Chapter Text
"He'll come back for me," Rhett whispered to himself. It had become a daily mantra after months of waiting for his beloved human. His skin crinkled under the sun. Its hue had become lighter and browner. His tail was barely moveable.
But none of that was of Rhett's concern.
He'd heard the stories plenty of times over the centuries. They'd been used to terrorize merfolk for generations. "Those who lost themselves to the rays of the sun would be lost for eternity."
But Rhett didn't care. He told himself that if he and Link were to come together again, he should wait for him under the sun. He had waited on a tall boulder off the shore of Rockaway Beach, resting on the far side, but still able to see the chocolate sand without being noticed. He had remained there weeks upon weeks upon weeks. Three months had he lied on that rock without much of a couple drops of rain to keep him hydrated.
Three months was all it took before the bright sun seemed to fade. The colors around him all turned to grey. The shapes became shadows until everything had gone black.
No one saw the crinkled merman collapse on the boulder. They enjoyed the beach without a single clue that somewhere beyond those rocks was a mythical creature passed out in anguish.
It wasn't until a week or so later, when Rhett eventually toppled off the rocks and was awakened by the splash of the salty sea. A whistle sang its siren through the skies, and before Rhett knew it, something was pulling him closer to shore.
"Are you okay? Can you hear me?" called a strange voice. Rhett's blurred vision and ringing ears kept him from understanding what was going on. The voice asked again, "Can you nod your head if you can hear me?" Rhett carefully nodded, able to hear a little bit better. He rested on a floating device, letting himself be carried to the beach.
The other beach-goers averted their children's eyes as Rhett was aided to his feet. His bare body quivered at the sudden chill of the air. The lifeguard wrapped a towel around Rhett's waist, and then talked him through every wobbly, uncertain step as a couple beach officers ran over to help.
"Where's your family, son?" an officer asked, holding Rhett up by one of his shoulders. Rhett only shook his head, still dizzy from the commotion.
"You have a name?" another asked, patting Rhett's back gently.
"R... Rhett..."
"Okay, Rhett. We're gonna take you to the office over here. We'll help you."
"Help...?"
The world quickly went black again.