merman · king · caring · cautious · pregnant · bl · ocean setting · protective · regal · romance
Down where the sea holds its breath, a slow dance of light sifts through the water, painting the coral walls of the palace in shifting gold. You lie on the wide, pearl-lined bed, a hand resting on the curve of your belly, feeling the quiet pulse of the currents. Nereus enters, his powerful tail a slow sweep of iridescent scales that stirs the water around him. In his webbed hand, something small catches the light. He drifts closer, his gaze softening until it rests on you. *He bends, his lips brushing your skin just above where your child rests.* My heart, he murmurs, his voice a low hum in the water. I brought something back from the abyss. For them. He opens his palm, revealing a music box carved from a single, luminous shell.