“Yixing,” a small voice whispered harshly, “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Why not?” Yixing looked back at the small, rainbow coloured fish that followed him, “It’s not like we’ll get caught!”

The fish groaned, “You said that last time.”

“Sehunnie,” Yixing whined, “Come on, just this once. Please, please, please?” he began to beg, pulling gently on the fish’s white fins.

Sehun puffed out his cheeks and huffed, “No.”

“Hm,” Yixing pondered thoughtfully for a second and then he grinned, “Well, I’ll just go by myself then!”

Before Sehun could open his mouth to protest, Yixing was already swimming ahead of him. This wasn’t the first time that the little merman had done this to his best friend, and it surely would not be the last. The problem was that Yixing was much too curious about things that merpeople ought not to be curious about. And as the youngest son of Junmyeon, King of the Sea, there were certain limitations put upon his curiosities. ‘To protect him,’ Junmyeon had explained to his wife while she was still alive. This, of course, would not stop Yixing.

“Yixing,” Sehun whined, furiously swimming behind in his attempt to catch the ever-curious prince, “We’re going to get in trouble! You know what your Dad says about going up to the surface!”

“If you’re too afraid, then you can swim back,” Yixing called over his shoulder, swimming straight towards the blue-ish surface.

“Oh, we are going to get caught…” Sehun muttered, but he continued to follow his friend with the hope of persuading him to swim back down.

Slowly, Yixing poked his head out of the water, feeling the familiar cool breeze on his face. He smiled at the sight, his heart swelling with happiness. The sun was just starting to set and it shed a beautiful orange and yellow light across the surface of the water. In the distance he could see the white castle that he had grown so fond of, it’s towers tall and it’s flags blowing in the wind.

“See,” Yixing smiled at his little fish friend who had finally joined him at the top, “Nothing to worry about!”

Sehun sighed in defeat, “Alright, but remember what your Father said last time? If you’re caught again, then you’re grounded!”

Yixing paid no attention to the blabbering of the fish, instead he had his gaze fixed on a boat. It was one that he recognized, The Royal Pearl. It was the boat that belonged to the Kingdom that Yixing admired from afar. He had seen it pass by many times, but on this particular evening it was much closer to his usual spot.

“Look at that!” he was in awe at the sight of the boat. He could hear the cheerful music playing on the deck and could hear the distant laughter and chatter of the people on board.

“They’re awfully close,” Sehun said worried.

“Relax,” Yixing cooed swimming nearer.

“Yixing!”

“Shush, Sehunnie!” Yixing chuckled, “I just want a closer look!”
 

“This is too close if you ask me,” Sehun grumbled, but swam up next to Yixing anyway.

“What’s that they’re doing?” The little prince asked aloud, “It looks like fun!”

Sehun sighed almost irritated, “I don’t know, Yixing.” He was beginning to feel even more anxious, “But maybe we should head back now?”

“No, no,” Yixing shook his head, his eyes never leaving the boat, “I want to know what it is that they’re doing with their feet.”

The prince listened quietly to conversations of the people. He heard a little boy cry out, ‘Dance with me!’ as he pulled a little girl by the hand and they began to sway and move like the others on board. Yixing watched in awe as he wondered what it must be like to have legs and feet.

“Dance,” he whispered in amazement, “They’re dancing.”

“What’s dancing?”

“I don’t know, but it sounds like fun to me!” Yixing chuckled and looked down at his fins. He never had reason to complain about his tail before this night. He quite liked it in fact. The colour of it was purple and the shiny scales were the cause of much jealousy among his elder siblings. However, Yixing wanted to dance like the humans, and for that he required legs. He swayed his tail back and forth, swishing the water around him.

“What are you doing?” Sehun frowned at the light disturbance in the water.

“Dancing,” Yixing said focusing hard on the way he swished his tail, “I think.”

An exasperated sigh left Sehun’s mouth, “Dancing is for humans.” he decided.

