You'd only been a young fry when your fascination with the surface began; the way the huge, fluffy, white clouds glided through the sky whilst the sun was up and the way the moon reflected silver and white against the scales of your tail.
It had been one of these quick visits to the surface that you had met the young heir to one of the fae kingdoms, a name being called from the castle grounds, "Jimin! You'll have to run back to eat a hot dinner!"
Park Jimin. You repeated the words to yourself, curiously foreign and yet the familiar name of the prince of the kingdom your family traded with. But to hear the name and not just read it, your heart raced in excitement before going back to watching his small figure on the shore.
The prince whipped around and instantly, you had ducked your head back into the salty, cerulean waves; the mer law that had been ingrained into you not to be seen by the fae, unless at political meetings, made your heart race with worry.
But he merely threw a shell at the sand and continued his walk back to the castle. "Run," you whispered to yourself, wondering what it would be like to do something that wasn't just swimming. You wanted to run like Jimin was and with that, your imagination was irrevocably piqued by this young boy; small, chubby-cheeked but so different to the mer you were used to.
Luckily, he hadn't noticed you hiding behind a rock that protruded from the water, tail swishing beneath you, nervously. And that was how your captivation with the world outside of the sea became more focused on one of the beautiful sights it held, a young, black-haired, full-lipped boy.
The weeks you spent on the surface melted away under the sun, as with every day you spent diligently watching Jimin, the less sense it made to avoid the fae race. You returned to see him whenever you were free because you had become enraptured by the games he would play and the pictures he would draw in the sand that would be erased by the incoming tide. How was he meant to be harmful when everything he did was so simple?
It was on one of the windier days of these days that everything changed. The foam of the sea had tickled your nose causing you to sneeze and draw the attention of Jimin and his fae friend, Taehyung, away from their game and towards where you had been hiding behind the rock.
A sneeze; that was all it took to bind your lives together in a tight red string.
"Tae! Didya hear that?" Jimin yelled, pointing his stick at the rock you were peering past, smiling at the thought of finally being noticed. The black haired boy didn't brush off the mysterious noise, pulling his top off and glancing at his friend, "I'm going to investigate."
Taehyung pulled a face, grabbing the prince's arm in an attempt to try and pull him out of the water they were standing knee-deep in, "a kid could never swim that far Jimminie! It was nothing, let's go inside."
You smiled and nodded in agreement, forgetting they couldn't see you which caused you to splash your tail in embarrassment, only furthering Jimin's determination to find out who was behind the rock. But the silence following pointed to the conclusion that Taehyung had succeeded in distracting his friend.
It was just as you sighed in relief that you heard splashing and Jimin's laughter as he yelled, "I love challenges!" He began to swim towards where you were, his strokes quick, confident and fast and your eyes widened in surprise at the pace he was making his way towards you.
Then the realisation dawned on you of just how much trouble you would be in if the fae boy was to see you, with that fear replacing your previous admiration, you dove into the incoming waves before swimming down into the shadowy blue depths of the bay.
But Jimin never made it to the rock, and you watched in shock as his frame get swept up by a large wave, the force hurling him deeper into the water.
A stream of bubbles left his mouth as he thrashed around and for a few seconds, you were sure he was going to make it back to the surface. But then his movements became sluggish, and Jimin began to sink further into the depths of the bay, his black hair covered his eyes making you wonder, if just this once, you would be forgiven for saving a fae.
Quickly and without any real thoughts of the repercussions you might face, you swam to Jimin, it felt like you were swimming through tar as the knowledge that he was dying stayed present at the front of your mind.
When you finally reached him, your actions were tentative. Gently grabbing hold of his arms before desperately swimming upwards; his body was so warm in your hands which was so different from the cold touch of the mer.
As you swam into the shallows to find the beach now empty, you managed to haul Jimin onto the warm sand, fingers stroking the curve of his cheek with the knowledge that not only had you broken one of the most sacred laws; but for Park Jimin, you would do it over and over.
He spluttered and coughed, turning on his side to spit out salt water before returning to lay on his back, "thank you" he rasped and your face lit up in a smile, he had spoken to you. For a few minutes, you sat and sang to him, hoping your voice would at least help him to remember you once you left. Jimin smiled in his fainted state and you felt a connection form between the two of you.
But before you could stay to sing more you heard Taehyung's loud voice as the young boy dragged the guards onto the beach in an attempt to get help.
Before they could see, you pushed yourself back into the water and swam back, watching as Taehyung tackled his friend in a hug before helping him to his feet. Jimin, however, was looking around, as if searching for something or someone.
The prince turned to his friend and even from a distance you were sure his eyes were sparkling in excitement and intrigue as he asked, "Did you see that pretty mermaid girl?"
Every night since you could remember it was those words that you would wake up to, a smile stretching across your face as you thought about that young boy whose life you had saved, all those years ago.
Now, even if you were banned from swimming to the surface alone, you refused to regret saving the Prince's life, believing that he could rule a kingdom capable of cohabitation with your race. Or maybe you didn't regret saving him because he had grown into a handsome man, shedding his chubby cheeks in exchange for a chiselled jawline and sculpted legs.
The dream was both a curse and a blessing to you, reminding you of your childish innocence towards love but letting you keep the few dear memories you had of Jimin safe. The only complaint you would ever have towards your recurring dream was that you had to wake up at all.
