Artem Alpin was always the most noticeable person in any room he entered.

Many Carcosan noblemen were good looking and well-groomed, with Aaron Alpin, Robin Buren, and Ihsan Kuzey being particularly striking. However, Artem was the only person who shone… if only because he was the only one who could always double as a bejeweled chandelier.

This evening, Artem had been particularly noticeable because of his zeal in fulfilling Regina’s request to make “friends” with other nobles. After creating and exchanging dozens of individual jeweled baubles with said nobles, Artem should have been as difficult to spot as a murderous plank of wainscoting falling from orphanage walls.

As Regina frantically spun on the spot, she realized that there was no way she should not have immediately been able to find her darling goldfish by sight.

How could someone as shiny as Artem possibly have vanished and when could he have left when Regina would not have notic-

‘By the blood!’ Regina mentally cursed as the cold truth dawned on her. ‘Did that strange masked man ask me to dance just to distract me from Artem? Where is Artem now?!’

Regina began to move. It almost felt as if the world around her stood still as she started to pick up speed around the edges of the ballroom.

Where was Artem?

Without him, her foresight was entirely useless-

No, Regina realized in utter horror. Her foresight was very useful.

After all, based on her foresight, she knew exactly where Artem was.

Careless of the angry exclamations of the masked nobles in front of her, Regina ran.

Regina ran and ran and she reached the front of the Poisson manor and ran to the ugly fountain in front of the manor and-

“He is not here,” said Regina, her voice sounding as if it belonged to someone else. “This was the fountain I saw Artem in… but he is not here.”

Regina’s mind was strangely, peacefully blank.

“There are fish in the fountain,” she said in that voice that seemed like it belonged to someone else. “There are fish and no Artem.”

“WHERE IS ARTEM?”

The fish did not reply.

Regina started moving towards the fountain – though she was not sure of what she planned to do next.

Then the fountain suddenly glistened in the lights of the lanterns and Regina stopped moving.

“No,” she said in a voice that was more breath than sound, “this is not the right fountain. The metal is all wrong. This one is more like the metal uses Artem uses for his brooches, while the fountain I saw shone like-”

Regina glanced down at her hand.

“Like the ring on my finger,” she breathed out in something close to horror.

Her body still felt as if it was not hers, as if someone other than her was spinning on the spot staring at the vastness of the Poisson estate, stretching far into the darkness.

“How,” said Regina, “do you have more than one incredibly ugly fountain?”

Regina’s eyes widened in further horror. “And where do you put your extra fountains?”

Regina’s eyes narrowed and Regina ran.

Regina ran and ran and grabbed the nearest noble as she entered the ballroom.

“Not you,” said Regina, spinning past the startled man in frustration.

She grabbed the next one and the next and it was none of them and then-

“You!” she said in triumph, as she spun the woman towards her, ignoring the angry noises behind her. “You are going to help me!”

“I am?” said the woman in the fish mask, and Regina could feel the raised eyebrow behind her disguise.

“Oh yes,” said Regina, her voice full of the teeth her mask was hiding. “Scion of Poisson, you will help me immediately.”

The woman apparently did not understand that delaying Regina was shortening her own lifespan because she said in a voice of irritation, “Pray pardon me, my lady, but we are not meant to identify ourselves at a masquerade ball… or to answer those whose manners would be better served in a tide pool.”

Based on the gasps around them, this was meant to be an insult. Regina laughed and strangely the gasps stopped and the woman took a step backwards.

“Oh my lady,” said Regina, her voice the call of the falcon she was about to become, “if an introduction is all you need-”

Regina tore off her mask and stalked forward, the woman backing up in front of her.

“Then let us be strangers no longer,” Regina told the Poisson through a smile that showed the teeth that she clearly needed to keep visible at all times. “I am Lady Regina Sheridan, soon to be Princess Regina Alpin. Are you going to help me?”

The Poisson woman sunk into a curtsy so low that her knees nearly hit the floor… as her mask did hit the floor beside her.

“Forgive me, your highness!” the noblewoman said, even as she tried for a smile that did not reach her sea-green eyes. “I am Paloma Poisson, at your service. What do you need from me?!”

“I need,” Regina said, no longer caring if people addressed her as a future queen if it got her what she needed, “to visit the Poisson fountains that mirror your entrance fountain immediately.”

Lady Paloma did not move.

Regina needed her to move.

“Is there a reason,” said Regina as she stalked closer to Lady Paloma, idly noting the way Lady Paloma swallowed and her eyes darkened, “that we are not going to the fountains?”

“Forgive me,” said the Lady, swaying slightly, “I am honored to be of interest-”

Regina did not have time for whatever stupidity people who were not taking her to fountains were going to say.

“We love the fountains,” said Regina, since she could not think of a way to bodily carry this woman with her. “Artem and I want to replicate every single one of them on our future estate as a sign of our… special relationship with the Poisson family-”

Which was, Regina thought grimly, going to consist of her murdering every one of them if they did not move.

“-so long as I can see them all in the next few minutes.”

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Lady Paloma looked strangely disappointed, before her face brightened.

Lies, Regina realized, worked better the more absurd and improbable that they were.

“My princess,” said Lady Paloma, her voice almost… worshipful. “My cousin and I will gladly take you to every fountain you desire.”

There was another fish person, Regina realized, standing without a mask beside Lady Paloma. Maybe they replicated every time someone praised one of their fish accessories.

“Bring them all,” said Regina, making a sudden decision as she realized what she needed to do.

“All the young women of taste?” said Lady Paloma, in apparent confusion.

“All the Poissons,” said Regina, having no time for stupid questions.

“I wish to have as many witn- er people to honor,” said Regina, her teeth showing again, “as can-”

She grabbed the hand of Lady Paloma and the other unknown.

“-run!”

