Author's Note: Another chapter for you, loves!
Love Jasmine
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Agora
Mera's Point Of View
I awakened to be embraced by Ariston's sky blue eyes and the warmth of his body next to mine.
"Good morning, my love." I greeted him right before a yawn left my lips.
"Good morning." He replied with a smile. He felt at peace, I was glad for that.
"When must you go?" I asked.
"Soon." He replied. I snuggled into his arms.
"Hold me for a while longer before you leave." I said.
"With pleasure." Ariston said, kissing my hair as he held me close.
Ariston and I bathed and ate breakfast together, which he cooked in the old fashion kitchen and I enjoyed observing how such old appliances were used. We kissed in farewell, and he disappeared in golden light to catch up on what needed to be done in the world; I still had so many questions about what he does. He answers each one; but each answer only seems to bring more questions.
Ariston brought a few dresses and my jewelry from our house in Blueridge for me. After looking through my dresses, I choose a beautiful low cut, light blue cloud silk gown with embroidery in silver thread and a corset back, the crinkled fabric giving it a soft look. The gown had loose, long sleeves, the ends of which fell almost to my knees, with slits at the shoulders and elbows to show off a bit of skin in a tasteful way. I wore diamond drop earrings with a yellow diamond ring on the index finger of my right hand.
I sat on the couch and waited for Kallisto. She arrived soon after, wearing a beautiful one shouldered, jade green gown in the modern Grecian style; the tie around her slim waist was made out of gold and embedded with emeralds, dark rubies, aquamarine and yellow sapphires. She wore gold armbands on each arm and gold chandelier earrings. It suited her well.
"Hello, Mera." She greeted with a smile.
"Hello, Kallisto." I said with a smile of my own. She looked around, her eyes far away.
"Where to start." She said softly.
"Would you like to look at your mothers clothing?" I asked. She nodded and we began to walk in that direction.
"I come here every now and then. There are so many memories of my mother and brothers here." She said as we ascended the stairs. "Do you have any siblings?"
"No, it has always just been my parents and myself. Although my good friend Margret has always been like a sister to me." I explained. "I have always had a small family." She laughed.
"Not anymore." She said and I laughed.
We came to the bedroom; the doors were open. The bed was made and the room cleaned since I had last been in it. Kallisto looked around, and then looked at the bed with a smile.
"When I was little, I would always crawl into my parents bed when I could not sleep." Kallisto said. "I am sure it must have been difficult for my parents, since that was their alone time, but they never seemed to mind. Sometimes, they would stay up all night talking with me, laughing at my childish stories. I must admit I loved the attention." She shook her head. "There was never any doubt in my mind; I always knew I was loved." I smiled at her memory.
"It was much the same with my parents, since I was am an only child." I said. Kallisto smiled to me then eyed the mirrored vanity in the on the left wall, by the window.
"I used to sit next to mother and watch her brush out her hair as she hummed, wondering if I would ever be as beautiful as she was." Kallisto said. "When I would ask her that, she would smiled down to me and tell me that she wished she could be as beautiful as I was." Kallisto shook her head.
I could see in her eyes that she was reliving the memory. Kallisto picked up one of the glass perfume bottles, smelled it and smiled before looking at me.
"Even with your differences, you remind me of her in so many ways." She said.
"I will take that as the greatest of complements." I told her. "I do wish I could have met your mother. From everything Ariston tells me about her, she was extraordinary." Kallisto's eyes became watery as a huge smile spread across her face.
"Oh she was, Mera," Kallisto told me. "She was kind and loving and had the best sense of humor, which my father says she passed down to me. I do not know how to describe her with words… could I show you?"
"Show me?" I asked and she nodded.
Kallisto walked up to me and placed her hand on my cheek. A moment later images and feelings flowed through my mind and I gasped. I saw Elianna, I heard her sweet voice and her laughter, the way her platinum blond hair blew in the wind. I watched her age, heard her jokes and saw how she was with her children. What truly touched me was the way she and Ariston were with each other, the way they looked at each other with such total love and devotion. It moved me to know that I made him that happy as well. I could not bear to imagine what Ariston had gone through after she died, after this light left his life, all I could do was be grateful that he is with me now and that I make him so undeniably happy. Kallisto removed her hand and the images were gone. I looked into her eyes.
"Thank you for that." I said to her in wonder; she nodded and eyed the vanity.
