MAIDEN

by: Bakunawa

Chapter 1

This was not how I planned my morning when I woke up. I simply wanted to gather as much red poppies to make paint for my latest project. Nothing unusual from running out of paint, right? I should have taken it as a sign though because instead I found this huge unmoving mound of leather and cold dead flesh in the middle of the poppy field.

If only someone told me I would be seeing a dead body right after breakfast… Honestly, I wouldn't know how to deal if someone did tell me beforehand I would be finding a... decaying… body after breakfast. Ugh!

The nymphs could not have done this. I don't think it's in their nature to kill. They would rather play with mortals and frolic and whatnot. Even if they had killed this person, I don't they would have left the body rotting on sacred grounds.

That pulls me back to my original quandary: how does one deal with a dead body?

I had never seen anything dead my entire life until now. Mama once said everything in Nysa thrives with life and nothing will ever rot or wither or pass over to the other side within its borders. But this person simply opted to come here—and it took him quite the walk to reach the poppy field from the borders—and just fell down and died.

"You're over-thinking things again," I scoff quietly. I really need to get rid of the body, sooner rather than later.

I could probably drag it across the field and through the grove until I reach the border? But that will take me all day. Maybe ask the nymphs for assistance? Rhodope's nearest, her waters could carry the body until it reaches the exit. But that would mean taking care of a frantic nymph afterwards and I would rather avoid that.

"All I wanted was to paint my mother a nice portrait before she comes home in three days," I tell the inanimate lump of flesh and bones as I walk around it, determining the best way to pull it across the field, "But you decided to ruin such a wonderful morning by dying on my field with your big… awful… self."

This person weighs a ton! Turning it over is like turning a huge flat boulder from one side to the other.

It gives me a good view of the face, though I can barely make it out with all the dirty dark hair and heavy beard. Large hooked nose. Sunken cheeks. And skin pale and cold as the dead. "… definitely male," I assess.

Mind you, I only saw men a handful of times throughout the years of living in seclusion and only from afar. Being unable to leave the sacred valley, it limits my interaction with other people. I could say the closest I've ever been in the presence of a man was when Akaste snuck one in for 'a little moonlit frolic'. And he didn't even see me since Ianeira had Leukippe quickly drew me away. I never knew exactly what happened to him but judging from Akaste's foul almost-hostility against Ianeira since that encounter, I could take a guess.

But by the gods, what am I supposed to do with this man? I can't just leave his body here. The nymphs would go into hysteria once they find this corpse themselves and they could pass by any moment. Not to mention my mother's reaction... Mama never took kindly to trespassers. Might be interesting to see how she handles the trespasser being dead and all.

Wait! Why had I not thought of this earlier? Mother's mules! She normally brings a cart drawn by two mules for her travels but a few times she needs just one, leaving the other and the cart at the stables—perfect for carrying ton-weighed corpse.

"What are you doing with that mule?" Ianeira appears out of nowhere with a basket of freshly picked olives on one hand and pears on the other. She must have been picking them from the orchard behind the villa. So much for avoiding the nymphs.

"There's…uh…" How do I even begin to explain this?

One fine brow arched up as I taking time to speak. Matronly Ianeira always seems to know when something's going on. Most often than not she's worse than my own mother in detecting falsehood. Though it's usually Akaste that prickles her ire.

"I… uh, found a dead person's body in the fields... I was kinda planning on getting rid of it?" Might as well tell the truth, right?

Ianeira tilts her mossy green-haired head with confusion and a general concern slowly blooming on her olive-skinned face as she steps closer. "Kora? Why are you being ridiculous this morning? Is it Akaste again? Had she set you up for something?"

"No, no," I was shaking my head vehemently. "She has nothing to do with this. And you don't have to worry about Akaste. She's, uh, quite busy with her newfound… hobby."

"Tell me it's not another mortal man—"

"Actually, she's taken a strong liking to scaling the seawalls down south."

"What?"

"It was surprising for us too when we found her hanging unfettered from the cliffs the other day."

Ianeira drops the basket of olives to rub a hand on her temple. "Is she trying to test the limits of her immortality? That… little…"

"Exactly what we told her! But she said she loved the thrill of dangling up there."

