Steve opened his eyes and above him was a pale man with long curly hair. It fell like buoyant curtains of ringlets from either side of his head, obscuring their surroundings. The man frowned down at him with a fierceness that made Steve think for a second they had met in a tavern one night and Steve had done something to slight him.
Steve opened his mouth to speak and felt a sharp edge be pushed harder onto his throat. Steve's vocal cords froze. Whatever he did, it was really bad. Steve runs through a quick memory catalogue of all the men he's slighted recently and how, so he could know what to start apologizing profusely for.
Did he sleep with his woman? Did he sleep with his man? Did he win too much money from him? Did he lose too much money to him? None of those seemed right.
He considered briefly that he perhaps slept with the man himself but quickly dismissed the idea. If he had bedded anyone with hair like that and this passionate a disposition, he would not need to search for the memory.
He looked closer at his features. Hair so long it could easily be a maidens, and so dark it was almost blue. Thick, furrowed brows and lips thin and white, pressed tight together, sandwiched by dimpled cheeks. His skin was pale enough to look sickly and almost green in hue. Steve definitely would have remembered this face had he seen it before.
"You are awake" said the man.
His voice dragged like wood over coarse sand: like he wasn't used to speaking outloud. Steve got a glimpse of his teeth, Sharp and thin, unlike any other human teeth he had ever seen.
A chill ran down Steve's spine as he realized why.
This is no man; this is a Merrow!
Steve's mother had told him tales of these creatures.
When Steve answered the call to the sea, his mother warned him; beware of the sea maidens they may seem beautiful on the shore, but when they lure you to their home you see their true colors. Green skin and scaley behinds. Teeth sharp enough to tear through flesh, and claws the same.
The men are said to be even uglier, with the faces of hogs and catfish, and they drag sailors down to their dens to enslave them for eternity.
Steve has always been cautious about these monsters; avoiding the bright red cap that was the telltale sign of a merrow. The others on the ship have always ridiculed him for it, and now here he is in one of theirs's clutches.
and it's not... unattractive. Strangely.
"Speak" The merrow demanded
"Please let me go" Steve spoke, his voice breaking embarrassingly.
"Go where" the merrows eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Back to my ship."
"You will attack me."
"No, I won't I promise. I'm a peaceful man, very peaceful. Couldn't hurt a fly, me. Wouldn't even know where to start."
The jagged thing at Steve's neck pressed into his skin a little harder, Steve tried to lift his chin as far as it could go to get away, but he felt a small sting as the device broke his skin.
"All men lie."
"I'm not lying, I would never lie" Steve lied.
While far from the swashbuckling type, he has never shied away from a fight, especially when it comes to protecting his fellow crewmates. He's only been on the ship a few years, but he has improved his fighting form considerably from the naive nobleman's son he once was.
While he's not going to say it out loud, he probably would attack the thing, if given the opportunity.
The merrow didn't respond, just bored dark pools of black into Steve's soul. Steve silently pleaded back with his own eyes, just wanting to get out of this situation alive.
"Release me, I beg of you. I will cause you no trouble."
"I do not believe you, you will leave this place and call fleets of your men here to hunt me down." The merrow said panic evident in his voice now.
Steve's own panic subsided for a moment and he realized this creature did not seek to kill him for pleasure, but to avoid being killed itself.
Steve took a chance and lifted his hand to touch the pale arm that held the merrow aloft above him in a gesture he hoped conveyed comfort. He did so slowly, as not to startle, and gently so the merrow knew he had no intention to harm. The merrow eyed him wildly and with fear, but it allowed itself to be touched.
It's skin was cool to the touch and droplets fell from its skin as Steve wrapped his hand around its wiry forearm.
Steve tried to reach for his signature charm, the one his father swears he learned from him.
"I promise, I mean you no harm. I have no fleets of men. Half my fellows are so foolish they could not hunt down their own behinds" Steve said.
The merrow stared at him, eyes shifting about, looking him up and down for any hint of deception.
"I will not hurt or attack you, please just remove this device from my neck."
The Merrow seemed to steal it's resolve for a moment. then slowly the pressure was removed from Steve's neck. and the merrow slunk into water.
Steve sat up on the rocky shore. Without the creature's hair blocking out their surroundings, Steve saw he was in some sort of watery cave. Dark grey walls surrounded him as far as he could see, and a vast black lake stretched out in front of him. If only Steve could remember how he got here.
He looked back at the creature and saw the object that had been held to his neck was a jagged, broken shell that hadn't yet been worn smooth by the ocean. The merrow still held it nervously as it bobbed in the water at Steve's feet.
Even with half of it's body submerged, the merrow was nearly eye level with Steve. So either the water is shallow here, or the creature is of substantial size.
