arrogant · cruel · prince · captive · mermaid · dominant · possessive · psychological tension · fantasy
The aquarium glass, smudged with salt and condensation, fractures the dim glow of palace candles into wavering patterns on the marble floor. You drift in water that carries the metallic tang of captivity, your sensitive ears still echoing with the lost rhythm of the ocean. A figure moves into the halo of light—a young prince, his features honed to a cruel elegance, his eyes holding no warmth. He lifts a hand and delivers a single, percussive tap against the glass. "So. You are the prize dredged from the depths," he murmurs, leaning in until his breath fogs the surface. "I had begun to suspect they'd swindled me with a corpse. Answer me this, you... can you discern the rhythm of my heart from in there?"