Chapter 4
Redemption
Amelia spent the entire night crying. Eventually, exhaustion overpowered the princess and she fell into a dreamless sleep. Amelia awoke at sunrise and the tears streamed down her cheeks once more.
She swiftly wiped them away. Crying was not going to bring Zelgadis back or undo her crime. Sadly, Amelia picked up the feather, which was now a precious memento. It tickled her skin as it delicately brushed against her. It felt so smooth and soft, almost like a strange mixture of a flower petal and silk.
The image of Zelgadis flying away with his giant wings tackled her mind. Amelia thought of crying but refused to do so. Determination was tossed upon her and she scrambled to her feet. "I will find Zelgadis and ask for his forgiveness. Then perhaps......we can be together again."
Amelia desperately yearned to search for her lost beloved but it was pointless. She had no clue where to start looking and with Zel's ability to fly, he could be anywhere, even beyond mortal boundaries. There was another option but Amelia was reluctant.
She could go to Martina's temple and beg for her forgiveness and ask where Zelgadis was. However, Amelia was scared. Going to an almighty, divine being who had a grudge against you to ask a favor wasn't a wise decision but Amelia couldn't think of any alternatives and Zelgadis was worth the risk.
Forcefully dragging herself, the princess traveled to the temple. Her knees slightly buckling, she approached and kneeled to the statue of Martina.
The shivers crawled up her neck like spiders. Doubts plagued her senses but were scattered to the far corners of her mind. In a hush tone, she whispered, "Great Goddess,.....I don't know if you're listening or not but please, I need to speak with you."
A sudden breeze swept through the temple. Amelia had to hold down her dress to keep it under her control so she wouldn't give a free peep show. The wind swirled and twirled around the statue as if it was drawn to it. The breeze breathed life into it and the white marble statue gained colour and transformed into a living breathing person.
The princess stared, amazed. She was being glared at by the biggest, tallest, loosely dressed (besides Naga) woman she'd ever seen. The additional fact that the woman didn't appear pleased wasn't reassuring.
"Um.....Goddess Martina?"
The women folded her arms and leered. "Who were you expecting? Odysseus?"
Amelia felt very small. She was actually talking to a goddess!! A real goddess!!
Stay calm! Stay calm! Except for the minor detail that she was holding a grudge, what was there to worry about? This thought failed to be soothing and her nerves were not calmed.
Amelia cleared her throat. "I came to ask you......."
"I know why you're here!" Martina replied, sounding annoyed. "It's about my son."
Amelia blinked. "How do you....."
Martina had the same expression of a cat having to tolerate being in the same room with a dog. "I'm a goddess and a mother!! It's part of what I do!!"
Martina shook her head. "I told him he'd regret it! But does he listen? NO! He ignores anything I tell him!! I gave birth to him and this is the thanks I get!! The ungrateful......"
"Um.....excuse me?" Amelia said, sweat-dropping. The princess had pictured the goddess acting refined and divine-like. She did not imagine a ranting goddess who was pouting and yelling with the attitude of a child. It disturbed her somewhat.
Martina glanced down, almost forgetting the girl's presence.
Amelia swallowed hard. "I was hoping you can tell me where to find Zelgadis."
The goddess of love laughed heartlessly. "Ha! Surely you jest! Why should I help a mere mortal girl!"
"I know you don't like me...."
"That's the understatement of the year."
"Well......I'd like to atone. Surely there's something I can do to gain your forgiveness. I'll do anything!!"
It's a universal rule that it is a bad mistake for a desperate man or woman to utter the words "I'll do anything." For it usually results with the agreement involving a task very painful or dangerous, or both.
Martina was quite aware of this law and would use it to it's full potential.
"Anything?" the goddess inquired, an evil smirk on her lips. "Alright, if you wish to receive my forgiveness, then you must complete a task."
With her hands on her hips, Martina sneered. "Go to the Underworld."
