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luimagines · 2 days ago

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The Legendary Mermaid

Another commission!

They asked for a Legend and Reader where mermaids are involved. I'd explain more but I don't want to spoil it. XD

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

Link didn’t think much of you at first. You were clumsy. Uncoordinated. One of the most ungraceful beings he has ever had the… um... pleasure to meet.

You spoke in broken Hylian but he could understand you well enough. When he stumbled into you on the beach he tried to go through the number of languages that he knew were native to the area but none of them seemed to click with you.

You were excitable and wobbly. You looked straight out of a ship wreck so you could have been from anywhere.

Still- Link wasn’t about to abandon you when you clearly had no idea where you were.

He took you into his village, set you up with a place to stay with some helpful neighbors and thought that his duty of care was done. He was wrong.

Turns out! You had a habit of running off in the middle of the day and going off to who knows where. The first time it happened, poor Gulley was in a tizzy trying not to panic because he thought you were just really good at hide and seek and he didn’t want you to miss dinner.But he couldn’t find you anywhere.

More people got involved.

They still had no idea where you went. Hours passed and the sun went down but no one had a clue where their strange and sudden visitor could have gone off to.

Link suddenly had the terrible thought that maybe you went off into the lake and something terrible happened. He ran as fast as he could but his panic happened to be unfounded.

You were there, soaking wet but otherwise unharmed, playing a small hermit crab that had somehow made it out of the water.

Link had half the mind to scold you, but your innocent giggles at the tiny creature had enough incentive to get him to calm down first. He bought you back where many of the aunties and elders fussed over you before giving you a warm bowl of soup and tucking you away for the night.

Your galavanting happened at least every other day. It didn’t take long for Link to realize that everytime you went missing, you were actually just by some body of water.

He thought that maybe you just had a childish way of exploring. Or maybe you just liked to splash and swim. He wasn’t one to judge. He just wished you told people where you were going and when you planned to be back so no one would worry about you.

When you decided to stay in the village and interact with other humans for a change, you were like a fish out of water.

You crashed into walls. You tripped over your own two feet. You would lose your balance at the oddest of times.

“Whoa!” Link caught you the arm before you could fall over and land face first into a pile of mud. “You know… You walk like a newborn deer.”

“What is deer?” You ask on impulse.

Link pauses and gives you a questioning look but decides to keep his judgment silent. Maybe there’s just no deer where you’re from. Somehow. Which would be strange considering how popular they are. Then again, you’ve never mentioned how you got to where they are or where you grew up. It seemed to be the only topic you actively avoided talking about.

“An animal.” Link says instead. “They have skinny legs and they begin walking on the day they’re born. The males have horns on their heads.”

“....Do they shine? Many colors?” You ask with a hopeful expression on your face.

Link hates to be the bearer of bad news, but he finds that he can’t lie to you. “Not really. They hide a lot so they look like golden grass and dried leaves.”

“Grass.” You stand up straighter, still holding onto his arm. “...Hm…”

Link has no idea how to respond to that.

“Yes.” He tries anyway. “They’re actually quite big once they’re fully grown. They’re majestic creatures.”

“Magic?” You tilt your head.

“No magic.” He shakes his head. “ Ma-ges-tic.”

“...Oh.”

Is he going crazy or do you sound disappointed? Link swallows the spit in his throat, not sure why he feels the need to not only make you feel better, but to also impress you. “Most animals can’t do magic but they’re still very impressive. You know- if you want, we can always go into the forest and look for them. How’s that sound?”

You smile, but it doesn’t seem to reach your eyes.

Link feels his heart bob. He’s not sure if he’s doing this right. “Maybe tomorrow, yeah? After I’m done with my work in the forge, I’ll come look for you and we can go explore some more.”

Your eyes light up a little more genuinely and you nod enthusiastically to boot.

Link feels better about this suddenly.

Until tomorrow rolls around and you’re once again nowhere to be found.

Link wants to ram his head into the nearest wall. How could he forget? It was a ‘Go for a Swim Day’ today. It was part of your pattern. Did he just forget all his senses suddenly?

Groaning for the extra mileage he has to walk, he heads home first to collect some stuff for the journey. Surely you would be hungry at some point, right? Maybe he can make it a picnic too. There’s a nice spot that overlooks the valley that he knows of. You seem to be the type of person who enjoys the simple things his home has to offer.

Not only that but you seem rather focused on finding magical items. Or at least you try to find something magical in every nook and cranny. …He has a few magical items. That can impress you! He packs his magic mirror, his fire arrows and his mermaid tail. You’ll probably find a river or pond that you’d want to jump in. Since you love to swim so much, maybe he’ll join you just this once and show off a bit. Surely you’ve never seen anything like it.

