "Come! There's ta be celebratin' tonight, you would'na wish ta miss the fun, eh?"

Ramiri spared a last, longing glance at the dolphins in their innocent play before joining his friend. The last raid had been successful and they were about to put into port. The captain would be in high spirits tonight; food and drink would be plentiful.

Ramiri slipped quietly out of the party, sitting on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the sea. The waves splashed gently on the rocks below creating a mist that cloaked the night in mystery. Behind him he could hear his shipmates roaring with laughter at someone's bawdy joke. Probably Garik's, he thought to himself. He tried to block out the noise as he gazed over the sea.

A full moon had risen tonight, casting its reflection on the water below. The sand sparkled in the moon's light and the mist almost seemed to glow. He watched the waves crashing on the beach and enjoyed the night air.

Ramiri was startled when he saw a shadow walking across the beach below. A tall and slender figure walked on the edge of the water with long hair trailing in the wind. He caught his breath and squinted into the night, watching the person on the beach intently.

"Who are you?" He whispered into the warm summer night's wind. His eyes narrowed as he wondered at the sort of woman who walked the beach of a pirates' cove at midnight. The moon shone on silver hair, giving it a bluish cast. She moved with grace and confidence, her long hair and well-shaped hips swaying as she walked. He rose quickly and made his way down to the beach.

He slowed as he drew near. "Are you alright, Miss?" He asked gently.

The woman looked up, her eyes widening slightly as he approached. Ramiri paused a few lengths away and her crystal-blue gaze captured him. Wordlessly, she shifted her glance from him to the sea and back. The woman opened her mouth as if to speak but instead turned from him and dove into the waves.

"No!" Ramiri reached out to stop her, but he was too late. Swimming in the sea was always a dangerous venture, especially this near the rocky cliffs that lined the pirates' cove. At night it was certain death.

Ramiri kicked off his shoes and shed his shirt as he ran to where the woman had dove into the water. He struggled through the surf, scanning the sea for any sign of the girl. There was a flash of silver in the moonlight and he paused, curious. The glint was too far out for the woman to have swam in so short a time. For many more moments he watched for some sign that what he had seen had not been imagined.

He saw only the flip of a dolphin's tail.

Muttering quietly, Ramiri walked back to the beach, cursing the strong brew Garik had given him and swearing never to drink it again.

Ramiri woke suddenly, his dreams plagued by visions of the drowning woman he had seen disappear into the water the night before. He threw his blankets aside and sat up. He rose unsteadily, placing his hand to his throbbing head and closing his eyes as he waited for the dizziness to pass.

"Too much ale" He muttered under his breath. Garik growled from the cot beside Ramiri's and flung a pillow at him. The missile missed Ramiri and the sailor chuckled as he retrieved it.

"Some o' us are sleepin'" Garik slurred tiredly.

"I'm going!" Ramiri answered his friend. He slipped into his worn boots and threw a shirt over his head. He walked silently out of the small room and closed the door gently behind him. Ramiri paused until he heard Garik's contented snore.

Chuckling good naturedly, Ramiri made his way towards the kitchens where he could smell baking bread. He was grateful to the few women who lived among the pirates. They tended the cove while the men were away and took care of the rowdy pirates while they were home. Most were married but a few staunchly refused the advances of the many eager bachelors. He admired those brave women who could fend off the ill-mannered sailors as well as any man.

Some of the women take full advantage of their positions, Ramiri thought to himself, and slip between whomever's sheets take their fancy. Ramiri pitied the men who thought to control those feisty girls.

"Good morning, Little-mother!" Ramiri called out cheerfully as he entered the kitchen. An old woman with a face deeply wrinkled by age turned from the stove and looked at Ramiri, smiling broadly. He swept her into his arms in a warm embrace, kissing her cheek as he set her down.

"You old rascal!" The stout woman laughed merrily. "You only do that because I feed you!" Alice waved the spoon she had been stirring with at him, a mock scowl on her face.

Ramiri stepped back, raising his hand to his heart. His face fell with hurt and he pouted at his "Little-mother." The merry twinkle in his eyes gave away the ruse, however. "You wound me, Little-mother! You know you have held my heart since the day we met!"

The woman giggled and directed Ramiri towards the food. After he had gotten his fill she shooed him out of the kitchen, begging him to let her finish cooking. Ramiri, cheered by the ritualistic encounter with Alice, strode to the cliff where his vision had started and carefully made his way down to the shore.

During the day the beach no longer seemed the mysterious, magical place it had been the night before. The sand was littered with washed up shells and seaweed. Crabs scuttled about, poking through the debris and the seagulls' raucous cries filled the air. Ramiri winced at the noise, massaging his temples.

There was no soft moonlight, just the brilliant heat of the sun. There were no shimmering mists. There was no woman with crystal-blue eyes....

He scanned the beach, searching for some kind of evidence. A footprint, or even a body, to prove what he had seen. The memory, the intense gaze of those eyes that had held him for such a short time, was no dream. He was certain of it. He had to find their owner... If she still lived.

As he searched the beach a motion in the shallow waves caught his attention. Some piece of sea-trash floated in the water. Ramiri stepped into the surf and bent down to lift his find from the sea.

It was the woman's cotton shift.

"Ramiri, man, give i' up!" Garik rolled his eyes in disgust at his friend's most recent behavior.

Ramiri ignored him, staring out over the sea from his perch on the cliff's edge. Every night he watched for the woman with the crystal-blue eyes. He was certain she lived, for he had searched the coastline for two weeks for a body, and found none.

"Tomorrow we be sailin', will ye be with us?" Garik asked after a moment of silence. He stood beside his friend this night, worried that he might throw himself off the cliff if he saw his vision-girl again.

