Ard'aldo and Inyalah

Once there was a human named Ard'aldo. He was a barbarian of the frozen wastelands to the north that few Merrow choose to inhabit. Ard'aldo lived in a village near a bay in the valley of two mountains. In the bay lived a beautiful Merrow named Inyalah. She had skin as pale as frothy sea foam, eyes as blue as the sky, and hair like golden sand. Inyalah sat among the smooth rocks by the bay one day and sang a lullaby her mother taught her. Ard'aldo was fishing when he heard the sweet melody on the wind so he clambered along the rocky shore to find the source of the beautiful sounds.

Inyalah heard someone approaching and began to flee towards the water. Ard'aldo appeared and was too quick, grabbing Inyalah up in his clumsy fingers. His breath smelled of rotten meat and the ale drinks that land walkers pour into themselves.

"You're mine now," he breathed.

"Please, please, let me go," yelled Inyalah. Inyalah was smart though and knew that the land walkers were vicious people and that he would never let her go. So began to prepare so she could sap Ard'aldo's life force away. A tingling sensation swirled in her stomach then moved towards her lips.

"I don't think so, you're to be mine now," said Ard'aldo.

"Then let me kiss you, my love," said Inyalah.

Ard'aldo obliged, planting his clumsy lips to Inyalahs. A small coil of smoke whispered along her lips then passed down to Ard'aldo stomach. Ard'aldo mistook it for a cold wind that often passes through the lands of the north. Slowly Ard'aldo began to visibly age, his brown hair turning gray and his face wrinkling. The memories of Ard'aldo passed to Inyalah and she saw that he had forced himself on other Merrow and then killed them by keeping them from the sea. Furious by this, Inyalah sapped Ard'aldo's lifeforce to the brink of death then stopped. She brought Ard'aldo to the still waters to see what he had become. Ard'aldo, horrified, tried to flee, but Inyalah held him firmly. Inyalah splashed into the icy waters and held firmly to Ard'aldo, swimming deepth into the waters. She gathered water with her gills and passed precious air to the land walker to keep him alive until they reached the destination Inyalah intended to go to.

They came upon a dark cave underneath the icy waters and Inyalah let go of Ard'aldo then swam away as quick as she could. A huge sea serpent darted out of the cave and ate up Ard'aldo then slithered back into his home. Inyalah sat upon the shore that night with her tail coiled around her. She watched the night sky and noticed four new stars appear near the moon and twinkle, the souls of her sisters who had died unjustly by Ard'aldo's hands finally finding peace.