The Happy Couple (Tag: Alidia and Rahim) rated M

Cadan carried a bridle he had fashioned himself.  He had to try and bond with a shark and lead it in a ride around the reef.  But there was a catch.  Sharkanians had to try and bond with the shark that tries to kill them.
"Show no fear." he told himself.  That was what the Sharkanian Emperor, Shaga, always said was the key to handling sharks.  He hoped that, despite which shark chose him, this advice would do him some good.

Aisa was in awestruck wonder as she once reached Davy Jones's locker. Ships from so many different times. She smiled and giggled as she looked for anything worth a look and she found a necklace with a dragon and a jade heart. She put it on. It matched her green eyes and green shells. "Oh starfishs...this is so much fun..." then all of a sudden in the ship she was in was caving in. "Help...someone please..." she cried. Her tail was stuck and she couldn't barely move. "Please help..."

So far, none of the usual Great Whites or Bull sharks had shown interest in Cadan.  Suddenly, he spotted a large Thresher shark, recognized for the elongated tailfin.  This one was coming at him.
When it came close, she swam around its side, slipping the bridle into the Thresher's mouth and sat on it's back.  Once he got on, a sound caught his attention.  Someone was calling for help in the Southeast direction.  The only thing that way was a graveyard of sunken ships.
"Go that way.  Let's see if we can help." Cadan told his mount, moving the reins in a certain way.  Unable to resist the Sharkanian on his back, the Thresher shark quickly swam where it was directed.

Aisa looked at her chest. She was pierced. "Please hurry..." she cried. Her purple hair was floating. She began to drift away. But she felt mini waves coming her way. "Please hurry..." she said before she passed out. She had her birthmark of the trident on her shoulder but then she blacked out.

"Over there!  The cries are coming from that one!" Cadan instructed his new mount.  The Thresher hurried towards it.
Knowing the shark was too large to go inside, the Sharkanian directed it to smash open the hull.  Threshers might not be known for attacking people, but they were still given respective space because they could inflict real damage with that powerful tail.  With that done, the shark started removing wooden beams from a body laying there, a mermaid.  Cadan dismounted long enough to pull the mermaid out, never letting go of the reins.  She'd been pierced in the chest region and he carefully removed the sharp piece.
"We have to get her help." he told his mount.  He swam onto the shark's back again, the mermaid in the crook of his free arm.  Once his mount had gotten away from the wreckage, he steered it towards a reef where he might be able to tend to her.

Aisa weakly opened her eyes as she grimaced in pain. She gasped as she saw that she was riding a shark. Her father told her that these people were suppose to harm. But they saved her. She looked at the hero that saved her but then she closed her eyes once more as she slept in his arm. She still wore the necklace she found and she wondered if this hero saw her birthmark.

Cadan directed his Thresher shark to a reef close to a kelp forest.  He pulled on the reins, telling it to stop, when he got there.  Dismounting, he lay the mermaid on the coral.  He used some mucus from a moray eel and a leaf of seaweed to wrap up her injury.
The young Sharkanian was puzzled as to why she was wearing human jewelry.  Merpeople tended to stay away from the world above the waves.  And then, he noticed the trident mark on her shoulder.  She was a daughter of Neptune!  He wondered how she would react when she learned of his true parentage.

Aisa weakly opened her eyes and saw she was laying down on some coral. She winced as she sat up and saw her wound was patched and taken care of. Her emerald eyes sparkled as they locked into her hero's. "Thank you my kind and noble sir. What are your called in your land. I'm Aisa Neptune...one of many of Neptune's daughters."

"Your thanks is appreciated, Your Highness.  It was lucky for you that I was out here when you needed help.  My name is Cadan Shaga.  Emperor Shaga of Sharkania is my father." Cadan answered her, giving her a bow.
"I noticed you wearing jewelry made by humans.  That's unusual for merpeople, as I understand it." he commented.

Aisa smiled "Please Cadan is it? Don't bow...makes me feel funny in the stomach area..." she giggled as she quickly put her purple hair in a seahorse-tail. "Now for the human world well I am always curious of what it'd be like up there but this necklace I think it's called...it seems like I've seen it before like a dream...and you know you're so kind even though our people are enemies..."

"I am aware of that.  I've often talked to my father about making peace with your kingdom.  Perhaps, now that I've had my rite of passage, he'll be more likely to listen to me." Cadan told her.

Aisa held her head down. "You're lucky...my father never listens to me..that's why I go exploring myself and nobody else..." Aisa swam up to stretch. "But once my sisters have an issue...dad takes care of them..." she had a tear run her cheek.