"I don't know." Ramiri replied truthfully. His heart just wasn't with the ships anymore. . . The wind in his hair no longer exhilarated him as it once did, no longer did it give him pleasure or clear his mind of worries. The woman had disappeared into the sea; it seemed as though she had taken his soul under the waves and left him only with a woman's cotton shift.

The cotton shift which he had kept with him every day since, neatly folded in his pack.

"We can't be waitin' all the day for ye, Ramiri! Give up on this woman, she do'na exist, 'Twas the ale dreamin, y'bloody fool." Garik stormed off angrily, leaving Ramiri to his perch on the cliff.

Ramiri stood unmoving as he watched the 'Ocean Star' sail off for another raid. He sighed quietly and let his gaze wander to the sparkling shore.

"Where are you?" He whispered hopelessly into the wind.

The wind had no answer for him.

Ramiri found a shady spot at the base of the cliff and kept watch over the waves.

He wasn't sure what exactly woke him. Ramiri hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep but when he opened his eyes it was night. The white moon was high, a full silver orb that shone bright over the water and clearly outlined the slender figure who stood not ten yards from him. Her back was turned from him as she stared out over the waves. She's watching the moonrise, Ramiri thought.

She looked like a wraith to him. What he'd mistaken for light skin a month ago he now saw as blue. Her silver hair was wet, as if she'd just left the sea. And she hadn't a stitch of clothes on. All that covered her was the magnificent hair that cascaded down her back and nearly reached her ankles. One of the sea-folk. Ramiri's heart pounded in his chest with the realization.

Ramiri rose silently and drew the shift from his pack. He wouldn't scare her away again, if he could help it. The crash of the waves hid his approach until he stood within a few feet of her.

"Miss?" He said softly. The woman turned, startled. Ramiri started to offer the shift, but stopped as she stepped back towards the waves. He searched desperately for some way to keep her from fleeing again.

"Please?" He knew less than a handful of elven words, gleaned from his years travelling the seas. If her people spoke a dialect of the elven language, it was a chance. "Faelebthceb?" He stumbled over the unfamiliar elvish word, offering her the shift.

The woman's eyes caught his and he felt like he would drown. His knees felt weak and they nearly buckled under him. His heart seemed to melt and at that instant he was certain he would die if she left him again. He tried to put all of his feelings into his eyes, hoping that in them she would find some reason to stay.

A soft smile touched her lips as she reached out and took the dress from Ramiri's hands. She held it before her wonderingly, slowly recognizing it as her own. Unashamed, she slipped it over her head and it slid down her body, hugging her form softly. She gently pulled her hair out from the collar of the dress, letting it float freely in the wind.

Taking a chance, Ramiri reached out and took her hands in his. Hers were soft and smooth, with a thin webbing between each finger. His hand dwarfed hers and he expected her to pull away from them, as coarse and work-roughened as they were. I must appear alarming to her, Ramiri thought, a haggard and unshaven barbarian. He was baffled as to why she had not run screaming from him at first sight. Instead of pulling away from him, she stepped closer, drawn by the unspoken feeling in his eyes. She was trapped as surely as he was.

Lifting her hand to his lips, Ramiri gently kissed her fingertips. He thrilled at the feel of her against him and longed for more. He looked up and saw that the same passion burned in her eyes.

Still holding her soft hand in his, Ramiri led his sea-elf maiden up the beach.

Standing on the cliff's edge, Ansuli gazed over the ocean. A pod of dolphins played in the water, far in the distance... she wondered if any of them were friends or family. The woman caressed her swollen belly and rested her hand on the top of her abdomen as she watched the waves, longing for what she had lost.

One of the children inside her kicked, bringing a smile to Ansuli's lips. Children were such precious things. What would these be like? Ansuli fretted over what sort of complications could occur between a child of the sea-folk and a human. She had never heard of such a thing. As far as she knew, she was the first of her tribe to love a land-walker.

Would they be like her? Would her children ever be able to swim beside her and know the joy of playing in the ocean?

Or would they forever long for the sea, able to feel its call in their blood but forever trapped on land, as she was now. Ansuli dared not change while she was pregnant. She feared it would mutate her children some kind of half-changed monsters.

She stood on the cliff's edge until nightfall, remembering fondly the first few hours she had spent with Ramiri and worrying for the future.

"Ansuli?" Ramiri whispered from behind her. He brushed the hair from her ear and kissed the lobe gently. Wrapping his arms around her lovingly he pulled her close against him, caressing her tummy.

"Ehebelall, Clyualc'aljejehet." Ansuli said in her strange, musical language as she turned with a smile and wrapped her arms around Ramiri's neck. Ramiri closed his eyes and translated the words. In their few months together Ramiri's knowledge of the elvish language had grown considerably. She kissed his lips passionately and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing softly. Ramiri held her close.

"What is it?" He pulled away gently and took her chin in his hand, turning her face up so he could look into her eyes. How he loved her eyes. Every time he looked at them he feared he would fall in and never return.

Ansuli turned her head, pulling her chin out of his grasp to look back over the ocean. Ramiri's face fell with sadness. Daily he questioned the wisdom in bringing Ansuli from the sea to live with him, in his world. He knew she longed for the ocean in a way that he could not understand. For her, it was not enough to simply feel the wind and smell the sea. She wanted to feel the water caressing her smooth body, feel it flowing around her. Was it wise to have pulled her away from that? He had taken her away from her people and her world. Would she forgive him?

"I am sorry, my love" He whispered, pulling her tight against him. She didn't resist his pull, but wrapped her arms tighter around him. In this moment he no longer doubted, whatever the consequences of their choices, they loved each other.

But was it enough?

From beyond the door, Ramiri could hear Ansuli's pained cries. He paced back and forth, wringing a cloth from the kitchens in his hands. Garik sat nearby, watching Ramiri nervously.

