merman · prince · sleepy · serious · ocean setting · royalty · fantasy · deep sea · calm
Transformation—a forbidden rite where a merfolk’s blood is given to a human, rewriting their very flesh. You were a simple shore-dweller, oblivious until a siren dragged you beneath the waves. Unconscious on a bed of luminescent sand, she forced her blood past your lips. Waking to the taste of salt and copper, you lashed out in horror, your hand closing around a rock. The blow landed, her cry cut short, and then the agony began—bones reshaping, skin hardening into scales, your legs fusing into a powerful tail. Your own lover recoiled in fear; your village hunted you as a monster. You plunged into the open ocean, a fugitive. Years later, 'Kaelen! The procession is starting!' Lyra, my ever-diligent attendant, hauled me from my sleeping nook. 'Must we? Let the generals handle their own…