Once he has everything set, he checks the nearby creek first- hoping you didn’t decide to splash around and find out.

Nothing.

Not a stone unturned and not a single piece of evidence that anyone had been here earlier.

Link groans louder and turns on his heel to head down to the lake instead. He knows he’s being dramatic, but you’re not around to witness his pettiness, so he’s at liberty to do what he wants.

His feet are aching by the time he finally makes it to the lake. He kicks off his shoes to walk along the warm sandband before he begins his search anew. There’s not much that he thinks he has to look for. A bag? Some footprints? A discarded shirt or something? Your shoes by the side of the bank?

He finds… nothing.

“Where are you?” Link growls and flops onto the dirt. He pouts and puts his cheeks in his palms as he tries to think about what to do next. There goes his plans for the afternoon. And probably well into the evening at that.

Link can’t help the sinking feeling of disappointment in his chest at the thought of being stood up. Not this was any big deal or anything- but he didn’t realize how much he was actually looking forward to this moment until he couldn’t have it.

Well.. He’s at the lake anyway. And he has the mermaid tail. He’ll get something for you. He can dive to the bottom of the lake and find something cool for you!

Link shimmies the tail on without a second thought and crawls into the water. The magic takes effect at once. He takes his first deep breath and pushes himself further into the cold. He feels his legs become intertwined with his item. The cold loses the sting the further he goes and although it takes a bit longer for his brain to adjust than he’d like, Link is quickly swimming deeper and deeper to where no other Hylian has gone before.

His eyes take longer to adjust. Considering he’s more worried about not forgetting that he can now breathe underwater, he’s still to ignore that little tidbit. All he has to do is swim straight down anyway.

Something moves to his left.

Link stops dead in his tracks.

“What?” He blurts. The sound he makes is warbled, broken as it always is when he tries to speak underwater.

In a split second, the figure blasts in front of him, sending him back a few feet. He brings up his arms to block any unwanted water from going up his nose and growls.

You poke his arm two seconds later.

“AH!” He screams without meaning to.

You seem just as perplexed and confused. You tilt your head and swim back just enough so that you can see him in his entirety. “Link?”

Your voice has changed too, but not quite like his does when he’s in this form. Your voice is clear as crystal and he can physically feel the waves it produces as they curl around his ears and his body.

He repeats your name with the same shocked reverence.

You break out into excited chitters and clicks, sounds he��s never heard before poke all around his body and he thinks he can feel the very effect they have on his brain.

You swim back over to him and twirl him around in earnest. You look delighted to see him here.

Link takes the moment to also look you over.

A mermaid.

He flushes when he sees more than he’s bargained for. Of course. What purpose do clothes serve to a mermaid?

You swim circles around him. The movement is graceful and borderline poetic, nothing like the way you move on land. Your tail was glittery and bejeweled with colors he hadn’t known could sparkle in the low light of the lake water. It trailed after you like a silk scarf or a skilled ribbon dancer.

He was staring.

You seemed to have caught on quickly that he was enthralled by your body. A part of you wonders why. Another feels the need to be embarrassed. You’ve dressed in the way of the finless for so long that you’ve almost adopted their shameful thinking to cover up one's form. The third and final part of you actually likes his attention. He’s impressed. Enamored, almost. This is the part of you that wins.

Smirking, you decide to metaphorically test the waters and dance around him some more, brushing your tail against his and pulling him this way and that with your dance alone. You swim away for just a second, wanting to play some more with the strange boy that can be of both worlds.

Link jolts out of the trance you’ve put him in and skips to follow you.

You laugh.

His breath catches in his throat at the sound of subtle trills and chirps. Link freezes completely in his spot. Your laugh tickles him even as he begins to sink from the lack of movement once more.

“You swim worse than a guppy.”

Link falters and the ethereal moment for him is shattered in an instant.

“Hey!” He says instead.

You laugh again, sending more pins and needles over his skin and tail and begin to swim laps around him, clearly showing off your superior swimming agility. You play with him some more, poking and annoying him but swimming away before he can retaliate and poke you back.

The game catches on from there.

Link is, unfortunately, in over his head and he has to admit proverbial defeat minutes into it. It doesn’t stop him from playing anyway. This is arguably the most free he’s ever seen you and he’s not about to ruin it anymore than his lack of grace does on its own.

It’s nice.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #lu x reader #lu legend #mermaids

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mentha-vacciniumrainbow · 2 days ago

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This was great!!!

