When Spring Met Shadows

3. Hades, King of the Underworld

When Persephone awoke, she found her self lying in the Valley of Earth. Her flower nymphs surrounded her hoping she was still alive. Luckily she only had a few scraps and bruises. She smiled reassuringly at her friends and stood. Her flower basket, although a little broken, was still good enough to collect the flowers for the day.
"Lily, do you mind bringing me my mothers shears. I believe the tulips near the river should be ready to harvest." She said to her friend while wiping away her tears. Her nymph rushed to the cottage and brought back a pair of shiny scissors. She strolled down the river side until she reached a quaint garden of tulips and began snipping the stems and placing them in in her basket. When she finished, she sat in the golden barley as the wind blew a sweet floral fragrance. She had smelled a flower like it before and followed the wind to a small red bulb surrounded by trees. The color of the narcissus made her wary yet she approached it carefully and gently touched the soft petals. Just before she could pluck it, the ground beneath her gapped and grew dark, and before she could blink the man appeared on a black horse or rather its skeleton. She did not scream, though she was fearful, and when he held his hand out to her, she willingly grasped it.

She held on to the mysterious man as they rode through darkness until reaching the Underworld. Although she was frightened, she still believed this man was kind. He looked at her intently before a smile appeared on his stone face.
"Welcome to my home." He said in his deep voice. She took a step back, keeping a distance between her kidnapper.
"Why have you brought me here?" She asked. The world around her began to change before her very eyes. The ground turned white and the walls shined with crystals. He thought a more peaceful scene would ease her fear.
"You are to be my bride. I offer you my hand, my heart, my kingdom." He said lovingly, placing his thumb on her chin. The scrape she owned, disappeared beneath his touch as he smiled more brightly than before. "You believed in my existence and accepted my proposal."
"Proposal?" She asked confused.
"The narcissus. Your favorite flower."
"Why me?" Her brows furrowed.
"I asked for you long ago." He said brushing her cheek with his cold fingers. She shivered at his every touch and he wrapped his thick cloak around her, grabbing her by the waist.

He carried her to a bedroom lit by a single fireplace and placed her near it. She sighed and finally asked.
"Who are you?" He chuckled.
"I am the God of Death itself, King of the Underworld." He said seating himself beside her.
"What is your true name?"
"Hades." He spoke staring into the fire as if he believed his own name was cursed. "Are you frightened?" He looked up into her green eyes.
"Should I be?" She asked sinking into the warmth of his cloak.
"No."