3 The Dragon Mermaid, Dej Nag
My name is Dej Nag and my day… couldn't get any worse.
~Flashback~
Inside the rivers of the Mekong River, I was minding my own business as usual. With nothing to do, I always stayed in my room and groomed my hair whenever I'm deep in thought.
It was then I heard the news.
Dej Nag
"What? Dawb Hli is getting married? Why so sudden?"
I asked while looking at Foom, an Irrawaddy Dolphin, and my bodyguard when I finished grooming my pink hair.
He has a unique body shape with a darker grey on top of his body while underneath is light grey. He has a blunt snout and a high, rounded forehead. He also has a short, yet blunt triangular dorsal fin on top of his body, and long broad pectoral fins as his arms. On his face, there is a small scar line on his cheek.
Dej Nag
"She may be the youngest, but it's not like her to get married out of the blue after the discussion with grandma yesterday."
"Do you know who she's marrying, Foom?"
Foom
"Well…."
Foom looked around frantically as if he was wary about something.
Foom
"The problem is…"
He went closer to me and whispered the words to my ear. My eyes widened in shock and without realizing it, I yelled.
Dej Nag
"A human?!"
Foom
"Shhhh! M-M'lady, p-please calm down!"
I stood up, angry.
Dej Nag
"How can I not calm down?! By any chance, is this human from the mainland?!"
Foom
"I-It would appear so, M'lady."
Dej Nag
"Argh! Out of all the fishes in the river, she decides to marry a human?!"
"*groan* I know she is always curious and she even dreamed of walking on the land where our worst enemies are! But still--"
I grabbed my hair and yelled in frustration.
Dej Nag
"Why is that girl so infuriating sometimes?!"
Foom
"Uhh…"
Dej Nag
"You know what? That's it, I would like to have a word with her."
Foom
"But M'lady, your grand--"
The moment I was about to leave my room and when Foom was going to tell me something, I stopped myself. Surrounding me are glowing golden words like chants, calling me.
Dej Nag
"Who is it this time?"
I swam towards the mirror and looked down at a huge yellow pearl, showing me a little man with wings on land. Despite its blurriness, I can see what the little man looked like.
He has red hair that reminds me of the red twilight sky, and his orange eyes looked like the sunset sun, and his unique tan skin made me thought about a pretty shell I once saw somewhere within the Mekong River.
I also noticed he has yellow pom earrings on his ears, and the rest of his Hmong clothes matched both his hair and eyes with specks of yellow here and there.
Dej Nag
"Great. Just great."
Foom
"Who's that, M'lady?"
Foom asked as he swam towards me, seeing the little man inside the huge yellow pearl.
Foom
"Is he someone you knew?"
I froze for a second when he said those words, but I calmly told him and said in a gentle voice, hoping not to show any signs of my anger.
Dej Nag
"Sort of. Um..."
I looked around my room, making sure no one is listening to us. I then whispered to Foom while trying to figure out the situation.
Dej Nag
"Foom, if anyone needs me even if it's Grandmother, tell them I'm taking a stroll. Don't tell them where my whereabouts are."
Foom
"I understand."
I patted Foom on his head and swam towards my window. But before I head out to where the little man is, I turned to look at Foom once again.
Dej Nag
"Oh, and don't follow me."
Foom
"Y-Yes."
I smiled at him and left. On my way there, my mind was swirling with negative thoughts and emotions.
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Out of everyone who needs help, it just has to be a Phoenix.)
Dej Nag
"Gah! Let's just get this over with!"
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Whatever the reason is, I just hope that human is not his.)
~Flashback End~
And that's how everything began. And yes, I'm fighting him, the little man who introduced himself as Nplaim, right now.
Dej Nag
"I don't need wings to fly and I can walk on land whenever or whatever I want to, but no matter what, your land disgusts me!"
"I bet thousands of hawks are eyeing on you right now!"
Little Man
"Oh, I bet a bunch of Siamese crocodiles is spying on you now!"
You think I'll use his name, right?
Well, you're wrong.
Dej Nag
"I hope you fall in a hole!"
Little Man
"I hope you swim into a ditch!"
