[So, will you help me?] The Nymph asked, her red eyes shining like a jewel.

She was sincere in her longing to communicate with her estranged daughter, because I now knew how important the tree spirit on the other side was to her.

However, after listening to what was essentially her sob story, I was even more hesitant.

I mean, why even bother asking?

The threat of death from her sapling alone was enough incentive for me to go, if I ever hoped to get rid of it.

But by telling me her story, it seemed she wanted me to agree freely, perhaps to absolve herself of the guilt if I also did not return.

And this I found to be very manipulative.

I did not know what had happened to all the other dark fae's she sent, or her estranged sapling, but something was clearly wrong because the Nymph did not want to send the last dark fae she had.

I didn't answer and instead stared at the stream where the dark fae was playing.

On the one hand, this made the Nymph very vulnerable. Not knowing what had happened to them was likely torture for her, but she made sure to have the upper hand in this negotiation because of the sapling she infected me with.

If she wanted a proper discussion she would have taken off the Nymph's kiss, but she clearly wanted the odds to weigh in her favour. All in all, whatever I chose would end up being my loss.

And so I decided to take on her request.

But not out of the goodness of my heart, because I wanted something in return.

[Alright, I will do it.] I replied, before adding. [On one condition.]

[You serpents always have some.] The Nymph's ruby eyes took on a vicious tint, but she huffed and frowned as she asked. [What is it you want?]

I took a deep breath to calm myself before speaking.

[I want us to become family too.] I declared, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction. [That means you must join my [Pit]]

At first she seemed uninterested and almost disgusted at me for asking for a condition – just what did she think I was going to say?

But now, she looked up at the mention of my [Pit], her look one of surprise.

[You want me to join your Pit?] The Nymph rose to her feet, her face flushed and the long silver hair fanning out across her face made her look more shy than angry.

[How dare a mere serpent to be so preposterous!]

I positioned myself in preparation for an attack, but the Nymph only gathered her wet robes, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, to reveal a bright red face.

[Who do you think you are?] Her forehead twitched with rage. [I am the origin of this forest, the most divine of spirits, the mother of free spirits, and you expect me to join you? You should be joining me, not the other way around!]

Her manner was elegant, but her voice on the other hand was full of anger as she stomped over to me. With a single wave of her arm, bright green sprouts shot out of her finger tips, twisting to form an insidious whip riddled with thorns.

[You are far too young to be disrespecting someone like me!] she snarled.

Er…This wasn't how I thought it would go.

I backed away in panic, but the Nymph drew closer with her whip. I locked eyes with her, trying to get her to listen, but each time her lashes fluttered, her ruby eyes glinted with pleasure. I balked under the force of her glare, causing me to retreat even further.

Why was she so angry at me?

Or was she getting ready to use her charm?

However, the roots underneath my coils started to separate, revealing the water underneath, and I realised my footing wasn't steady at all!

[Wait, calm down, listen to me.]

[Why should I?] The Nymph snarled with her flushed face. [You don't know what you're asking!]

As the crisp snap of her whip filled the air, the tree spirits who had been playing in the water all looked up, numerous eyes staring at us both. And even the dark fae watched us stunned with her mouth agape.

Somehow none of them made any moves to attack, but their intimidating stares made me sweat.

What was she playing at?

I moved towards the Nymph because the roots around her feet were the most solid.

[It's not that horrible of a condition.] I replied, edging slightly closer. [You already have the sapling embedded on me. It's only fair for you to join my Pit if you're asking me to risk my life.]

«Thread carefully.» Sensei cautioned. «Don't aggravate her.»

[Preposterous!] The Nymph said. [I would never ask you to do that.]

In her anger the whip struck the air once more, but this time their thorny tendrils were too wild to contain, and they ended up smashing through one of the roots.

I saw the Nymph wince in pain and immediately took the opportunity to rush towards her.

[What are you…ah!] she screamed in shock.

I twisted around her, knocking the whip out of her grip, and the Nymph was surprised to find herself on the ground.

[Where are you touching?] She was flustered as she tried to fight me off, but before she could create another whip, I wrapped around her in a constriction hold.

[Will you let me finish what I want to say?] I asked, a bit of my annoyance showing seeping through my voice.

The tree spirits were furious and many were threading through the water in a rush to attack, through the gaps in the roots below. And above, all the leaves and branches around me started to tremble, their aged bodies echoing their dissent.

However, they stopped short of attacking me, because the Nymph was in my grasp, so they could only twist to block off my aerial escape routes.

But it wasn't like I was planning to run away. The Nymph's slender body trembled under my grip as I constricted. If I chose to embed my stingers, I could make ribbons out of her delicate skin in an instant.

And the tree spirits knew this.

[Release me serpent!] The Nymph cried out in a flustered voice. [Have you forgotten where you are? You are still in my domain. I could break you right now if I wanted to.]

She seemed to be the one in that position though…

[Really? Then do it!] I deadpanned and sighed after a brief silence. [Call them off, and let me explain what I meant.]

The Nymph looked hesitant, but eventually she ordered the tree spirits to retreat.

[Now, release me.] she asked.

I watched the tree branches recede and replied. [Not until they are far away.]

After seeing how quickly they could move, I wasn't taking any chances.

[Another condition?] The Nymph scowled at me.

The last of the spirits receded past the tree line, but I could still feel them staring at me from where they stood like statues in the water. I didn't feel safe letting her go just yet.

[It's not a condition.] I replied. [It's a request, no different from yours.]

A flash of understanding crossed her eyes, as the Nymph realised how stifling it felt like to be given a request while under duress. She stopped struggling and resigned herself to resting on my coils, and I allowed my grip to loosen a little.

[I may have forced my task onto you.] She admitted, her face downcast.

So far, testing the possibilities of an alliance with the Nymph had been a success. She was cooperative, although she had the odd habit of blushing all the time, like she was right now.

I thought, perhaps it was fine to release her.

But then, I heard a shrill cry as the dark fae stumbled onto our standoff.

[What are you doing to her, you bad snake! Don't fight!]

She tried to release the Nymph by pulling on my horns, but when it became apparent that wasn't going to work, she started to cry. I shook the noisy brat off me to focus on the Nymph.

[Just like you, I also have those I want to protect. You can ask her.] I gestured to the dark fae.

[If I die in the process of fulfilling your request, they would be left without anyone to look after them, and I don't want that, which is why I'm asking you this.]

The Nymph began to understand my dilemma and genuinely consider my words so I slowly released her from my coil.

[You lose nothing by agreeing.] I continued to explain my side. [If I die, my [Pit] will disband anyway and you can go back to being ruler of the forest, in addition to having some new members.]

It seemed like a good way to have her look after my Pit members while I was away. With the chance being high that my cave would be attacked, they needed all the protection they could get.

And what better way than to have the Nymph look out for them.

[What if you return?] The Nymph asked.

I thought about my options and laughed.

[You could always choose to turn me into fertilizer for my insolence.]

But the dark fae folded her arms and frowned. [No! I don't want that! You two shouldn't fight.]

I chuckled at her confused face.

It was a temporary measure for my peace of mind while she reaped all the benefits.

My time as leader would be temporary anyway - she really had nothing to lose, and she knew it.

[Alright, I agree.] The Nymph replied.