Updated 6/20/16
"Psyche ..."
In the darkness, Psyche drifted peacefully upon a sea of warmth. She could feel herself rocking gently, like a boat upon the waves, as the shadows swaddled her and cradled her close. When she breathed in, the scent of incense soothed her aching soul, cleansing away the sorrow that still clung to her from the waking world. She snuggled into the warmth with a contented sigh, a smile upon her lips.
"Oh, Psyche."
What? Psyche jolted, but the darkness held her fast. She wriggled, but found she could not move. She blinked into the blackness, seeing nothing as the warmth encased her like an iron band about her body.
Actually … it felt more like someone's arms.
"I'm so sorry."
That voice. It came in a whisper close to her ear. The warmth of someone's breath stirred her hair, sending tingles dancing all along her skin. Something pressed gently against the back of her head and something heaved against her back, like a heavy sigh.
"Forgive me." The voice came muffled against her hair. "I never meant to hurt you. It is only … you are too dear to me. Too precious. I cannot bear the thought of anyone else possessing you."
The voice sighed once more, and the sound of it disquieted Psyche's soul. The arms about her squeezed tighter, and she thought she could feel the fervent beating of a heart against her spine.
"This is all my fault. I can see it now. This agony I feel … this unbearable longing. It's my punishment. My divine retribution for all the pain I've inflicted in my life. I understand now, how they felt. How every victim of mine felt. This torture is well-deserved on my part."
Was it her or the arms that held her that quaked? Psyche could hardly tell. But as that sweet voice rambled on, making less and less sense as it went on, she found she could not focus on anything else.
"But you … you are innocent. You shouldn't have to suffer for my sins. It isn't fair. It wasn't your fault that I … that things happened the way they did. I tried to fight it. Believe me, I did. I tried so hard to stay away from you … to put you out of my mind ..."
Were those lips pressing against her hair? Was that a nose burying itself in it, breathing her in?
"But Zeus help me, I cannot," the voice gritted out. "I need you, Psyche. You're in every single breath I breathe. When I close my eyes, you are always there. A beautiful mirage dancing before me, haunting me endlessly." Another deep, shaky breath. "It's tearing me apart – this want of you. I have never wanted anything so much. Forgive me, but … I cannot bear it any longer. I have to have you, Psyche. I have to make you mine."
Psyche could not breathe. The pounding of her heart was so earnest that the whole world about her seemed to shake with its force. Her voice, when it came, was so tremulous she could scarcely recognize it.
"Who are you?"
The arms about her stilled. The breaths stirring against her neck ceased.
And then …
"You will know me soon enough."
All at once, the arms about her vanished, sending her tumbling into the empty darkness.
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"Wait!"
Psyche lurched forward, gasping for breath. Bright light and swirling golden colors assailed her eyes and she slammed them shut with a pained wince. Feeling the fabric floor rocking beneath her, she clutched her head and urged her breathing to slow.
Dream … it was just a dream.
"Princess Psyche?" came a male voice. "Are you alright?"
She lifted her head. Across from her lay her mother, still asleep and snoring quietly. Turning toward the curtain, Psyche called out to the captain of the guard outside as softly as she could.
"Yes, I am fine. Thank you." She thought a moment and added, "How close are we to Delphi now?"
"Very near, your Highness. We're just within sight of the Temple of Apollo."
Psyche gasped. The temple! Oh, Zeus, I cannot miss my sight of the temple! Glancing carefully back at her slumbering mother, she slowly lifted her hand and drew back the curtain, little by little ...
She gasped. The sunlight hit her eyes and she blinked against the shock, but oh, the city was more beautiful than she ever imagined!
Nestled against the lush green slopes of Mount Parnassus, Delphi gleamed in a dazzling array of gold and marble. Monuments towered over every corner between the glistening white shrines and vibrantly painted prayer walls. And at the very center of this display of holy grandeur stood the legendary Temple of Apollo. Limestone columns surrounded the exterior, holding up a massive roof painted in hues of red, blue and gold. And from the center of this roof rose a cloud of billowing white smoke so massive that it resembled Mount Olympus itself.
Psyche was so ecstatic that she felt ready to leap out of the litter. Since her earliest childhood, she'd heard countless stories about this temple, and to see it now with her own eyes felt like something out of a dream. So engrossed was she that she failed to notice the dozens of fieldworkers in the near distance, harvesting their rows of golden wheat. Desperate for a closer look at the temple, she leaned forward until her entire head was peeking out from the curtain.
Suddenly, a loud cry burst out from the field. When she turned to look, a laborer gaped back at her, his bundle of wheat broken open on the ground next to him.
"It is her!" he cried, pointing. "Aphrodite incarnate has come to us! The Princess Psyche!"
The name spread like wildfire through the field in an instant. Heads shot up and scythes and wheat bundles fell to the ground as the laborers dashed toward the litter.
"Princess Psyche!" they cried, running with their arms outstretched. Some threw themselves upon the ground while others clamored for a closer look at the princess. "Bless us, holy one!" they cried. "We praise you, oh great Aphrodite reborn!" "Princess! Please step out and let us gaze upon your immortal beauty!"
"Psyche! Get back!" the queen cried, now fully awake. She grabbed her daughter by the shoulder and yanked her back from the curtain as the guards outside pressed against the growing mob that fought to fling themselves at the litter.
"You fool!" the queen shrieked, her face white with rage. "What have you done?"
Psyche stammered breathlessly. "I .. I'm sorry, I just … I only wanted to ..."
"Accept my offering, dear princess!" a voice cried just before a bundle of wheat was hurled into the litter. With a cry, the princess covered her head as the projectile bounced off the fabric wall and fell at her feet.
"And take mine!" "And mine!" With mounting horror, Psyche heard the shouts outside grow louder and more frenzied. Within seconds, a shower of wheat and wildflowers were flung at the litter, causing it to sway uncontrollably.
"Oh, listen to them!" the queen cried, covering her eyes with her hands. "Listen to them scream! Oh, sweet Hera, what have we done!"
"Mother ..."
"This is all our fault. We should never have encouraged this … this blasphemy. And now we have angered the gods with our arrogance. Aphrodite has cursed us for blaspheming her name!"
The blood roared in Psyche's ears and her head spun so fast she felt she would vomit. Trembling, she shrunk to the farthest corner of the litter and pressed her hands over her ears, desperate to block out the chanting outside.
"Blessed goddess, show us your face!" "Aphrodite incarnate, let us see your beauty!" "Let us worship you, oh beloved princess!"
Sobbing quietly, Psyche buried her face in her knees. This was her curse. An empty life surrounded by a mob of worshippers. The life of a woman all people would worship and no man would ever love.