"I will take that." Kallisto said, before adding, "Unless you wish to keep it."
"It was your mothers, not mine. It belongs to you now." I told her, she smiled. "Any of the furniture you would like is yours as well."
She nodded her thanks and the vanity disappeared in golden light. She walked into her mothers closet and I followed her. Kallisto went over the table of jewelry and went through the small chest of jewelry, her mouth setting into a frown.
"There is a ring missing." Kallisto said.
"What does it look like?" I asked her.
"A three stone ring set into an ornate band of gold. The center stone is a 15ct emerald, with two oval rubies on either side." Kallisto explained. "It was my mothers favorite; a gift from my father."
"I saw that last night," I told her, remembering that exact ring in the box as Ariston showed me her things. "Perhaps your father has seen it; I will ask him." Kallisto nodded, her eyes still lingering on the place said ring belonged. "I did not take it." I added in, she looked at me in surprise that I would think that.
"I know that." She assured me with a smile. "Perhaps my father just wanted something of hers."
Kallisto went and opened the same chest Ariston did last night and pulled out her mothers wedding gown. After looking at it for a moment, she went to the mirror and held it up to herself, it was a few inches too short but other wise it looked like it would fit.
"Why not try it on?" I suggested.
Kallisto smiled, then undid her belt and to my surprise dropped her clothing right in front of me and put the dress on.
"Would you do it up?" She asked.
I nodded and tied the silk rope straps;at the back of her neck. For a long moment, Kallisto gazed in the mirror, it was a perfect fit. I could see how much Kallisto loved it.
"It suits you. You could wear it on your wedding day." I told her. She smiled, and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "Is there anyone in your life? A love?" I asked. Kallisto smiled faintly and shook her head.
"Once, but not anymore." She told me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I was more than content to wait for marriage before I gave my body to a man." Kallisto told me. "But by the time I was thirty-two it was getting ridiculous. I have a great friend; his name is Tristan, the great grandson of Apollo. We were always the closets of friends, I trusted him more than almost anyone, and so I choose him to be my first, an honor that to this day he treasures. That night changed everything between us, we fell in love and eventually decided to become husband and wife.
"Tristan was…" There was such a smile upon her face. "He was incredible, he was my first love. Before we told my father, we decided to go to the Moirae to find out if we were soul mates. As it turned out we were not. We considered getting married anyway but decided against it. We are still good friends, and occasional lovers, but nothing beyond that. I have never told father about this side of our relationship."
"There will be someone else for you. 'Souls are born in pairs.'" I told her, she smiled.
"My aunts saying. If anyone knows love, it is her." Kallisto said. "Tristan was not the last man I was with, every now and then I do take a man into my bed when I feel the need. I want love, to love a man and to have him love me. To be as in love as my parents were, and I will except nothing less than that from my marriage."
We were silent for a moment, Kallisto turned back to the mirror and looked at the dress again. I remembered something then, a nervous young man who went to what some might call extraordinary lengths to ask about this wonderful goddess. After all. it takes guts to walk up to your ex in order to ask if her current boyfriends daughter is seeing anyone.
"Aaron Rockford asked after you." I told her.
I did not miss how her face lit up at the mention of him, though she tried to hide it.
"Did he now." She said with a smile. "What did he say?"
"He wanted to know if you are seeing anyone." I told her with a smile. "He said you are enchanting and that he cannot seem to get you out of his mind." Her smile grew and she looked at the gown once again, her cheeks glowing golden.
This must be what Margret felt like as she watched me with Ariston. I helped Kallisto out of the dress a few moments later and she put her other back on.
"I will take the clothing as well." Kallisto said. "And the jewelry." I smiled and nodded.
We went throughout the house and she sent what she wanted back to her home. We came upon the painting I saw last night of Ariston with his wife and their children. The other things Kallisto wanted were nothing to me, but not this, Ariston should have this.
"If it is alright with you, I would like to keep this here for Ariston." I told Kallisto. She looked at me with almost surprise.
"You do not wish to be rid of it?" She asked.
"With all my heart no." I said without missing a beat. "I would no sooner ask Ariston to take that painting down then I would ask him to change everything about himself. Your mother is a part of him just as you and your brothers are. Your father told me that he will always love your mother, and I would have it no other way; I am happy he had that time with her." I told her. "Today was not about getting rid of your mother; from what I have heard from Ariston, she was a remarkable woman, wife and mother. I have great respect for her. You father and I thought you would want something of your mother. Everything holds a memory and I would not feel right using her things when you should have them even if you never touch them." She glanced at the painting then back at me with a smile when she spoke.
