It wasn’t long after they got approved by Cole’s sister that they had to make the long journey back to Sularia. It was a drag but honestly, it was probably good for them. Nymphaea wasn’t happy about it but that was only because it seemed rather unfair that she was being judged while none of her other cousins were. Every once in a while during the trip up, there was a distraught sigh that escaped her lips.

Once they reached the desert everyone seemed to stop and stare. It really was an odd thing that the queens were calling on this. Normally Rosenite nobles were free to do as they wished. Not often was it that a marriage was called into question or even arranged. The whispering was getting on Nymph’s nerves so much that she spurred the side of her horse to move just a bit faster through the crowd. They arrived the day of and no earlier because Nymphaea had delayed them just so they didn’t have to deal with the crowds.

Once there Lily greeted them and even hugged Cole. “You both will do wonderful. I am sure that you will understand by the end of this… but Nymphaea… One thing.” And that’s when the kicking and the screaming started.

“I AM NOT WEARING A DRESS,” Nymph screamed as the final alterations of the dress were made on her. It was too late as her body was adorned with a slender maroon colored lace dress that had off-shoulder sleeves. It made her bust stand out with its heart-shaped design. “Let me move Mother.”

“Not a chance…” Lily smirked at Cole who had been allowed in the room. “Doesn’t this just look beautiful on her. I always found the color pretty against her hair and skin.” The Yellow Court Queen was dressed in her own ball gown of red as she finished Nymph’s hair as well. “If you be good I’ll let you move a little but since you want to act like an animal then I will treat you like one.”

There was the same fussing that she had given Cole. “Fine, I’ll wear the dumb dress.” Suddenly she could move as she crossed her arms brooding.

After she was done Lily took a long sigh. “I have to finish getting ready and meet the queens for the entrance… You two head there. We’ll be hosting the summons in the Elements Room of the main Castle.”

There was more fussing from Nymph as she was made to hold Cole’s arm so she didn’t slip in the ridiculous shoes she was made to wear. “This is so stupid… and we are never ever talking about me walking in these dumb shoes ever again.”

They took the long walk to the castle and there was a line to get in. There were so many of her cousins who had come home. “Nymph! Cole!” Belle was there and she was dressed up with a tall man with brown hair holding her arm. She was waving to them but she was quite a bit far in.

“How many people came home for this,” Nymph fussed more. Her cousins were too busy all talking to each other. So many of them were redheads which meant they were all siblings. “There are so many Red court siblings here today…” She grimaced a bit.

Finally, they managed to get into the Elements Hall. It was a large room which seemed too large for the castle which meant spacial magic was being used. Tall crystal pillars were laid out elegantly across different sections of the room. Tables were set up for people to sit at and areas seemed designated by family. Belle took her seat with a smaller group that had to be Toya’s family.

The room itself was dark and lit with many chandeliers above. The walls and floors looked more like black mirrors. The pillars were slightly glowing. Towards the front of the room were five thrones of different elements. A set of grand staircases wound up the sides of the room to a singular throne at the very top.

Nymph and Cole were directed to in front of the thrones but just far back enough to be viewable by the top one. She took his hand and squeezed it as she got more nervous about it. That meant one thing, her grandmother would be here.

The chatting died down and the large doors reopened after everyone was settled. The pillars reacted in a show of elements as four began to combine inside of them. It appeared like light, darkness, earth, and wind were swirling around each other. In a line four of the five queen made their way in. Cathrine, who was a white-haired woman with green eyes made her way up to the throne of wind. Lily made her way up to a throne of light. Kirika, who had black hair and blue eyes, made her way to the throne of darkness. She also appeared to be the youngest of the group. Last was Angela who was in all of her glory with her long red hair and green eyes. She took to the throne of earth.

“Excuse me, but shouldn’t there be five of you?” Nymph spoke up. “Don’t tell me you dragged us all the way here just for this.”

“Patience young one… The angry one is coming,” Cathrine spoke with telepathy through their minds as she watched the doors closed behind Nymph and Cole.

