The Demon Lord And His Hero

If Rowan was being more than honest, he would have told the mage that his greatest fear was that Syryn would never love him back. Yes, it was a stupid thing to worry about in the grand scheme of things. The universe could end and Rowan wouldn't care. He had allowed Syryn to die for the world once upon a time. A mistake. He had married a woman he hadn't loved because they told him he needed her power to save the world. He had shed blood and sweat for them once upon a time. And yet it only left him jaded and feeling hopeless. Rowan was a selfish, selfish, man. This time he would follow his heart. No more sacrificing Syryn or arranged marriages, no more bowing to the whims of fickle deities.

"Why do you think I never loved you?" Syryn asked, wondering if he was humouring the fantasies of a liar.

The answer was ready on Rowan's lips.. "Because I don't deserve your love."

Was that guilt he saw in Rowan's eyes?

The mage raised a brow. "Did you cheat on me?"

Rowan wouldn't think of looking anyone else's way much less cheating on his lover.

He shook his head. "No. It's a story for another time, Ryn," he replied uneasily. Some things he still did not have the freedom to discuss. He had hoped for Syryn to remember their past clearly but his lover had gone and lost even the memories of this life. What was he to do with Syryn? Surely, he had to bind the mage to him. Only then would his lover stop getting into situations that left Rowan frustrated and fearful for his well being.

"I want to know now," Syryn insisted. He was irrevocably invested.

The blond sighed.

"I said now, Rowan."

Blue eyes crinkled in a handsome smile. "Or what?" The curve of his lips made a dormant part of Syryn's memories wake up and take notice. He was underwater but the mage was suddenly feeling hotter. His mind may have forgotten but his body was signalling at something interesting.

"Did we fuck?" He rudely asked.

Rowan primly folded his hands.

"Oh come on," Syryn said as he rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me I was dating a prude."

"We engaged in sexual activities, multiple times a day even. So yeah, we fucked."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Syryn replied. His nether regions were already waking up. Even if Rowan was just a stranger he had just met, he would have probably still slept with him just because of how fuckable and delicious the man appeared.

"How about we do it?" Syryn asked without any shame. "We're dating aren't we?"

"I- yes, we are." Rowan looked like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. He had forgotten how spontaneous Syryn could be. "But this isn't the right time, Ryn."

"Why not?"

The blond wasn't sure which was a better answer. That underwater sex just wasn't it, or that they were too exposed right now for any friendly frolicking.

"We have company," he pointed out with some measure of relief.

In the distance, a few mers could be seen hesitantly approaching the area.

"Levia, go hide yourself somewhere," Syryn told his pet. Obediently, the creature slunk off and made herself a bed under the sand.

"That's a very intelligent friend you have there," Rowan commented. "Where did you get him, Ryn?"

"I didn't get Levia. She found me when I was dying. Levia then took revenge on my behalf by reducing a once prospering kingdom to what you now see around you. Isn't she wonderful?" The mage fondly said to the blond.

Rowan wasn't surprised that Syryn had managed to acquire another deadly 'pet'. Blue was under the care of a very pissed off Vincent and now the mage had reeled in a leviathan. Rowan's only consolation was that Levia was a hell of a guard for Syryn, and she seemed to adore him for some reason. If she could leave the ocean and guard Syryn on dry land, Rowan would be a happy man.

"You have another friend who is waiting for you. His name is Blue and he's a big blue squid that no one knows the origin of," Rowan told the mage.

"Great!" Syryn declared. "Levia will have a friend when she leaves the ocean."

"But does she want to leave the ocean?"

Syryn's excitement fizzled down. Levia belonged to the ocean. He couldn't force the creature to leave with him. From the time she had spent outside the water cupping a sleeping Syryn, Rowan was sure that Levia could breathe air.

"I'll ask her later," Syryn replied. "There might be a show for you very soon, Rowan. Would you like to watch?"

"Yes," Rowan was eager to see Syryn avenge himself. Despite not knowing what manner of crimes the mers were guilty of, the anti mage was sure of one thing, his lover was a petty man and they were going to suffer greatly for whatever they'd done to him. Syryn would account for every lost strand of hair and then make them pay to within an inch of their lives. A good show. He looked forward to it.

Emboldened by the presence of humans, the mers approached them knowing that there was no danger from the leviathan. It would have consumed the humans if it were still around, they reasoned.

There were eight mers in total. Two nobles, three guards and three more commoner mers, attendants most probably. The merman wearing expensive jewellery, first spoke to spoke Syryn.

"You, why aren't you dead?!"

"I didn't like staying dead."

The merman was aghast. "Nobody has ever returned alive from the abyss!"

"I'm special," Syryn replied. "Ask Rowan about how special I am. He's in love with me. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" Syryn threw a lazy smirk at the blond heartthrob.

"Whipped," Rowan answered flatly. "Who are these guests?"

"Just fish food closing in on their expiry dates," Syryn answered maliciously.

The mermen weren't going to take the insulting threat kindly.

The lead mer flared his gills and loomed over the humans. Outrage burning in his eyes, he faced the calm Syryn.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"