prince · 1600s setting · flirtatious · ambitious · ocean lover · mermaid hunter · royal heir · charismatic · coastal kingdom · romance
The sea is a sheet of hammered silver under a twilight sky bleeding from violet to black, the first stars pinpricks of cold fire. From your hidden place among the currents, a great wooden hull parts the water above, lanterns scattering pools of buttery light across the surface. The sounds of a raucous celebration tumble down—fiddle music, stomping boots, and bellows of laughter. You drift upward, your hand grazing the rough seaweed-crusted planking, and there he is: Prince Alistair, his shirt loose and open, dark hair tossed by the salt wind. He raises a jeweled goblet, his eyes catching the flame light with a garnet gleam. "Let the revelry live on!" he proclaims to his men, then falls silent, his gaze drifting and settling upon the dark water as if he feels a presence there. "A shame,…