"Stop it man! I can'na take it 'ny more! Yer pacin' will be the end o' me sanity! Sit still!" He pleaded with the sailor. "Yer givin' me a 'eadache with all yer walkin'."

"I'm sorry my friend. It is just that I am.. " His sentence was cut off by Ansuli's piercing cry, followed by the squall of a baby. Howling in frustration, Ramiri grabbed at the door, pulling it open. He burst into the room to find Alice holding a small bundle of blankets in each arm. Another girl was busy stripping the bed of bloodied sheets and covering Ansuli with something warm and clean. Ramiri let out a breath he had not known he'd been holding when his two children once again let out a healthy cry, in unison.

"Two girls." Alice said, smiling broadly.

Ramiri walked slowly to Ansuli's side, his eyes never leaving the two children in Alice's arms. He sat down beside Ansuli. Reverently he took the two children from beaming woman, and cradled them in his arms. Cooing softly, he quieted the infants cries. Ansuli touched his arm softly and he turned to look down at her in wonder.

"They're ours.." He whispered in awe.

"Praise. . . Cliath" Ansuli answered.

"We'll name them after you, love. Anashta and Suli." Ramiri said gravely, placing the two children in Ansuli's arms. She situated the children to feed, like a woman born to be a mother, and closed her eyes with exhausted smile on her lips.

As soon after the birth as possible, Ansuli returned to the water. At first it was for only an hour or two, for the twins needed their mother. She loved her children dearly and only left them when the sea's call became too strong to resist. As they were weaned though, her visits to her ocean home grew more and more frequent and ever longer. Ramiri watched each time from the cliff, awed and terrified.

Awed because the sight of her changing into a dolphin never lost its magic; terrified that this time she wouldn't return.

"Ansuli?" Ramiri stuck his head into the small room. Ansuli sat beside the crib, rocking one of the twins. The amber light of the lantern filled the room, making it seem warm and domestic. He almost found it hard to believe that his wife turned into a sea-creature some days.

She looked up as he called her name. Ramiri walked over to the crib and gently lifted the other child. A glance at the infant's back told him it was Suli. Each child had been born with a birth mark; a crescent moon on their back. Suli's was closer to the left shoulder. Aside from this small difference, the children were identical. Their skin was the palest shade of blue and their hair was so fine it was like platinum spider-silk. Their ears were delicately pointed, although not as long or as high-set as their mother's.

And their eyes. No less beautiful than their mothers, but so different. Their eyes were a bluish-green, the color of the sea.

Cradling the child against him, Ramiri sat down on the bed, facing Ansuli. She looked at him silently. Her eyes seemed haunted and her face was pale.

"You were gone for three days." Ramiri's voice was low, thick with emotion. Ansuli looked down at the baby in her arms, unable to answer the hurt in Ramiri's voice. "I can't live like this, never knowing if you'll return to me."

"I know, you dor'nthalkeebr don't understand. The aer has a strong call. Faelebthceb.. You are my heart, my Clyualc'aljejehet, but the aer, that is my first love." Ansuli stood and placed Anashta gently in the crib. She placed her hand on Ramiri's arm, planting a kiss on his cheek. Without another word she walked quietly out of the room.

Dor'nthalkeebr, she had called him. Land-walker, in her tongue. The words were more than a designation of his place in the world, but also the sum of everything that was different between them, everything that drew them apart. The seas, the oceans.. The aer, as she called it, would always be the barrier between them, the world where they could not meet.

Had they made a mistake?

Ramiri sunk into the seat she had sitting in, staring down at the child in his arms. Suli slept peacefully, breathing softly. Her silver hair had grown since her birth, instead of falling out as happens to many newborns. Ramiri caressed her pale blue cheek with his fingertip, enjoying the soft feel of her skin. With a sad sigh he stood and placed her in the crib, closing the door gently behind him and going off in search of Ansuli.

Ansuli walked through the halls of the old, empty fortress to the room that Alice claimed as her own. Alice and Ansuli had become fast friends during the months of pregnancy when the sea-elf had been confined to the fortress. Ansuli missed her own family terribly, but she had not had the courage to face them since the birth of her children. She feared what they might think, how they might condemn her a fool. An outcast.

"Yes?" Came Alice's reply to Ansuli's timid knock on her door.

"It is I, Aljeete'srer. May I enter?" Ansuli whispered through the door. At once, the door swung open and Alice's concerned face was peering into the hallway.

"What brings you so late, child? Is something wrong?" Alice looked at Ansuli's face and saw the hurt and the despair in her eyes. Without another word, Alice offered her arms to the woman, who fell gratefully into her embrace, sobbing. Closing the door, Alice easily picked Ansuli up and sat in her favorite chair. Stroking her hair and murmuring softly, Alice listened as Ansuli slowly related what had happened in the last few minutes.

"You know he loves you, child." Alice told the unhappy woman.

"I know, Aljeete'srer, but why doesn't he understand?"

"He is not of your people, Ansuli. He doesn't know the call of the sea like you do." Alice stroked the woman's hair softly. She's so young, Alice thought. Under the veneer of mystery and poise that Ansuli showed to the world, Alice saw only a young woman caught in a battle between her heart's desires and her very nature. The old woman clucked her tongue sadly.

Ansuli sighed and nodded her agreement. She stood, pecked Alice softly on the check and left to find Ramiri. "Thank you, Aljeete'srer. I must go to him."

She found him on the cliff's edge, his favorite spot to go and think. She watched him for a moment, unsure of herself and of him. She took a deep breath and walked up to stand behind him. He glanced at her momentarily and then returned his gaze to the sea.

"I thought you'd gone out there." He said bitterly, nodding in the direction of the moon-lit water.

