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Persephone's Tale
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Torn between love and how she wants to live weighs the sunflower seeds in her warm and living hands waiting, wanting, choice withheld sees that still and silent hall deathly hush and pillared dark, deeper darkness stretching out echoed eaves where shadows hang curl and linger, throng and mass purposes that haunt the hall; shades who flit the columned aisles bereft of names. She's weeping. The seeds are chill, counting them on her pale palm, clad in white, she paces through hollow halls, uncertainty echoing each footfall on marble call. Can she live in this half place, between the worlds, life and death she who is life, up above whose steps are flowers in life's realm up on the green living Earth? In spacious fields, orchard groves vines and fruits swelled by the sun, she loves the work, done in joy, tending planted terraces choosing to tame fertile earth with hedge and plough, next year's hope, plant and gather, pluck and grow sunlight on skin, cool air, rain the twining green, songs of birds her mother's hearth, bright and clear. She yearns for it. But loves him. This is his realm, his domain these chill veined floors, pillared halls, dark river's tides, shores of death, this dark his dark, these shades his his charge, his work, what he chose (though drawn by lot long ago) his world, his cares, these drear dank and shadowed halls, these walled ways this underworld, death below. Between these streams all folk pass across the Styx, life to death through Hades' realm, then plunge in through Lethe, to a new life, forgetting self, to choose chance. The lingerers must learn here not to cling on, to let go and start again naked once more. He cannot leave, she asked him telling the names of earth's joys beads on a string, her best hopes. He wept salt tears, shook his head sunlight hurts him, but his face is light to her, touched by love. Still on his throne his face set he will not speak will be fair her own free choice but his eyes plead loneliness and matched love. Seeing him there her heart moves to stay and build life with him life in death's halls, together. Slowly with use come to care for shades of grey for his sake, not best of all, but worth it. Her heart pounds at time to choose the green world or her heart's lord. She eats three seeds, starts to choke, her mouth filled with death and dust his warm dark eyes, concerned now his kind hand held out to her to take the throne by his side she tries to smile, swallows. Then from afar, drawing near a new sound, splashing of oars, Charon is come, out of time the dark boat crosses Styx stream no freight of souls, not this trip a goddess, sure of herself. Under the throne, Cerberus growls very low, hackles rise. Athena shoes snap on marble angry and proud, her daughter belonging to earth, must not stay in this dark hole, no matter what. She marches in, ready for war glowing with light, life and health no weapons shown, save being here. No glance she gives the throne room she walks straight in swift and sure stands to defy the dark king and his pale bride on one throne. Presents demands: "Return my daughter now." Straight on to threats without pause, "Or the world dies," in jealous pride, "All laid waste withers and falls, if she stays, end to all life, and all hope." She pales, her choice to leave the world, not slay it. Vainly she pleads, Athena smiles a tight lipped smile of a wise widow; "Fool of a girl shall all starve and the world die for your sake? In the sunshine I missed you. I know your heart, what you wish you are my kin, must come back who could choose gloom and half-death when poppies bloom in gold corn?" Cerberus growls, three heads raise lips peal from three sets of teeth. Hades stirs on his dark throne "By the laws of all worlds she is my wife by free choice she has eaten of death's food and so must stay, relent now you have your world and we ours, she is my queen, no prisoner you may see her in sunlight as she chooses to go forth." A pale gold stream her hair falls as her head turns, her lips part he grins at her and she laughs. Laughter's echoes light the hall shades draw closer sensing hope the air seems warm, their hands touch. Athena sneers; "How touching, you offer her a few crumbs of my hard work, as your gift. Not good enough, dead man's god. I want her back." "But Mother," she says at last, "I ate them, my lord's right, I want to stay by my own choice, and live here. Let the world be, I love him." "What do you know of love's taste the honeyed wine of true joy, you're a child still, I know best. You ate three seeds, spit them out, and we leave now, the boat waits." She reaches out one swift hand to snatch the girl off the throne and a dog's jaws snap and close on Athena’s arm, red blood flows, but falls not far, the shades rush shroud her in dark, lap the blood take solid shapes, memory stirs in their eyes as eyes form. Athena recoils, has fed them, now they are