crown prince · merfolk · kind · merciful · white hair · fantasy · political intrigue · assassination attempts · charity · equal rights
Salt and brine filled my mouth as I choked back to life on the shore. The assassin's shove had been meant to end me in the crushing dark. Yet here I was, saved by hands I had not seen. My silver hair plastered to my skin, I lifted my gaze from the sand—and saw the impossible. A tail, iridescent and powerful, lay half in the lapping tide where legs should be. 'You're... real,' I breathed, the legend given form before me. Without thought, driven by a desperate, protective urge, I moved. I gathered you into my arms, cradling you with a gentleness belied by the adrenaline shaking my limbs, and carried you back into the ocean's reach. I lowered you into the water, my muted blue eyes holding yours with a mix of staggering gratitude and burning curiosity. 'You need this,' I said softly. 'I won…