★ The Pirate and The Mermaid [Giant/Tiny]★

I - The First (Horrible) Impression

Once upon a time, mermaids and giants coexisted. Relationships were formed, and peace was a tangible thought. However, that all changed  when the fire nation attacked- seriously though, tensions rose, leading to the two races being forever separated. Giants avoided the merfolk, and their existence was played off as folklore, a myth, a feeble tale. The merfolk were painted as terrible sirens, horrible creatures that preyed on the helpless.

So, when Prince Kaine, the most renowned pirate in his kingdom, heard his father's decree that he would be forced to marry one, he physically recoiled. "DIE. I'M NOT MARRYING ONE!" he declared.

"YOU'VE ALREADY SCARED MULTIPLE FIANCÉES AWAY. THIS ISN'T FOR YOU ANYMORE; IT'S FOR AN ALLIANCE," the king boomed with rage, looking down at his son.

King Wade loved his son, Prince Kaine, dearly, but Kaine's recent behavior had tarnished his golden reputation. After centuries of no contact, the merfolk had sent a letter to their kingdom, proposing an alliance. The marriage proposal was part of this pact. Kaine hated the idea and stormed out of his father's room, heading to his ship to cool off.

Kaine loved the water; he was a pirate, but not just any pirate—a captain, the captain of the Pearl-Marie. His ship had been custom-made for him for his 16th birthday two years ago. Now, as he ran through the kingdom and approached the dock with a pout, the thought of marrying someone was his worst nightmare. He needed a quick break before meeting the mermaid princess.

"Your Highness, you shouldn't be so mad," his first mate, Blade, approached him as Kaine loaded ale into the nearest barrel.

"I have every right to be mad. I have no intention of marrying some stuck-up mermaid princess," Kaine huffed, tightening the cork on the barrel. "How would you feel if you were forced to marry a siren?" he asked, annoyed.

Blade thought for a moment. "I mean, I doubt any of these 'land women' are your type, Kaine," Blade teased.

Kaine twitched. "WHAT?" he boomed.

"You've never had a real relationship, just flings. You always mention how dating is out of the question because you travel too much. If you married a mermaid, she could live on the ship, like a giant pet or something," Blade suggested with a grin.

"Stop thinking of weird things," Kaine demanded, crossing his arms. The idea of marrying a tiny mermaid seemed absurd to him. He saw it as a political maneuver, devoid of any personal connection or love.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the sea, Mariana was making a flower crown, her iridescent tail shimmering with every color of the ocean. Her father had explained that she was expected to marry a prince. She never thought she would marry someone; she was considered an airhead, more naive than most merfolk. Mariana believed in true love and fairy-tale romance.

When she learned of the arranged marriage, she felt a mixture of excitement and fear. She was close to her father, and he always made time for her despite his duties. Today, she was crafting a flower crown for her future husband, hoping he would love it. She imagined romantic dates, kissing, holding hands, and long walks on beaches she had never seen.

As they approached the surface, Mariana's anxiety intensified. Her father had been unusually quiet about their destination, leaving her to imagine all sorts of scenarios. She clutched her flower crown, her heart pounding as they neared the shore.

"Mariana, we need to talk," her father began, his voice tinged with guilt and sorrow. "Your husband... he's not like us."

Mariana's curiosity was piqued. "Ooo, is it a shark, or maybe—" she began to guess, her imagination running wild.

"No, sweetheart," her father interrupted with a sigh, "he's a giant."

Mariana's eyes widened in disbelief. "A giant? But those don't exist," she said, clutching the flower crown tighter. The thought of marrying a creature from old stories and legends, something so vastly different from her own kind, filled her with fear.