"I have to admit that as much as I wanted my father to be happy again, I dreaded the idea of whom he might choose." Kallisto admitted. "When my father told me he was in love with you, I prepared myself for the very worst you might be; selfish, vain, petty, the works. I told myself that no matter how unbearable you were, or how badly you treated me, I would hold my tongue as long as you made my father happy. I never dreamed you would be who you are, that not only would my father love you, but that I would come to love you as well. My father is truly blessed to have you in his life and so am I." Kallisto told me with truth and even love in her eyes. I smiled with tears in my eyes.
"I am the one whom is blessed to have him, and you." I told her, then laughed out loud. "I always imagined having a family, I never imagined I would have one quite so young." She laughed and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my cheek as I returned the embrace.
"Of course you may keep the painting, as long as you allow me to come and visit it and my father from time to time." Kallisto said.
"You are always welcome here, Kallisto, always." I promised her; she smiled to me.
"I am heading to the Agora. Would you like to come shopping with me?" She asked.
"I would love to." I told her.
She held her hand out to me and I took it. A moment later we were in a huge outdoor shopping center. I could not explain what, yet there was something otherworldly about it. Tall trees lined the huge cobble stone pathway, judging from their size, they were thousands of years old. There was also a winding line of pink flowering trees with white bark. There were shops to either side of us, each of them was a different color of marble and some were made out of simply to ornately decorated wood.
I saw a few outdoor cafes with so many different styles of dress. Honestly, it reminded me of some kind of time travelers convention. From toga's, to corsets and bustles, to jeans and suits. Such a strange and wonderful mix of fashion, but it was far more than that. It spoke of the broadness of ideas that had to be present in this beautiful diversity. Instead of fearing differences, everyone here seemed to embrace them!
The Agora was charming and continued on for what looked like miles, then split into two different paths, each lined with shops. Gods and goddesses walked the pathway, each wearing beautiful clothing; most of the women wearing gowns. It was a whole other world than the one I was brought up in, it was almost as if I was in a different time, but it felt like home. I smiled and shook my head as I looked around and a laugh left my lips.
"This is extraordinary," I said to Kallisto. "Now I understand why Ariston could not wait to show me Olympus."
"Anyone with any talent can try their hand any every art and craft here, from fashion to weaponry." Kallisto said. "If they have true talent and the means to do so, they can open a shop here in the market of Olympus. There are other markets such as this in the homes of the gods around the worlds." Kallisto explained.
Music played from a band in the center of the wide pathway as Kallisto and I walked down the walkway. We walked by a man juggling and I stopped to watch. He had pale hair that looked almost white with eyes the color of unstained oak. He smiled to me and passed one of the balls he was juggling to me. I caught it out of the air with ease and examined it. In my hand the ball cracked and a little bird flew free, I laughed and nodded my head politely to him and continued walking with Kallisto.
"How does one purchase things here? Is it by a credit card, gold?" I asked Kallisto, realizing I had forgotten both.
"You have no need to worry about money. As a god, my father as access to unlimited wealth. Gods do not exactly have time for a second job, after all; their duty is their job." Kallisto said with a laugh. "The gold is sent to where it is needed. Simply tell the shop keeper that you are the love of Prince Ariston, son of Zeus and it will be taken care of." She explained.
"Couldn't someone simply get anything they want if they were to clam that they are the girlfriend of a god?" I asked
"The shop keepers can feel whom is a god and whom is not through their essences. The family, loves and friends of a god who wants to share what they have with are given a token with a bit of the god's essence within it. The essence can be removed from the token at anytime, no matter where it is, and so it will only be in use as long as the god wishes to be." She explained.
"That is smart." I said.
"I am surprised father did not give you one." She said.
"We were going to go shopping later; he did not know we would be doing so before hand." I explained.
"Not to worry, I have you covered." She said with a smile. I smiled and thanked her.
Kallisto brought me towards a beautiful shop, a craftsman style two story building made out of carved dark wood and gold. I looked up at the sign; Hephaestus Jewelers was scrawled in gold. Kallisto saw me take notice.
"Have you seen his work?" She asked, I gave a nod.
"Ariston bought me a few pieces. They are stunning." I told her.
