The first place I took her was the great hall. Over time I had grown accustom to it, but she took in everything; studying every detail; her expression painted with wonder and excitement.
The vaulted ceilings are towering, but one can still see the paintings of night sky high above. The support pillars are carved in painstaking detail with beautiful designs and patterns; the walls transition from grey to midnight blue to black in waves of color that wash through the stone. The floors are made of a marble that intertwines black and white, looking at them again made me think of what Hecate had said about light and dark uniting. Kore walked the four steps up to where my throne rests. She trailed her fingertips over the back of the carved ebony,
"It's beautiful." She complemented.
"You don't find it bleak in here?" I inquired.
"No."
"What do you think thus far of this place?"
"It's more than I ever imagined."
"You have envisioned it before?"
"Yes, since I heard of you I tried to imagine what you would be like, tried to envision where you dwell in this vast dark world below, so many visions sprang to mind, but those were simply dizzy daydreams I realize now...this…"she paused, shaking her head, "It's more than I could have dreamed about."
"So I take it, I haven't disappointed yet?" I retorted, I couldn't help the slight smirk that came over me.
Next I took her to the quart yard. The castle corridors give way to glass walls that form a square around the grass, marble benches, and raised beds with pomegranate trees growing out of them. She walked to the center, glancing up at the round crimson, fruits high up in the tree branches,
"What are these?" she asked me.
"Pomegranates, you've never seen them before?"
"No."
"I have a liking for them, there is an orchard with rows of these trees as well, all the other inhabitants seem to love them."
"Might I try one?"
"In time." I told her. "I will have to leave you for a short while, I have some business to attend to."
"Alright, I'll miss you." she flashed a wink toward me.
"Before I go, I would like to ask you, will want to go home soon?"
"I don't want to, no." She held her hand over her heart.
"You don't feel safe?" I confirmed. She shook her head no, I continued, "What shall we do then?"
"If it is alright with you, I would like to stay here." She professed.
"What about your mother?"
"I can't face going back, not yet anyway. Would it be alright with you, if I stay for a while?"
"For as long as you like." I assured her.
I embraced her tightly, holding her so close I could feel her heart beating. I was reluctant to depart from her, however my duties could wait no longer.
What felt like many long hours later I was able to return to her. She hadn't left my mind the entire time, I continually found my self distracted by thinking of what I might try to do to make her happy here.
She was in the library when I found her, she had maps laid out over one of the long tables,
"There you are." her smile was bright, it held a warmth that was inviting. I grew curious,
"and there you are." I replied, "what are you doing?"
"I wanted to learn all I can about your world." She told me, pointing to the detailed cartography printed on the worn scroll. "There is a lot more here than I expected." she traced her long delicate finger to the edge of the map, "What part is this? It's not labeled, but there are land marks on there."
"The out lands" I informed her, "This is where I found you, in the northern part, where the climate changes to bitter cold. It is endlessly winter there." My heart started to sink then, thinking back on that moment. "If I hadn't have found you..." I couldn't finish that thought, it was unimaginable. I could not stay my hand from reaching out to her, to touch her cheek then as I had when I discovered her sprawled out unconscious in the snow. Moving in closer to me, she took my hand,
"But you did, I knew you would and that's all that matters right?"
"Yes I suppose you're right." She put her arms around my neck, and caught me off guard with a quick kiss. I could feel the eyes of the others in the library. They'd paused to gawk at our public display of affection.
I glared toward the an lookers. Then took her hand,
"Come on, lets go. I have something I'd like to show you."
Beyond the castle walls, lies an orchard of pomegranate trees. I lead her along the path beneath the arching branches lush with green leaves and heavy with blood red fruit. A place I find quite beautiful, I hoped she would see it that way too.
"How are they growing with out the light from the sun?" she inquires.
"The plant life here is different from up there to be certain. They don't hold the energy of the sun, no, but they grow from another source." One of the ladders had been left against a tree. I used it to reach of of the garnet red orbs and brought it back down to her. "These are the really good ones. The trees in the court yard are more for aesthetics."
I split the pomegranate with a dagger, and broke it open carefully. Too much force and sticky juice will flow out like gushing blood. She plucked one of the bright red jewels, containing the seeds. She popped it into her mouth, and quickly began to grin again.
"Those are really good."
"Have as many as you want." I offered. She took several more, delicately plucking one at a time as she held the open half of the pomegranate. We sat down together, savoring this moment of sweetness.
Devious smile spread across my face, I began to chucked to myself. I leaned in close saying to her,
"Getting you to eat these was just a trick, now that you have, you are mine forever."
"Yay!" she threw her arms around me, causing me to land onto my back as she fell on top of me.
"I was kidding." I told her.
"Either way, your stuck with me now so deal with it."