Children of the Water (Yandere M. x F. Reader)

Bargain Struck

"If he'll understand that connection and he kills me, wouldn't he just come after all of you next? You did mention that he was unstable if dealing with anyone outside of his tastes. He'll be quite angered if he learns that pixies sent me over."

"Perhaps, but would a man who seemingly can't handle interactions with anyone outside of his liking really travel out of his way to deal with pixies, who only sent him someone that qualifies in his field of taste? Let alone a beautiful young woman who has yet to consummate her marriage. If anything, the only one who'll anger him is you."

She froze and felt a light dose of heat hit her cheeks. "How did ..."

"Our scouts have told us of how easily you get embarrassed around your husband," the queen cut in. She flew gently over to her throne chair and seated herself. "Not to mention that you have innocence hidden behind that determination of yours. It's an innocence that can only be spotted in a virgin."

"How long were you watching us? I take it that Ilexa's greeting with us was actually planned as well."

"We were watching you ever since you came through that door. Our scouts patrol this forest far and wide. If we were to only stay knowledgeable of this confined space of ours, we would be opening our arms wide to harm. That doesn't matter right now, though. What does matter is that we need a mage to fight against a mage, and you're our ticket to that. You fail, and you'll be probably killed by him. If you somehow escape, you can turn back the way you came or die by our hands.

"Your husband's life is also in your hands. If you fail and you die, he will try to kill us, which will cause us to kill him. If you fail and turn back the way you came, I doubt that your husband will walk away without spilling blood. Your best option is to succeed, and success should be your only worry right now. As my husband recommended, I suggest that you convince this mage by other means than threatening his life. Besides, you have a dagger on you already if you really desire to take that route. At least, I presume so since one is missing from your husband's collection."

Her hands tightened more around her pants. "Why would you even want a mage like that protecting you? I asked this before, and I still wish to know why."

"Protection is protection, and he's a means to fight those that we despise. My kind's lives are more important to me than judging a mage's choice for hobbies," the king responded.

"And if this man turns out to not be a mage? What then?"

"Then, you don't have to worry about convincing him. From that point, your objective should be to escape him and turn back the way you came. Otherwise, if you try to proceed forward, we'll kill you. We'll promise you a quick death, though."

"So, my only option to go after Tergii and Bimaa, then, is hope that this man is a mage and that I can convince him somehow. How do you expect me to do that if I shouldn't use a knife?" she asked both royals. (F/n) knew the answer, but she was hoping that there would be some other option that they would give.

"We've hinted at that enough for you, my dear. Charm him well enough, and you may be able to persuade him to help us and not kill you. I would offer you some time before going to the cabin so that you could have a night with your husband, but your husband would probably still be unstable if we were to wake him. Not only that but also your innocence is an advantage to this task."

It seemed like her blood went still as her vain hope crashed into a sea of oblivion. The only thing that kept her from falling into that ocean as well was the reason for her going on this journey. It was a fight to live longer. She couldn't let terror reign over her mind; she would find another solution, another way to convince this mage.

Picking herself up to her feet steadily, she forced herself to stand. Her mind begged her to go over to Tarhuinn and lay next to him until he woke up, but there wasn't time for that. If she were still here when he woke up, she might not be able to go through with this deal.

Staring to her left ring finger, she grasped the metal there. She slipped the ring off and held it out to the royals. "Will you two hold onto this ring for me? This mage doesn't need to see it. I know the story that I'm going to craft."

Getting up from her throne chair, the queen flew over and took the ring. She set it at the base of her chair. "We'll watch over it for you. Are you ready to go, then? If so, we'll have some of our scouts guide you part of the way."

"Are you certain that he's there now?" (f/n) questioned, untying her cloak and dropping it to the ground. She couldn't have one for her plan. Her story needed to be as believable as she could make it.

"We've had our scouts watch this man ever since we've heard of his arrival. These scouts confirmed yesterday that smoke rises from the cabin's chimney," the king answered, looking to her fallen article of clothing. "Shall we watch over that as well?"

"Yes. Give it to my husband as a blanket to keep him warm. Now, how much time do you suppose I have before Tergii and Bimaa return this way?"

"Two to three weeks. If I were you, I would take only a week to settle this matter. You don't want to accomplish this task only to have Tergii and Bimaa return here. You'll want to be well on your way to their homes when they come back to our territory."

Agreeing with the king, she stated that she was ready to go. Several snow pixies flew over to her and signaled for her to follow. She gave one last look to Tarhuinn before she trailed behind the five pixies.