Hi guys *looks extremely sheepish*. Sooo, it's been a stupidly long time and I'm genuinely really sorry. I won't bore you with excuses but long story short exams got in the way and then with the long hiatus of series 2 I basically lost all motivation. I honestly only meant to leave it for 3 weeks max but turns out once you stop writing something it's incredibly hard to get back into it. Anyway, I promised I would finish this story and I tend to keep my promises so...
Chapter 10
Jason could feel the sunlight burning into his eyelids, slowly building in intensity and pestering him to wake up, like an impatient child who would keep poking him till he opened his eyes.
Eventually he conceded, reluctantly dragging his eyelids apart and breaking from the hazy fog of sleep. The sunlight caught him by surprise and he flinched at the brightness, lifting a hand to shield his vision.
Lacking the motivation to get up just yet he let his hand fall and let his eyes fall shut once more. Just a little bit longer, then he would get up. Just a little bit longer. The bed was so cosy and there really wasn't any rush- he had no duties to attend to today and was intending only to spend the day at the market with his daughter and friends. After all, if anyone deserved a day off it was definitely him.
He rolled onto his left side to see if Ariadne was awake yet and instead was greeted by empty sheets. After a moment of sleep addled confusion he decided she was probably in the wash chamber or sat somewhere feeding Sara. He resigned himself to a few more moments in bed to shake off this sleepy daze and then he would get up.
The he would... definitely... get... up...
And then he felt it. A sharp, icy sensation which shot up his leg and clutched at his heart, making him shudder despite the warmth of the day.
He looked to his left. His leg had had stretched out onto Ariadne's side of the bed, only to sharply jerk back. He knew he was gifted with rapid reflexes, but..?
Slowly he reached out and hesitantly placed a flat palm over the indentation in the bed which had been left by his wife.
Icy cold.
The sheets were freezing beneath his hand and he needed nothing more than that to tell him that something was very wrong.
"Ariadne," he called out, willing his voice not to tremble. 'Don't panic' he told himself- wasn't that the advice he always gave to young soldiers during training. 'Panic stops you from thinking straight. Stay calm and keep your reasoning.'
"Ariadne," he called again, unable to help himself.
"Shhhhhh," came a soft reply from behind him. He turned to the right and there she was, standing by the window with Sara in her arms, an angelic image as she stood radiantly bathed in sunlight. "She is sleeping," Ariadne says as means of explanation but Jason doesn't even notice that she's spoken.
"You had me worried for a moment."
His wife gives a soft, sympathetic laugh and mutters, "You are always worried."
It makes sense now. She's up and dressed ready for the trip to the market- regardless of Jason's endless protests last night. Perhaps she thought that if she could wake up before him she could get washed and ready and by the time he was awake there could be nothing he could do to stop her. She'd probably been plotting this last night when she'd stopped arguing back. All the more fool him for believing that she'd backed down and finally agreed (however reluctantly) with him.
"I thought you weren't coming to the market," Jason says, trying not to sound bitter.
"I'm not." And although he hates himself for it, Jason can't help but feel massively relieved. Though his relief shrinks somewhat when she says, "I'm not feeling too well."
It's then that Jason notices the line of red trickling down from where she is cradling Sara against her midriff.
"Ariadne?"
The trickle grows and grows, splitting into several streams which each leave a red trail down her white nightdress, endless drops of red descending onto the ground and hitting the stone floor like the patter of raindrops.
But she doesn't seem to notice. She's looking at Sara with complete adoration... and she doesn't notice... doesn't notice that her bare feet are now standing in a pool of her own blood.
"Ariadne you're bleeding!"
A deep scarlet patch spreads out across her abdomen, rippling out in circles like a stone being dropped into a the calm surface of a lake. A lake of red. She is clutching onto Sara with desperate strength now and the baby's wrap is becoming bloodied too. The Queen's skin becomes paler and paler still as her blood drains out onto the chamber floor and she stares back at him with haunted eyes.
But it feels wrong to call her that, because at this moment she doesn't look like a Queen. She looks anything but a Queen. She had done away with the whole noble facade: the regal posture and stoic expression and dignified air all gone. Forgotten. She looks so young. So young and frightened, eyes wide in horror like a deer in the headlights. Her forehead is creased, almost in confusion, and she doesn't appear to know what is happening but she clearly knows that something is wrong.
