Across the stream was a group of young women and a few men dancing, singing, and laughing. Some were singing and dancing, some were picking flowers, some were weaving flowers into garlands or wreaths, and some were just laughing among themselves. Remus the younger realized that these were not ordinary men or women, they were the nymphs, dryads, hamadryads, naiads, and their satyrs and they were celebrating something important.
There was one nymph that caught his attention, she had long curly brown hair, grey almond shaped eyes, heart shaped face, delicate features, and was sitting cross-legged away from the others weaving Purple Violets, Siberian Irises, Purple Lilacs, Morning Glories, Purple Petunias, Persian Shield, and Forget Me Nots into a wreath. The nymph wove silently, every once in a while to look up at the stars, until three more nymphs glided over towards her.
"Chloris, why don't you come and dance with us?" asked the flirty blonde naiad.
"I'm busy," Chloris muttered.
"But you're always busy," moaned the hamadryad.
"And you shouldn't be tonight! You should be dancing or singing with the rest of us!" exclaimed the dryad. "Come and dance with us for five minutes and then you can go back to your weaving."
"Please?" Begged the blonde, sticking out her bottom lip pitifully.
"I have one more flower left, just let me finish and then I'll dance." Chloris wove one solid white Morning Glory into the center of the wreath and put it on. "There, I'm finished, now I'll dance."
The other three yanked Chloris off the ground and pulled her into the dancing circle.
Remus the younger watched the nymphs in amazement. Maybe, he thought, if I can' find a human wife for my brother, then maybe he would prefer a nymph as a wife. He shook his head at the absurdity of the idea. Maybe being around the nymphs was making him lose his mind.
Suddenly the merriment and Remus the younger's thoughts were cut short when a scream sounded.
"A man! A mortal, man!" screamed a nymph sitting in the tree above him. Everyone, the satyrs, nymphs, looked strait at him in horror. Pandemonium erupted. Some of the nymphs leapt into the river or ran into the trees such as the one who had alerted his presence.
Three satyrs, six nymphs, one naiad, and nine women remained. The tallest of the women stepped forward to interrogate him.
"Do you have any idea who we are?" she asked forcefully.
"No," Remus the younger responded stupidly.
"We are the Muses; Calliope, Clio, Erato, Melpomeme, Polyhymia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and I, Urania. And you, mortal has interrupted our festival."
"Festival of what?" Remus the younger asked again, now embarrassed that he was so clueless in front of these women.
Terpsichore and Thalia skipped over to him and bent down to his level. "He must be one of those uneducated mortals." Thalia turned towards her sisters and gasped mock slapping her hand on the side of the face. "What ever shall we do with him?" she continued as she sat down next to him.
Urania opened her moth to speak when a nymph ran into the clearing.
"It's Drynus!" she panted. "She put herself in a tree and refuses to come out. We've tried everything but she won't come out." She began to sob on Erato's shoulder.
"I believe I can solve your problem. My brother is able to wield powers greater than you or I," Remus the younger lied. "And I am sure he would love to help if one of you agreed to be his bride." No one spoke, out of horror and amazement. But someone finally spoke up.
"I'll do it."