Romantic Friday Writers__Torn Between Two Lovers: Pirate Captain or Merman

Romantic Friday Writers is a blog fest every Friday. Many thanks to L'Aussie and Francine Howarth for creating this fun event, showcasing the work of many fine writers. Click on the icon at the end of my post to check out others participating today or join the blog fest. A winner is awarded the recognition of being this week's featured author.

Today's challenge is to show 'Confused' in 400 words or less. This scene is from my book, Tears on a Tranquil Lake. My mermaid heroine, Ciel, awakens after a night of passion in the bed of pirate captain, Raphael. She regrets her rash actions, further complicating the choice she must make between two men who love her--Raphael and Meris, a handsome merman who is also her lover. On deck, Ciel discovers a peer of Raphael, Captain Edwardo, strolling the dock with his mermaid companion, Noche.

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            Shouts from outside awakened me long before dawn. Although the voices soon died away and I tried to return to sleep I could not. I looked over at Raphael, calm and peaceful in slumber. The short rest cleared some of the alcohol from my mind. I now understood the consequences of my actions. Like a knife slicing my heart, I knew our intimacy would bring pain to us, and to Meris, regardless of my final choice. Guilt rose with the realization I did not heed Rubio’s warning to be careful with my heart and those attracted to me. My dilemma of belonging to two men was now even more complex. Images of my experiences with each paraded across my mind in a wild, disorganized procession. Tears welled into my eyes and I longed to cry out, to purge this burden. 

            I left the bed; tossing Raphael’s shirt over me, I hobbled to the deck, gulping down huge mouthfuls of salt air into my lungs between sobs. 

            As I did a familiar, malevolent female voice drifted up to me from the dock. “Isn’t that Raphael’s special mermaid? She seems to have gotten loose. Edwardo, you really must teach him how to secure his young mistress properly.” The wicked laugh that followed belonged, unmistakably, to Noche.

            I rubbed the back of my hand across my eyes to brush away the tears. Once my vision cleared, what I saw shocked me. 

            On the dock below me, among a group of pirate captains and their wenches, stood Edwardo holding a leash connected to a collar around the delicate and lovely neck of Noche. Seeing her tethered in that way and believing I just sealed a similar fate for myself, I fell to the deck sobbing so violently my body convulsed and heaved. I desperately wanted to be back in the safety of my neighborhood lake, where life seemed so simple. Knowing that place was far away, and hearing Noche’s cruel laughter, my tears fell in torrents. 

            Eventually, the voices from the group trailed away and all was quiet. Most at that late hour were either unconscious or asleep. I knelt in that miserable state for a long time. My fingers wrapped around the black pearl, I hoped its magic would bring me some help. Being alone was my only comfort…until I felt a firm hand upon my shoulder.

WC = 394, NCCO
No critiques, Comments only please

~ ~ ~ Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing. She is the author of the novel, TEARS ON A TRANQUIL LAKE, the first in a trilogy. Part two, TORTUGA TREASURE is contracted for release in January, 2012. Look for her first of an epic fantasy romance series, SEEKING A SCRIBE: ENCHANTED BOOKSTORE LEGENDS ONE, to be available late autumn.