Chapter 151: The Song of Phoenix and Mermaid

He ran away taking her hands without letting her complete the meal the moment she spotted people behind her watching them both. 

"What's going on?" She asked him confused running along with him. 

"You don't wish to be caught do you?" He asked. 

"Caught?" She did not understand stand him. "What do you mean?" She got curious. 

"There are people searching for me everywhere, you should know that, so never reveal my identity, but this, these are bandits who I attacked last time they tired to steal my gold," he explained to her.

"Oh my god," she shouted and maintained her pace with him. He looked a little weak after running a long distance. "Are you okay?" She asked him once the bandits were no longer chasing them. 

"Fine," he replied panting hard. 

"Okay," she said and sat on a bench in front of a tiny silk shop. "It's getting late, we better leave," she reminded him. 

"I will take you," he said and apparated instantly right back to the beach where they first met in the morning. 

"That was quick, thank you anyway," she thanked him. "Take care," she said and walked towards the sea. He looked around to see if there is anyone.

"This is a lonely place, nobody come here usually well except you," she said and went into the water. She swam a little and then turned to look at him while stood there watching her. He waved at her. And she waved back. "Bye," but he kept standing there. "go back," she showed him through action but instead he smiled at her and watched him disappear into the sea completely. 

Ariana swam back with in few minutes. Her father, the one of the minister of Underwater Realm was waiting for her to get her report. She did as usual. But kept meeting the Phoenix with her. She did not reveal it. She appeared to be in a good mood and did not look tired at all. "What?" She asked her father who was staring her. 

"Why are you smiling for no reason?" He asked her.

"Why? Should I cry?" She snapped back at him. "Fine, fine, leave, go, the dinner must be ready," Father said to her and she took her leave, straight back to her room. She fell on her bed and rolled on top of the sheets, she was excited for no reason. She then looked st her hands, the palms. It was her first time, with a man, holding hands, and running around the street. Everything that happened since the morning, she reminded them. 

Soon after dinner, Ariana returned back to her room again, lived inside her thoughts and slowly fell asleep. She woke up early the next day and asked her father for duties if there are any. 

"Will it be okay if I send you again to the outside, will you be able to deliver the letter to the same place as yesterday?" Her father asked her. He was glad that she took up the job. "Nit angry today, how come you are volunteering today," 

"Because today am free, the other days i would not be," she lied. She took the letter, kept then safe and she swam out of her mansion. She was hoping for lot of things. 

She swam back to the shore, same place as the day before, but there was nobody there, as usual,.especially the person she was hoping to run into. She frowned and walked to the land. Her red hair dripping with water. She saw a rock near by and decided to sit and rest to regain her strength for sometime. The breeze stroked her hair as it passed by and they dried slowly. 

Few moments later, suddenly, someone touched her hair and put a ribbon around them. Ariana jumped up and turned around. She was shocked. 

"Feng," she said out loud. Her heart thumbed loud instantly. All excited and side smile pasted on her face. He did not look pale like he did the previous day. "What are you doing here?" 

"I was just passing by and happened to see you sitting here sadly," He teased her.

"Haha.. am not sad," she defended herself. 

"Let's go," he said, taking her hands without giving much thoughts and she lookd at for a moment who did not seem to have understood what he has done. But she liked it. She just let him do it and followed his footsteps. He took her to the town by apparating, took her to deliver the letter first, to finish the task before they went around the town. 

"Done?" He asked her as she stepped out of the shop. 

"Done," she said. They first went to a tea shop and sat there in silence looking around and at the people who passed by them. 

"have you never spent time in the town alone?" He aksed her.

"No, I just do the work and return," she said sipping her cinnamon tea. She liked the tea and the food he bought her. The aromatic curries, meat and salads along with rice, tofu and soup. They spent half the day eating variety food. Even though he had a lot of work to do for himself, for some strange reasons, he stayed by her side not wishing to leave the town even though it was time for him to disappear before people came in search for him. But there was one thing he had no idea about. About to which family Ariana belonged to and the position of her father. He did not wish to know either afraid that she might turn into one of his enemies . 

"Let's go to a place," he said and took her hands apparating once again. They stood on top of a wooden bridge, under it flowed the giant river. There were cherry blossoms everywhere around the bridge and the flowers kept flying around in the valley there were standing. The view was breathtaking. 

Like painted in a scenery, the two stood there, admiring view. The wind touched their skin and showered then with the petals of the cherry blossoms. She played with them trying to hold on to them. The orange sky, blue river, the green trees, the pink flowers, and cold wind, everything was perfect to chill. Their heart were crazy but at ease when they were with each other. They looked at each other as they sat down enjoying the view. Both were hesitant at first but then got used to each other's company.

Such secret little rendezvous continued for almost everyday, even if it was just an hour near the sea, on the bridge, in a food court or even when it is staring at each other from the distance, they made sure they met each other without a huge gap.

She was happy in her truly, she felt that in him too. But she was worried constantly whenever people chased. She understood that he still is living in the same place only because of her. 

"Who is chasing you this time?" She asked him once. 

"King Dylan," he said. He did not wish to hide any longer. He saw how her expression changed. 

"Why?" She was shocked. 

"He has been taking care of me for all these years, but I need some, I wish to breath," he finally opened up. 

"But how, I thought nobody knows about your existence, she turned towards him, while he sat staring at the sat, watching the waves.

"Apparently, my father Noori, and my grandfather had known about the existence of Underwater Realm, and they were close, King Dylan always admired my family, but one day, when the palace was attacked, my mother found a way to help me escape and dropped in the sea and she left. From then on, King Dylan took care of me," he said the whole story.

"Then why should you run away?" She could not understand that part.

"Because I do not wish to take the throne he saya belongs to me, you see am weak, living in water has effected my fire core a lot. I want to stay healthy al little, but King Dylan does not believe in that, he is very strict," Phoenix Prince Feng chuckled. "So I want to escape from that too," 

"Awww, my poor thing," she said and hugged him. She held him close, stoked his hair and patted his back. It was the first time and very unexpected for him. But he enjoyed it. He smiled as he lay on her shoulders. She was excited at the same time. She got up to leave. It was getting late. But he pulled her back and she fell on him. Her face close to his. They eyes locked. 

"When will you come back?" He asked her. "Don't make me wait for long," he whispered as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I won't, " she replied and blushed. "Day after tomorrow, this same place," she let him know and quickly walked back to the sea. He stood there watching her going back home and apparated away soon after she disappeared. He had to leave the place immediately since everybody from the Underwater Realm has showed up one by one. But she was not aware of that. She did not know that he had left while he asked for her to meet.