Chapter 3 – Medea's Tale
"We better get going sis." Miruko told Yoriko yawning.
Yoriko nodded, "Alright, then." She jumped off the rock and turned to Miruko, "you don't suppose Nakago's proposing to her tomorrow at the ceremony, do you?"
"Yeah, I suppose so." Miruko said heading towards the palace.
"And Mother's reaction would be..?" Yoriko grinned following her sister.
Miruko smiled weakly, "She'll freak for sure."
"Yeah, I remember she's against Nakago too." Yoriko said still grinning. "Not after she found out that –." Yoriko stopped mid-sentence at the sound Naomi and Nakago's voices. "Over here." She said motioning Miruko behind the bushes.
"What do you think they're –?"
"Shhh..."
"Alright, alright. Sheesh..." Miruko whispered annoyed. "Big sisters..." she muttered, but all the same, crouched down beside Yoriko. Familiar voices came from the other side of the bushes. Naomi and Nakago were talking in low voices.
"... I'm really worried what my sisters and I am capable of." came Naomi's voice.
"But you said so yourself, destiny or whatever it's called cannot lead your life. And besides, do you really believe that I can turn against you or your family?" Nakago asked.
"Well, no, of course not... but I'm torn between two realties... two entirely different worlds...
"Which are...?"
"One with you and the one without you... It's starting to drive me mad."
"I don't believe in myths, legends and destiny."
"I know you don't"
"Can you tell me at least what this whole curse thing is all about?"
Naomi nodded. "It is both a blessing and a curse actually. We gain something from it –dark knowledge and powerful magic." "It all started with our ancestor, Medea. She was the princess of Colchis, the country of the Golden Fleece. Hera, queen of the immortals; wife and sister of Zeus, asked Aphrodite, goddess of Love and Beauty to ask her son, Cupid to make the daughter of the Colchian King fall for Jason. Jason was a man who went on for a quest, the Quest of the Golden Fleece. Making Medea fall for Jason was a perfect plan for him to get the Golden Fleece. Medea did fall in love with Jason and helped him get what he wanted. Medea also left her home and went with Jason. Some say she killed her brother, Pelias, to stop her father from following them. She tore her brother from limb to limb and cast the parts to the sea. This made the king stop and pick up all the parts of his beloved son thus allowing Jason and Medea to flee. Medea became Jason's wife and had 2 sons, but, Jason betrayed her and married another. Jason married the daughter of the King of Corinth. The King was afraid of her so he ordered her with her helpless sons to leave the country at once. The torrent of Medea burst forth when Jason came to her and dared to scold her. 'You come to me?' she said. – 'To me, of all the race of men? Yet it is well you came. For I shall ease the burden of my heart If I can make your baseness manifest. I saved you. Every man in Greece knows that. The bulls, the dragon-men, the serpent warder of the Fleece, I conquered them. I made you victor. I held the light that saved you. Father and home – I left them For a strange country. I overthrew your foes, Contrived for Pelias the worst of deaths. Now you forsake me. Where shall I go? Back to my father's house? To Pelias' daughters? I have become for you The enemy of all. Myself, I had no quarrel with them. Oh, I have had in you A loyal husband, to be admired of men. An exile now, O God, O God. No one to help. I am alone. But Jason answered her that her exile was her own fault only and would not take any gold or help form him. Jason flung angrily from her. 'Your stubborn pride,' he told her –
It drives away all those who would be kind. But you will grieve the more for it. From that moment on, Medea thought only of revenge.
By death, oh, by death, shall the conflict of life be decided,
Life's little day ended. She decided to kill Jason's bride. And she did. And then, she set herself to kill her sons. 'I will not let them live fro strangers to ill-use,' she thought –
To die by other hands more merciless than mine.
No; I who gave them life will give them death.
Oh, now no cowardice, no thought how young they are,
How dear they are, how when they first were born –
Not that – I will forget they are my sons
One moment, one short moment – then forever sorrow. Jason was filled with fury with his bride dead but he could do no more for his sons too were dead. Medea fled away from him and he was left with her curse... Medea's revenge."
Silence followed Naomi's story. Nakago leaned forward and captured her lips, comforting her. Miruko and Yoriko were furious. Both of them stood up and the couple broke apart. "Yoriko... Miruko... I ... we were just..." Naomi stammered as she saw her sisters livid. "Your Highnesses..." said Nakago standing up and bowing but both of them had gone back to the castle stomping. Naomi sighed, "Nakago, we better go back. It's getting late." Naomi stood up. Nakago turned to her and said, "Of course, Your High – Naomi." He said hastily seeing the look on Naomi's face. "You do need rest."
A/N: The poem and the story of Medea are from a book, Mythology by Edith Hamilton. I do not own it. It's just a summary though. Please review, comments and suggestions are always welcomed. Thanks! ^_^v
"We better get going sis." Miruko told Yoriko yawning.
