Sage's back smacked against the water, knocking the wind out of him, and he plunged beneath the waves. The surf tossed him around as easily as a fluff of sheep's wool caught in the wind, disorienting him completely.

As he flailed his arms, water plugged his ears, invaded his nose, and pulled at his clothes. Despite the stinging of the saltwater, he forced his eyes open.

At first, everything was dark and murky. And without the normal pull of gravity, there was no up. No down. Was he sinking? Or would his body float up to the surface? His brain was as muddled as his vision.

Sage desperately swiveled his head, and, after a moment that stretched out like the curve of the sky, he noticed rays of light slicing down through the churn. He pointed his arms towards the light and kicked.

Then, in the distance, he made out several large shapes swimming towards him. Fast.

Blinking, he realized he recognized the large bulbous shape as wrasse, the fish that had stolen his bindings when he swam to save Violet.

Was he hallucinating?

Or was it a sign?

His lungs burned, and Sage kicked his feet towards the beams of sunlight, trying to propel himself to the surface. But as he tried to swim, the crashing waves pushed his head back down towards the large approaching figures.

He was going to have to take a breath soon. Was this how it was all going to end?

Suddenly, arms wrapped around him and yanked him upwards.

Sage's head burst through the foam-capped waves as first his shins and then his hands hit against water-logged sand.

His knees scraped against jagged pieces of broken shell and sharp pebbles as he crawled beyond the lapping reach of the tide, gasping for air.

As soon as he had caught his breath, he noticed a telltale tingling on his skin and he jerked his head up to see who had rescued him.

Blinking through the stinging saltwater that dripped from his eyelashes, Sage saw a goddess's flowing pink robes, which were flawless and dry, folds of fabric blooming into delicate petals around her waist. Her lips, which were also perfectly pink, spread into a wide smile as Sage gazed upon her face.

"Welcome, Sage," she said, her voice soothing and melodic.

"Cerise?" he asked, quickly lowering his head, salt water from his drenched curls cascading down to his eyebrows.

The goddess let out an amused chuckle, which seemed to intensify the buzzing that danced along Sage's skin.

"You saved me from the sea..." Sage's voice trailed off, his head still bowed, as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I am forever in your debt."

"The sea is my second home," the goddess replied nonchalantly.

Sage nodded, knowing that the goddess of love was the daughter of Veridian, and as such, had spent her childhood playing in the ocean's waves.

Cerise continued, her sandaled feet stepping closer to where Sage remained prostate, "I have been watching you, and I am impressed by your bravery and your love for Violet."

A surge of warmth spread through him as she spoke. When he first learned that Violet had sacrificed a lamb to Cerise on her family's altar, he had understood why Tawny saw that as an act of disloyalty. But then Tawny's actions towards him had revealed her hypocrisy.

Maybe Violet had been right to entrust her prayers to the goddess of love. It was love that had driven her to risk everything for him, wasn't it? Not loyalty.

Although, maybe those two forces were more intertwined than Tawny was willing to admit. Sage glanced up at Cerise. "I would do anything for Violet," he said. The goddess smiled, an ethereal beauty radiating from her face. "Yes, I know you would. And she would do anything for you."

Her words reignited a spark of his earlier anger. Because it was true. They would do anything for each other. So why was their love facing so many obstacles?

His body.

Her father.

It wasn't fair.

"It's good that you are angry," Cerise observed. "It shows that you will fight for your love."

"You know then about our predicament?" Sage asked, not surprised that the goddess had picked up on his sudden shift of emotion.

"Of course," she answered. "As the goddess of love, I make it my business to keep up with the affairs of morals. Especially when it comes to romance."

"So," Sage started hesitantly, "will you help us?"

Cerise's sandaled feet stepped out of Sage's line of sight and he heard her step around him. Circling him. He froze, his muscles tensing as he waited for her answer.

"You will have to convince Violet's father that you are worthy," she finally said, her words light and lacking concern. "That is but a small thing." She dismissed Timaeus's ire with as much worry as a cow flicking its tail at an annoying fly.

Cerise continued to circle him, and Sage's stomach clenched. The constant ocean breeze brushed against his sopping wet clothes, causing an uncomfortable chill to seep into his skin.

"You know," she started again after a moment of silence, "What I have learned from my time in my mother's domain is that sex and gender have nothing to do with love. They are as fluid as the ocean currents. And, honestly, I don't understand why humans are so stubborn about such things."

Sage listened to her words, not daring to respond, but his stomach clenched into an even tighter knot of nervous anticipation.

"I also know about your encounter with Aurelia on Mount Ovidia," Cerise continued, her tone turning somber. "And I know how Tawny and Carmine used you in their schemes."