"Clyualc'aljejehet, I don't want to hurt you. If I must never return to the aer to make you happy, I will try." She was barely able to speak the words, so hard a promise to keep. Was she setting him up for further heartache? Could she do as she said? The aer is strong, an insistent pulse in her blood that refused to be ignored. Ansuli feared it would be easier to quit breathing than to never feel the cool ocean waters swirling around her again.

"You would do that, for me?" He whispered in amazement.

"Yes." Was all she could say. Ramiri swept her up into his arms, kissing her lovingly on the lips. She returned his kiss and all their doubts were swept away in a moment of love.

When they broke apart from the embrace and started back towards their home, Ansuli could not help one last despairing, sad glance towards the ocean. She scanned the waters for her people, the aer'jlalke.

You cannot refuse your blood, an insidious voice in her head whispered

Dressed only in her cotton shift, Ansuli carefully made her way down the rocks to the water's edge. It was no easy feat with a child cradled in each arm. Thankfully, the children were still small despite their age, otherwise the trek would have been nearly impossible.

"Where are we going, Ma?" Suli whispered quietly. She was always curious, always asking questions. Nothing seemed to sate her curiosity.

"To the aer, Jjerl'sejalpe."

"Why?" Anashta chimed in quietly, no less curious than her sister.

"To learn."

"Why not in the day? With the sun?" Suli whined.

"It is cold, and dark." Anashta complained.

"Quiet, Jjerl. You will see."

The twins sighed sullenly, in unison. Ansuli smiled inwardly. Her children would never be fooled by anything, and never satisfied by less than the truth.

When they reached the beach, Ansuli set them down on the sand. She beckoned them and started away to a grove of rocks. She sat down upon one and motioned for them to sit as well.

"We are here for something very important, hini. When a sejalpe'aer'jlalke reaches your age, he or she is taught the secrets of their heritage. It is time for you Jjerl to learn of the aer as I do. Your journey to adult-hood begins here."

The children's expressions brightened, and they watched her with excited eyes. Adults, already! Their minds raced far ahead of her words, already jumping to the joys of adulthood they were certain would soon be theirs!

"Are we going away?" Anashta asked suspiciously.

"Not for long.." Ansuli smiled encouragingly and urged her daughters to stand. "Come with me to the aer. Tonight you will learn to swim as a dolphin."

Suli gasped and Anashta eyed her skeptically. Anxious to be off, Suli jumped to her feet and tried to drag Anashta with her. Her twin was a bit more hesitant.

"Where is Fethfe? Doesn't he want to see?" Anashta asked.

"He cannot, sejalpe. He can't come with us."

"Why can't he come?"

"Because..." Ansuli hesitated, unsure. What could she tell her daughters? Both looked up at her expectantly. "Because he is of the land. I am of the aer, and you are of both." She gave each girl a gentle hug. The girls giggled, and Anashta stood, grasping Suli's hand.

In truth, Ansuli did not know if they would be able to master the change. She had never heard of children such as hers before, and she had no way to know if they could succeed. She only hoped they could. She couldn't bear to be apart from the ocean any longer, despite her love of Ramiri and their children. If her children couldn't join her.. She didn't know if she could remain on land any longer.

They stepped into the waters of a sheltered cove. The waves lapped gently against the shore. The sand sloped gently, the water would not be over the twins' heads until they were a ways out. Ansuli waded until the water was at her waist, Anashta holding her left hand and Suli on her right. With their feet in the sand, the water was a few inches above their heads, so they treaded water next to their mother.

This is when the change should come upon them, Ansuli thought to herself. She couldn't explain the process to her girls. It was a natural part of her, she thought and she became. It was not something that could be taught. Ansuli shivered as the water wrapped around her. She longed to slide out of her skin, trading it for the dolphin shape she had not worn in so long. But she couldn't, not yet.

"Do you feel the tremors of a change within you?" Ansuli asked her girls. They frowned, their small faces tense with concentration.

"My toes are tingly." Suli answered.

"I think something is nibbling on my knee." Anashta replied.

"Nothing else?" Ansuli asked in despair. Her heart felt like it was in her throat and she choked back a sob.

"I'm cold.." Suli complained. Anashta shivered and said nothing.

"Try really hard.. think like a dolphin." Valiantly the two little girls closed their eyes, only to open them again a moment later.

Sighing, Ansuli pulled them back out of the water. A profound sadness came over her. She knew, without a doubt, that she could not return to her life on the surface, even if it meant losing her girls. "Go back to your rooms, girls," she said softly. "Go back to your Fethfe."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Anashta asked.

"You can't leave us alone." Suli reminded her.

Anashta nodded. "You have to sing us to sleep."

"You girls know these rocks better than I. You can find your way. And you know the words to all my songs.. sing them for your Fethfe." Ansuli turned away from them and stared out into the ocean. "I love you both. And your Fethfe. Tell him for me, please"

"You tell him." Suli challenged.

"I cannot. Please go." Ansuli whispered. She heard one of the girls stifle a sob and then they turned and scampered up the beach. As they clambered up the rocks Ansuli waded into the ocean, shedding her cotton shift. She shimmered and dove under the waves as the dolphin form overtook her.

That was the last night the twins saw their mother.

The girls rose early the next morning, running to their parents' room to wake them. They burst into the room and their smiles died on their lips. The bed was empty.

"Fethfe?" Suli said as she peered under the bed, thinking he might be playing a game with them.

"Ma?" Anashta peered into the small closet, not believing their mother had really left them last night. Both girls were certain she would come back.

"They're gone!" Suli exclaimed nervously.

"Maybe they're outside.. watching the sunrise?" Anashta suggested hopefully.

"Isn't it past dawn?" Suli replied skeptically as she walked towards the door. Anashta followed, shrugging.

