The Ultimate Prize [EnglandxReader]

Chapter One

Arthur was on the path of what many would call a man trying to achieve the unattainable. Not that anyone would dare to say that to his face though. No one spoke ill of the Captain Arthur Kirkland and lived long enough to see another sunrise.

As a boy Arthur lived on the coast, spending his years growing among the waves of salt water. He would have spent all day on the beach behind his home had he been allowed. From an extremely early age the blond boy felt a sense of connection with the ever changing ocean which was something he dwelled on many a night. Some nights he would slink out of the darkened cottage and run down to the farthest rock outcroppings he could reach where he would sit and watch the dark, rolling water. It was the summer he was eight years old that one of his evening escapades went wrong.

The night was still warm when he reached the beach. After spotting an outcropping and clambering up to the top he nestled farther into his coat and gazed out over the white caps. The sound of the crashing waves and sweet smell of salt water mixed with the young boys fatigue from the day lulled him to sleep rather quickly. He awoke when he felt water seeping into his trousers. He jumped to his feet only to find his rock nearly covered by the incoming tide. Desperately looking back to shore he found that he was out farther than he had ever swam before. Fear was the only emotion that registered as waves continued to break over the edge of the rocks. He thought to scream for help but he knew that it would be in vain, his house sat perched on the cliff side, well out of ear shot, not that anyone would be awake to hear his cries either. Something inside of him broke when he realized this. He would have given up had the small flash of (hair color) caught his eye. It was then that he met her. At the age of eight he hadn't understood the strange draw that he had to the girl that saved his life. No, the beautiful mermaid that had rescued him.

She was about the same age he was, but seemed to be mature beyond her years. He had watched the (hair color) female approach his rock cautiously but confidently. (Eye color) eyes twinkled mischievously in the moonlight as she seemed to be sizing him up. The glimpse of sparkling scales beneath her caught his attention but he rationally thought it was only a trick of the lighting. She stopped about an arms length away from the rock and the shivering blond boy. The two watched each other for what seemed like hours but was, in reality, only a matter of seconds.

"Who are you?" Arthur seemed to be the braver, finally breaking the agonizing silence. But he did not get an answer. Instead her head disappeared under the water, making the boy believed he had only imagined the girl.

Minutes later a large splash behind him prompted him to turn around, only to find the (hair color) girl, with none other than the (fav. color) tail of fish instead of legs, sitting on the edge of the rock.

"I am (name)." Her voice was clean and flowing, reminding him of the brook in the woods near his house. "But that's not important. Do you need help?"

Instead of commenting on her smooth voice the boy got defensive. "What makes you think I need help?"

"You are a human, much farther out than you are able to swim, without a raft, and soon the tide will completely wash you off this rock." She stated calmly.

Arthur hung his head almost shamefully.

(Name) spoke up after a brief silence "I can help you, you know." She twirled a damp lock of (hair color) hair around one finger. "I'm not very fond of watching humans drown."

"So you are mermaid then. Not a human?" Something in Arthur made him focus more on the fantastical side of the girl than the fact that she could save his life.

"Yes, I am. And you are not, so as soon as the tide comes in you will drown." She said plainly. "If you do not have a death wish then you should let me take you back to the shore."

Her expression seemed to knock some sense into the young lad and he nodded slowly. "How will you help me back?"

"You can hang onto me while I swim." She explained, a tad bit of airiness returning to her voice.

"But even you know that I'll drown underwater."

The (fav. color) tailed girl sighed, "I can swim with you above the water too. It's not as easy but I'm strong enough to do it."

Arthur was wary of the situation but he was obviously running out of time, the water was halfway up to his knees now, and his shivering was getting worse. "A-alright."

(Name) smiled and slid gracefully back into the water before beckoning him over. "Sit on the edge of the rock." She ordered. Arthur obliged but wasn't very happy as the water seeped into his coat and shirt around his stomach. (Name) began to position herself in front of him, her back to him as if she were offering him a piggy-back ride. "Wrap your arms around my neck, but don't choke me." Arthur leaned over and did so but almost lost his balance on the rock.

"Alright, I'm going to start swimming. You need to float as if you were actually swimming but watch where your legs are, I don't need you kicking my tail."

"Okay..." He made sure his arms were securely locked in place as the (fav. color) mermaid pushed off the rock. He let himself float like she told him, trying to stay out of the way over her powerful tail but he was close enough that he could feel each powerful stroke as she propelled them towards the shoreline. She was fast, must faster than he could swim on his own and probably his father too. Arthur wondered if all of her kind were like this. He didn't feel like asking, the feeling of flying through the water was too exhilarating to think about much else.

The duo quickly reached the point in which Arthur knew it was shallow enough that he could stand and he watched as (Name) started to slow down. Her strokes weren't as large and he assumed that she was trying not to hit the sandy bottom.

"I can stand here." He offered "You don't need to go any shallower."

(Name) nodded and came to a graceful stop. Arthur let go of her neck and let his feet fall to the sand floor. He was about chest high in water but didn't mind as he turned around to thank the (eye color) eyed mermaid.

"No problem." She had the proudest smile on knowing that she had just saved someone's life. But she was already slowly drifting back out to the deep water.

"Will I ever see you again?" Arthur asked frantically, not wanting her to disappear so quickly.

"I can come back tomorrow if you like." She offered. She knew it was stupid, she could get punished for revealing herself to a human but going back to see him could get her disowned from her family. But at this point in time she didn't care. Something about the human boy was different and she really did want to see him again. "Just don't get yourself stuck again."

"I'm not stupid enough to let that happen again." Arthur huffed, slightly annoyed that she would suggest such a thing.

"Good." She gave him one last smile before her (hair color) hair disappeared below the waves.

The next night Arthur ran out to see her, he sat on a shallower rock cropping all night, but she never showed. That was when he decided that he would find her one day, not only to see her face again but to shut up all the people who told him that he had just dreamt her up, that mermaids were simply sailors tales.

(Name) was his prize and he knew that one day he would find her. He followed every lead, every mermaid sighting and every drunken sailor's tale. Sometimes his crew had their doubts but they were usually quenched after a nice plunder of a merchants ship and a nights stay at port. But while his men had their way on land, Arthur would stand solemnly on the deck of his beloved ship and stare longingly onto the water, dreaming of his prize. He knew he was getting closer, something in his gut kept him going in this direction. He would find her soon...