Jilted Guilt: The Mermaid and The Hunter

How could a single word of solace for a man sinking in the abyss be so impossibly hard to say?

“I can… save your wife.”

Was it clumsy sympathy, or was it guilt born from something stranger?

***

“What will it take for you to believe me?”

Startled skin burned as if scorched by fire. Her cascading, water-like hair gleamed under the starlight, spilling across the floor.

“I need you.”

The heart ached, weighed down by unwashed regret. Her sea-like emotions surged to her throat, drowning her in a chaos she almost wished to succumb to.

“Only you.”

The words Rosander could never bring himself to say felt, at last, like his truest feelings.

Yet, this had to end.

It was inevitable, as certain as knowing where his footsteps would lead and how futile her waiting would be.

“Just as you once pitied me, I did the same for you.”

This isn’t love. Levis denied her unrequited feelings with a faint smile. She knew well that Rosander might only be projecting someone else through her. Such deception could never become love.

Story Guide

Setting/Genre: Romantic Fantasy

Keywords: Fantasy, Western-inspired, Alternate Era, Supernatural Beings, Competent Male Lead, Cold Male Lead, Indifferent Male Lead, Wounded Male Lead, Skilled Female Lead, Kind-Hearted Female Lead, Naïve Female Lead, Regretful Female Lead

Male Lead: Rosander Wayne – A royal guard and hunter serving Queen Elaine and Princess Eisentein. Haunted by the loss of his wife and best friend, tangled in his connection to Queen Elaine. He agrees to the mermaid’s offer to turn back time and helps her escape the royal palace.

Female Lead: Levis – A mermaid with sky-blue hair and azure eyes. She can transform into a human by drinking human blood. In her desperation to return to the sea, she makes a promise she knows she cannot keep: to send Rosander back to the past.

When to Read: When you crave a tale of a mermaid healing the wounds of a man mourning his lost wife.

Heartfelt Quote: “I can… save your wife.”