The doors were still for a few short moments before they were seemingly kicked in. The pillars went on fire and people sitting close to them jumped a bit as Toya made her way in. She had on a simple blouse and pants. Her brown hair was a side ponytail. The pillars calmed down as she reached her throne of fire and fell into it lazily.

Finally, the pillars hummed and turned a soft jade as a noble white-haired woman came in after Toya. Dignity and grace were the only things Nymph could think of as Willow glided across the floor and up the grand staircases to the throne she was to sit in.

Nymph’s throat dried a bit as finally everyone important was here.

“Forgive us for calling you so short term… We would have given you longer but the impatient one wanted to do this as soon as possible,” Angela spoke as she waved her hand at the youngest sister.

“I have choice words for you Angela but it will happen later,” Toya hissed as her green eyes laid on Cole. “It’s my understanding that Nymph is to leave Sularia and join you. Is this true? If you were to marry that she would go be with your clan?”

Lily waved her hand a bit as Toya now. “So hostile be a bit nicer. What we mean to ask is what are your plans. I know this is very early… but Toya wanted to know ahead of time. See our military power depends on every able-bodied person to be able to help us.”

Kirika spoke next as she adjusted herself in the seat. “My intelligence tells me that Nymphaea is within the top five strongest of our female warriors. We have fears that losing her would bring us down a few notches… We are not, however, telling you that you cannot proceed what whatever your plans are. We do, however, want to put in place someway that perhaps we can be helped in the event that we need it.”

“We do not ask for these things for free. I am sure that your clan has needs that need to be met. Trade… Healing… Whatever it is we wish to know.” Cathrine spoke once more as she adjusted herself in the throne. “Toya is temperamental and does not like losing her military strength but we too worry that not having Nymphaea would cripple us in some areas. However, she is not required to live here merely come to serve if possible.”

“So I repeat myself… What are your plans with my niece?” Toya spoke up once again. Nymphaea was silent but it was the look on her face. She wasn’t expecting to hear this. She wasn’t expecting to be told how strong she was or that she was an asset.

Lily took a look at her sister and gently coughed a bit as she smiled at the two of them. "I think what my darling sister wants to know is if your intentions with her are good. Tell us how your heart feels."

There was no definitive way to reassure the fretting love of the demon hunter that the meeting they rode towards would be a smooth one. Cole was no expert upon her family, and yet he was the one with more confidence than Nymph. The couple had been given one month’s time to make their arrival back in the city of Sularia. If it had been up to the demon hunter of the pair, they would have left sooner in order to prepare with the help of Lily. Unfortunately, Nymph was less than enthused about the summons. Cole was not delighted with the idea of being scrutinized. If it was for the possibility of a future of their own choosing then it would be worth it. That being said, Cole noted the heavy sighs from his partner. Each time he would do his best not to glance over at her and was able to hide his smile. To say that she was being dramatic on the situation as an understatement.

Isilme tossed her head slightly as the onlookers within the city began to watch closer. The unicorn was to enjoy her adoring public. Cole kept his mouth closed to not bring any more invite for whispers. There were to be enough rumors spreading on the summons as it was. His back was straight with his usual armor on to make no effort to change who he was for the rest of them. He did take a quick check at his daggers at his side to make sure that they were of easy access. Nymph encouraged her steed to move faster to get them to the Yellow District. Cole was looking forward to reentering the district that his love came from. Her mother was a gentle and good woman that got along well with the demon hunter. He strangely found her delightful, which was extremely uncommon for him to feel towards anyone.

The pair dismounted from their rides to have Lily greet them warmly. Cole returned the hug and smiled gently down at Lily. “It is good to see you again,” he said with a continued smile. It felt odd for him to dote emotions as he was on anyone that was not Nymph or his sister, but it felt natural with her as well. “If you could give any more insight that would be greatly appreciated. Nymphaea has been less than enthused about this meeting.” He sighed heavily as the arguments ensued. Of course, these arguments were on the side of his mate’s and not her mother. Lily remained calm during all of it, knowing that she would win in the end. The three had made their way into a private room for alterations to be made on the main focus of the current argument. Cole had taken up a leaning seat against one of the tables; fingers twirling a ceremonial dagger that he had come across. He made an amused wink at Lily as they both were enjoying Nymph’s misery quite a deal. The decision had been made for him to wear his usual armor and attire to make a statement of being himself. “You both look lovely. Ladies of the Court, indeed.”