She just looks so young and it tears at his heart. She's just a girl.
"ARIADNE!" He screams, but he can't move. He doesn't know if it is fear which has immobilised him but he remains glued to the bed, unable to do anything but watch his wife bleed in front of him. He blinks the tears from his eyes and Sara is suddenly gone. Ariadne's hands are empty and shaking... and bloodstained.
With one swift movement she tears a vertical strip from the front of her night dress, from one side of her stomach to the other.
Jason instantly recognises what it is she is showing him. He flinches back with the force of being kicked in the stomach, doubling over, trying desperately not to retch. Along her abdomen in a long, crude, incision; jagged edges gaping open and blood gushing forth.
Jason tries to reach her, tries to move from his stupor, but his limbs remain frozen.
"ARIADNE!" He yells again, his voice broken with sobs.
She looks at him, her eyes locking with his, as if for the first time actually realising that he is there; and she speaks.
She stifles a cry and the noise sounds so lost... so young. Her voice is small and won't stop wavering as she speaks and all he wants is to take her into his arms and hold her tight. When she speaks her voice is an apology, begging him to understand; but all he hears is the agony with which she says those words, the excruciating pain she is trying to hide... even now she is trying to hide her pain from him.
"I had the operation. I'm sorry my love."
Jason shot upright with a sharp gasp, taking in a huge lungful of air, a drowning man being brought to the surface; chocking on mouthfuls of air as he struggled for breath. He tried to move but the bed sheets were wrapped tightly around his legs, restricting his movement and trapping him in place.
He suddenly felt hot and clammy. Claustrophobic.
He needed to free himself. He kicked out at the sheets, peeling them off himself with shaking hands, his breathing heavy and laboured, as if having been deprived of oxygen for an eternity.
In his eagerness to escape from the bed he almost tripped himself up, leaping out of bed and catching his foot in the blanket. He swore loudly and caught the bedpost for balance.
Spinning around his eyes frantically searched the room... but he couldn't see her.
"ARIADNE!" He shouted between breaths, praying that she would only answer him.
There was no reply and he was about to shout for a guard before he heard a clatter from the small room at the end of their bed chamber, accompanied by the slap of bare feet on the stone tiles.
"What's wrong!" Came a muffled cry and the next moment Ariadne was rushing out of the wash chamber, Sara on her hip, eyes wide in alarm.
Jason opened his mouth to speak but no words escaped. His brain seemed to be frozen on the fact that she was stood there, in front of him, seemingly unharmed, and it was almost impossible for his brain to process anything else.
"Jason?" Ariadne urged him, eyes darting around the room anxiously in search of whatever had made him call out. Suddenly something seemed to snap in her mind and her head whipped to face Jason, "Is it Analise?" she squeaked in an uncharacteristically high pitched voice, clutching onto Sara with both hands.
Jason shook his head.
Ariadne let out a sigh of relief but couldn't relax completely, she hadn't failed to notice how Jason was panting and his body trembling. He looked terribly on edge and it gave her a low, sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach... something was very wrong.
"Jason what is it?" She demanded, moving forwards and closing the gap between the two of them.
He stayed silent, merely shaking his head slowly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears... and staring at her.
Staring at her with such an intensity that it made her shudder. She felt the heat of his gaze burn her skin, his eyes fixing on every inch of her; as if inspecting her, as if making sure everything was in order. She didn't like it. She couldn't decipher the formidable look in his eyes and the intensity of his gaze scared her.
"Tell me." She spoke softly, her own eyes imploring him to say something, anything.
"I can't." He croaked.
"Of course you can," Ariadne said with as much gentleness as she could muster. "You can tell me anything, surely you know that."
Sensing now that this was more of an emotional situation rather than a dangerous one she led her husband back towards the bed; and with one hand still holding Sara onto her hip she used the other to push him down so that he was now sitting rigidly on the edge of their bed.
She gave him one last look of concern before carrying Sara- still half soapy from her wash- to the end of the room and laying her in the cradle.
