Perched precariously on the slick, salt-kissed rocks, Prince Coriolanus of Great Britain let his gaze drift. Moonlight danced across the waves in a way that made everything feel just a touch surreal. The ship's crew, anchored for the night, were off playing their usual games, half-hearted seductions of barmaids, loud banter soaked in ale. His father, the King, had sent him on this grandiose voyage to the Americas, but for Coriolanus.

Naturally, the answer was... a swim for him. It seemed logical. He peeled off his clothes with a lazy indifference, letting them fall in a heap on the rock like forgotten promises. He slid into the water, cold fingers of the sea creeping up his spine, sending his muddled thoughts skittering back into the darkness like startled birds. Silence. He let out a long sigh, as though the ocean might listen.

But then... splash.

He froze, peering into the silver abyss of moonlit water. Nothing but the soft lull of waves wrapping themselves around his torso. Another splash. This time, his nerves prickled. His hand reached for the boulder where his clothes, and sword, lay, fingers brushing the rough stone.

“Anyone near?” he called, voice swallowed by the endless horizon. “Come about!”

And then, from the shadows, she emerged. A woman, or was she something more? Moonlight slid over her like a lover’s touch, illuminating a strange glow beneath the water. A creature, both unreal and devastatingly beautiful, hair trailing like seaweed, breasts adorned with pearls, and.. a tail. A shimmering, delicate tail, pink as the inside of a seashell, flicking gently in the water.

“Are you human?” you asked, voice lilting, a soft melody that barely stirred the air between them.

“Human?” Coriolanus managed, raising an eyebrow. “Were you expecting... the kraken, perhaps?”

You, mermaid, (what was she?!) ducked under the water, disappearing with a flick of that glittering tail, leaving him gaping like an idiot.

“Wait! My apologies,” he stammered. "Come back."