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Ugh, something tells me that this will take a while. It might last the entire day for all I know.)
Suddenly, the river starts shaking out of nowhere. I tried to find where the shaking was coming from, but before I knew it, a huge serpent was in front of us.
It has a golden horn like a crown on its head with scaly green scales all over its body like a dragon's; golden wing-like fins, and a golden tail like a blade. The thing looked at us with its red eyes and smiled down at us with its distorted neutral voice.
???
"Oh, how funny to see the dragon and phoenix in front of me today. Well, today must be my lucky day."
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Yeah right! I saw you following me on purpose, and it wasn't that long till I met the annoying fairy!)
I looked at it unfazed and used my pointer finger to curl my hair.
Dej Nag
"I'm amazed, serpent."
Phaya Naga
"I'm not a serpent! I'm a Phaya Naga! A dragon just like you!"
Dej Nag
"A snake dragon."
"Get your facts straight and don't talk to me like we're related."
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Thank goodness we're not!)
I said while looking at my nails.
Phaya Naga
"*scoffs* Whatever! Anyhow--"
Little Man
"Wait, you're a Phaya Naga? I thought your kind didn't exist!"
Dej Nag
"Just how sheltered are you."
Little Man
"I'm not sheltered! I just… didn't know."
Dej Nag
"Ignorance must be a bliss to a thousand fools."
Little Man
"What did you say?!"
Phaya Naga clears its throat loudly at us, forcing us to look at it.
Phaya Naga
"Since this would go in my favor..."
"If I eat both of you, I would gain immortality and be the strongest serpent within the Mekong River! And perhaps the entire world!"
Dej Nag
"You finally admit that you're a serpent?"
Phaya Naga
"I'm a dragon! A dragon too!"
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Lies!!! If I could have my way, then you'll be the first thing I smack!)
Dej Nag
"Ah, I have an idea!"
I said and smiled sweetly at the Phaya Naga.
Dej Nag *thinking*
(Phase One: Act cute and seduce it innocently!)
Dej Nag
"You know what? Let's make a deal! You can take this little guy, and I'll go my merry way!"
"I mean... it's not like I taste good or anything."
Little Man quickly looked at me in disgust. And judging by his face, he's probably thinking, "You call that cute and seductive or something? Cause, either way, you're horrible at it!" and "I want to gag!"
Little Man
"Hey, you can take her because she's fish. Fish tastes better than chicken."
Dej Nag
"Did you just call me fish while you call yourself a chicken?"
Little Man
"And your point is?"
Dej Nag *thinking*
(So… if I'm understanding this analogy correctly, fish equals dragon and chicken equals phoenix?)
(You know what, I won't ask.)
Dej Nag
"Chicken tastes better than fish. Admit it, Phaya Naga."
"I bet you're tired of eating fish every day."
Little Man
"At least there's a whole variety of fishes in the river!"
Dej Nag
"At least there's a whole bunch of chickens on land!"
Little Man
"At least a chicken can outsmart a fish!"
Dej Nag
"At least a fish can stay pretty for a long time!"
Little Man
"Are beautiful things all you talk about?!"
Dej Nag
"Is being smart all you think about?!"
Once again, our bickering continued. It was then the Phaya Naga couldn't handle our nonsense.
Phaya Naga
"Enough!"
"Fine, I'll take the girl. And like they always say, ladies first."
Dej Nag *thinking*
(As expected, Phase One didn't work so...)
(On to Phase Two!)
I scoffed and smirk at the Phaya Naga.
Dej Nag
"You want me? Try me!"
As the Phaya Naga immediately attempt to swallow me whole, I quickly dived into the water, barely missing it because I flicked Little Man away earlier preventing any drops of the Mekong River's water on him.
But don't worry, he didn't get hurt nor did I. Also, the Phaya Naga missed its catch on me.
The Phaya Naga then rosed up from the water and scanned to look at its surroundings to find me.
Dej Nag
"What's wrong? Fish got your tongue?"
Graciously, I flew up in the air like I'm flying towards the sky. When the Phaya Naga looked at me, I used the advantage to use my water bending spears to injure him. One of them eventually hurt his eye to the point he was becoming blind.
