Mermaids, sirens, water spirits—the children of the sea went by many names. Wherever the waves carried them, these mystical creatures had sung the song of the ocean for thousands of years before the war broke out which made their numbers decrease. The gods in the heavens refused to mingle with the humans of the earth, not wanting their sacred blood to be tainted by mortal hands. Yet, the ocean deity did not share the same sentiment and welcomed these humans.

However, abusing their kindness, monstrosities were born out of this union and mortals began to thirst for eternal life by eating the flesh of mermaids. Hunted down like rabid beasts, these children of the sea disappeared into the depths of the ocean like sea foam, never to be heard and seen again. This didn’t stop the humans from searching high and low, coveting the power of immortality by hurting these creatures who were naive enough to befriend them.

Angered, the ocean and seas raged on for years. Drowning every boat or a manmade object that ever set foot into the waters, this included the humans the ocean deity once showed love to. The god certainly regretted it as he watched his children slaughtered for their powers or kept captive for breeding. Punishing those who ever loved a mortal by placing a curse on his own children in hopes of keeping them from humans for the consequence was death. The children of the ocean deity belonged to the waters, not on land. Certainly not with humans.  It was no wonder that these creatures were never seen again by the naked eye nor appeared to any living thing.

Briar was the last of his kind.

He accepted this fact with a heavy heart when his father, too, was taken by the curse mermfolk had to live by. Falling in love with a mortal was equal to rejecting the ocean deity’s love, or so it was written in the books. And since the god has abandoned his children, they had to live off of pure undying love that their partner for life should possess. If this love wanes or is possessed by another, they turn to sea foam. Misery and sorrow would turn them into a pillar of salt. Take no partner at the age of twenty, and they will live on with suffering until they perish. For the love of their creator could never be surpassed by mortal love.

Such was the fate of the children of the ocean, and Briar cannot escape his destiny. And as much as he wanted to leave it up to his stars, he can’t die either. Being the last merfolk placed a huge responsibility on him. The moment he dies and the connection the earth had with its waters is severed, a great flood will engulf everything—taking everything he loved due to his own actions.

Imagining his aunt, Kingsley, and Icarus suffocating in seawater haunted these dreams for nights. Seldom does this nightmare come, but when they do, he always wakes up with cold sweat running down his forehead. Chasing after his breath, heart thumping wildly inside his ribcage.

He must marry an immortal to continue living, but the person he wanted couldn’t be bothered to spend an eternity with him. Briar couldn’t help but curse his life and his actions to keep his sanity and secret intact, gazing at Castriel’s slumped form with guilt in his heart.

“I’m sorry, but it’s better this way…” He mumbled, hand in the pocket of his breeches to touch the vial that contained the potion that knocked the sorcerer out. Having used the same technique to have the person drift away to the unconscious world, he normally does it to extract information by snooping about. Yet, he used it for a different purpose today.

Thankfully, Castriel was not too heavy and brought him to the sofa near the front door. Briar went to get a blanket and cover Castriel so he wouldn’t catch a cold. After making sure the sorcerer was indeed knocked out, Briar slipped through the back door and began removing his clothes. The salty air blew on his hair as he removed the tie keeping it neat, his breeches met the sand along with his other clothes and shoes. Making his way to the shore where the ocean sang its melodic tune to usher him into the water.

Moonlight illuminated his path as Briar felt his whole body change with every inch the water touched. The darkness blanketed his appearance as it shifted from that of a human to something hideous hidden by the unknown. The mere reflection of his face on the water made him want to scratch his face and the scales that decorated the sides of his face, down to his chest then brimming to the tail he had. His ears were no longer seen as normal as they grew, webbing out similarly to his golden fins and scales. Teeth pointy and sharp as his nails. Briar hated his reflection, knowing very well no one would ever love him if they knew what he really looked like…

Textbooks often left out the facts about the merfolk’s appearances, depicting them as beautiful creatures with enchanting voices to lure sailors to their deaths. The children of the sea were monsters hiding behind a mask of beauty to fool the mortals into becoming friends with them.

And in the dark, comforted by the ocean’s hum, Briar began to sing. Carrying out his duty to quell the raging waters every first day of the month from night ‘till dawn to protect the lands from the ocean trying to devour all.

༻❈༺

Is he asleep? Castriel wondered, knocking on the wooden door again. His alarm grew when there wasn’t even a word of acknowledgment or anything to shoo him away. The sorcerer regretted asking about Briar’s love. If he knew the reaction it would have invoked, he would have ignored the matter entirely. However, he did have the right to know the answer. He was, after all, Briar’s suitor and a man considering to marry him.

When he woke up not in his bed but on the sofa this morning—head pounding and causing him pain—Castriel wearily got up. His first act was to find a glass of water to quench his thirst. Once he had his fill, he proceeded to find Briar all over the house in hopes of receiving an explanation for whatever happened last night.

