A Wayward Arrow

Chapter Seven: A Sisters' Jealousy

The week had been going by without much of a hitch. Her sisters seemed happy to see her and with each day going by just as planned. She showed them all over the palace. From the library to the gardens and everything in between. They listened to the harp players and musicians every night that they feasted, drinking wine to the health of their parents, their families, and their kingdoms. Psyche grew more and more excited to share the news with her husband about the baby she was no doubtedly carrying as she spoke more about the prospect with her sisters. After all, each day, with their help, she grew to become more confident that it was in fact what was going on. Even so much as checking a few secret ways that proved to be positive.

Psyche was ecstatic about the news of the child to be. While it wasn't the most ideal circumstance, being with a god she knew not his name or even what he looked like, she was happy to be having his child at all and wondered what kind of child they would grow up to be. If they would go down to the mortal realm to live out their days as a hero or stay here in the palace with them and take on the roles that their father did. Whatever the outcome, Psyche was happy to be part of it.

Tonight was the last night that Psyche would see her sisters and thus there was a big feast to be had. The dining hall was filled with all sorts of delicacies. The music was playing and the wine was flowing for her sisters. Everything seemed to be going just right with lots of laughter and songs that the girls recounted from their youth. It all continued on for a few hours until the food was eaten and the women were doing nothing more than picking at their desserts and drinking their wine. The laments of sorrow that they would be leaving that night as soon as the feast was over would begin and the two sisters would begin to divulge their worries for their pregnant youngest sister by leaving her alone to a creature they had never met or seen. No one wanted to quite say their goodbyes either.

The conversation of topic had started to die down from the lamenting of leaving their sister alone and pregnant and the women were looking around the palace and all of its wonderful enchantments that they had been enjoying for the past week. They knew now was their last change to plant any seeds of doubt in their sister, Psyche, for they would be leaving shortly. However, there had been something missing to them this entire time and that had been the god to which their sister had been married and none of them had yet spoken about it.. Psyche had not thought of giving excuses for him this entire time and the women, with their growing jealousy of the way their sister lived, were starting to wonder aloud about the god that had taken their sister.

"So tell us about this creature that houses our sister in such splendor." Priscilla found herself asking, goblet in hand, as she took a drink.

"Yes, is he as rude as he is ferocious as the oracle said? We have been here a week and this is our last night. He hasn't made his presence known not even once." Maricela added.

"No, he's not rude by any means." Psyche immediately started to come to the aid of her husband, who wasn't there to defend himself.

"Then why has he not come before us?" Priscilla asked. "Surely a god who lives in such a way would want to entertain his guests."

"It's not that..." Psyche tried to think of how to explain everything to her sisters. "He can't be seen by mortals."

"Then how have the two of you been together?" Maricela questioned.

There was a bit of confusion between the women as they exchanged glances. Couldn't be seen by mortals? The very notion that Psyche spoke of was drawing all sorts of things up in the ladies' minds that now that she was pregnant, didn't quite add up and now Psyche wasn't even sure how to go about answering. How did she explain to them that she had never actually seen her husband? That she didn't even know which god she was married to? She had avoided the conversation entirely for the entire visit and now it appeared she wasn't going to be able to any longer.

"He comes to my bed chambers at night in the shadows. I have not seen his face or any part of him. I do not even know which God he is, admittedly. I just know that he has been nothing but tender and kind to me. Even the first night he came to me, he made sure nothing was painful..." She explained, but the look on her sisters' faces didn't help ease her that she explained it well at all.

"You're telling us you don't even know which of the Gods, for who the child you're carrying belongs to? Dear sister, have you gone mad while you've been up here?" Priscilla tried.

"No, I have not gone mad! He told me that I cannot know who he is or that I cannot see his face. He told me those were the conditions of our marriage and I even tried to figure it out.... I really did, but not even any of the servants would tell me. I just stopped trying. What other choice did I have? I am his."

"He doesn't know you're pregnant, Psyche. What's to say that he isn't exactly what the Oracle told Mom and Dad? That he is in fact one of the most vile winged creatures and the moment you tell him you're pregnant he does something awful to you?"

"Or to the baby the moment you give birth! What if he eats the babe as soon as it is born?!" Maricela tact on.

"Oh, that is horrendous, I didn't even think it, but you could be right! You haven't seen him, Psyche. He is a monster. The oracle said as much and you laid with that monster and gave him a child and yet you just let it be." Priscilla continued to egg on.

The girls started to die down as Psyche began to have her panic. What if her sisters were right? She had just given up on her pursuit of figuring out who the God was and she had just been content to carry his child without even thinking about what he would do to it once she had it. She was so lost in her own thoughts and anxieties that she didn't even realize the smiles on the faces of her sisters or the way they seemed content with themselves having started such a drama in their youngest sister's mind.

"Well, what do I do?" Psyche asked frightened.

"Does he stay in your bed chambers with you?"

"He does, until the light of morning begins and then he leaves before I wake up, so I do not see him."

"Then you wait till after he has fallen asleep. In that small window of time and you take a candle and you glance at his face to see exactly what kind of monster he is." Priscilla told her. "You look upon his face."

"What if he catches me?"

"You have a right to know which god you share your bed with at night!" Maricela said.

"You're right... I do. I do have a right to know who my husband is."

The women would continue their scheme. Telling Psyche exactly what she needed to do to get the God to fully fall asleep long enough for her to glance at his face. Once they were satisfied, the women would say their goodbyes and they would head their way to the entrance as the feast and plates would begin to work their way from the table. At the entrance, Psyche would say her goodbyes to her sisters once more. Giving her hugs and kisses and telling the women to let their parents know that she was alright and what kind of state she was in, and then the winds would sweep up the two women and take them back to the mortal realm.

Here alone, Psyche would look back towards the palace thinking over the scheme that they had plotted. Her sisters were right, she had every right to know exactly what God she was married to and tonight she would find out what he looked like.

She didn't make her way directly to her bed chambers or to the garden as she usually did after supper but made her way to the bathhouse. Asking for a fresh bath on her way of the servants. If she was going to do this, she wanted to be freshly clean for her husband and wanted to calm down with lavender and sandalwood. So she made her way towards the bathhouse. She could already smell it by the time she got close. Feeling the heat from the waters as she cleaned herself off and then took her time in the bath water.

As she soothed her body in it, she'd think over what her sisters had told her to do. It was something she had never done with the god before, but she had a feeling that he would like it none-the-less, as he seemed to enjoy the finer pleasures in life. Part of her was exhilarated by the thrill of what would transpire, while the other half was worried and scared of what might happen.

Either way, once she was done with her bath, she dried off and made her way to her bed chambers. Going about her nightly ritual and waiting for her husband to come to her as he did every night. This time, wrapped up in her lavender robes she wore the first night she had come to the palace. They hung loose and open just as they had when he had taken her and she waited at the vanity, combing out her hair.