242 A Merman

Brad furrowed his brows as he looked at the crowd, his eyes seemed to be darting from person to person, searching for who made that comment.

He needed not to search more as the owner of the voice was coming already. In no time, Jareth came out from amongst the crowd and as soon as Brad locked eyes on him, his furrowed brows deepened.

'Oh, I forgot about him for a second. As long as he is here, I can't do anything to this sharp mouth here.' Brad thought. 

"Why should she stand down?" Jareth asked again, pulling Brad from his train of thoughts.

"She is supporting an outsider," he stated flatly and walked forward to where they were.

Jareth did as well and moved passed the men surrounding his Astrid and the strange man. Right now both men stood in front of Astrid, staring each other down.

The first man whom Astrid threw away, finally got up when help came. Brad turned to his head to his side and saw the other man wince in pain.

'Just what did this little girl do to injure him this way? I have never seen Roy wince in pain and now he is. These two are something else. There is more to them than meets the eye.' Brad commented inwardly before returning his gaze back to Jareth.

"Aren't we all?" Jareth retorted.

"She should because she is aiding a criminal. Stand down now or join him and face the consequences."

"How would you know he is a criminal? Haven't we all committed one crime or the other? Isn't that why we are all here?" Astrid asked, unable to understand the way these men thought.

"The shirt he is putting on and his hair colour. He broke in. He is a thief," Brad stated without giving any more explanation.

He felt if she was that sharp then she should figure it out.

Small gasps were heard from behind them as all the villagers looked at them and before Astrid knew it, small talks in murmuring started springing up.

"You still want to stand for him knowing he is a thief?" Brad's eyebrow arched up at her in a questioning manner, awaiting her response. 

Jareth and Astrid both turned their heads to look at the person they were protecting. A silent questioned displayed in their eyes as they looked at the man to clarify with him first.

For Astrid, she was hoping he would deny the accusation so he wouldn't be hurt because she had seen what these men could do. They behave like people without feelings.

'Please say no, say no. Tell me he is lying and I would defend you.' She prayed silently, her gaze wavering as her emotions danced in her eyes.

Cari looked up at her and the look in his eyes gave him away. He was guilty, guilty as charged. Astrid let out a mental sigh as she understood his silent answer just like their silent questions.

"But, Snow. He looks innocent and what wrong is there? It was just a shirt he took. He probably needs help," Astrid defended.

"This is true, but still…"

Snow hadn't finished speaking when Astrid cut short his words. "I didn't know White-Fire and you when I helped you two. Jareth didn't know me either and helped me and both of you as well. I do not see the difference."

"We were connected to you somehow and somehow, that counts as something," Snow refuted her words as quickly as it came.

"I also feel something when I look in his eyes. There is a connection there that I cannot explain," she confessed to her little beast.

Apart from it being wrong that they settled almost everything in this village with brute force, she disliked that, she also defended Cari because she felt somehow drawn to him. 

She felt a connection different from what she had felt from others before.

"Hmm, I do not know about that, master, but then again… He doesn't look human though, even though he has the distinct features of one. He looks so much like a…"

"A merman!"

The answer to her puzzled feelings came like a rock that hit her mind.

At the same time she thought about it, Jareth opened his mouth to speak and surprisingly uttered the same words.

"You are not human, a fairy or a mage as no one had seen them in years due to their disappearance, definitely not an elf… you are a merman."

More and more murmurings ensued because of his announcement. One would not blame them as this was the first time all of them would be seeing a merfolk as they usually kept to themselves and stayed out of the war till their prince was killed.

Even Jareth, this was the first time he saw one seeing as the last time anyone caught sight of them was during the war against Isadora.

Astrid's mind was moving and processing the information very fast unlike the rest of them. She had seen a merman once and although Cari was handsome, he didn't come close in terms of looks when compared with her father, Prince Eric of Alacia.

Of course, none of them knew this that she had seen a merman and the top-notch at that. Her heart. felt elated seeing one of her kin and was so happy deep within that Snow could feel every bit of it and wandered what was going on.

"Master?" Snow called on her.

"It all makes sense now," Astrid said through their mind link.

"What does?"

"Why I can feel him… the connection with all these new and strange feelings. He is my kin. Ha… who would have thought that I would actually meet one of my people?"

Her words only confused the little white tiger who couldn't understand his master very well.

"Master, I am lost. What is going on? Connections, people, kin?" Snow asked, his eyes in her head was so full of confusion and mixed feeling now.

"White-Fire never told you?"