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Azul was tense. He hadn’t relaxed since the day he’d arrived in Ultramarine City. In fact, the only time Jade ever noticed the tension leave Azul’s body during this trip was whenever he slept.
There were multiple factors at play, of course. The first and most obvious was the presence of Jade’s mother. Thankfully, she had other things that needed her attention more than Azul, namely preparing for her son’s wedding day. She’d spoken to Azul a few times over the last few days (including several questions about whether or not Jade was providing him with enough proper meals), but more thoroughly acquainting herself with her soon-to-be son-in-law had taken priority over her other son’s long-time partner.
Ultramarine City itself also provided challenges for Azul. They’d only been in town a few days, but Jade had already witnessed at least two instances of gulls swooping at Azul… per day. No one had ever quite figured out why the local birds disapproved of Azul so strongly. Jade found it rather amusing to watch his partner constantly checking his surroundings anytime they left the hotel. As it turned out, Azul could squawk just as loudly and gracelessly as any seagull.
Regardless, Azul lacked the usual vigor he exhibited in even the most stressful social settings. He generally viewed weddings as networking opportunities—especially weddings attended by the high-profile acquaintances and business partners of the Leech family.
Perhaps the unexpected loss of Azul’s spark also came from the fact that he was expected to participate in this wedding’s festivities.
“You two won’t be able to sink me ‘n Goldfishie. He already knows all the secrets to the Eternity Float.”
Jade watched in amusement as a self-assured smirk tugged at Riddle’s lips. “Indeed. I’m well aware of the optimal strategies to capsize the rowboat. Besides, we’re armed with magic of our own.”
“Well now,” Jade flashed a grin at his brother and future brother-in-law, “I suppose you may underestimate us at your own risk. Wouldn’t you agree, Azul?”
When Jade glanced at his partner, however, he found that he didn’t wear a competitive expression. Rather, his lips were pressed tightly together as if he was waiting impatiently for the conversation to end. How strange.
“It’s so exciting, isn’t it?” Jade’s mother cooed. “Jade’s somewhat recent participation in the Eternity Float as a moray merman was thrilling in itself, but now we’ll be holding an Eternity Float for a moray merman and his human love, and another moray will be giving the trail alongside an octopus merman! Would that the Sea Witch and her faithful morays could see us all today.”
Azul shifted slightly and crossed his arms.
With the swiftness of an experienced predatory creature from the depths, Jade’s mother leapt at the opportunity to capture her distracted prey. “Oh, Azul, darling, don’t look so nervous.” She approached him from behind and wrapped both hands around his shoulders before leaning in to whisper in his ear, “You’re going to do a magnificent job.”
Just as quickly, Azul shrugged out of her grasp and glowered at her. “Would you kindly refrain from grabbing me?”
Jade chuckled at the display. That was the Azul he knew and loved.
Still, Jade knew Azul well enough to know something was bothering him. Something that went beyond receiving attention from Jade’s mother or irritating encounters with local birds.
And now that the rehearsal dinner had concluded…
“We’ll reconvene at the docks tomorrow morning,” Jade’s mother declared. “We’ll hold the Eternity Float ceremony, and then, once everyone is cleaned up, we’ll board the ship for the wedding at sea.”
Floyd smirked. “The only ones who’ll need cleanin’ up will be Jade ‘n Azul.”
“My, you’re insistent,” Jade mirrored his brother’s grin. “I did flip the boat by myself the last time I did this, you know.”
Before the banter could continue, Riddle placed a hand on Floyd’s arm, earning his attention.
“Per Queendom of Roses traditions, we won’t see one another again until time for the ceremony.”
“Still think that’s a lame tradition,” Floyd griped.
Rather than arguing, Riddle beckoned Floyd to lean down, and their lips met in a brief kiss.
“Oh!” Jade’s mother clapped her hands together with a bright smile. “My sweet Floyd is getting married. I can hardly believe it! And to such a darling little gentleman.”
Jade wanted to laugh at the way Riddle bristled slightly at the ‘little’ remark, but he was too busy watching his mother turn her gaze toward Azul.
“Then, we’ll do all of this again for dear Jade and Azul.” She paused momentarily. “Well, we’ll do some of this again, at least. We won’t do the Eternity Float for obvious reasons.”
Azul averted his eyes. How interesting.
“G’night, Goldfishie.”
“Good night, Floyd.”
“Good night, everyone!”
