ACCURSED
For Retro Mania.
Been sleeping alone in the castle of briar rose. Who are you dreaming of today, cursed princess?
She was beautiful, ethereal and timeless; with long golden wavy hair, love-inspiring eyes and milky white skin. She was the mortal daughter of Phorkys and Keto, granddaughter of the Sky and Earth. Divinity and Immortality was in her lineage. Power and grace were instilled in her veins.
She served the wise Athena in humility. She never boasted of her fair features, talented skills and prowess in magic. She was quiet, soft-spoken, smart and intelligent. She was a priestess hand-picked by the goddess herself.
Her name is Medusa.
She chose a life of celibacy, all must, under the patronage of Pallas Athene. She will never be tied by another man, keep her in a house to take care of children. No, she loved her master too much for meek things like that. She will continue praising and praying to the daughter of Zeus, as she has planned always and forever.
The Fates had a different plan for her, though. They planted seeds of curiosity into the grey-eyed entity. Find an imperfection, Moirai whispered. She is too perfect, too gentle, too holy…Surely, humans are not made amicably. Find it. Search for it. See, if she is worthy of serving you for the decades to come.
The war goddess sent her uncle, Poseidon, to sway and tempt Medusa out of her vow. Athena wanted to know how long the girl will held onto her oath of chastity, especially when there's a god pursuing her to break it. She wished she would end up safe and unharmed, would end up calling for her because the moment Medusa shouts her name…She will respond and save her from the impending tragedy.
The handmaiden did the opposite, though. That was the mistake Medusa made as she was being raped by the Lord of the Seas. She was helpless before the sea god, she wasn't able to cry out and let the incident happen instead.
Rage covered the goddess of Athens. She flew down with her spear, Poseidon fleeing. Medusa was on the floor of the temple, shamelessly naked. She wrapped her breasts with her arms in attempt for showing dignity. But the small act never moved the wrathful deity.
"You have broken your vow." Athena started, her hand gripped the shaft of her weapon. "And betrayed my trust."
"Milady, I never-"
"You tainted my church," The goddess did not let the woman speak. "You were my head priestess, yet you performed sacrilege and blasphemy before me!"
Medusa remained silent. Her voice will never be heard. She had accounted tales of the Olympian when she was angry –Arachne, King Kekrops and his daughters, Tiresias and the like. She never stood a chance to explain. And it was also her fault in the first place.
"You will be turned like your horrendous sisters." Athena thundered her spear to the marble floor of the temple. A lightning flashed in the plain sky. A curse was to be given.
"But before that," She paused. "You will sleep. You will sleep until a man frees you from your slumber by a kiss."
"And as soon as your eyes opened, your skin will turn to scales, your curly hair will metamorphose into snakes, and anyone who looks into your eyes will be stone-frozen."
Medusa whimpered as her essence was slowly diminishing and transporting to a deserted castle. There, she laid on a bed, and as her entrancing eyes closed…a tear slid down from her cherubic face.
I hope no one finds me. She prayed her final thought.
In my dream, nowhere in the strange forest, I met a beauty who has beautiful mysterious eyes.
You had that dream countless of times –an exquisite specie sleeping alone in a tower. You wished to scourge the entire Greece for her and marry her. You are a Prince, in search for a Princess who'll be Queen to stay by your side.
Nobody in your realm had caught your attention. Every time your Father, the King, presents you dozens of lasses, you hunt for her cherry cupid's bow, her woundless porcelain exterior, her shiny, soft strands. But no one in your country had those features.
You decided to share your story to your Father as you grew tired of his incessant queries. He smiled and patted you on the back as you finished the details, and allowed you to travel out of the kingdom for the missing princess.
"It must be a sign from the gods," The King had said. "A gift from them." He gave you men and companions, you refused of them. You told him that maybe this journey from the high gods above was only meant for you. He gave you drachmas and food, you accepted them and put them in your pockets.
You bowed freshly before the throne of your father. An exhilarating feeling spurring throughout your bloodstream. That cocky smile of yours never left your lips. Your hand grasps your weapon at your belt –a sword.
Before you stepped out of the palace, you proceeded towards the altar of the gods designated at an area of your home. You offered them foods and burned them. You prayed fervently to Hermes, wishing a good travel. To Poseidon, so that the horse you'll be riding won't die easily. To Aphrodite, because this expedition is all in the name of love.
You settled in your saddle, and kicked the horse's hind. The stallion galloped away from the place you've been staying for eighteen years. For once, you never looked back.
The vision of the ephemeral sleeping goddess was conquering your mind.
We both knew that it's just a temporary dream. But we still crave each other.
She dreamt she was in a garden of sorts. Surrounded by gorgeous lilacs, chrysanthemums, tulips and white daisies. They were fresh and never withering, as if planted by Persephone, Goddess of Life, herself.
