I. Start of A Twisted Fairytale

“U---Uhmmm, Hi?”

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

****

Can you be my fairytale?

Can you make this ship set sail?

My mind is left in wonder

As I fix you in my gaze

****

Dara just couldn’t believe her eyes!

Shock was an understatement to describe her reaction right at this very moment. She was flabbergasted that she almost had to blink twice, thrice or maybe a hundred lot of times to prove if what she’s seeing now is even real! What----Why---HOW IN THE WORLD DID THIS EVEN HAPPENED?!

All she can remember is having her leisure time relaxing or more like---contemplating--- about what happened to her this past few months that led her to this decision of going back to the Philippines. All that while in a rather bumpy and hella nerve wracking ship ride going to an isolated island somewhere in Palawan. Dara could only remember sipping on her panna cotta drink and enjoying the view of nature while some rather young teenagers or better call them as “wild animals” were having the time of their lives and----

OH.MY.GOSH!

Dara couldn’t help but to face palm as she remembers being knocked over by one of those drunk teenagers off board the ship! She remembers holding her breath only for a couple of minutes until she felt the ocean slowly drowning her.

Seriously?! No one even noticed me?!

Dara is surely going to sue the ship for their rather faulty customer service and get back at those wild teenagers but maybe---just maybe, after she confirms where the hell she is and if what she’s seeing is even real.

Like just seriously, is the whole world conspiring at her?! All these events happening because of being what---KNOCKED OVER?! First, she got her heart broken by seeing her fiance faces with a girl that isn’t her just because she accidentally went inside a restaurant after being knocked over by a bunch of kids running out of nowhere; then she got into the wrong flight just because her tickets got mixed up with someone else’s after being knocked over by a clumsy stewardess and now, here! Just when she thought things could get any better, it got even worst!

She now finds herself in a secluded island somewhere with a---superficial? Unique? Mythical? Or just weird?---creature in front of her. Dara has to slap her face a hundred times until she felt the pain before believing what she is seeing is very. Very. Veryyyy REAL! How can she not even believe when there is a real and living mermaid, scratch that, MERMAN in front of her!

Oh yes, a mermai---MERMAN, just for clarification. And unlike what those Dara heard about most mermen, this one is actually a GIANT! A tall (if he has feet) and somewhat handsome (if she is being honest) merman with a unique looking fish and a small yet savagely looking crab by his side is smiling fondly at her! Just imagine yourself actually accepting your untimely death and preparing your death wishes and prayers to your loved ones while drowning and then waking up and welcomed by this!

And yes, Dara is dumbfounded. Really, really, dumbfounded.

The handsome (yeah, yeah. Dara has to admit, this one is a looker!), giant and adorable (Dara, albeit her state, finds the merman adorable with his elfish ears) continued to smile at her.

“Hello, human! How are you feeling right now?”the merman asked.

“Uhmmmm…”Dara find the most appropriate words for her situation, “Surprised? Shocked? Flabbergasted?”

The merman cutely scrunched his eyebrows, “Huh? And why is that?”

Dara couldn’t help but to burst out her emotions, “You are seriously asking me that?! Let’s see, I just awoke remembering being knocked over by a stupid bunch of kids, praying my death wishes and accepting my untimely death and then waking up to find myself alone in this place and seeing y---YOU! Seriously, what do you think my reaction would be?!”

Dara expected the merman to get mad of everything she said but she was surprised to see him chuckling instead, “Haha, you are sooo cute! I really don’t have any regrets saving you!”

“Ya---YAH! Seriously?! Aish! And let me just get this straight---”Dara paused to heave a breath, “---you were really taking the whole story in a wrong way!”

The merman looked confused, “H--Huh?”

“I mean, aren’t you supposed to go after being able to save me because you wouldn’t want others to see you and know about your existence? You know like what happened with Ariel and Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid? Ahhh, scratch that! Disney’s Little Mermaid is a lot different from the original but still---! Why did you even stayed?!” Dara can’t help but ask.

The merman, albeit looking confused, tried his best to answer her, “I clearly don’t have any clue on what you’re talking about but as for your question on why I stayed….”

Dara, admittedly and undeniably, caught her breath the second the merman smiled at her.

“...it’s simply because I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Dara just found herself locking eyes with the strange and yet adorable and kind merman in front of her. She thinks it might be just because of her current state or maybe because she was just too much shocked or it might be something more but Dara is sure that she felt that certain beat in her chest while looking straight into the merman’s sincere eyes.

It wasn’t only until they heard a splash from the water that they realized how long they were looking at each other. The merman hands out his hand for her.

“By the way, sorry for my manners. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Prince Park Chanyeol, first born of King Junmyeon, king of Aquatica.” Chanyeol introduces himself before turning to the fish and crab beside him. “---and beside me are my loyal companions. My bestfriend and right-hand, Baekhyun the fish and my loyal adviser, Kyungsoo the crab.”

Dara can’t help but to blink twice again to make sure if the fish---who Chanyeol introduced as Baekhyun--really winked at her and the crab who is Kyungsoo snorted at her. She just shrugged it off and accepted Chanyeol’s hand.

“I am Sandara Park but you can call me Dara, a mere human.”

Dara ignored the sparks she felt the moment her and Chanyeol’s hand touched and turned her attention looking around the island, “Chanye---I mean, Your Highness---”

“You can just call me Chanyeol.”

“O---okay. Cha---Chanyeol, may I just ask where am I?”

“O--oh! Sorry about that! You are currently here in Aquasia, an isolated island that is considered to be the boundary for the world of mortals and Aquatica. This is the only place I can bring you since I don’t have any idea where are you headed for.”

Dara just nodded, “Thank you for your consideration but I was actually staying in the island of Palawan. I’m guessing that is miles away from here?” Chanyeol nodded which confirmed her statement, “I was actually onboard a ship going to some island called Maria Del Rio when I got knocked off board the ship by a bunch of kids.”

“Maria Del Rio?” Dara nodded at Chanyeol, “Well, you sure are lucky! Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and I can take you there! Right, guys?” Chanyeol beamed at his sea creature friends.

Dara is now sure that she was not just imagining it when she saw Kyungsoo the crab scoffed at Chanyeol while Baekhyun the fish was snorting at the red creature. The three looked liked bantering about something until she saw Kyungsoo looks l