Hello my lovelies! It's been so long but I hope you all are enjoying your summer and glad to be out of school/work.
Enjoy!
BPOV
My nerves did not lessen as the day went on. Alice came as usual for breakfast and we actually decided to stay indoors for the day. We discussed the townspeople and their numerous stories. Some were sad but others were actually quite funny. We giggled like two little girls and joked around. When it came close to supper time Alice practically forced me into the bath tub and almost rubbed the skin off of my bones. She dressed me in a simple ivory gown and brushed out my locks to rest against my back.
"Alice why are you treating me like an invalid? I have arms!" I sneered as she pulled pretty hard at a tangle at the base of my scalp.
"You are to dine with Hades. There is nothing wrong with looking presentable now is there?" She answered as she brushed more tenderly.
"I suppose...not." I said as my face grew warm. My heart sputtered at the thought of him and we stayed quiet.
"There!" Alice remarked as she set the comb down and a knocked sounded.
I jumped up startled, by the knocking or who was behind the door I did not know. My face only grew hotter as Alice glided to the door and revealed and equally well groomed Hades. His hair looked freshly combed and his beard looked slightly smaller. However, instead of his usual black tunic he wore a dark green instead which made his eyes appear more orange than red. It did nothing to help my blush.
"Shall we sit?" He said after a minute of silence. Unable to use my voice I only nodded and noticed Alice was nowhere to be seen. The slave girls quickly placed an assortment of dishes on the table but my eyes flew to the lamb stew. After a couple minutes of comfortable silence I decided to push my nervousness aside and speak up.
"Lamb stew is my favorite meal." I said while looking at him. He looked up and smiled at me.
"Is that so? What do you love about it so much?" He asked as he took a sip from his wine.
"I love how it tastes. And how so many pieces of food can combine to make one meal. It's so hard to have only one bowl. What is your favorite meal?" I asked.
"I preferred cooked lamb alone myself. I was never too fond of chicken and lamb is more tender and delicate." He responded as he took a bite from a piece of bread.
"Oh." I quietly responded as we again fell into silence. Why am I so nervous. I shouldn't be. I don't necessarily hate him anymore.
"Isabella," His voice broke through my thoughts as I looked upon him, "Would you like to have supper outside of this room tomorrow?" He asked.
I blinked taken aback by his request. He was asking my permission to leave this room and be somewhat...normal?
"Am I to dine with you?" I asked, unsure of how I felt.
"Well we would not be alone. My advisers will be there. If you are too uncomfortable with the idea you can leave anytime you wish.
"Yes." To be around more people made me nervous yet excited at the same time. It may be nice to meet some new people. I had only been around a couple slaves and Alice and Hades since I was sent her-
I instantly changed my train of thought and gave him a small smile. No use in entertaining those thoughts.
We did not walk the garden that night nor was I able to fall asleep easily either. I never met many people before when I was on Earth so this would be a new experience for me. I don't know how much time had passed until my eyes drifted shut on their own.
The next day I walked towards the marketplace just to sit on the rock and enjoy the scenery. However, I brought some fruit and bread to eat while the sun glowed on the small town. It brought me such normalcy. The children were being children as the adults argued and bargained for better deals. I would see a mother washing her small children as they would quickly run out of the water and roll in the dirt. I tried not to laugh but it was impossible. After some time I grew restless and went for a stroll through the town. I kept myself hidden under the hood. My skin still kept its porcelain complexion and I knew it would confuse the townspeople. I grew a bit nervous when a small boy, who looked about seven years old, bumped into my leg. He quickly balanced himself and briefly settled his grey eyes on me. He stuttered out a quick apology and ran back towards the other children. I released a breath once I realized he didn't notice the difference between us. Once I saw the sun began to set I made my way towards the castle.
Alice did not come to greet me the whole day and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was growing used to her company but sometimes her energy drained me. I took a hot bath and scrubbed my skin anew and dressed in a lavender gown. Once I was dressed I felt my nerves return. I took a deep breath and tried to still my shaking hands as I opened the door and followed Laia and Tula down the hall. After some turns and a brisk walk, we finally ended up at the golden doors that I remembered Alice brought me too.
The doors opened to reveal Hades standing in front of the large table dressed in his usual black clothing. He gave me a small smile and I returned it. I walked closer to him and stood near him and we said hello to each other.
"How has your day been?" I asked trying o still my beating heart.
"It was been very busy. ANd yourself?" He asked, his body turned fully towards me but he seemed relaxed.
"I did not do much but I watched the village people." I replied thinking about the events of the day. I could see his head cock a little to the right and his eyes narrow a bit at me. His mouth opened to respond but paused once the doors as several people walked in, however, Alice was the only person I recognized. It was mostly a group of men except Alice and another woman. Once they all stopped in front of Hades he raised his arm and turned towards me.
"Do you mind?" He asked looking into my eyes. My heart began to beat faster as I shook my head and placed my arm gently around his elbow. I followed him as he stood in front of Alice who was on the end of the line.
