A few days layer, Saint is exploring Perth's realm when he happens to hear a strange, thunderous sound. It sounds like...rushing water. Curious, he steps closer and behind some trees he sees a magnificent sight unlike anything he's witnessed before. There is water falling over rocks and pooling below. But it is not like the stream from his village. No, this one is larger and seems to flow elsewhere. Perhaps it is what the older people in their village refer to as 'river'?
Saint can barely contain his excitement as he runs over to see the body of water up close. He marvels over the soil - how rich and supple it is compared to the dry and ashy soil he knows - and the strange moist greenery on some of the rocks. Unknown to Saint, those are moss. Because he has no idea what they are though, he thinks nothing of stepping on them. Of course, he promptly slips.
He would have landed on his face on the ground if it isn't for the water sprites that has been secretly following him all this time. One sprite clutches the robe at his back and two more are on either side of him, holding on to his arms. They are suprisingly strong.
"Thank you," Saint says when they lower him to safer ground. "Are you one of those creatures Perth said I'll find here?"
Instead of answering, one of the sprites leaps in front of Saint, creating small footprints on the soil. Then it leaps again, creating another set of footprints. The sprite does this two more times while one sprite grabs Saint's robe and flies up. Or tries to. Another sprite smacks it down when Saint yelps.
The two sprites are smacking each other. Saint doesn't understand the rhythmic clicking sounds they are using to communicate but they seem to be arguing based on the body language and the changes in pitch.
"Oh no, please don't fight. Are you trying to guide me to the water?"
That is his best guess and it seems to be right because the two sprites nod. The one sprite making footsteps in the ground waves its hands and points at the footsteps. Saint finally gets it.
"Oh, is that the safe way?"
He follows the footprints carefully. Once near the riverbank, Saint turns to the child-like creatures that guided him. "I'm sorry to bother you. I've never seen those green slippery stuff before and thought it safe to step on. What is that?"
The sprites answer him in the same clicking sounds.
"I don't understand your language, I'm so sorry. I'll ask Perth to teach me so I can understand you," Saint promises.
His face heats up in embarassment as he remembers Perth. He hasn't seen him since he first brought him to this realm. Sometimes he thinks the Water God had forgotten about him if not for the food that appears in his room magically everyday. The food is always fresh, warm and bountiful. He wishes he could share it with the people from the village. But each day, Saint expects the food to be gone and for the God to be demanding for due payment. And what else could he offer if not for his body?
Tasanee told him all about it, that he is expected to pleasure the Water God with his body and let him enter him...Saint shudders at the details. It seems quite painful and most of all difficult. He has no idea how to do all that and he is terrified that he'll do such an awful job and Perth will punish the people from his village because of it.
The sprites see Saint's distress and nervously flutter their wings and talk to each other in soft tones. They must do something. The master will not be pleased to know his betrothed is not happy.
One of the sprite suddenly jumps into the river and splashes water to Saint. The other two try to alternately shield Saint, dry out the part of his robe that got water on, and emphatically wave their hands and flutter their wings at the mischievous sprite.
Saint giggles, distracted from his thoughts. He touches his hair and his face that now have droplets of water on it, his earlier amazement returning. "From the day I was born, I have never seen this much water in my life. And I've only ever heard of rain. I wonder if it feels like this?"
Upon hearing him mention rain, the three sprites fly up and circle above Saint's head and them water began to drizzle down from their hands.
"Is this...is this rain?" Saint is ecstatic. He leans back on his hands and for a few seconds, he closes his eyes and lets the water flow on his face. It is glorious.
From behind the trees, more sprites peek in at the scene. When Saint opens his eyes, he sees them and waves them over.
"Hello there. You can join us."
As they fly nearer, Saint observes all of them and their smooth, water-like structures. Even their hair look like clear water. They are solid to the touch though as evident by when some of them huddle closer and lean on Saint. Their 'skin' is cool to the touch but dry. It is a wonder but Saint thinks they're beautiful.
One sprite places a flower crown on Saint's head. He hasn't even realized from where the sprite got it.
"Thank you."
The three sprites who were with Saint earlier stop sprinkling water on him and settle near him, touching the flower crown and his hair.
"How is it? Is it pleasing? Do you think..." He blushes. "Do you think Perth will like it?"
The sprites nod and in a collective effort begin to fix Saint's robes and then arrange the flower crown on his head. One even flies away and then comes back promptly holding a thin strip of fabric. They incorporate the fabric into the flower crown and then start to braid Saint's hair. Saint let them. They might as well. Although he's not very confident his looks can change much. It is true he has a feminine face - a fact that had earned him insults from the other boys but is now something to be thankful for - but his body is decidedly not something he is proud of. Besides, even if his looks do improve, it will still be for nothing if he does not know how to please the Water God in bed.
He stands up and starts to pace, the sprites following his movements with their heads.
"I think I need to go back to my room now."
The sprites walk with him until he is at the door to his room, concerned about the man's reddening face.
"If you don't mind, could you perhaps promise not to go near my room for the next hour or so?"
The sprites tilted their heads almost in unison.
