To my dear Syrena.
Helloooo lovelies! :) I know, I know I still have some other thins I should continue writing but I couldn't ignore my urge to write this Young!Elendil x MermaidxOC One-Shot. I literally dreamed about it and hat to take the chance while my creativity level is still high! But before I talk to much: I hope you enjoy this little tale. :) I changed some bits especially regarding his children but this is more about the story rather than logic *cough*. I've got inspired by the song "Syrena" by Kiki Rockwell (you should definitely listen to it!).
TO MY DEAR SYRENA 🐚
Pairing: Young!Elendil x Mermaid!OC
Summary: Elendil only has one thing on his mind: His duty and the beauty of the ocean. One day, while he is out for a walk he encounters a creature, that will change him forever. A love so sweet and bitter.
Warnings: Perhaps a bit angsty to some!
Song: Syrena - Kiki Rockwell
Tie me up, strike me down
To my dear Syrena, damned my soul be bound.
It was a perfect morning – the kind where the air smelled of salt and the sky stretched endless and blue. The sea was restless and wild, still trying to calm down after a stormy night. Elendil enjoyed these mornings after a rough night, it helps to clear his mind and soul. The cool breeze tugged at his hair, and the sound of waves crashing against the sand soothed the weight of his worries. Command and duty were heavy burdens, but here, on the beach with only him and the ocean in front of him, he could find peace.
Yet, that peace was broken by an unusual sight.
A figure, half-buried in the wet sand, lay motionless on the shore, the waves crashing against the lifeless person. Elendil’s heart raced faster as he approached, unsure of what he was seeing. “A woman!” He gasped but as soon as he stepped next to her, his breath catched in his throat. Her golden hair was wet, spreading down her upper body. Her face was as if the Valar themselves carved it. But what truly caught his attention was the tail that was attached to her body. Where legs should have been, shimmering scales caught the sunlight, leading down to a tail curled beside her, water still dripping from its silvery fins. He had heard the legends, whispers among sailors of creatures who lived beneath the waves, their voices a siren song to men.
But no tale had prepared him for this.
“A mermaid,” Elendil breathed, incredulous. For a moment, he simply stood there, frozen, disbelief holding him in place. But as he watched her, her eyes closed, something within him moved him forward. Perhaps compassion? Or did her sight already lure him into his wet grave? He kneeled beside her, gently brushing her golden hair away from her face. She was clearly exhausted. Her breathing was shallow, and her eyelids fluttered as if caught between waking and sleep. The storm from the previous night must have swept her ashore, separating her from her world under the oceans surface.
“Are … you alright?” he asked quietly, his voice catching in the sea breeze. His hand hovered near her shoulder, unsure if he should touch her.
"Where ... am I?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. When she opened her eyes, it seemed like she was staring into Elendil's very soul. They were a piercing blue, the colour of the ocean where it is the deepest. They locked with his, and for a brief second, he felt like he was being pulled into the sea itself.
“You’re on the shores of Numenor.” He replied, his tone gentle as he tried to keep his nerves down. “I found you after the storm. What happened to you?”
Her brow furrowed as she looked at the sea as if searching for something. “I … there was a storm, yes,” she said slowly. “The currents were too strong. I was caught in them and I couldn’t find my way back. I was so tired that I needed to rest.” Her voice was melodic like the hum of a lullaby carried on the wind.
“You are safe to rest here,” Elendil assured her, feeling an unexpected protectiveness rise within him. “But you should return to the sea as soon as possible.”
“Not yet,” she murmured, their eyes meeting again. “I want to stay a little longer. I have never seen the world of men up close.”
Elendil hesitated, sensing a curiosity in her that mirrored his own. He had seen many strange things in his life, but none so wondrous as this. Against his better judgment, he sat beside her on the sand, letting the waves crush against his feet.
“My name is Elendil,” he said after a moment, watching her carefully. “What’s yours?”
“Syrena.”, she answered softly, her name rolling off her tongue like the waves around them. The name echoed in his mind as if he had heard it in some forgotten dream. “I have watched men from the ocean before. But I have never spoken to one.”
“You’ve watched us?” Elendil asked, smiling slightly despite the strangeness of the situation.
Syrena nodded, a bright smile on her lips. “You live such … fascinating lives. So many things I don’t understand. I’ve always wanted to know more.”
“And your world is not fascinating?”
“The ocean is beautiful, but it is endless,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness. “It can be lonely, even for one such as I.”
Their conversation flowed naturally as if the storm and the strange circumstance of their meeting had broken through all barriers. Syrena asked him questions about Numenor, about its people, its cities, its customs. Elendil answered patiently, finding her wonder for his world endearing and contagious. He, in turn, asked about the sea – its mysteries, the places only she had seen. And as the sun lowered, casting golden light across the horizon, they found themselves lost in each other’s company.