Jade watched as everyone took their leave, leaving only him and Azul standing outside the restaurant.
Once they were alone, Azul exhaled a long sigh, as if physically expelling the tension he’d been holding all night. “I suppose we ought to head back to the hotel ourselves.”
Before Azul could walk away, Jade reached out and grabbed his wrist, and he gave his partner a gentle smile when their eyes met. “Actually, I thought it might be nice to go out on the lagoon together. We can scope out the course before the big event.”
For a moment, judging by the way his enchanting eyes narrowed, Jade thought Azul would yank his hand away and tell him to forget it. But, to Jade’s pleasant surprise, Azul relented.
“Fine.”
It was time to get to the bottom of his beloved’s woes once and for all.
In seemingly no time at all, Jade and Azul had made their way to the docks and boarded one of the humble rowboats that would be available to them the following morning for the Eternity Float ceremony.
There was something magical about Ultramarine City’s lagoon in the evening. Between the percussion of the fish splashing near the surface of the water, the stringy sounds of local insects playing their late-summer songs, and the wind rustling the reeds on the shoreline, the local flora and fauna always seemed to create a romantic mood. It made Jade wonder if this body of water was where the mermaid princess and her prince put their love to the test so many years ago.
Not that it mattered what the mermaid princess did or didn’t do during her time. The only thing Jade was concerned about at the moment was his dear partner’s dour mood.
“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Jade asked as he rowed them further and further from shore.
“Indeed,” Azul dryly replied.
“And it’s peaceful out here.” Jade paused for a moment to analyze his partner’s face. “At the very least, my mother isn’t chattering in your ear anymore.”
Azul scowled at that. “I don’t know what I ever did to get on that woman’s bad side.”
Jade chuckled. “That’s just how she shows affection.”
“By irritating me?”
Jade merely smirked. He thought Azul would be used to the Leech method of ‘affection’ by now.
That earned Jade a loud sigh.
“What shall our plan of attack be tomorrow?” Jade asked.
Azul gazed out at the lagoon but said nothing. Was he deep in thought, or did he not wish to discuss the matter?
Jade decided he’d take his chances and press him further. “We could row out to catch up with them, or we could forgo the boats altogether and swim to them in our mer forms.”
“The wedding is a land event,” Azul curtly replied. “I believe it would be appropriate to remain in my human form.”
That was an interesting reaction.
“The Eternity Float is a celebration of mer and human culture,” Jade countered. “I administered the trials in my mer form during the last one I assisted with.”
“Well, that was your choice, wasn’t it? I have the right to make my own choice.”
Jade started to think that he could see why Azul was out of sorts.
“It’s a lovely tradition, don’t you think?” Jade asked.
Azul huffed. “It’s archaic.”
“Oh? I thought you, of all people, would particularly appreciate it.”
“While I do deeply admire the Sea Witch, the Eternity Float proceedings are more about her morays than her.”
Her morays, Jade mentally noted. As if the eels who served the Sea Witch hadn’t had their own goals or dreams or individuality.
“Only because they acted on her orders,” Jade said. “I was referring more to the fact that the original Eternity Float marked the beginning of merfolk choosing to live on land. Why, had the mermaid princess and her prince not passed their trial, you and I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Here, together in a rowboat atop a gorgeous lagoon, passing beneath the long tendril-like branches of the lone weeping willow growing in the middle of the body of water, effectively secluding them from the rest of the world. Tomorrow, this would be the place where a couple would put their love to one final test before getting married. Tonight, however, the canopy of the tree belonged only to Jade, Azul, and several twinkling fireflies.
If not for the morays of legend, the two of them would only be able to enjoy this sight from beneath the waves. If not for that very first trial of love, Jade would not have the veritable visual feast before him of Azul Ashengrotto with his two (and only two) legs primly crossed in a perfectly tailored suit.
Jade wanted nothing more than to kiss him then and there, but he knew the time wasn’t quite right. That was made even more abundantly clear by the frown that tugged at Azul’s lips before he spoke again.
“Nowadays, we ask a couple to endure a trial that may or may not end in their wedding attire being ruined by saltwater. Truly, we’ve come such a long way.”
Jade decided to ignore that scathing sarcasm. “Mer culture is quite different from human life. Don’t you think it wise to ensure a couple from two such drastically different backgrounds be on the same page?”
Azul huffed. “If merfolk were really that concerned with the compatibility of our marriages, we’d issue trials of love to all couples before their marriage, not just mer and human couples.”