"Does this mean I'm free to leave?" Steve asked.
The merrow shook it's head. Black curls shaking out droplets of water with the motion.
"I cannot be sure that you won't return with weapons or more men" it said, "I searched your person while you were asleep, I took the dagger that hung around your middle, and the one on your leg."
How long had Steve been unconscious?
"Did you steal me away from my ship?" he had to ask.
The merrow looked offended at the suggestion.
"Steal you away? You intruded onto my home!" it said as it started rising out of the water. A jet black tail emerging slightly from the grey ocean.
Steve shrunk down and put his hands up in surrender.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I have no memory of arriving here."
The merrow was taken aback at that and shrunk down into the water again.
"You don't remember?" it asked
Steve shook his head.
"You washed up onto my shore. No man has ever seen my shore before. Your treasures wash up here when your ships crash in the sea outside, but no man has ever washed up with them before." it said, clearly at unease with the idea.
Steves heart fell. Does this mean his ship crashed? Is he the lone survivor? he doesn't think he can take the thought of being left without the friends he's made on that vessel.
"Did- did anything else wash up with me?" Steve asked.
The merrow shook its head.
"There hasn't been a wreck near here in months."
Steve felt his spirit lift. That could mean his crew mates are alive and well!
But then how did he end up here? Steve tries to remember. His head aches something fierce.
"Why does your face look like that?" The merrow asked.
Rude.
"My head hurts"
The creature cocked its head to one side.
"You creatures are strange and delicate. Have you hurt yourself?"
"Hurt myself? I only just woke up! It's more likely you hurt me, than I hurt myself!"
Steve clutched his head in one hand and gestured at the creature with the other. He feels rather helpless in this situation.
"I did not hurt you! I removed you from the water. You creatures are not supposed to be in there!" The thing pointed towards Steve with its shell, as if illustrating what 'creatures' it was talking about.
"Well then, however I got to be there is how I hurt my head" Steve explained, aggravated by this easily excitable monster he's found himself with.
The creature frowned at him for a moment and then faster than anything it dove under the water. It's tail following behind it in a lithe arc like a sea serpent.
Perhaps it is a sea serpent. A strange shrill sea serpent with very soft skin.
Almost as fast as it left, the thing burst back out of the water.
Steve flinched away from the splash.
"Hold out your hand" the merrow demanded.
Steve held both his hands closer to his body.
"Why?"
The merrow lunged forward and grabbed one of Steve's hands.
Steve yelled, startled, his feet scrambled at the stones beneath him trying to get away from the shockingly strong and clamy hand that held his arm tight, but his leather soles slipped on the wet rock and Steve stayed put.
And then something slimy and oddly coarse fell into his palm.
The merrow shoved Steve's own hand towards his face.
It was seaweed.
"Wh-"
"Eat it."
Steve's eyes shot up to meet the merrow's.
"Raw?!"
"It helps me when my head hurts. It will help you."
Steve grimaced at the yellowish-brown pile in his hand.
"Is it medicinal in some way?"
"It is food."
"Ah."
The merrow starred at him expectingly.
Steve starred right back.
"I'm not going to eat this."
"Then your head will continue to ache."
"I don't think the lack of edible gunk is the cause of my headache, I believe it to be the same thing that's causing my amnesia" Steve said shaking the offending object out of his hand, "I must have hit my head when I was washing up on your shore."
"Like I said; you are strange delicate creatures," the merrow reached out his unoccupied hand towards Steve, "come into the water."
Steve leaned as far away as he could manage.
"So you can drown me?"
The Merrow rolled his eyes. It looked remarkably human in that instance.
"So I can heal you"
He doesn't know if it's delirium or blood loss, but Steve grabbed the pale hand in front of him and slid gently into the water.
The creature wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled him closer to it. Steve felt the scales of it's tale press against his thighs through his trousers as he was held aloft in the freezing water. His feet dangled and he couldn't feel a bottom to the lake, nor to the creatures tail.
The merrow threw the shell that was in it's other hand away somewhere and grabbed a handful of the black water. It brought it's hands up, dripping the water onto Steves head. The cold shock seemed to ease his pain. Steve closed his eyes at the relief.
He felt an even pressure on the top of his head. A tingling sensation washed over him, trickling from the point of pressure down his neck and over his shoulders. It sent Steve's body shivering.
He opened his eyes and was met by two dark eyes staring back at him. The merrow was less than an inch from his face. one of it's hands was firmly planted between his shoulder blades, and the other was atop his head emitting the magical sensation.
"You had a bump on your head."
"Had?"
"I rid you of it."