Dej Nag
"Do you want me now?"
I asked as I splashed gracefully on the water and flipped my hair beautifully. The Phaya Naga hissed as if it already gave up on me.
Phaya Naga
"Fine, I won't get you! I don't like fish anyway!"
Dej Nag
"You should've said something from the start then."
Phaya Naga
"Whatever. But..."
He then looks at Little Man who came back to his spot after I flicked him, saving his life. Though, this time he's flowing in the air as he stares at the Phaya Naga.
Phaya Naga
"I can eat you instead. You may be small for a phoenix, but I can gobble you in one go."
Little Man
"Oh, I'm so scared. I'm so scared of you."
He said sarcastically and without any hesitation, the Phaya Naga immediately bit the ground where the Little Man was floating not too long ago. It then gulped, swallowing him and any remaining dirt on land.
Dej Nag
"Are you stupid?! Why aren't you fighting back?!"
I immediately summoned my spears to attack the Phaya Naga, but little did I know, there was an orange-yellow like a light inside him. The Phaya Naga was confused and started hitting that colored light in its body.
And just like that, the light explodes leaving the Phaya Naga's body--head to toe into chunks.
Little Man
"Heh… easy peasy."
He said with a grin while swatting his hands together, looking proud. However, I, on the other hand, was furious.
Dej Nag
"I hate you."
Little Man
"Well, I hate you."
The two of us stared at each other with negative emotions dwelling within us for some time. To be honest, I felt the time had stopped us for a moment or so.
For a while, the two of us were quiet.
Dej Nag
"..."
Little Man
"..."
Dej Nag
"..."
Little Man
"So… that dragon's your relative or something?"
Dej Nag
"Don't compare me to that snake!"
Little Man
"Heh. Who cares about that now."
He said with his tongue sticking out.
Little Man
"Now that annoying snake is gone, can I have Alang back?"
Dej Nag
"No can do. If you want him, then you have to come with me."
Little Man
"I'm a phoenix! I can't go into the water!"
Dej Nag
"Oh, what a bummer."
Dej Nag *thinking*
(I should've used the other opportunity on him. I would do anything to go back in time to see him burn for real.)
Dej Nag
"*sighs* I'll see what I can do."
I said as I went to find his human and my sister in the river.
It's been a month since the incident. I thought and I quote, "I wouldn't need to worry and I don't need to hear that annoying fairy anymore."
But--
Little Man
"I hate this! I hate this double life Alang is doing!"
Here I am, dealing with his shouts and complaints every single day.
Dej Nag
"Relax, it's only been a month since the incident."
Little Man
"Did I even ask for it to be a month, excuse me?!"
I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
Dej Nag
"Look, your human decided to live a double life with his human wife on land for a week or two and come back here with my sister in water for a year and two months."
"That's a good deal, no?"
Little Man
"And what does that mean?"
Dej Nag
"Meaning that if he's on land for a week then it's a month in water. If it's three months in water, it's three days on land."
Little Man
"And if Alang's wife finds out?"
Dej Nag
"Then it's his problem."
Little Man
"How is it his problem?! You know what?! I'm getting straight to the point here!"
"This is all your fault and your sister's!"
He said while pointing his finger at me.
Dej Nag
"And your point is?"
Little Man
"Isn't it obvious?! If she didn't seduce Alang, none of this would've happened!"
"Alang would've been at home, spending more time with his wife here on land than with your sister in the water!"
Dej Nag
"Then what about you? Aren't you at fault for not bothering your human's whereabouts?"
I replied with the question as he flinched when I retorted back at him with emotionless eyes.
Dej Nag
"He's your human and you're his guardian, so you should do something about it."
"It's not my sister's fault that she has fallen for your human even though he has someone here."
"Geez, you phoenixes sure like to piss dragons off."
I said while twirling my hair.
Little Man
"You didn't stop her in time!"
Dej Nag
"It's not me to intervene. If she's happy then I'm happy for her. There's nothing I can do."
Little Man
"Don't change the subject here!"
