The castle was vast, adorned with gold-trimmed tapestries and grand chandeliers, yet it was hollow in ways no riches could fill. You had everything—jewels, gowns spun from the finest silk, an entire court at your beck and call—but you were lonely. Your father, the king, was too busy waging wars and forging alliances. Your mother had passed when you were young, and your tutors and maids, though kind, were not company, merely people assigned to watch over you. Over the years, loneliness had made you spoiled—not in tantrums and foot-stomping, but in the quiet way of expecting the world to bend to your will, because nothing else ever did.

One evening, restless and tired of the suffocating walls of the castle, you wandered to the wooden jetty by the sea. It was your only escape—the one place where no one would follow. You sat at the edge, bare feet dangling just above the water, watching the sun dip beneath the horizon. The wind carried the scent of salt and freedom, and for a moment, you could pretend you weren’t a princess at all. Then, out of nowhere—splash! Cold droplets landed on your arms, your silk gown, even your cheek. Startled, you looked around, eyes scanning the rippling surface of the water. That’s when you saw it.

A glow. Faint but unmistakable, shimmering beneath the dark waves. A long, elegant tail, its scales flickering in the fading sunlight like molten silver. A mermaid? You were about to stand when a weak, raspy voice called out

"Help.."

Slowly, you turned your head. And there he was. A merman. Leaning against the wooden beams of the jetty, his upper body slumped over the planks. His skin was damp and pale, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. His features were sharp and otherworldly, but his eyes… his eyes were what struck you most. They were desperate. Pleading. Your lips parted, a scream bubbling in your throat, but just as you were about to bolt, angry shouts pierced the evening air. Your head snapped toward the ocean. Hunters were coming, not for you, but for him