The Ruby Empire

Merle the Gorgon

Male Reader x Female Monster

The village you grew up in had a strange tradition where the Orcs would come through and choose someone as their mate then walk out with them. It was something you tried to avoid. Whenever the ritual 'Reaping' as it was called was coming, you made sure to be out of town. The Orcs weren't bad or anything, it just you didn't have any desire to be taken like that. You're just lucky your work often requires traveling.

Your cousin owns a vineyard and she has you take deliveries out of the town. Traveling with wine is not the safest job in the world but you don't mind it. You enjoy the traveling and selling the wine to new people is more fun that people would expect, especially when you get to drink it with them.

You're happy to keep this up, traveling around, meeting strangers, one night stands, going home to rest and then repeating the process. It was a good life, always busy and never standing still.

You're traveling home after one such trip. You had to sleep in the cart the evening before so you feel a bit stiff and tired. You're ready to get home and into your bed and sleep for a good long while. As your daydreaming about your pillow, the cart shifts and tilts then rolls over and tumbles. You fall out of the cart and roll to the ground, hitting your head on a rock. The pain is horrible. You sit up, holding your head and when you look at your palm there is blood.

"Fuck," You growl. You stand up, pulling the reins on your horse to make him come close. You use him to balance as you try to see what happened. From the looks of things a wheel came loose and popped off.

You snarl under your breath and look around. Your vision is blurry from the pain. You walk beside your horse when you see a bridge. Across the bridge is a small castle covered by thorns. You make it to the door, knocking when your head begins to throb.

The door opens and you can't even see who is standing in the doorway. "You're hurt," a cool hand touches your cheek. "Poor thing."

You pass out as soon as you hear her soft voice.

You wake sometime later. Your eyes hurt and your head still aches, but it is nothing compared to before. There's a bandage wrapped snugly around your head. You groan, looking around the room you're in. The bed is massive and soft and the pillows are numerous and fluffy. You groan as you sit up, trying to get your bearings.

"You should rest," a soft voice speaks up.

Beyond the curtains of the bed, you see a shadow. A hand clutches the curtains, her skin is milky white and her nails are long and red.

"Who goes there?" You groan.

"You need to rest, you're very hurt, sir," she sounds terrified.

You rub your eyes. "I'll rest, I'll rest," you ease back into bed. "I just wanted to know who I was speaking too."

The hand on the curtain squeezes. "This is my home," she says. "I'll take care of you until you get better."

You chuckle softly. "That's all well and good but that doesn't answer my question."

You hear a small squeak and she shifts behind the curtain. "I'm Merle," she says.

"Merle," you murmur the name. "That's pretty."

Her hand disappears behind the curtain. "If you need anything just say so. I'll try to get whatever it is."

"I'd like to see you."

She gasps softly and you see her head shake behind the curtain. "You don't really want that," she replies. "I meant like water or food?"

"Water then, I guess."