Jackunzel Drabbles (The Original)

Greek God (Part 2)

Last night I had a dream. And in this particular dream, I died in my sleep and woke up not knowing I was still sleeping and decided to walk.

“Father you must listen to me!” The blonde beauty cried, her voice desperate someone-0anyone- to hear her. Hoping that the breath she used would breathe the last syllable she needed to make them understand. Her bare feet were soft against the stone floors, flowing her father with long strides that swept the ground with the purple silk of her robes that day.

“Rapunzel, I will hear no more of this nonsense.” Her father said, his long tunic brushed his sandaled feet as he turned, his brown angered eyes colliding with hers and stopping her pursuit. She looked up at him with worried green eyes, eyes filled with emeralds that twinkled just as noticeable as when they dimmed. She stared at him, her mouth open to protest,

“But father, I can not marry him.” she said, begging him with her voice, hoping that he would spare her the tragedy of having to break a vow that she had already given to another man.

“Because a god has chosen you as his wife?” the man said, trying to wrap his thoughts around his daughter’s inane imagination. Wondering if there was any sign that she might have hit her head in that sudden storm two nights ago.

“Yes! If I were to marry Dagur than I would anger him. I love h—”

“Enough!” her father shouted, his patience thin, “The gods are not concerned with mortal women! You are a princess and you will marry Dagur. It has been decided and as your krios we have met already.” He said, turning and leaving the shocked girl in his wake of disappointment and anger.

See that night I walked in my sleep, I slept in my walk, I walked backwards until I saw you for the first time and I could barely muster the courage to introduce myself.

Rapunzel didn’t know what to do. No servant could make her eat, no dish could make her want, no father would make her speak and no mother had enough words to make her feel better. So she sat within the walls of her room, a bath had been drawn for her cleansing, a show of purified water with flowers from the gardens of Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom. A prelude to the ceremonial bath she would take with her new husband tomorrow.  It was supposed to prepare her body for her first night with her husband. Yet how could you prepare a body that has already been taken? How could she bathe in water meant for untouched woman when she could only think of pale divine fingers running over her skin?

“Princess?” a voice called from the other side of the door.

“Come in, Merida.”

A slim girl walked through the door upon request, she wore a simple tunic that fell to her sandaled feet. Her skin was olive in color and decorated with freckles that matcher her unruly red hair. The plain brown tunic was held just under her breasts with a simply leather strap, unlike the gold thread that laced Rapunzel’s. Merida was the daughter of a captured slave from across the sea. They had grown up together and despite their status, had become close friends. Rapunzel gazed out her window, her night silks loose on her, her legs bent and brought up to her chest.

“What if he does not come for me?” she asked her friend and servant, her voice soft and full of sorrow.

“Do you truly believe tha’ you have been chosen by a god?” she asked, sitting on the small armoire, the plush velvet barely weighted by her. 

Rapunzel looked out into the night sky, “Yes, I love him.” she replied softly.

Merida’s bright blue eyes held only sympathy for the girl. She had been trying for two days to tell her father that the God of Winter had given her his favor and that if she married Dagur, he would be angry. No one believed her. Her father even blamed her for falling in love with a peasant and trying to get out of the marriage. But Merida knew that the girl never lied. The legends had stories of the gods coming to mortal women and having affairs with them, but everyone thought them to be stories of warning to wondering daughters.