At the center of the meadow, erected a round fountain. A statue of Eros with a bow and arrow in the middle. The tip of the arrowhead was spewing water to the basin.
There, at the lip of the fountain, Medusa sat. The waters were giving mirage images of the other world. The one where she doesn't belong anymore. She observed a young man –blue eyes, tall structure and protruding jawline.
He was set out on an expedition for her. He desired to marry her when he hadn't even seen her eyes. He was handsome, he was rich. He was caring, he was noble. Medusa thinks this is another curse from the impious Olympians.
He was too perfect.
She regretted the night she showed him that dream.
Cursed soul wanders around in a dream and drowning in love that isn't real.
The first night you slept in your travels, you dreamt of her.
She was clad in a white, silky, straight gown. A silver girdle bestowed at her waist. Her hair was adorned in a crown of roses. For the first time in your life, you finally saw her eyes: the color of viridian moss. Like the glittering grass that was born only at the plains of Demeter.
You were almost consumed by hunger and lust. When your eyes met with hers, stormy blue piercing earthly green. You had a deeper understanding of her. Despite the otherworldly radiance she spreads, she was lonely. Despite the strong exterior she possess, she was crumbling inside.
You felt sympathy foremost, but later on, a twinge of empathy enraptured as you never broke the contact. Her gaze was profound and longing, you walked towards her. The glowing flowers around her were no match for her natural luminescence.
"Don't." Even her voice was enough to drive you mad. You abruptly stopped. She was only a mere half-meter away from you.
"Why?" You ask, hand held out to reach her golden locks. She gently swatted away your fingers and avoided your stare. She elegantly sat at the edge of the fountain, her eyes gazing down the blue liquid. As her nails dipped, ripples formed in the water.
"Go away. Never come back." She commanded, you were about to leave because the words coming from her lips were like a puppeteer stringing you into her will. You noticed the hint of pleading in her tone, that was enough to glue you in and stay.
"Why?" You repeated and knelt before her, hands going for hers. You lifted it out of the frigid aqua and warmed her icy skin using the passion fire in your heart.
"I…I don't deserve you." The girl mumbled, not sparing you a glance. You reminisced your maiden battle with your father once, when the arrow splintered your limb. It seemed as if the scar back then was slowly reopening and scarring you deeper. Reaching your spirit.
Your palms were wet because of hers but they weren't diluted from the spring. They were watery because of the tears raining down from those humble pair of eyes. You stood, letting go of her. You sought her sun-kissed hairy twirls and this time, moreover, she did not refute the affection.
"What's your name?" You asked out of the blue. She returned her gaze to you, eyes brimmed with tears. You sustained the urge to kiss her in the daylight. You betted that the moment she doesn't give away her name, you'd go back to your kingdom.
A grin lasted on your mouth as her contorted face calmed, you never liked her worried about you. The scenario was so pleasing to you that you forgot this was only a dream –maybe a pigment of your imagination. You were waking up, the bushes disintegrating at the background. Her body before you reduced to blackness.
But you heard her answer before you truly escaped from fantasy.
"I'm Medusa."
Somehow, you rode the mountains with a keener anticipation for the future.
Cursed soul wanders around in a dream and drowning in love that isn't real.
She weeps. For another curse sent down from Heaven, torturing her endlessly. Athena had put her to sleep, does Medusa even need to suffer more in her dreams? Her cheek was cradled by Eros's wellspring, dry salty tears tracked down like candle wax on her face. She sighed and crumpled a patch of grass on the floor, pulling it.
But the verdant leaves never wilted, it resisted death and continues its luster.
Just like her, even when her physical body is well-rested on a high tower somewhere in Greece, she breathes. She lives, but does not wake. She dreams, a never-ending hallucination. She wishes, but the gods deafened their ears over her petitions.
"Do not be afraid of love, my dear." Aphrodite materialized beside her. The goddess was seated at the fountain, cautiously lifting Medusa's head and set it upon her lap. Medusa was overwhelmed by the strong, tangy temptation of love caused by the love deity's presence.
"This is not love, this is a curse. What did I do wrong to earn your wrath, milady?" Medusa sobs at the immortal's thighs. The goddess of beauty swishes her fingers over Medusa's exquisite hair, such a waste to be transformed into snakes…
"I pity you, stop thwarting the prince's direction to other places…" From this, Medusa jolted up and looked at the goddess in aghast. Aphrodite shouldn't dictate what she's supposed to be doing…She had enough of the gods! All their lies and schemes, everything for the sake of entertainment.
"For what? So that he may find me and break my curse?!" She screamed. "We know that wouldn't happen! Yes, I will wake up but by the time I open my eyes…he'd be dead."
"You had grown a limb, Medusa." The most beautiful woman of Olympus sternly said and stood. Her kaleidoscopic eyes judged the daughter of Keto. Medusa felt crumbling under the divinity's gaze.
