Fantastical Mistake

Chapter 14 - Sirens

Just as I was about to give up on struggling against the mermaids' hands, they suddenly let me go. However, I was already so deep underwater and so tired that the thought of trying to swim back up didn't even crossed my mind. I was just adrift in the water, feeling myself descend slowly, my wavy brown hair floating all around my face and blocking the majority of my view.

It was then I felt a gloved hand grabbing my right arm, making me open my eyes. It was Emmeric, an irate look directed somewhere to the left of me. In a last effort of survival, I grabbed his arms with as much strength as I could master and allowed myself to open my mouth in trying to explain to him I was drowning, letting the last remaining air escape my lungs. Even with my panic state, he just had a calm and slightly annoyed expression on his face.

Before I could swallow any water, Emmeric's bare right hand grabbed the back of my neck and, in a sudden move, pulled me closer. And then his lips were on mine.

I was so shocked with what was happening that I kept my eyes opened, my blurry vision taking in his briefly closed eyes and feeling the slightest of movement of his soft lips against my own, before he pulled away.

It was such a sudden and unexpected action that I wasn't even sure if I hadn't imagined the whole thing when he let go of me, putting his bare hand on top of his sword and slowly falling down the water with me beside him, still looking at him with enlarged eyes, feeling completely paralyzed.

- Where were you taking her? – he demanded to know, his furious sight set right in front of him.

I turned to see he was talking to the three mermaids who had dragged me down, who were now swimming at a safe distance from us. Realization hit me then that I was actually able to breathe now, even underwater. With a little bit of a sorrowful heart, I understood what just happened. It wasn't a kiss, he was just making sure I could breathe. Some kind of magical spell, I supposed.

- The Queen wishes to meet the human she heard about – one of them said, the voice high-pitched but the sound muffled.

- Kidnapping her will only lead to a battle your Realm does not wish to partake in – Emmeric warned.

- She was on our land – the dark haired one pointed out.

- She was above water until you enticed her. I doubt your Queen would have been pleased if you showed up with the only human we had in centuries dead, due to your own stupidity – he spat, making the three mermaids flinch.

- But you are in our Realm now. It would be incredibly rude to not go and meet the Queen now that you are aware of her wishes to meet you – the blue-haired informed.

At that, Emmeric was silent for a bit. I could tell he was trying to think of a way to get us out of here, without starting some kind of war with this Kingdom we apparently were in. Tapping his fingers on his sword, to which the mermaids snarled, he raised his chin up.

- Very well. We concede to a very short meeting with the Queen. Lead the way – he accepted, but his voice was arrogant, as if we were doing them some kind of favor.

The mermaids did not like the tone of his voice, furrowing their eyebrows at us, but remained silent as they made the way for us to follow. As they turned their back, Emmeric leaned my way and whispered in my ear, making me shiver slightly.

- Keep close to me and don't say anything unless you are addressed, alright?

I nodded, not really able to look up at him both because I was still very much thinking about the feeling of his lips and also because I was feeling guilty we were in this situation to begin with. He started walking and, to my incredibility, I was able to walk alongside him, as if the water was solid ground. This magical world was making me question everything I knew.