"Isabella, you have already met Alice. She is my closest advisor and helps me to make logical, rational decisions." He explained. We stepped towards a man standing next to her. He was almost as tall as Hades and had sandy blonde hair. He had a scar on his right cheek and was about two inches long. His face was solemn but he bowed slightly when Hades introduced him. "This is Jasper. Alice's husband. He is in of the army we have. He is a skilled warrior who will protect at all times."
He then lead me in front of two men who looked exactly alike. They were both slender but not frail looking. They had raven black hair with ghostly white skin. However, one had grey eyes while the other had deep blue. "This is Nikos and Alec. They are my spies. They know every secret and rumor within the Underground and beyond. But their loyalty lies solely with me."
We then came upon an older gentleman. He would have seemed approaching his early fifties or sixties. He had long white hair a top of his head and a long beard that went past his shoulders. His eyes were a bluish-grey and emotionless. "This is Aro. He is an overseer of the portals to and from the Underworld. His job is to make sure everyone stays where they belong."
"It is a pleasure to meet you." I said with a smile. He bowed slightly forward but his eyes weren't welcoming. If anything they seemed to harden. I didn't dwell on the thought because Hades moved us towards a woman who seemed about my mother's age. She had raven hair that was wavy and fell about mid back. Her skin was slightly darker than mine and her eyes were black as well but they twinkled with delight. She was slender but not sickly.
"This is Carmenia. She is the keeper of paradise. A place where the people who have lived pleasant lives go to rest. She makes sure all of their needs are met and reports back to me with any difficulties." Hades said as he then moved towards the final person.
He was a man taller than he. He had curly hair that was tightly curl a top of his head. He was burly and looked as if he could squeeze me with one arm alone. His brown eyes were on me but they weren't menacing. "This is Emmett. He trains the army. We need the best warriors trained by only the best."
"Come let us eat." Hades announced and everyone walked towards the table. Alice came my way and grabbed my hand.
"You shall sit with us!" she whispered to me as she pulled me forward and sat me at the far end of the table, away from Hades. Alice sat on my left until I noticed Carmenia taking a seat on my right.
"Hello, Isabella." She said as she sat next to me and smiled as the slave girls placed some food in front of us. "I am so pleased to finally meet. I have nothing but wonderful things about you?"
"Oh. I didn't know." I said as I bit into a piece of bread.
"Yes, your beauty has been rumored but I see you are indeed beautiful." She complimented me. She statement made my cheeks began to heat up and she laughed while clapping her hands. "Oh, and so humbled. A rarity in such a young woman!"
"Carmenia she is turning into a tomato. Stop embarrassing the girl." Alice responded as she sipped hr wine. Although I could have sworn I heard her hide her chuckles as well.
"Oh I meant no harm hun. I guess my excitement just got the best of me." She apologized as she gently placed her hand over my wrist. I smiled at her in return and placed my other hand on top of hers.
"I am fine, Carmenia. I am just not used to so much attention." I replied as we both nodded our heads and began to eat. After a couple minutes I finally pushed some nerves aside and turned my attention back towards Carmenia. "Carmenia, I am curious about your work. WHat is it exactly that you do being the keeper of paradise?"
"Well, not everyone who has passed on are evil or lived malicious lives. Some people were killed, raped, innocent bystanders, or even children. Why should they be punished for another's misdeeds? So paradise is a place where they can rest in peace. They are free to live peaceful lives. They can choose to create homes or live by the land. It never rains or snows. It's always sunny and warm. They do not have to get married or have children. Everyone can just be happy. It is my job to make sure that everyone has what they need and that they are happy. Also, I make sure that no one who is unworthy does not pass through. I enjoy my job very much" She beamed as she spoke every word.
"Amazing." Was the only word I could respond with.
"I agree. It is amazing. We all have very important positions that Hades has entrusted us. And we carry out our duties proudly while he handles the brunt of the work." Carmenia said as she continued eating. I quickly glanced around the table and saw the advisors talking amongst themselves and Hades. I did not know if they were speaking about important matters or trivial things but they seemed to be joking about.
I could see the corner of Hades' eye looking at me and I quickly stared at my food causing a large portion of my hair to fall over the left side of my face. Almost creating a curtain between us. I slowly peeked between the strands to see Hades stone face looking towards Jasper but his eyes were still on me. I couldn't look away. it was as if I was in a trance and I couldn't move my head...even if I wanted too. After a couple seconds a smirk graced his mouth and his eyes turned towards the talking man.
I bit my bottom lip and was about to turn my attention to Alice when I saw Aro staring at me. His face was neutral and it made me feel cold. I gave him a small smile but it did nothing. He frowned a bit and looked away from me. I swallowed down a lump in my throat as I finished my food in silence. I didn't know how to feel about the older man. And hopefully I would never be alone with him.
Okay I purposefully made this a long chapter because it has been forever since I last updated. I hope you enjoyed it!
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