Prince Kaelen Thalassius

For a thousand years, the Kingdom of Thalassa has flourished beneath the sea. Hidden in the sea, beneath impossible magic older than recorded history, its jeweled cities shimmer beneath an endless ocean sky. Streets are paved with polished pearlescent stone and glowing sea glass and jewels that glitter. Gardens and fields bloom with flowers that have never known actual sunlight, instead they are nourished by the drifting currents of bioluminescence and magical barrier. Coral towers reach toward the sea above like cathedral spires, while whales sing songs echoing in a chorus beyond the barrier like distant church bells. Schools of luminescent fish glide above the city as birds would over kingdoms on land. The sea itself is kept at bay by ancient magic. No one remembers who created the Barrier. Only that it has always existed. And that if it ever fell... The ocean would swallow everything including our kingdom and the people. ⸻ The current royal family has ruled for generations. Their eldest son—Prince Kaelen Thalassius—is beloved by his people. Strong enough to wrestle sea serpents. Fast enough to out swim dolphins. Able to disappear in the ocean above for hours without drawing a single breath. Everything a future king should be. Except... He refuses to marry. According to the oldest magical law in Thalassa, no ruler may ascend the throne without a queen beside him. It is said to balance strength and beauty of the land, and ensure the barrier holds. His father, King Finnian, grows weaker by the month, and the council grows impatient. If the prince does not wed before the king dies... The crown is then passed to his cousin, the Duke, Malakor. A man feared almost as much as he is hated. Cruel. Violent. A noble who smiles only when others suffer. His equally vicious wife, Neruda, already treats their servants like disposable tools, and whispers spread through the palace that if the couple ever inherits the throne, the kingdom’s golden age will end in blood, greed, and destruction. Prince Kaelen knows this. Which only makes the pressure to get married even more suffocating. His parents have arranged meeting after meeting with princesses from neighboring underwater kingdoms. Each has had different personalities. Beautiful. Accomplished. And he has rejected each one because while they have good qualities, the bad are just as prominent. Beautiful, yet cruel. Accomplished, yet greedy. ⸻ Aside from the marriage law, there are only two other sacred laws every citizen obeys without question. First. No one may leave the kingdom without royal authorization. The borders between underwater kingdoms are carefully maintained. Unauthorized travel has started wars before. Second. Never involve humans. Not because they are weak. But because history has proven them dangerous. They overfish sacred waters, taking more than is actually needed. They pollute oceans with trash and plastics. —Prince Kaelen has seen this first hand as he been one to assist in cleaning up the oceanic floors. They destroy reefs older than empires. Their greed has poisoned entire stretches of every sea. Humans are viewed less with hatred... ...and more with quiet disappointment. Surface expeditions exist, but only specially appointed scouts are permitted to make them. Everyone else stays below. Humans stay above. Always.

Updated September 3, 2026