The Merman's Lament - IvanTill

~05~

Ivan couldn't believe his eyes at all. That boy was even more beautiful in the flesh than as he was represented in the statue. He truly was the most beautiful being he had ever laid his eyes on.

He wished he could say something to him, to approach him, but he could only watch as he looked at himself in the mirror, letting out frustrated groans.

In the end, the silver-haired boy gave up and decided to at last leave the cabin and join the sailors in the celebration. As soon as they saw him, they began singing Happy Birthday to him, leaving the boy smiling, making him forget all about his dislike towards his current look. Ivan found himself melting at the sight of that dazzling smirk.

"Your Highness, you are late!" scolded a brown haired boy about his same age from in between the group of sailors.

Till rolled his eyes before replying to him, slightly annoyed by him.

"Acorn, I told you not to call me that. I hate that. Just call me Till."

"I know, but you are the prince anyway, Till!"

"Yes, yes, blah blah," said the silver-haired boy as he gestured with his hands while pacing around, mocking the brunette. "When I'm with you guys, I'm just Till, got it?

Forget all about the prince thing. I don't even want it."

"King Urak would surely not like that..."

Till chuckled, amused at the words of his friend.

"He is not here, is he? So who cares?"

Acorn sighed, already having expected that kind of answer from Till.

"Your rebellious behavior will surely get you in trouble one day, Till..."

Till laughed at that comment and faced Acorn with a mischievous smile.

"What? Are you worried about me? Do you like me or something?"

Acorn immediately regretted saying anything. Till just laughed, seeing his expression.

"I'm just kidding. Don't take it to heart, dude."

Ivan watched them amused, finding the prince to be quite amusing.

He seemed free-spirited, witty,  and didn't seem to hold back at all when it came to having an opinion about something, but he wouldn't mind it at all. He was even more interested in him now that he got to see him in action.

Throughout the night, clouds had been forming in the sky, and little by little, they covered the sky completely, the moon no longer being visible. It had all been peaceful once they had run out of gunpowder for the fireworks, but in a matter of a few minutes, thunder could be heard roaring in the distance. The waves were also crashing against the ship more violently, and they were growing taller by the minute. Rain began pouring down as lightning struck, most of them barely missing the ship.

The sailors began panicking as they tried to keep the ship from tilting by the force of the violent waves. Till and Acorn tried to help them out, but they weren't strong enough.

"We need to leave the ship before it sinks! Jump into the water and hold onto the already broken parts scattered in the water!"

Ivan watched as the sailors jumped into the water and held onto wood to keep themselves from drowning. Till and Acorn were the only two remaining on the ship when lightning struck one of the masts. Before it could fall on Acorn, Till pushed him out of the way and into the water, the boy getting stuck underneath.

"Till!"

Ivan, Acorn, and the sailors watched in horror as the ship sank even faster, water now entering quicker due to the devastation left by the broken mast. Till was nowhere to be seen, and even if Acorn wanted to go back to help him out, the other soldiers stopped him.

They had no choice but to swim however they could to the nearest shore.

While they left, Ivan knew he could still do something to help the prince before he died.

The ship had completely sunk by the time the others had left, and the storm had mostly come to an end, with only drizzle left.

He submerged to search all over the shipwreck, trying to find Till. It hadn't been too long, so he still had a chance to save him.

He found him still trapped under the mast, and he quickly got him out, having gathered enough strength to lift it.

He was unconscious, and Ivan could tell he was drowning. Ivan carried him to the surface and swam in the direction he had seen the others heading to as fast as he could, checking on him from time to time to make sure his heart was still beating.

When they reached the shore, Ivan laid Till down on the sand and tried to give him mouth-to-mouth, having read it in the book. Till coughed and spit out water before he tried to open his eyes, having become slightly conscious.

However, he couldn't fully open them and get a good glimpse at Ivan, and that brief moment of consciousness barely lasted one minute before he was out again. Ivan, getting worried again, checked for his pulse and breathing again, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw he was just unconscious again.

As the sun rose, he took in the prince's face. It was truly a stunning sight. Ivan couldn't help but caress his cheeks and his wet silver locks as his heart beat faster than it had ever done before, and the tingling sensation in his stomach was back.

He wished to remain there, with the prince, in the human world, away from any of his royal duties and his pressuring and uncomprehending father. That boy had completely stolen his heart in a matter of a few minutes of seeing him in the flesh. He wanted to be with him and not have to go back, even if it meant having to leave behind Sua and the twins. He didn't belong in the sea world, but he did belong in the human world, with the prince by his side.

The sound of bells ringing and footsteps took him out of his trance. He could see at a distance a group of humans heading their way, and out of panic of being seen, he had no choice but to retreat.

Before getting into the water again, he kissed Till on the forehead and promised that he would find a way to be with him again, and this time, it would be forever.

He hid behind a rock to see what would happen, still worried about the prince's safety.

The group was led by a girl in an elegant white dress, made with high-quality materials, leading Ivan to think she was probably a noble, too.

She knelt to check Till's pulse and breathing, and when she noticed he was still alive, he quickly turned to the others who were with her.

"He is alive. We should take him to the castle so he can recover along with the rest of the victims of the shipwreck."

Till slowly opened his eyes, finding himself facing a pink-haired girl with golden eyes. He was feeling very weak, but even in his state, he couldn't help but blush at the sight of the unknown girl.

"T-Thank you for saving me..." he said weakly, stuttering a bit due to how mesmerized he was at the beauty of that girl.

The girl in white smiled softly and then gestured for one of the guys she was with to carry him, since he was too heavy to be carried by her.

As soon as Till was in the arms of the blond noble, they walked towards the top of the cliff, where Ivan could see a castle standing.

He watched them leave, feeling his heart break. He wanted to tell the prince that it was he who had saved him from drowning, and she was just the one who had found him there, but he would not be able to tell him at the moment.

With his chest feeling heavy, he had no choice but to submerge and go back home, to that place he no longer wanted to be in after having seen what awaited him in the human world.