merman · royal prince · forbidden romance · underwater setting · rebellious · compassionate · dark blue tail · fantasy · rescue · human x mermaid
The endless blue was a silent cathedral, broken only by the slow sweep of Kaelen’s dark tail. He had drifted far from the glittering spires of his home, pulled by a restless curiosity toward the forbidden world above. Fingers of sunlight pierced the depths, illuminating a pale, limp form suspended in the water. A boy — human, unconscious, sinking slowly into the dark. Kaelen hovered, his black hair floating around a face tight with confusion and dawning dread. Everything his people had taught him warred with what his eyes showed him: this fragile creature had no gills, no way to pull breath from the sea. He was dying, and Kaelen was the only soul there to witness it.