They say that the Merrows came on the backs of whales, their songs echoed through the icy depths as they traveled the freezing Seas of the Norsk lands.
They rode beneath Viking ships, their long hair a cascade of white behind them. They were called the Rasalkas, the Havefins
or the Nixes by the fair haired people of Sweden and Iceland. Their beauty was as dangerous as the arctic seas, seducting as the full moon over a
midnight sea, dripping with white light, shimmering with the dark sensuality of a thousand white roses crushed into powdered snow.
It was the night of the waxing moon, the night of the three ships and the return of the sailors of Eristhat the story begins. It was the night of the highest tide, where the cool grass of the Carrough Faire met with the icy seas of the Laithe Bay, and thetiny jewel green crabs basked in the light of the pregnant moon.
It was on this night that Ada snuck out of the warmth of her bed, to spy on the coming of the three ships in the bay, guided by the illume of the lighthouse. She had ran barefoot across the cooling sands and stood by the harbor, watching as the beacon of light drew in the heavy masted ships, enjoying their majesty across the waves.
She squinted in the dark and hiked up her skirts, wading in the freezing waters like a child again. Oh such defiance! She giggled to herself, if her bethroted could see her now! She trailed a hand over the waters surface and delighted in the tiny plankton that lighted up like a million stars underwater. She was only seventeen, but to be married in a month to the only man she had ever loved. She shivered slightly.
And thats when she caught sight of her...
She lay, the creature, bear breasted and pale on the stretch of beach before her, half hidden by the black rocks. The moons white light coated her already pale skin with a sheen that made her look almost ivory, and her cascade of pale, pale hair draped languidly at her sides.
Ada gaped and rushed to the womans aid, thinking of her in trouble, shipwrecked perhaps, for she looked a sight without a stitch of clothing. But as she drew closer, Ada realized what she was and the beauty and mystery that befell her mortal eyes made her sink to her knees.
"Oh my almighty lord." She whispered softly, unable to tear her eyes away.
The creatures skin was as pale as new fallen snow and tiny veins webbed an intricate design on her temples like thin cobwebs, unnoticeable till shed shift and a waft of moonlight caught directly on her skin.
She was for a second like a building drawn on paper with all the latchworks and crossbeams showing the details of their design, like a map of rivers, and channels connecting into forks and turns, an unimaginable road leading on through forever.
And those eyes, the eyes that opened slowly and stared at Ada with the intensity of a flickering flame...so blue...without an iris, just a round globe of pale pale blue, it looked as though if she blinked, water would pour from her eyes and down her cheeks.
But they didnt and there was only a slight rippling on the surface, like a drop of water touching an expanse of sea.
Her hair cascaded down her back like a spray of white water, soft curling tendrils woven together in parts withweeds and abalone, sand in her scalp and algae tinting her locks with a soft green hue.
Ada was mesmerized, lost in her beauty and slowly bent to touch the maidens skin, those eyes beckoning, urging her on...
Oh the devil has me! Ada thought bitterly, seduced by a creature so beautiful, yet it eminated the darkness of the very depths of the frozen seas itself...