[Nicodemus Nylgunir Osael de Oceania]
He was swimming at ludicrous speed, just after escaping a Kingdom he was next in line to rule and leaving his fiance at the alter. Nobody was chasing him, so he wasn't really sure why he was straining himself to go fast, even in the current that was propelling him all the faster. Perhaps he still wanted to illusion of something exhilarating, because honestly, despite the recent chain of events, he was bored, of all things.
His thoughts raced back to the things that had just transpired, and the rate of which they escalated.
It had started years ago, really. When he reached the age that called for arranged marriage. It was easy to dodge at first, Nico simply ignored his suitors and occupied his time with other activities. But in the passing year, his parents, father especially, became more forceful about it. He would be locked in the same room as his suitors, or chaperoned on outings by his parents. He never bothered feigning interest, however, and wasn't hesitant to announce his distaste for each one. Sure, some were not deserving of it, but he simply did not want to be forced into marriage and it had been beginning to get on his nerves.
This only angered his father, but on the upside, he gained support from his older sister. She would agree and side with him, often settling down their father's qualms at the time. But as her duties as Songstress became more demanding, he was left vulnerable once again and events eventually lead up to a suitor actually being chosen and a marriage being arranged. A marriage he was now fleeing from.
His escape was aided by his sister, not that it was that dramatic of an escape. There were no guards or the like waiting to prevent his escape. In reality, his sister had just escorted him to the fringes and gifted him with things he might need, some of which he wasn't even aware of at the time.
His thoughts were uninterrupted as he swam head first into something; another body. It hadn't been there a second prior, but apparently had been swept in by the pull. He halted afterwards, though, dazed slightly by the blow to his head as he observed it. It was a girl, she appeared small and young. She also appeared human and lifeless. As that registered in his mind, he immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest, forcing himself out of the current and towards the surface.
It had only been a matter of seconds, but it felt like an eternity for Nico to reach the top of the water. His eyes searched for an opening to land, and when they found it, his tail kicked him off towards it at even faster speeds than the current was granting him. As he approached it, he practically leaped out of the water and onto the ground, placing the girl on her back as a small body of water formed into a sphere and rose behind him, taking on the form of a companion he had yet to meet.
He gazed at it for a minute, observing it's sleek body before turning his eyes back to the apparently dead girl. He looked her over, unsure of what to do, and his sudden panic was halted only by a voice coming from the sentient form of water.
Tha wedas ail has rilrr, sanuya aid.
He nodded at it, understanding what it had said and pushing the fact that it had used his dead language to the back of his head. He placed his hands above the girls chest and attempted to focus. He then slowly moved his hands to the right, directing the water out of her lungs and back into her throat, before moving them above her head and drawing it out of her mouth. He threw his hands to his side, launching the water back out towards its source and attempting to observe the girl now as panic started to seep into his thoughts again and a pain began to shoot through his body.
He remained sitting up as he clutched at his own chest, starting to feel a lack of oxygen himself. The gills that usually lay situated on his chest shrunk away to nothing, leaving smooth skin in their place, and the markings he had grown to pride in seemed to inch up his arm and chest, crawling out of his own line of sight. He felt a burning in his chest and looked back and forth between the girl and the creature once more.
Aais, rha laanr eais. Ill irrui weld has du raiya, rseld aid du has. Fairhd dhsuirh irruis feail. Yui'rr raiya, eln ru wairr rha.
It's voice strangely soothed him, and he once again followed its advice as the panic and pain seemed to fade. He took a deep breath, of direct air now, into his lungs and, ignoring the pain, leaned down and forced it into the mouth of the girl. He repeated this process four more times before beginning to feel faint himself and his ignorance to the pain diminishing. He began to writhe, turning to lay flat on his back as his tail shrunk in on itself and divided, giving way to legs. The color of his hair and eyes began to change, all the while a searing pain situated its way into every inch of his body.
His vision began to fade, and he took one last look at the creature before everything went black, hearing only the last few words it offered before passing out entirely, leaving him unconscious and nude next to a girl who he wasn't even sure he had been able to save or not, the words echoing through his head before it all went silent.
Id'rr err fa uyas ruul. Rard.
(It'll all be over soon. Rest.)
And rest he did, having drifted off into a slumber that was sure to be interrupted soon enough.