Standing up from the table, Cole offered his arm to help keep his heeled bond steady. “Come, let me escort you, m’lady. It is quizzical that a lady of such graceful armed combat techniques has difficulty balancing on spiked footwear.” He glanced down at the woman beside him with a glint in his eye, knowing not to press the situation any further.

They made their way through the crowd, though the twosome had not been expecting a crowd to deal with. “Was I wrong to assume this would have been just a summons to meet just the Queens? Why are we surrounded by your entire family?” Cole could not believe the large number of people that were making the same trek to their similar destination. He turned his head at the audible of his name. His white haired head nodded towards Belle and her mate, though they had different places to go. Eventually, the scrutinized couple were put in the center before the five thrones that would soon seat the Queens of the Rosenite family. He had almost forgotten that the Mother, Angela, was one of Nymph’s family members. A goddess had been selected from the family to rule.

As Nymph lashed out, Cole lightly squeezed her fingers to give her strength. She had a tendency to lash out even more ruthlessly when nervous. His expression remained serene with no emotions to be read. Even as the doors opened forcefully, Cole did not react. Gray eyes watched the two women that made their way into the Hall.

It was clear that though the women were siblings as well as equally reigning queens, there was no true harmony that hummed between them. The demon hunter kept that information at the back of his mind. As the conversation was directed at him in a varying of tones, Cole remained silent. He knew that it would be better for the questions to be brought forth as well as them all to get out what they wished at the start before he could respond. Toya was the Queen of the flame throne, and she had the personality to match it. She would be the largest obstacle, but he gave little care for those that were not Nymph’s mother. He let the words of his inquisitors hang in the air for a moment before turning to Nymph who seemed a little set off balance.

Cole leaned down to put his lips to her ear. With a smile he whispered, “try to breath my dear. We can do this. You look radiant.” A gentle kiss was placed, before he turned back to the strong women. “Queens of Sularia, I first want to extend my gratitude for taking the bond of Nymphaea and myself seriously. To know that my feelings towards one of your daughters is genuine, it brings me joy.” Cole flexed his jaw muscles as he formulated his next statements. “There are customs in both of our prosperous families,that is true. My Clan is not known to the world; this is how we would like to keep it. It is my Leader that has given me rights to negotiate, but there have been put limitations. Just as you are proud of your bloodline, so are we.” This time his focus had lingered upon Toya. He respected her position as the military leader, but he would not allow Nymph or himself to be pushed around for the sake of military statistics.

“The plans that Nymphaea and myself are ones that we make together…not ones that I make or her. Though it is early, we have obviously been forced to discuss our future before having the ability to truly converse with one another.” His hand gently squeezed his love’s hand again to reassure her that he was there for her. “We will decide our future with each other.

“I can tell you that there is no need to be concerned about the military strength of the prestigious Rosenite family. My Clan is prepared to aide when necessary. We have members stationed throughout the land. Our military has a smaller size. That being said, our strength is rarely rivaled. As I am sure your intelligence is keen, we are a force to be reckoned with. Our designation is to battle demons and those that would oppress the weak. An allegiance would not be out of the question for our two families to come together when necessary.” Cole took a moment to see if the women would react in a positive manner or in disdain. As the heir to Jiyu he had to make sure that his position remained strong. “If we are to have children, the child would be raised in the traditions and rituals of my home. They would not be forced to make a decision of which one would be allowed to them. My clan leader is open to for exposure when it comes to protégé of mixed lines.”

Cole sighed and tilted his head to the side in hopes they would see his genuine expression. “I love Nymphaea. It is that simple. She has expressed a reciprocation of these emotions. I will not let that be tarnished nor threatened. We come from two powerful Clans. We understand the duties to these families, but we also have duties to one another. That is my plan.”

“There isn’t much I can say to help in this situation. Most of us have our own reasoning for this that we haven’t shared with each other. I agreed to it because the angry one brought it up. Just try and be patient with Toya.”

