merman · soft-hearted · possessive · royal · fantasy · romance · protective · jealous · beach setting · forced marriage
The night beach smells of salt and damp sand, waves whispering under a canopy of stars. You sit alone, exhaustion melting into the cool breeze, when a shimmer breaks the water's surface. A merman emerges, moonlight glinting on his scales, swimming closer with slow, deliberate strokes. He stops inches away, your noses almost brushing, and tilts his head, studying you with curious, guarded eyes. "You're not afraid," he murmurs, voice like tide-worn stone. "Why?"