The hallways echoed with their tiny footsteps, the only sound in the fortress. The pirates had sailed off a few days ago, leaving the cove mostly empty. The hallways looked sad and lonely to the twins. A draft followed them mercilessly, chilling their skinny legs.

Brilliant sunlight met their sea-green eyes as they struggled the heavy door to the fortress open. Suli blinked and shaded her eyes as Anashta wiped sudden tears from hers and squinted. Holding hands for mutual comfort, the twins stumbled over the uneven ground towards the cliff where their parents would be.

"Fethfe?" They cried out together as they spotted their father standing on the cliff's edge. He was alone, they noticed.

He didn't turn as they approached, but continued staring out over the ocean, scanning the horizon with eyes filled with unshed tears. His girls came up beside him, Suli on his left and Anashta on his right. He reached down to caress Anashta's head gently and Suli slipped her hand into his.

"Mama said she loves you," Suli whispered.

"Don't be sad, Fethfe, we know her songs. We'll sing you to sleep." Anashta said encouragingly.

"Ma will come back!" Suli glared behind Ramiri's back at her sister, frowning.

Anashta shrugged and leaned against her father's side, staring out into the ocean.

"Fethfe!" Two young girls flung themselves at Ramiri as he disembarked from the ship. He laughed, catching them both up in his arms and planting a kiss on the tops of their silky heads.

"Ye imps be careful! Ye're gonna be the death o' yer father yet!" Garik grumbled from behind Ramiri on the ramp. The twins giggled at him, each one with an arm wrapped around their father's neck.

"What'd you bring us, Fethfe??" Suli asked eagerly.

"Is it perfume?" Anashta twined one of Ramiri's curls around her fingers, biting the end.

Suli wriggled out of her father's grasp to go inspect the pack he had dropped when he caught the girls. Garik picked it up before she could get it and wagged his finger at her.

"Not yet, ye li'l rascal! Let yer father rest a mite first!"

"Garik, you're no fun!" Anashta pouted as she dropped to the ground from her father's arm. "Please, Fethfe, can we see?" She implored her father.

"Tonight, my loves, tonight!" Ramiri answered, laughing as he retrieved his pack from Garik.

"Fethfe!!" Suli whined unhappily.

Garik scowled and waved his broad axe threateningly and the girls squealed with make-believe fear, scampering off to a 'safe' distance.

Garik chuckled and clapped Ramiri on the back. "Tha's quite the pair ye got there, right li'l sea-otters." Ramiri smiled, watching the twins as they started an impromptu game of tag around the dock.

The twins watched the 'Ocean Star' leave with the tide from atop their favorite bluff. They waved happily at the departing ship, their platinum hair whipping around their heads wildly in the wind. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and it was promising to be a warm and sunny day. The ship, with their father and Garik aboard, sailed around the coast and was quickly out of view. As soon as it was gone Anashta turned to Suli and pulled on her arm, walking back towards the fortress with her sister in tow.

Once they were out of the wind, Anashta faced her sister and smiled broadly. "Now that they're gone. . . "

"Everything is ready. . . We just have to wait for the boys to wake up and go!" Suli replied with an impish grin.

"Finally. . . A day in town _without_ Fethfe and Garik hovering over us like mother-hens!"

Suli winked and made a coo-ing noise, walking ridiculously and flapping her arms like a chicken. Anashta began laughing uncontrollably and soon they were both near tears.

"Stop being a ninny, lets get going!" Anashta said, holding her breath to keep from laughing. She raced off towards the fortress with Suli in hot pursuit.

They spent the next few hours playing a game of cards in the main room of the fortress waiting for the young men who had not pulled out with the 'Ocean Star' in the morning to wake. They both watched the doors anxiously, not wanting to be left behind and hardly containing their excitement to be going. Suli tapped her foot against the floor impatiently and Anashta glared at her until she stopped. Finally, they heard sounds in the hall. Grinning impishly, Suli mouthed the word "boys" and her twin nodded eagerly.

A group of five of the youngest pirates came into the room, laughing and joking. As they saw the two smiling twins they quieted and jabbed each other in the ribs, teasing and pointing. Not disturbed in the least, Anashta bravely stepped towards them, smiling sweetly.

"Are you boys.. going into town?" She said confidently.

"Maybe.." one of them replied, grinning.

Suli stepped forward next to her sister and smiled in what she figured was seductive, and asked boldly "Take us with you?" Anashta beside her smiled and fluttered her eyelashes.

Laughing, the boys started to turn away, teasing the twins. Suli was the first to cry out as the lead boy took a few steps towards the door. "Wait!.. Please?" Tears glistened in her eyes and the boys looked at each other with worried expressions.. None of them liked the idea of making one of Ramiri's daughters cry..

"Ok, ok.. Ye can come wi't us, but do'na be tellin' yer father any ill o' us, 'e might not appreciate it!" The eldest boy, and therefore their spokesman, said. He smiled easily and nodded curtly. "Com'on now, ye be ready tae go? We do'na wanna be waitin' 'round 'alf the day on a couple o' girls."

Anashta snorted and replied "We're ready.. You're the ones we've been waiting on all day!" Suli grinned and nodded, turning to wink conspiratorially at Anashta.

"I toldja tears would work, 'Nashta" She whispered in her sister's ear as they followed the boys out of the keep.

To the two girls the market was the center of excitement. The smells of baking mingling with the scent of fish and livestock assaulted their noses just as the noise of the crowd assaulted their sensitive ears, but they loved every minute. They poked and prodded at the merchants' wares with undisguised curiosity, but as the day wore on their eyes turned to other amusements.. and the young men lingering outside a small tavern near the tinkers' stalls.