Jade’s eyes widened. So, that was it. Jade now knew exactly what had caused Azul’s poor mood. He wasn’t irritated because he’d been roped into assisting with the Eternity Float ceremony. He wasn’t even angry over the gull attacks he’d endured or the conversations Jade’s mother tried to strike up between them.
All this time, Azul had been sulking…
…because, as a pair of mermen, he wouldn’t get to have an Eternity Float ceremony with Jade.
“Things have changed significantly since the times of the mermaid princess,” Azul continued. “Now, merfolk choose to live on land for reasons outside of pursuing romance. Take Floyd, for example. He’s lived primarily on land for nearly a decade. He chose to do so for the sake of his education. Is his lifestyle really all that different from Riddle’s at this point?”
Jade wanted to argue that, yes, those two were still fundamentally different. Astoundingly similar in many ways, but practically night-and-day in others.
But then again, Azul saying Floyd chose to come onto land purely for his education was an even more laughable notion.
Azul didn’t give him a chance to answer. “If all couples were put to the test, that might eliminate multitudes of unhappy marriages.”
Jade chuckled at that. “My, you really are benevolent for thinking that way. However, if that were the case, your own parents might not have wed, and then I wouldn’t have you.”
Azul practically flinched at that. He must not have considered that particular flaw in his logic.
Jade added, “Besides, in such a world, your poor stepfather would be out of work.”
“I simply think it’s a lot of pomp and circumstance for something that isn’t all that uncommon anymore,” Azul argued, regaining his composure once again. “And it’s exclusionary in a way that no longer makes sense.”
Jade knew that Azul was all too familiar with feeling excluded. This whole thing really had weighed upon him heavily, hadn’t it?
Luckily for Jade, Azul had chosen him all those years ago as his right-hand man due to his resourcefulness.
“I see.” Jade paused to grin. “If that’s the case, would you like to put our love to the test, my dear Azul?”
One of Azul’s lovely silver eyebrows arched in confusion.
“Assuming we remain together for the foreseeable future, which is something I would very much like to do,” Jade paused to relish the way Azul’s pupils dilated ever so slightly, “we won’t be able to have an official Eternity Float ceremony. However, you’re right–we deserve to float through life together knowing we can work together to face whatever may come.”
Before Azul had a chance to comment, Jade pulled the oars into the boat and began unbuttoning the coat of his suit.
“What are you doing?”
Jade neatly folded his coat and loosened his tie as he answered his partner, “Considering we’re the only two around, it seems I shall have to administer and participate in the trial.” With a snicker, Jade carefully rose to his feet, doing his utmost not to rock the boat too much. He then grinned at Azul. “Well, then.”
With that, he fell backwards into the water.
In no time at all, Jade had shifted to his original form. Azul was equally as quick to thrust the oars back into the water and start slapping them uselessly against the wake.
“Jade! Jade! This isn’t funny!”
If it wasn’t funny, then why couldn’t Jade stop chuckling to himself?
“Get back in this boat this instant!”
Jade, however, had other plans. He allowed himself to sink slightly into the depths in order to put a little distance between his body and the boat. Once he felt he had enough space, he took off at top speed and rammed his shoulder directly into the hull of the rowboat.
To Jade’s absolute delight, Azul gasped, and it almost sounded like genuine panic.
He actually laughed out loud when Azul jabbed one of the oars into the water as if it was a harpoon.
Having learned to extend his fair share of benevolence during his teen years, Jade decided he wouldn’t torment his beloved for too long, especially since Azul was already in a snit. Instead, he stealthily glided through the water to the other side of the boat and sank deeper into the lagoon once more before putting all of his strength into another attack. This time, not only was the impact stronger, it was concentrated on the side of the boat that Azul wasn’t peering over.
It was just enough to knock Azul completely off balance and send him tumbling into the lagoon with a tiny shout of surprise.
Nearly as soon as he’d fallen into the water, Azul surfaced, his now wet hair stuck to his face and a sour scowl.
Jade easily swam closer and poked his head above the water with a little grin. “Oh, darling. Did you get wet?”
“It’s your fault that I’m wet, you… you… fiend!”
Now that Jade had successfully provided Azul with his ‘trial of love,’ he had every intention of fulfilling the other half of his duties. He allowed a little more of his long body to emerge from the water and pulled Azul in for a hug.
“Forgive me for not being able to protect you from falling into the lagoon,” he crooned. “While I may have failed in that regard, I promise to remain by your side through all of life’s hardships.”
