"(Y/n)....... are you real?" Arthur asked hesitantly as she smiled at him, her fingers brushing through her long wet hair as she stared into his emerald orbs that reminded her of some glorious tropical sea.
"I must admit that this is not the first time that a human has asked me if I am real; but I assure you Arthur, I am as real as you." (Y/n) told him as she reached for his hand, placing his palm softly on her cheek, and nuzzling into it.
Arthur gulped as he felt the warmth of her skin, his eyes fluttering closed as her breath kissed his hand as she slowly turned her head, her lips ghosting over his fingertips; he had never felt his heart beat so violently in his chest, never felt a connection with another being so instantly, so perfectly. He had had many delusion before, many hallucinations and moments when he believed that something impossible was real, but as he slowly moved his hand up into her hair, the damp strands loosely draping over his fingers, he knew that this had to be real, the mermaid that sat before him was real, and for once in his life, something seemed to be good.
"Arthur...... can I ask you something?" (Y/n) asked softly, Arthur's eyes opening to find that her face was only a hairs breath away from his.
"I, er......yes, anything." Arthur said hesitantly, his breath hitching in his throat as (Y/n) moved close enough so that there was little between them other than the night.
"Why were you in the water? I have met many humans in my long life, but most have ended up in the water by accident, or because of battle or storm; but you, you had rocks in your pockets, why would you want to harm yourself." (Y/n) asked innocently, looking slightly hurt as Arthur moved away.
"Do, do you know what its like to be ignored, to be beaten, to be abused, to feel like your worthless? I do. I have........ I have a condition that can make people scared of me, and I have been hurt by others because of it; my life isn't the best, its hard and lonely, and no one cares about me. So finally I had had enough, hoping that if there is a world beyond this one then it would be better than this, and that was why I came down to the river, that's why I put the rocks in my pockets and jumped in." Arthur confessed, his hand rubbing anxiously on the back of his neck, as a great weight felt as though it had been lifted off his shoulders, the mere fact that he had been able to tell another living soul what he had tried to do, taking away the stress and anxiety that had been gnawing away at his insides.
"I know it may sound strange, but in a way, I am glad you did. If you hadn't been in the water, then I would never have met you." (Y/n) said, reaching out her hand, hoping that Arthur would take it and return to her side.
"I have to confess that I have never really met anyone, a human, that I have felt so close to so instantly, Arthur. There was something inside me that made me come to your rescue, there was a reason that I found myself in this river, and there is a reason that you remembered what I told you last night. I want to, no, I need to help you Arthur. I need to help you find a better life, to be in your life if you will only have me........." (Y/n) began, as Arthur dropped to his knees by her side, wanting nothing more than for his mermaid to do just that.
"But....... but how can you be in my life if you can't leave the water?" Arthur asked, furrowing his brows as (Y/n) began to giggle.
"Well, that's just it, I think I can leave the water. I have done it once before, and I hope that I can do it again, but, well I'll need a few things." (Y/n) said hopefully, as she remembered the last time that she had left her watery home.
"Anything! Anything, just tell me what you need." Arthur called out as he jumped to his feet, spinning around like a giddy schoolboy.
"I need some human clothes, they don't have to be perfect, just anything really; and something to dry myself." (Y/n) told him, as her fingers brushed over the shimmering scales of her tail.
"Its been a very long time since I had legs, and I don't know if I will be very good at walking, but I don't know until I try." (Y/n) said, smiling as Arthur stared at her in disbelief.
"You have legs? How do you get....... I mean how do you know you have legs?" Arthur spluttered out, now more than convinced, that despite what (Y/n) had said, there was no way she could be real, no way that something so unbelievably wonderful could happen to him.
"To answer your questions, yes I do have legs, and I get them once my tail is completely dry, it is the water that keeps me this way; and I know I have legs because I have seen them before." (Y/n) declared happily, finding Arthur's childlike enthusiasm at the notion that she could leave the water, more than a little infectious.
"When did you last have legs?" Arthur asked, feeling slightly hurt as he suddenly realised that she had been out of the water before, maybe to join another man.
"Well, what year is this?" (Y/n) enquired, mussing for a moment as Arthur replied that it was 1981.
"Then the last time was ........ 245 years ago." (Y/n) declared matter of factly, as if saying that she had been alive in 1736 was perfectly normal.
"How......how old are you?" Arthur asked, as he looked at the woman before him that appeared to be no older than he was.
"To tell you the truth, I don't really know, but hopefully I look younger than I am." (Y/n) confessed with a chuckle, as she pulled Arthur back to sit next to her.
"The last time I left the water was because of a child that I rescued, I had to return her to her family, and leaving the water was the only way, and I wasn't away long; but this time, this time I want to stay on dry land with you for as long as I can, this time I want to see what it would be like to be human, just like you." (Y/n) told him, growing slightly concerned that Arthur's demeanour suddenly seemed to change, his expression growing sad.
As much as Arthur wanted her to join him, as much as he wanted her to be a real human, he was afraid of what she would think of his life, what she would think of his home and his world; but as he felt her hand grip his tightly, he decided for once in his life to throw caution to the wind, decided that he had to take a chance, decided that somethings were worth taking a gamble on.