Ariel: He's like... a really annoying cousin, I think. -shrugs-

Sebastian: I doubt anyone could work this close to people for so long and keep a strictly professional relationship with them. I have tried, make no mistake, but I don't think I managed it. I don't see the King as a father figure, though -- my father will always hold that place. He is, however, a man I admire, and he is a sort of guardian to me, so I don't want to break his expectations of me. Ariel, he might be a friend, but I don't think he's a brother. I wouldn't let my brother, younger or older, be as spoiled as he is, and I'm sure a brother would apologize every so often for the stupidity he commits. -huffs-

Kuda: All of their last names are Doe. - u-;

(aka: not really, no. ; u;)

Ariel: -scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest- They were trying to cut my hair, and I escaped in the middle of it. Mother had beautiful long hair, and it was the same color as mine, so I wanted my hair to be like hers. Father always insisted on cutting it, though -- even when his hair was also long! So I had to try and escape every time they cut my hair.

-scowl softens- After mother died, he never again insisted on a haircut. -sighs and strokes his hair- He just stopped caring, just like he stopped caring about Mom.

Kuda: Nope.

Ursule: U-um... -tries imagining the twins with Ariel's voice- Huhhhh... um... I... -flustered, shakes his head- I! I mean! I don't think it would do anything for them. I've never been sure how or why they lost their voice. I remember having heard one of them talk when I first saw them, but I'd always assumed they just didn't want to talk to me. I'm not sure they can't speak, it's probable that they don't want to.

Eric: Oh, um... I don't think I was aware of being unwelcome when I was a child, actually. My mother was with me, after all, and she would've acted like a shield between everyone else and me.

I only ever began noticing I wasn't welcome when she died, I think. The servants took care of my basic needs, but that was all they did. The whispers I had never known existed behind my back were spoken with me not three feet away. Sometimes, I'd need to find my way round the castle by myself, because no one came to get me in the mornings for breakfast, or tell me I had a lesson in an hour's time. The tutors appointed to me were good scholars, but they weren't interested in my emotional well-being. Mr. Grimsby was always kind to me, but he had his hands full with Brother Eliot and his duties towards Father.

-rubs his elbow awkwardly- I feel lonely often, even with my brothers around. And I study hard, and try to behave my best not to be a burden on anyone. I know no Kingdom would ask their daughter to be married to me; they wouldn't want me for a King. And even with Father's approval, the most I could hope for would be a quiet life of royalty unable to actually rule. When I think of that, it's hard not to feel useless. And to hear the servants speak ill words of my mother, who was the only person who was always there for me constantly... Sometimes I let it get the best of me.

Emery: Sometimes, yes. -frowns- I know I probably shouldn't. Love isn't THE goal of life or anything, and I'm still young. But everyone gets lonely once in a while. And of course, even if I began seeing someone, they wouldn't dare openly court me or let themselves be courted if there were other royals present. So no dancing with anyone in the balls, and it's always about sneaking... -sigh- I should probably visit Ariel's country soon. If he doesn't mind, maybe his people don't, either.

Hartley: Pirates! We weren't pirates. Sure, maybe we weren't the most well-behaved and we got into lots of trouble, but we were good guys. We had our hearts in the right place, but not everyone you make deals with does. So we had to escape to safer waters, that's all.

Being a maid was Hell, though. I've never liked dresses, and since I got into that castle, it seemed like I'd never get out of one. Most of the time I wore pants underneath, just out of habit. I just don't feel comfortable without them.

And sure, I got bullied a bit, specially after I began seeing Eliot, but them servants don't know the first thing about mocking. I got way worse from the crew! Hahaha!

Queen Hartley: -gins sheepishly- I took him for a well-dressed servant and got him to help me clean his own room. To be completely fair, I'd never seen him before that, and the castle was too big -- I didn't really know it was the King's Room. It looked as posh as everything else, so it could have been a very nice guest room? I'm glad I mistook him for a servant, though. I don't think he expected formality from me after that, and I wouldn't have been able to give it. He was a sorry sight most of the time, but under that aloofness and hurt, he's a marvelously generous man. I could just sort of see it, since the first time we met. I just had to draw that man out.

King Eliot: -smiles fondly- She knocked some sense into me after Caroline abandoned us. My subjects and my own children are too kind on me; they tend to gloss over the less gracious details of my love life. Hartley had never been before royalty before, and instead of worrying about how to behave around me, she treated me like a friend. Her honesty was a breath of fresh air to me, as well as her kindness. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and wasn't afraid of being blunt. I never tried to hide my feelings for her, and I daresay she didn't, either.

Hartley: I didn't get to know them much. Most of the time the servants made sure I wasn't close to them. They were good children, though: twice I gave a good scolding to one of the blondies, Esau. Some of them were very spoiled, mostly the young ones. Several times, I could leave Eric in the nursery, where he'd play with Emery. He was a cute one, but clingy as a leech! And that boy, Eliot, a gentleman so young! I spoke to him whenever I went to tidy up his mess in the library. Old Grimsby always scolded him for his mess, and me for cleaning up after him. Wasn't very Queen-like, he said! Haha! that old man sure was nice. Now that I think about it, he never tried to push me away from the little kytes. Good to know I had someone on my side in the castle!

--

Eliot: I have a few fond memories of speaking to Queen Hartley in the library. She always told me to loosen up and enjoy being a child. She was a nice woman. I always thought she was too carefree to be royalty, but it was never a bad thing.

