Fleur looked at Aaric, still hugging his arm. "I should have brought some gift," she whispered.
Aaric shrugged. "I brought some gifts, I will tell them they are from both of us," he said with a smile.
Fleur looked at him gratefully and whispered her thanks to him.
Aaric then fumbled in his pouch and brought out some corals and kelp. "Give them to the chief as well," he told her.
She accepted the gifts and put them in her pouch. "It seems you can be considerate sometimes," she said, squeezing his hand.
Aaric smiled at her as they reached a bigger stone house, ornately decorated and standing sturdy, as if built just recently.
"We used the scrolls to rebuild the chief's house first," one of the guards said, making Aaric nod.
The other guard approached the door and sang a beautiful melody, a custom of the merpeople when requesting an audience with their chief.
Fleur heard that and sighed in admiration, glancing at Aaric. She then stepped away from him, since it would be rude to hug him while they addressed the chief.
It took a few moments before a female selkie exited the stone house.
She had grey skin, webbed hands and feet, and long tangled, seaweed-like hair. Her eyes were large and yellow and her teeth were sharp as she smiled at Aaric when she saw him.
She wore ornamental kelp and coral woven into her hair and around her body. Her posture was upright and commanding, more humanoid than fishlike compared to other merpeople.
"Welcome, Aaric Hawthorne," she said in Mermish, her voice more melodic and soothing than the others.
Aaric smiled at her and held Fleur's hand. "This is Fleur Delacour, a friend," Aaric introduced her, and the chief nodded.
"A friend of young Aaric is a friend of ours. Welcome," the chief said, addressing the Veela, and Aaric translated for them.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Forgive me, but I do not know Mermish," Fleur said and glanced at Aaric, who translated what she said.
The chief shrugged at that, and Fleur sighed in relief.
She then made an inviting gesture toward her home. Aaric and Fleur bowed before entering the house.
The house was simple and dimly lit, since it is difficult for the merpeople to get light-producing artifacts.
Aaric smiled at the chief and took out a box from his pouch. "A gift from me and my friend," he said, opening the box.
Inside were fist-sized grass orbs. Aaric took one out and shook it.
The orb began giving out a soft light after Aaric shook it. The chief looked at the object in wonder and held out her hand, and Aaric nodded as he placed the orb in her palm.
The chief looked at the orb and then around, as her house brightened from the soft glow of the light.
"Shake it again and it will turn off," Aaric said, and the chief nodded and shook the orb so the light stopped.
The chief looked at Aaric and shook her head. "You bring us these gifts every time you visit. I lament that we have nothing of worth to give to you," she said.
Aaric smiled at her. "There are not many things anyone might have that I would want. So please do not feel bad," Aaric said.
At that moment Fleur took out her gift as well. The chief looked at the offerings and thanked them with a smile.
Fleur knew what the chief had said without any need for translation and nodded with a warm smile.
Aaric then smiled mischievously. "Is the little chief around?" he asked, earning a melodious laugh from the chief. "No, the little one is studying," she said, much to Aaric's disappointment.
"He will lament his studies even more if he finds out he missed you because of them," the chief added with a giggle.
Aaric then took out some gifts for the chief's son as well.
Aaric glanced at Fleur, who nodded. "I won't take more of your time. I should go meet the bigger friend as well," Aaric said, bowing, and Fleur bowed to the chief as well.
The chief nodded and led the way back, telling Aaric about structures and people as they bid farewell.
"Do you wish to meet the giant squid before we leave?" Aaric asked Fleur.
Fleur knew about the giant squid and that it was a peaceful and gentle creature, so she nodded with a smile.
She hugged his arm as they descended deeper into the lake.
As they descended, the light dimmed even more. The little illumination that remained came from glowing moss and magical algae.
They reached an area with the densest covering of glowing moss and found the giant squid lounging there.
It was about eighty feet long, with wide tentacles and deep violet skin. Its two eyes were the size of a Quaffle and pale with horizontal slits.
Aaric and Fleur stopped a little distance away from the squid.
Aaric smiled and started fumbling in his pouch as he took out some bubble lanterns.
They looked like magical spheres. As Aaric took them out, they began emitting a soft, pulsing light and started floating toward the giant squid.
"They are warm, but they do not seem to be increasing the temperature of the water," Fleur muttered as she held one in her hand.
Aaric nodded at her as the spheres approached the squid, illuminating its body.
The giant squid noticed the spheres and extended its tentacles, wrapping them gently around the lights.
The spheres rested on the squid's skin and pulsed gently as the squid relaxed, its body seeming to enjoy the warmth from the lanterns.
It then noticed Aaric and waved a tentacle at him, creating currents in the water with the motion. Neither Aaric nor Fleur were affected because of their cloaks.
Aaric and Fleur waved back with smiles on their faces.
The squid could not speak, so it extended its tentacles toward them and wrapped them gently around Aaric and Fleur in greeting.
They spent their time sitting on the tentacles, watching the lake and the squid illuminated by the lantern lights.
A/N: please leave reviews if you enjoyed the chapter,
And power stones.. all of them.