Tapping her sister lightly on the shoulder, Anashta motioned with her head towards the older lads, a mischievous smile on her lips. Suli giggled nervously, her sea-green eyes twinkling.

Noticing their attention, one young man winked at his friends, and sauntered over to where the two girls stood. To the delight of both the girls, and the amusement of his friends, the young man bowed and said, "Ladies, would you care to join us for a drink?"

Anashta met Suli's eyes, and both grinned. It was going to be a fun evening.

Suli came to her senses groggily as a dark shadow loomed over her. Her head felt as though it were stuffed with cotton and a foul taste was on her tongue. Her face throbbed.. what had happened?

Blearily opening her eyes, the shadow wavered and slowly focused into the familiar form of her father... sporting a not so familiar expression of anger on his face.

"Fethfe - "

"Not. One. Word." Suli winced, searching her memories as Anashta sat up in the cot next to hers, looking as bad as Suli felt. There had been some boys... and lots of ale. Ale... Suli gulped and snuck a glance at her sister.

As each twin glanced at the other, their sea-green eyes widened in shock as the realization of what they'd done the night before struck home. Their father rocked back on his heels, arms crossed, while he waited.

Almost ready to die with mortification, Suli could only assume by her sisters' reaction that she too sported some elaborate tattoo...

The crew of the 'Ocean Star' busily prepared the boat for sailing. The twins, fifteen now and looking more like their mother with each passing day, stood at the bow of the vessel, watching their father work. From time to time they'd be called to turn their hands to some of the lighter chores, but they were easily and often distracted. After the fateful day in the market, Ramiri had proclaimed that if they were old enough to get drunk and marked, they were more than old enough to put in an honest days' labor, and the twins had accompanied him on the 'Ocean Star' since. The other sailors had only grinned to themselves and nodded. After all, having two of the sea-blood on the ship, even girls, could only be good luck,

Garik, working beside Ramiri, had removed his shirt in the hot sun, his stocky, sun-bronzed chest gleaming with sweat. With a mischievous wink, Anashta pointed him out to Suli, who blushed a deep red-purple and poked her sister in the side. She glared at Anashta, who only licked her lips ridiculously, and they both exploded into laughter.

One of the younger sailors turned to look up at the laughing women, shading his eyes from the sunlight. Anashta smiled, waving happily as the young man grinned and blew her a kiss. Giggling, Suli intercepted the kiss, making as if to catch it, and Anashta turned on her twin in mock anger and scolded her cheerfully. The sailor below just smiled and shook his head.

The 'Ocean Star' and her crew made good time and they left with the tide, sliding easily through the waves into the deeper ocean. The girls never tired of watching the ocean and hung over the railing, peering into the horizon. Their long platinum hair waved like a banner, and once in a while the crew members would stop at their post to watch the two young women laughing with an easy, carefree spirit - and their hearts would be the lighter for it.

Dolphins often played in the wake of the 'Ocean Star', something the superstitious pirates believed was a good omen. Some said the girls were also good luck - for what ill could come with the daughters of an ocean-spirit aboard? - and insisted they come along. The girls were always so happy to be on the open water that they never questioned their unique situation. Certainly the pirates had never allowed any other females on board the 'Ocean Star'.

Once the ship was well under way the girls scampered across the deck, walking easily with the gentle sway of the boat, toward the stern where they knew their father would be.

"Hello, Fethfe" Anashta said affectionately as they reached their father. She wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Suli came up beside him and leaned over the railing, entranced by the wake.

"Ye should be lettin' yer father to work, lasses!" Garik rumbled as he approached. Suli turned away from her study of the waves and grinned at the man.

"Aye. so there's less for you, no doubt, old bear!" Suli teased.

"I'd hoped thar'd be none fer me, but you lasses addle tha boys and poor ol' Garik mus' be makin' up fer it, or tha ship'll sink!" He grumbled.

"The only thing you'll be dying of is an over-full belly!" Anashta smiled and tickled his belly.

"That be muscle, child!" He exclaimed and pushed her hand away playfully.

"Awfully soft for muscle!" Suli giggled, pinching his side.

"Ach, ye lil'l minxes!" Garik replied lovingly to the teasing of the two girls. Ramiri gave Garik a dark look, grumbling under his breath. A look of pure innocence washed over Garik's face and he protested, ""tis not I tha' encourages them! I's na th'one tha' bring 'em trinkets!"

Their playful banter was interrupted by a cry from the sailor in the crow's nest. Pulling a battered far-scope from a pouch at his waist, Ramiri peered towards the horizon. Sure enough, another ship was quickly over-taking them. It was hunting the 'Ocean Star' the same way that her crew had taken other unsuspecting merchant ships a thousand times before. Fun and games forgotten, Ramiri and Garik joined the rest of the crew in their frantic efforts to make their ship move faster.

Despite their best efforts, the other ship quickly caught up with them. It wasn't long before a warning shot was fired, barely missing the stern of the 'Ocean Star.' Suli yelped in fear and clutched her sister's arm. Anashta, equally afraid, watched the approaching pirate ship. Ramiri grabbed each of the girls and pulled them towards one of the small skiffs kept on board.

"Girls, I had hoped you'd never see this sort of fight." He yelled over the activity of the other pirates.

"What do you mean, Fethfe? We've seen you take other ships before!" Anashta protested weakly.

"Yea, but we ne'er been attacked by 'nother pirate with you girls 'ere." Garik panted as he ran up behind Ramiri. "They be ruthless fighters. Mind yer Da." Suli's face paled and she reached for her sister's hand.

"Fethfe.." She began. He reached out and placed a finger over her lips.

"It is not time for talk, it is time for quiet. I want you girls to hide under here. If the ship is taken, you must escape in it." He motioned the girls to crawl under the canvas that covered the skiff.

