The Land Set Aflame

Chapter 46: The Nymph Queen

As soon as Svenden stepped outside, his breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. All around him was the most magnificent grove and garden he'd ever seen: trees dripping with silver-glossed, leafy stalactites; impossibly clear water trickling down a stream into a smooth little pond covered in lily pads and multicolored lotuses; a sky that somehow displayed the best colors of both day and night at the same time; and extravagant flowers speckling virtually every conceivable surface. There were twillies dancing in the air, playing in the water and smelling the flowers.

Svenden looked back, and where he expected to see the house he and Callyndia had just stepped out of, there was instead another large, wide tree, with soft bark that seemed to almost glow with a bit of orangish light from within.

They had just stepped out of a tree, apparently.

"Where—?" he began, "What the–?" He finally just collapsed into a gentle moan of resignation, and tried to shut his eyes against the oppressive force of fairy magic all around him.

"Mother!" Callyndia called out, "Mother, where are you?"

"Over here, dear!" came the response, from a soft and perfect voice that caressed Svenden's ears.

He turned and looked, realizing in the process that he had somehow failed to actually shut his eyes in the first place. And with all the distractions of this uncomfortably magical place, he'd forgotten to mentally prepare himself for the sight. The Queen of the Nymphs was walking towards them, her step so light that the grasses didn't even bend beneath her feet. There was a gorgeous, radiant smile on her absolutely perfect face, a completely unnecessary sway in her perfect hips, and sourceless dramatic breezes fooling around with her perfect hair. It was the brightest, gingeriest hair Svenden had ever seen, and it flowed like elegant streamers of silk in the nonexistent wind.

It was like staring at Callyndia, but without her human half there to soften the blow.

Svenden felt a sudden need to sit down and bury his face in his hands. He managed the sitting-down part, but seemed unable to tear his eyes away from the Nymph Queen and her daughter.

The two women embraced. The happiest and prettiest smile Svenden had ever seen was painted across Callyndia's face as they each, in turn, gushed about how amazing the other looked and how wonderful it was to see them. They were speaking Wennish, so Svenden guessed that they wanted him to overhear.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Mother!" Callyndia said.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Alloria Rosa asked.

"Well," Callyndia replied, seeming a little self-conscious, "Abdus Garrafey said he'd made you 'learn a hard lesson' or something like that."

Alloria Rosa smiled a knowing smile. "Who's to say he didn't teach me a hard lesson?" she asked, winking at her daughter, "For all he remembers, he did."

Callyndia's brow furrowed. "What did you do to him?" she asked.

The Nymph Queen's face turned directly towards Svenden, and she smiled apologetically at him. "Nymph stuff," she said dismissively to Callyndia while still looking at Svenden, "I'll tell you later. In the meantime, I think you need to introduce me to this handsome young gentleman you've brought to my gardens."

"Oh yes!" Callyndia said excitedly, "Mother, this is Svenden Moon. I told you about him five years ago?"

"Yes, I remember," her mother replied, "And you're back with him again. I'm happy for you."

Callyndia's face faltered a little. "Well, Mother..." she said hesitantly, ending in an uncomfortable laugh. But, she shook it off quickly and moved on. "Sven, this my mother, Alloria Rosa, the most beautiful nymph in all the Kallawlands."

"Please, dear," Alloria Rosa said with a laugh, "You needn't feed my vanity any further."

Svenden's throat felt dry and his mind felt almost numb with all the sensory load it was trying to handle, but he did his best to speak anyway. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," he croaked.

The casual, happy expression on Alloria Rosa's face didn't really change, but there was suddenly a sharpness to at least one of her eyebrows, and Svenden got the distinct impression that he'd done something wrong. "Oh, don't you dare!" she said, "I'm not some human noblewoman who demands formalities. You can call me 'Alloria Rosa', if you want, but I'll not have you using silly titles or honorifics on me."

"Um... okay," Svenden said stupidly, "Sorry."

She laughed and tossed a particular look in Callyndia's direction. "This is the one you were telling me about, isn't it?" she asked, "He's quite beautiful, in a rugged sort of way." Something about the way she said it told Svenden that she didn't actually believe it.

"Yes, he is," Callyndia said. Unlike her mother, she sounded entirely sincere. "Were you the one who did his hair?"

"I was," she said, "Do you like it?"

"He's never looked better," Callyndia said.

Svenden felt his cheeks reddening with all this talk about him. The rebellious part of him imagined his hand going up to rudely mess up what had been done to his hair, right in front of them; but it probably wouldn't work, since sleeping in a bed apparently hadn't done anything. More fairy magic, obviously.

"Well, if I had my way with him," Alloria Rosa was saying, "I'd extend his hair to mid-back, and braid it. Then weave in some blue-and-white flowers."

"Oh, he would look so good with a braid!" Callyndia agreed.

Svenden groaned again.

"But I figured that would be too intrusive for our first meeting," Alloria Rosa finished, "Maybe after I've gotten his permission. He's certainly presentable enough, as he is."

Svenden sighed and finally managed to shield his eyes behind his eyelids. "Why did we wake up in bed together?" he asked nervously.

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Alloria Rosa's frown. "Because I put you in bed together," she said, "Obviously. Why shouldn't you be in bed with my daughter?"

"We're not..." he paused, "We haven't..."

"Mother," Callyndia said gently, "Svenden's very uncomfortable around nymph magic, and he's worried about the effect I have on him. So, I've been giving him space." A mischievous smile touched her lips then. "Mostly."

"So, you're not together?" Alloria Rosa asked, "That makes no sense. You're obviously in love, and you both want to be together. I can see it on your faces."

Svenden wanted to say something about that, but his jaws didn't seem coordinated enough to make it happen. Callyndia also went awkwardly quiet, and as he risked a glance up at her, he saw her looking down and away uncomfortably.

Alloria Rosa sighed. "Alright," she said, "There's obviously something here that we need to address quickly. Why don't you two come with me, and we can talk about it over lunch?"

Without even thinking about it, Svenden started to get up and follow her, but his mind caught up to him a second later, and he stopped. Callyndia was looking at him with a little concern on her face, and she gave him a kind, but sad, smile.

"Mother," she said, "I don't think this is a good time for that."

"Of course, it is!" her mother said dismissively, "Trust me on this: there's never a better time than right now."

"Mother, please!" Callyndia said gently, "I think it can wait. There are other things that we need to talk about now."

Alloria Rosa gave Callyndia a disapproving look, but ultimately sighed in acquiescence. "Fine," she said, "This way, then?" She gestured towards the opposite direction without waiting for a response.

Svenden looked at Callyndia in confusion. "Um, where are we going?" he asked.

She only shrugged.