The plan was simple, Smiling Finn thought with disdain as the siren eyed him warily. He was going to talk to the Creature, convince her to help him, and then make his escape.
And yet here he was, stuck with a monster who had just bared her soul to him, or part of it. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. He was supposed to get the siren to help, appeal to her better nature, and escape. But now he just sounded like a broken record, begging an unwilling creature to help him. And Smiling Finn hated begging.
But he couldn't help it, part of him knew that if he begged hard enough, the Siren could crack, and offer him her help.
And crack she did, though he wondered if she had a greater plan hidden behind her intelligent eyes.
"Boy", she sighed, hanging her head as he pleaded with her for the thousandth time. "If you do not stop, I will skewer you". His mouth shut abruptly, as victory lit a flame in his eyes. "I will help you" before he could thank her, she held up a thin finger, "under two conditions". His head nodded before his mind could register her words. "One, you stop your god awful begging".
His laughter echoed through the room but was quick to be silenced once again by a finger held high.
"The second condition is that you must give up one of your most painful memories"
This time, Finn contemplated her words. It was too easy. He expected her to ask for his happiest, or most treasured. But his most painful memory. That was something that he would do without question, but even a pirate knew a trap when it was laced in treasure.
"Why?", he questioned carefully, unsure if the slightest hint of resistance would cause her to back out of the deal. Though the gleam in her eyes told a different story. "Shouldn't it be my happiest memory? Or something you can dangle over my head, use to get me to do what you want? What do you get out of a sad memory?"
"A lot more than you, Pirate boy", the Siren hissed defensively, nails splintering the wood under her with frightening ease as she regarded him murderously.
Finn flinched, stepping back as the creature rose further out of the barrel, water sloshing to the floor as she leaned dangerously close to him. "Now", She hissed, large smile revealing her collection of dagger-like fangs, "do we have a deal? Pirate Boy"
Smiling Finn could barely trust himself to nod as the siren cackled.
YOU ARE READING
The Pale Woman's Song
FantasyMermaids, they're not real, well not any more. That's what the crew of the Dark orca thought before hauling one out of the sea, though she's not much of a mermaid. No, she's something much, much worse.