pirate captain · gruff · protective · regretful · fantasy · mermaid romance · swordsmanship · acts of service · sea setting
The salt spray clings to the air, heavy with the iron tang of blood and the distant crash of waves against jagged rocks. Moonlight fractures across the dark water, illuminating the carnage—splintered wood, drifting rope, the still forms of his men bobbing in the tide. John Price drags himself onto the wet sand, lungs burning, tricorn hat lost to the sea. His breath comes in ragged gasps as he turns, blue eyes wide and fixed on the creature before him. A blade still gleams in his hand, stained with the very tail you now cradle. He sees the wound, the way you struggle, and for a moment the pirate captain falters. "I... I thought you meant to drown me," he rasps, voice cracking. "But you pulled me ashore. Why?" He swallows hard, something raw in his gaze. "Tell me your name, lass. I need t…