Jason didn't even realise she had returned until he felt her hands cup either sides of his cheeks. When he lifted his head Ariadne was taken aback by the pain and fear of which his eyes held.
"Oh Jason," she sighed. "Please tell me."
"It's nothing."
"I know it to be anything but nothing."
Her thumbs started to brush his cheeks and he closed his eyes in response to her touch.
It took a while but eventually he spoke.
"It was just a bad dream, nothing really."
Ariadne made a mental note to tread carefully. Jason was a brave, courageous man and prided himself on being the greatest warrior in Atlantis, so naturally he hated the fact that minor things like dreams could affect him so badly. The mighty King of Atlantis made vulnerable by a bad dream. It make him feel weak.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." Jason said quietly. "I would rather just forget it. I am sure I will soon enough." He attempted a smile but it did not satisfy Ariadne. She noticed how his eyes stared apprehensively at her stomach and his forehead creased; it did not take much to guess what the dream had been about.
"Please say it was not about me." The Queen said in a low voice, fearing the answer she would be given.
He said nothing, but the slight wince he gave and the look of terror in his eyes was as much of an answer as she needed.
Letting out a deep sigh Ariadne let her hands drop from Jason's face and instead collapsed onto the bed next to him in defeat. She hung her head and wringed her hands anxiously on her lap. "I am sorry for everything you have been through because of me. Truly I am. If I could take away all the pain—"
"None of it was your fault," Jason said in a low voice, taking her hand in his. "You need to stop blaming yourself... in fact I think we both need to stop blaming ourselves. It's over now."
"It isn't though is it? It is not over and it feels like it never will be." Ariadne muttered.
Jason reached his arms around Ariadne and pulled her onto his lap in one swift movement. Strong arms quickly enclosed her and she couldn't help but curl into his embrace, cheek resting against his chest over the gentle lull of his heartbeat.
"Everything will be all right. I promise you it will." He says softly, holding her that little bit tighter. "We've been through worse," he gives a short laugh "We've been through a hell of a lot worse! We'll get through this too, I'm certain of it."
Ariadne smiled into his chest, content to be held in the arms of the man she loved and breathe in his familiar musky scent.
Suddenly the door burst open, the sound echoing around the room like a gunshot in an empty wood. Analise raced into the room -interrupting the quiet moment- a huge grin plastered over her face. "Melina said she saw Medusa walking up to the Palace- can I go meet her daddy?"
Jason looked at his daughter with glazed over eyes and an expression of confusion, not having listened to what she said. "Errrrrr... Okay," he replied unperturbed.
Analise's grin grew larger and as she started to skip out of the room Ariadne called "Take Melina with you!" from behind her.
The door slams shut and the room is left in a state of stunned silence.
"She certainly knows how to pick her moments," Jason comments, half-joking half-resentful that they had been disturbed as they so often were. They rarely had any time alone, what with a new baby, a five year old daughter, doctors constantly wanting to check up on Ariadne and the never ending matters of state to attend to. In theory it would make the time they did spend together more precious... if only they didn't keep getting disrupted.
Ariadne sighed, accepting defeat, and climbed off her husband's lap. "If Medusa is already here we must hurry up. Melina already sent up a basket of food from the kitchens so I do not think there is much more we need to take."
Ariadne moved towards the table in the centre of the chamber and started to rummage through a large wicker basket, her lips moving silently as she made a mental note of everything already there. "It might do to take an extra shawl for Analise, should it get colder later on. It would not do for her to catch a chill and it always seems to be draughtier in the lower parts of the city." Ariadne turned around expecting some sort of response from Jason; either an agreement or him moving to fetch her one.
Instead he looked at her with that familiar, disapproving quirk of his eyebrow and a steely edge to his gaze.
Ariadne pretended not to have noticed and instead returned to checking the basket. She makes a few remarks and receives no reply from Jason. "Don't look at me like that." Ariadne says, her eyes still on the basket and her back towards him as she packs a few more items into the picnic basket." We discussed this yesterday. In fact we have discussed it countless times already and I don't believe there is anything more to be said.."
Jason said nothing in response, merely making an agitated grunting noise.
"I am going and that is final. You can try to dissuade me all you like but nothing you can say will change my mind."
"I didn't say anything."
