Fantasy: Joined by the Sea

Hi all! I decided to take the AU-gust challenge, using the prompts from AU_gust_2020 on Twitter. Due to this, my other series have taken a backseat for now. Instead, I will be posting here daily (at least I hope so). A couple of these will function for both the AU challenge and for my Lover series. I'll put the links for those specific ones on my bio when they come up.

Unlike my other series, I'm putting these all in one multi-chapter story. These one-shots are going to have very different moods/themes/endings. Some will be happy, others sad, some in between. I'll be putting any information you might need at the beginning of each chapter in case you want to skip it. these are completely non-connected, so you don't need to read all of them.

To avoid confusion, I'm giving each Doctor a name:

Nine: Jason
Ten: James
Eleven: John
Thirteen: Jane

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Ten/Rose

Other Tags: Fantasy AU, Mermaid AU, Human AU, No Dialogue, Interspecies Romance, Minor Character Death, Death From Old Age, Bittersweet Ending

Warnings: Major Character Death

Summary: James had always loved the ocean. Rose had always loved the land. Two people from two different worlds have a chance encounter that reinvents the way that both of them see the world.

Word Count: 1,143

James had always been drawn to the sea. The only son of the village merchant, he always had longed to see distant lands like the traveling traders he grew up knowing. Now a young teenager, almost a man, he stood by the harbor and looked into the sea.

Rose had always been fascinated by humans. The youngest daughter of Poseidon, she was always protected, never allowed to go towards the surface, even if she was escorted by others. Now older, almost grown, she snuck away and went to the surface, looking up at the harbor.

Two people, each interested in what the other had. Both went to where their worlds met, looking into the unknown. Neither expected to see another face on the other side of the water.

They both stared surprised at one another. In the corner of his eye James saw her tail, bright pink and golden yellow. She had to keep herself form staring at his legs, something Rose had only ever heard about in stories. Neither of them did anything until she slowly and cautiously pushed her head above the water. She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly they both hear a conch shell over the water.

James looked around, confused where it could come from since they were at a deserted part of the harbor. Rose, however, recognized it as her father's signal calling her home, magically amplified so she would hear it wherever she was. She had to leave now so he wouldn't know she was this far away. Calling a farewell over her shoulder, she dove towards home. In her rush to leave, she didn't hear the young man shout after her.

They saw each other after that, both by chance and because they looked for each other. But due to the number of people by the shore, they were unable to speak. It was several months before they were both near the pier at the same time. This time, they were able to speak for hours.

They were guarded at first, neither understanding the other. Their conversations were cautious, neither wanting the scare the other away. But slowly, days turned to weeks turned to months. They learned about each other's worlds. They learned about the other's want for more in life. Rose learned about his aspirations of travel to distant lands. James learned about her wanting to leave her father's shadow. As the years passed, they became the other's closest friend and most trusted confidant. None but them knew of their friendship. No one would understand. Rose's people were still a legend to humans. They didn't want to risk losing what they had due to the fear of others.

Then came the night his father almost died, his ship having capsized in a storm. Rose had passed the wreckage by chance and managed to save pull him out of the water. She didn't recognize the man but couldn't let him die when she was in a position to help. Unsure of what to do, she took him to the pier and left him there, staying just long enough to make sure he was found by humans. When James's father told him about the blond woman with a pink and yellow tail, he knew who'd saved his life. He brought his father with him the next time he met Rose, to both of their surprise. She accepted the stuttering man's gratitude, smiling sadly, saying she wished she could've saved more.

More years passed. As James's friends began starting their own families, he realized what he wanted in life. The same happened when Poseidon asked his daughter if she had any suiters in mind. They both knew what they wanted, how the other wanted their friendship to progress, but they didn't dare say it out loud. They came from two different worlds, it would never work.

Yet, when James left that seaside town for the first time in his life, Rose followed alongside his ship. They continued to see each other in secret, usually when James had the night watch. Occasionally she brought messages between James and his father, who she'd become close to. James didn't ask where he father thought she was. He didn't want to know.

Then, one night just like she had for his father, Rose watched terrified as the ship James was on capsized. Without a second thought, she grabbed him and pulled him to the closest land mass, an island. She laid James on the beach and quickly went back to the ship in search of others. To her horror, the ship was completely submerged, and she was unable to find any of the other crew members. She grabbed all the supplies that she could: clothes, some food, and medical supplies.

Miraculously, the medical supplies weren't needed except to patch up a few scrapes. Sitting on a beach, Rose beside him, James came to a decision. A crazy, ridiculous solution to the long-unspoken problem between them. And while Rose wasn't sure at first, he assured her this was what he wanted, as long as she did too. She sent word to her father, and after (finally) meeting James, he begrudgingly gave his approval for her to live this way.

A few days later, James's father received a letter from his son. In it was a warning that he would receive word that his son was dead, but that was not the case. Rose had saved him. However, he'd decided to let himself seem dead to the world. He would spend the rest of his live traveling the world anonymously, calling the island Rose had brought him to his home. Rose had spoken with her father, and although he did not particularly like his daughter's decision, he respected and approved it. The two of them would be cared for and provided with supplies occasionally, but otherwise would be left alone.

They ended up living a very happy life together. Rose swam next to the small boat the James used, waiting in the water by it while he explores a seaside town, usually bringing back something for her. Occasionally some of Rose's people would visit or travel with them, and once James's father shortly before his death, but for the most part the two of them simply enjoyed each other's company.

Unfortunately, due to the differences between them, James passed long before Rose did. As they'd agreed upon, she brought his body to her father's palace and buried him there. She visited his grave often, and out of respect for them both her father allowed her to remain unmarried. While the others around her criticized her actions, Rose didn't care. She may have to live on long after James, but she would always have the memories of their years together to think back on. To her, the happiness was well worth the heartache.

Hello, welcome to Day 1 of AU-gust! I love AU's. If you haven't noticed, the majority of my stories are NOT canon compliant. I'm going to try my best to update daily (in fact I'm writing this on July 6, that's how far ahead I starting planning this). I hope you guys enjoy these. I'm super excited for these.