![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yukieTITLE: Aril
FANDOM: Kupop
PEOPLE: Some deities, and some proto-fae
PAIRING: implied Bunny/Bard/Pally
RATING: PG-ish.
WARNINGS: Gratuitous grandiose classical-myth-book language, oh jeez. XD
NOTES: Chrystalis descends into the Underworld for one last hug and finds an odd fruit. For my girlfriend.
***
During the days of the first dawns, when the gods were young, One of the Three granted a boon to the Tribe of Wind and Earth: in exchange for their capacity to deceive, Thanatos gifted them with long life.
So it was that when their eldest priestess died, it surprised She of the Verdancy, and shook her deeply. Chrystalis was not unfamiliar with loss, or death--after all, a flower must die to give birth to fruit, and a fruit to give birth to a seed, and the seed to give birth to a flower. So it was, but to lose one of the tribe of Wind and Earth was new, and frightening. Surely, this must be some mistake. Surely, the priestess Lady Jaya could not be lost to her forever. Surely she would not be denied one last goodbye.
The idea was almost too much to bear. Her heart ached, and so she came to the priestess's family, and spoke to her lovers and her children: "Where is Lady Jaya?"
They took her hands and said, "She has passed on; her spirit has left her body, as all spirits must one day. Her soul rises with the wind and her body returns to the earth. Your Brother granted us long life, but not eternal life. Only one thing in this world is eternal, and that is love. Lady, come and grieve with us. Lady, come and sing with us. Lady, come and dance with us. We will weep for her loss and rejoice in the happiness she brought to us when she walked the earth."
For a night and a day they danced and wept and sang. There was good food and drink, and there were stories and gifts. As the sun rose, Chrystalis bade her hosts farewell, and walked many miles to the river's bank. There was the burial ground of the Tribe of Wind and Earth; there in the graveyard, sitting beneath a tree, were the pallbearers; there in the branches of the tree was a crow.
The pallbearers stood, and came to Chrystalis, and held her in their arms.
"Lady, you have been weeping. What weighs on your heart?" they said.
She asked them: "Where is Lady Jaya?"
They took her hands and said, "She has passed on; her spirit has left her body, as all spirits must one day. Her soul rises with the wind and her body returns to the earth. Your Brother granted us long life, but not eternal life. Only one thing in this world is eternal, and that is love. Lady, come and bid farewell to her. Lady, come and write your wishes for her on the stone. Lady, come and lay your flowers by the riverbank, and sing to the dusk with us."
She sang to the dusk with them, and fell into sleep beside them as the moon rose and the stars peeked out from the deep-bue veil of her Sister's cloak.
As the sun rose and her Brother walked the earth on golden-sandaled feet, the crow perched upon Chrystalis's head, and gently preened her hair.
"Lady," said the crow, "you still weep. Your Brother bade me comfort you, as he cannot come to you. I will stay by our side until your tears are spent."
Chrystalis sighed, stroking the sable-feathered head of her Brother's herald. "Would that I would go to him. Would that I would go to his realm, and there see Lady Jaya once more. I know I cannot undo what has been done; I do not resent my Brother for taking her across the river, as all souls who pass must do. But oh--I want to say goodbye. I want to tell her I love her, one last time."
"Lady, I am sorry. You cannot go to Erebos; only the dead may do so."
Chrystalis stood then, an idea like a tiny seedling unfurling in her head. "Where is my Brother Tahran? I would speak with him."
"East of here, dancing in the meadow. Lady, what do you do?"
"I will see Lady Jaya once more, and my Brother Thanatos too."
So it was that as the night fell, Tahran and Chrystalis went to the edge of the river. Together, they changed her shape: she became a tiny seed, and was borne away on the current.
At first, she was afraid. The night was dark, and as the river flowed from Here to There the night-birds went silent and there was only the sound of water. No fish slept beneath her; no may-fly drifted above her. There were only the lights of the souls all around, like the stars in the sky.
Together with the lights she went, and upon reaching the shore she became herself again.
But the journey was difficult--more than it had seemed. She fell into her sleep on the banks of the river, as the lights went by.
When she woke, she was no longer cold. there were arms around her; there was the scent of lotuses and earth, and there were her Brother's soft black wings.
"My sister, why have you come to me thus?" said Thanatos. "You put yourself at risk; you might have drifted round about for days and days in the river."
"I wanted to be with you. I wanted to be with you, and to tell the Lady Jaya of the Tribe of Wind and Earth that I love her. I want to say good-bye."
Thanatos embraced her. "And so you will, but first you must regain your strength."
So they went to his house, and he gave her warm robes to wear, and he gave her good things to eat.
One perplexed her, and she asked him, "What is this? The rind is thick and hard to remove, and once I do, all I see are seeds--or are they seeds? Is the fruit the seeds? And here on top is the remains of the blossom." And she began to laugh. "How odd is your realm, Brother."
He smiled at her. "These are native to my shores. Here..."
He broke the fruit in two, and gave her half. "Pomegranate fruits are the seeds, in a sense," he said. Then, "Sister, are you certain you wish to eat of that? It is native to my shores, and as such...if you eat of that, it will become a part of you, and you will be tied in part to my realm."