Saint's smile is tinged with nervousness. "Um I have to get ready for Perth."
One sprite points to the bathtub in Saint's room and pulls at his robe, intending to help him wash. But Saint's face only turn a shade redder as he smoothens down his robe.
"Please don't. I d-don't want anyone else to see me..."
Reluctantly, the sprites leave and because they have been instructed to follow any of Saint's requests, they do keep away from his room.
Once the sprites are gone and the door closed, Saint approaches the closet and opens it to see the beautiful garments Perth left for him. He pulls out a white robe with fancy lace and admires it as he lays it down on the bed.
He then undresses and folds his clothes neatly before dipping his body in the bathtub, careful not to mess up the work the sprites have done on his hair. Aside from food, another thing that keeps magically appearing in his room are fragrant flowers in the water. Today it is lavender.
Saint allows himself to soak, thinking it will be better later if he smells like flowers. Blushing once again, he reaches down to clean his genitals and his rear end. No one has taught him anything about what to do when having intercourse so he's not entirely sure what he's doing. He does know from things he heard growing up that Perth would have to insert his manhood into him. He heard it isn't uncommon to bleed.
Saint feels faint but he cannot back out now. Perth has been so kind to him and it has been days with him not receiving anything in return. This...this can be a gift. He is sure the Water God would much prefer the soft body of a woman instead but since they are already in this situation, Saint will try his best anyway.
'And I'm sure Perth will not be too rough on me. He has been so gentle so far...'
Saint wonders how Perth will touch him. He wonders how it would feel when Perth's lips meet his, when the Water God's hands travel on his body...
His hands caress his own skin subconsciously, from his pale neck down to his chest, and lower still...
Unbidden, the memory of the farm boy who tried to sleep with him interrupts Saint's thoughts. He flinches and removes his hand on his body. He draws his knees to his chest and rests his head on them. He's suddenly so tired. He hugs his knees to stop the worry and the fear but it does nothing to calm him down.
'Come on Saint. No one wants a whining boy.'
He steps out of the tub and takes a deep breath. After patting himself dry, he puts on the fancy white dress and stands in front of the mirror on one side of the room. He looks decent. The sprites did a good job on his hair and it complements the lace on his dress. If Tasanee could see him now, perhaps she'll tease him.
When they were barely teens - Saint was 14 and Tasanee 12 - she had forced him to wear her mother's white dress.
"You look good in white, Saint. It's a good thing you don't intend to marry a woman because then she'd feel like she's competing with you on your wedding night."
Saint had laughed. Tasanee is the only one in their village who knows how strange Saint really is. From as long as he can remember, he had never felt any attraction to girls. Tasanee says it's because of the curse. Saint thinks she's right. But it hardly mattered because no one liked Saint enough to marry him anyway and so Saint had resolved to live his life alone.
But now...
'Now I have Perth.'
It makes Saint calmer. There's not even a guarantee that Perth will visit him this night. But if he does, Saint will welcome him. It's the least he can do.
And so he waits.
Night time falls but Perth is still at his rose garden, where he has been the whole afternoon. The place is illuminated by the fireflies and the bright moonlight. The Oracle is following him around and flitting through the branches of the trees, distracting Perth.
"Would you settle down? You're ruining the flowers."
The sprites had told him Saint seems to favor roses and so Perth is thinking of sprinkling rose petals in his bathtub later. He always visits the human when he's asleep, just to check on him.
The first night Perth had visited, he had placed flowers on the water because it seemed too bare. The next morning, the sprites reported that Saint was smiling and playing with the flowers. Perth had been pleased and decided to continue placing different flowers there.
So now he is trying to gather the best roses. The Oracle is making that task more difficult.
"Do you think you can leave me alone?" He says to the Oracle.
It is Aisha who answers him. "Wasn't the point not to leave you alone?"
The Goddess has once again invaded Perth's wards. The Water God isn't even surprised anymore. "State your business and go."
"How rude," Aisha scoffs. She then looks around. "Wherever is that pretty human you have taken here? I wanna meet him."
"Absolutely not." Perth inspects a rose. It seems good enough. "He's still trying to adjust to being here."
"And you're here, gathering roses at night." Aisha's tone is clearly chiding.
Perth frowns. "What's wrong with that?"
"Well, didn't you think he'd be lonely? This is all new to him. Unfamiliar. And you just left him to ponder without anyone to talk to." Aisha taps Perth's forehead. "Think. You're used to this life. But he isn't."
"I told the water sprites to tend to him," Perth reasons.
Aisha sighs. "Haven't you thought of, I don't know, talking to him yourself."
"I...have no idea what to talk to him about," Perth admits. And therein lies the problem. He really wants to make Saint comfortable in his life here. He hopes that in the long run he will grow to love the water realm. But aside from Aisha, no one ever talks to the Water God and so he's afraid of saying the wrong things and risk upsetting Saint.
"At least try, Perth. The banquet is nearing. The poor boy will already be intimidated by all the gods and goddesses who will surely be there, not to mention he will be the center of attention. You have to be able to comfort him."
