~X+X~
Iridya was woken by her empty stomach growling at her from under the sheets, not wanting to wake up and acknowledge the fact that the previous day wasn't a nightmare, that it actually happened she sighed and rolled over letting the sheet slip off her. The moment she rolled over she could feel the heat radiating off of something very close to her, Opening her eyes Iridya came face to face with the sleeping form of Hades, she sat up and leaped away from him only to fall off the other end of the bed on to the Marble floor. Wincing as she sat up she noticed Hades watching her from where he was lying.
"Good Morning to you too" he murmured through a yawn.
"What are you doing here?" Iridya asked him as she lifted herself from the floor. she took a step away from the bed watching him wirily.
"This is my bed too" he laughed as he moved to a sitting position.
"I...I'm sorry...the guard...he brought me here...I thought" Iridya tried, fumbling with her words.
"The guard was right to bring you here, this is our room" Hades said turning his back to her as he swang his legs out of the bed. The muscles in his back rippling, catching Iridya's eye before she forced herself to look away feeling ashamed. Hades could feel her watching him as he stretched his sleeping muscles, not whipping the smirk from as his face as he turned and walked towards her. He watched her eyes drop to drink in the site of his bare chest, taking in every muscle on his toned body before they slowly made their way back to his eyes. The moment that her eyes landed on his she dropped them again as a deep blush creped across her cheeks as he stood in front of her the corner of his lips turned up in a half smile. Her face becoming hot, ashamed that she was caught staring at his body, hating herself for not being able to control herself, guilty about the small part of her that liked what she saw. Closing the gap between them Hades gently hooked his finger under her chin, lifting her face to his. Resting his forehead on hers Hades heard Iridya take a shaky breath in, moving his finger he traced her jaw line moving up to cup her face, his lips so close to hers.
She was Dizzy, her head was spinning. What was he doing to her? His hand on her cheek made her skin beneath it tingle. She could feel his breath on her lips as his got closer. No...I can't... Before Hades lips could touch hers, Iridya pulled away from him taking several steps back, to place some distance between them.
Sighing Hades ran a hand through his hair as he turned walking over to the couch where someone had placed their discarded clothes. He grabbed his tunic pulling in on before turning to Iridya, holding out a new dress for her.
"Here I had this made for you yesterday"
"Oh...um...thank you" Iridya replied rushing forward to take the dress from Hades.
"I will have someone come get you for Breakfast" he told her before walking to the door leaving her alone in the room. Iridya looked at the dress in her hands it was beautiful, it came up over one shoulder with an open sleave that flowed all the way down to her waist, the top half of the dress to mid thigh was white, and from there it turned into a grey before going black at the bottom. She replaced the night gown with the dress just in time as she heard the door open. Turning around she was half expecting to see Hades standing in the door way, instead she was greeted by the smiling face of Nyx.
"Good Morning My Queen" Nyx greeted with a bow. "Oh I see he gave you the dress" she beamed at her.
"Yes, it's very beautiful..." Iridya replied, returning her smile as she walked towards Nyx.
"I'm glad you like it! I picked the colours you know" Nyx laughed taking Iridya's hand and leading her out of the room and down the corridor.
"You did?" Iri asked surprised
"Of course I did, Hades says he values my opinion" Nyx replied and she turned a corner and lead them past a group of servants hurrying down the corridor with folded silks in their bony arms.
"Nyx...Are you and Hades...I mean...Were you..." Iri started finding it difficult to find the right words.
"Hmmm...oh no" laughed Nyx as she caught on "Hades is like a brother to me"
"Oh...I see"
"He really does care for you" Nyx stopped and placed her hands on Iridya's shoulders
"He has a funny way of showing it" Iri muttered not believing her.
"He's willing to wait the rest of eternity for you to feel the same way" she whispered giving Iri a hug before taking her hand and leading the rest of the way.
"Good Morning My King" Greeted Nyx as she took a seat at the round table next to Hades.
"Nyx" he greeted her with a smile "Iridya, my flower"
Iridya gave him a small smile before taking in the site of the food laid out on the table before her. There were bowls of fresh fruit, plates of bread fresh from the ovens and cups filled with iced milk and sweet wine. Next to her a servant so pale Iridya could see the bones through her skin set to work filling her plate up with fresh, juicy fruit, thanking the servant she eagerly dug in to her breakfast eating everything on her plate.