"Oh, I'm going to dangle her by the neck the next time I see her," she picks the basket again but looks pointedly at the mule beside me. "So why are you taking your mother's mule?" she asks again, "Weren't you supposed to be gathering flowers for your paints?"

"There's… a lot of flowers," I try to pull the sincerest face I could muster but the words still sounded awfully lame and a bit panicked to my ears, "I'd thought Kykhreides could help hasten the process of bringing them home. It would save me… uh, three, maybe four trips?"

She seems almost convinced. "That much?"

I nod, knowingly. "Oh, yes! The blooms are of excellent quality this season. I don't want to waste them. I could probably make two jars worth of red paint with the poppies alone."

"Well, if you put it that way…" she shrugs a shoulder, "Don't make me keep you from your flowers."

I watched her disappear into the villa and let out a quiet sigh. I honestly could not believe I just pulled that off. Nothing I've said was a untrue. I did tell her I was getting rid of a corpse and I might indeed have to use Kykhreides for a load of poppies flowers. Stern Ianeira simply did not believe the former, preferring the latter of which I made up in desperation. A corpse in Nysa did sound far-fetched and I would have agreed if I was as ignorant of the fact as everyone else. Hah, aren't I growing cleverer?

"And Kora?" Ianeira's mossy green-haired head appears at the door, "Mortals bury their dead. Thought you should know." She ducks in again before I could react.

Right. I ought to bring a shovel then.

This corpse is a lot more trouble than it's worth.

It's exactly where I left it, a horrible black thing in the midst of green grass and red poppies. And I don't think anyone has seen it yet.

And had I mentioned it weighs a ton? It has a coldness that seeps through its thick leather clothing it wore and it strongly smells of firewood and mint. Strange thing for a corpse to smell like. It makes my skin crawl nonetheless.

By the third attempt in lifting the body unto Kykhreides' back, I was about ready to drop and leave the thing to rot. The mule would not stop fussing either.

"I know, I know," I whisper in Kykhreides' ear, petting her soothingly. "I'm not too cheerful about this either but if you help me get rid of it, I promise to you a basket of carrots and apples every morning for a week."

Still with the fussing and whining and hoof-stomping.

"Alright, a month then."

She snorts and whines again before dropping to the ground.

"Thank you!"

It would be easier to put the body on her back now that she is lower to the ground. But Kykhreides' still gives me a strange look that said: this will be the only time, the only time!

"I assure you there won't be any mortal carcasses lying around for you to carry anytime soon."

She snorts again, you better make sure.

"And one more thing: this has to be kept between us. You know how mother and the nymphs tend to overreact to… bizarre things like our dead friend here."

Another snort that might just mean: don't I just know it.

Thanking Kykhreides again and giving her one last pat, I turn to the task at hand. Problem though is… it's looking at me with deep dark eyes.

"Bizarre I may be," he says in a slow hoarse voice, "Thanatos shall have no claim over the Lord of—aaargh! Damn it! Did you have to kick me in the face?!"

I scamper away, tripping on my own foot and landing on my derriere. Kykhreides already fled, leaving me alone with a suddenly animate and talking corpse.

He curses like thunder, writhing as he held his throbbing nose .

"I-I-I… You… How did—" I am, without words, befuddled and terrified by this recent development. And I can't even say it.

"Awfully kind of you to treat a seriously weakened man like this," he says, groaning. "And have I heard correctly... that you were attempting to dispose me? Pray tell, by what manner?"

"I-I'm sorry," I say, finally finding my voice, "But... you were dead."

"As you can see," he gestures his person with the hand not busy rubbing his aquiline nose, "It's quite the contrary."

"B-but you were like ice to touch... a-and you weren't breathing."

"I was unconscious."

It dawns on me, like the slow rising of the sun or the quite bloom of a fresh flower. I clasp a hand to my mouth, feeling dirt on my cheek, admitting, "Gods... And I was going to bury you alive."

He looks… no, glares with those black eyes that reminds me of smoldering tar. "Lovely."

tbc

Bakunawa's Corner: First attempt at PersephoneXHades-ship. Totally un-beta-ed so forgive the typos and incorrect grammar and whatnot. This is practically just me trying to transfer excess thoughts to a bucket before my head overflows. We'll see where this goes.