The banquet is a special occasion held every time the peaches of immortality ripens. They are special fruits that grow in the Jade Pool Orchard in Aisha's domain. The peaches grant immortality and eternal youth once eaten. As the fruits only ripen every 3000 years, Perth doesn't usually have to bother with such gatherings. This coming banquet though will also be the day Perth will marry Saint, symbolized by Saint consuming the said peaches.
"That's why I told you to just bring me the peaches," Perth says.
"First of all, I am not your servant," Aisha retorts. "Second, you know that's not how it works. You need to introduce your spouse to all the gods and goddesses because he'll be one of us once he becomes immortal."
"I think he's scared of me," Perth confides in the Goddess.
Aisha nods. "No wonder, with you huffing and frowning all the time."
Perth glares at her.
"That's not helping your case." She laughs. "Look Perth, he's scared because he doesn't know you. And it's your job to change that fact. You can't do that while you're pining out here. Just go to him and start a conversation, no matter how stilted or awkward. I promise you it'll get easier."
Just as Aisha finishes speaking, a group of water sprites fly to their master and same as usual, reports about Saint.
"He asked to be left alone?" Perth is confused. He wonders if Saint is okay.
When he glances at Aisha, she is raising her eyebrow at him.
"He asked to be left alone, Aisha. I'm not going to him now."
One of the sprites urgently says something to Perth.
"What do you mean he's distressed? I told you to make him happy!" Perth glowers at the sprites who cower away in fear.
"Oh knock it off. It's not their fault their master is being an idiot." Aisha rolls her eyes. "Go to him."
"I have to do everything around here!" Perth rants but Aisha sees the way he gently holds the roses he carries as he walks away, most probably on his way to Saint. She has a guess on for whom those roses are for. She turns to the sprites. "Run along dears and don't mind your master's temper. People in love are insufferable."
Meanwhile, Perth has reached Saint's bedroom swiftly. He hesitates on the closed door. But his concern over Saint overrides his apprehensions and so he knocks. He is not expecting an answer but to his surprise, Saint calls out.
"Come in."
When Perth steps into the room, he notices Saint sitting on the bed but the dim candle lights make it difficult to see his face clearly. He steps closer.
"Are you okay?" Perth asks.
"Yes," Saint answers.
When Perth is close enough, he finally sees Saint clearly. He is a vision in white. His usually straight hair is now wavy with the bottom half braided to one side, his eyes glitter in the candlelight and his full red lips slightly parted.
The Water God feels like Saint has bewitched him. He places the roses he's holding on the nightstand and then he reaches out to sweep away the lock of hair that is on Saint's cheek. The human follows the touch.
And then kneels in front of Perth.
"What are you doing?" Perth does not understand this situation.
Saint bit his lips. "I offer you my body, oh Divine One, to do as you please."
Perth says nothing.
Saint bows. In his nervousness, he begins to speak more. "I promise you I am pure. Or at least, no one has ever entered me before. If you would be so kind as to overlook that I have been touched by someone else...I will do my best to s-serve you."
Perth lifts Saint's chin. "I'm not blind or cruel, Saint. I can see you're scared."
Saint panics. He has failed. He has failed terribly. In desperation, he stands up and kisses Perth, to show him he can be good, he can do it.
Perth's eyes widen. Saint's lips are decidedly sweet and it's pure instinct to kiss back. And for a few precious moment, he is lost. He feels pleasure like never before.
But then, when Perth places his hands on Saint's waist and pulls him closer for an embrace, he finally notices that the human is trembling. He pulls away from the kiss.
"Saint?"
Saint opens his eyes and sees Perth's concerned gaze. "Yes, Divine One?"
"I told you not to call me that." Perth holds Saint's hands. "You're trembling. Is this truly what you want or are you just doing this to 'please me'?"
The Water God sees the answer in Saint's eyes. There is guilt on those obsidian orbs.
"Is that what you see when you look at me, Saint? A god so horrible he'll be intimate with someone who is not ready for it?"
Saint shakes his head, tears now falling on his cheeks. "No, you're not horrible. You have been so kind to me and so generous and I'm afraid you'll get tired of me if I don't..." He looks at his hands and begs them to stop shaking, to just stop so he can be of use. "If I'm of no use, I'll be thrown out. That's how it's always been."
Perth pulls Saint into an embrace. "You silly human." Perth wants to punish each and everyone who ever made Saint feel this way, perhaps drown them in the water they are so greedy about. "I will not throw you out. You are mine forever."
Saint sniffs. "Even if I'm like this?"
"There is nothing wrong with you. Except perhaps you have not received as much affection as you should have. I haven't had that much affection too so I have no idea if I'll even be able to comfort you," Perth ponders. "At least you've stopped trembling."
Saint notices that he has indeed stopped trembling and that his heart is not pounding out of fear. "Thank you, Perth."
Perth released Saint from the embrace and smiles. "There you go. I was wondering why you were suddenly back to calling me 'Divine One'."
Saint stares. Even at the dim lights, Perth's smile is gorgeous.
"Tomorrow, I'll accompany you in looking around the realm. If you would like me to," Perth offers.
Saint's answering smile is bright. "I'd love that."