The sea shouted with its harsh waves, slapping against the ship on the rough waters. It was a dark night, despite the stars the pricked the sky, and the ocean looked like endless blackness.
Up on the deck of the ship, a young man leaned against the rail, staring down into the water. He was quite a sight, even in the dark.
He had pale skin, eyes so blue they could've been sapphires, dark eyebrows that contrasted with his snowy white hair that stuck up in haphazard spikes. He was tall and lean, about seventeen, and wore a fine cream-colored shirt, brown pants, a tailcoat of royal blue, the buttons silver.
Clothing fit for a prince.
Appropriate, seeing as he was one.
Prince Jack of Overland.
He blew out a wry chuckle and swung his legs over the railing of the deck to sit on the bar there, thinking of how he'd rather be anywhere but here.
Jack wasn't into this political business. If he wasn't the prince, he thought, swinging his pale bare feet, he'd be somewhere having fun. Laughing and jumping and playing with the children in plaza just outside his castle.
But his father, King North, insisted he come along to this meeting, to see how it was done. Because it would be Jack who sat in the king's throne someday.
Despite his dislike for royal affairs, this particular one did interest him.
Mermaids.
The kingdom of Overland was an island nation, and the ocean so familiar to them that it was called Berk;
In the beginning of their kingdom, their first king had been the mighty Overland, and his faithful advisor and brother was Berk. They'd been an unstoppable duo, and were forever honored and revered by their people, who named their flourishing country and vast sea after the siblings.
Anyhow, in their beloved Berk dwelled those sea creatures.
Half human, half fish.
Unbeknownst to Jack's people, the merpeople apparently had their own kingdom that went back centuries, before Overland was even an idea.
Needless to say, they were not happy about Jack's country.
Of course, they'd left the mermaids alone at first, no reason to bother them, when all they were doing was living their scaly little lives.
But then the shipwrecks came. Sailors disappeared, ships sunk, and it became so horrible that no one would even come near the docks, much less the ocean.
As it turns out, mermaids were not friendly creatures.
They were vengeful and wild, and could kill a man with their bare hands. They killed humans on sight. A mermaid would lure a man, a woman, a child, anyone, into the water.
Once there, in their domain, the human had no chance.
The Overlanders had to fight back, obviously, and whenever they saw a merperson, the creature was harpooned, speared, killed, just like that.
Jack and his father were here to meet the king of merpeople, and try a last resort: a truce.
It was a dangerous gamble, but they managed to set it up, and at dawn, Jack would witness either a peace agreement or a declaration of war.
The albino shook his head, despising such sullen thoughts, and glanced down into the sea again.
He saw something there, something wasn't the moon's reflection.
Jack jolted so hard he nearly fell off the railing.
It was a teenage boy.
He floated there, water up to his chest, so Jack could only see him from the shoulders up. Even so, the younger boy was the most glorious thing he'd ever laid eyes on, the prince had no doubt. His bare skin wet and shimmering in the half-moon's light, pale but sprinkled all over with freckles. He was slender, skinny, and his collarbone was visible even from this distance.
His hair was damp and stuck to his face, dangling in his eyes in a curtain of water-darkened brown. The most beautiful green eyes flickered with wonder and fear at the sight of Jack.
The prince leaned further over to have a better look, hands tightening, knuckles paling, lest he fall.
The stranger in the water faltered a smidgeon.
"Don't be scared," Jack urged softly, reaching a hand out unconsciously, blue eyes gentle, "Believe me, I'm not gonna to hurt you."
The other boy's mouth opened slightly in awe and he swam forward, skinny freckled arms slicing slowly through the water, until he was within inches of the ship.
"My name's Jack," the white-haired teen announced, a grin stretching across his face as he peered down.
The freckled face regarded him curiously, still in a state of shock it seemed, "I'm Hiccup." He said up to Jack, a crooked smile lighting up his face.
"Very nice to meet you, Hiccup," the blue-eyed one grinned roguishly, playful charm to his words.
Freckled cheeks flushed just a tad, "Y-you're... You're human," Hiccup murmured, eying his dangling legs.
Jack was taken aback, "Yes. I am. You're not?"
The realization hit him like a mallet. That boy was a—
"Jack! Get down from there!" The hearty voice of his father called.
The merman below gasped, muttering, "Uh oh," his eyes darting around, panicked. He seemed unsure what to do, limbs flailing anxiously, and oddly Jack didn't want him to go.
"Jack, why aren't you in bed?" North asked, ambling closer as the prince hopped back onto the deck.
Hiccup seemed to make up his mind then, a hand splashing up to awkwardly to wave goodbye.
Jack waved his pale hand as well, flashing him a smirk for good measure. The merman grinned a toothy smile back, then he turned and dove, a green tail the last thing Jack saw.
He turned back to the king, a smile playing on his lips, "Sorry, North. I had a nightmare, just came up for some air."
He paid no mind to his fib, nor his father's light scolding about proper rest, there was only one thing that kept repeating in his head.
He waved at me.