Chapter Text
The waves were roaring that day. The day they met.
The ocean was enraged. The clouds were bursting with thunderstorms, rattling the sky. But it was a beautiful sight regardless. It seemed like the ocean was reflecting what was going inside Leandro's heart. He was in anguish. Desparate. For what exactly? he didn't know.
But he knew one thing. There's something in the ocean that calls out to him. Lures him in. And he's helpless to the lure of the waves.
Prince Leandro is a little different from other royalties. In the fact that he does not have royal blood. That's right. A year ago, he was found lying unconscious on the sea shore by a servant. The island's King and Queen were desperate for a successor, considering they had no children of their own.
So they adopted him. And named him Leandro. The prince proved to be a ray of sunshine in their lives.
His beautiful smile and charming personality won their hearts easily.
Some court members had their prejudice, disliking the mere fact that the "prince" did not have royal blood in his veins. But Leandro never let it get to him.
He ignored everyone who raised a question on his origin. His parents liked him and that's all that mattered. He's perfectly content being the prince.
Except.
He doesn't know what happened.
He has no recollection of his life before the incident. Before he was found washed up on the shore.
And it bothers him sometimes. He has spent a million nights sleepless. The thoughts of his life and origin plaguing him. Making him restless. He often feels like he's missing something.
Or someone maybe.
Sometimes, he dreams about his previous life. A phantom touch on his cheek, amethyst eyes looking into his soul and then. Every single time. It feels like he can't breathe. His lungs protest and his throat burns. He's drowning, trying to find the surface for even a drop of oxygen, but fails miserably. He keeps fighting the pull of water until he wakes up in a sweat.
On those dreadful nights, he sneaks out of his bed chambers and strolls by the ocean.
It's odd. The ocean is a huge part of his nightmares but he feels no agitation when he's near it. It's the complete opposite. What a bizzare situation to be in. Loving something that you dread in your dreams. The splash of the waves soothe him.
He often finds himself staring off in the distance.
Hypnotised.
The wind is chilly during night time. But it doesn't bother him, rather, he welcomes the cold. It takes his mind off of the nightmares.
The stars reflecting in the water create a scenery that takes his breath away each time. Sometimes, he sits by the waves, simply enjoying the peace. Sometimes, he takes a dip into the water. Swimming mindlessly along the waves until his legs start to protest. He floats on the cold sea water and looks up at the starry night sky. The feeling is so familiar yet foreign. The water gently sways him, and he almost falls asleep there. Almost.
The ocean breeze pulls him in like a magnet. He wonders what's out there. What kind of creatures live there. How much deeper can the ocean get? How terrifying. How exciting.
One fateful night, when the dreams plague him again, he sneaks out as usual. Following a mindless routine, he sits by the shore. His toes digging into the cool sand, soothing his mind. When he sees something sparkling in the waves. Like a star just fell from the sky and is now carried by the waves towards him. His curiosity takes over and soon he's getting rid of his clothes. He cautiously makes his way towards the mysterious object. The waves reaching up to his chest, making him shiver slightly.
As he gets closer and closer, the sparkling object takes the shape of a glass bottle. He picks it out of the waves, and finds that the bottle is screwed shut by a cork. And inside is a sizable palm leaf rolled and tied by a thin vine. He takes out the cork with a pop. When he unfolds the leaf, he finds that there are scratch marks on it, weird looking symbols carved into the surface. It looks like the symbols have a meaning. Like it's a language that he doesn't understand.
But the more he stares at it, the more he gets the feeling that he should know what it means. He keeps staring at the symbols for a long time, but when his brain refuses to give him the answers he's looking for, he sighs. Closes the bottle back and makes his way back to the shore. He takes it to his sleep chambers and stores the bottle carefully in an old trunk.
He'll figure out what the markings mean eventually.
