"Your majesty," one of them says, presenting me with some piece of human garbage.
"Get that filth away from me," I spit. She dips her head, and dives back into the ocean, off to sink another ship.
"Prince Hongbin. You will need to choose a mate at some point," my adviser says. I glare at her in her little pond, and sigh.
"I know that, but none of them seem worthy to me," I say, pushing my long brown hair back. I tie my hair back. Another suitor walks up, and my face forms my scowl.
"My highness. I saved this human for you. Maybe he can be of some entertainment, as a pet," she says, floating in my visitor pool. I look over the human, and his bright orange hair interests me.
"Leave him, but you may leave," I say. She leave him on my beach, and dives back.
"End the visitor hours," I say, picking up the human. I walk to my quarters, very simple when I'm royalty blessed with the ability to form legs. I lay the human on my bed, and he shivers. Is he cold? It's warm today. I run my fingers over the fins on my legs. The mixture of light and dark green scales radiating from the edges of fins. The same thing adorning my forearms.
"Am I dead?" The human asks, opening his eyes.
"No," I say, and he looks over at me.
"Why am I here? Who are you?" He asks. The naive human.
"I am prince Hongbin of the Northern Pacific Mermen," I say, and he laughs.
"Yeah right," he says.
"Do you doubt me?" I ask, watching him.
"Whatever you're on, share. Mermen aren't real," he says, laughing harder.
"We are very real," I say.
"Prove it," he says. I sigh, and walk to my personal pool. Hand selected rocks from around the world, set over a lava hot pocket, smoothed out interior. It's truly perfect for royalty.
"You want proof?" I ask, sitting on the edge.
"Do you have any?" He asks. I slip off my shoes. I've never bothered with shirts. I fall back into my pool, and allow the water to fill me. I slip off my shorts, and they float the surface. I dive down, as I see his orange hair. I smile, as panic overcomes his features. I remove the band from my hair, and allow my legs to grow together. The green from my legs expands, and covers them. I watch my finger nails turn the color of live seaweed. Scales grow up my neck, leaving room for gills, and my vision clears, I know my eyes have slitted, turning green. Points of sharpness grow from my back, growing the royal dorsal fin. I push up to the surface, and break the water.
"Miss me?" I ask, as my wet hair flattens across my head.
"This isn't real," the human says, looking over me.
"This is very real," I say, propping myself onto a rock.
"Not fantasy?" He asks, sitting on my bed.
"Nope," I say, smiling at him.
"Real fantasy?" He asks, smiling slightly.
"I like that," I say, splashing my tail down on the water.
"You never told me your name, human," I say, as I let my human features return.
"Wonshik," he says, blushing slightly.
"What causes your face to be so red?" I ask, slipping back on my shorts and shoes.
"Just wear clothes. Please," he asks, and I laugh. I walk out of my pool, and pull my hair back into its band.
"If you insist," I say, sitting beside him.
"Am I stuck here?" He asks, and I look at him.
"For now," I say, and he falls back on the bed.
"Swell," he sighs.
"Is there something wrong with that?" I ask.
"Probably the usual things. My family will miss me or think I'm dead. I'll miss them. Stuff like that," Wonshik says, running his fingers threw his hair.
"What are they like?" I ask, laying beside him.
"Well, my parents aren't very strict, and I love that. Then, there's my little sister. She annoys me, but I love her to death," he says, smiling.
"You have a sister?" I ask, and he nods.
"Do you?" He asks, and I sigh.
"Yeah. Two older ones. I haven't seen them since they were married off," I confess. His forehead wrinkles, and then relaxes.
"Right. You're a prince," he remembers.
"Yep," I say, as my advisor swims into my room.
"Prince Hongbin. Your parents are here," she says, looking at us.
"Of course. You shall stay here. Advisor, have some servants bring him food," I say, walking to my door.
"Yes sir," my advisor says, swimming ahead of me. I walk out, and to my visitor's room.
"Father, mother. What brings you here?" I ask, smiling at them.
"Son. I believe we have given you ample time, but you must have a queen," my father says.
"Father. No one as appealed to me," I reply honestly, as my mother walks to the entrance.
"This is why we brought someone," my father says. My mother splashes the water, and another mer walks in.
"Hongbin. This is princess Elizabeth of the Southern Pacific," my mother says. I look her over. Small, light purple fins, and light brown hair that falls in waves. Small everything, and she can't be less then six inches shorter then me. Short shorts, and bikini top.
"Princess. I welcome you," I say, pulling her fingers up to my lips.
"You two have fun," my father says, as they walk away, and dive away.
"Well?" Elizabeth asks, looking up at me.
"No," I say, walking away, and returning to my room. Wonshik has fallen asleep on my bed, with an empty sushi slab beside him.
"Wonshik," I say, poking his side.
"Five more minutes, mom," he mutters, flipping over. I sigh. Maybe he needs something to wake up to.