All of the blood drained from Amelia's face. "The Underworld?! As in where all the dead live?"
"The one and only!"
"Why.....do you want me to go there?"
"I need you to bring me a box of beauty, from Lina the Queen of the dead. All of this stress has given me lines in my beautiful face. I need the beauty to fix it."
"..........So...... you're sending me to get you make-up?"
Martina stiffened. "Is there something wrong with that or would you prefer never seeing Zelgadis again?"
Amelia couldn't speak. Go to the UNDERWORLD??!! It was insane! It was a forbidden land. A kingdom no mortal had ever, ever set foot in and Martina had ordered her to go THERE?!
"Although, I should have suspected that the "task" would be something like this." she thought. "I did say 'anything' and Martina isn't exactly fond of me."
But still, to enter the land of the dead? Common sense screeched that this was suicide.
Don't go! Stay among the LIVING people!! Just say no!
Amelia paused and reached into her pouch for the feather she'd saved. Stroking it tenderly, she remembered her beloved. "If I don't go.....I'll never see Zelgadis again."
"Well are you going or not?!!" Martina said impatiently. The goddess had gotten bored and was filing her nails.
The princess swallowed hard, tucking her keepsake away. "I'll go as you ask, but you promise I'll see Zelgadis....."
"Yes! Yes!" Martina replied hastily, shooing the girl like a common pest. "A goddess never breaks her promise, unlike you mortals."
The statement stung, but Amelia politely bowed and left.
Once she was gone, Martina smiled wickedly. "Course, there's no guarantee you'll make it back"
Martina cackled. "Foolish girl! This quest will be your doom! HA! HA! HA!........(cough)....(cough)" The sudden cough had forced Martina to stop the evil laughter before she disappeared.
The passageway to the underworld was not easy to find. Though, since it was the place where dead souls head to rest for all eternity, it was not a surprise. Eventually, thanks to a lot of research and a lot of luck, Amelia was able to find the river of Styx.
For her journey, she brought only a few essentials, a hooded cloak and her pouch. Amelia went along the river's edge, following it faithfully until she reached a cave's entrance. Amelia then sat and waited.
Sunset arrived soon afterward and the princess stared deeply into the cave. There was a subtle splash of an ore stroking in the water. A small boat emerged from the cave.
It was grey and dull as a gravestone. The hooded river man rowing it was even less lively. His skin was pale, like he had recently encountered death, which was most likely the case.
Amelia grew tense as the boat halted right in front of her. The man gazed down emotionless. "Do you wish to go to the underworld?"
Amelia got up and calmly nodded. She climbed in the boat, for the man did not offer his hand. Amelia felt grateful for that. She was afraid of touching it and discovering how cold and dead it truly was. Effortlessly, the river-man turned and they ventured into the cave.
It was pitch black. Amelia could barely see her own hands. It grew colder and darker as they went further and deeper. Using her cloak, Amelia hugged it for warmth. The boat made a turn around the bend. As soon as they completed the pass, there was a sudden growl.
A giant three headed dog leered at them, growling. Amelia had never seen the beast, but she recognized him from the stories she'd heard. It was Cerberus, the monster who guarded the gates of the underworld.
She winced and remained perfectly still. The dog leaned forward as they passed. Amelia held her breath and shut her eyes. The beast sniffed and growled, but did no more than that.
The princess could only breathe once they had passed him. The river-man continued to row like nothing had occurred. Quiet moans chilled the air, causing the princess to quiver.
The boat finally reached it's destination and stopped at the edge.
"We are here." the river-man announced. "You are returning to the land of the living, I assume?"
Amelia nodded, shaking in fear.
"Then I'll wait here for you. Good luck."
Amelia thanked him and climbed out of the boat. "Where do I find the lord of the dead?"
The river-man pointed his long and boney finger towards a pebble path. "Follow that trail and it will lead to where you seek. Be careful that you do not stray far from it or you will never be able to return to the upper world."