Azul quietly allowed Jade to embrace him, his warm cheek squished against Jade’s chest, but didn’t offer to reciprocate.
“You can let go,” he finally murmured. “I can swim just fine on my own.”
That only made Jade squeeze him a little tighter. “I know you’re more than capable on your own, and not just when it comes to swimming.”
When Jade released Azul from his grasp, Azul stared up at him, seemingly surprised. Was it really that jarring to hear Jade being sincere?
“I know you’re capable,” Jade repeated, “but will you allow me to remain by your side regardless?” He paused to give Azul a gentle smile. “I love you, Azul. I don’t see that ever changing.”
Azul immediately averted his eyes. Jade wondered if Azul would ever feel worthy of accepting freely given affection.
“I love you, too, Jade.”
Jade used one of his claws to carefully unstick Azul’s hair from his forehead. “Just because two mermen can’t have an Eternity Float ceremony doesn’t make our relationship any less valuable. In fact, we both have a distinct advantage over the mer-and-human couples who do have Eternity Floats.”
Azul met Jade’s eyes again. “And that is?”
“I get the honor of loving a distinguished human businessman and an extraordinarily strong, resilient octopus merman.” He leaned in to press a kiss to Azul’s forehead. “I have the privilege of loving every version of you. I’ve yet to hear of a transformation potion that allows humans to live as merfolk.”
Azul finally cracked a tiny smile. “If not for the magical advancements sparked by the mermaid princess and the original Eternity Float, I wouldn’t have such a capable man helping me achieve my ambitions on land.”
Jade’s smile spread even wider.
“Aside from the Eternity Float, there is one downside to you not being a human by birth, though.”
Jade cocked his head curiously. “Which is?”
“I won’t ever get the thrill of seeing a genuinely fearful reaction from you as you’re dragged beneath the waves.”
Before Jade could question his partner, he felt something slowly wrapping around his tailfin. His eyes darted down in time to see a second tentacle gripping him, soon followed by a third.
Jade looked back up at Azul, and his heart practically skipped a beat at the sight of his true form in all of its glory.
Azul gently tossed his glasses into the boat, and then he gave Jade an absolutely wicked grin before pulling him under.
It made perfect sense for Floyd to be the one rowing the boat. His longer, stronger arms could propel them through the water way faster than Goldfishie could ever dream of doing without using his magic.
That didn’t make the job any less boring, though.
Oh well. The sooner they got through the Eternity Float trials, the sooner they could get on the wedding boat and get married.
“No sign of them yet,” Goldfishie noted. “Do you suppose they’re using a cloaking spell of some sort to approach undetected?”
Before Floyd had a chance to answer, a tell-tale thump against the rowboat’s hull let them both know they weren’t alone.
Floyd grinned. Now things were getting interesting.
“‘Bout time,” Floyd snarked. “You ready, Goldfishie?”
Goldfishie smirked back at him, and Floyd thought he might combust from how handsome he looked all decked out in his tuxedo.
“Who do you think you’re talking to? Of course I’m ready.”
Jade poked his head out of the water just long enough to make himself known and chuckle at the soon-to-be married couple before ducking out of sight again.
“Jade isn’t exactly being discreet,” Riddle observed, carefully looking over the edge of the boat into the lagoon. “I don’t see Azul at all, though.”
“Jade can swim way faster than Azul can row,” Floyd explained. “He’s strong, but his stamina sucks. It’ll probably be a while before we see him.”
Just then, something large and heavy smacked Floyd on the back of the head.
“Ow!”
He pulled the oars into the boat and stood up to prepare himself for any additional attacks. “You wanna play rough, Jade?” Floyd asked, albeit with a grin. “We can play rough.”
Never in a million years would Floyd have guessed he’d get into a tussle with his brother on the day of his wedding, but he wasn’t complaining.
Jade surfaced again and snickered at them. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken.”
Suddenly, the rowboat began to shake. On instinct, Floyd reached out to hold onto Goldfishie and keep him steady on his feet. The source of the movement was coming from behind them. But if it wasn’t Jade…
He and Goldfishie must have had the same thought at the same time, because they both peered over their shoulders at the other side of the rowboat.
There they saw a pair of thick, dark tentacles curled over the edge of the boat, each covered in suckers that had a firm grip on the wood.
Then, a third tentacle emerged from the water, flicking itself in a motion like a hand waving goodbye.