"Fethfe.." The girls both said, tears forming in their eyes.

"Shhh.." Garik warned. "We be protectin' ya, lasses."

"Don't worry, I'll return for you, I promise."

The girls huddled together in the bottom of the skiff, waiting.

The twins heard the boarding of the 'Ocean Star' from the safety of the canvas-covered skiff. It was as if hell had opened its roaring jaws around them.

Feet thundered across the deck, echoing the thundering of their hearts. The pounding was accompanied by the harsh cries of men and the ring of metal against metal as the defenders bravely fought to save their ship. Suli and Anashta leaned in close to each other, too afraid to breathe as they listened to the sounds of battle.

"... it is time for quiet..." Their father's voice rang through their minds, keeping the tears at bay.

'... we'll be protectin' ya, lasses..." Garik's voice repeated softly against the sounds of battle.

Eyes wide and staring in the stiff, choking darkness under the canvas, the twins heard Garik's bellow as he engaged the enemy pirates, and their father's familiar warcry. They listened, as the noise of battle roared about them for an eternity.

And then eternity ended, and slowly the din faded. The cries that remained were silenced abruptly, and for a moment it was quiet.

The girls looked at each other in the darkness, each one's thoughts as clear to the other as though it had been spoken.

Fethfe... is it safe? I want to go. No. We must wait.

"...I'll return for you, I promise..." Ramiri's final promise to them echoed in their minds.

They waited.

Their father did not return. Garik's booming voice was silent. As the twins felt the ship begin to move steadily under them each felt the hot tears on her cheeks and they cried together in silence.

"Well, look at that!" The voice that woke them hours later was unexpectedly pleasant. The girls opened their eyes to see a tall, sandy-haired man looking down at Anashta with a mildly surprised expression on his face. As Anashta jerked in surprise, Suli shifted in the opposite direction, both girls staring about them in wide-eyed fear. Another man whistled in admiration as Suli came into view.

"Look indeed! There's _two_ of 'em!" A small crowd gathered around the overturned skiff hiding the two girls.

"C'mon, sweetlings, it's alright." The sandy-haired man spoke in a soothing voice, offering Anashta his hand. Whispers circulated among the men as they saw what their captain had revealed.

"Their skin.... Sea-maidens! ... I'll have me a piece-Oof!" The last was cut off abruptly as the sandy-haired man turned away from the girls and laid a well placed fist in his neighbor's gut. "Where are your manners, boys? We have guests!"

"Sorry, Captain" The man gasped sullenly, his breath knocked out of him from the powerful blow.

He turned once again, offering his hand to Anashta, who moved away from it in revulsion. He frowned slightly and reached towards Suli. Confused, Suli looked to her sister for support, who only shrugged and glared at the man. Suli took his hand tentatively, and he pulled her to stand on the deck before him. His smile was charming and Suli couldn't help but smile in return.

Until she saw the blood-washed deck of the 'Ocean Star.' Rising with her sister, Anashta was the first to see the mutilated body of their father.

"FETHFE!!"

Anashta shrieked and flung herself at the broken body. Three pirates moved quickly to intercept her. Suli started to go with her sister but the captain clamped his hand down on her wrist, jerking her back. His charming smile had melted into an angry sneer. Snarling, she wrenched herself from his grip and pulled the knife concealed in her skirts in the same movement, slashing at his face. He stumbled out of the path of her blade, startled.

"Careful, pretty... We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt now, would we?" The sandy-haired man wiped the blood from a small cut and looked to one side. Suli followed his gaze to where her sister stood, held with a dagger at her throat. Anashta's face was white and her eyes wild.

"No!" Suli covered her mouth with her free hand and her knife fell from the limp fingers of her other. Her eyes locked on Anashta's and within them she could see the silent regret and love. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Falling to her knees, she whimpered softly. "Please don't hurt her. . ."

The captain was beside her in two swift strides, hauling her up before him. She cringed as his hand gently brushed the hair from her face, idly tracing the line of the tattoo as it curved across her cheek.

"There there.. nobody will get hurt, as long as you play nice." His eyes were as cold as steel, for all that his voice was so gentle.

A grunt of surprised pain jerked her eyes from the captain's, as Anashta managed to sink her teeth into the man holding her.

"DIRTY SONS OF BITCHES!" Anastha shrieked at the captain, flinging herself upon him. He shoved Suli into the man beside him and knocked Anashta to the ground with one blow. Suli writhed against her captor as she watched the captain pick her sister up by the hair.

"You, my dear, are not playing nice." Suli choked on a sob as she watched her twin shrink against the chill in the pirate's voice.

"Let her go!" She cried, but the captain only nodded to the man who held her, and she was dragged struggling to the hold of the ship. The captain's voice drifted across to her as she was pulled out of earshot.

"I do enjoy girls who put up a fight. . .."

Alone in the darkness, Suli struggled uselessly against the iron shackles that held her wrists and ankles. She cursed the pirate captain loudly, using every vile word she had ever heard aboard her father's ship. Thoughts of the 'Ocean Star' invaded her thoughts and brought uninvited tears to her eyes. She thought of her father, Garik and the rest of the crew. She could see them in her mind's eye, laughing and joking with each other. In her mind, her father was smiling, whole and alive. . . not a butchered corpse. . .

"NO!" She cried out defiantly. These awful men had destroyed their father and their family, but she would not allow them to harm her and her sister. Not if she could help it. Tears ran down her cheeks and Suli leaned against the wall facing the door, waiting and watching. Thousands of plans for escape ran through her mind - all of them daring, all of them impossible. They would probably get her killed.

The door opened abruptly, and two men - monsters! - dumped her sister unceremoniously into the straw that was piled up on the floor, and marched out. Anashta whimpered softly, weaving in and out of consciousness, and Suli watched her eyelids flutter helplessly.