Esau: Ah, I'm pretty sure I hated her. -grimaces- I wasn't the best-behaved child back then. I recall I was very jealous of Eliot, just for being the first-born. And then I was very jealous of Eric, because he still had his mother with him. I was shamefully spiteful... And bossy. It's no wonder Queen Hartley gave me a good scolding or two. The servants had never scolded me-- my own tutor had nothing but praise for me. So it wasn't very welcome, and I never took her words seriously until after she died. Grimsby had to give me a heart-to-heart for me to see I needed to change. I'm thankful for her honest words, and I will always respect her memory.

Edward: She was always smiling. She made funny faces at Eric during mealtimes, and when she caught me watching she'd grin and go cross-eyed to make us laugh. Everett had much fun with that, but we were never allowed to spend much time with her. I had the idea that she was an evil pirate, so I tried to stay away from her.

Everett: Oh, uh... I don't really remember much about her.

Evan: Me either. We all heard the stories, but I suppose most of us were too young to really create a proper opinion about her.

Emery: I'm told she got to watch over me a few times when I was a toddler, but I can't really remember. All I know came from asking Eliot, Esau, Father, and Grimsby.

Esau: Father had never been against telling us about our mothers if we ask. However, I first heard the story from Mr. Grimsby, Eliot's tutor, when I was young. His only bias is towards the King, but he did not hold ill feelings towards any of the Queens, so he was the best source I could've gotten the story from.

Actually... -rubs the back of his head- Mr. Grimbsy told me the story as a sort of a wake-up call. It was what helped me mature the most, I think, or at least snap out of my bad attitude when I was young. Eliot had already been told the story, and the only thing I knew was that my mother had died at childbirth. I only learned the rest after Queen Hartley's death. I do believe Mr. Grimsby told the others, too. I couldn't tell you how they reacted, though.

Caroline: My family is not in speaking terms with me. Then again, we never had a good relation. They still acknowledge me and my lover as part of royalty, and we are invited to important events, but we're hardly welcome by them.

Leaving sons for Eliot seems to be the only thing that keeps them from exiling us from the Kingdom. They are a political advantage, and they can see them whenever they please. Evan and Emery dislike them, though hardly as much as they dislike me. I haven't really made an effort to mend our relationship. It's a bit harder to see Eliot, although I know he's forgiven me for what I did to him. If I am honest, I did develop feelings for him, but my affections for my loved one were stronger than those feelings.

King Eliot: -smiles ruefully- I'm actually not that strong. I did feel very depressed when Caroline left, but people tend to leave out those details when re-telling the story.

Caroline: He's a high-standing noble of my Kingdom, or he was until we eloped. We might have been sent to jail for my actions, but Eliot pleaded our case shortly after he re-married. We're living together, and I love him very much, though we're not officially married. We also don't have any children.

Evan: Well, I guess I was a bit more outgoing back then. Everett's enthusiasm was a bit contagious.

Everett: Haha, Evan has always been lots of fun. But he always kept us from doing pranks that were too serious, so even then he was the more sensible one. Father would always scold us when we reached five pranks in a row, but most of the time he wasn't too upset about it, because Madame Ophelia wasn't too mad herself. We also ran around the castle a lot, pretending there were secret passages and the like! We actually tried making tunnels just outside the stables.

Evan: It wasn't a good plan. After day one the servants thought the hole we managed to dig was for, ehm, holding manure. We didn't continue trying after that.

Everett: Oh, I remember that one! -laughs- We didn't play much with the others, though. Everyone had different schedules, so it was a bit hard. We always talked a lot during dinner, though. Once or twice we tried to get Emery to join us, but he never liked getting too dirty. He preferred playing indoors.

EYO!Everett: Eliot? He's not my best friend, that's Evan! He's so amazing. Did you know he's in the same classes as me, even when he's a year younger? A whole year younger! We're stuck together with Madame Ophelia. She's really creepy sometimes, so Evan is my partner in crime in all our little pranks!

Floatsam and Jetsam: -They grin and shrug. They're obviously fond of her.-

Ursule: I... what? The fact they change species does not mean they'd regain their limbs. If I turned them human, they would still be missing their arms. The change does not make up for handicaps, deformities, or anything else.

So, say Ariel's tail was chipped at the end. When he turned human, he might have been missing a toe. If it had been weak or damaged, his legs would have been as well. Changing your species does not heal any wounds you may already have.

I've tried with starfish, because its easy to get samples, but the potion to change to that species doesn't last all that long, not enough to regenerate their limbs. Its also not very comfortable for the anatomy, and you can't stack the potions to make them last longer, because its detrimental to health, so that's out of question.

Starfish are still the best bet, though. So I'm working with a potion specifically geared to grant regenerative power. The specific focus should make the process much faster if I manage to work out the formula.

Ariel: Bleh, no. I don't like studying, you need to stay still for too long. I suppose the one I dislike the LEAST, though, would be ballroom dancing. You don't need to learn much there.

Eric: Oh, I like many of the subjects, really. I don't think I have a favourite, though... I do like learning about other countries the most. Music is very nice, but I never really had proper classes in it. Eliot was the one who taught me, which would definitely be the thing I enjoyed most.

Eliot: Music is indeed my favourite class. It is quite calming. If I had to pick a second best, I would say the time when I was taught to ride a horse. I no longer have classes in that, as is expected. I already know how to ride. But it was a remarkable experience when I first learned.

Emery: How many? Well, I know I flirt a lot, but not THAT many. Not many serious ones, anyway. Most guys I flirt with end up being straight, anyway, so I don't pursue them further. The ones that do like other men don't really want an adventure with a prince.