Wen clan had always been famous for their spiritual powers, and Jie was certainly not an exception. What set him apart from his family was that he had been raised disguised as a girl all his life. He knew the reason for this too. His twin sister.

Their mother had seen in her the potential to become the greatest leader the clan had ever seen, the potential to bear strong daughters and sons to further enhance their reputation and glory. But there had been one little problem in the way. Every two hundred years, the eldest daughter of the head of the clan was to be sacrificed to the Water God living in the lake.

Jie was the eldest child, although only by a few minutes. He was not a girl, but apparently his mother had thought that the deity would not check before devouring him.

So now he waited, dressed like a bride fit for an emperor, for the Water God to come and take him to the bottom of the lake. All alone in the small island surrounded by the water, with an even smaller shrine resting in the middle. At mere 15 years of age and never having known anything else than the purity expected of his role.

It was hard not to be bitter about it.

Finally the mist covering the lake parted to reveal a regal man walking on the water's surface towards him in slow, confident steps. Fine robes of deepest aquamarine blue covered him completely, leaving visible only a chiseled face and long – very long – hair green like the algae growing in the bottom.

The man stopped in front of him, not stepping a foot on dry land, and held out his hand. "Come," he spoke in deep voice, "My bride."

Jie lowered his eyes and took his hand without a word, lest his voice might betray his disguise. Hesitantly he took a step away from land. Much to his surprise, he didn't sink. Small ripples spread outwards where his foot touched the water, but otherwise it was no different from walking on earth. No, rather on finely polished stone. It was unbelievably smooth.

"What is your name?" the Water God asked.

Jie swallowed before answering. "Wen Jie."

"I see. I am called Shui-Lung." He suddenly stopped leading Jie farther out to the lake and studied him with a mildly curious expression on his otherwise stoic face. "I am intrigued, though...What changed that your family sent me one of their sons this time?"

"I..." Jie's heart started beating faster. His mouth felt completely dry as he struggled to come up with any kind of excuse that would not end with the Water God destroying them all. "I'm sorry. I grew up as a girl, for the sole reason to be your bride, and I assure you that my blood is pure and full of spiritual power and..."

Shui-Lung silenced him with a kiss on the mouth. A long, lingering kiss that tasted every bit of his lips.

Jie closed his eyes, preparing himself to be eaten.

Instead, a hand with long fingers caressed his cheek. "Calm down. I already like you." There was a brief pause. "Being my bride does not mean being eaten."

Jie's eyes shot open in surprise. Had the Water God read his thoughts? Had he somehow offended him again?

Shui-Lung smiled softly, although there was certain sadness in his eyes. "Chunhua thought the same when she came to me. She was so scared and timid. So different from Meifeng...She was a woman full of fire. But I loved them both the same..."

Then he took Jie's hands. "I promise I will make you happy. I will give you everything you can ever wish for. And I'll pray that one day you will come to love me too."

Now Jie felt bad about his deception. Shui-Lung was just lonely. He had loved each and every one of his brides, and inevitably they had all passed away. "I'm sorry. I can't. I wish I could, but...I'm not a girl. Not really."

Shui-Lung chuckled like he had said something really amusing.

"...What?"

The Water God gave him another kiss, this one through cloth on his forehead. "I already know that. I am not asking you to be one. I have loved many women in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I can't love a man equally."

The water around them started churning like whipped up by a storm. "Come," Shui-Lung spoke, his voice now like thunder, as his form changed to reveal his true nature. "Let us return to my palace."

A majestic blue dragon wrapped protectively around Jie as the water under his feet gave way and he sunk to the depths. All the way to the bottom, where a palace the likes he had never seen before lay, illuminated by soft light from within. The palace that would be his home for the rest of his life.

He didn't know if he would come to love Shui-Lung. But this was the first time anyone had ever cared if he was happy instead of treating him like a tool. He could at least give those feelings a chance.