Mermaid Pirate Dispatch

The absurdity of her demand temporarily stunned my brain. I stared at her and slouched. The tip of my sword rested on the porous volcanic stone that made up the floor of the great hall. My lips were parted, ready to speak, but what could I say?

“We haven’t got all day. If I’m not married by sundown…” She shuddered. Her green eyes glowed softly in the flames of the candles that adorned the altar.

I managed to laugh, briefly. “Look,” I began. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I…”

“You slaughtered all of the worthy suitors in my kingdom!” Her powerful voice rang out as clear as a bell, echoing off the harsh basalt walls, but the effort took a visible toll. “I need to…” she choked and faltered. Her knees buckled and she caught herself on the edge of the thick stone altar.

“I came to destroy you,” I said, lifting my sword. I began to stride toward her.

“If you don’t marry me, you won’t ever be able to defeat me.” She sounded weaker and she was trembling, her voice shaking.

I stopped at the base of a few steps that led up to the platform where she stood. Something about her shaking form caught my eye. She wore a slender dress that highlighted all of her best curves. I had never considered that the ruler of the demon kingdom could be… beautiful. But here she was, candles casting twinkling stars into her glistening hair as black as night. Her green eyes holding my gaze as firmly as the earth held my armor-clad feet. She was frail and soft, and despite all that I had heard of her from my own king, the longer I beheld her the more my heart was filled with sweetness.

“Please,” she urged, gripping the edge of the altar with white knuckles. Her voice was lowered in tone and volume.

I questioned every bit of my reality. Was this an act, a trick? If I approached would she suddenly reveal herself to be strong before smiting me down and crushing me? Or was she sincere?

“I haven’t got much time,” she insisted. Her voice was wavering and cracking. If it was an act, it was a good one.

I hesitated and peered at her. “What happens if I refuse? What if I strike you down now where you stand?”

She shook her head and laughed. It was a menacing laugh, laced with a mix of sadness and indignation. “Then you die along with everyone you ever loved. Your kingdom falls and the entire world is thrust into a thousand years of darkness, pain, and suffering.”

I took a step up the stairs onto the platform on which she stood with the altar and studied her face. Her head was hanging from her shoulders as though she carried a great burden on her back, but she looked up at me and I saw that the green light was fading from her eyes. A black shadow was drawing across the whites of her eyes like curtains blotting out the sun. “I don’t understand,” I said. “You seem weak. If I thrust my sword through your heart, surely you will die.”

She closed her eyes and let her countenance fall. “Soon you will know the gravity of your folley hero, but I swear to you the only way to defeat me is to marry me.” She looked up at me without lifting her head. Her long black hair was draped dramatically around her face. “For centuries my family has kept a great evil at bay. It lives inside me and can only be contained if I am a willing bride to a strong husband. This has traditionally been an archdemon warrior, but today it must be you. If you do not do this thing, I will transform into an unstoppable force…” Her knees failed again and this time she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

I instinctively rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm, hoisting her back onto her feet.

She collapsed into my arms and looked into my stunned eyes smiling weakly. “You are a powerful warrior, and I willingly submit to you. Marry me and help me contain this great evil yet a while longer.” Her voice was weak and hoarse. The darkness was spreading into her pupils, nearly snuffing out the eerie green glow. “Please.” She gestured toward the tokens of marriage on the altar with a nod of her head.

I knew little about demon culture. Growing up I had always been taught that they were savages with no art, no culture, and no beauty. But storming their strongholds I had found evidence of art and culture. I had interrupted weddings, set fire to their tapestries, and crashed their celebrations. And now, holding their queen in my arms, I knew that they had beauty and power such as man had never known.

“OK,” I managed breathlessly. “Tell me what to do.”

[Reddit Post][Part 2]