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For two days Leon stayed in Ariminium, wandering around the city and visiting the sites that were important to him. The guild district had long since been rebuilt, as had the square where he and Trajan had ambushed Bran, the vampire working with the Talfar Kingdom. He also had to field audience requests from the aristocracy, though he refused most as politely as he could. Still, he spent much time with the Bull Kingdom’s Royal Family, and that meant that he wasn’t able to refuse all requests to meet.
After two days, despite intending to stay at least one more day in Ariminium, his plans were unexpectedly changed when Maia returned early. He’d sensed her approach and his heart lifted with every passing second that she spent getting closer. The excitement she felt was contagious, but so too was her nervousness. By the time she arrived in the sky over Ariminium in the form of a large serpentine water dragon, Leon wasn’t sure how excited or anxious he ought to be.
With the benefit of hindsight, though, he would’ve been much more anxious than he wound up being.
When Maia arrived, she asked him to meet her in the sky, which he was only too happy to do. He gave the rest of his friends and family a quick explanation, and a moment later, the water dragon had been joined by a Thunderbird.
Together, they soared for a few minutes, basking in the light of the sun and the adoration and panic of the crowds below.
Finally, Maia spoke, explaining why she felt as she did. [Leon… My mother wants to meet you.]
A chill descended upon Leon, as if he’d plunged headfirst into the deepest snowdrift in the Frozen Mountains. But he had faced Primal Gods and Devils before, and fought so many other powerful creatures that he metaphorically gritted his teeth, set his river nymph wife in his golden avian gaze, and replied in a steady voice, [I’d love to meet her.]
Joy radiated through their connection, tinged with a slight undercurrent of dread. He wondered how much of the dread she’d just inspired within him she could feel.
Regardless, Maia turned northeast, and after Leon sent a quick mental message to the rest of his people informing them of the change in plans, Leon turned after her.
The journey turned into a trip down memory lane of another sort. During the war with Talfar, Leon had ventured beyond the walls of the Bull’s Horns and conducted a relatively short campaign of asymmetric warfare against the Talfar soldiery. He’d also been chased off a cliff and into a river where he’d been captured by a river nymph and brought to Maia deep underground.
Over this very forest, they flew, and Leon almost thought that they were going to descend the very same cliff he’d been forced over so long ago. However, Maia led them onward still, landing over another vaguely familiar sight: a pond of nearly abyssal depth that acted as an exit point for the submerged cave system in which Maia had lived before joining Leon in the Bull Kingdom. It had been through this pond that Maia had led Leon after they’d forged their pact to mate—a pact that Leon quietly noted had yet to go fulfilled, though he at least took comfort in the fact that Maia was in no danger of turning into a gorgon anymore.
Despite their power and the weight of their auras, Leon and Maia touched down softly, with hardly a blade of grass in the forest bending with their arrival. Not much more than a few drops of water from Maia’s water dragon even touched the ground before the magic forming it dissipated into the environment.
Once reformed and transformed, Leon and Maia stood together, side-by-side, at the pond’s edge, staring down into the calm green water’s black depths.
“Nervous?” Leon redundantly asked; he knew she was, he could feel it.
“With you?” she asked as she plastered a glowing smile across her face. “Never.” She reached out and took his hand, then slowly strode down into the pond. Her clothes vanished before the water reached their knees. Not much pulling was required for Leon to follow her, and their heads disappeared below the water’s surface at the same time.
No small amount of nostalgia flooded through Leon’s system as they descended deeper into the pond, and then entered the cave system. As when Maia had led him away from her underground lake so long ago, Maia led him now, her lower half merging with water while her upper half remained in human form, her fingers entwined with his as she pulled him along. He hardly needed her aid in traversing these caves anymore, not as he did back in the day, but the caves branched off multiple times, so, at the very least, he still needed her guidance.
And, of course, he simply enjoyed the feeling of being with her, of having her hand in his.
Their first journey through these caves decades before had seemed interminably long. Leon had still been weak enough to require breathing, and could only hold his breath for about a quarter of an hour. Now, however, he could relax and take in the view.