We walked into the jewelry store; three mannequins were dressed in finery with stunning gems adorning their hands, wrist, fingers and ears and even arms, waist and ankles. A huge chandelier hung in the center of the shop, instead of being made with crystals it was huge, exquisitely cut diamonds that hung from the cast metal; they reflected brilliantly around the room.
The jewelry was not in cases; it was all out on display, the diamonds sparkling in the light. Every gem and color imaginable was used to create jewelry that looked to be something out of a dream; they were that beautiful, that surreal. It was not the opulence or the nearly incalculable price that drew me to these works. Each and every piece was art, and yet all the same the worldly worth of what was before me was staggering.
I was amazed as I walked around the shop in open awe next to Kallisto. I could not have picked a favorite if I tried; I could more easily decide on a favorite star.
"Mera, Kallisto, how wonderful to see you both." I looked over to see Hephaestus walking towards us with a kind smile. He wore a gold shirt with dark pants and on his wrist was a stunningly designed watch made up of gold, its working parts were carved out of diamond. Kallisto and I both curtsied to him and he bowed his head to us.
"And you." I said.
"Uncle." Kallisto greeted. He kissed both our hands.
"Your work is genius," I told him in amazement. "You have a gift." He laughed.
"Do you see anything to your liking?" He asked.
"Everything in the shop to my liking." I said with a laugh.
"It is yours then, a gift." Hephaestus stated simply. "Where shall I send it to? You are living with my brother are you not?" I was shocked; he laughed at my expression.
"… All?" I asked, he cannot not be serious.
"Of course. Why do you look so surprised?" Hephaestus asked.
"Shocked is more like it. Are you certain?" I asked.
"Nothing is too good for my granddaughter." Hephaestus said in all sincerity. "Or is sister more fitting?" He asked as he rubbed his chin.
"I do not know how to thank you." I was still in awe.
"There is no need." He said, his gray/blue eyes were warm. "We all have watched how you grew up. You never had much, but you had what you needed, we saw to that. Now it is time you have the finer things in life. Speaking of which, I have something I made for you." He said. "This way."
I followed Hephaestus through a golden door in the back. Where as it had been quiet in the shop, the loud dings of hammering sounded as soon as we walked though the door. I walked at my grandfather's side through a workshop of sorts. There were hundreds of men and women laboring at such gems.
"My uncle Hades is kind enough to share the wealth of his realm with me and my tradesmen, so long as we send jewels for his wife, my sister Persephone." Hephaestus told me. "He lavishes her with more gems and finery than any other husband gifts his wife with, even though she would be happy to be with him without it." Hephaestus shook his head with a smile. "Now there was a match no one saw coming. The Goddess of Spring, and the King of the Underworld. Whom would have thought?" He laughed.
I smiled, thinking of something I once told Ariston. 'Nothing goes as planed when love is involved.'
"That is love for you." I said, Hephaestus laughed.
"Wouldn't I know it." He shook his head.
The room my grandfather led me into was large to say the least. All the walls were surrounded with workbenches, shelves and drawers, all of which were perfectly organized and stocked with beautiful tiaras, crowns, head pieces, necklaces, toe rings, earrings, nose rings. You name it, he crafts it.
"This is my personal work space," Hephaestus said, waving his arm around. "These things were designed and crafted by myself."
The god went into a drawer and came back with a black jewelry box and opened it up before me. My eyes widened. There was a headpiece, bracelets, ring and necklace. All of it was made out of flawless white diamonds in a pattern that was something between lace and snowflakes. The headpiece had a teardrop diamond that was the size of my thumb, which would rest on my brow. I traced it with my finger tips, watching how each gem caught and reflected every ray of light in a rainbow of colors.
"It is beautiful." I said in amazement.
"I had hoped you would like it." He said with a smile. A moment later he closed the lid and handed it to me.
"Thank you." I said.
"You are very welcome." He replied.
Hephaestus walked back and opened another drawer. He took out another black box and then led me through the workshop back to Kallisto. She was talking to one of the women who worked there when we entered the shop again.
"For you, my dear." Hephaestus handed Kallisto the black jewelry box in his hand. She looked at him and smiled. "You did not think I would forget my favorite niece did you?" He asked. She smiled, took the box and opened it.
"Pearls! I have been meaning to get a new strand. Thank you, uncle." She thanked him. He bowed his head once.
