The Demon Lord and his Hero (BL)

"While we wait, why don't we choose a random person from the crowd to play with me?" Syryn asked the mer king. Looking askance at the purple tailed mer, Syryn added, "Since you're so afraid to play."

The crowned mer seethed. Why should he gamble his life away? There was no prize to be won. The kingdom was his regardless of whatever nonsense the human was spewing. Prophecy or not, only a mer was the rightful ruler to Silisia. While breath remained in him, the mer refused to entertain the idea of letting a human rule Silisia, the most prosperous of all mer kingdoms.

To save face, the mer king's tongue began to loosen. "You have nothing to lose by playing this game because you are dead anyway when it's all said and done. I don't participate in deals and take on challenges that favour my opponent."

Syryn acknowledged the King's response with a nod. "I see what you mean, your majesty.."

"Offer me something that is worth risking my life for." The purple scaled mer believed that Syryn had nothing worthwhile to bet with.

"Shouldn't you have asked that before agreeing to play the game? Not only are you the kind that goes back on his word, but you're also stupid," Syryn said with characteristic bluntness. "How did you manage to become king? Wait let me guess, your subjects are just as stupid as their king. I did say this before though, didn't I? Silisia is a wretched place where fools are born every day, and are ruled by a fool king."

"You dare?" The king pointed his long trident at the human who didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him cower. Without even a flinch, he faced down the gold trident whose pointed edges were at his throat.

"I dare. I'm not a coward like you, King of Silisia."

Syryn's voice chilled the heart of the king. He felt the power of prophecy tremble in the water. Why was the human so confident? What did he have that made him so sure of himself? The humans were surrounded by mermen who could kill them with a single word from their king. Why were they not afraid? A seed of fear was borne in his heart despite the irrationality of it. The mer king knew he had to kill Syryn as soon as possible. The human had survived death so many times that the mer was convinced a guardian was watching over him.

"Tell me, Syryn," the king finally addressed him by his name. "Where do you get your audacity from?" The trident remained pointed at his throat. "Do you think that your human companion can save you from death if I choose to kill you right now?"

"My audacity comes from knowing I am superior to you. It's as simple as that," Syryn answered. "As for Rowan, he's just here to watch. Right, sweetheart?"

"Right," Rowan replied, not even trying to sound convincing. The King took a better look at the blond man who was just as at ease as Syryn. He had the air of someone caught amid an inconvenient situation - a little irritable but unconcerned.

"Your fearless stupidity is superior. In this, I bow in defeat to you," the king replied dryly. The guard was taking too long. The more he clashed in verbal sparring with the human, the more he was humiliated.

"Stupidity? That's your stock in trade, your majesty. I'm fearless, good looking, smart, and I have a lover who is better looking than all your concubines put together. Look at him, look!" Syryn gestured towards Rowan. "Rowan is the most gorgeous man alive, isn't he?"

The anti mage tried very hard not to groan in misery as hundreds of eyes turned to look at him, including the King's. Why was Syryn like this? He hadn't lost his memory and was just fucking with Rowan, right? Because this was just classic Syryn style of embarrassing him.

At least he could be assured that Syryn definitely found him physically attractive, very much so by the way that the mage fawned over his looks. A new concern popped up in his mind, did his blessed physical features overshadow the other aspects of him that should have endeared Syryn to him? Would Syryn feel the same way about him if he wasn't so... conventionally attractive? He recalled that Syryn adamantly stuck with him when he had turned into a woman. That meant something, didn't it?

"Rowan, why are you frowning?" Syryn asked.

"Nothing. The guard is here."

The mer guard arrived with a bag slung over his shoulder. The crowd's attention, to Rowan's relief, turned to the arriving mer guard.

"You have arrived faster than I anticipated," Syryn told him. The King had a different opinion. Any later and Syryn would have probably mouthed off about something even more ridiculous. He admitted that Rowan was a good looking man and wondered what a female version of the blond would have looked like. Catching his stray thoughts, the purple scaled mer blamed Syryn for causing his mind to wander.

"So how are you going to play?" He asked the mage.

Syryn shrugged. "I'll tell you after you tell me who is to join me in the game of death?"

"You still haven't made me an offer so I refuse to participate."

Syryn had nothing. He looked at Rowan.

The anti mage sighed.

"I offer myself in servitude as a bodyguard," Rowan told the mer king. "Or whatever else you may need me for."

At his words, several concubines and mermaids began to have ideas about the anti mage. Syryn was good looking but he was very pretty. They preferred the masculine good looks of the blond who was mascular without being unnecessarily bulky.

"No!"

Rowan turned to his lover who had objected.

"No?"

The King interjected, "Agreed, I will have good use for this human. I'm sure I can sell his services to the hungry mermaids that are eyeing him."