Dej Nag
"You are."
Little Man
"Isn't she at least aware that Alang has a wife on land?!"
Dej Nag
"Oh, she knows because he told her the moment they met."
Little Man
"What?!"
Dej Nag
"She didn't like the idea, but she's dealing with it well and not oblivious unlike your human's wife on the land."
"Oh, and also--"
I went closer to Little Man as he slowly backed away from me, but I snapped my fingers creating a barrier from him to not run away from me. Once his back is against the barrier wall, I looked at him in the eyes and smiled sweetly at him with an evil smirk.
Dej Nag
"If you don't want to be seduced by a dragon, you should've asked the Phoenix's blessing for protection."
"And I would like to point out it's his wife's fault for not asking for it when he's in danger in the first place."
"So, let me tell you this straight out, Little Man. Or should I say Nplaim, the Phoenix Fairy."
I pointed at the sky.
Dej Nag
"Above there is heaven, a higher-up, who witness and sees what's going on here."
"If you aren't afraid and you are doing this to my sister, myself, or anyone in my family, may this pain pass to your next generations on."
"If you don't appreciate my sister saving your human, then your life would at stake too, no?"
Little Man
"..."
Dej Nag
"Now, do you have any more questions? If not, I'll be going now."
Little Man
"Hey, wait!"
I didn't hear the last of his words as I swam back home. While going back, all of my worries and negative thoughts flooded over my brain all at once.
Dej Nag *thinking*
(You think I like that idea?! You think having my sister marrying a married human is a good thing?!)
(Well, screw you! Unlike you, you have everything! All you have to do is focus on your human and nothing else!!)
(Unlike you, you don't have to deal with any heavy responsibilities that involve treason in your family!!)
(Unlike you, you don't know what's it like to be abandoned!!)
(And unlike you, your blessings are too good to be true!!!)
After sending the human back to his guardian a month ago, back at home… was a mess.
~Flashback~
Dej Nag
"Dawb Hli, you can't be serious!"
Dawb Hli
"Yes, I am."
In my room, there was no one else but me and my little sister, Dawb Hli, who was sitting on my bed. Like me, she has porcelain skin and blue eyes. However, the difference between me and her is that our colored scales, tail, and hair are different. Dawb Hli has blueish purple hair that sparkles like stars and rainbow scales with a rainbow tail that shines like a pearl.
My little sister is known to be the most beautiful dragon within the entire Mekong River because of her unique appearance.
Dej Nag
"You already know that grandmother is furious about this relationship! Don't you feel ashamed?!"
"That human has a wife on land! On land, Dawb Hli!"
I want her to realize what she's doing is wrong. Being married to a human is shocking, but it's worse if he's a married man. For us dragons, in our case, we'll be classified as attention seekers like what Little Man Nplaim said if we cling to people like that.
Dawb Hli
"I know…"
Dej Nag
"If you know then why bother marrying him?!"
I noticed her fingers fidgeting as she took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to say.
Dawb Hli
"Well… he promised me because I saved his life and… to be honest, I want to be his number one."
"He's… the first human who's so kind to me."
I immediately snapped and I put my hands on her shoulders, trying to get a hold of herself.
Dej Nag
"Dawb Hli, for once in your life, can't you think of this through? Tell me, what love will you get out of him? Even if he promised you, humans can't be trusted!"
"Did you already forget what happened to each of us?!"
Dawb Hli was quiet for a moment as if she was thinking about it but then turned her head away from me.
Dawb Hli
"I'm sorry. No matter what you say, my answer won't change. I love him and he feels the same too, Dej Nag."
~Flashback End~
Dej Nag
"*groans* What did I expect. At the end of the day, I couldn't convince her to break up with the man."
I said while coming back home, rubbing my temples to get rid of the awful headache I'm having.
Dej Nag
"I know I shouldn't be like this, but--"
??? *female voice*
"Because you were like that too."
I turned to look behind me and saw an elderly mermaid with the same porcelain skin and blue eyes like me. She has silver hair, and has coral scales with a coral tail.
??? *female voice*
"Before you were born, you were about to be a guardian."
