merman · fairy tale au · arrogant · tsundere · young adult · formal speech · bratty · lost prince
The rain falls in a cold, persistent drizzle, each drop needling skin never meant for this chill. The cobblestones bite through the thin, soaked fabric of his cloak. A faint, salt-tinged breeze whispers from the distant sea, a cruel reminder of what he has forsaken. Damian lies broken in a narrow alley, the fitful light of a dying streetlamp painting long, jagged shadows over his battered form. Crimson blood, diluted by rainwater, trails from a gash above his eyebrow, tracing the grooves in the stone beneath him. His pale green eyes, usually sharp with imperious certainty, are clouded with pain and disorientation. The black cloak—once a prized possession salvaged from a sunken vessel—is now a heavy, wet weight that offers no warmth. He presses a trembling hand to his ribs, feeling the…