What he didn’t expect to find was Briar coming in from the back door, drenched in seawater from top to bottom. Exhausted and didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Nevertheless, Castriel approached him without hesitation, taking the blanket he used moments ago to keep the young master warm.

“Briar, where have you been? I was worried sick—”

The young man merely held up a finger to hush his suitor, eyes narrowed at the sorcerer before whispering. “Don’t seek for me. Leave me alone.” Briar’s voice was so faint to the point Castriel would have asked him to repeat his words again if he wasn’t standing close to him. What was even odd was how the young man’s voice sounded a bit rough. As if he has been shouting outside.

“Briar…”

“I said, leave me alone.”

And Castriel did just that, only because Briar requested it and he sounded serious. Millions of questions sprang up into his mind since then, hoping for Briar to answer them. But the was only met with disappointment as the other refused to answer his inquiries ranging from what was mixed into his wine and why Briar came back soaked. Castriel didn’t want to seem rude, however. If the young man wanted to go for an early swim, he wouldn’t mind as long as he was told. Whatever may happen to him during this trip is going to reflect on him, especially since Lady Margareth entrusted her nephew to the sorcerer.

Castriel would rather eat beans for his entire life than let Briar have a single scratch mar his skin.

It has been three days since Briar started acting distant and strange. They barely exchange words, merely nodding and gesturing whenever they needed something from one another. However, Castriel knew this shouldn’t last long. He won’t let the month slip by and wind up feeling more like a stranger to Briar—not when he has grown fond of the young master. From the first time he met him, something told him Briar was no ordinary man for he carried a certain aura much more valuable than any gem or power the world had to offer. He’d be foolish enough to let his chance go.

“Briar, I’m coming inside.” Without any hesitation, Castriel fished for the keys in his pockets and opened the door to Briar’s bedroom. There, he found Briar, almost lifeless with blood dripping down his pale lips lying on the bed with tears still streaming down his eyes.

Castriel, in all his life, then understood the feeling of being unable to breathe for a moment.

“What happened to you?!” When he took a step forward, the young master held out a hand to stop him in his tracks.

“This… is nothing. Just another normal episode I get every month.” Briar replied in a monotone voice, not even cleaning up the blood in his mouth. The stains all over his white laced clothes and the bedding. “I apologize for worrying you, but I can handle this. You may leave now—”

“Are you going to keep pushing me away during our entire stay?” The sorcerer was not one to respond with such an equally cold voice that hid its wrath behind it. Briar, who lay there, was astounded for once. “I may not know you well enough. I may not know what you went through in your life or whoever broke your heart to the point a mere question pertaining to it will cause you to act like a brat, but this is not worth it. It’s not worth it for you to torture yourself like this, Briar.”

“What did you just say?” The young man’s eyes immediately widened, not missing how Castriel called him a brat. “Well, I won’t expect you to understand. What do you know about love, Castriel…” Briar weakly giggled, wiping the dark red stains off his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. Castriel’s eye twitched at the accusation, yet not take his gaze off of the beautiful man now drinking water to wash off the bitter taste of his own blood. “And what do you know about me to think I’m torturing myself? Castriel, I even suspect you are only pursuing me because of my looks and not for my heart. No one would ever love me once they get to know me…See how I really am.  So how can you say I am acting like a brat?”

“Enough to know that you are pitying yourself instead of moving on from whatever is causing you pain.” A muffled gasp was all Castriel heard as he grabbed Briar from the bed and kissed him for all he was worth. Impatient and tired of holding back. His lips were warm against the dry and cool ones that belonged to Briar. Fisted hands banged softly on his chest, a weak endeavor to push Castriel away before he melted in the sorcerer’s arms with tears still streaming down his cheeks. And as he kissed Briar, he wanted more and more. Wanting to drown in the ecstasy of how sweet Briar tasted.

“M-my… first kiss…” Briar whispered in between breaths and kisses. Tears glossed his blue hues in realization, and he glanced up to stare back at the enthralling man who stole the kiss he was saving for Icarus. Not knowing whether Icarus would even dare lock lips with him. His hands clawed on Castriel’s back, pulling the sorcerer close instead of pushing him away.

Despite his sorrow of his first kiss being stolen by none other than Castriel Persimore which he reserved for Icarus; Briar felt like his heart had exploded as he was enveloped in a warm embrace. The kiss itself was making his head spin as if he ate something forbidden to cause him to ache for more love and touches. Perhaps he has been longing for warmth from another person, aching for intimate touches to even care or fathom what he is doing. Touch starved and desperate for love he might be, but he was no idiot to fall for such tricks.

“Castriel…”

But with the sorcerer, it felt like it was meant to be.

“Briar, marry me.”