“I want you to prepare and serve ... a mermaid.”

Those words bounced around in Chef Marmok’s head for days as he came to grips with the request. He was the head chef for the Imperial Throne, one occupied by an Emperor Franickson, his childhood friend.

Marmok’s one and only skill was cooking and preparing meals. He tried other endeavors. Those endeavors were flaming waste show each time he tried. But cooking meals? Marmok was legendary, easily the best in the empire. He was a prodigy. Any meal you wanted, Marmok could make it. Low quality ingredients? Five-star restaurant material. Unusual cooking instruments? Marmok looked like he used them all his life. Exotic and or weird foods? The common peasant would say that the meal was to die for. Somehow, he even managed to make dishes that contained allergens not affect people with said allergies.

This one request came as a shock to Marmok. He thought Franickson was joking, until he was led to a large pool in a secluded coastline. Inside the pool was a mermaid. She waved at him. Marmok tried his best then to avoid sweating cannonballs as he really made sure this is what his liege wanted.

“Are you sure you want this? Mermaids are sapient beings.”

“Of course, I do. This is why I requested you, my childhood friend, and most trusted official in all of the empire.”

Marmok was showing signs of hesitation. The emperor had to be firm with his officials.

“Listen, just do what I say. I don’t want to order you to do it, but I will if I have too, Marmok.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“No.”

“I order you to prepare and serve her.”

“No way, Franickson. I will not do it. Mermaids are sapient beings. I will not prepare and cook her into a meal for you or anyone else in this empire. I will rot in the prisons if I must!”

The emperor turned to look at Marmok.

“You really would?”

“Yes! Either take me away the prisons or let me go. Our friendship is through. I will leave this land and go somewhere else.”

The emperor scrounged his brows together. The man was clearly very confused.

“Hold up, you really think I want you to kill this beautiful woman and serve her on a platter for me to eat?”

“Yes! And I won’t do it!”

The emperor started to smile, and laugh, and bellowed out a good one as he went to the cave wall for support. Marmok was very, very confused. But he let the emperor finish. Wiping tears from his eyes, the emperor came back to Marmok’s presence.

“Oh, you sweet, summer child...

“When I requested you to prepare and serve a mermaid for me, I did not mean for you to turn her into a meal. I will admit that those words were really poor judgement from me.

“Honey! Could you stop swimming around and come over here for a moment?”

Honey?

The mermaid swam up to the smooth rocks on the side of the pool where Franickson and Marmok were. She hoisted herself out of the pool and sat on a rock, letting the water drip from her hair. Franickson scooped her up in his arms and gave her a passionate smooch.