Cadan swam over to her.  He reached out and brushed away her tear.  He didn't like to see a woman cry.
"It still comes at a heavy price.  When a Sharkanian turns eighteen, they have to tame and bond with a shark by leading it in a ride around the reef.  But we can't choose just any shark; we have to tame the one that tries to kill us.  That's what I was doing when you called for help.  Now, I just need to name my new mount." he explained.

With Cadan's touch Aisa felt a shock like a jellyfish sting but in the good way that touched her heart. She locked her emerald eyes into his earthy colored eyes. She looked at the shark. "How about Destiny..." she said.

"Destiny.  Interesting.  What do you think, my friend?" Cadan asked his mount.  The Thresher shark swam towards him.  It came close enough to nudge his shoulder, but no more.  Now that they had bonded, the shark wouldn't harm its master.
"I'll take that as a yes." he said with a smile.

Aisa giggled. She smiled as she looked at Cadan. "Hey Candan wanna go peek at the surface?" she held his hands. "Please..." she looked at him with like puppyfish eyes. Unaware that there dangers for a mermaid like her.

"I see no reason why not.  Sharkanians are not forbidden from going to the surface.  I would be happy to go up with you." Cadan answered, seating himself on Destiny's back.  He held his hand out to her, offering to let her sit with him.

Aisa took Cadan's hand and sat with him. She put the necklace around his neck. "For a thank you and you're my only friend..." Aisa said. As they were on the surface she smiled. "It's like a dream..." she said. Unaware to them that a ship was coming. Then they dropped a net on Aisa. She screamed as she was pulled up. "Cadan...help me..." then the boat took off.

Cadan snapped the reins and urged Destiny forward.  The Thresher snatched the bottom fibers of the net, preventing the humans from pulling her onboard.  Holding the reins with his teeth, Cadan produced a stingray barb knife from inside his armor and began to cut the net.  With Destiny trashing his head back and forth, the two were able to cut Aisa free.  She fell into his arms and he reasserted control of the bridle.
"Destiny, take us down!" the Sharkanian prince ordered.  The shark quickly retreated with his two passengers, only too happy to get out of danger.

Aisa held herself close to Caden. She began to shake. "I was so scared...but I wasn't thinking about my family but I was thinking how'd I'd never saw you again..." She gasped. 'I just kinda expressed my feelings...' Aisa gasped again to see Caden hurt. She grabbed the reigns. "Easy Desinity..." Aisa said as they reached a place where she could heal Caden.

Cadan was a little surprised at what she said.  Aisa was thinking of him more than her own family?  He had to admit that it was a bit sweet.  That's when he noticed what he was doing.
"I didn't even notice I had been hurt." he confessed.

Aisa took off Cadan's breastplate, removed the dagger and placed a healing sea-rose on Cadan's chest by his heart. "You're lucky..." she started to say with a bit of seriousness and with a pinch of blushing as she touched his bare skin. It was rough-like like a shark but it had his heartbeat and with her touch it started to beat more and more rapidly. "The mini-spear almost got your heart..." she finished. Her eyes locked into his. She began singing.

Cadan was surprised by the act.  Aisa really was something special.  As she sang, he placed his hand on hers, holding it against his chest.
"That spear may not have pierced my heart.  But I'm not so sure something else didn't." he told her, easing up on the reins to let Destiny slow down.

Aisa blushed. "Caden I..." she started to say as she looked at their hands together. "I...I I wanna thank you for saving my life twice...." Her heart was beating so fast that it coexisted with Caden's. Her emerald eyes looked into his earthy colored eyes. But something was telling her to lean forward. So she began leaning forward. As she was leaning forward she heard a voice "Aisa...what are you doing?" It's was her father Neptune himself with his trident. "You know Sharkdians are dangerous..." Aisa shook her head. "No they're aren't Father...they're kind and sweet..." Neptune grabbed Aisa's arm. "Nonsense...no daughter of mine will be with a Sharkdian...." "Ow daddy you're hurting me...and he has a name...Caden..." Neptune took Aisa away. The rose she held fell at Caden's tail. She started to cry.

"Your Highness, please.  I can explain." Cadan protested.  But the merman king wasn't listening.  In a desperate attempt to make him listen, the Sharkanian prince steered Destiny around to block his path.  He wouldn't attack, he just wanted her father to hear what he had to say.
"Now you have to give me a chance.  I didn't do any harm to your daughter; I was out here trying to tame a shark.  When I got one under control, I heard her calling for help.  I saved her first from what could have been a fatal injury, and again from humans." the Sharkanian explained.