Zestmilla week: Day 3

Mythical Au

The Aegean Sea teemed with mythical beasts, but none struck more terror into sailors' hearts than the sirens. Zestial, battle-scarred captain of the royal fleet, had grown up hearing tales of these creatures whispered in taverns and around cooking fires—beings of otherworldly beauty whose voices could reduce the strongest men to helpless puppets.

Their song, it was said, carried on the wind like honey-sweet poison, enchanting crews to steer their ships straight into treacherous reefs. The sirens would watch from their rocky perches, golden hair gleaming in the moonlight, as vessel after vessel splintered against the stones. The lucky ones drowned quickly. The others…Zestial had seen their bones scattered across hidden coves, picked clean by creatures better left unnamed.

As a sworn protector of the realm, Zestial could no longer ignore the mounting deaths. These weren't mere monsters—they were Hades' own servants, released from the Underworld to sow chaos among the living. Each report brought darker news: entire trading fleets vanished, fishing villages found abandoned, their boats rotting at empty docks.

On the night of the new moon, when darkness lay thick as wool across the water, Zestial gathered his most trusted warriors. Two hundred men who had faced hydras and gorgons at his side now stood silent on the deck of his flagship, their bronze armor darkened with soot to dull its shine. Their target was no ordinary siren—they hunted the queen herself, whose voice was said to drive men mad with a single note.

Zestial ran his thumb along the edge of his blessed sword, its celestial bronze gleaming with faint blue light. By dawn, either her head would adorn the palace walls as warning to Hades' other creatures, or his men would join the countless bones littering the seafloor. There would be no middle ground in this hunt.

They hunted for months across treacherous waters. The sea ran red with the blood of slaughtered merfolk, their scaled bodies and iridescent tails floating in the foam like broken jewels. Zestial's men became efficient killers, learning to stuff their ears with wax and strike before their prey could sing. Each raid left more rocky outcrops silent, more underwater caves empty—but still the queen eluded them.

Hundreds of her kind fell to bronze and steel. Some fought back with tooth and claw, others pleaded for mercy in voices that could shatter marble. Zestial told himself this was justice, that each death brought safety to his people. But in the dark hours before dawn, their faces haunted him—so similar to human women in their final moments, tears mixing with salt spray.

"Captain, there's a storm brewing!" Theron's voice cut through the wind, his weathered face twisted with concern as he gripped the ship's rail. The old sailor had weathered a hundred gales, and Zestial had never seen such fear in his eyes.

"How serious is it?" Zestial's words were nearly lost in a sudden gust that set the rigging shrieking.

"Like nothing I've seen in thirty years at sea, sir." Theron pointed to the horizon where unnatural green clouds boiled up from the water itself. "The waves... they're moving against the wind. This is no natural tempest."

Lightning flashed in impossible colors—white, red, and a sickly shade of gold that left afterimages burned in their vision. Each thunderclap carried echoes of singing, a chorus of dead sirens calling out for vengeance.

"Your orders, sir?" Theron's knuckles were white on his sword hilt. Around them, the crew scrambled to secure lines, their movements frantic but futile against the rising supernatural storm.

Was that the moment Zestial heard it? It wasn’t the siren song he’d been hearing for the past few months, but a low, mournful wail that seemed to rise from the depths of the ocean. It spoke not of seduction or dreams, but of loss and rage so deep it made his bones ache. Drawn to the bow, he peered through the curtains of rain to see a lone figure perched on a distant rock. Unlike his kin, he sported no glistening scales or a handsome façade.

The queen had found them.

"Is that…?" Theron asked.

"Yes, yes it is."

Her scream tore through the night, a sound of pure malevolence that shattered minds and wills alike. Thirty of Zestial's men lurched overboard like puppets, while the rest turned their swords on each other in a frenzy. Blood mixed with rain on the deck as brother fought brother.

But Zestial remained clear-headed—an old war wound had left him nearly deaf years ago, when a Persian explosive had detonated too close to his position. Now, that cursed injury became his shield.

While the queen was lost in her destructive song, he slipped into the churning waters. Fighting against waves that seemed alive with hatred, he circled behind her rocky perch. His waterlogged armor threatened to drag him down, but he pressed on, using each lightning flash to guide his approach. The queen, drunk on her own power and the chaos she'd created, never sensed him climbing up behind her. The celestial bronze blade kissed her throat, silencing her song mid-note. The storm seemed to hold its breath with her.

"Turn. Slowly," Zestial commanded, his voice rough with salt spray.

She complied with an otherworldly grace. Silver hair like moonlit silk cascaded over her face, parting to reveal features that struck him speechless. This was no demon from Hades' realm—her beauty transcended anything mortal or infernal. Her eyes held the depths of ages, luminescent as starlight on still water. Every story he'd been told, every assumption about her origins in the underworld, crumbled before the reality of her presence.

