A/N: I'm back with a new story, inspired by the sea/water pictures from ONEUS's 10th mini album: La Dolce Vita. *I'm still working on Blood Moon, but have hit a writers block with it, so I thought focusing on a new project may help break it* Please let me know what you think!

Son Dongju is a Prince of the Sirens, the youngest of the 3 princes in the undersea nations. Don’t think of him as the Little Mermaid though, he might just get mad at you and throw your things across the ocean floor. No, that title is reserved for Yeo Hwanwoong, the Prince of Mermaids, who is a year into his majority, and set to inherit his sire’s throne once he finds his mermaid mate. Dongju’s older brother Keonhee is set to inherit the throne of the Sirens one day, and Dongju thinks there isn’t anyone more suited for the job than his hyung.

In the past, the nations had been against one another, back when pirates ruled the seas, and the ships were plenty to choose from, but now days, with technology advancing rapidly, and a new mode of transportation called an ‘airplane’ helping to move things across the vast world, the nations have come together in unity.

Dongju flits around the palace anterior, trying to avoid his tutor for his afternoon session of Siren History. He doesn’t need to sit and listen to a boring lecture from an old Siren whose never been out into the great big sea to do his duty as a Siren to lure pretty women to their death off the coasts of the lands. He wants to daydream and prepare for his upcoming pilgrimage to the Surface, to spend 30 days mimicking a human with legs, eating human food and sleeping in human beds. He’s got 3 weeks before he’s set to see the Siren Seer to know what it is that he’s to learn while up amongst the humans before he comes back to assume his duties as Prince Captain of the Siren Nation.

“Prince Xion! There you are young Siren! Come, we have much to discuss on the war of 1812 where there were plenty of human sacrifices in one of their many wars.” The scruffy voice of his tutor rings out in the empty hall.

Dongju sighs, stopping, flicking his tail in irritation. He was just about to the antechamber of the anterior of the palace, nearly at his goal to get away from his tutor. “My apologies, Tutor. The time must have gotten away from me.”

The older Siren snorts, his graying seafoam green hair reminding him of Keonhee. “Now now, young Prince. You must know that we always start lessons at a quarter after noon, after the mid day meal and news announcements of the latest shipwrecks around the world.” He gently, but firmly grasps Dongju by the ear, pulling him back along the corridor.

Dongju doesn’t try to help the older man, letting his tail lay still and crossing his arms over his chest. It doesn’t hurt for his ear to be pulled, but once they’ve passed by the 5^th servant giggling softly behind their hands at Dongju being pulled along like a little child, Dongju huffs and starts to swim, allowing the tension that was pulling at his ear to dissipate. He really shouldn’t be letting the servants see him being admonished and pulled like a child in public for trying to skip his lessons, he’s a Prince after all.

He listens halfheartedly as his tutor talks about how exciting the times were in 1812, by all accounts of the reports they have kept safely stored away in a library up on the Surface. All Dongju can think about is how weird it will feel to have 2 legs instead of a tail and 2 fins to move him around on the surface, and what kind of people he might run into.

“I see you are much distracted, Prince Xion.” His tutor finally sighs. “Since this is one of your last lessons with me before your Pilgrimage, let me ask you this. What is it you are hoping to gain from going up there?”

Dongju sits up eagerly. “I want to know how the food tastes, what the people are like when they aren’t dying in our deadly songs, and what the sunrise and sunset look like from above.”

His tutor smiles. “All the good things!” He flits over to where Dongju is sitting. “Let me tell you about my time up on the Surface.”

Dongju listens carefully this time, shocked and awed at how his tutor managed to survive 30 days on an island that the Seer had deposited him on, with very little human interaction. “So not everyone will interact with humans on their Pilgrimages?” He asks.

“Correct young Prince.” His tutor says. “Some go off to the vast forests on the American lands to find gems or rare items to which we can trade with the Merfolk, or to sell to the humans to upkeep the library on the Surface. Others go deep into human territory, bringing back vast amounts of knowledge about how they act, speak and think. Some Sirens chose not to go on a  pilgrimage to the Surface, but to the Deep Below to search for those who may be lost.”

Dongju thinks on that as he goes about his evening, eating dinner with his sire and brother, watching how his brother interacts carefully with the Siren whose been chosen to bear the future heir to the Siren Nation. What will the Seer see in him?

The thought preoccupies his mind until the week before his departure to the Seer. He’s taken to the doctor for a thorough check up, ensuring that he’ll be healthy while he’s up on the Surface, then to the clothing store to be sized for shirts and pants that will be available for him up on the surface when he gains his legs.

Dongju’s had a lot of information thrown at him in the last few days before his departure, Keonhee smiling sadly at him as he struggles to retain the information. Before he knows it, the day he’s to depart has arrived. His ashy blonde hair is brushed to perfection, a strand of pearls wrapped around his neck as he is escorted to the hut where the Seer lives on the edge of the Palace territory.

“Ah, Son Dongju, otherwise known as Prince Xion.” An old womanly voice calls out from behind a curtain as he enters the inconspicuous hut. “Welcome young Prince, to prepare for your journey to the Surface.”

“Thank you for guiding me to my Pilgrimage.” Dongju bows politely.

“Please, take a seat. I will begin momentarily, the ritual that will give you legs, ability to hide your gills and send you up to the Surface to the destination that was predetermined by the Fates.” The woman says as Dongju hears things moving around. He sees a chair in the middle of the floor, figuring that it’s the one she wants him to sit on. He’s just barely sat down when the smallest, shortest old Siren with the brightest pink hair color he’s ever seen in his life, comes through the curtain on the other side of the room.

“Please stay seated. Close your eyes. I want you to focus on counting backward from 100. By the time you hit 10, you can open your eyes and you will be up on the Surface with legs and able to understand the humans up above.” She says, swishing around him briskly. “I will let you know when I want you to start counting.”

Dongju nods, staying still as much as he can as the old Siren moves around him, placing items in specific places on the sea floor.

“Start counting…now.” She instructs. Dongju closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. “100…99...98…97…” He’s so focused on counting down, that he doesn’t notice or feel that he’s no longer buoyant, and that he’s breathing a lot harder than before.  “15…14…13…12….10…” He cracks open one eye, gasping as he is hit with a bright ray of light that makes him close his eyes again.

He lets his other senses go…finding that he hears people talking, and the cry of the seagulls overhead that he’s only heard of in his lectures. He finally peeks again…blinking rapidly to get used to the sunshine that seems to wash over everything he can see. “What…” He coughs, choking on the thick salty sea air.

“Shh...you were washed up on the shore.” A foreign male voice says soothingly as Dongju tries to move around. “You don’t have to talk. Nod if you are feeling ok?”

Dongju slowly nods, letting his eyes focus on the dark shadow above him. His heart thumps wildly in his chest as the shadow focuses into the face of a human with cat like eyes and dark raven hair that frames his face, eyebrows furrowed in worry as he looks at Dongju. A small part inside Dongju melts at the worry that the male displays, despite not knowing him.