"Accept love as a gift, you may find wonders in your fantasy then."
As Medusa blinked, the goddess disappeared.
Days after, she stopped straying the prince's location.
She pondered whether it was under the goddess's influence or it was because she just wanted to be loved.
I don't even want to see the break of dawn. I'll stray with you.
"I am cursed."
You laughed mentally because indeed, she was a curse. Your curse. She made you leave your own hometown for a trip with no leads. You wandered for days and weeks, asking everyone about a fair maiden who is locked on a tower.
The peasants laughed at you. No such thing exists, they chuckled. You, who's a crowned prince, born to be a king. But you paid the insults no heed, you need her badly. So you suffered the consequences. It is alright, you repeated within yourself, the end will worth it.
At first, Medusa rejected you but as you traveled farther, and the nights had gotten longer, your dreams of her were flowingly lucid and vivid. You erased your heart of anxiety. Because she is your only solace, proven by her stolen glances and intertwining of your fingers.
She led you accurately to her palace, you haven't reached the place yet but she tells you that you are near. Then, Medusa blurts out this secret that she was cursed by the gods of Olympus. Mainly their ingenious princess, Athena.
You had an idea long before that that may be the reason why she was realistically sleeping. For what sin Medusa did to let her endure the punishment, that, you have no will to know. You'd accept her wholly, even if the gods had condemned her evil.
You pulled her for an embrace, stroking those silky curls of her.
"Yes, you are cursed. As I am, I had incurred the gods' wrath perhaps, because they destined us to meet." You whispered to her, she delicately pushed you back but your lock to her did not waver. She looked into you, deeply emotional and true. Her luscious lips parted slight, words about to form from her vocals but you kissed her. Her speech fading from her needless thoughts.
"After all, don't unfortunate people find themselves together?" Was your departing question before the world blackened. Your reluctant consciousness awakens to the dimension where you belonged in. You lusted to remain by her side but nevertheless, you must cease the voyage soon. You can already see a flag waving over the middle of the forest.
You ate your final stock of stale bread and rye and jumped to saddle in your new horse. The one you had originally journeyed with had died.
As your pet cantered forward to the white-bricked castle, the image of her relented expression distracted you.
You wondered what she was about to discourse with you, but you relieved yourself that you'd find out once you kiss her on this universe.
I come to you...「Hurry」Right away...
Before the sleep of hundred years reveals...
"Please, save us, you're the only one who can…." Medusa prayed, in her hands were the grasses she extracted, now brown and dead.
We'll get over and we will resist.
You raised your sword and sliced the rusty lock of the gates. You entered without permission, but there were no guards. Nobody reprimanded you for stepping foot inside. There were also no enemies, monsters…Of course, he was no hero like Heracles and Jason. He didn't deserve foes who'd fight him on equal ground.
The wooden door collapsed as soon as you leaned your weight on it. The succeeding minutes of your life were the longest one you ever had. You ran up to the never-ending stairs. Slashing and cutting the vines that grew in the cobblestones. You don't want your princess walking down on those filthy steps.
After innumerable tripping and gliding of your imperial sword, you finished your own story. You attained your goal, you strode in a lone room. A stone bed conjured at the center, atop of it was the woman you were dreaming of.
She had caught your breath even just by lying down like that. Her hands clasped together above her belly. A satin-white chiton clothed in her body from chest to toe. Her hair spread elegantly beneath her head. She reminded you of a peaceful gaiety.
You almost had the urge to leave her there and let her rest. But you knew better, she was in a curse. A curse you were about to break. You veered yourself beside her, the decision has long been made.
It will be all worth it in the end.
You captured those lips and released those chains.
I vow eternal love and kiss you awake...
The Princess tantalizingly fluttered her eyes free from the hundred years of binding. She sat up, musing her conditions. The Prince smiled at her, his hand holding hers.
An epiphany crashed on her, she yelped and kicked him away. Her feet were transforming into silvery scales like of a fish. Her once worshipped hair were changing into snakes, hissing and taunting. Before all was too late, Medusa closed her eyes again. She mustn't see her lover.
"Kill me! I will only ruin you!" She shouted. The accursed knight in shining armor trotted back, his eyes concentrated at a wide window by the corner. The decision had been long made.
He sprinted to her, arms carrying her light body.
"Let go of me! You'll die!"
"Hush, milady. We'll be together."
He rushed to the pane and hand in hand, they leapt off the cursed tower.
o.0.O.0.o
They will live in a dream forever…
Finally, Brian, I finished it. Sorry, this is the only thing I could do. I know you want more chapters and a detailed story but I also have other inconveniences. Thank you for requesting, I'm really glad you did.
Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast, Greek Mythology and Apocalypse 13th. Apocalypse 13th is a song where I based this fic from. I guess you should try watching it on youtube. Apocalypse 13th by Kagamine Rin and Len.
Reviews?
-Miss Incest