Suli crawled over to her sister, whispering her name softly. Reaching out with her shackled wrists, Suli brushed her sister's hair away from her face. Her gasp of surprise became a low snarl of anger as she looked at what had been done to her sister. Her face was covered in bruises; both eyes were nearly swollen shut. Dried blood smeared her face and matted her hair.

Fresh tears came to Suli's eyes as she noticed her sister's torn skirts, dark with blood.

"Oh 'Nashta.." Suli whispered, her voice choked with fear and sorrow. "What have they done?" Looking down on her sister, she could easily guess.. but she didn't want to believe it. She wanted to believe that Fethfe would wake them up and it would all be a dream..

But their father was dead. Tears tracked down her cheeks as she cradled Anashta against her and waited for the captors to return for her.

Slowly, surely, Anashta felt the fibers of the coarse rope begin to break and tear. Biting her lip, she felt the last strand of rope give way, pulling open the scabs on her wrist in the process. Quickly she looked towards Suli; her twin was almost done sawing at her own bonds, and Anashta slid over to Suli's side to help speed the process. Their captors had grown careless in the long, terrifying days and nights that followed their capture, binding the girls with rope now that the pirates believed them to be broken.

A spark, however small, still remained within the twins, undetected. Their stubborn, youthful wills had kept them alive, and when they found the precious scraps of shell in the small hold where they were kept the dream of freedom had kept them from total despair.

Now their patience and endurance was paying off. Suli's bonds at last broke under the relentless pressure, and they were both free.

Grasping each others' hands, the twins steadied themselves and crept silently from the hold of the ship. Their slight, fragile weight made little noise on the planks of the deck, as they slowly made their way to the rail in the predawn light. Not far from the ship were the docks of the foreign city, where the girls knew they were to be sold along with the rest of plunder(?). It was also their freedom.. If they could just swim to shore.

"Oh no ye don't!! Sar, Markus!!" Anashta and Suli didn't stop to look back as they ran to the rail of the ship, once named the "Ocean Star". The thundering of the pirate's footsteps was drowned by the beating of their hearts.

Suli reached the rail first, and started to climb over, looking back for her sister.
"Don't look back! Just go!!" Anashta hissed at her. Their eyes met for one brief second, Suli on one side and Anashta on the other, as their guards closed in behind. "Go," Anashta whispered harshly, waving away Suli's hand as she climbed the rail stiffly.

A shriek escaped her lips as a large hand shot out over the railing and clamped about her throat. Clawing for air, Anashta watched as Suli moved to fling herself at her captor. NO! She thought frantically. Her eyes pleaded with Suli. With a strength borne of desperation, Anashta raised her leg and kicked her twin in the chest, and watched, as the world turned dark around her, her beloved sister fall from the ship into the waves below.

Suli fell backwards into the chilly waters, fighting for the air she desperately needed before she hit and disappeared into watery darkness. She looked up at her sister, dangling at the end of a burly man's arm, kicking her legs uselessly. Suli's eyes teared up and she closed them just as the water smashed into the back of her head and knocked the breath out of her for the second time this morning.

Sputtering, Suli surfaced moments later, kicking her legs and treading the water with ease. Salt water stung her eyes and nose, her head ached from the impact. The world was blurry around her, she could make out the huge bulk of the ship before her as she drifted slowly away, towards the foreign shore. There was a great commotion on the deck, though she could no longer see her sister. Suli longed to swim back to the boat and rescue Anashta but she knew she had no hope of succeeding.

'Why did you do this, 'Nashta? What is my life without you? I would rather die by your side than alone in a foreign land.' Suli thought sadly. With sudden resolve she began to stroke through the water, back to the side of the ship. She had almost reached the side when an arrow shot through the air, whizzing by her ear and barely missing her head. Shivering, Suli looked up. Every pirate that owned a bow was aiming for her, trying to shoot her down in the water.

". . . Don't look back. . ." Anashta's words whispered in her head. Her pleading eyes appeared in Suli's mind. "Go." Anashta's voice rang in her head, over and over again.

Suli took a deep breath, and looked once more at the ship. A less experienced archer let loose another arrow and it missed her by several feet. She knew the next one would find her heart. She almost hoped it would. But she couldn't die now.. She was Anashta's only hope.

"I'll be back for my sister. We'll have our revenge!!" Suli cried out defiantly before diving beneath the waves and swimming for shore.

Years later. . .

Sticking to the shadows she preferred, Suli crept through the streets of Arkane. A beggar bumped into her, nearly tripping the bladesinger. He turned towards her to apologize and his face turned white.

"m..m.. m'lady.. Forgive me, I di'nae mean ta hit you. P-p-p-please do'nae hurt me!" He cringed defensively, bringing his hands up to shield his face. Suli looked down at the wrinkled beggar in confusion.

"Why would I hurt you?" Suli whispered.

"Well.. Ye kicked me b'fore. T'were an axident, I swear. . ." The beggar tried to melt back into the garbage and rubble from whence he came. "I din't mean t..t.. take liburties wit'ye, m'lady.."

"I assure you, sir, I've never seen you before in my life" Suli inspected the pathetic creature, confused, and the beggar started to back away.

"'Course m'lady. I'm sure yer ladyship is right.. never seen yeh b'fore.. yer hair's much longer an' those there tattoos grew some.. musta' been yer twin or sumthin. . . beg pardon lady" Shrugging, the confused beggar turned and ran before the strange light-blue elf remembered his trespasses and decided to strike him again.

"Wait. . .!" Suli cried after him, too quietly for his ears to hear her. Sighing, she stared after him in confusion, and the stirring of a hope she'd almost thought dead rose within her.

Musta' been yer twin or sumthin. . . . .