Kallisto showed me the necklace. It was a triple strand of blue pearls that held a beautiful luster to them. There were black diamonds embedded in the silver clasp.
"They are beautiful." I said to her.
"Aren't they?" She was so happy.
"I am afraid I must be getting back to the forge. It was wonderful seeing you both." Hephaestus said to us.
"Thank you again." I said, hoping he knew my gratitude.
"You are very welcome." Hephaestus replied. "Your jewelry will be at your home upon your return. You are living with my brother are you not?"
"I am." I said. "In his home on Olympus."
He kissed Kallisto and I's hands before we set off again. Kallisto sent her box to her home and sent mine to Ariston and I's home so we would not have to carry them around.
"Are all the gods so generous?" I asked, still hardly able to believe that just happened. She laughed.
"What? You thought it was just my father? Where do you think he got it from?" She asked. I shook my head and we laughed.
"Where would you like to go next?" She asked.
"I do need something to wear for tonight." I told her.
"I know just the place." She smiled.
We walked for a while more before coming to a huge shop that looked bigger than any super store I had ever seen. Amara's Fine Raiment the sign read in the language of the Gods.
We walked into the building; the ceilings were impossibly high, and the roof was glass and framed with gold work that seemed to be a reoccurring theme with the gods. There were many mannequins around the floor with beautiful gowns, some more simple, others amazingly extravagant. The selection was enormous; there were rows upon rows of gowns. There were two stories of balconies with staircases and railings of woven gold. The walls of each of the balconies had built in railings, which were filled with gowns of every color.
"Color me impressed." I said to Kallisto, who laughed.
"This is only the front of the store." Kallisto said and I shook my head.
"Hello, Kallisto." A beautiful goddess greeted; she wore a floor-length golden halter-top gown. She had strawberry blond hair and dark blue eyes that almost looked purple.
"Hello, Amara." Kallisto greeted, they clasped hands and kissed each other's cheeks. Kallisto introduced me. "Amara, this is my friend and my fathers love, the Lady Mera. Mera, this is my good friend, the Lady Amara. She owns this fine place."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. You have an amazing store." I honestly complemented.
"Thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mera. It is about time Ariston found his love." She said, I blushed and smiled. "Is there anything I can help you find?"
"Mera needs a whole wardrobe." Kallisto said before I could speak. I looked her way.
"I have other things; Ariston has not brought them yet." I told them.
"Still," Amara said with a smile. "A woman should have a proper wardrobe, especially a highborn one."
"What I need is an outfit for tonight." I told her. "The Twelve have planned a sort of coming out party for me."
"I have just the thing." Amara said with a smile. "Come."
Kallisto and I followed Amara though the racks. I soon found out that the store was larger than Macy's in Herald Square.
"Ah, here it is. A midnight color will work perfectly with your coloring." Amara said, taking a stunning gown. "The dressing rooms are this way."
I followed her to a long row of dressing rooms; she brought me in one of the first. I was unused to being dressed by someone else, but I was getting used to it. I stripped down and she helped me into the gown; it fit perfectly. When I was in the gown, Amara lead me out to the mirrors. In front of me were three angled mirrors and the same were behind me so I could see the back of the dress.
The gown was even more stunning that it looked on the hanger. The dark raspberry cloud silk hugged my curves perfectly with it's fit and flare shape. It was backless and high necked in the front. The top rim of the gown was outlined with flawless, sparking diamonds that outlined the back as well. Greek key symbols adorned the hem of the dress in gold thread and the back had a short train. It was just what I wanted even though I had no idea what I had wanted when I walked in here.
"I love it." I said. "How did you know what to put me in?"
"It is what I do best." Amara said with a smirk.
"What do you think?" I asked Kallisto.
"It is perfect for tonight. Father will love it." She assured me. I smiled and looked back at myself in the dress for a few more minutes before returning to the dressing room.
"Here, put this on." Amara handed me a long robe of soft pink silk. "It is easier to wear when trying on dresses."
I thanked her and put the robe on. Kallisto, Amara and I talked as we shopped for the next few hours. The dresses were beyond words; every color, style and design imaginable was there. It was almost addicting, being around such extraordinary fashion and getting to try on and buy everything my heart desired! I found at least well over a hundred outfits I loved and bought, along with shoes and accessories.