After Nymphaea was forced to be dressed she shot a look at her lover. “Very funny… You try it. It’s not pleasant.” She fussed a bit more before she calmed down enough to get a neutral look on her face.

She drummed her fingers across Cole’s arm as she looked at everyone once they arrived at the castle. “Well, this is known as something human’s like to call a family affair. We move as if one decision affects the rest of us so that is why all of us are here.” Nymphaea recalled from the first time she asked her mother. “It is a good chance for the heirs of Sularia to see how things work as well as making sure that our family is in the know. Moving as one unit is the best way for us to survive.”

As things got started Nymphaea was less than pleased but she took a relaxed breath as Cole soothed her. There was a nod from her as she took a rather large breath. The queens all watched with interest since it was clear that Nymph was a hard one to control or help. The queens all sat silently while Cole explained all of their moves. Nymphaea was nodding to his words. After all, it seemed more like he was on trial than she was.

The five queens began to talk amongst themselves but it was Angela who was eyeing Nymphaea and Cole. Finally, the Red Court Queen pushed herself from the seat and went over to Toya. “Stop being such an ass. Let the kids do their own thing.” Angela put her hands on her hips and bent over to Toya. “Or I’ll tell them why you are being an asshole.”

Toya leaned in. “Do it and I’ll gut you from here to Adeluna.” It left her lips a bit as the sisters began to get physical with each other. The other queens took a deep sigh as Toya and Angela were literally locked in a catfight right in front of everyone. Though everyone else seemed to be taking bets.

“I’m sorry you have to see this,” Lily spoke to them as she waved her hand. “But I think I know why Toya is acting up.” All of the other queens looked at her. Even Toya and Angela stopped and they were pulling on each other’s faces. “I’ve known for a long time that Toya wanted to be part of Nymphaea’s future. It is because when Nymph was born I didn’t know how to raise such a wild beautiful child. She was so much more like Toya than I gave credit for so I started to let the White Queen look out for her.”

Toya groaned and slid into her seat as Angela moved happily back to hers. “I know that it doesn’t seem like she’s done much Nymph… but Toya has looked out for you at every corner. Making sure you got your stances right… Your magic right. She was always there trying to help you out. In a lot of ways, she filled the mother position in ways that I couldn’t. This is how she is showing motherly love. She is scared that Cole might hurt you as she was hurt. She doesn’t want you to go down the same path that she has gone down.”

The Fiery Queen had a blush across her face now as she refused to make eye contact with Nymphaea or Cole. “She was planning on accepting anyways but wanted Cole to come here and speak his mind just so she was sure. We used this opportunity to make sure we can set up and help your clan out as well Cole. If my daughter is to live there with you then we want her safe. Even if she is strong, she will have her moments like all women where she will not be.” Lily folded her hands in her lap and looked over at Toya. “Anything you want to add Little Sister?”

“No, you went and ruined the whole four-hour interrogation I had for him.” Toya huffed a bit as she looked at the two lovers. “Just take care of each other. I’ve been married a good long time to my husband but my first husband was what broke me and made me a miserable bitch. Stay good to each other through thick and thin. That’s what marriage is and if your love is true like you say it is… Marriage and babies will come soon enough. I got seven of the little shits myself though they aren’t so little anymore. At least not all of them.”

There was an audible groan from the White Court and Toya smirked a bit. “Love is something that can break with the passage of time. When you enter the covenant with Nymphaea you will be given a choice. You can live long with Nymphaea and not age or you can continue your path as is. With Angela being the Mother she is able to grant a blessed life.”

“Don’t be giving out my blessings like that,” Angela pouted a bit at the youngest sister. “I wouldn’t deny them the right to live for the rest of their days.”

Kirika chuckled a bit and waved her hand. “Don’t let them bully you into marriage too quickly. It will come when you both are ready. They caught me off guard and Bryar and I have been married for a long time now. We had only known each other a month when they sprung a surprise wedding for us. We also just had our first child Sahara. So if you ever need any help I’m sure we could answer questions.”