Yixing ignored Sehun, “I want to dance like that one day,” he sighed dreamily, his gaze falling on the humans once more.

Sehun scoffed, “With what legs?” Yixing frowned and the little fish quickly apologized.

"I just wish I could be part of their world sometimes," Yixing sighed.

"Come on, it's getting late," Sehun begged, tugging with his little fins on Yixing's arm.

"Wait a second, wait a second," Yixing pleaded, "That man there!"

Sehun groaned, "Which one? They all look the same to me."

"He's so handsome..." Yixing whispered, unable to take his eyes off of the boy with the messy black hair and pale skin. Why doesn't he dance like the rest? "He looks like a pri-"

"Prince Baekhyun!" He heard a voice yell, startling him and cutting off his thoughts. Yixing ducked his head lower into the water, but kept his watchful eyes on the prince.

"He IS a prince!" Yixing exclaimed almost too excitedly. Sehun huffed in annoyance.

"Prince Baekhyun," the voice said again, "Come join the party!" It was a woman's voice.

"No thank you," the prince sighed, he sounded somber, "I don't feel like dancing tonight."

Yixing watched the boy lean against the railing of the boat. He puffed out a breath of air, blowing his bangs upwards only for them to settle back down in the same place on his forehead. His eyes were half closed as he stared out at the horizon, watching the setting sun and the stars that began to dot the navy sky. He looked sad, or lost in thought... Maybe both.

He doesn't feel like dancing? What does that mean? I want to dance and I don't even have legs! This was all Yixing could think as he watched the prince, Baekhyun, stare off into the distance with a rather bleak expression on his face, eyes dull with discontent.

“Yixing,” Sehun sighed.

He didn’t respond.

“Yixing!” Sehun squeaked.

Still no response.

“Yixing.” a commanding voice boomed, sending vibrations through the water and rocking The Royal Pearl gently.

Suddenly, Yixing’s eyes widened in fright as he realized that he’d been caught at the surface. Again.

“Dad,” he whispered and sheepishly turned around to face the man.

***

“What have I told you about going up to the surface, Yixing?!” King Junmyeon all but yelled, his anger boiling over and causing the waters to thrash around.

“Dad!” Yixing shouted in surprise, “You’re going to cause a storm!”

Junmyeon took a deep breath and the waters calmed, “You need to stay away from the surface, Yixing, it’s dangerous. Don’t you remember what happened to your Mother?”

Yixing bit his bottom lip and felt his heart sink. It had happened almost ten years ago… Every year on Yixing’s birthday he always begged to go to the surface to watch the sunrise and then again to watch the sunset - there was something about the light reflecting on the water that made him feel content on the inside. Yixing’s Mother would always take him, for she too enjoyed watching the rising and the setting of the sun. Of course, Junmyeon was always kept in the dark about this tradition. It was their little secret.

Yixing sighed and gently closed his eyes as the memory of his seventh birthday came flooding back to him.

“Mommy,” Yixing gasped, “Look how pretty the sunset is tonight!”

His Mother smiled and pet his head, “Almost as pretty as our precious Yixing.”

He giggled and rubbed his eyes sleepily, a small yawn escaping his lips. They watched as the oranges and pinks slowly turned to purple to blue to black. It was late night and Yixing was pleading to stay for just a little while longer. It wasn’t long before that boat came into their view and Yixing’s Mother just knew that it was something that they should be fearful of.

“Come on, sweetie.” She had urged, but Yixing was so enthralled by the sight of the boat that he barely noticed his Mother’s concerned tone.

“What’s that, Mother?”

“A boat, sweetie.” She gasped as the boat came close to them and she noticed the men aboard, “We have to go now, Yixing. Yixing!”

The little mer-prince had started swimming towards the boat and he smiled back at his Mother, “Mommy, look! There are people on it!” he giggled.

