Vaelor had been fixing the fish trap he had come up with to help catch a large number of fish at once. He had no idea if his masterpiece was actually a masterpiece at all, so he was trying to secure the rope of the net against the side of their boat when his own foot became caught in it as he threw it into the water. Before he fully understood what was happening, he was pulled straight into the water.
As he tried to swim back to the surface, the trap and net, anchored by a heavy rock, continued dragging him steadily downward instead of allowing him to rise. He cursed himself for not being more careful. It looked like he was going to drown in the very water he knew how to swim in.
As Vaelor struggled to free himself, that was when the mermaid appeared, cutting through the water beside him with startling speed. Before he could even register what was happening or what she was, she sliced through the rope with one sharp fin, freeing him and smoothly pulling him back toward the surface.
