Screaming the name of a foreigner's God. The purest expression of grief. Wondering who I copy. Mustering some tender charm. She feels no control of her body. She feels no safety in my armsI've no language left to say it. But all I do is quake to her. Breaking if I try convey it. The broken love I make to her
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It's been three whole months of peace and happiness since leaving the island owned by Calypso. Kore has convinced herself that she is finally free from Calypso's and Cupid's chokehold. As the days pass, Kore's anxiety fades away as it is replaced by Xene's golden life he has chosen to share with her.
The couple's days have been filled with busy mornings including fruit picking and laughs, followed by lazy afternoons. Wedding planning has also been a big thing in their lives. Xene's wealth had promised a wedding with no limitations, and Kore took this literally. The downstairs living room had been filled with samples of color palettes and menu designs. The living room eventually came back to its regular appearance, as Kore's and Xene's wedding happens today.
The air is warm. The crowds are lively at the beach's edge. The waves remain calm in contrast to the sands filled with groups of friends and families. Xene is chatting with his chosen men to accompany him, while Kore remains in the background, getting prepared for the special day.
Small tears start to form in Kore's eyes as they run over the beautiful white dress that hangs over her body. It's specially made by Xene's mother who did a breathtaking job at designing it. One of Kore's bridesmaids, and one of Xene's sisters, tells Kore not to cry or else she will ruin her makeup. Kore's attention never leaves her in the mirror. She had never thought she would participate in a wedding before, let alone have her wedding.
Her bridesmaids leave her to take their place at the alter, leaving Kore alone to herself for a few minutes. Her heart rate pounds as she imagines walking down the aisle. How her hair will flow perfectly in the wind as she ignores everyone else and only looks at Xene. Kore waves her hands excitingly to herself as she waits for her cue.
"You're making a mistake," a dark voice comes from the door behind Kore. She jumps slightly, and her hand goes flying to her chest. She hadn't heard anyone come in. Though, everyone should be outside and waiting for her. Kore flies around to see who has the nerve to interrupt her on her big day.
It was him. Not Xene or anyone she had invited to her wedding. But him. Cupid.
Kore's breath gets stuck in her throat as Cupid stares back at her. His dark eyes stare into her with so much intensity, but the rest of his expression looks careless. Almost as careless as his outfit, which looks like he tried to dress for a human wedding, but is too much of an actual Greek God to achieve looking normal. The giant white wings behind him don't help.
"What are you doing here? You need to leave... Immediately," Kore gets her voice back and growls at God to leave her alone. Her fists grip tightly to her white dress around her. Cupid has not visited her for the past months, and he chooses now to visit her. Kore is outraged and ready to fight a God.
"Calm down, woman." Cupid's mouth quirks up as his shoulder goes to lean against the door frame. He watches with amusement, knowing that he has picked the perfect time to do his job. Cupid's been watching Kore's life from a distance for a while. He had convinced himself it was for professional reasons only, but couldn't help but grow an attachment to visiting her. He's the God of love, can you blame him?
Kore's mouth tightens to a line. She wants to scream, but she doesn't need anyone coming to find her. She's about to go out and walk down the aisle. Cupid doesn't stand a chance against the bride's rage. Kore storms towards Cupid and slams her fists straight into his chest. He moves away from the door frame and Kore storms past him to get to her position.
Cupid's sudden shock doesn't last long, and grabs Kore's wrist, keeping her from going any further. "Let go of me!" Kore shrieks while trying to twist her wrist away from him. Flower petals fall out of her perfectly crafted hair in the midst of it all. Cupid's grip doesn't loosen. He lowers his head to her level.
"You are making a mistake. If you go out there and marry that man, your life will be over," Cupid tells Kore. She shakes her head violently and swears she will never leave Xene. Heat burns in Cupid's body. If she wants to ruin her life, then she can. He releases her wrist. Kore goes stumbling backward into a wall. She gives Cupid one last furious glance before running off down the hall. Her ankle shooting pains from where she tripped just now, but she keeps going, hoping Cupid isn't following her.
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The live music starts to play and the door starts to open. The fresh air of the outdoors hits Kore's face. She gracefully walks through the doors to the outside seating where her family, friends, and Xene are. At first, she only looks at the ground shyly, then she steals a glance at Xene to see all the emotions swelling in his chest.
Xene watches his bride walk towards him. Nobody else is around him, only he and his love are at their wedding. A day for only them. A bright smile comes to his lips, and Kore reflects the same one. She approaches the altar. Everything about her was perfect to Xene's eyes, however, he noticed the worry crease on her face. He's relieved to see she is just as nervous as he.
Kore makes her way to Xene and joins hands with him. His eyes stare back at hers with awe. She wishes Cupid hadn't just ruined her moment just now. Maybe she would feel more in the moment. Before the wedding officiant could start talking, Kore leans in and whispers to Xene. "Xene," She starts, trying to warn Xene, but he's too wrapped up to realize what she trying to say. Xene tells her to save it for the honeymoon and gives her a wink.
Kore swallows dryly. She shouldn't ruin the moment for him too, so she plasters a smile back onto her face and lets the wedding continue. The minutes go by peacefully and smoothly. Kore's ankle starts to ache with all the standing, but they finally make it to their vows. Xene says his vows first. Kore's heart warms to hear them and flutters to hear him say the two words that confirm he wants to be with her forever.
Now it's Kore's turn. All goes well until the words 'I do' start to leave her mouth. Before she could speak, a crash sounded from the canopy above where Kore and Xene stood. It's loud, too loud not to ignore. The audience gasps in shock at what landed. Xene and Kore from under to see what has caused the distraction. On top of the arch stands a man with large winds spread to the side. Everyone looks at him, but Cupid is only looking at Kore.
Everything seems to stop as the man speaks. The dark clothing blows in the wind around him, it seems like the atmosphere has faded to a darker color as well. "Kore." A strong voice comes from God. it echoes over the area. "Come with me or face the consequences."
Kore fights back the urge to scream in front of everyone. Tears of anger fall to her face, not caring about her makeup or the rest of her wedding. She only wants the God to be gone. "I'm not coming with you," She yells her fists pound the air around her furiously. "I love Xene, and I won't be leaving him. Run back to your little castle in the sky and leave me alone!"
At these words, two items appear in Cupid's hands. They grew out of thin air, slowly appearing until whole. In his left hand is a large, wooden bow, and in his right is a single arrow. Within a second, the items were connected and pointed at Kore.
Xene realizes what is about to happen and jumps in front of Kore. It is no use, however, because the arrow flies past his ear. It was nearly enough to hit the side of his face but did not hit him. The arrow goes straight to its target. A blood-curdling scream fills the air as the people who were either in chairs or were already standing rush to the floor. Xene faces away from Cupid who is now lowering his hands. He pushes people away until he picks Kore up in his arms.
A deep color starts to stain her white dress. The warmth spills onto Xene's skin as he runs to rush her out. He looks back for a moment to see Cupid is gone. But that doesn't matter as of right. Now he needs to get the arrow out of Kore's side. Xene didn't need to look at it for long to know the stick was deep in her flesh. If he doesn't hurry, he might just lose her.
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1517 words
8000 word goal met.
Posted 3/31/2024
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