Regina ran.

She was surprised that Lady Paloma and the unknown cousin kept pace with her, only providing short directions when it appeared she would run in the wrong direction. Behind them, Regina could hear the sound of dozens of feet, far more than could account for even the very fertile Poissons.

She did not look.

She ran and they ran and the servants stared as they ran down the hallway and out the dimly lit back entrance.

Regina ran faster.

“This is,” said Lady Paloma, “the fountain made in honor of-”

“Lovely metal,” said Regina through gritted teeth, “just like my brooches.”

She ran faster.

The cousin pointed to a structure and said “When the Poissons first came to-”

“Also like my brooches,” said Regina, panic starting to build in her throat. “Is there a fountain like my ring?”

Lady Paloma glanced over at her, at the ring glowing on Regina’s hand, and something strange and almost understanding passed through her gaze.

“This way,” she said and Regina ran.

Regina ran and there were lanterns lighting a dimly lit path and something was wrong with the shadows and Regina ran and ran and -

It was glowing.

The fountain was glowing right at the brightest circle of light.

“ARTEM!” screamed Regina. “ARTEM!”

He was in the brightest circle of light. He was not in the fountain.

“Artem,” said Regina in a near moan, running forward.

Artem was above the fountain.

Regina did not know how that was possible.

Regina did not care.

In that strange blank space where her mind was pleasantly numb, Regina realized he was somehow being held in the air by some kind of green… straps and not just him, but apparently every gasping fish from the Poisson fountain.

Regina felt something in her mind almost audibly… snap.

She was climbing.

She did not know when she had reached the fountain, but she was climbing. Her hands were bleeding from the rough green… ropes? she was climbing and she had never climbed.

Sheridans who climbed things died.

Even so, Regina climbed.

Regina climbed and there was Artem, still and pale, and someone had tied him and made him still and pale, and the noise Regina could hear sounded like it was not human.

Regina thought it might have been from her.

Regina pulled at those green, rough ropes and pulled and pulled and suddenly they were disappearing and Regina was going to fall and Artem was going to fall and Regina spread her skirts and the fish fell down them and into the fountain-

-and Artem started to fall and Regina pushed him to slide down her skirts then she was falling too and they fell and fell into the water and the fishes and Regina hoped that Artem did not hurt from her falling onto him since she was hurting and-

Regina forced herself up, past the pain, past her heavy skirts.

With strength she did not possess, she rose from the fountain and dragged her stupid ridiculous beloved goldfish out of the water.

“Artem,” she said.

Artem was pale and still and no breath passed his lips.

“You will not,” said Regina grimly, “get away that easily.”

Her cousins might not have enjoyed her attention after they drowned, but Artem was her goldfish. He had no right to leave her!

So Regina struck him.

Water left Artem, left him choking, left him breathing.

Regina struck him again.

More water left and Artem was breathing, was not quite so still, but his breath was as shallow as the fountain that would have killed him.

“This is not right,” said that distant voice that Regina recognized as her own. “This is not right!”

Artem should be sitting up and calling her his sea urchin and she would be telling him how stupid he was to raise himself with ropes above a fountain-

Regina stilled.

Artem had not raised himself, tied and helpless. Someone must have done it to him and they would have had to subdue him without violence, since he did not appear externally injured-

“Son of a thinned blood,” snarled Regina, vaguely noting that there were many many people around her based on how many of them gasped at her words. “They poisoned him.”

For a moment, all Regina could see was a dearly loved face–

-her sister-

– Ava –

-bent over, foaming, choking, her wide eyes frozen open forever-

As Regina stared at Artem’s pale, contorting face – so like the contortions of her long-dead sister – Regina could feel something in her begin to burn.

“No,” she said calmly. “You are mine.”

With smooth, even motions, she pulled the brooch from her chest-

-and stabbed Artem in the throat.

Artem jerked upwards with a gasp.

“So,” said Regina, “the anti-toxin was able to work for most poisons.”

Then she grabbed Artem and held him and held him and held him-

“Darling,” said Artem, his voice rough, “why are you crying?”

“You… you… goldfish!” said Regina, her voice too sore to say anything else through her sobs and he did not deserve any more words anyways.

“Why,” said Artem slowly, “am I bleeding?”

He can, thought Regina grumpily, work that one out on his own.

Unfortunately, both Artem and Regina were soon forced to realize that they were not alone.

Apparently, all Poissons could run as quickly as Lady Paloma and her anonymous cousin, because the number of them encircling Regina and Artem was formidable.

At the center of the group was Lady Paloma, whose eyes were brimming with tears.

“My princess,” Lady Paloma said, looking utterly overcome by the moment. “My family and I cannot begin to express our gratitude that you –”

“Managed to save Artem?” Regina interrupted, sure that they must be thrilled that a royal prince was not murdered on their property.

“No!” Lady Paloma snapped, before backtracking and adding, “I mean – yes. Yes, of course. That is very good too. But what matters is that you managed to save Princess Pisces!”

Even as Regina frantically wondered whether she had somehow managed to smuggle another orphan to safety via her panniers, Lady Paloma rushed to explain.

“Princess Pisces is the queen of our breeding stock and without her, we would have lost years of hard work. She and her breeding program is only alive due to you – which means you alone have the true love of fish needed to lead this country. Our family will support you in anything you do. All hail our new queen!”

As the crowd of Poissons and dozens of additional nobles began a rousing cheer for her, Regina wondered if the queen that the Poissons were hailing was Princess Pisces… or her.

Then she looked over at the fountain-

-Artem still and pale and unbreathing-

-and realized that it did not matter what they meant or what she thought.

The world wanted Regina dead and was willing to kill those around her to make it happen.

‘How,’ thought Regina, ‘do you keep a goldfish alive when someone may be trying to murder him to get to you?’