Everything To Me - Orm Marius/Ocean Master

Chapter Eight - Along the Charted Path

Through some connections with Tom's friends, Aurelia rented a boat to take them to Sicily - at least part of the way. With Orvax's forces crawling around under the sea, she figured swimming would be their most dangerous option. Although, in light of the recent attack, she wasn't so sure they were any safer on land. They needed to go to a landlocked country, where there was no nearby ocean. However, that was not Sicily.

"Let's hope we get all the way to Italy in one piece," she remarked.

At a young age, her dad had taught her to sail, one of the perks of living in a seaside town. The attack on the lighthouse had delayed their departure, so she spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening teaching Orm the basics of sailing a small boat, but since he clearly wasn't interested, this grew tedious and frustrating quickly. They were already behind schedule.

As night fell, the two decided to try and get some sleep. Aurelia debated suggesting one of them stay awake and keep watch (Orm), but was exhausted herself, and figured that if something were to happen, at least one of them would wake up. She hoped she wasn't sealing their fate with this assumption.

It had been an unexpectedly exhausting day, thanks to the Atlanteans' attack, so both Aurelia and Orm decided to turn in early. That, and they had a big journey ahead of them.

Aurelia decided to arrange her blanket and pillow right in the centre of the main deck - this spot had a perfect view of the stars.

Looking over, she saw Orm was arranging himself at the far corner of the deck, jammed up against some supplies.  "What'ca doin' over there?"

"Setting up a sleeping area for myself," he said as though stating the most obvious fact.

"Oh. You're not going to sleep here?"

"That's where you're sleeping."

"Yeah, but there's room for you."  Sure, she had chosen the middle, but there was still lots of room all around her on all sides.

"I thought this would be a more suitable sleeping arrangement." Now Orm wouldn't meet her gaze.

She sat up, eyeing the prince curiously.  "Okay... I don't bite, and I'm not going to attack you in your sleep. I already gave you an ass-whooping."

"I know. I just thought this way would be more - appropriate..."

"With you jamming yourself in the corner?" That wasn't fair, especially considering how much room there was.

He didn't reply. "Orm, what's up?" There was something he wasn't telling her, on top of his already strange behaviour.

He sighed. "It's just - seeing as we're unmarried, we're really not supposed to sleep together. So, I thought I would save us some - awkwardness - and sleep over here..."

Ah. There it was.

"Oh... Okay..." She didn't really know what to say. She hadn't realized how concerned about that he had been. "I mean, thank you for being so considerate, but if you're worried about offending me, or something like that, you're really not, at all... It's no big deal."

"Fine, I'll sleep there if you really want me to."

"I mean there's lots of room, man. You don't have to squish yourself in the corner if you don't want to."

"Fine." He brought over his blanket and pillow, dropping them beside her and lying down, still with a significant gap between them.

There was a moment of silence, drifting on for so long it was borderline awkward.

"So, have you never-"

"No," he cut her off. "I was saving myself for my wedding night, as is tradition."

"Okay. Fair enough."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, of course not. I never said there was. Just wondering. And sleeping together doesn't have to mean that. It can mean what we're doing now, literally sleeping. Or, well, in our case, trying to fall asleep."

"You don't have that tradition on the surface?"

"Used to, throughout history it was really big. It's more of a choice now. You can wait until your married or not, up to you. You do you."

"Strange."

"It's just different than what you're used to."

"But you've-"

"Yeah, I have." This time she cut him off. "I've had a few boyfriends. Each time I thought he was 'the one', you know? Like how my parents just knew that they were the ones for each other. I still don't really get how they knew, but they knew. And I thought I knew too, but then he'd never turn out to be." She shrugged. "Plus they never really understood how different I was." Recalling this stirred up some bottled up emotions deep within her, so she was eager to change the subject. "Have you had any girlfriends?"

"I've always been betrothed." He didn't need to add 'to you.' "I felt like being romantically involved with anyone else was a betrayal of that. I will be fully committed to the one I love. Unlike my father, who cheated on my mother many times. Theirs was not a happy marriage, nor a good one, it goes without saying. But I want mine to be."

"Well then she'll be a lucky woman, whoever she is."

"I hope so." Here, he turned his head and looked at her. I hoped it would be you.

She kept her gaze on the sky, despite feeling his eyes on her. "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

He shifted beside her. "I think we should stop talking about this."

That was answer enough. "Wow, you're really taking this whole betrothed thing to heart." She admired it, and found it sweet. Knowing herself, she would probably have teased him about it, but she felt nothing but admiration for his choices. He would be a truly loyal and loving husband one day, she had no doubt. That woman better know how lucky she is, whoever she is.

He cleared his throat. "Well, that is, if I'm ever even allowed back home. You heard the guards, my father thinks I've committed treason. And he's not a forgiving man."

"Well, maybe you're better off without it, Atlantis and all that."

He replied with no hesitation. "But it's my home."

"Yeah, but, that doesn't mean-"

"It's home." He rolled over so that he was facing away from her. "Goodnight, Aurelia."

"G'night, I guess..."

As they drifted off, side-by-side, Aurelia realized that her suggestion had been rather insensitive. She was suggesting Orm just leave his home behind, the only world he had known. And for what? He certainly wouldn't consider the surface world. It would be like if someone told her to leave the lighthouse. Where would she go? Atlantis? Hell no.

Everything and everyone she loved was there in Amnesty Bay.

She wouldn't give it up for anything.

(Thank you to 'Wonder Woman' for inspiring this scene! ;)

Happy New Year folks! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))