It happened so fast after that. A giant net came down into the water, trapping Yixing in its grasp. He gasped and thrashed around in fear as the men shouted to pull the net up. His Mother wasted no time at all, quickly pulling a sharp shell pin from her hair and cutting desperately at the net. Yixing wrapped his small hands around the ropes and felt his heart swell in pain. The look on his Mother’s face, the absolute horror and sheer determination that he saw there, frightened him. He knew he was in trouble.

“Hey!” a man shouted, “What’s that in the water?!”

Suddenly, a long pole with a hook at the end of it came crashing down on Yixing’s Mother, as the fishermen tried to get what they thought to be a seal of some sort away from their net. She held on desperately as the pole came smashing down a second time, sending her back splashing into the water. It took a few seconds for her to come out of the water, gasping and coughing, feeling weak, but her desire and resolve to save her youngest son outweighed the pain she was feeling. She gripped the shell tighter in her hands and went back for the ropes while the backs of her eyes began to prick and her head started to feel a little fuzzy.

Yixing’s little hand reached out between the ropes and he grasped at her shaking hands, “Please Mommy,” he was sobbing, lip quivering.

A new will came over his Mother then and she sliced through the net easily, just before it was completely pulled from the water. Yixing never swam so fast in his life, throwing himself into his Mother’s embrace. However, there was something strange about the way his Mother’s arms wrapped around his body limply.

“Mommy?” Yixing sniffled looking up at her face.

That’s when he noticed the blood… A cut streaking across her face where the boat hook had hit her the second time, a dark black bruise formed where she had been struck the first. Yixing could barely take his eyes off of the helpless sight before him. He choked and felt his heart shatter at how defeated she appeared now.

“Yixing,” she murmured softly, “Yixing, you’re alright,” her eyes closed slowly, “I love you, Yixing. Never forget…”

Her last words. Yixing could never forget them.

“I don’t want you going anywhere near the surface, ever again! Do you hear me?” Junmyeon cried out.

“But Father!” Yixing gasped, “There’s nothing wrong with the surface!”

“That’s what your Mother used to think, and where is she now, Yixing?” Junmyeon spat, “Guards!” He called, “Take Yixing to his room and make sure that he never leaves.”

“Dad!” Yixing was so shocked by his Father’s words, “You can’t keep me locked up forever! What happened to Mother was an accident! The surface,” voice cracking on his words as he tried to form proper sentences, but all he could do was sob, “The surface was Mom’s favourite place, you cannot take that away from me! That’s where I hold my fondest memories of her! Please, Dad, please!” He was begging now as two large mermen dragged him away to his room.

“No, Yixing.” His Father said sternly, back his son, “I cannot afford to lose you too.” those last words uttered to himself more so than to the boy.

***

“Oh! Yixing! Happy birthday,” Sehun smiled, but then his face blanched as he did a doubletake, “How did you escape?” he asked in surprise, “Never mind. That doesn't matter,” he looked about himself to make sure no one else was around, “We have to get you back home before King Junmyeon notices that you’re gone.”

“Sehun,” Yixing said firmly, “Today is my seventeenth birthday and I will be damned if I don’t go to the surface today. I go every year. And if you don’t come with me, I’ll just go by myself.”

Sehun groaned, “Only if we go quickly!”

Yixing let out a sigh of relief, "I thought you were going to say no!" then he smiled warmly, “You are the best, Sehunnie!”

***

“Yi-Yixing!” Sehun stuttered as they swam closer and closer to the top. There was something unusually off about the surface of the water as they swam upwards. Something that made him feel uneasy. The normally crystal blue that they saw as they snuck to the surface looked more like a blue-grey. And normally there were streaks of light that would shine down just below the waves, but those were not seen. He grew nervous at the sight, but continued after his friend.

“Oh relax, Sehunnie!” Yixing smiled as he reached just below the surface of the water and waited for his friend to catch up, “It’s probably just cloudy,”

“What’s that?!” Sehun cried in terror.

