If you take anything away from my OceanHawk nonsense, let if be the knowledge that Shayera introduces herself by way of dropping down from a few stories in the air and saying, “You’re the one who threw all that trash out of the ocean, right? Baller move.”
(Hal in the background, like, “People died, Shayera.”)
After being apprehended, Orm was to be trialled for his crimes. Tensions were still extremely high between the kingdoms, so to ensure his brother’s safety, Arthur asked if Orm could stay with you for a while until things cooled off.
Obviously, Orm didn’t take this well. His distaste was plain as the nose on his face; he’d never liked the surface, and couldn’t pretend to like it. It was nothing like Atlantis.
Arthur sternly warned his brother to ‘behave,’ should he not want to end up in a jail cell underneath the waves; Orm was no idiot, he knew that the chances of him being assassinated were too high to take the risk of returning home, and so he would have to get used to being on land for the time being.
Most of the first few days were spent with him stewing in his own emotions; he was angry - not necessarily at you, but his own actions that led him to where he was now - a commoner, with no title. He wasn’t even welcome in his home. His brother had taken his crown and his fiancée. Everything he once had had unravelled before his eyes.
Being the man that he is, it took him a long while before he began to open up about how he felt. It came in little chunks, as if the walls he had built up around himself had chipped away bit by bit. His Father - from what Orm had said - was an incredibly cruel man, which is probably what made the man standing before you the way he was.
For years, Orm had thought his mother was dead. But then, she reappeared - alive and well - just in time to see her son plucked from the throne. He felt like a disappointment, the product of his Father’s twisted teachings. And he hated it.
It was decidedly best not to ask too many questions; better to not tear open wounds that were slowly trying to heal. The fact that you were listening to him and acknowledging his feelings without judgement was more than enough for him.
The fact that you could hold an intelligent conversation with him piqued his interest; his initial thoughts on land-dwellers were that they were bleak and stupid, like blundering beasts. You being able to prove him wrong was impressive to say the least.
He’d always gravitated to strong individuals, being a man who was no stranger to war. Meek and soft people didn’t typically catch his eye without reason. Judging by the fact his brother had great respect for you, and that you were able to both take and fire back whatever comments were thrown your way, you were his type.
Given that he’s as emotionally available as a sock at the best of times, it took him a long time to accept that he had feelings for you. He was raised to despise Surface-dwellers, but you felt like the exception. His Father’s voice was always present in his head, barking like a rabid dog at the fact that his son was essentially fraternising with the enemy.
Atlantean courtship wasn’t entirely different to how it is on land. However, being a former Royal, his etiquette was incredibly formal. His only experience with courtship in any sense was planned out for him - his engagement to Mera was predetermined before either party was aware that it was happening. And so, he had no idea as to how to go about telling you.
Human technology was a foreign concept entirely to him, so there was no way he could ‘google’ anything. And there was no way he would ask Arthur - he had too much pride for that.
He decided it best to come right out with it. One night you were both sitting on the couch, drinking tea while watching TV. Orm looked deep into your eyes and confessed his feelings, almost blurting it out due to nerves. This was the first time he’d let his guard down fully, and the prospect of being rejected made his stomach twist in knots.
The fact that you reciprocated his feelings lifted his spirits to a degree he didn’t think was possible. In that moment, it didn’t matter that he was no longer a King. He was Orm Marius, and you liked him for who he was.
