Once upon a time, there was a kingdom in the northwest corner of the world. This kingdom was beautiful, having mountains and deserts, bays and coves, sea and sky. The mountains reached up to the sky, as if to hold it up above the earth, and the water stretched far below, as if to anchor the surface to the deep. The kingdom was called Skytarin, the Amber Kingdom, and it was beautiful.
Like any kingdom, Skytarin had its rulers; fair and benevolent to their people, King Vincent and Queen Galen. Having not been blessed with many children, they had but one child. He was Prince Kai Smith, the only remaining male heir of his family line, even though his blood could be found in other family trees throughout the world. Having no siblings, Prince Kai was close with the other royals near his kingdom, those being Prince Lloyd of Vanterra, Prince Zane of the Central Commonwealth, and his far-flung cousin, Princess Nya of Kaiyo. The four grew up together, even though they were many miles apart.
However, unbeknownst to the rulers of Skytarin, mankind was not the only intelligent life to be found within their kingdom, though it was the only kind to be under their rule. Despite the growing knowledge mankind possessed about the natural world, the one thing they did not truly understand was magic, and with it, magical creatures. Though few in number and scarce in spread, it was a known fact that there were beings that were created from magic in the ancient times, before man's rise to power.
Off the coasts of Skytarin, the ocean floor had a deep dropoff, dipping into an underwater ravine. The ravine reached into the abyss, where no man had ever been, and within the abyss was darkness, and within the darkness was life. So, too, was magic, in its beautiful and deadly forms. It was only natural that the two would convene, to host beings half-made of magic and half-made of man; a combination of both man and fish, known as mer.
Once upon a time, one of these mer came near the surface for the very first time. Her dark skin, toned slightly red to camouflage with the abyssal deep, had yet been untouched by the sun. Her hair of fire had never once been dried, her amber eyes yet unlit with the knowledge of man. Still a child, the creature took her first peek at the surface world under the embrace of the sunset and the thinnest blanket of water, knowing in her heart of hearts that even desiring to feel the air was disobedience.
The girl's name was Skylor Chen. She did not stay at the surface for long, for fear of punishment from her father. However, whenever she could find a chance, she would swim close to the surface, to watch the sun in its path. She grew and aged, reaching adulthood without yet feeling dryness upon her skin. Even as all other mer felt the air, she found herself unable due to her father– Chen, the Master of the Waters– and of his sorcerer advisor Clouse.
Nevertheless, the mermaid dreamed. One day, she would breach the surface. She would break free of her father and the ocean's embrace, and see the world from a new perspective. She would be independent, no longer a piece of her father's game. The mermaid had hope, which would tide her from one day to the next. However, under her skin, the itch to know of man grew more unbearable every day.
Hello, readers, and welcome to the THIRD TIME POSTING THIS STORY! XD I apologize for yanking y'all around. The first repost was due to me reworking much of the story; this second repost is due to issues with the previous uploaded instance. FFN is not a perfect site, but we love it anyway. Chapters 1-3 will be posted shortly, and I will be working on later chapters as I am able.
Also, a little status update for my followers/author favorites: hello, I love you guys! Sorry for going dark so long! A couple weeks ago I finished my hardest year of school to date, and I am embarking on a cross-country move in three weeks. (For non-Americans, I'm moving several thousand miles/kilometers, across several state borders.) My life is very much up in the air, and I'm balancing it the best I can, but inspiration and time to write have been extremely slim. I'm working on it, though!
Thank y'all for reading. I hope you enjoy this little fairy tale!