THE MOMENT
The town was full of fools and Gregory wasn't one of them. They went out of their way to summon a magical hero to deal with the dark lord and all they got was some teenage girl. She'd already been there two weeks without so much as looking the Dark Lord's way. She had to learn to be a hero first; and collect the necessary skills; meanwhile Majicka the Dark Lord continued to live. He didn't know why they weren't doing more; but, that was alright. He was the one who could deal with the deadly mermaid. Gregory had a simple rule. If it bleeds, you can kill it. And, he was very sure the Dark Lord could bleed.
The Dark Lord's serene lake took three days to get to by horseback. Gregory arrived just as the sun began to rest on the horizon and the golden hour light reflected off the perfectly still water. He didn't know what to expect; but, it wasn't the den of evil he anticipated from a Dark Lord. A lush forest around three sides of the lake added another magical quality to the sunset scene. It was so lovely that Gregory's first thought was regret that he didn't have a date to enjoy the view with; he forgot why he was there for a moment.
"Hi," music filled his ears as he looked down. The most beautiful face he'd ever seen poked out of the water, and she rested her arms on the shore as she looked up at Gregory. Her greeting was accompanied by a heavenly chorus that melted his heart. Her black hair was long and soaked so that it stuck flat against her head and ran down her back. Her big black, empty eyes were so inviting that Gregory felt he could stare into them all day.
"Howdy, Ma'am," Gregory removed his hat and knelt down next to the woman. "What's a lovely thing like you doing swimming in this lake, don't you know how dangerous it is?"
"Oh?" she gasped. Her black eyes somehow opened wider to mimic surprise. She even swam back partially as if startled, and Gregory took a long peek down into the clear water. "Is it? Why?" she asked.
"They say the Dark Lord Majicka lives here, she's an evil, ugly mermaid," Gregory chuckled as he shook his head. He took another glance around the calm scene and grinned. "Though, I'm starting to think they're wrong. You haven't seen an evil mermaid around here, have you?" he asked.
"To be honest....," the woman's face took on a troubled, almost guilty expression. Gregory's heart went out to her. "... I AM a mermaid....," she said. "See?" She pulled herself out of the water and brought a gleaming black fishtail up onto the lake beach. The voidblack scales seemed to absorb the sunlight instead of reflecting it; but, Gregory didn't notice. His eyes were further up, verifying that the mermaid was indeed half-woman.
"Well, that's alright," Gregory chuckled with a heavy blush. "Mermaids ain't particularly rare," he said. That part was true enough, at least. This one wasn't the first Mermaid he'd met personally. "And you're far too perfect to be confused for the evil ugly one. But, I don't feel like you're safe here. Maybe I could escort you back to town?" he asked. He even reached down and offered her a hand. But, she shook her head and rolled herself back into the water instead.
"You said it's not safe; but, you came out here all by yourself?" she asked.
"I'm confident," he winked. "I follow one simple rule. If it bleeds, you can kill it," he said. It was easy to make his philosophy more boastful than normal, and it did seem to pique her interest as he noticed a faint smirk.
"And, what if it doesn't bleed?" she asked. "Like me?" Gregory shook his head.
"I have yet to find something that doesn't bleed," he said. "What makes you so different? Not that I'd ever dream of harming a single perfect hair on your pretty little head."
"I'll show you," she nodded. "Shoot me," she said.
"Anything you say, darling," He'd never dream of harming a hair; unless it was a direct order. He couldn't imagine disobeying her. Without a second of hesitation, he drew his gun, aimed, then fired. She didn't even flinch as the bullet flew through her shoulder. Clear water began flowing out of the wound like a faucet until she put her hand over it and the water wound sealed.
"See? I don't bleed," she grinned, and Gregory nodded. He had to admit she was right.
"Wow, you're amazing," he grinned.
"It's not that special, is it?" she asked as she looked up at him. Her eyes took on a pleading quality and it was clear she wanted to be told it was special.
"Oh, it is! Everyone else bleeds!" he said. A broad smile took over her face and he was happy he put it there.
"Everyone? Do YOU bleed?" she asked.
"Oh, you bet I do," he nodded.
"Really?" she sounded thrilled and she wiggled herself up to expose her lack of clothing again.
"You bleed?" she asked and he nodded. He was half hoping she'd ask for proof just so he could prove it; but, fortunately, he had enough self-preservation to not volunteer to harm himself unless she asked.
"Then... your rule applies to you too, right?" she asked. "If it bleeds, you can kill it. You bleed, then I can kill you, right?"
"Huh," Gregory had to think about that one for a bit. He stood and took a single step away from the shore as he pondered the meaning of his lifelong philosophy. It wasn't easy to focus with her lovely eyes staring at him, and the faint music still playing in his mind. He didn't know where it came from, but it was elegant enough to ignore and enjoy. He struggled with the thought, but in the end, he could only see how much sense she made.
"Darling, I believe you're right," he nodded as he took off his hat, then did his best to get his boots off one foot at a time. Finally, in seconds, his shirt was off and he was laying his gun on the shore. He smiled at her, then jumped in the water. The black-scaled mermaid swam over and wrapped her arms around him.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked. Of course, it wasn't a sincere question. At that point, she was playing with her food.
"Rules are rules," Gregory chuckled. It was a stretch and he knew it; but, he was willing to bend any rules to give her anything she wanted. "I bleed, you know the rest," he said.
As she took the first painful bite out of him, Gregory had a sudden epiphany. The music grew louder, now it was obviously a result of her manipulating his mind. He couldn't move, he couldn't swim away and he felt his strength leaving through the bite in his neck. But, at the end, he had enough time for one final regret before he blacked out.
"...I never got her name."