Before the tide rose too high, Elendil helped her back into the water. "Will I see you again?" he asked, the question slipping out before he could stop it.
Syrena smiled softly. "Perhaps," she said, her eyes twinkling like stars on the water. "If you come back to the shore... I’ll be close by."
Over the next few days, when Elendil returned to the beach, Syrena would be there waiting for him. As if an invisible string pulled them to each other.
He found himself drawn to her more with each passing day. There was something captivating about her—a wildness, a freedom that called to a part of him he hadn’t known was within him. And in return, she seemed fascinated by him, by the world of men, by his stories of Númenor. By the man who was sitting next to her.
One night, weeks after their first meeting, Elendil strolled down the beach as he always did, expecting to find Syrena waiting for him. Instead, his heart dropped at the sight before him. She was lying in the sand, but this time, something was different. Syrena was no longer a mermaid – she was a woman. Her tail had vanished, replacing long, slender legs. She lay unconscious, the moonlight hovering over her naked body. Panic gripped Elendil’s chest. He rushed to her side, kneeling beside her as he shook her gently. “Syrena?” he whispered, shaking her gently. “Syrena, wake up!”
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. Confusion filled them, but when she looked down at herself, a gasp escaped her lips. "Elendil..." she whispered, her hand trembling as it reached toward him. "I—what happened?"
Elendil looked at her, overwhelmed by this situation. “I don’t know. Your legs … how is this possible?”
A tear slipped down her cheek as she smiled, eyes glancing up at the moon, remembering what she had whispered yesterday. “I wished for this,” she said softly. “I wanted to be with you, Elendil. To walk among your people, to see your world as you do. I prayed to the moon … and it must have heard my prayers.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Elendil felt his heart swell with emotions he could barely contain. She had wished for this—for him. Carefully, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close.
“You’re here,” he whispered into her hair. “And that’s all that matters.”
After that night, their love blossomed and the two of them shared a happiness that Elendil had never thought possible. By his side, she explored Numenor, her fascination with the human world growing even stronger. She learned the ways of his people, how they behaved and spoke and also how precious the warmth of human touch felt like.
They spent their days in laughter, their nights under the stars. Elendil found himself in love—truly, deeply, for the first time. He would watch her dance in the moonlight, her movements fluid and graceful, like the tides themselves. She was everything he had ever longed for but never known.
“Teach me how to love,” she had once whispered to him, lying beside him as they watched the stars. “Teach me to love like a human.”
He kissed her then, a gentle promise on his lips. “You already know.” he had replied, their fingers intertwined.
For a while, it seemed they had found their happiness. For years even. They loved each other passionately, married like it is custom amongst humans and Syrena even gave birth to two wonderful children.
But even in the joy, Elendil sensed something lingering, a quiet sadness in Syrena’s eyes that she tried to hide.
The change was subtle at first. Syrena’s laughter grew quieter, and her gazes out to sea grew longer. At night, Elendil would wake to find her standing at the shore, staring into the distance as if listening for something only she could hear.
And one night, it all became too much.
Elendil awoke alone, the sheets cold beside him. His heart raced, and without thinking, he rushed to the beach, his worst fear clawing at his mind. There, standing in the shallow waves, was Syrena, her feet in the water, her eyes filled with tears.
“Syrena?” he called, his voice breaking as he approached her.
She turned to him, her gaze heavy with sorrow. “I’m sorry, Elendil” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I thought I could stay. I thought I could belong here... with you. But I will always be of the sea.”
His throat tightened. “You do belong here, with me,” he said, stepping closer. “We’ve built a life together.”
She shook her head, tears falling freely now. “I will always love you, Elendil.”
“Syrena, please –“ Tears ran down his face while his heart slowly shattered inside his chest.
He reached for her, desperation in his heart, but she stepped back into the waves. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again, her voice almost lost in the wind.
And before he could stop her, Syrena disappeared beneath the water, leaving nothing behind but the sound of the ocean and a man whose heart died a tragic death.
She never returned. The days stretched into weeks, then months, but the sea remained silent. Every day, Elendil walked the beach, hoping for a glimpse of her golden hair, a shimmer of silver scales, but she was gone.
All that remained was the memory of her touch, her laughter, and the love they had shared.
And though the ocean had claimed her once more, Elendil knew he would always be bound to her, his soul forever tied to the woman who had captured his heart and vanished with the sea.
Drink my blood, break my bones
This grave will fit me better than your landlocked home. THE END. Authors Note: I am still thinking of writing a part two where Elendil is older, his children are adults, and meets Syrena again. Just let me know if you would be interested in a more happier ending. :D