She looked at him, and ate the fruit.
"I fear you not, and hate you not. I fear not your realm, only the quiet of the river as it passes from There to Here. if I become tied to your realm, so be it; I am so tied anyhow. After all, a flower must die to give birth to fruit, and a fruit to give birth to a seed, and the seed to give birth to a flower."
"So it is." And Thanatos smiled again. "Sister, how many seeds did you eat?"
Chrystalis thought a moment or two.
"Seven."
"Then I grant you this boon: for each seed, you may cross from There to Here. You may come to my realm, as you are tied to it now. You are welcome in my home."
Chrystalis embraced Thanatos and kissed him soundly. "I thank you, Brother. You are generous--though I trespassed, you treated me as an honoured guest."
'You are an honoured guest." Thanatos took Chrystalis's hands. "Lady, come and see the one you travelled far to meet."
At the banks of the river stoor Lady Jaya. Dark of hair, deft of hand, kind of heart. As she was in life, so she was in spirit and would be evermore.
Chrystalis went to her and took Lady Jaya in her arms. She wept, and tiny golden blossoms rose from the still sand where her tears fell.
"I wanted only to say goodbye. I wanted only to tell you that I love you. When I heard you were dead I was afraid--you were the first of your people to die. I know that sooner or later all must cross the river, but oh, Lady Jaya, you crossed the river so soon. "
"I know, my Verdancy. But so it must be. I have lived long, and my passing was swift. I am at peace...and now I am triply blessed. I died at the dawn, and your Brother Tahran took me into his arms and sent me on my way. I crossed the river, and your Brother Thanatos took me into his arms and welcomed me to his house. And now you take me in your arms and bid me farewell. I am blessed in death as I was in life. I love you, and always will."
And Chrystalis remembered what her Brother Aldur once said: surpassing death are only three - truth, change, and love.
She stood by the riverside as Lady Jaya walked out into the deep blue waters, and the light of her spirit drifted out of sight.
Thanatos embraced Chrystalis again, and took her to the borders of his realm. There Tahran met her, and the three embraced and bade one another goodbye.
As they withdrew Chrystalis wept.
"Lady, why do you weep still?" Thanatos asked. "Is the loss still so heavy on your heart?"
"Not so much as it was. I weep for joy, now. Lady Jaya is gone, but in my heart she is still alive. My love for her will never end."
And this is why Chrystalis goes to her Brother in winter, and the seeds sleep beneath the earth until the spring. And this is why pomegranates grow outside Erebos to this day.
FANDOM: Kupop
PEOPLE: Some deities, and some proto-fae
PAIRING: implied Bunny/Bard/Pally
RATING: PG-ish.
WARNINGS: Gratuitous grandiose classical-myth-book language, oh jeez. XD
NOTES: Chrystalis descends into the Underworld for one last hug and finds an odd fruit. For my girlfriend.
***
During the days of the first dawns, when the gods were young, One of the Three granted a boon to the Tribe of Wind and Earth: in exchange for their capacity to deceive, Thanatos gifted them with long life.
So it was that when their eldest priestess died, it surprised She of the Verdancy, and shook her deeply. Chrystalis was not unfamiliar with loss, or death--after all, a flower must die to give birth to fruit, and a fruit to give birth to a seed, and the seed to give birth to a flower. So it was, but to lose one of the tribe of Wind and Earth was new, and frightening. Surely, this must be some mistake. Surely, the priestess Lady Jaya could not be lost to her forever. Surely she would not be denied one last goodbye.
The idea was almost too much to bear. Her heart ached, and so she came to the priestess's family, and spoke to her lovers and her children: "Where is Lady Jaya?"
They took her hands and said, "She has passed on; her spirit has left her body, as all spirits must one day. Her soul rises with the wind and her body returns to the earth. Your Brother granted us long life, but not eternal life. Only one thing in this world is eternal, and that is love. Lady, come and grieve with us. Lady, come and sing with us. Lady, come and dance with us. We will weep for her loss and rejoice in the happiness she brought to us when she walked the earth."
For a night and a day they danced and wept and sang. There was good food and drink, and there were stories and gifts. As the sun rose, Chrystalis bade her hosts farewell, and walked many miles to the river's bank. There was the burial ground of the Tribe of Wind and Earth; there in the graveyard, sitting beneath a tree, were the pallbearers; there in the branches of the tree was a crow.
The pallbearers stood, and came to Chrystalis, and held her in their arms.
"Lady, you have been weeping. What weighs on your heart?" they said.
She asked them: "Where is Lady Jaya?"
They took her hands and said, "She has passed on; her spirit has left her body, as all spirits must one day. Her soul rises with the wind and her body returns to the earth. Your Brother granted us long life, but not eternal life. Only one thing in this world is eternal, and that is love. Lady, come and bid farewell to her. Lady, come and write your wishes for her on the stone. Lady, come and lay your flowers by the riverbank, and sing to the dusk with us."
She sang to the dusk with them, and fell into sleep beside them as the moon rose and the stars peeked out from the deep-bue veil of her Sister's cloak.