The princess stiffened at the warning, glancing at the path. "I understand and thank you for the warning."
The river-man said nothing in reply as Amelia stepped on the pebbled path.
The journey was quiet, but yet unsettling. She had to force herself to keep going and stay on the path. Amelia saw various spirits greet her as she went by. They said nothing, nor showed any gestures. The spirits merely stared at her in curiosity.
It rattled Amelia's nerves, but she stayed focused. The path ended at the foot of a huge door. "I'm here." she thought.
Rousing up her courage, she grasped the handle on the door. "No turning back."
Summoning all her strength, Amelia threw open the door. The chamber was brightly lit by several torches scattered on the wall.
Sitting in a throne sat a man, hunched over in his seat. "He must be the lord of the dead." Amelia thought. "Well, I've come this far!"
Steadily, she approached the throne. The man still did not acknowledge her.
Amelia cleared her throat. "Um.......excuse me......"
Still no noise.
"Excuse me?...."
"...Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z..."
Amelia gaped.
He's asleep! She came all this way, traveling by a creepy boat, then having to go on a scary path and being gawked at by spirits, and HE WAS ASLEEP??!!
Fuming a little, Amelia straightened her posture and yelled. "EXCUSE ME!!"
Startled, the man yelped and toppled from his throne. Dazed, the man swiftly looked about. "Who? What? Where?"
"Excuse me....." Amelia repeated,
The man sharply turned to her. He blinked. "Wow! You're lively for a dead person!"
The princess blinked in returned. "I'm..........not dead."
"You're not?"
"No.....I'm Princess Amelia. I came here to see your wife."
"Really?" The man reseated himself. "We don't get many visitors down here. I wonder if it's because of all the dead people?"
"Um......Sir?"
"Huh? Oh right, my wife. Hold on a sec." The man clapped his hands around his mouth and shouted into a corridor behind him.
"HEY LINA!!"
An annoyed voice replied "WHAT DO YOU WANT GOURRY?!!"
"SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!!"
"TELL THEM I'M BUSY!!"
"OKAY!!"
He turned back to Amelia. "She say's she's busy."
Amelia sweat-dropped. "B...But it's really..important."
Gourry shrugged. "Alright."
He turned to the corridor. "SHE'S SAYS IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT!!"
A sigh echoed. "FINE!! I"M COMING!!"
Cursing and mumbling, Lina swiftly emerged. Leaning on the throne, she flicked her hair and stared at Amelia. The princess thought, by the glare she was receiving, that perhaps she should had left and returned later. Lina's temper seemed to be a force equal to a hurricane.
Lina spoke. "So, what do you want?"
Amelia gulped. "Um.....I'm Princess Amelia and I'm here on an errand."
Lina's mood didn't sway and she folded her arms. "Oh....."
Amelia shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. "I...need a box of beauty."
Much to the princess's surprise, Lina's annoyed expression changed to a puzzled one.
"A box of beauty? That's something only the Gods can use."
Amelia began to feel more at ease, now that the irked face was gone. "It's not for me. It's a long story."
She immediately told her tale of how she had met and lost Zelgadis and of her present quest.
Lina gasped as Amelia finished. "Man, I don't believe it!"
Amelia grinned shyly. "That I would go this far for true love."
"No." Lina replied flatly. "That Zel finally got himself a girlfriend. It's a miracle!! I thought that broody guy was going to be an angst loner for the rest of his life! "
Gourry nodded in agreement. "That guy was always dead at parties and believe me I know dead people!"
Amelia sweat-dropped, but kept her ground. "So.......can I please have a box of beauty?"
Lina cocked her head to one side, tongue clicking ,considering the request. Lazily, she waved her arm and an object that bore resemblance to a jewelry box magically popped into her hand.
Hastily, the goddess moved towards Amelia, holding the box. "You can have it."
Amelia thanked her and reached out for the box.
Lina drew back her hand. "I'm not done yet! Listen, because this is crucial! Do not, I repeat DO NOT, open this box. Understand?"