Ariadne sighed and turned to face her husband. "You did not have to. I can feel your scowl burning into my back."
She pulled a cover over the basket and turned to face Jason who greeted her with resignation.
"I promised Analise that I would take her to the market and I have no intention of breaking that promise." Ariadne said, bending to tie up her sandals.
"I'm sure she won't mind. Me and medusa will go with her like we had planned—"
"That is not the point!" Ariadne said sharply, looking up at Jason. "For these past months I haven't been able to be there for her... I will not let her down again."
Jason sighed. It was a conversation they'd had countless times. "But if you're still unwell..."
An image of Ariadne standing in her bloodied night dress flashes before his eyes but he grits his teeth and pushes it to the back of his mind
The door bursts open for a second time and in storms Analise, laughing and giggling breathlessly. She launches herself at Jason and wraps her chubby arms tightly around his legs, clinging on for dear life.
"Guess what daddy! Guess what, guess what!" She chanted excitedly, her voice reaching a new level of squeakiness as she hugs his legs tighter still.
"What?" Jason asked in what he hoped was an enthusiastic voice. His attention was currently focused on Ariadne; who had began to aimlessly wander around the room looking for anything else that they might need to take with them. He watched with trepidation the small winces she tried to conceal whenever she made a sudden movement or bent down to retrieve something. Each time she would carry on as normal, as if nothing had happened and nobody had noticed, distracting herself and trying to convince them all that she was ready for this.
Knowing that she had lost her father's attention Analise began to tug on Jason's trousers. "What?" He repeated, this time looking at his daughter and trying his best to appear interested.
"Medusa gave me a bracelet. Look daddy it's so so so pretty! It's a thank you for being her bridesmaid. She said I was inval... invally-able." She gave Jason a proud grin and reached one arm up to show him her wrist.
"That was kind of her, I hope you said thank-you." Jason said, detaching himself from the little girl and bending down so that they were at eye-level. She nodded proudly and showed him her wrist again.
Jason took it in his hand and held it up to catch the light streaming in from the window. "It's lovely sweetheart. If you're going to wear it today just make sure you don't lose it, alright?"
Analise nodded and turned to run off to show Ariadne but Jason caught her by the waist and pulled her back, growling "Not so quickly," in his signature 'monster' voice.
Analise giggled but swiftly scrunched her face up into a grimace as she noticed her father lick his thumb. "Daddy..." she protested in a whiney voice. Jason ignored her and proceeded to rub the strawberry jam from the side of her cheek, mumbling about how princesses didn't leave half their breakfast on their faces. Once he was done Analise scowled at him for a moment before racing across the room to show off her new bracelet to her mother.
Jason watched them converse a little and Ariadne pay sufficient compliments in order to satisfy the young girl before lifting her off the ground and sitting her on the edge of the table. "Sit still or you will fall off," Ariadne softly admonished as Analise started fidgeting.
"I will not! I'm a big girl now." She said in her squeaky little voice, contradicting herself entirely.
Ariadne raised her eyebrows and her lips quirked into a small smile. "Then maybe you could tie your own sandals."
Analise frowned. "They're too tricky. Maybe when I'm 6 I will be able to?"
She looked up at her mother with uncertainty and Ariadne assured her with a kiss to the forehead and whispered, "I am sure you will sweetheart."
Once the Queen had finished fastening her daughters sandals she deftly raised her up from the table and placed her back on the floor, turning around to see Jason stood watching her carefully and cradling Sara in his arms.
"We are to meet Hercules by the fountain at mid-day so we should not delay any longer." She picked up the basket with one hand and guided Analise out of the room with the other. "I am going, so it all rather depends on whether you are going to join us."
She turned to leave the room.
He watched her go, her back straight with conviction.
Sighing in defeat he grabbed an extra shawl for Sara and silently made his way out of the room, following the sound of Analise's excited chatter and internally cursing the stubbornness of women.
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It was hot in the streets of Atlantis.
Unbearably hot.
The type of stifling heat which feels like you are trapped inside a ring of fire, which sucks the air from your lungs and closes in on you until you feel smothered and claustrophobic.
