He's not a Merman

Chapter 7 Fire

Chapter 7 

I'm cold. Freezing would be a great description of what I'm feeling right now.

I see myself falling off a cliff. Then, right as I hit the surface of the water, my whole body jolted up, waking itself from the nightmare. My arms automatically wrap themselves around my body because of the cold.

Where am I?

The only light source in the pitch-black space is an aperture formed by tiny fissures in the wall. It was small but it was enough since the water was reflecting most of the light in the room. A soft blue hue is cast over the area by the light reflected by the water. The water here is so clear that I could vaguely see the rock formations as far as the light touches. The dampness where I sit indicates that this area, or cave, floods during high tide, based on something I have learned.

I try to stand, but the moss near my feet makes it almost impossible to do anything other than sit. As I try to ponder what I should do next, a strange thought occurs to me.

How did I get here?

"How long are you going to stare at your feet?"

I turn my head to my left, where I am nearest to the water. A man appears from the water and props his arms over the edge, looking up at me.

"EEK!" I yell and kick the man's face, sending him back to the water. He lets out a disgruntled yell before disappearing into the water and then coming out again with an irritated look.

"Woman, what was that for!?"

"You startled me!"

"I didn't startle you! I was just asking a question!" The man looks rather pissed off and rubs his nose. "Is this the thanks I get for saving your life?"

"My life?" Something about it clicked.

"Yeah. You were sinking when I found you. You were too far from the shore that I had to improvise and drag you here for air!" The man continues to rant, but my mind is already elsewhere pertaining to the previous night. Thinking about it almost made me think that it was a dream, but the cold cave and my damp clothes are making it hard for me to think otherwise.

If that's real, then I am only alive because of this person right here.

"Are you even listening to—"

"Thank you." I shifted my body so I was fully facing him when I bowed my head. "For saving my life, I promise to reward you in the near future. I don't have money or jewels with me at the moment, but it is a promise that I swear upon my title as the kingdom's princess."

The man looks at me weirdly. He stops rubbing his now red nose and proceeds to cross his arms. "Who needs money?" He asks, then his expression shifts into angry disappointment at me. "And you, you forgot about me again, have you?"

"Hmm?"

"Look at me closely—hey, up here!" He interrupts me when he notices that my eyes were trailing looking at his broad pecs dripping with seawater. "When I said look, I meant my face!"
I shift my gaze unwillingly from his pecs to his face, trying not to be disappointed when I cannot see if he has abs or not. As I focus on his face, I can't help but blink. His face is unworldly goodlooking! His jawline is perfectly sculpted. His nose might be red right now, but it has just the right angle to accentuate his face. His eyes are sharp and he is holding two deep purple irises. And his long black hair is enough to even make me jealous. Even when it is wet with seawater, it still looks glowing and soft.

Then, something clicked.

"You're that weird hobo guy from the market! Myrr!"

I thought that he would be happy that I recognized him, but it turns out that he seems even more annoyed with me than he was before, as he smiles.