Nymphaea took a relaxed sigh. “You guys are such pains in the asses. You dragged us all the way up here… JUST so you could be protective of me?” The half-demon rubbed her neck as she watched them all. “You guys are something else.” Her voice was soft as she started to laugh. “So what is all of this then?” Nymph put her arms out to point at her cousins.

Toya rolled her shoulders. “A celebration to welcome Cole to our family. Whether or not you two marry is none of my concern but he should know what he is getting into. For the most part, everyone else that deals with us knows about us or has had dealings with us in the past which is why this has never happened before… So… Enjoy yourselves tonight. Meet the people who will come to your aid if you so need it. We’re all family now.” She pushed herself up off the chair. "I'm done playing queen now." She left the others as she went over to an aged blonde man and snatched a little blonde baby from his arms.

"It's as Toya says. Please enjoy your evening here. We would all very much like to meet Cole… Well, maybe not all one by one." Finally, the soft voice from the top of the staircase talked as the white-haired woman made her way down. "My grandchildren may not know how to act with each other but they would fight for each other should the need arise. We are close knit even if it doesn't appear it. You have the blessing of the five courts of Sularia and you have the blessing of the Empress as well. May your lives be long and happy." Willow kissed each of their foreheads before she started to leave. "I've had enough of your antics for now and am retiring. Please take care not to ruin my castle." With that, the empress was gone and Nymph smiled at Cole as she hugged him.

"I suppose I was worried over nothing… I am sorry I was such a grouch," Nymph whispered before kissing Cole. "So… Where do you want to start with meeting people?"

“Well, I would say that there is a family affair, but there is also the masses. This is larger than I would title as a calling of the family together. It is more of a trial from the amount of people that have been called to their queens’.” Cole allowed his eyes to scan over the ever growing crowd as if he were taking stock of the exits if necessary. He would never allow himself to go into a place without knowing proper safety outs. He knew logically that they were in a place full of allies, but he could not allow to be prepared especially with Nymph by his side. “Your family is one to procreate,” he commented as he was unable to get a head count of the crowd. “It is understandable that the heirs learn the political avenues of their future rule…but the two of us becoming a couple does not seem to me a trial worthy summons.” The demon hunter was careful that his words were only audible for the ears of his beloved. He knew that she would understand his hesitation at becoming a spectacle for the sake of others to judge who or what he was.

As his words seemed to soothe her, Cole smiled against the side of her head before standing up fully straight. When his words finally died out, the queens had their own conversation between themselves. It would have been a lie if Cole had said he wasn’t hoping for the support from Angela the most out of the five queens. Though they were all siblings, Angela was a goddess of Revaliir. She had powers that could not be matched by the others. No matter what Toya’s objections were, the words of a goddess along with the words of Nymph’s mother held heavier weight. What surprised him (as well as disturb) was when the goddess and her sister became locked in a ‘catfight.’ Cole inhaled sharply and his white brows furrowed together in a deep frown.

Gray eyes shifted to Lily as she spoke in her usual soft voice that had a calming effect on those that listened. He titled his head to the side as he was quite curious why Toya had decided to be rude towards him. It took all of his ‘nobility’ training to keep his temper in check from her words before; Uial would have been proud of him. He could not be a disgrace to the Jiyu Clan especially when there was an allegiance potential on the line. As the explanation was made, Cole took mere moments to look at the queens as it semi fell into place. The blush on the face of Toya confirmed Lily’s words. Cole raised a brow as the situation made him feel a little more annoyed, but glad that Nymph had a protective family that cared for her.

Cole was genuinely surprised at the offer made, though slightly suspicious. The concept of not aging as one common in his clan, for most died young on a mission. Most recently that was what had happened to his brother-in-law. He looked down at Nymph to see what she thought on the entire conversation. With that, the trial was over. The queens began to disperse, but it was the Empress that made her way to the pair. Cole bowed his head respectfully and received a kiss upon his forehead. He smiled down at the woman. “Thank you,” he responded.

The hunter shifted in order to hug Nymph more comfortably and fully. “Your family is full of rather interesting parties all around,” he laughed into her hair. “That was a bit faster than I imagined that it would be, but I am pleased that it is over. What shall we do next? Are we free to do as we wish, truly?”