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“I just want you to be happy.”
The king’s words echoed in Roman’s head as he swam through the kelp forest, tail whipping furiously. Happy. What did his father know about happy? How was Roman meant to be happy living trapped in this realm? Roman yearned to see the world, and yet he was confined to this singular sea. As the next heir to the throne, the mer prince could not allow his life to be at risk.
But what risk could even the most vicious of predators be to a trained merman such as himself? Surely there was not a creature alive, mer or beast, who had ever bested Roman in battle.
Roman repositioned his trajectory, swimming up closer to the surface and hoping the soft moonlight would offer him some comfort. Of course, it was just his luck a fleet of human vessels were traversing above him, preventing him from surfacing lest he be seen.
“Curses.” Roman muttered, giving his tail a flick and causing a few waves. Even if Roman had been able to surface, he would not have seen any moonlight. Dark clouds began to cover the sky, the atmosphere seeming to share Roman’s mood. The prince watched the surface waves pick up, a storm brewing. Feeling merciful, Roman snuck down to the underside of a few of the human ships, guiding them through the tumbling waters and away from the craggy rocks.
He pushed the first few around the bend of the outcropping, returning for the final ship. By now the storm was picking up, the wind whipping at those little fabric sails. This final vessel began to tilt uneasily, nearly overtaken by a particularly large wave.
“Woah there.” Roman was quick to steady it, his shadowy figure hidden in the cover of darkness under the water. Just like the others he gave it a shove, watching the three safely travel on.
“You’re welcome.” Roman rolled his eyes, listening to their cries of relief fading in the distance. He noticed a small pile of human belongings had fallen off the final ship, and these he began to gather up in his palm. Noticing one sinking a little further away, Roman went over to investigate.
Roman’s eyes widened, realizing it was not a thing but rather...a person. A tiny human, limp in the water as if not caring where the water took him.
“Are you alright?” Roman frowned, scooping up the tiny form. It was a bit frightening how little the human reacted, only a few bubbles escaping its mouth.
Air.
Roman suddenly realized.
Humans need air.
Quickly Roman swam up, breaching the surface and holding his hand aloft. Almost instantly the human began to cough, spitting up seawater. Roman glanced around at the open ocean, but the fleet was gone.