Sage felt a surge of anger and resentment at the mention of Tawny and Carmine. "I know," he said through gritted teeth. "They used me to get to Violet, but I won't let them hurt her again."

Cerise stopped walking around him and stepped forward. She reached out and Sage felt her lightly touch the top of his bowed head. "I understand. And because of the bravery you displayed in saving Violet when you were in Cerikipos, I feel you are worthy of a gift from me."

"So, you will help me?" he asked, his voice small, not wanting to startle the moment.

"Yes," Cerise said, removing her hand from the top of his head. "Stand."

Sage pushed himself up from the sand and stood, wiping his hands on his thighs and keeping his head lowered.

"The ginger you have been eating gives you strength, and the paste that my priest gave you will increase your virility. But now, I offer you a transformation as thorough as the ones those wrasses can make."

Sage remembered what the priest told him after his encounter with the wrasse in Cerikipos, and his heart raced with excitement and anticipation. "Thank you, Cerise," he said.

Cerise reached out and squeezed his shoulder and Sage felt a sudden rush of energy, similar to how he had felt when Carmine had healed his injuries, but more intense.

It didn't hurt. If anything, it felt like relief.

It was like when he was sitting in one position for too long, on one of those long uneventful days out with the sheep, just watching them graze, and then he would finally remember to stand and stretch. At first a muscle might cramp or his leg would be stiff, but as soon as he shook out his arms and lolled his head, his body would come back alive.

And that's how he felt now. Like he'd been stuck in the wrong position for too long, and now things were shifting into place.

Sage looked down and saw that his body was glowing with a soft pink light. The color of cerise. He raised his head and closed his eyes, feeling the transformation taking place within him, and when he opened them again, he saw he was no longer on the shore, but back at the top of the cliff.

He looked around in confusion.

Cerise was gone. Looking down, he noticed his clothes were dry. He studied his hands: there was no sand etched into palms or under his nails.

All evidence of their encounter had been erased.

Sage stepped back towards the cliff's edge and saw that even the place where the cliff had given way and sent him falling down to the ocean seemed to be repaired.

He didn't know what to make of it.

Looking down, he saw a small heart-shaped pink stone. Sage bent down and picked it up. As he moved, he noticed his muscles seemed to shift differently under the fabric of his tunic.

Tentatively, Sage drew his fingers down over his chest.

It was flat!

With a thrill of excitement, Sage swung his arms out and jumped. His skin did not bounce or shift with the movement. The weight of his breasts was gone.

And yet, as he moved, he felt something brush against his thigh. A newness swayed between his legs.

Overwhelmed by a rush of emotions, he wanted to rip off his clothes and investigate the new topography of his body. To prod at this new flesh and explore its workings.

But he caught himself. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed that the fight between Phillip and Timaeus was still happening, and that both Ozan and Violet were watching him.

"Thank you, Cerise," Sage whispered to the wind, feeling a sense of awe and reverence for the goddess who had given him so much, fulfilling the promise of another.

He felt stronger, more agile, and was flooded with confidence as he stepped back towards the shouting and scuffling that was happening in front of Violet's home.

Both Eugenia and Telethusa were grasping their husband's tunics. Jason was still standing between the men, perspiration beading his brow and wearing an exasperated expression on his face.

Sage blocked out the chaos, stepped up to Violet, and ran a hand down the side of her face.

"Why did you walk over there? Did you see something?" she asked.

Sage cocked his head. "Did you see me fall?"

"What are you talking about?" Violet squinted.

"Was I gone long?" Sage asked, wondering how Cerise's magic had worked.

"No..." her voice was tentative. "You're confusing me, Sage."

He took her hand and placed it on his chest. After a moment, Violet's eyes widened with realization. "Sage, what happened?"

"I saw Cerise," he simply said, knowing there would be time to explain later. Then he leaned forward and kissed her, deep and needing, not caring that all their family was right in front of them.

Ozan's lute music filled the air, and the shouting seemed to stop.

Reluctantly, Sage lifted his head and faced Timaeus, who was staring at him with burning coals in his eyes.

"Timaeus, Violet and I are getting married. Our love has been blessed by Cerise herself." Sage took a step forward, his newly reformed body brimming with strength.

"Cerise herself?" the older man scoffed.

Sage opened his palm and held out the heart-shaped stone he had found on the edge of the cliff. Suspiciously, Timaeus reached out and took the stone, turning it around, studying it.

"Where did you get this?" Timaeus asked.

Sage sidestepped the question. "If you know one thing about me, it is that I love your daughter and will always protect her. If you want her to be happy, you will heed Cerise and bless our marriage."

Lute music danced on the salty breeze and filled the air as Sage and Violet's hands grasped each other, waiting for her father's reply, but knowing that they had found their happiness regardless of his approval.