The sun was unrelenting and there was barely an inch of shade to catch a reprieve from the scorching heat, much to Ariadne's dismay. She had forgot how hot it could become in the open streets where there was no cover of trees or shadows cast by tall palace walls. Her mouth was dry and her breathing becoming laboured with each new intake of burning air; worst of all she knew she couldn't tell Jason for fear of him worrying and insisting she return to the palace.
No. For as much as she hated this blistering heat she couldn't deny how much she had missed being away from the palace and among her people. Everything was so loud and bright and cheerful. Merchants hollered their competitive prices from exotic stands with precious wares on display. Birds sang and children laughed as the darted between the legs of the crowd. She felt alive again. She was reunited with her people and her culture after spending so many long months lying comatose in her bed. She had been near dead to the world for so long and it felt exhilarating to have her spark back, her purpose outlined to her once again.
"HERCULES!" Analise screamed and sprinted towards the ornate fountain in the centre of the street which diverted off into four different alleys.
"Don't trip!" Jason called after her automatically, something that he and Ariadne found themselves doing out of habit since becoming parents. A small warning of 'don't fall!' every time she climbed a tree or 'be careful!' when she challenged a boy her age to a (wooden) sword fight or 'don't touch that,' 'come away,' 'that's too high,' 'he might bite,' 'hold my hand.' They felt like they spent their whole lives instinctively trying to keep her safe, but to no avail because she was always too busy getting herself into trouble to listen to the warnings of her parents. She was Jason's daughter through and through and she seemed oblivious to the potential danger of any situation.
Hercules scooped the girl up off the ground and raised her up into the air, his arms outstretched so that she was dangling above him. "How is my little trouble maker?" he asked with a laugh.
"Brilliant!" Analise giggled as Hercules lowered her to rest on his hip. "Mother promised that I could get a gingerbread man again so I might save some for you this time."
"Mmmmmm. I am quite hungry."
"You are always hungry. Anyway I only said might..." she exploded into a manic fit of giggles as Hercules began to tickle her ribs.
Medusa laughed at the audacity of the young girl. "She reminds me so much of you Jason."
"Yeah she can be a little madame at times."
Medusa laughed good naturedly. "It's good to have spirit, especially at her age. She will need that boldness as she gets older."
"Of that there is no doubt." Ariadne said quite demurely. "Politics and courtly life will bring their challenges as they do for most royals, I know that better than anyone. But I am glad to know that she already has the courage to stand up for herself... she will need that considering that she is a first to have... well... an unconventional parentage."
Jason gave Ariadne's hand a firm squeeze and they continued their progression towards Hercules.
"So," Jason said clasping Hercules' shoulder. "How's life as a married man going?"
Medusa laughed, "Let's say you could soon be asking how life as a divorced man is going."
Everyone laughed with her- including Analise- and Hercules wore an expression of mock hurt.
"Why? Are you fed up with me already?"
"Can I ask- for the sake of the wager we took," chimes in Jason, "Was it the drinking, the gambling, the ridiculous made up stories about himself... or the farting?"
Analise giggled loudly and repeated the word 'farting' as if it was the funniest and rudest word in the whole of the Atlantean vocabulary.
"None of those actually. I do not think our relationship could have lasted more than a month if it were any of those. No, it's more to do with the fact that we're now living together. Dirty towels on the floor, empty wineskins littered around, not emptying the latrine. And honestly I only cleaned yesterday and the house already smells like sweaty men!"
Analise is now in hysterics, her face bright red and face scrunched up as she tried to take breaths between her laughter.
"But you would miss all those things if I moved out!" Hercules cries in justification.
"No, really don't think I would." Medusa teases. "Doesn't sound like too bad an idea actually!"
Hercules gives her a glare and Medusa can't help but break out into a grin and reach forward to kiss him.
"Ewwwww. Put me down." Analise protests squeakily and Hercules complies so that he has both arms free to hold Medusa to him.
"If that's marital bliss then I think we're doing a good job," Jason whispers into Ariadne's ear.
They both smile and share a small kiss until Analise breaks them apart by complaining that everyone is being disgusting.
They carry on walking past the fountain and into a street which is quieter and primarily filled with stalls selling swatches of fine material and spools of thread.