The underwater tunnel walls were covered in various lichen, algae, and mushrooms, many of which brightly glowed in various shades of green, blue, and purple. Pockets of magic passed them by, and Leon idly wondered if these pockets were other river nymphs merged entirely with the water around them.
They soon arrived in the underground lake. Maia led them to break the surface almost as soon as they arrived, and only a matter of seconds later, they were walking out of the water on the island she’d lived on for more than a century. The enormous cavern was largely unchanged, with strange trees with glowing leaves covering its interior, while the ceiling far above was dotted with glowing crystals that made its dark surface resemble the night sky. It wasn’t enough to fool Leon’s senses, but it was enough to keep his natural aversion to being underground at bay.
“Here?” he asked as Maia pulled him further. He’d expected they’d meet her mother in Saron, not on Maia’s old island.
“Here,” she confirmed, disabusing him of any other notion.
He took a deep breath and continued. He kept his magic senses restrained, wanting to respect the introduction for what it was. As a result, the first glimpses he got of Pleione were a few flashes of pale white skin almost glowing like the surface of the moon between the trees. As he and Maia drew closer, he laid eyes upon a woman of nearly unparalleled beauty relaxing in the small pond at the center of Maia’s island. Most of her body was obscured below the water, but as with all river nymphs, it was clear that she wasn’t wearing any clothing. Similarly, as with all river nymphs, her appearance would’ve driven sculptors into retirement, for her beauty was impossible for marble to capture.
Her long earth-brown hair spilled out into the grass behind her, while her legs from the knees down poked out of the water. She rested her arms in the sand at the pond’s edge, and as Leon and Maia approached, her head turned in their direction, letting her familiar lake-blue eyes fall upon Leon. Her full lips turned upward in a welcoming, though eminently dignified, grin. She didn’t rise at their arrival, but since Maia didn’t seem to mind, Leon sure wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. He was far more preoccupied with keeping his eyes above water rather than straying to the attractive body below the pond’s gently lapping waves.
Maia led them right to the edge of the pond opposite her mother before she released Leon’s hand. His fingers momentarily followed hers, seeking their warmth, before he let his hand fall back to his side. Maia entered the pond, then took a seat position upon a large boulder at one end of the pond, letting her indirectly sit in between Leon and Pleione without obscuring either one.
For what felt like an eternity, Leon stood there, feeling like a child being inspected by an adult as Pleione’s eyes wandered over his still-clothed body.
Finally, Pleione broke the silence, in a sense. [Will you not join us, Leon?]
Despite wanting to refuse, Leon replied through an awkward smile, “Sure… sure. Nothing wrong with this at all.”
[You can save the sarcasm with me,] Pleione replied.
“What if I don’t want to?” Leon sarcastically asked as he first pulled his boots into his soul realm. He slowly walked into the pond, removing his clothes as he went without revealing too much of himself above the waterline. The entire time, he felt the weight of Pleione’s appraising eye, intimidating him in a way that only an in-law could.
[At least I know my daughter has fine taste,] Pleione snickered. [I would’ve been worried if you were more… ‘average’.]
A spike of embarrassment shot through the connection Leon and Maia shared. Leon wasn’t sure where it originated, but he could feel his cheeks redden slightly all the same. A glance at his wife showed Maia sitting still as a statue, her eyes flitting between Leon and Pleione her only movement. All it took was a smile from him and she visibly relaxed.
‘Now it’s just my turn,’ he thought as he took a deep, calming breath. ‘I’ve achieved Apotheosis, talking to Maia’s mother is no big deal.’
Aloud, he asked Pleione in a more playful tone, “What’s ‘average’ in your view?”
[Weakness,] Pleione smoothly replied. [Impotence. Contentment.]
“Strange,” Leon responded. “Simple words, but high standards for a woman of your power. A seventh-tier mage is strong, but compared to you? Not so much. Why have such high standards? Don’t river nymphs typically eat their mates?”
With a shark-like grin, Pleione said, [My standards used to be flexible. After meeting my mate, they no longer are. My favorite daughter deserves someone equal, if not superior to her father.] She paused, her appraising look turning into a hard glare. [Naiads and Pleiones mate for life; did you know that?]
A slow nod confirmed that he did.
[Why would I allow my girl to have a mate unworthy of her?]