"Come on, soldier… get this over with," she whispered, her voice now stripped of its supernatural power, revealing something achingly human beneath. "Do it!" she commanded, tilting her head to better expose her throat to his blade.

But her defiance cracked like thin ice, revealing layers of pain beneath. In her ancient eyes, Zestial saw not malice but a bone-deep weariness that mirrored his own—the exhaustion of someone who had lost too much to too many wars.

Keeping his blade steady against her throat, Zestial sank to his knees on the rain-slick stone. Their faces drew close enough that he could feel her breath, cold as deep ocean currents, against his skin. Her scent was an intoxicating mixture of sea spray and something older, more primal—like petrichor from the world's first storm. "Is it not enough?" she hissed, her words carrying the weight of a mother's grief. "Having slaughtered my daughters, do you now wish to toy with their mother?"

This close, he could see the delicate patterns in her skin that seemed to shift like sunlight through waves, the subtle glow that emanated from within. His sword hand trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the maddening desire to lower his blade, to give in to this forbidden fascination.

Then her eyes blazed with a fury that could have boiled the sea itself, but behind that rage, she must have seen something in his gaze—the way it lingered too long on her lips, how his breath caught when she moved. A knowing smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"Or perhaps," then, something softened in her gaze as recognition dawned. She leaned closer, her expression a curious mix of disbelief and wonder.

"Now you see?"

"So it’s you,” she murmured. "The man who threw himself from the cliffs… yet somehow lived."

Zestial’s heart pounded, memories flooding back to a distant night when he had nearly met his end. He remembered flinging himself from that ledge, the angry sea swallowing him whole, his broken body washing up on a hidden shore. He had drifted in and out of consciousness, barely aware of a figure pulling him from the water, cradling him as the tide receded.

“You brought me to shore,” he said, his voice thick with a forgotten ache. He remembered the faint warmth of hands on his skin, the feeling of being cared for—an echo that had lingered in his mind for years, like a ghost of a melody.

"I thought you would forget…but you returned. Always to that same place."

"Always..."

Her voice hardened, and her gaze, once tender, darkened with fury. She pulled away, her hands clenched into fists, trembling with the weight of her anger.

"Of all men, it was you," she spat. "The man I saved, the man I watched return to life—and you repay me by killing my children? Was this your gratitude?"

Zestial’s face fell, a pang of shame piercing him as he met her furious gaze. He tried to speak, but she silenced him with a look of pure loathing.

"Had I known what you would become," she continued, her words biting like salt in a wound, "I would have left you to the sea. Perhaps then, my daughters would still live. Perhaps then, we would have peace."

His voice, heavy with resignation, broke through the silence between them. "If it hadn’t been me, it would have been another," he replied, his tone weary but firm. "The king would never allow sirens to live unchecked. You must know this. You know how men are."

She scoffed, her expression twisted with pain. "And you’re no different. Just another soldier. Another man who’d take everything from us without a thought."

"Don’t speak as if you were innocent," Zestial retorted. "Your daughters have claimed thousands of human lives."

"And humans have taken millions of ours!" she snapped, fury blazing in her eyes. Her voice shook as she continued, each word laced with bitter resentment. "Humans have kills us for sport, for fresh meat, to use our bodies to fulfill their lust. We’ve been hunted for black magic, for promises of eternal life. All we ever did was defend ourselves… defend me. Their mother..."

Then, there was movement behind him. Zestial spun around, raising his sword.

"No, please don’t!" Her voice broke through, filled with desperation.

Two young sirens stood there, barely more than children, their wide eyes staring up at him with a mixture of fear and innocence. They clung to each other, trembling.

"They’re no threat…please, leave them be," she pleaded, her voice softer now, raw with emotion.

Zestial hesitated, then slowly lowered his sword and sheathed it. "They’re the last… aren’t they?"

Zestial took a step closer, gauging her reaction.

“Huh. The king desires your head as a trophy,” he explained, his voice steady but urgent. “But I won’t take your life.”

Her expression softened slightly, but skepticism lingered in her eyes.

“Perhaps a scale,” he suggested, glancing at her shimmering skin. “Or something similar. A piece of you that would convince him of your demise without taking your life. It must be something he can hold, something he can see and touch—a mark that signifies the end of your reign over these waters.”

She considered his words, the storm of emotions swirling within her. “A scale…” she murmured, looking at her daughters. “It would have to be a significant one, one that proves I am no longer here.”

