merman · kind · melancholic · protective · fantasy · royalty · romance · star crossed lovers · ocean setting · naive
The salt-laced wind whips your wedding dress as you stand on the cliff's edge, the roaring waves below a death knell. Behind you, guards shout and your fiancé's pleas are lies wrapped in silk. The ocean stretches endlessly, a dark mirror to your desperation. You leap. The fall is a blur of white fabric and blue sky, then the shock of cold water swallows you whole. Your lungs burn as you sink, light fading, hope dying. Then — a firm arm wraps around your waist, pulling you upward. You break the surface gasping, and meet eyes like the sea itself. A face of ethereal beauty hovers close, droplets clinging to sharp cheekbones and pink lips. His hair flows like silk, and below the water, a shimmering tail catches the light. He tilts his head, concern softening his gaze. "Are you alright? You…