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The captain of all mermen, Hugues Hermann, swims the perimeter of the large marble mansion deep in the ocean of Atlantis. His murky gray tail whisks back and forth hastily as he tries to find his right-hand: Oliver March. Hastily, Hermann blazes through the back coral gardens, peaking through overgrown reefs in hopes of finding March in their favorite spot.
The odds are in his favor, as he sees a metallic bronze tail move behind a large algae-covered boulder.
March turns, and slightly jumps at the sudden appearance of the captain. “You ought to stop sneaking up on people.”
Hermann grins deviously. “You know my favorite thing to do is scare you with my charming face,” Hermann points. “And how could I not spot that elegant tail of yours.”
March chuckles. “You’re flattering me…” March frowns. “...Why?”
“What, I can’t compliment my partner once in a while?”
March shakes his head. “Oh, you most definitely can, it’s just that you never do. It’s always: March, find this polluter for me. March, uncover the operations of the recent barnacle smuggling. March, rub my feet and massage my back and-”
“Alright, alright, enough!” Hermann shouts, his cheeks flushing red. “I only ask so much of you because I trust you! And I know you’ll do a great job,” Hermann whispers in March’s ear, “honey.”
March shivers, despite the water being lukewarm.
“Just tell me what you need,” March mumbles, bending down to pick up some parchments he dropped when Hermann initially startled him.
Hermann goes to help him, before March swats his hands away. “That consort mermaid has this look about her…” Hermann frowns.
March looks at him quizzically. “You mean the new potential princess to the prince? What could she possibly be doing?”
“I know she and her fiery red tail are plotting something, I just can’t figure out what,” Hermann swims closer to March, giving him the most sinister smile he can muster. “Which is why I need your help, darling.”
March sighs. “One day your paranoia will best you, and you’ll turn into a lunatic fish,” March swims towards the entrance into the castle. “I’ll look into her, but only because I care about the prince.”
Hermann pouts. “And what of me?”
March feigns innocence. “What of you?”
Hermann rolls his eyes, and makes his way through the doors, kissing March quickly on the cheek. “Tonight in my quarters. Bring me back some good news.” And with that, he’s off, his placid gray tail swinging around the corner.
↝
March spends the day having kelp tea with the consort, asking her questions about her home kingdom and flattering her, all in hopes of getting her to open up.
Finally, he pops the question.
“I don’t mean any disrespect, Lady Sinclair, but I have to know: do you really want to marry Prince William?”
Lady Sinclair gapes, slightly taken aback by his question. But then, she just smiles sadly. “Sometimes we do things for those we love, even if it breaks our own hearts,” she looks down, silence filling the water.
March considers her statement for several moments.
“I have a lover at home, but he’s become rather sick in our kingdom. The waters there are completely polluted, and we’ve been ambushed several times by poachers. Kieran- that’s my partner’s name. Kieran’s scales are hypnotizingly blue, so blue that they look almost invisible in the ocean. But in our infected waters, they stand out. Poachers would do anything to get their hands on scales like his…” tears fill her eyes, her words dying on her tongue.
March hands her a handkerchief, and she takes a breath. “He’s been speared, and his health is in dire condition. However, he’s bound by the Purple Curse, I’m sure you’ve heard tales about that. Which means he can’t leave our kingdom to get better help,” Lady Sinclair finally picks her head up, her golden eyes piercing March’s soul. “So I’ve come here to get aid, on behalf of my kingdom and those suffering like him, by forming an alliance through marriage to Prince William. It pains me to do so, but it would pain me even more to let Kieran suffer.”
March sits on the edge of his seat, his kelp tea long forgotten. He’s deep in thought, recalling all the times he’s worried over Hermann’s safety everytime he goes off on another mission to protect Atlantis. He knows the fear that comes from love, and he empathizes greatly with the soon-to-be princess.
He gives her a sad smile, placing his hand on hers. “You are a very brave mermaid, Lady Sinclair. I hope Atlantis can offer the help your lover needs.” After bidding her farewell and sending for a maid to assist her, March swims towards the captain’s quarters. The sunset breaks through the white caps above, much like his love for Hermann, he realizes, has broken through the walls around his heart.
↝
Hermann hears a short but firm knock on his door, where he opens it to none other than his handsome beloved.
“Welcome, hun,” Hermann snakes a hand around March’s waist. “What did you find?”
March is lost on his train of thought, still thinking about his encounter with Lady Sinclair.
“March?”
“Hm..?”
“What are you thinking about?” Hermann asks with concern.
March gazes at his one true love. Sometimes we do things for those we love, even if it breaks our own hearts. Would he ever have to make a sacrifice with the same magnitude of Lady Sinclair’s for love? And if the time came, would he be able to?
Hermann takes March’s hands, pulling him out of his trance. “Hey, what’s bothering you?”
March smiles. “Nothing.” March pulls Hermann to where they are sitting side by side on his bed. “Lady Sinclair is plotting no evil. The only secret she holds is that of a sickly lover at home for whom she is making a great sacrifice. She’s quite the honorable mermaid.”
Hermann raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
March chuckles. “I drank kelp tea with her all day. I am very sure.”
Hermann peers at him, taken aback. “You hate kelp tea.”
March pushes loose hairs away from Hermann’s face. “Yes well, the things you do for love…”
Hermann beams, taking March’s face in his hands. “For which I am eternally grateful, hun.” He brings his lips to his, slowly savoring the taste of bitter kelp left on his partner’s tongue. March pushes his hands through Hermann’s hair flowing loosely in the waves. Gray meets bronze as their tails push against each other, their passions fighting and losing to each other all at the same time.
“We could’ve been doing this instead of sending me on a wild chase all day,” March teases in between breaths.
“You know I have work to do too,” Hermann breathes. “Besides, it’s nice when you come back, itching for me after being bored out of your mind.”
March rolls his eyes, his hands moving past Hermann’s sharp shoulder blades, all the way down his chiseled back. “Don’t act like you weren’t waiting for this, either.”
Hermann pushes March against the headboard of the bed, never stopping the assault on his lover’s lips. “I would never not want this, darling.”
Starlight can be seen scattered throughout the sky above the ocean's surface, much like the couple’s clothes strewn across the bedroom floor.