[Vfw-times] TF Moment

[Hedonism]

I like those TF Moments by Oren. That's why I've made one myself :) Feedback
welcome.

This story brought to you by me wanting it to. Duh.

---
One day, while out riding, the lord of Lusignan saw a beautiful woman who
said her name was Melusine. He instantly fell passionately in love with the
unknown woman and asked to marry her. Melusine consented on one condition:
the knight should never try to look at her while she was bathing.

(from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4352/dragon15.htm - read this first if
you're not familiar with this story)
---
Their marriage was passionate and fruitful, and many heirs to the estate
were born. The knight was happy at first to put up with the requirement his
wife had given him, no matter how unusual it seemed.

But as the years wore on, curiosity wore at his ambivalence. Finally, a lady
in waiting to Melusine who was jealous of the couple's happiness implanted
in the knight a worry that his wife was in love with one of the servants,
and she was sharing her bathings with him.

* * * * *

The lord crept into the bathing room to find a creature where his wife was.
Or at least where part of her should have been. She lounged in the bath, the
long serpentine tail that replaced her legs wound around as she ran soap
along its length. Maybe Melusine's hearing was increased along with her
length, for when the lord stepped back hastily, she swivelled around to face
him and gasped with horror. Endless draconic wings unfurled and bathwater
sloshed to the floor.

"You betrayed me!" she hissed. "Now you know what I am!"

With that the monster slithered to the window, smashed it open with the
thunderclap beat of her wings, and flew into the night. Melusine trailed
tears down her soaked length as she realised she would never be able to
return to her beloved. She could never cope with the sight of his open
mouthed, horrified gaze, knew that the first reaction he would have had if
she ever returned would be to draw his sword...

* * * * *

The lord turned around and looked at the lady in waiting, looking on, her
face carefully blank.

"You," he snarled. "You wanted to watch that, didn't you!"

"I don't know what you mean-" she began, terrified at the knight's look of
accusing anger.

"She didn't know, and you wanted to hurt her, didn't you! And now she's
flying around naked!"

So that was it. The poor woman was just innocent. Didn't Melusine's damn
parents never sit her down and tell her about the facts of life? That when
women grew up, their bodies developed, their voices changed and soapy water
turned them into winged serpent monsters? Just normal human development!

"I thought it was something serious!" shouted the lord with anger now
tempered with great relief. He stalked to the bath and filled a nearby
bucket with some of its contents.

"Could I please go, sir?" asked the maid fearfully. Then shrieked as a soapy
torrent fell over her.

As the lady in waiting fell writhing to the floor and her wails changed into
hisses, the knight commanded, "Bring her back, you stupid woman. And leave
your clothes here. At least if people are looking at you, it'll stop them
from ogling my wife..."

Hedonism

My Story And Stuff Archive : http://users.transfur.com/hedonism/