Steve felt the hand trail down from the top of his head through his hair- still wet from whatever circumstances lead him here- and down his shoulder.
He does not understand why a monster would heal him of a headache, but as he is held steady in its strong arms and feels it's breath against his lips he doesn't think it wise to ask too many questions.
"Thank you." He said.
The merrow let go of him, and Steve pulled himself back up onto the shore.
He heard a wet thunk beside him and turned to see the merrow had joined him on the rock. Its body was facing Steve and it's tail was splayed out in front of it bent at the midpoint as if the thing had knees.
It's tail alone was twice the length of Steve's entire body and it tapered along its length until exploding out into 2 wide tail fins that had the jagged edges of burned parchment.
Suddenly the creature unbent it's tail, laying it across Steve's body and curling the end slightly around his waist. it was surprisingly heavy and the large scales had the texture of smooth river stones against his abdomen.
Steve looked bewildered at the creatures face, who had the same fierce and angry look as when Steve first woke up.
"So you will not run away." it explained.
"how many times do I have to tell you, I will bring no harm to you, even if I escape."
"I cannot take that chance."
"How long will you keep me here then?"
The tail wrapped halfway around Steve's waist constricted slightly, almost causing him lose his balance. The creature beside him leaned in menacingly.
"You will stay here until I can be sure you can be trusted." it said.
"And when will that be, hmm? What could possibly convince you?" Steve asked.
The creature looked down at itself for a moment, seemingly thinking of a solution.
"I- I don't know. I will. I will know it when I know it."
"Oh! You will know it when you know it. Thats fantastic." Steve spat.
"Well you have done nothing to prove your trustworthiness to me thus far" The creature spat back.
"Exactly! I have done nothing! I have not attacked you, I have not tried to escape, I have made no attempts on your life. I have been a model captive! Whereas you, foul creature that you are, have threatened my life, stolen my belongings, and tried to feed me muck from the bottom of the ocean!" Steve had snapped, pushed to far by this infernal creature and it's damp dank lair "And now I find you have no plan for my release. You know, my mother used to tell me tales about you creatures, but she neglected to mention just how stupid you are!"
The creature just looked at him, dumbstruck by his outburst.
It uncurled it's tale from around Steve's waist and moved it back into the water. It slid it's body so it was sitting beside Steve, instead of facing him.
"What is your name?" the merrow asked.
"What?" Steve replied
"What is your name?"
"Is this some kind of trick?"
"No. You say you have been a model captive; I wish to be a model captor. What is your name?" it looked at him with pleading eyes.
Steve sighed and ran a hand over his face. What has his life come to?
"Steve, my name is Steve." He said.
"And you do not eat seaweed, Steve."
"I-" Steve groaned, "I eat seaweed, of course I do, I live on a ship. I just don't eat it raw and fresh from the bottom of a pit is all."
"So how do you eat it." The creature asked.
"You let it dry and cure, you boil it over a flame. Do you know what flame is?" Steve asked.
The creature rolled its eyes again.
"Yes, I know what flame is. If I build you one will you eat?"
Steve was taken aback. The monster is worried about him eating?
"I- yes, I suppose" Steve stammered, "do you also have a pot to boil water in?"
"A bucket washed up last month, will that do?"
"Why yes that will do greatly" Steve said.
The creature quickly disappeared into the water.
Steve sat back on his hands; confused and... oddly touched by the gesture.
Despite the creature's constant suspicion, Steve hadn't even considered just swimming out of here. Mainly due to the fact that he has no idea where he is, if there is land near here, where his ship is, or even how to find the opening to this cave in such dark conditions.
He is tired and befuddled, his wet clothing is sticking to his skin uncomfortably, he is chilled by the air and sore from the hard rock, and now that he thinks about it, he is near starving. So, he truly does appreciate the Merrow's offer to build him a fire.
The merrow reappeared holding a rusty bucket aloft the water's surface. It handed the bucket to Steve, who found dry wood, flint, and a knife at the bottom of it.
Steve smiled.
"Where did you find all this stuff?" he asked
"Treasures wash up here after shipwrecks, I told you that before," The merrow said pulling itself back onto the rock, "now would you like to build the fire yourself, or shall I?"
.....
Steve started the fire, closer to the cave wall than to the edge of the water, and set the bucket, now full of water, carefully in the middle of the flames. It will take awhile before the water boils, but that just gives Steve time to lay his clothes out to dry.
He rid himself of his trousers first, the wet denim was the greatest offender to his skin, and his white linen shirt came after it. He laid them both flat in front of the fire.
He looked around, the creature was still gathering food. He's grateful, he feels oddly modest about being in the nude in front of the merrow.