"I see your appétit has returned to you, sweet flower, that is good" Hades stated as he brought another fork full of fruit to his mouth.
"Yes, thank you, I am feeling better" Iridya told him taking a drink from her iced milk dragging her eyes away from him to look at Nyx.
"I suppose she was just overwhelmed yesterday" Nyx offered popping some bread into her mouth.
"Perhaps, yesterday was a big day" Hades agreed, winking at Nyx. "Iridya today you may go to the garden if you wish, Nyx I'm sure will join you, I will come fetch you when it is time for Court" Hades addressed her before excusing himself from the room.
"Shall we?" Nyx asked getting up from the table. Smiling Iridya left the table and followed Nyx out of the palace to the garden, eager to see the stars again.
They had been lying in the soft, green grass looking up at the stars talking together about little things, Nyx asked her about her life outside of the underworld and Iri asked Nyx about her life in the underworld.
"I miss the sun" Iri whispered to herself.
"Would you leave if you could?" Nyx whispered to her. Iridya rolled over on to her stomach and raised herself onto her elbows to look at Nyx lying on the grass in front of her. She didn't answer straight away; she watched Nyx's face carefully.
"Yes...I need to feel the sun on my skin again, the dirt beneath my bare feet, to talk to my Mother, to run through the fields and swim in the ocean with my sister" Iri told her looking into Nyx's eyes. "I can't explain it, it's like...like I can hear it calling to me, tugging me towards it but I can't move, I can't go to it"
"To see you leave would make me sad, I don't get to meet new people often" Nyx's told her moving to a sitting position and crossing her legs "I would love you to be my friend to...be my sister...all I have down here are Styx and Hades...I need you just as much as you need me"
"I don't belong down here Nyx, You have to see that" Iri pleaded with her.
"Please stay...If Hade's didn't care about you then why would he build you such a beautiful garden? Why would he split the earth to show you the stars?" Before Iridya could answer her a gravelly voice called out to them interrupting their conversation.
"My Queen, Lady Nyx" Iridya turned around to find one of the Servants, A Women barley 20 years. She had a plain light grey dress on, her skin underneath transparent allowing Iri to see her bones and Her Blonde hair was pulled back and tied into a bun on top of her head. "King Hades wishes for you to join him in the throne room" she told them shuffling her bare feet nervously.
"We shall leave now, thank you" Nyx told her waving her hand dismissively. With a bow the women disappeared into the ground below her.
"Well, we better be going before we both get in his bad books for being late" Nyx smiled as if their previous conversation never happened.
~X+X~
The throne room was all ready full of the dead, skeletal guards lined the isle and stood guard in front of the thrones. Iridya walked down the aisle towards Hades who was waiting for her before the steps leading to the thrones. As she passed by the spirits bowed murmuring words she couldn't make out. Hades held out his hand as Iridya walked up to him, half expecting her to walk straight past him she surprised him by placing her small, soft hand in his larger, cold one. Running his thumb along her knuckles he led her up the steps to their thrones. Iridya sat in her throne, hands folded in her lap, back straight and head held high. She had stopped listening to the pleas of the damned and the cruel fates passed down by Hades after the first two, one a thief who had murdered a family he found travelling on the road to Athens and taking their horse. The other a disgraced King who had butchered his children and tried to feed them to the gods. Iri's mind had only just begun to wander when the screams and pleas of a young maiden barely 18 who was being dragged before them sent her crashing back into reality. The guards upon seeing the annoyed look on their king's face began to hit the poor girl in a poor attempt to get her to stop crying.
"Enough!" Hades boomed standing up from his throne making the girl whimper and the guards to freeze. "Take her to the fields of punishment" Hades waved dismissively in the direction of the terrified girl who had begun to plead for mercy. Hades only sighed and brought his hand to his face pinching the bridge of his nose. The guards roughly grabbed to poor girl and started to drag her out of the room.
"Stop!" Cried out Iridya standing up from throne, no longer able to sit by and watch this poor girl being unjustly sentenced. The room was silent as she moved down the steps to the girl's side. The guards holding her didn't know what to do, looking from her over to Hades. "Release her!" Iri demanded, her voice radiating with power, in that moment she truly felt like the queen she had become. The guards dropped the girl roughly to the ground and took a few steps back.
"What are you doing Iridya?!" Hades growled at her, turning to face him Iri noticed to angry look in his eyes, his clenched jaw, his whole body radiated rage.
