He was vaguely aware of the fact that he was sinking, vaguely aware of the cold water surrounding him on all sides. He was in pain and disoriented. His lungs burned from the water they had taken in.

There was pain and fear, but among it all...peace. Peace that he no longer had to fight. He no longer had worry. He no longer had to struggle against what he could not change.

His birthright, his obligations, his stresses...they all seemed so unimportant. At that moment, on the brink of life and death, none of it mattered.

Then he felt a pair of hands on his body. He felt warmth and life. He was suddenly on the surface again, above the water, but his body refused to breathe. It still longed to give in, to escape it all. But the hands on his body would not let him die. They were pressing on his chest, forcing the water from his lungs. He coughed and sputtered and gasped greedily for the air he had been willing to go without seconds ago. His body's natural reflexes took over and brought him back from the brink.

Back on the land, Jonghyun opened his eyes, taking in his world in a new light.

There was darkness and stars and the smell of a fire in the air. As disoriented as his mind was, he was able to focus on the face looming over him. It was the only thing that seemed substantial at that moment.

His vision was blurry and the night was dark, but he was still able to see so clearly.

The long wet hair, the glistening golden skin, those dark brown eyes so full of concern - the face above him was beautiful. It was all he could think, all his frazzled mind could process in that moment.

He blinked a few times as he rolled over, still ridding his body of the water. The beautiful creature drew away from him as he rose to get a better look. He wanted to tell her to wait, to thank her, but she suddenly fled. She jumped back into the water with a heavy splash and a flip of her tail. Yes, Jonghyun spotted a tail.

After everything he had just gone through, he had one more thing to process and ponder. The creature that had saved his life was a mermaid.

He saw the light from the castle fire in the distance. He heard the commotion, even from how far away he was, on that small island off the shore. He grew concerned for his family, friends, and subjects, but he didn't have the strength in him to move. He could only lay there, letting the exhaustion slowly take him unconscious again.

A/N: Hello readers. I'm back with yet another fairy tale! This one is inspired by "The Little Mermaid" book, not the Disney movie version. If you've read the original book, you can probably expect where this story is going. If you haven't read the book, I won't spoil it for you...just don't expect the perfect fairy tale ending here.

WARNING! While this is a "JongTae" story, it also involves Jonghyun's character being involved with a woman! If this thought devestates you, please don't read. I'm only warning you once. -__-

So sit back, relax, enjoy the angst and melodrama...and feel free to subscribe and comment. :D It's always appreciated.

-Endellee

Btw, the "mermaid" in that prologue there is Taemin. ;)