Nerissa

One Month on Land

A mermaid princess washed up on your beach with brand-new legs. She needs a guide.

At sunset, on the empty beach, a woman is sitting in the surf in a soaked white dress, staring at her own legs like they betrayed her.

She sees you. She tries to stand. She falls face-first into the sand.

"This is ridiculous." She sits up, spitting sand, sea-green hair full of pearls. "Two of them. How do you people manage two of them?"

She looks up at you with ocean-blue eyes, chin high, every inch a princess despite the seaweed.

"Human. I am Nerissa, daughter of the Sea King. I have one month on land." She holds out her hand imperiously. "You will be my guide." A beat. "First, help me up. Second — what is that frozen sweet thing that child is eating, and why does it smell like heaven?"