"You would so quickly sentence her to the fields of punishment without hearing her crimes!" Iridya was mad and for the first time Iridya looked into Hades eyes with looking away.
"It is none of your concern Iridya, I am the god of Death, these are my people, I decide their fates" He yelled at her the anger in his voice made the spirits in the room move closer to the wall, as if it could protect them from their king.
"I am the patron Goddess of Justice!" She yelled back at him with just as much rage in her voice as him. "This is my concern, these are my people now too as you keep reminding me. I am their Queen!"
That was the first time Iridya had acted like his Queen, she had even declared herself his queen in front of their people. Watching her standing in front of the girl, defending her. Standing her ground against him, it made him smirk she truly was strong enough to survive the underworld.
"Very well then" Hades said turning to sit in his throne again. Turning to the Girl Iridya Gently helped her up and slowly lead her to stand back in front of the thrones, giving her an encouraging smile before cautiously ascending the stairs and taking a seat next to Hades.
"What are your crimes Girl?" Hades asked her, a hint of amusement in his voice. The girl opened and closed her mouth unable to find her voice.
"Its ok" Iridya encouraged her, ignoring Hades who had turned to look at her she kept her eyes on the girls"
"I...I Stole..." She began quietly
"You see she is a thief" Hades interrupted smiling at Iridya
"Let her finish" Iridya narrowed her Eyes at him in return.
"I stole a bag of grain..." The girl continued "But I only stole it back from the man who took it from my family in the first place"
"Stealing is stealing my girl" Hades told her with a smirk.
"It doesn't count if it was your property to begin with" Iridya turned to face Hades
"But stealing is a Sin my sweet" Hades turned his head halfway in her direction.
"You know what you're going to do is wrong, Hades Please" Iridya leaned in closer to him and lowering her voice so only he could hear her. Hades said nothing he just looked at her for long time thinking, eventually he sighed and turned to address the girl who still stood at the foot of the steps petrified and shaking slightly.
"Take her to the kitchens see to it she is put to work" Hades said turning to watch Iridya's reaction and to his surprise she smiled at him, silently thanking him. The girl curtsied clumsily before being lead away to the kitchens. Iridya watched her leave before she noticed Hades hand open and held out to her, taking his hand she let Hades lead her out of the throne room and out into the hall.
"Never Question my decision in front of our subjects again" Hades said in a dangerously low voice. Stopping their walk Hades Grabbed Iridya and shoved her into the closest wall one hand closed around her throat, the other pressed against the wall next to her head, using his body to keep her against the wall he closed the gap between them, pressing his body to hers, never once looking away from her shocked bright green eyes. The anger melted away as he pressed his forehead to hers, loosening his grip on her throat but leaving his hand to linger on it. He could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly as her breathing increased; Hades felt her hands raise up and land on his chest applying a little pressure but not enough to push him away. Hades Smirked as he watched Iridya let her eyes slowly fall closed as his lips gently met hers leaving soft kisses, when she didn't pull away or protest he let his gently kisses deepen into a intense battle between their tongues fuelled by lust. His hand around her neck traced her skin upwards till his hand cup the side of her face holding her lips to his, the other moving from the wall to run down her ribs finally settling on her waist where he grabbed her hips and ground them against his. Her hands scrunched up into fists taking in handfuls of his tunic.
Iridya couldn't believe she was letting this happen, as much as she wanted it to stop; she wanted it to keep going even more. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, telling her that she should be disgusted but her body betrayed her, she liked the way his hands made her skin tingle every time he touched her, she loved the feeling of his lips on hers, she loved the way her stomached flips every time he looks at her and she loves the way her heart beats so fast it could stop at any moment and she can't breathe whenever he is inches from her, and that's what scares her the most. Could she really be falling in love with the monster that kidnapped her, stole her away from her beloved family and locked her away with the damned in the underworld? No she could be, his mood swings were unpredictable one minute he would be kind and sweet and charming then before you knew it he turned into this angry, harmful monster.
Hades pulled away ever so slightly from Iridya so they could catch their breath, his forehead against hers; opening his eyes he took in her parted lips that were now redder then usual and slightly swollen before moving them up to her eyes which fluttered open, watching him. Still cupping her face he gently rubbed his thumb back and forth along her cheek. He watched as her lips turned up slightly in the corners to make a small smile, making him smile to himself. She liked it; she's starting to love him.
~X+X~