AN: I have written this a year ago but didn't manage to upload.
Rusalky are water nymphs from the Slavic mythology. There is a description in the notes after the fic since I don't want to spoiler too much as I am going to use their main characteristics as huge plot points and hope to show people around the world something from our (mostly ignored and forgotten) mythology.
Warning: I am Slovak and that means that I am concentrating on our folklore, not the Russian, Ukrainian or Polish or any else. There are differences and that's why some people may say they have heard different things.
Have a spooky Halloween!
It got colder and colder with every day, but the green-haired man seemed unfazed by it. He was still wearing only his usual black trousers and white shirt, only a thick green belt over it.
The villagers learned long ago that it had no sense questioning this strange man, thus there was nobody who even thought about stopping him as he left for the forest on one cold and windy autumn day, just before All Saint's Day.
Zoro, thus was the green-haired man's name, had left looking for a place to train, a huge tree he could climb to be precise.
As trees nearest to a village are never the strongest, the young man wandered deeper and deeper into the forest, leaving the path to look for a tree that would match his expectations.
He tried climbing a few and cut down some, but none was a real challenge, making him wander even deeper and deeper.
Under the huge trees, in the dark forest, one could easily lose orientation or any feeling of time. And Zoro always had trouble with both to begin with, even if he always denied it.
Like this, it turned night without the man noticing, he was so occupied with finding his challenge.
Zoro didn't mind darkness in general, but he couldn't see the trees at all anymore.
This lead to an important question: what now? Should he go back or find a more or less shielded place to spend the night? He decided for the former, searching for the path leading back to the town. After searching for hours Zoro spotted a light between the trees instead. Thinking that he could either ask for the way or earn himself a little money if there was a bounty on the heads of those people, he decided to get closer. One could never know so deep in the forest.
As he always wanted to his give his opponents, should that really be the case, a fair chance while fighting as it was part of his warrior way, Zoro didn't bother with sneaking. Instead he stepped directly into the glade.
The sight surprised him. A group of half naked women were dancing around the fire, flowercrowns on their heads and their long hair waving behind them. But those maidens stopped their dance the second they noticed him. Chaos emerged.
The women ran, disappearing behind the trees. All ran, all but one.
A ginger woman with huge brown eyes stood her place, a sweet smile on her lips. She stood there, waiting, in a way that suggested she was challenging him.
"Who are you, woman? A witch?" Zoro broke the silence, gripping the hilt of one of the swords on his hips.
"Don't bother with those toys," the woman laughed into his face, stepping closer.
Zoro didn't move while the half-naked woman walked around him.
"Are you scared?" she stopped in front of him, her nose reaching only his broad chest. She had to look up to him. But there was no sign or even respect in her eyes. Moreover she was laughing at him, the man known as a monster.
"Who are you?" Zoro repeated, his eyes not leaving the woman's face even though he had the perfect view on her bare breasts.
"Oh, you don't know?" the woman seemed amused. "Kiss me and I will tell you," she sang.
Zoro frowned but the ginger stepped even closer and swung her arms around his neck.
"Forget it," Zoro growled and pushed her away.
The woman stopped smiling immediately and tears started walling from her eyes.
"Why? Just why? Do you think I am ugly?" she cried. Her body shook with every sob, but Zoro seemed completely unfaced, watching her with a neutral expression.
Suddenly, there was a cruel smile on his face when he leaned down to be on an eye-to-eye level with the ginger.
"You are the ugliest woman I ever met, witch," he whispered.
She stopped crying immediately. "Asshole." He barely saw the hand coming before it hit his cheek.
"Bitch!" Zoro growled, before rising his hand to pay her back.
There wasn't a difference between a man and a woman – if they attacked him he would fight back.
But the woman was quicker and stepped back a few meters.
He tried to catch her, but she was always a few steps ahead.
Suddenly, Zoro froze, before he stepped back a few steps. The grin was back on his face.
"You are truly a devious being. Trying to lure me into the water, aren't you? The false tears and kisses.. Everything makes sense!"
"So you know?" her voice was calm.
"Rusalky. Those spirits of young women who chose the death or died before marriage. I believe the second one is the case for a which like you," he was grinning even wider than before.
"I believe it's none of your business," the spirit hissed.
"A proud one," Zoro's laughter echoed through the woods, dark and deep. "Too bad I am not interested into marrying you."
"As if I ever wanted to marry you!" The spirit's face was dark. "Flooting your village seems like a better idea!" the woman spoke as she threw out her long red hair, full of water.
"Too late!" Zoro pointed to the sky. "The sun is coming out!"
The spirit looked up and jumped back immediately, covering her head with her hands. She could not allow her hair to dry out or she would die!
She turned around with the intention to run back into the river, but Zoro was already holding her by her arms, not allowing her to save herself, a dark glint in his eyes.
"You won't hurt anyone!" he growled, just as the sun hit the spirit's head and she began to fall apart, the wind taking the ashes away.
Zoro stood there, silent, even as there was nothing left of the red-haired spirit, staring in the distance.
He had known her. Nami. She had killed herself before the forced marriage with Absalom, the crazy count.
He had only realized when the sun hit her, showing him the true colour of her hair he remembered way too good.
Why hadn't he realized it sooner? Just why?
Rusalky are water nymphs from the Slavic mythology. They are the souls of women who committed suicide, kids who drowned (especially unbaptized children drowned by their own mother) and girls who died before marriage (basically before their time was up). All their might comes from their wet long hair they can use to float villages. If it dries, they die. They usually live on the bottom of rivers or deep lakes and try to drown men or tickle children to death. However they may have positive effects on weather and crop.
In the middle of the night, rusalky leave the river and go on land to dance.
I chose those creatures for this fic since they are connected with the worship of the dead (there was a time period in June or something in the past, but hey, now Halloween has the same purpose)
BUT: As I could talk about those wonderful characters and their positive counterparts, the Slavic fairies, I will stop now with an apology as I missed something for sure