there and will speak in thin bat-voices, longing. "Chrysothemis was my name, ''--INWE--'' I saw such death, such blood fell, my father slew my sister ''---- could refer to [[Mandur]], betrayal within House of Dor?'' then my mother struck him down ''---- this happened to [[Inwe]]; [[Gildorian]] killed [[Fringol]]'' my brother and my sister killed her and both fell then. Revenge? For what? We're all dead, and I as well, it's no good, hear me Great Queen, walk your path as she walks hers, let her go." "I was a queen, my lord fell ''--MANDUR--'' my son slain, city burned ''---- Minas Tiris was lost to fire ([[Rantor]])'' and then a slave, bore more sons, ''---- makes me think of Inwe'' sorrow and pain, they died too now I am here, my name lost. What will you then, to cause harm? Children are grief, let her go." "A warrior I, in North lands, ''--ELERIENNE-- ---- implies a Human or Drow in the East, or a dwarf in the West - poss Gwendolyn?'' lived past my time, saw all die ''---- could be Elerienne, a half-elf would live beyond her time'' he vanquished me, let me live to bear his son, whom he killed. ''---- an evil Merc may choose to vanquish Elerienne to bear his children?'' I give up grief, even my name, let her be free, let her go." "Lady, I died a king's death, ''--YISHMAY-- ---- this implies a male or at least a ruler?'' wed to the plough, my folk thrive, ''---- Probably human - [[Yishmay]] I think'' a noble end, on I go, ''---- died without corruption, so she is safe'' passing through here heard your words consider us suffering up on the Earth, we weak men ''---- men, could imply the race not the gender?'' a sacrifice you might make: put by this grief, let her go." "Ah life is sweet, blood is life, ''--MILAI--'' now I am dead, blood is sweet. I think I was a mariner ''---- Milai!'' sailed far away many seas. Take up your joy where it falls and do not bind what goes by, she made her choice, let her go." The chorus rises: "Let her go" Cerberus' snarls scarcely heard above the clamour, the dead, the whirling shades reaching out for life, for blood, for memory for breath to speak one last word swirl, and are gone to darkness, off to Lethe, off to life. Athena steps back, blood all dried. Hades sets a gentle hand upon his dog's right head Cerberus slumps by the throne. The lady, in the calm, holds her mother's gaze and says "I have eaten, I will stay." "Then nothing lives. I don't care to sacrifice my one child, if you are here, they'll join you all folk be shades whirling through born just to die in glorious war." "Mother, you're mad." "I mean it. My grief is great without you." Hades' slow voice. "A compromise. Half her time here, half above." "Then half the time war will flow sould to me" "Is that enough?" he asks straight. The Girl shakes her head slow tears fall, then draws breath Athena, smiling to herself, is startled when the girl speaks. "My father taught, long ago that with our power comes a trust to use it for people's need the good of folk and not harm and though they don't understand to harm them not by our whim. They are our kin, and our charge and we, as they, are bound by fate. This is your whim, let me go." Uncertain now the first time she bites her lip, not all mad, on that dark throne the two shapes slip hand in hand and wait words. At last she speaks: "One third, then! One third down here, this dark hell condemned to this, my poor child, the rest with me, the green world stops still and waits without you." Hades then bows, and his queen stands tall and straight and steps down setting the day she comes back a cool exchange, they touch not. Their eyes speak what words can't say. The boatman rows, looking back, Athena serene with a smug smile she knows her own and hoards it, and the set-faced queen of hell the world she loves turned to pain. The growing world green and fair until summer when she leaves and all scorches without her. She picks sad flowers in green fields her mother asks now and then in plaintive tones without thought why she works now so very quiet when before songs were joyful dismisses all her answers. The Lady counts the days till she can leave the tilled earth beauty she loves, trees and streams sunshine that falls on branches borne down by weight of red fruit to walk among dark dread halls where her heart lies with her lord. And when she comes, time is short for Athena’s spite never stops the growing things bake and droop and hunger comes up above their days of joy far too brief all measured time, a high price, time ticks by the pillared halls. They meet and part, meet and part in joy and love, together. And while she walks, sorrowing flowers at her feet, through fair fields she sighs and stops, her face falls this is not home, no longer her mother's spite poisoned all, the flow of life, and love's flow. Far down below in dark halls a dog howls from three throats his master's lap weighed with heads the king of death strokes six ears waits like stone for her return.
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