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Erasmus wasn’t sure how to break it to his lover. They had been together for years. He trusted his life with Torveld. He didn’t know why he kept his true self secret. Or really anymore. For so long it was a secret to protect his own safety. His story was a bit complicated.
He had never really had a good life underwater. He was small and pretty. Everyone knew he was destined to be a slave, most likely to the palace for his beauty and demure nature. So, off he went when he reached the right age. His tail had its first full molting of colorful scales. He was like a rich creamy glob of honey, scales shaped to damn near look like honeycombs (which he only realized years later when on land). There were streaks of a soft peppered brown, almost cinnamon-y in color. In sun he practically glowed. His sweet dirty blonde hair and slightly tanned skin went perfectly with his tail. And he was taken to the palace as was expected.
Then things changed. He was taken, some trafficker breaking in at night and stealing off with some of the slaves in training, one being Erasmus. He was taken to a place unrecognizable, a shadier part of the city and sold to the highest bidder. No one came to his rescue. He had allowed only for a moment to imagine the Prince he was bound to service would care to save him. But it was a naïve and foolish hope. His buyer, new master was cruel and wicked. No matter how submissive Erasmus was, no matter how beautiful, he felt doomed to an endless life trapped under the mans crushing tail, in a gilded cage of fake luxury.
Ripped scales, cut hair, torn fins. He couldn’t take it anymore.
His chances of surviving his escape attempt were slim and he knew it but he couldn’t just do nothing. He had slipped the sedative into his master’s cup and in the night fled. It wasn’t but a few hours after he found himself being chased. He neared the docks hoping it would discourage them but them seemed even more determined then. So, he did what was probably an entirely foolish thing and leaped onto land. He had never shed his tail before so it was a struggle. As he clambered up the beach, tail sliding off, pursuers watching from the wades, he heard a woman down the beach call out. He cursed his luck but kept pushing.
By the time the woman reached him, he was on his own two feet and his pursuers had been frightened off by the human. She approached him calmly with a gentle smile. He shivered where he stood. “Well you seem cold. Let’s get you inside. Come on.” She spoke evenly and calmly. She then turned and walked back towards lights and buildings. Erasmus took one glance back at the water before he turned to follow the woman, tail held firmly to his chest.
The town had oddly easily accepted him without much question. He did work, he helped his basically adoptive mother around the house as much as he could and he was always overly polite.
Meeting Torveld had felt magical. The overly patriotic to not his own homeland Prince’s attitude with a stubbornness to keep this small town alive was endearing. They had met at a market. Torveld touring and checking in with vendors and Erasmus doing some shopping for the next set of clothes he planned to make. He had been slowly picking up various skills on land over the months but he had taken to sewing the best, even some embroidery. So they had ended up both looking at the same beautiful high quality selections of wools available, when their hands seemed to cross paths and startle them both.
Every meeting after that Erasmus was half convinced was entirely orchestrated by Torveld in some way but he was completely charmed by the lord.
It was nearly their four-year anniversary and while they weren’t married Erasmus was living in Torveld’s manner and basically his spouse. Erasmus knew this anniversary would be different. They currently had the not dead but rumored to be dead and in hiding Crown Prince in their manor who had arrived in a tizzy ranting about selkies and merfolk. Which Torveld had accepted and believed completely in a way that made Erasmus feel ashamed for how he assumed his lover would react to his true identity. So, this anniversary, Erasmus knew he had to tell the truth. But how to break the news.
His plan seemed foolish as soon as he set it in motion but there was no going back. He went to that beach he first washed up on and his caretakers’ home to retrieve his tail. Kept sealed away in her home and watered every so often it was still beautiful. He hadn’t worn it since he first stepped on land but even holding it in his arms made him feel right. So he snuck it back into the manor with the help of the Crown Prince who, first of all insisted Erasmus use his first name, and secondly was only mildly surprised before agreeing to help. He set it up in their private baths, made the water just right in their overly large tub, and slipped on his tail.
It was odd, to feel his now all too familiar legs melt away and the tail fall into place. In an instant he wondered how he had gone this long without wearing his tail, the feeling so natural and complete. It sparkled with light reflecting from the windows and the candles all around him.
It wasn’t long before Torveld was heard clambering into their chambers, calling out, “Erasmus, my love, where are you?”
Erasmus drew in a deep breath and turned to the bathroom door to respond in a softer voice, “In the bathroom, I have…a surprise for you… something to show you.” He shifted in the water letting his tail shift and splash a bit.
“A surprise?” Torveld wondered aloud and walked closer to the door. When he pushed it open, a relaxed smile on his face instantly twisting into an expression of shock, as he looked down to see his lover, his selkie lover, with his tail sticking out of their bathtub. “Uhhhhh….”
Erasmus giggled a little at his loss of words and reached out his arms in a welcoming gesture, “I hope… you aren’t mad about me keeping this secret. I should have always trusted you with this but I was scared. But I know you. You are a good man; I am safe with you no matter what.” His eyes were tearing up and Torveld rushed to kneel by the tub.
“You are more beautiful and stronger than I ever imagined, thank you for trusting me.” His tone soft to match Erasmus, Torveld looked down to rifle through his coat pockets much to Erasmus’s confusion. “I guess…with this truth…well this is a good a time as any though not quite what I planned.” Torveld shifted into a kneel on one knee and held up a small ring box. “Will you marry me?” He coughed nervously as he opened the small box to reveal a golden band with a simple diamond with two golden pearls next to it.
Erasmus nearly launched himself out of the tub screaming “Yes!!” The whole way over the lip of the tub to drag Torveld into a kiss.