“Yes,” Zestial agreed, a glimmer of hope igniting in his chest. “Just a single scale, and I will ensure you and your daughters remain safe from the madness of men.”

"Alright then."

Zestial returned to his ship, the weight of his secret heavy on his shoulders. As he stepped onto the deck, the sight of his comrades greeted him. They looked up expectantly, eager to hear of his conquest. He lied effortlessly, spinning a tale of triumph and bravery that they swallowed whole. The sky above them had cleared, and the sea had calmed, reinforcing their belief in his story. With a renewed sense of camaraderie, they set sail for the kingdom, their spirits high.

Once in the grand hall of the palace, Zestial presented the shimmering scale to the king, claiming it as a trophy from the slain siren queen. The ruler's eyes sparkled with greed as he took the scale, placing it into his crown as a precious gem.

A celebration erupted, filled with feasting and revelry that lasted for days and nights. The hall echoed with laughter and music, yet Zestial felt an unsettling emptiness gnawing at him, a discontent that shadowed the joy around him. As the days turned into nights, he began to notice something disturbing—many of the soldiers who had participated in the expedition started to disappear during the nights of celebration. At first, it seemed like nothing more than drunken escapades, but as more and more faces grew absent, Zestial’s unease deepened. He was the only one who sensed that something was amiss, while his fellow revelers remained blissfully ignorant.

One night, amid the laughter and clinking of goblets, he heard a familiar, haunting laughter that stirred something deep within him. It was the same laughter that had echoed through the chaos of the storm, a sound that cut through the haze of merriment like a blade. He turned, hope fluttering in his chest, only to be met by the haze of celebration and the faces of revelers, oblivious to the growing shadows.

Disappointed and increasingly suspicious, Zestial decided to leave the festivities behind. The joyous noise became a dull roar in his ears as he stepped outside, the cool night air brushing against his skin, refreshing yet filled with tension. Just as he began to collect his thoughts, he felt a presence behind him. Instinctively, he raised his sword, ready for whatever threat lay in the shadows. But as he turned, he was met with a chilling sight: the queen stood there, her mouth stained with blood, an unsettling smile playing on her lips.

“Good to see you, Captain,” she purred, her voice a seductive blend of danger and allure.

"How...?" he stammered, surprise etching his features as he struggled to comprehend her presence in the heart of the royal stronghold.

She laughed, a melodious sound that sent a shiver down his spine. "Did you really think I was bound to the sea? I can walk as you do, captain. The waters do not confine me; they only enhance what I am."

"But why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"From you? Nothing. I just came to claim your soldiers' debts."

Zestial's brow furrowed in confusion. "Debts?"

"Each life taken in my waters has a price, Captain. You already paid, but they haven't."

He felt a chill run down his spine. "You mean to take revenge?"

"Not revenge—retribution," she clarified, her gaze unwavering.

Zestial's expression hardened as he contemplated her proposal. "What if I offered to pay their debt with my life?"

She laughed, a harsh, mocking sound that sent shivers down his spine. "You think too highly of yourself, Captain. Your life isn’t worth the weight of a single scale from my daughters."

He clenched his fists, desperation driving him to find another way. "Then what if I offered to be your slave? I would serve you, and only you. I would give you everything—my loyalty, my labor. A home, food, riches… I would dedicate my life to you and your daughters."

Her laughter faded, replaced by an intrigued glint in her eyes. "A bold offer, indeed. But what makes you think I would want a human as a servant?"

"I can be useful," he insisted, stepping closer, urgency in his voice. "I know the ways of men, their weaknesses. I can help you navigate their world. Together, we could forge an alliance, one that could protect your kind from further slaughter."

The queen studied him, her lips curling into a thoughtful smirk. "You would willingly give up your freedom for a chance to save your comrades? How noble."

"Not noble—practical," he replied, feeling the weight of her gaze. "If I can secure peace between our peoples, perhaps I can prevent more bloodshed. And if I must pay for their sins with my own life, so be it."

She considered his words, her expression shifting as she contemplated the implications. "Very well, Captain. I accept your offer. But remember this: once you enter my service, there is no turning back. Your life will belong to me, and I will decide your fate."

Zestial nodded, determination filling him. "I understand. But I will not falter in my commitment to you."

"Then we have a deal," she said, a glimmer of satisfaction in her voice. "Now, go and retrieve what is owed. Your journey begins now, my devoted servant."

Pd: If you want to know more, I could write more.

#hazbin hotel #carmilla carmine #fanfic #carmilla hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel headcanon #hazbin hotel zestial #hazbin hotel fanart #hazbinhotel #zestmilla #sirens #mermaids

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