A/N: As usual, I would recommend to put the video on loop.

They stood at the top of the staircase, and she looked out to the dark waters beyond. It unnerved her that she couldn't see even a little past the surface of the water. The calmness of the pool was also unsettling. She felt like something could leap out and pull them under easily. Instinctively, she tightened her hand around his. "You've been through this area before, right?" she asked, glancing up towards him some.

"Yes but only once," he answered, taking some steps down the stairs, while water ran down them. "You don't need to worry. Nothing in those waters will harm you."

"So, there is something in there?" Worry and slight panic were evident in (f/n)'s voice while her mind started to imagine something horrid. "What's in there, then?"

"Water pixies, though, they rarely make an appearance to us kelremm. They might come out to see you, however, since they rarely glance upon humans. And if for some reason they try to harm you, I'll make sure that they receive the message to stand down."

"I guess that's not so bad, then." She felt a little more relieved, but, personally, she didn't want them to come up and out of the water. If they did, something unwanted could occur, and she understood that Tarhuinn meant his threat. After seeing him handle a knife, she didn't desire to know what kind of carnage he could bring upon the pixies.

Reaching the end of the steps, the water lapped up against the bottom one. For a moment, she was concerned that they would have to swim across, but she saw a few boats stationed nearby. Tarhuinn let go of her and brought one over to them. As he crouched, he held the boat steady so that she could step in. Once she was in, he stepped in and sat sideways. The one side of the boat was completely flat and more like a raft, which allowed him to place his feet and lower legs in the water.

"Alright, hand me the paddle," he instructed, holding his hands out. She did so, and they started to move across the water.

"Are you going to be able to see alright? The light's only getting dimmer."

"Yes, I made it across before, remember? When it becomes pitch black, though, remain calm. My eyes can see in the dark since kelremm sometimes need to swim in dark waters like this. If you hear any other sounds besides my breathing and rowing, it's the pixies."

"Okay, I trust you," she answered as they went closer towards the unlit maw of the cave. When it did become pitch black, she tensed and clenched her hands around the fabric of her cloak. She made herself focus on the sound of the paddle moving through the water and closed her eyes. (F/n) told herself that they would be out of the area soon enough.

Feeling something brush across her right arm, she jumped and nearly lost her balance on the boat. She regained her balance, opened her eyes and rubbed her arm. When she felt something touch her left knee, her heart almost leaped out of her chest until she realized that it was a hand. "Are you alright, (f/n)?"

Glad that it was just Tarhuinn, she replied, "Yes, but something went across my arm. Was it one of the pixies?"

"Yes, it was. They're moving around us at the moment. Right now, they're all under the water again, but they might pop out more. If one strikes at you, let me know immediately. Otherwise, try to remain still in the boat. I don't want you to fall in the water."

"I understand." Frankly, though, she wondered if it really was a pixie. It felt slimy. Luckily, there was no residue, but she didn't expect pixies to be like that. Perhaps, he was lying to her about what it was so that she would remain relaxed. Unfortunately, she felt it again but on her left arm, but her attention turned to her lap. She focused on the area and hesitantly moved her right hand forward.

The slimy texture greeted her hand, and she pulled back immediately. A quiet chuckle filled the area, and it reminded her of ripples on water. Whatever was on her lap started to advance towards her. Leaning back, she rested her hands on the sides of the boats to keep her balance. It continued and moved onto her midsection. She could still hear the paddle in the water, though. That meant that the thing on her wasn't a threat yet.

How she wished to be able to see, though. Soon, the thing was at her collarbone, and its slimy hands pressed against her skin. At least, she assumed them to be hands. Biting her lower lip, she closed her eyes again and could feel her hands trembling some. The hands pressed against her cheeks while another chuckle left its mouth.

"You're a pretty one. No wonder your mate is giving all of us such warning looks," it spoke out. The voice sounded feminine, but she couldn't tell that well. Every time a word left its mouth, she thought that she had heard a drop of water. It moved closer to her left ear and whispered, "You should be careful. He's bears the gaze of someone who wouldn't feel any remorse for killing another. Your mate is frightening."

Swiftly, it moved away from her as though it had only been a slight breeze. She sat back up and heard light splashes of water before it went nearly silent again. Her eyes desperately sought out something to see in the darkness, but even her hands weren't visible to her. So, she peered down and intertwined her hands.

"They're gone," Tarhuinn spoke as he reached over and rested his left hand over her hands. "They shouldn't make another appearance, but what did that one pixie tell you? I didn't like how close she was to you."

"She murmured that you're terrifying." Of course, she wouldn't say the rest of what the pixie had told her. She was still processing it herself, and she was trying to not show her concern. Maybe, it was the creature just messing with her, but she thought that she had heard genuine fear in the pixie's voice. Granted, she had already suspected that Tarhuinn was capable of something horrendous, but to hear another confirm it with such a tone in their voice caused an unpleasant chill to run up her spine.

"And, do you agree?"

An answer didn't leave her lips immediately. "You scare me sometimes."

"I'm only like that at times because I wish to protect you. You're the most precious thing to me in the world." His hand tightened over hers. "Keep that in mind and trust me to keep you safe."

Giving no verbal answer, she nodded and kept her gaze downcast. His hand moved away, and the paddle continued its movement. She held her hands in a greater grip. Tarhuinn's words soothed her, but her mind still told her to be cautious. He was her husband now, but she felt that she would have to keep an eye on him.

With time, though, the darkness started to fade some. Up ahead was a lit passage. The torches were over small stone paths that had water flowing down the middle of them. This water poured over the edges and created small waterfalls down the path. They were still a little ways off from reaching the tunnel, but she was happy that she could see the scenery around her better.

Stalagmites and stalactites met each other in some places while stalactites dominated the roof of the cave. They were quite beautiful, but picturing one of the structures falling on them wasn't a pleasant image. She doubted that they would, though. Her eyes glanced back the way they came, and she thought that she had seen something jump out of the water and stare at her. It was probably one of the pixies, or she hoped that was the case.

Turning her attention away from that area, she looked back to the tunnel. "Will we be arriving at one of the other complexes soon, then?"

"We won't arrive until tomorrow. There's some distance to walk after we get off of this body of water. We'll have to make camp tonight unless you would prefer to keep going."

"No, I think that we should rest. If we encounter these two authors and they're really dangerous, we should have our full energy on hand. Besides, I've never camped before. It sounds like it could be fun."

"You're really an adventure seeker," he muttered with a small smile.

Hearing him, she pouted. "Well, you weren't the one locked in a room for twelve years. I lost so much of my life over those years, and I want to get it back. This is making up for that. Despite how you were in the beginning, you're now letting me experience a whole new world, and I'm grateful for that. I would've never dreamt to be in an area like this, but here I am. Granted, the darkness was worrying, but it's gone now. And, unpleasant things are part of a journey. I just hope that there aren't too many disagreeable things left."

"If there are, I'll deal with them, (f/n)," he responded, leaning over some and placing a soft kiss on the back of her left hand.