pirate king (pirate!au) ➵ ateez ✔️

little mermaid

"Are you calling me childish?"

"I didn't say anything." Your master shrugs, but you recognise the distinctly teasing glint in your eye. Over his shoulder, you see Seonghwa shake his head at the lack of maturity and decorum of the rest of his crew... and jumps right into the thrashing pile.

"Seonghwa-hyung!" You yelp in shock, but you've already lost him in the mass of flailing limbs and swinging hands.

"Go read your book." San steers you by the shoulders and pushes you in the direction of the sickbay. "Leave the immaturity to me."

You're throw him a look. "You're just as immature as they are, master."

San gasps dramatically at your words, one hand comes up to his chest in a betrayed expression, all with his usual deadpan expression. "How could you? That tongue of yours, Chin Hae."

Then he turns and jumps into the pile as well.

You roll your eyes and make your way to the sickbay, pushing open the door and stepping inside. When the door closes behind you, the shouts and shrieks from the main deck thankfully die down, leaving you in peace and silence.

You make your way over to the door in the back, stepping into the bedroom you share with San. The smell of rosemary and honey fills the air and you wonder what new concoction San is experimenting with this time.

"Probably just wanted an excuse to eat the honey." You mutter to yourself, seating yourself on your bed. The bed opposite yours is unmade, as usual. San didn't want to get up this morning, so you had to bring a bucket to his bedside for him to puke into.

You study the hand drawn rendition of the mermaid on the cover, startlingly lifelike with eyes that one moment seem as blue as a calm sea, but in the next seem to be a choppy grey that reminds you of stormy waves. You rub your eyes a little, wondering whether you've been getting enough sleep. First the old man, then this?

"I must be going crazy." You mutter to yourself, turning the page. There's a small dedication written on it in emerald green ink.

For the Queen of the Seas.

You snort at that. The Queen of the Seas? Who is that? The only person you know with any such title is your captain, who you know is regarded as the Pirate King by the Royal Navy and pirates all over the world. Is there a Pirate Queen now? And why would anyone write a child's storybook for a pirate?

You shake your head and begin reading.

Once upon a time, when the world was first breathed into life by the word of the Creator, it was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the presence of the Creator hovered over the waters.

You frown, checking the title. It says the Little Mermaid, right? This... doesn't really seem like a children's book.

"Let the waters of the world be gathered together, so that the land and seas may be separated." The Creator declared, and from there the waters gathered into one, and dry land was formed. Life was breathed into the world, and the essence of the sea spread throughout the waters, bringing many beings into life.

You are pretty sure this isn't the same children's storybook Yeosang and San were talking about, but you continue reading it anyway.

From the sea foam a mermaid was born, without a name, as all those of the sea came of the same essence. She rose from the sea, and for aeons it was at her beck and call. Over time, many creatures such as the hafgufa were created of the same essence and the oceans were filled with life that flourished for millenia.