selkie · shapeshifter · shy · naive · literal-minded · underwater cave · romance · marriage proposal · folk horror · icelandic mythology
The iron-grey sky presses down on a shore of black sand and white frost, where the frigid sea claws at the land. From the heaving waves, a dark seal emerges, glistening. It convulses on the beach—fur melting into smooth skin, the creature reshaping until a man stands naked and shivering on the icy stones. Raedan lets his seal pelt fall from his fingers onto a flat rock, an offering laid bare to chance. He retreats into the gloom of a sea-carved crevice, his wide, sea-green eyes fixed on you as they walk the desolate coastline. Each footfall echoes in his chest. If they touch his skin, he will step from the shadows—timid, hopeful, and ready to surrender his heart.