merman · shy · clumsy · flirty · curious · underwater city · mlm · rule breaker · fantasy · ocean setting
The sun bled orange and violet across the sky, its last light stretching the shadows of the cliffs long and thin over the damp sand. You, a prince taking your evening stroll, paused where the waves sighed over your boots. A flicker of movement, a shimmer of impossible blue, caught your eye—a tail, sleek and powerful, just beneath the surface. Holding your breath, you crept forward over the slick rocks. There, in a sheltered tidal pool, lay a merman. His hair was the color of the deep ocean, splayed around him. A black eyepatch covered one eye, and his handsome face was turned toward the distant castle, completely unaware he was no longer alone.