Chapter Six:
"Pleased as he grasps her in his iron arms,
Frights with soft sighs, and with tender words alarms."
Darwin.
Tempted she had been - Persephone, wife of darkness, child of nature, in Hades' halls.
Delightful had the bounty upon table laid appeared… yet Persephone observed it with a knowledge that she had learned long ago, 'to eat the food of the dead means an eternity in Hades halls.'
Never again would she see her mother or her bright sun. She would be forever bound to Hades, and this she could not abide.
And so it was that she shook her dark head and averted her gaze instead to the Cyprus tree outside the looming windows.
It cast a perpetual shadow upon the entire palace and Persephone found no real beauty within it. She could see the death about it now, the time spent in the Underworld already corrupting her view of life. Death was always right beyond that light.
How unfair it seemed. How sad…
Hades despaired over Persephone's unwillingness to partake in celebration with him, but watching his young wife with a sympathetic eye he stood and to his room they returned.
He knew not that this caused her more distress, and if he had he may have gone slower with the young Goddess, but Hades was not one of wooing women. He had not the proper practice, so knew not what was expected in such situations. Yet Persephone, innocent and forgiving in her way did not hold such a thing against him. Their talks during the day had in fact been happy, and great laughter had visited the Lord of the Underworld for the first time, and his face had ached from it.
The chamber pulsated with the gloomy song of night and Persephone looked upon it with a sad eye. She knew she would never cease to miss the stars.
Hades however laughed once more, the sound pleasing to the Goddess.
'Despair not, daughter of the Harvest! May you look upon the heavens tonight in a different way… look upon Hades night sky, a sky for you alone!' then he had cast an arm upwards, torches flaring into life about the room, and Persephone cried out in disbelief and awe.
Stars there were, sparkling upon the ceiling of the chamber. The firelight danced amongst them, and Persephone's heart soared. She moved into the room, arms raised above her head, reaching for their calming light, and it was only then that she saw that they were indeed not stars, but diamonds, imbedded in the ceiling and catching the light that was about the room.
She was not unhappy by this realisation however, nay, laughter came freely to her and she spun to Hades and in childlike gratitude embraced his lean form and planted a gentle kiss upon his pale cheek.
'Grateful I am Dark Lord, for your stars rival that of the heavens themselves! Father himself should take lessons from your apt hand, for they outshine any stars he has moved in the sky!' Hades' pride was great and he encircled the young Goddess' waist, a smile upon his full lips and his dark eyes drinking in her face greedily as she leaned towards him.
'I move the stars for you and you alone, dear Persephone. Your smile alone is reward enough for any effort I may make in pleasing you.'
Yet still he kissed her, the powerful God holding her close so she could not turn from him. Persephone struggled briefly under his icy lips and cold grasp, confusion overwhelming her. She knew not why he wished to hold her so, to seek her mouth. But her confusion soon gave way to wonder. His icy lips warmed upon hers, and his iron grasp seemed to soften, strong yet no longer fearful. Sweet like honey was the taste of his mouth upon hers; beautiful like a bird's song was his moan. Wondrous was the sight of him, like the sun setting upon the water, as he pulled back and caressed her cheek tenderly.
And happy was she, maiden and Goddess. Daughter and Wife. She saw his power and his vulnerability and knew his tender heart and his cold will and she was pleased.
Innocence faltered and ignorance bowed.
She reached for him, blue eyes afire and rosy lips parted.
A wreath fell, forgotten to a stone floor and the light merged with darkness in blissful abandonment.
And so it was that Hades took her as his own, their stars shining pleasantly in the bowels of the earth, unaware to the faltering of life above them
