The Fated One

3 (Persephone)

Just finished outlining some juicy political/romantic drama for later in the story, and I am so ready! But for now, we must introduce the characters and situations and all that jazz. Also, I'm mixing Ancient and Mycenaean Greek Mythology, so some things might not be consistent with what y'all are used to. ;)

I woke before the dawn, my mind fogged with sleep. In the darkness of my room I could just barely see the silhouetted form of Kyane as she slept beside me, breathing softly. Her cobalt skin looked more like silver in the moonlight filtering through the window behind me, and the faint scent of the forest wafted from her; flowers, gentle breezes, dappled sunlight and dewy mornings. A few errant curls were brushing against my face, making it itch, and I turned away and sat up.

My room was bathed in darkness, interrupted by bright moonlight. I could hear animals foraging outside my window, heard the chirping of crickets, and smelled the earthy, sweet scent of wheat that the winds blew in. It was a familiar comfort. I ran a hand through the thick ringlets of my hair, my fingers snagging on tangles, and glanced back at my companion once more.

Kyane was my best guardian. A protector, a warrior, even, though nobody would know it without having fought her. She had a soft, round face and large silver eyes, and she moved with the careless grace that all Naiads did. But she could turn on anyone in a heartbeat, hence why she slept in my room with me. My mother put her in charge of my safety decades ago.

My eyes drifted around the rest of the room, peering into every nook and cranny for a sign that I wasn't as alone as I thought. I saw no other Naiads in my room, which filled me with relief; escaping one was manageable, but two? Unless I wanted my mom realizing that I slipped my guards so often that it was basically part of my routine, I couldn't even attempt it. Kyane was predictable, safe. I could escape her supervision for a few choes if I was careful.

Holding my breath, I eased the blanket off of me and slid out of bed. I kept an eye on Kyane on the off chance that she woke up, an excuse already on my lips just in case. But her breathing didn't even stutter. I carefully stood up and tiptoed the few paces it required to get to my window. With one last glance over my shoulder at her sleeping form, I bunched the hem of my peplos up by my hips so the cloth wouldn't snag and carefully climbed out.

My mother's home was more like a manor, and I resided on the top floor, which was far too high to jump from. After years of doing this, though, I had plenty of methods of escape to choose from. These days it took almost no effort to swing off the windowsill and carefully climb down the lattice of vines growing up the wall. I climbed down with expert ease, my muscles barely straining anymore to hold my weight. When my feet touched the ground, I immediately looked around for anyone who might alert my mother, but saw nobody. With my escape plan successfully carried out, I took off toward the lake.

The lake was smooth as glass and grey like the feathers of a Sardinian Warbler when I arrived, and the sky was still dark. The shore was mostly made of loose pebbles with small patches of grass, and the surface made my bare feet sting a bit. I shed my clothes and with a grimace of anticipation, dove into the water. I immediately felt goosebumps all over my body as it submerged. The cold made me exhale sharply as my muscles tightened in shock. It was so cold that it nearly burned. I burst to the surface, gasping and shivering like mad, and began scrubbing my body. The faster I got this done, the faster I could get out.

When I was done washing the sky had begun to take on hints of purple and red. I wrung out my hair as well as I could and waded out of the lake, loose pebbles shifting underneath my bare feet and throwing me off-balance. When I was on dry land again I wiped water out of my eyes and, still shivering, gathered my clothes in one arm. Kyane still hadn't shown up, which meant I had some extra time. I headed deeper into the forest, where nobody would find me and I could dry off in the morning sun in peace.