"I just love being prince sometimes," said Luhan aloud. It was still early morning and he wasn't planning on going to the festival later that day. So he snuck out of the castle, hiding from guards, maids and servants. Once the coast was clear, he swam his fastest to his favourite hide-out - an abandoned beach. Yes, as you may or may not have guessed as yet, Luhan is a merman. A merman prince to be exact - and his favourite hide-out was a beach, a human beach. It was technically forbidden for any merfolk to go onto land, but Luhan didn't care a single bit.

He went there almost everyday to just relax and just get away from his everyday routine. The beach was always empty and no human had ever stepped foot on there - well, not since Luhan had gone there. He would just sit on the edge of the water, against a large stone. It was always peaceful and just the sounds of nature filled the air - until today.

Luhan was sitting with his back against the stone and was about to fall asleep, but then he heard an engine stopping, a door opening and closing, footsteps clicking, straps loosening, then he heard a voice. "Hey, is someone there?" the young man called out.

He ducked down and took a glimpse of the young man. He had never expected any human to be out on the beach. So he panicked. He hid back behind the stone, hoping that the man hadn't seen him. But of course that didn't happen. Luhan heard footsteps in the sand and before even he realised it himself, he had already begun to swim away. As he was swimming underneath the surface of the sea, he could hear the paddling of the man on his surf board following him. He was about to swim faster when he realised how far the human had paddled out and that a shark was headed straight for him.

He could sense the panic from the human. The shark began circling him. Luhan had no idea what came over him at that moment, but he cut himself with one of his scales. Not a large cut, but just enough that the shark would turn away from the human. His blood seeped out and he winced in pain from the wound. But the shark turned around and swam towards Luhan. He swam for his life as the shark followed him.

But up above, the human had only seen the red blood tint the water near him. He knew what he had seen and was so very thankful to the creature that had saved him.

Luhan was still swimming away from the shark. Merfolk and sharks had always been enemies and for a merman to save a human from a shark was rare. He could see his home in the distance. So he swam faster to get there. When he got there, he turned to see that the shark had retreated. He smiled slightly and fainted in the door way to the castle.

When he woke up, he felt that his arm was bandaged and he was in his room, back on his bed. Tao - the royal messenger - was in his room, looking a tad worried. "Why are you here Tao?" asked Luhan.

"Your highness, the King would like to have a word with you," said Tao as he avoided the prince's eyes.

"Urgh...what is it this time? Seriously," asked Luhan as he swam out of his room.

Tao knocked on the King's office doors, "Your majesty, the prince is here as you requested."

"Let him in," said the voice from the other side. Tao opened the door for Luhan and he swam in and closed it once the prince was inside.

"What is it now King Kris?" said Luhan is a mocking tone.

"Luhan, as you know, us merfolk cannot and are not allowed to mingle with humans. That is one of our most strict laws. So it makes me ask myself, why does my son, the crowned prince, have an injury on his arm? Why was he found unconscious at the castle's entrance? And why was he seen swimming away from a shark? The type of shark that lives near the shore. The type of shark that preys on humans not us merfolk. Could you enlighten me with answers to any of these questions, my son?" Kris asked.

Luhan was speechless. How had his father already found out about these things? But why would his father suddenly care now? His father, the King, doesn't have time to care for little mishaps like this. He has better things to do than to lecture his son - who he never sees anyway - about doing the right thing and being responsible. No. He shouldn't be doing this, he should be there for his son and be the responsible father that he should be. Not giving a lecture to his son about something even he does not do!

"How can you even be asking me these things father? You don't have the right to ask me those questions when you yourself don't even care for your own son! I don't care whether I am being too loud father! Or that I saved a human today for that matter! That doesn't matter anymore anyway! There are times when a boy needs his father, but no, my father is too busy helping his kingdom before his own son. My father, the King, does not even call for his son unless he causes trouble," Luhan could feel a stinging at the back of his eyes. "Let me ask you this father, who is more importan