Agape
(Uh-ga-pay)
10 months earlier-
The crowd stood around the announcer, awaiting the news of the one to be given to the Cretan bull. I paced silently, hoping it wasn't me, but knowing deep in my heart that it was my fate, my destiny. I was the most beautiful girl in Lampa.
I had always been so, since the day I was born, with my black-blue hair and clear green eyes, I was lovely. I was also lonely.
Girls my age never took to me. Either from jealousy, spite, or shyness, I made not one friend. My mother said it was a passing faze, and the girls my age were finicky and unsure of themselves. My mother was the cause of my problem.
From the day I was born and she looked at me, she knew I was going to be a great beauty. Instead of playing outside with the other children, I was to stay inside, as not to bruise my perfect skin. Instead of attending parties and festivals, I was to bathe and brush my hair with 100 strokes. Instead of being free, I was to be faultless.
My mother did this so I may marry into a great family, a noble family. I sighed at the notion, no blue blooded royal would ever want me, even if I was pretty. I was wrong to some extent. A few lesser nobles had asked for my hand, but mother did not find this suitable and turned all of them down.
Soon word spread of my amazing beauty, but still no powerful noble had come. It was a bit of relief for me, but not mother, who paced and planned.
When I finally got the nerve to leave the house without my mother by my side, I was terrified. The villagers stared, there mouth open. The women peered and spoke in quiet whispers when I passed. The girls glared at me angrily, and as for the young men, well, to say the least they gawked and drooled.
Some tried to approach me, but I was painfully shy and they took this as a sign of aloofness and walked off angrily, as if they were slighted by my silence.
When my 18th birthday rolled around, a man from the island, Crete, came to Lampa in search of a pure, beautiful youth that would serve as the annual sacrifice for the monster in the maze. He searched the village for the youth, interviewing many promising prospects.
When he came to my home, I knew he had found the one he was looking for. A week later, the town was gathered in the public square for the announcement of the chosen one. When he called out the name, the people parted in front of me and a path made clear for me to walk to the front. I glided toward the man. He smiled kindly and helped my onto a black horse that set of my hair.
I quickly hugged my tearful mother and kissed her goodbye. We galloped off into the night toward the docks that would bring me to my doom.
On the Ambrose-
The boat swayed gently and the soothing water made the only sound. 14 youths stood on the dock, 7 girls and 7 boys. Each of them fair and healthy, all of the women were lovely and all the men strong and handsome. It seemed odd that they were silent, although if one were to look closer they would see the serious looks on the group's faces.
Their eyes searched the water, looking for hope and strength, but finding none they sighed and looked down, each in his or her own thoughts.
A tall, muscular man made his way toward a raven haired woman whose slender, white arms were propped on the edge railing.
"Excuse me, miss?" the man said, gently tapping her. The girl turned around.
"Great Zeus almighty!" the man exclaimed, his blue grey eyes opened wide. He was looking into the greenest, clearest eyes he had ever seen.
She raised a dark, arched eyebrow, "Yes?" she asked, her jade eyes clouded by question.
He smiled, flashing perfect, white teeth, regaining his composure, "You seemed a little down, my lovely lady, and I was wondering why?" She gazed at the man in obvious disbelief.
"Is it not apparent to you, we are on the ship that brings us to our death. Did you not note the black sails that bring us closer to our horrible fate?" she said, quite exasperated.
"We will not die, least you worry," the man smiled again, assured of his words.
"Who are you?" asked the mystified, raven haired girl.
He looked at her, "I am Theseus, Prince of Athens. And you, who might you be?"
The radiant woman pursed her scarlet lips, "I am Agape of Lampa, your majesty."
The Prince looked over Agape. What he saw pleased him, with her long, lustrous, ebony hair, shinning, emerald eyes, long, straight nose, arched eyebrows, thick lashes, oval face, and curvy, yet slender, body, he knew she was a rare exception to mortal beauty.
After long moments of silence, Agape softly asked him, "What is a prince of Athens doing on this boat?"
"I volunteered, simple as that." Theseus said, looking at the blue-green water, "This has been going on for far too long. I am here to end this exhausted process of selecting Grecian youths for certain death. It ends this year."
On hearing this last comment, the rest of the young lads and ladies walked over. "I am with the prince," said brown haired, barrel chested man with a low rumbling voice, "I will not die willingly." The other men agreed.
"Well," said a red haired maiden, waving a peacock fan, "I think you are all silly little people. The bull is said to be too strong and too powerful to overcome. And even if you do kill it, you could never find your way out of the labyrinth. It was built for the purpose of keeping things in."
Before anyone could apply, the ship hit bank, and the group found themselves on the island of their death…
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shanice