As the sun rose and her Brother walked the earth on golden-sandaled feet, the crow perched upon Chrystalis's head, and gently preened her hair.
"Lady," said the crow, "you still weep. Your Brother bade me comfort you, as he cannot come to you. I will stay by our side until your tears are spent."
Chrystalis sighed, stroking the sable-feathered head of her Brother's herald. "Would that I would go to him. Would that I would go to his realm, and there see Lady Jaya once more. I know I cannot undo what has been done; I do not resent my Brother for taking her across the river, as all souls who pass must do. But oh--I want to say goodbye. I want to tell her I love her, one last time."
"Lady, I am sorry. You cannot go to Erebos; only the dead may do so."
Chrystalis stood then, an idea like a tiny seedling unfurling in her head. "Where is my Brother Tahran? I would speak with him."
"East of here, dancing in the meadow. Lady, what do you do?"
"I will see Lady Jaya once more, and my Brother Thanatos too."
So it was that as the night fell, Tahran and Chrystalis went to the edge of the river. Together, they changed her shape: she became a tiny seed, and was borne away on the current.
At first, she was afraid. The night was dark, and as the river flowed from Here to There the night-birds went silent and there was only the sound of water. No fish slept beneath her; no may-fly drifted above her. There were only the lights of the souls all around, like the stars in the sky.
Together with the lights she went, and upon reaching the shore she became herself again.
But the journey was difficult--more than it had seemed. She fell into her sleep on the banks of the river, as the lights went by.
When she woke, she was no longer cold. there were arms around her; there was the scent of lotuses and earth, and there were her Brother's soft black wings.
"My sister, why have you come to me thus?" said Thanatos. "You put yourself at risk; you might have drifted round about for days and days in the river."
"I wanted to be with you. I wanted to be with you, and to tell the Lady Jaya of the Tribe of Wind and Earth that I love her. I want to say good-bye."
Thanatos embraced her. "And so you will, but first you must regain your strength."
So they went to his house, and he gave her warm robes to wear, and he gave her good things to eat.
One perplexed her, and she asked him, "What is this? The rind is thick and hard to remove, and once I do, all I see are seeds--or are they seeds? Is the fruit the seeds? And here on top is the remains of the blossom." And she began to laugh. "How odd is your realm, Brother."
He smiled at her. "These are native to my shores. Here..."
He broke the fruit in two, and gave her half. "Pomegranate fruits are the seeds, in a sense," he said. Then, "Sister, are you certain you wish to eat of that? It is native to my shores, and as such...if you eat of that, it will become a part of you, and you will be tied in part to my realm."
She looked at him, and ate the fruit.
"I fear you not, and hate you not. I fear not your realm, only the quiet of the river as it passes from There to Here. if I become tied to your realm, so be it; I am so tied anyhow. After all, a flower must die to give birth to fruit, and a fruit to give birth to a seed, and the seed to give birth to a flower."
"So it is." And Thanatos smiled again. "Sister, how many seeds did you eat?"
Chrystalis thought a moment or two.
"Seven."
"Then I grant you this boon: for each seed, you may cross from There to Here. You may come to my realm, as you are tied to it now. You are welcome in my home."
Chrystalis embraced Thanatos and kissed him soundly. "I thank you, Brother. You are generous--though I trespassed, you treated me as an honoured guest."
'You are an honoured guest." Thanatos took Chrystalis's hands. "Lady, come and see the one you travelled far to meet."
At the banks of the river stoor Lady Jaya. Dark of hair, deft of hand, kind of heart. As she was in life, so she was in spirit and would be evermore.
Chrystalis went to her and took Lady Jaya in her arms. She wept, and tiny golden blossoms rose from the still sand where her tears fell.
"I wanted only to say goodbye. I wanted only to tell you that I love you. When I heard you were dead I was afraid--you were the first of your people to die. I know that sooner or later all must cross the river, but oh, Lady Jaya, you crossed the river so soon. "
"I know, my Verdancy. But so it must be. I have lived long, and my passing was swift. I am at peace...and now I am triply blessed. I died at the dawn, and your Brother Tahran took me into his arms and sent me on my way. I crossed the river, and your Brother Thanatos took me into his arms and welcomed me to his house. And now you take me in your arms and bid me farewell. I am blessed in death as I was in life. I love you, and always will."
And Chrystalis remembered what her Brother Aldur once said: surpassing death are only three - truth, change, and love.
She stood by the riverside as Lady Jaya walked out into the deep blue waters, and the light of her spirit drifted out of sight.
Thanatos embraced Chrystalis again, and took her to the borders of his realm. There Tahran met her, and the three embraced and bade one another goodbye.
As they withdrew Chrystalis wept.
"Lady, why do you weep still?" Thanatos asked. "Is the loss still so heavy on your heart?"
"Not so much as it was. I weep for joy, now. Lady Jaya is gone, but in my heart she is still alive. My love for her will never end."
And this is why Chrystalis goes to her Brother in winter, and the seeds sleep beneath the earth until the spring. And this is why pomegranates grow outside Erebos to this day.