While Kallisto was trying on a few others, I roamed around the store. I saw a section of white and smiled a little, I bit my lip and walked towards the wedding gowns. Each gown was beautiful; from ball gowns to sheaths, strapless to long sleeved, all styles were accounted for. Out of the corner of my eye, a dress on a mannequin caught my eye; it called to me. I turned and walked over to look at it in astonishment. The bodice was a lace corset with a sweetheart neckline, at the top of which was a thin line little roses made out of rose gold sewn into place. Little flowers adorned the lace bodice, sewn in with rose gold thread and at the center of each sparkled a diamond. The skirt was full, but not to the point where it was a ball gown, and fell in soft waves of silk chemise. The flowers continued down half the skirt, growing sparser the lower they got until they stopped. More of the little flowers adorned the hem of the skirt.
I walked around the dress to see the back of it. The back of the bodice was the lacing of the corset, the holes of which were made of rose gold; the laces were the same rose color but made of silk. At the bottom of the corset were three life-sized roses in a mesh like rose-colored material. The skirt had a three-foot train that had more of those beautiful little flowers with the diamonds at the center.
The dress was beyond words; I had to try it on, I had to.
"May I try this on?" I asked one of the women who worked at the store.
"Of course, my lady." She said.
She called for a man to help take the dress off the mannequin and led me to the changing room. Amara smiled when she saw me with the employees carrying the dress.
"I had a feeling you would." She said with a knowing look.
Amara came into the changing room with me and the man left. I dropped my robe and stepped into the full slip that was needed. They lowered the dress over my body and I held the front in place as the woman synched up the corset. I love the snug, tailored feeling of a corset. I could barely speak as I gazed upon myself in the mirror.
"Oh my gods." I breathed in amazement as Amara made certain the skirt fell properly.
I had chills looking at the mirror before me. My heart was pounding and I could not stop smiling. I looked at Amara and saw her smile. The dress had weight to it, given all the detail, but it felt right. Like Ariston's weight on top of me… I blushed terribly and did what I could to calm my pounding heart. I walked out of the dressing room to go and look at the beautiful dress in the enormous mirrors, standing on the pedestal.
The dress fit me like a glove, as if it had been designed with me in mind. It was beyond perfect, every detail of it. Looking at myself in the wedding dress, I came to realize something. I am ready; I want to marry Ariston. I could see my father walking down the isle, our friends and family surely smiling to us, all eyes on me in this beautiful gown, but all I see is Ariston standing at the end of the isle, looking at me in that way that makes my heart soar. I could almost feel Ariston slipping the wedding band onto my finger. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Yes, I do want to marry him, but not in a few years, I want to marry him now, as soon as possible. My smiled beamed back at me from the mirror, the slight blurred.
"Here." Amara handed me a handkerchief. I wiped my eyes.
"Did you find something?" Kallisto walked around the mirror and gasped when she saw me. Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight of me in the dress. It was not shock on her features; it was wonder.
"What do you think?" I asked her.
"It is perfect." She said. She walked around me looking at the dress.
"May I make one addition?" Amara asked.
"You may." I agreed, not being able to take my eyes off of the dress.
Amara came back a few minutes later with a white, shimmering veil trimmed in rose gold and slid it into my hair, and with that the look was complete. My heart was still pounding, and I could not think past exactly how badly I wanted to marry my Ariston. Kallisto's voice entered my trance.
"You have to get this dress." Kallisto said with a smile.
"I cannot." I said to her. "What would Ariston say? He has not even purposed yet."
"A proposal cannot be far off." She assured me. I tore my eyes away from the mirrors to look upon her. "Get the dress, I will keep it in my closet for you."
"You are truly okay with the idea of your father and I getting married?" I asked her. She smiled and took my hands.
"I am more than okay with it. I am overjoyed." She assured me as her words rang with said excitement. "My father was a good and faithful husband to my mother until the end of her days. He loved her, and we both know that it destroyed him when she passed. You make him happy, and not to mention you are a wonderful young woman. I will be proud to call you mother." My heart swelled at her words.
"And I will be honored to call you daughter." I said. She smiled and I hugged her.
"Thank you." I whispered.
"No, thank you, Mera." She said.
When we let go, I dried my tears of joy and handed the handkerchief to Kallisto, then turned to Amara.
"I will take it." I told her with the greatest joy in my voice as well as within my soul.
"Wonderful, I will see it delivered to Kallisto's residence." Amara told me with a wide smile.
"Thank you." I beamed at her before looking back at the dress.