The princess, registering the instruction, solemnly nodded. Satisfied at the response, Lina gave the box to her.
Amelia held it tightly to her chest for dear life. "Thank you so much!" She bowed and quickly left.
Lina showed a smile, but it faded as soon as Amelia was out from her sight.
"Sigh,.....she's going to open the box."
Gourry stared at her confused. "But you told her not to."
Lina looked to her husband, amazed at how unobservant he was. "Gourry it's a fact of life that if you tell a mortal not to touch or do something, then it's without a notion of doubt they will do it! Remember what happened to that Pandora girl?"
"Oh.........was she the one who let a giant wooden horse, with a bunch of soldiers hidden inside, into her city?"
"No, that was the City of Troy."
"Then......was she the one who flew too close to the sun?"
"......No, that was Icarus......"
"Oh! She was the one who got drunk at our last party, right?!"
Exasperated by the remarks, Lina tackled Gourry and held him in a head lock.
"No Jelly-fish brain! She's.....oh forget it!" She released her hostage and Gourry fell flat faced to the ground.
"My point it is that Amelia's going to open that box and that is not a good thing! I don't need to remind you that a box of beauty is meant for Gods and ONLY Gods!"
Gourry managed to nod, for he felt it was less of a health hazard than speaking.
"And I bet Martina sent her here because she wants her to open it!"
"Why?"
Lina's eyes rolled. "Hello! Martina hates her! Besides that, what was Zel thinking? Making himself invisible and expects everything to be hunky dory?! Honestly, he has rocks for brains!! No pun intended."
Gourry shook his head. "I feel sorry for Amelia. Too bad there isn't anything we can do about it."
The spark of an idea exploded in Lina's mind. "Gourry you're wrong! There is something we can do!"
"Really?"
The goddess raced from the room. "I'm going to call Zelgadis and knock some common sense into that thick skull of his!!"
At that exact moment, the thick headed young god had returned to his home. Amelia was gone. Part of him was glad and the other part yearned for her presence. He felt an emotion he had never felt before. Zelgadis was moping!
Flopped over his bed, like dirty wrinkled clothes, he lay motionless, while unconsciously fiddling the bracelet in his fingers. The anger still remained, but it was not as strong and furious as before. The loneliness he felt, however, was more severe then ever.
Before, his loner style of life fitted him like a second skin. Now it was barely hanging on to him. He never thought he would miss being greeted by the princess's serene smile as much as a bird would miss flight.
In his opinion, who ever said it's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all should have been executed.
Dumbly, Zelgadis stared at the bracelet. "At least things can't get any worse."
"Zelgadis, you there?!!" A sudden shrill voice shook the whole house. "Come on Rock Brain! I know you're there!"
The nerve shocking voice awoke Zelgadis into annoyance. Damn! Someone was calling through his mirror. It was a requirement that all the gods and goddesses had one. The mirrors were used for them to contact one another.
Zel hardly ever used his.....so who would be calling him? The only gods who ever called him were his mother and........OH NO! It was Lina! Why her?! Why NOW?!"
Lina and Gourry were the closest Gods that he considered friends. Lina was also, coincidently, a person that could get on Zel's nerves faster than it took to tie his sandals.
Just pretend you're not home was what his survival instinct for his sanity told him.
Lina continued to rant. "I'm not going away and if you don't pick up, both of your wings are going to be in a sling when I'm through with you!!"
Okay.....so she won't go away. Cursing and grumbling, Zelgadis stomped to his full length mirror. He glared at the clear image of Lina and Gourry.
"What do you want?!" he barked.
Gourry greeted and waved. "Hey Zel!"
Lina laughed. "Ha! See Gourry, I told you he'd be at home sulking!"
Zel's blood pressure rose. "I wasn't sulk.....oh never mind! What do you want?!"
"To give you a piece of my mind!" Lina hollered.
"About what?!"