Yoriko nodded, "Alright, then." She jumped off the rock and turned to Miruko, "you don't suppose Nakago's proposing to her tomorrow at the ceremony, do you?"
"Yeah, I suppose so." Miruko said heading towards the palace.
"And Mother's reaction would be..?" Yoriko grinned following her sister.
Miruko smiled weakly, "She'll freak for sure."
"Yeah, I remember she's against Nakago too." Yoriko said still grinning. "Not after she found out that –." Yoriko stopped mid-sentence at the sound Naomi and Nakago's voices. "Over here." She said motioning Miruko behind the bushes.
"What do you think they're –?"
"Shhh..."
"Alright, alright. Sheesh..." Miruko whispered annoyed. "Big sisters..." she muttered, but all the same, crouched down beside Yoriko. Familiar voices came from the other side of the bushes. Naomi and Nakago were talking in low voices.
"... I'm really worried what my sisters and I am capable of." came Naomi's voice.
"But you said so yourself, destiny or whatever it's called cannot lead your life. And besides, do you really believe that I can turn against you or your family?" Nakago asked.
"Well, no, of course not... but I'm torn between two realties... two entirely different worlds...
"Which are...?"
"One with you and the one without you... It's starting to drive me mad."
"I don't believe in myths, legends and destiny."
"I know you don't"
"Can you tell me at least what this whole curse thing is all about?"
Naomi nodded. "It is both a blessing and a curse actually. We gain something from it –dark knowledge and powerful magic." "It all started with our ancestor, Medea. She was the princess of Colchis, the country of the Golden Fleece. Hera, queen of the immortals; wife and sister of Zeus, asked Aphrodite, goddess of Love and Beauty to ask her son, Cupid to make the daughter of the Colchian King fall for Jason. Jason was a man who went on for a quest, the Quest of the Golden Fleece. Making Medea fall for Jason was a perfect plan for him to get the Golden Fleece. Medea did fall in love with Jason and helped him get what he wanted. Medea also left her home and went with Jason. Some say she killed her brother, Pelias, to stop her father from following them. She tore her brother from limb to limb and cast the parts to the sea. This made the king stop and pick up all the parts of his beloved son thus allowing Jason and Medea to flee. Medea became Jason's wife and had 2 sons, but, Jason betrayed her and married another. Jason married the daughter of the King of Corinth. The King was afraid of her so he ordered her with her helpless sons to leave the country at once. The torrent of Medea burst forth when Jason came to her and dared to scold her. 'You come to me?' she said. – 'To me, of all the race of men? Yet it is well you came. For I shall ease the burden of my heart If I can make your baseness manifest. I saved you. Every man in Greece knows that. The bulls, the dragon-men, the serpent warder of the Fleece, I conquered them. I made you victor. I held the light that saved you. Father and home – I left them For a strange country. I overthrew your foes, Contrived for Pelias the worst of deaths. Now you forsake me. Where shall I go? Back to my father's house? To Pelias' daughters? I have become for you The enemy of all. Myself, I had no quarrel with them. Oh, I have had in you A loyal husband, to be admired of men. An exile now, O God, O God. No one to help. I am alone. But Jason answered her that her exile was her own fault only and would not take any gold or help form him. Jason flung angrily from her. 'Your stubborn pride,' he told her –
It drives away all those who would be kind. But you will grieve the more for it. From that moment on, Medea thought only of revenge.
By death, oh, by death, shall the conflict of life be decided,
Life's little day ended. She decided to kill Jason's bride. And she did. And then, she set herself to kill her sons. 'I will not let them live fro strangers to ill-use,' she thought –
To die by other hands more merciless than mine.
No; I who gave them life will give them death.
Oh, now no cowardice, no thought how young they are,
How dear they are, how when they first were born –
Not that – I will forget they are my sons
One moment, one short moment – then forever sorrow. Jason was filled with fury with his bride dead but he could do no more for his sons too were dead. Medea fled away from him and he was left with her curse... Medea's revenge."
Silence followed Naomi's story. Nakago leaned forward and captured her lips, comforting her. Miruko and Yoriko were furious. Both of them stood up and the couple broke apart. "Yoriko... Miruko... I ... we were just..." Naomi stammered as she saw her sisters livid. "Your Highnesses..." said Nakago standing up and bowing but both of them had gone back to the castle stomping. Naomi sighed, "Nakago, we better go back. It's getting late." Naomi stood up. Nakago turned to her and said, "Of course, Your High – Naomi." He said hastily seeing the look on Naomi's face. "You do need rest."
A/N: The poem and the story of Medea are from a book, Mythology by Edith Hamilton. I do not own it. It's just a summary though. Please review, comments and suggestions are always welcomed. Thanks! ^_^v