They both saw it happening, the debris of a boat crashing down into the waters of the ocean, peices of wood and human objects falling down, down into the blue abyss. Yixing gasped and surfaced. He was not greeted with a cool breeze, but rather a smack of freezing rain to his face. The clouds were black and the dark grey waters of the ocean thrashed about fiercely. Sehun followed closely behind and his little eyes rounded in shock. They could just barely make out the name of the boat that was tipped on its side through the horrible storm.

“The Royal Pearl,” Yixing exhaled, his breath becoming suddenly ragged as he recognized a small figure helplessly struggling and flailing in the cold waters, “Prince Baekhyun…”

“Yixing, where are you going?!” Sehun asked in a panic as he watched his best friend dive into the water and towards the prince.

There was no reply. Yixing was focused on the boy who looked as if he was frightened to death. Prince Baekhyun made no pleas for help, but only tried to move his arms and legs around, frantically, desperately, trying to pull himself out of the water. His movements suddenly slowly, the exertion of all his energy finally settling into his body as he went lax and sunk below the surface. His eyes shut and mouth closed firm, he looked as if he was accepting death’s embrace. He looked almost peaceful as his body descended. Yixing wasted no time as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s small body, dragging him up with him and swimming to shore where he laid the boy gently into the sand.

***

The sun was bright that morning. Yixing rested at the edge of the land in the waters. He gazed at the body of the boy admiringly. He was so thin and fragile, Yixing had been afraid of hurting him while pulling his body along. His pale skin was so beautiful up close, he looked like he was made of porcelain. His black hair stuck to his face in a silly manner due to the water, but Yixing thought that the boy looked handsome all the same. The boy’s fingers were long and delicate, his features were soft and sweet and his lips were a pretty shade of pink. The little mer-prince couldn’t stop himself from staring and wondering when Prince Baekhyun might wake up.

Yixing watched him closely, humming a tune softly as he did so, waiting by the prince’s side. He sighed and laid back against the sand, the water covering his tail just enough and the waves giving him a pleasant sensation as they washed up around him slowly. He kept singing as he waited with the hope of passing the time. He knew his Father must be mad that he wasn’t home. He wondered what would happen if he could just grow legs and join the prince’s Kingdom. Lost in thought, he barely heard the boy stir. Yixing jumped in fright, sinking back down into the ocean just behind a large rock so he could watch the prince without being seen.

Prince Baekhyun sat up in confusion, looking about himself puzzled. Last he recalled, he was drowning. He blinked slowly several times and rubbed his temples as if to stop an oncoming headache. The prince looked around once more and his dried lips. Yixing watched the boy staggering to his feet and wished oh so badly that he could have helped him get home. The boy sniffled and looked up at the castle, humming a familiar tune to himself.

“Oh so beautiful, so beautiful to me,” the boy sang the words almost unconsciously.

Yixing’s face reddened as he realized that the prince was singing the same song that he had been singing to pass the time. That means that… He heard me! Suddenly embarrassed, Yixing disappeared into the water, causing a splashing noise that made Baekhyun look out into the waters. A sigh escaped Baekhyun’s lips as he slowly moved towards the castle in which he lived.

***

“Yixing,” Junmyeon said his name so violently that he could feel the wrath in his voice, “You keep disobeying me! When will you ever learn?! If it weren’t for you, Yixing, I’d have such a peaceful life! Why can’t you be more like your brothers?! They don’t do anything to cause me any pain! They just take care of their duties and that’s that. If it weren’t for you, I’d… I’d have my wife here by my side!” the words slipped out of the King’s mouth, anger the only thing that he could feel. But the minute he said those words, a look of regret flashed in his eyes.

“I,” Yixing felt completely rejected, by his own Father of all merpeople. The pain of his Dad’s words sunk in like poison, “I’ll just go then,” he whispered, his heart breaking into pieces, “And disappear from your life forever. I hope that makes it easier for you…” Then he quickly swam so far away that not even the King of the sea could bring him back. Not even if he tried.

I don’t mean to be a burden. Please forgive me, Father.