Nalu: The Siren's Song

Chapter 3

   The mermaid floats toward me with her golden tail sticking slightly out of the sparkling sea. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Her wavy, golden hair shimmers brighter than the sun, her deep brown eyes hold a friendly curiosity and two shiny scallop shells cover her chest. Rare, glittering jewels decorate her bare forearms and a delicate shell necklace hangs around her neck. Beauty seems to be radiating off of her, making her almost appear to be glowing.
"I didn't know they exit." I mutter under my breath, but it did not slip past the mermaid's keen hearing.
   "Well then, I guess I am living proof!" She says, making me chuckle softly as I approach the edge of the sailboat to face her.
"Wow, I hardly ever get any visitors around here and they never do stay long. It makes me ever so lonely." She sighs with a voice as sweet as honey.
    "You live here?" I ask.
   "I live close by. Might I ask what your name is?"
    "I am Prince Natsu Dragneel." I say as I gaze into her mesmerizing brown eyes.
"You're a prince?" She gasps. "I'm royalty too! My name is Lucy. Princess Lucy Heartfilia. My mother is the queen of the merfolfk." I continue staring into her eyes, not knowing what to say next. How can she be any more perfect?
Suddenly, Happy ruins the moment by pouncing on me, nearly knocking me into the freezing cold water. Lucy gets a little startled by my skeptical cat's sudden action. "Don't worry, this is my cat, Happy. He won't hurt you." I tell the mermaid, but she still seems unsure as Happy continues to hiss at her.
I push Happy back and out of the way since Lucy is clearly uncomfortable around him.
Seeing it is safe, she swims closer and crosses her arms on the edge of the boat, resting her head on her hands. "So, what are you doing out here?" She innocently asks.
I let out a sigh before answering. "I ran away the day before my coronation. I knew that once I became king, my parents would force me to get married. They are always nagging me about it, but once I am king, it's only a matter of time until they arrange one for me. But I want to marry for love, something they will never understand."
"I agree, no one should be forced into something like that. If I were to marry, I would want it to be for love as well." She says. All I can do is smile at her. There is something different about her- apart from the tail- but I cannot put my finger on what.
"I know you will find someone soon... and hey, maybe you already have." She whispers the last part very softly as she inches closer to me. Our faces are now barely an inch apart and before I can say another word, she closes the gap between us with a kiss.
Her sudden move surprises me, but what is even more surprising is that I find myself kissing back. I lose all control of my body and just let our lips move in sync as I apply even more pressure into the kiss.
Slowly, she starts to sink back into the water, taking me with her. But I do not notice as the kiss is too distracting.
As soon as my body hits the harsh, cold ocean I break the kiss and start gasping for air. "Come with me Prince Natsu." She says in her sweet voice, but I can tell there is an edge to it.
I try to fight my way through the water and back to my boat, but Lucy is still clinging to me and dragging me down. She is exceedingly strong, especially with her tail, and the freezing water is slowly numbing my arms and legs. I do not know how much more of this I can take. She is going to drown me.