Hercules and Medusa are walking a few paces ahead with Analise, Jason and Ariadne following behind. Jason carries Sara in one arm whilst holding his wife's hand in the other and there are a few guards positioned at a distance behind them, one of whom had earlier offered to take the picnic basket from the Queen and now looked a comical sight in his armour and helmet with an oversized basket filled with fruit and bread.
Jason notices that Ariadne slowly stops talking, her replies becoming shorter and shorter. He isn't worried by it- knowing she is probably starting to tire or simply wants a quiet moment to think- so he is happy to walk in comfortable silence and just enjoy the day.
He doesn't know exactly when he notices that their pace has slowed considerably, he just knows that the gap between them and Hercules and Medusa is now a lot further than it was. He looks to Ariadne and notices that she is staring at the ground, her feet shuffling rather than walking, and that she seems to be moving purely due to mental will more than anything else.
"Ariadne?" He prompts but she doesn't hear him. "You need to rest."
"Hmmm?" She looks up at him, dazed. "Oh, I am fine. I am just a little hot is all." And the look she gives him is one of being perfectly well, but he has seen it too many times to know that it is a mask.
He wants to take her into his arms and carry her but he knows she will not allow it- not with so many people around. Besides, he is still carrying Sara and he may be strong but even he is not that strong.
"Let's find somewhere for you to rest a while." And he knows she is tired because she makes no protest, not even a little. Not even when he wraps his spare arm around her and supports her body the best he can, knowing that ordinarily she would hate him for it as it would make her look weak in front of her people.
As they walk- albeit very slowly- he feels her slump against him, slightly at first but more and more so as her legs continue to weaken.
He knows they need to stop but there is no shade apart from the small squares cast under the canopies of the market stalls. The street is quieter than those this morning but there are still a lot of people around and he knows Ariadne will never forgive him if he lets her fall in front of all these people.
He feels her body pressing heavily against him and notices that her eyes are half closed. Jason looks behind him to call for a guard but they are quite a way behind (as he himself had insisted) and he doesn't want to shout as it would cause too much of a commotion.
"Ariadne! Ariadne stay awake." Jason urges her quietly, contemplating just falling to a heap on the ground. Sara is starting to wriggle- perhaps picking up on the tension- and his arms are starting to ache.
"Your majesty, is everything alright?" A young man asks, approaching Jason. He looks uncertain and deeply nervous as he asks "It is you, is it not? Can I help?"
Jason sighs in relief, this being the only time he has been glad to be recognised as the King whilst attempting to have a normal day with his family. "Yes. The Queen needs to rest. Urgently. Is there a bench anywhere?"
"Over here!" Calls a nearby merchant appearing from behind his stall. "I have a chair she may use."
Jason shouts his thanks and allows the man to take Sara from him whilst he desperately tries to keep Ariadne standing. Once his hand is free he scoops Ariadne into his arms and makes a quick dash to the edge of the street where the merchant is beckoning. The merchant arranges the chair so that it is in the shade of the stall and Jason deposits Ariadne into it carefully. A few pieces of material from the stall are placed upon the floor and Sara laid upon them.
Jason rests the back of his hand against Ariadne's forehead and recoils. "She is very hot." Jason declares and the merchant fumbles through his bag, retrieving a flask of water and insisting that she drink it.
"You have my most sincere thanks." Jason says once he is sure Ariadne is able to hold and drink the water by herself. "Come by the palace sometime in the next few days and I will see that your generosity is repaid."
The merchant coughs, taken aback. "There is no need for that, your majesty. No need at all."
"Nonsense. Now if you could kindly do me one more favour and bring Princess Analise here and our two friends, I would be most grateful."
Jason went on to describe what Medusa and Hercules looked like, luckily for him everyone in Atlantis seemed to be wee acquainted with Hercules- whether that was a good thing or a bad thing he was unsure.
Most likely it was the latter.
Thank-you everyone who has read this, I hope you are still enjoying the story and I really do appreciate all the support. Believe it or not this last week I have been in a writing frenzy and this chapter ended up being about double this size so I split it into two (so sorry if it feels like not much has happened- there is a lot of explanation for stuff in the second part). Next bit should be up by sunday, it just needs a bit more adding.
Thanks again and don't forget to watch the episode tomorrow!
*Squeals hysterically*