"Sins of Fathers. Sins of Son. In the water. They become undone," I start singing, closing my eyes.
"Cover your sins. For they shall see. All the mer. Use them to end thee," I stop when I hear a splash in my pool. Orange hair sinking down into it.
"Why did I choose the ship sinking song?" I ask myself, kicking off my shoes. I dive into my pool, and down to him. I shake him when I reach him, attempting to awake him. Bubbles slowly escape him, and I attempt to pull him up. He kicks, wanting to go back down. I look over him, and I know my choices.
Let him die or hope he can withstand the change.
I try. I like this human. I pull him close, and kiss his lips. I pull off a scale, and set it over his heart. It sinks down, and I pull him back into a kiss. My legs kick as his slowly start to fuse together. I shift to my merman state, breathing in water. His fused legs grow orange scales, matching his hair perfectly. Fins grow along his arms, and scales grow long his neck, leaving room for gills. He blinks his eyes open to reveal matching orange slitted eyes.
"Hongbin? What happened?" He asks, blinking.
"I'm sorry. I sent you to the depths in my attempt to wake you up. I'm sorry," I say, as he attempts to move. He looks down, and his eyes widen.
"What?" He asks, running his hands over his tail.
"I had to. You would have died otherwise," I confess, as he attempts to move again.
"Okay. This is new. Help?" He asks, and I smile.
"Sure. I think your problem is that you're used to kicking with two legs. Try, what you humans call it? Right a dolphin kick," I suggest, and he manages to move.
"I'm doing it," he says, smiling wide.
"That you are," I say, smiling back.
"Hongbin," he says, as he moves around.
"Yes?" I ask, as he rubs his back.
"Why does my back hurt?" He asks, and I swim over to him. I run a finger down his back, to small spikes running down his back.
"When the sunset lives. The true prince will unite the seven seas," I mutter, as the spikes grow slowly.
"What?" Wonshik asks, turning to look at me.
"You're a royal," I state simply, know there is more to this.
"Okay? Is that a good thing?" He asks, as I run my fingers over them.
"Allow me to restate it. You're the royal," I say, kneel on the pool's bottom.
"What?" He asks, as they start to grow faster. He groans in pain, and I turn him to face me.
"Wonshik. Listen to my voice. Only my voice. One of the legends of my kind is the sunset prince. It is told that a human lost at sea will receive the powers of my kind. He will use them to unite the seven seas. The north and south Pacific, the north and south Atlantic, the Indian, the Arctic, and the Antarctic. It is said that he will be handsome by mer standards, and bare the colors of the setting sun," I state, looking at the growing fin.
"What does that have to do with me?" He asks, shaking slightly.
"You are receiving a royal fin. Several humans have become mer. Never with that fin. I believe you are our sunset prince," I say, as he shakes more. I look to see it mostly out from his body. I need to something.
"Hongbin. It hurts," he says, grabbing his arms with his own.
"Wonshik," I say, grabbing his arms. His orange eyes lock with mine, and I find myself leaning in. He tastes like salt in this fresh water. His arms reach where skin meet scale, and he holds me like that. We each pull away, and he breathes slowly.
"My back doesn't hurt," he says, still dazed. I look over his shoulder, and my eyes widen.
"Whoa," I say, looking at his fin. Bright orange spikes, with dull yellow pieces of scales stretching between. Half moon shaped cutouts, shaping the fin. I run fingers over it, and Wonshik shivers.
"It's beautiful," I whisper, and he smiles. He truly is the sunset prince.
"Can I go back on land?" He asks, looking up.
"Yes," I say, grabbing his hand, and kicking us up.
"How do I change back?" He asks, as I peak my fingers over the surface.
"Just will it. Will yourself to take a human's shape," I say, shifting back myself. I hop out, and dress myself again. I grab clothes that should fit him, and walk back. The fin is gone, but his legs refuse to split.
"Help?" He asks, smiling up at me.
"Think about what you can do with legs," I suggest, watching him.
"Walks on the beach with one person I love. Moving up a flight of stairs to introduce them to my parents. Walking down the isle to him," he says, turning red.
"Your legs are back," I say, setting the cloth in front of him, and turning away. I hear splashing, and a struggle to get clothes on. Warmth covers my back, and I melt into it.
"My prince," I say, and I feel his lips on my neck.
"No. That's your title," he says, sitting on the bed.
"Then what's yours?" I ask, sitting beside him.
"Prince, for now." He says, smiling.
"For now?" I question, as he wraps his arms around me.
"I'll probably become king, but for that to happen, I'll need queen," he says, kissing my lips. We fall on the bed, and he kisses me again, with enough passion for both of our likings.

A/N: 1958 words. That is a lot for me!! An I really like this storyline too. I'm very happy. Anyway, I moved all the Wontaek to its own collection. Now if I could write this much for school. (-<) <3 ^_^