Chapter Text
Soft ripples formed around the hull of the Destiny as the ship left the harbor.
Minho stared blankly into the azure water, lost in thought, the brisk sea breeze whipping strands of hair across his face.
How do I save them?
What will I do without them?
These two questions had taken root in his mind after he left his house this morning, and they were bound to haunt him until he found a way out of the worst ordeal of his life.
The day had started quite well: when he went to the Royal Palace to collect the payment for his latest job, he'd been given an extra ounce of gold and promised an official celebration in his and the crew's honor.
Being a privateer for Queen Yeji came with great privileges – but, unfortunately, even greater enemies.
After grabbing a mug of ale at the pub with the crew, Minho went back home, only to find it empty.
His family wasn't there.
Raw panic had taken control of him as he scoured every alley, shop, and corner of the city, voice hoarse from calling their names, asking if someone had seen them.
But the answer had lain all along on the wooden kitchen table, pinned with a dagger.
Minho took the crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and read it again.
I have your family, Lee Minho. Bring me the Blue Pearl of the Merfolk before the Autumn Equinox, or they die.
The note bore no signature, but Minho knew who'd kidnapped his loved ones: Captain Bahng.
A vicious, ruthless pirate with no morals, who'd always aspired to be in Queen Yeji’s graces and was jealous of the prestige Minho had acquired at court.
Now Chan had his family hostage, and he had no idea what that pearl was or where to find it.
Minho kicked a nearby empty barrel in a fit of rage, sending it clattering across the deck before it tumbled into the ocean.
“Captain?” Felix, the quartermaster, approached him hesitantly.
“What?” Minho snapped back.
“The crew needs directives. We sailed but we don't know where to go.”
“Well, I don't know either! We have a cartographer for a reason, don't we?”
“He doesn't know anything about this Blue Pearl,” Felix replied, keeping his voice steady despite Minho's aggressiveness. “With all due respect Captain, it's not reasonable to sail without a precise direction to follow. I suggest heading back to the port and making a plan first. Maybe even asking Her Majesty for help.”
“Absolutely not. We're not wasting more of our precious time. And we're definitely not going to involve the queen in such a trivial skirmish.”
Minho didn't consider his family's abduction an unimportant matter – but to Her Majesty, it would be nothing more than another nuisance.
“I say we go to the Scholar’s Isle,” Changbin, the boatswain, said, joining their conversation as he tightened a rope knot. “Their knowledge is so vast, they must know about this pearl, right?”
“It's a week’s sailing away,” Minho replied, leveling him a flat look. “I just said I don't want to waste time.”
At that moment, a splash of sea water hit Minho’s back, drenching his shirt.
“You don't need to go there! I know where to find the pearl!”
~
Jisung swam with no direction, letting the currents guide him as far from the palace as possible.
As he passed through corals and kelp, several crabs lifted their pincers in salute and a shoal of silvery minnows whirled around him affectionately. But Jisung ignored them, his tail propelling him forward, fueled by anger.
He was sick of being overlooked by his family. Sick of being the idle, useless prince who everyone considered a parasitic deadbeat. Sick of being constantly compared to his productive, charming, perfect cousin Jeongin.
Yes – maybe it was true that Jisung was a little lazy. That his room was messy. That he looked a little too disheveled for a royal. That he didn’t like to attend official meetings and ceremonies, and therefore often disappeared. That he didn't want to train with the royal guards, as every prince should.
And, yes – he did enjoy spending time with his friends in the city, doing essentially nothing of importance for the Crown.
But he wasn't a bad guy who got drunk every night and gambled and brought shame to his family. Moreover, his closeness to and understanding of the commoners had earned him the people's admiration.
But that wasn't enough for his father.
That morning, he had humiliated him – scolded him for being late to breakfast in front of the whole family and an assembly of nobles.
Jisung hadn't wished to hear the same complaints for the thousandth time, so he had simply left the palace while his father was still talking.
They already thought he was the rebel son – now he would truly be one.
He would not return to the palace. They could make their beloved Jeongin the heir, since they liked him so much.
Jisung swam until his fins ached, until he was far from the open ocean and closer to the shore – then emerged, letting the sun warm his skin.
In the distance towered the capital city of the human realm, its streets buzzing with activity just like the cities under the sea. Jisung had never been allowed to walk among men, but oh, how he longed to do so!
Humans and merfolk respected each other, but centuries ago they had drawn boundaries – and since then they'd lived as strangers, like neighbors who never spoke.
Maybe I could change this, he thought, looking dreamily at the city's harbor.
A majestic galleon had just left the port, and Jisung’s gaze couldn't help but be drawn to it. There was no figurehead on the bow, but as the ship glided past him he saw its name painted elegantly along the hull: Destiny.
It felt like a sign.
Jisung found himself swimming after the galleon.
Just then, a barrel fell from the ship, crashing into the water a few feet ahead of him.
“Woah! What–”
Shouts came from the main deck. Jisung swam closer, wanting to hear the commotion. Two men stood near the railing: the blond one with the red bandana and pretty freckles looked composed, while the other – his back turned – looked frantic, almost enraged.
Jisung couldn't make out the entire conversation, but his ears caught certain words: “Captain.” “Don't know.” “Blue Pearl.”
There was only one Blue Pearl they could possibly be talking about – and it was the most closely guarded treasure of the merfolk.
What better way to get revenge over my annoying family than by helping a pirate crew steal from their coffers?
As a third man suggested going to the Scholar's Isle, Jisung sent a splash of water upwards to catch their attention.
“You don't need to go there!” he shouted.
“I know where to find the pearl!”
The man who'd been called Captain slowly turned, revealing a handsome face with delicate features and a pair of deep, expressive eyes that seemed to burn into Jisung’s soul.
Jisung smiled timidly and tentatively raised his hand in greeting as the other two men also leaned over the railing.
For a few interminable moments, the Captain just stared at him, as if assessing him. Then, at last, he said:
“Hoist him up.”
And so the adventure began.