“I think she can make her own decision on that front.”
[Convenient for you when you’re the one she chose.]
“It is. I love her, so of course I want her to choose me.”
Pleione’s aura intensified for a moment, and the water of the pond shook in response. Leon felt it constrict around him. The ground around the pond began to tremble in turn, but before anything more could happen, Leon channeled his water magic with a few sparks of origin power to back him up. Pleione was a more skilled water mage than he was, but she was only ninth-tier. The universe bent itself to his whim, not to hers.
The pond water stilled and the earth was pacified in only a moment.
[You dare to contest me in my own domain?] Pleione growled into his mind, her words carrying with them overtones of deep anger and offense.
Undaunted, Leon simply replied, “Yes.”
[Pride will get you killed, Leon,] Pleione suggested.
“Not by you,” Leon shot back. He glanced again at Maia. “Besides, some things are worth taking pride in.”
A tense moment followed, and then Pleione’s aura calmed. As her glare softened, Leon did likewise and retracted his power.
[Good,] she stated, filling Leon with no small amount of surprise. [My Maia shouldn’t be mated to a spineless dove.] She punctuated her statement by sitting up from the pond, the earth following behind her to form a perfect backrest.
Leon kept diligent control over his eyes despite Pleione nonchalantly revealing her bountiful assets.
[I might have more intensely questioned you, Leon,] she continued, [but your power is sufficient, as is your status. Your looks and demeanor were all I required.]
She paused, a leading look in her eye. Leon didn’t take the bait.
Impatience got the better of her, so after almost a full minute of Leon deliberately not asking the question she wanted him to, she stated, [I deem you sufficient.]
Leon made a bit of a show of wiping his brow of nonexistent sweat. Despite this, the words he spoke came with more sincerity than he’d initially intended. “That’s a relief. Had me sweating over here.”
[I know,] Pleione replied with a provocative grin. She ran a hand through the water they shared, and Leon had to suppress a grimace. [I would extend our introduction, Leon, but before we do, there’s another matter that I confess to wanting to speak with you about.]
“So long as this matter doesn’t come at anyone else’s expense,” Leon replied.
The answer he received was a vanishing smile and an increasing air of severity, so he sat up a little straighter, sensing that this wasn’t going to be some fluff question.
[Your encounter with… ‘Krith’it’, was it?]
“Krith’is?” he asked. “The Primal God?”
[That one, yes. My daughter has told me of it. Tell me more.]
“That’s a vague request. Why do you want to know?”
Pleione scowled. She seemed to internally debate with herself for a long moment before deciding to respond. [Saron was not built by river nymphs, it was only discovered by us when some fool of a human disturbed deep, dark graves below the surface.] An image raced into Leon’s mind of a submerged city comprised of thousands of pyramids of varying sizes. The massive pyramid in the center with a blue beam of light connecting it to another pyramid hanging from the ceiling was particularly blood-curdling.
“Sounds familiar,” Leon growled, his thoughts turning to the seemingly endless field of pyramids below the Serpentine Isles, each pyramid marking the grave of a Primal God.
[The man met a bloody end,] Pleione continued. [My people, however, were conscripted. Our entrance to the city marked us, and we were forced to watch over it, to ensure that no other fools could ever stumble upon it.]
“A good policy, given what those pyramids keep buried. Or imprisoned.”
[Tell me more of them,] Pleione demanded. [Of those I watch over. Of those I keep from the eyes of man.]
Leon opened his mouth, but the words refused to form. His brain knew the concepts he wanted to share, the sheer horror that faced the universe if even one of those Primal beings escaped… as one had on Arkhnavi… but his throat and tongue couldn’t shape the words properly. Language itself seemed inadequate to the task.
So instead, he called upon his darkness magic, reaching out with it to touch Pleione’s mind. He’d had no doubt that she was a more skilled user of darkness magic than he was, but he was still shocked at just how strong her mental defenses felt just from his quiet probe.
She clearly felt his silent request, but only after a moment’s thought—and a glance Maia’s way—did she lower her defenses and allow him to connect with her in that way.
