Page 17 of The Noble's Merman

Then Kent burst out laughing, holding his stomach and bending over.

“Wah’s so funny?” Mo asked, cheeks stuffed with food.

“You! It’s so endearing how much you enjoy that,” he said between laughs. “I also didn’t know you knew how to swear!”

Mo finally swallowed, and returned Kent’s laughter. “Aside from you, the only humans I’ve ever talked to were sailors. Merfolk have our own profane words, but… perhaps I picked up a thing or two.”

“Really? So how do you say ‘fuck’ in mer-tongue?”

Mo’s heart sang at how endearing it was to hear Kent swear. “We say it as—” He let out a rough, raspy trill.

And at that, Kent batted his eyelashes, face flushing red. “Oh… oh my.” He smiled. “I quite like how that sounds.”

Mo could feel his cheeks heating as well. “What are we going to read in your book, today?”

“Ah y-yes, of course.” He grabbed the book and pulled it into his lap, opening to where Mo could see the pages. “Where did we last leave off…”

Kent read more from the book, moving onto magic. That was an interesting chapter—first it mentioned how some merfolk are blessed with healing magic. Healers used their hands to treat wounds and illnesses of merfolk, but it was a rare gift, and it wasn’t a completely infallible cure-all. If a wound was cut too deep or a sickness too far-gone, the magic could do no better than to simply ease the pain. Kent explained how something he did in the human realm was similar to that. He was a healer, but instead of using magic, he used bandages and stitches.

The next magic discussed was one Mo knew all too well—the magic of destruction: the Siren’s Song. Its horrifying power only worked on humans, and Kent read aloud the details of it. How when a siren sings, it only takes one note for a human to start losing control. As the song continues, the human can then be bent to the siren’s will, destroying everything in their path, breaking down their ship and sinking everything with it, leading to their demise.

“That—that’s terrifying…” Kent commented. “Though, at least, it says the Song is a very rare occurrence in merfolk, even rarer than healing magic. But even I have heard this tale, not just from this book. Why would a siren do this, though? Why prey after innocent humans who’ve done no wrong to them?”

Mo gulped, fidgeting with his hands on his lap. He hoped Kent didn’t realize how much they were shaking. “I… think it is due to an ancient survival instinct, one that combats the aggression that humans, in turn, have had for merfolk. Because—at least historically, humans have caught and killed merfolk, too, for their own personal gain.”

“Oh, y-yes, I see… I suppose it doesn’t surprise me, how cruel humans can be, too. With endless wars, battles, and murder on our own hands. That would also be the reason why merfolk don’t usually show themselves to humans, right? Because we are dangerous?”

“Yes, that’s exactly right.” Mo nodded, the tension leaving his shoulders slightly.

“But—still, even if it is a fact of life, I don’t think that makes it right. We shouldn’t prey upon each other. If only we could converse and understand one another instead of indulging in selfishness and foolish suffering…”

It pained Mo to hear it spoken so clearly like that, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but agree. The way Kent said it shook his core, stuttering his breaths. “I understand what you mean.”

But even so—Mo was a siren. While he’d vowed to use his power to sink pirate ships, doing what he thought was helping the kind sailors of England, that didn’t negate the fact that he was still a murderer. That he still craved to kill, to tear flesh, to see blood. The magic was a part of him, part of his very being. Its flow and energy could be overwhelming. Only as recently as yesterday did he realize he could suppress it in any way. What would happen if he stopped listening to the Song’s call at all? Would the pressure become too overbearing, consuming him?—

Killing him?

He had no idea, and was too afraid—at least in this moment to admit it—that he would ever take that chance.

So for now, he would keep his Song a secret. Kent didn’t have to know.

“You’re just a normal merman, though, aren’t you?” Kent asked innocently. “It says here in the book: sirens hate humans most of all, and would never befriend them. And I’ve heard you sing; nothing strange happened to me when you did.”

“Yes, I’m… just a merman,” he lied. Kent was correct—hating humans was true of most sirens. It was what Mo’s mother expected of him, when she had a presence in his life. “I think humans are fascinating, and you, yourself are wonderful, Kent,” he said truthfully, proudly. “I’m very glad to have met you. To befriend you.”

“Same to you.” Kent’s smile returned. “I’m very glad to be your friend.” He closed the book for the time being. “It still amazes me that you’d do this—waiting out here for me, every night, and sitting with me to chat idly about whatever and whichever. Why me?” he asked with a chuckle. “What makes me such a special human?”

Mo felt a tingle in his chest, like being stung by a pleasant jellyfish. “It was by chance that I swam out here, and then I heard you singing. I thought it was the most beautiful voice in the world. I was enchanted by it; I knew in that instant I had to meet you, so I asked you to come back again.”

Kent blushed even more, yet still smiled, that sweet, endearing smile. “It really was a stroke of luck, wasn’t it? Oh, I… I’m so glad you did.”

The tingling sensation only intensified, and Mo took a chance. He reached for Kent’s hand from sitting on top of the book, held it, pressing his thumb lightly into Kent’s palm, and he gazed intently into Kent’s visible, golden-brown left eye. “I never asked, and I’m curious—why did you come to sing at the beach?”

The human’s smile faded slightly, but his expression stayed warm. “I was… having a bad day. Music has always been something that made me feel better, so I thought I would sing to the sea.”

“I hope it did make your day better. After all, we met because of it.” He rubbed small circles onto the heel of Kent’s palm.

“It did. Meeting with you has been so nice, it… helps me forget all my stresses and problems at home. But, I…” Kent curled his fingers onto Mo’s hand, “I don’t wish to talk about any of that. Can we change the subject?”

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