"This whole mess between you and Amelia!"
How did Lina hear about that?!
Lina continued to yell. "What's this I hear about you being invisible?!"
"That was a precaution!"
"Yeah right!" Lina snapped. "I'll bet you were just too chicken!"
Zelgadis's anger was going past it's limits. "Now look!"
Lina stomped her foot. "I'm not finished!! How could you even think that would work?!"
Zelgadis looked to Gourry for assistance, but the minute Zel's eyes were on him, Gourry was smart enough, for once, to step aside and stay out of the battle zone.
Zelgadis turned back to Lina. "I knew it wouldn't last forever. I was going to wait till I was ready."
Lina's skeptic glare sliced Zel's icy stare. "And how long was that going to take? If she had waited, Amelia would have been an old woman. She's a mortal, Zel! She can't wait forever!!"
Zel grunted. He would never admit it, but as loud and ear aching as Lina was, she made sense.
He felt a migraine approaching. "How do you know about all of this?"
Lina smirked. "Amelia told me herself."
Amelia? That was impossible! Lina and Gourry lived in the underworld. The only way they could have met Amelia was if.....NO! She......Amelia couldn't be... Dead!
Panic and fear gripped and tackled his body. Could Amelia truly be......
"She's not dead Zel." Lina replied, as if she read the god's mind.
Zelgadis felt the heavy fear being lifted.
"She came down here herself."
It took a brief moment for Zelgadis to actually comprehend Lina's comment. "Why was she down there?"
"Because of you!" Lina snapped. "She was so desperate to find you, that she made a deal with YOUR MOTHER! Martina sent her on a quest in exchange to see you again!"
His mother sent her? The disturbed feeling returned. Martina hated Amelia. If she sent Amelia on a quest, the percentage of the princess's ability to succeed was low.
"What did my mother want Amelia to do?"
Lina's face softened. "To get a box of beauty from me."
Zelgadis's eyes widened.
"You heard me and I told her not to open the box." A sigh escaped. "But you know mortals can't resist that kind of command. If she opens it....."
"She'll fall into a dead like sleep." Zelgadis whispered. This was bad! A box of beauty was meant for Gods alone! It meant doom for anyone else. It would curse mortals to go into a deep sleep. They would be alive, and their beauty preserved, but they would be still and cold as a corpse and it could happen to Amelia!.
Zel froze. Calm down! Amelia's smart! She's a princess, so there's a good chance that she won't open it.........but she's also mortal, and all mortals, despite their status, make mistakes. Fatal mistakes!
"I have to find her!" he thought. "Where is she?!" Zelgadis roared into the mirror.
"She's heading for the surface now. If you hurry you'll......."
Zelgadis never heard what Lina said next. He was already flying out the window.
Amelia hummed as the river-man rowed. She was so excited. She was so close to completing her quest. So close to seeing Zelgadis again! Pausing in her humming, Amelia's grip tightened on the box. She casually glanced at her prize. How can beauty be contained inside a box? I wonder if a mortal could use it?
The princess trashed and trampled the idea. "NO! NO! I was told not to open it! I can't take any risks!! Not when I'm so close........."
But the urge was planted in her brain.
Zelgadis zoomed through the air. His wings never flapped harder. Blood was pounding in his ears. He had to hurry! He had to!! Amelia's life depended on it!
Author's Note:
I know, a cliffhanger! I'm evil, but don't worry I'll have the next chapter up soon.
There is one thing I had to change from the original myth and that was Psyche's reason for opening the box. In the original myth, Psyche opened the box because she wanted to paint some blush on her cheeks to look beautiful for Cupid. Amelia wouldn't have done such an action for such a vain reason, so I just made it more out of curiosity, an urge she couldn't resist........which you'll see more of in the next chapter.
Mossygirl: I read "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" once and you're right, there are a lot of similarities between those myths.
Gerao-A: Well, I hope Lina and Gourry's appearance was to your satisfaction.