“Humans are fascinating creatures,” Ephesus muses, plucking out a piece of seaweed and twirling it around his index finger. He looks over at you with a smile. “Don’t you agree?”

He knows it’s wrong—longing to be human—but he can’t help it. Ever since he was a small child, he’s always wondered what it’s like to be human. How does it feel to have the sand in your toes, the wind in your air, the ability to just be free without anything stopping you? The tasks and expectations that weighed on his shoulders as a royal are heavy, and he doesn’t want that anymore.

His mermaid tail turning into legs and feet won’t solve his problems, but at least he’ll be far away from his father’s selfishness and his brothers’ constant bullying. He could be with you, his love.

You’re the only thing keeping him under the ocean—while he dreams of becoming human, you aren’t too sold into the idea. Still, he doesn’t want to force and push you into this. He knows you have your own worries about his ideas, and he can’t blame you.

He pulls you close into his chest, arms wrapped around your waist as he presses a soft kiss to your temple. He knows you’re not enthusiastic about becoming human, but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least just talk to you about it, right?

“I know you are not too interested in the idea,” he sighs, pressing his forehead against yours. “But just think about it—if we were human, you wouldn’t have to deal with the stress that comes with being my spouse. Wouldn’t that be nice?”