Aides (COMPLETED)

Fifty Seven

Aides

It had been a month?
Maybe two?
To be honest, I had lost count of the time since Kore had been banished from my realm. I was not one keen on time in the underworld.
Eris had triumphantly taken her place as consort to the underworld. Well, not officially. There was still a wedding to be planned before her role was official.

Eris was adjusting comfortably to the demands of the Underworld and of course, the council adored her. She was their choice from the start to reign beside me but despite their swift approval to make her queen, there was an issue with their plan; I did not love Eris and made sure she and the council knew.

I stopped every dress that was stitched and ended every dinner that was planned.
The council had banished my right to autonomy. They had stripped away any form of normalcy.

And even in these troubled times, I only craved for one thing. For someone to rule by my side.
Was that too much to ask?
I had found it in Kore.
My beautiful Kore...
But everything was not as it seemed.

My heart battled with the reality of her actions. I could not believe she tried to kill me in my sleep; on the day of my transformation no better. I thought she loved me?
I had sensed it from the night of...
No... Kore wouldn't do something like that. No matter how much crying and screaming she did..she would never plot to kill someone, not even me.
Her heart was too pure; yet, here she was, banished from my kingdom. (Remember, Kore never plotted to kill Aides. The three fates lured her in and when she reached out to try and touch the image of her mother, she grabbed the sword. Chapter 23)

Although something in my spirit was telling me to explore the outcome of the events, I pushed it to the side, adamant to face my bleak reality. Eris would be the new queen of the underworld and I would be shackled to her in a loveless marriage.
What more could I do?

Kore had made an attempt on my life and the rules of the realm stated the council's next choice would automatically be chosen, queen.

Flashback
(2 weeks after Persephone was banished)

"And Eris? When is her Dokimi?" I sneered, leaning against the back of my chair.

The three judges chuckled lazily and shrugged.
"She does not need one. Eris was our FIRST and only choice for Queen of the underworld, therefore, she can ascend to the throne"

"She need not go through a frivolous test to prove her worth unlike that useless Kore"

"Don't you DARE speak I'll against my wife" I yelled, standing from my seat. Eris had a sliver of mischief in her eyes, per usual, while the tallest of the three judges frowned.

"I apologize, master, I did not intend to strike such a chord," he said through a low chuckle. Eris was amused by all this, looking at me and winking before fixing her hair.

"So the wedding will commence in 2 months." The shortest judge shifts the conversation to what he thought was a more pleasing topic. "Eris will take the crown on the 8th hour of the solstice which will make her queen forever."

I scoffed again as I heard their words. I had no say in the rules of the underworld and they knew this.
Eris would soon be my wife.
———

Present-day
Eris

"Everything is just perfect Hera!" I beamed, dancing in the mirror with the dress the palace slaves had sown for me. It was long but tailored with a lace bodice that left nothing to the imagination.