"Where did your tail go?" Jimin asked, inspecting your legs in curiosity as you sat on a rock with a piece of torn fabric tied around your waist. You wiggled your toes in heady excitement before Jimin pulled off his jacket and placed it over your shoulders, "where are your clothes?"
You didn't have any clothes, only the shell bra you had been wearing prior to your visit to the sea witch, you smiled up at Jimin, "I don't have a tail or clothes." He dropped his head into the palm of his hand before tilting his head in confusion.
"So why did you lose your tail?" He asked, tentatively extending a hand which you took and used to stand up, yelping slightly at the pain that sparked in your soles. Your unsteady footing on the sand and because of the pain resulted in your falling forward and into Jimin's chest, which rumbled with laughter, "your voice is pretty."
He smiled down at you and you jumped out off is embrace, "I wanted to see experience the surface," he tilted his head in confusion at your reply and you smiled, beginning to walk back towards the water, "that's why I gave up my tail and it won't be for long. Just enough for me to be a good ruler by knowing how to work well with our closest kingdoms."
Jimin frowned at your answer before coming to stand next to you, his shoulder brushing yours slightly, "I don't think I've ever heard you say so much at once." You sighed, trying to hide your embarrassment at him bringing up your voice again, "you're always so quiet in the conferences."
The liberation you felt having shed the old rules regarding the fae felt amazing, as you tilted your head back and felt the salty breeze move through your hair and hit your face in a gentle manner. "I love this," you knelt down so you could feel the sand beneath your fingers, holding handfuls and watching it fall slowly in one line, so unlike how it worked under water.
Cold and brutal realisation dawned on you as you dropped the rest of the sand before looking at Taehyung pleadingly, "you can't tell anyone who I am! No one will recognise me as the mer princess if you don't tell them." He gave you an easy smile, before nodding.
"It'll be a good secret! But here I was thinking you had changed so we could spend some time together," Jimin grinned and elbowed you, seeming to believe your excuse. You looked out at the sea and smiled, the deal you had made for these legs was worth it especially when the boy next to you grasped your hand and began to pull you up the beach, "you have to stay in my castle!"
"A castle," you repeated, it was as if you were living one of the storybooks you had found in the ocean. And now, with the huge castle towering above you, full of rooms that you had dreamed of entering and with Jimin holding your hand, dragging you through one of the archways you wondered for a second if you were dreaming.
A maid screeched at the sight of you, pulling you away from Jimin and behind her, "Prince! What were you up to on that beach?" She glanced over her shoulder and you pulled the coat tighter over your shoulder, suddenly embarrassed by your lack of clothing.
Before Jimin could reply you gently tugged on her sleeve, "Jimin-" her eyebrows raised and you shook your head, "Prince Jimin said I could stay here and-" The maid turned to face you with a huge grin, nodding quickly before turning to look at Jimin for confirmation.
The prince nodded, "she's a visiting princess that got caught in a shipwreck, please dress her accordingly," he peeked over the maid's shoulder to grin at you, obviously pleased with himself over not revealing who you really were.
But before you could thank him, the maid had grabbed your hand and was tugging you through a maze of corridors, "we'll get you all scrubbed up and looking nice and pretty for the prince."
She tugged you into a room full of pools of water, her fingers lightly plucked the coat from around your shoulders and untied the small cloth before hurrying you into the water. It was warm, like the shallow depths of the ocean but when you sunk your head into it, the taste was sweet and so different to the salt you were used to.
"Don't drink it!" She yelped, her hand reaching into the warm water to grasp your neck and pulled your head out of the water before she started to massage at the hair, "stay still and I'll wash you quickly so you can attend dinner!"
As she scrubbed at your head she continued to chat, "you must be special, the prince never brings back girls." You held the bubbles of the water in your hand and watched them pop, wondering if you could stay in this pool forever, "our young Jimin believes in true love," she giggled and poured water over your head, "maybe you're the one."
The maid placed a bottle in your hands and you inspected it, the glass was a green colour that was similar to the colour of the scales on your tail, "what is this for?" you asked, pouring some of the liquid in your hand and smelling it with interest.
"Oh!" the maid exclaimed, continuing to detangle your hair, "it is used to clean the dirt from your body!" You could hear the smile in her voice as you made a sound of understanding, using the liquid to rub against your soft long legs, so different to the hard scales that had been there previously.
When you lifted your feet into the air you winced, the soles were bruised and red, just as the witch had warned but you still didn't regret your decision. Especially when the maid got you to stand, wrapping a cloth around your body before leading you through a door and into another room.
"This is the room next to the Prince's," she grinned and began sorting through a wardrobe, "for now you can borrow my finest garment and then we'll get the royal dressmakers to make you something more fitting of your status." As she pulled out the dress, you shook your head and pointed at the simple brown dress she was wearing.
"If you have another like that I would feel more comfortable," you smiled apologetically and watched as she produced one of the same design but in shades of ocean blue. When she saw the way your eyes sparkle at the sight of the dress she laughed and placed it in your open arms.
It didn't take long for her to help you into the dress and as you swished your hips, you loved the way the fabric swung around your waist and the maid tutted as she tried to fix your hair, before pulling away and smiling, "Prince Jimin's favourite colour is blue so go-" you tilted your head in mild confusion before she cupped her chin and made a kissing face, "- go make him fall in love you."
