The Fair Maiden

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(A/N: I wrote this for English a while ago, enjoy)

The Fair Maiden

            Her eyes are the color of a full moon seen through a window that is tinted by the fog of a cold day. Her hair is the deepest mahogany, flowing down past her shoulders and ending just above her heart. I watched her glide over the cobblestones of the town's market, her light grey dress fluttering like a moth's wings in the faint breeze. Her authoritative aura demanded your attention, even though her height was less than average, you couldn't help but want to bow at her feet every time she passed by. If you had not known her you would have most certainly mistaken her for queen- or even the goddess Aphrodite herself.
         That was a dangerous thought in itself, to dare claim that any mortal matched the beauty of the divine goddess, but I could not help myself. My heart had been stolen by a seamstress from a modest life, and I hoped she would, in turn, give me hers as well. Many a maiden had tried to catch my eye, for I was the ruler of these lands, but none had been as successful as the girl standing before me. I watched as she chatted with a blacksmith, giving a smile that sent my heart racing like a wild stallion thundering over the plains. I resolved within myself to act upon my feelings, no longer would I watch her from afar, but instead I decided to seek assistance from the gods themselves.
          That night I silently made my way to the gods' temple, which adorned the highest hill in my kingdom. I did not want to alert any of my servants to my plans for I knew if word got out about my desire, it would surely spread like wildfire. I stealthily crept into the temple, closing the door gently behind me. I knelt before the shrine and began my prayer;
    "Oh hear my cries lovely Aphrodite, for I have had my heart ensnared by a maiden of unfathomable beauty! Help me O fair one, that I may capture hers as well!" Before I could continue a flash of light blinded me and as my vision cleared I found Aphrodite gazing down upon me, her white dress and golden locks fluttering behind her in a nonexistent breeze. Though her beauty was great, she could not compete with the fair seamstress.
    "Go to her house, noble one," She said smoothly, like a ship gliding over a calm sea. "But be quick, for it may already be too late." Another flash of light blinded me as she departed. With a deep, unsteady breath I stood up and ran out of the temple, my thoughts disturbed by the goddess's ominous warning. The moon was full, casting everything in a silvery glow. The air rushed by me as I ran to the valley where the maidens house laid, the strength of a thousand men filling me with each step. My bare feet thudded silently over the well-worn stones, the only sound I could hear was the thud of my heart. As I neared the maidens house I heard someone scream, causing my blood to run cold, for the shriek had come from her house. I sprinted the last few steps and ran into the seamstress's house, only to find the fair maiden lying still on the floor, surrounded in a pool of her own blood. Glinting in the moonlight was a silver knife,  protruding from her chest where her heart lay, now still and unbeating. I cried out like a feral animal being struck with a hunter's spear and lept to her side, careful cradling her small frame in my arms. I wept as I held her close to me, her eyes void of the spark of life. Through my tears I saw Aphrodite appear, her face expressionless, but I saw the evil glint of satisfaction in her devious eyes. Her once white dress was now stained crimson with the blood of my beloved.
    "Why?" I cried out as my heart shattered, the shards slicing the walls of my soul. She glanced down at her bloodstained hands before looking back up at me and smiled, like a murder who had just been sentenced to die for his crimes.
    "No mortal could ever match my beauty, most certainly not one who is already dead."

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