When their minds touched, Leon shared with her his experiences dealing with both the Primal Gods and the Primal Devils. The terror they wielded, the power they commanded, the disregard they held for life not their own… He recounted using not words but memories how both Planerend and Krith’is had invaded his mind without him even immediately knowing, calling forth his insecurities and regrets to debilitate him, to make him more susceptible to their influence. He finished his ‘explanation’ by iterating the place of the Primal beings in the universe, underlining the depth of power they wielded.
When he was finished, Pleione looked pale. Where before, her body shone like a moon goddess incarnate, now she was more…
‘… human?’ he supposed.
[Always have I wondered what might lay below those stones…] she whispered, her eyes staring northward seemingly at nothing at all—though Leon suspected her attention was fixed upon her city. [Never did I imagine the true scope of the duty thrust upon me.] Her eyes drifted back to Maia. [Of the duty I wished for you.]
For the first time, Maia spoke. “I never wanted it. I never wanted to be you.”
[No one wants such duty, my dear,] Pleione responded. [It’s forced upon us. But your mate has confirmed what I’ve always known, but have sometimes doubted: this duty is necessary.]
“Who forced this upon you?” Leon wondered, though he felt like he already knew the answer.
[A man of great power,] Pleione answered, the image that accompanied her words showing Leon a dark, almost abstract representation of Ambrose. [A memory passed down among Pleiones. Degraded slightly, but…]
Leon shot back a more up-to-date image of Ambrose, and Pleione’s eyes widened in shock.
[Ah, I see… him. I understand. He told our ancestors why this was important, but to be told is one thing, to know is another.]
She loudly exhaled and leaned back to stare at the bright ceiling for a long few seconds, then sat up again to look Leon in the eye.
Aloud, she said, “Maia is my favorite daughter. I worried for her for a long time. Now that I see her chosen mate, however, I can set my worries aside. Thank you, Leon. I will remember what you have shared with me for the rest of my days.”
Leon didn’t miss how her magic fluctuated in time with her words. The significance of her speaking aloud was not lost on him, and he was grateful for the trust.
The heavy air between them lingered for a time while Leon tried to think of something to say, to share his gratitude, but Pleione beat him to the punch, saying silently again, [Now, tell me more about your Kingdom, and the adventures that led you to claim it!]
Leon chuckled, then did just as she asked, regaling her with tales of his life for as long as she wanted to listen. As he spoke, he relaxed more and more, the strange situation of being with both Maia and Pleione there in the pond mattering less and less as their lack of concern sank in with him.
Unfortunately, Pleione’s time was limited; she couldn’t stay away from Saron for long. She stood up from the pond sooner than Leon or Maia wanted, and Leon, keeping his gaze polite even as she and Maia said their goodbyes, watched her leave. Before she disappeared, however, she sent Leon one last look smile, and a telepathically shared feeling of approval.
And then she was gone, leaving Leon and Maia alone on the island where they’d first met.
Leon breathed an enormous sigh of relief as he stood up from the pond and joined his river nymph wife on the grass.
“You sound exhausted,” Maia observed with a grin on her bronze face.
“I should be,” Leon replied. “Meeting the family is always stressful. At least there aren’t any more. Except Val’s mother. And mine. And my mother’s Clan. Shit.”
Maia took his face into her hands. “Don’t think about them now. My mother approves of you. I knew she would, but I feared she might not. We should celebrate.”
Leon grinned. “And how, my love, do you plan on celebrating?”
Her smile became sensual as her lake-blue eyes scanned the soft grass they stood upon. Neither of them had clothed themselves, and her eyes soon returned to him, to drink in his body.
“You once tried to force yourself upon me here,” Leon pointedly said even as the corners of his lips turned upward.
Maia’s smile faltered until she looked back at his face and registered his loving smile.
“I’m glad you didn’t press the issue then,” he continued. “My life’s happier with you in it.”
Maia giggled slightly and he suspected she was tempted to make a joke out of it. He was tempted too, but just like her, largely refrained. Instead, his hands found their way to her body, and he quietly whispered, “Turnabout’s fair play, isn’t it?”
Heat entered Maia’s eyes. “Yes, it is.”
Their meeting with Pleione had ended, but they didn’t leave the underground island for hours more.
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