Steve was crouched down warming his hands in front of the flames when he heard a telltale splash from behind him. He covered himself with his hands and whipped around to see the merrow had returned with 2 handfuls of seaweed and a small fish caught in its mouth.
It looked Steve up and down from its place in the water and then released the fish from its jaws onto the rock.
"Your clothes are gone," it pointed out.
Steve gestured with his chin to where they lay in front of the fire.
"I'm drying them."
"Ah," it said lifting itself by the elbows up onto the shore, "come take this stuff from me, I can't get over to you, it's difficult to move across land in this form."
Steve walked over to the merrow and grabbed the fish and seaweed from it.
"You say in this form; do you have another?" he asked
The merrow eyed him oddly.
"I thought your mother told you of us?" it asked.
"Well, yes, but she also told me the men of your species have the faces of hogs. As you clearly do not look like a hog, I figured she may have gotten some things wrong."
The edges of the merrows mouth twitched upward. It- it's smiling!
"I have a legged form as well. I could get my cap and join you for dinner?" It said.
So, she was right about the caps too. At least Steve hasn't been paranoid about nothing.
"Thats not necessary." Steve said, though he must admit he was curious.
Steve walked back to the fire and dumped the fish and seaweed into the water that had started to form small bubbles. They still had a while to go.
Steve turned back to the merrow, who was sitting on the rock, splayed out, scales and all, like some kind of ancient stone carving. It looked up at Steve, waiting for him to say something. Steve felt the need to cover himself again, the gaze of this creature is just so insistent, but he thought the act would just draw more attention to the area. Instead, he decided to ask something that had been nagging at him.
"Do you have a name?"
The merrow was taken aback for a moment before it answered.
"I was called Edward once."
"Once?"
"I was banished by my people to this cave, I haven't been called anything since then." it said, eyes going sad for a moment before snapping out of it.
"Edward the Banished" Steve mumbled.
"I suppose," Edward said squirming uncomfortably.
Steve hadn't expected him to hear that.
"I left my home to follow a friend onto a pirate ship that I quickly found was made up of novices who had never seen the inside of a ship before."
Edward raised his eyebrows at that.
"I see. 'can't hunt down their own behinds' indeed."
Steve breathed out a small laugh.
"I wasn't lying."
"Hmm..." the creature's mouth flattened into a thin line once more.
It doesn't believe him, not entirely.
No matter! Steve is just glad that it calmed down enough to allow him food and freedom of movement.
When the food was finished cooking Steve brought the bucket over to where Edward was sitting, or laying... where Edward was beached.
It frowned at him.
"You are sharing with me?"
"You caught it for me," Steve said taking a bit of meat from the fish.
It was saltier than he prefers it, but at least it was food. Which reminds him.
"Did I still have my water when I arrived here?" he asks.
"The bladder you had around your belt?"
Steve nodded.
"Yes, I took it along with your knives, I thought it had potential as a weapon," The merrow said, gnawing on seaweed.
"How long was I unconscious?"
The merrow frowned at his food.
"I'm not sure. The sun was just starting to set when I found you by the mouth of the cave, and it was fully dark when you awoke."
That means it could be as little as 5- 10 minutes.
"Do you need me to bring you your water?" Edward asked still gnawing.
"I would like that yes, but where is it that you go to fetch these things."
Edward looked him in the eye, squinting to see any hint of devious intentions on his face. Steve is getting tired of the scrutiny.
"I'm not going to tell you where your knives are, but I will bring you your water." the creature said slithering away into the depths once again.
Steve sat there, bare as the day he was born, and wondered what it would take to get this thing to trust him enough to let him go.
When the merrow came back with his bladder of water Steve tried not to drink it all in one gulp. It was so refreshing, and he was so thirsty, but he doesn't know how long he will have to be here, so he needs to ration.
"I have decided how you will earn my trust." Edward said out of the blue.
Steve nearly spilt his drink in his excitement. He put his water down and wiped his chin.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You will tell me more about your ship, and I will go out in search of it to see if the stories you tell are true." it said tapping its tale against the stone it sat on in no particular rhythm. it looked nervous about this plan.
"You'll find my ship?" Steve asked, amazed at his own luck.
"You will come with me so I know where you are, and I'm not giving you back your weapons, and I will keep tight hold of you, and if I find your ship and it is not the novices you said it was, I will leave you stranded on a sand bar," it said sternly.
"Okay! what do you want to know first?" Steve asked leaning forward, excited to get the process started.
"Tomorrow, you will tell me about your ship tomorrow. Now it is time to sleep" it said and then swam away.
It is a strange and confusing creature.
Still, Steve curled up on his clothes in front of the fire and eagerly laid down his head to rest. He at last sees hope of escape, and he can't wait until tomorrow.
