Page 38 of Orpheus
I wanted to kiss him so badly in that moment, after we had navigated those dicey waters together. Such a feat warranted a passionate celebration, but I knew we could not waste any more time. So, I returned to holding his hand, and we moved onward.
After further trekking into the forest, I had a feeling we had lost Aristaeus. There was no sign that he was on our trail. It had been a while since we last saw him chasing after us. In fact, I don’t remember hearing or seeing him in pursuit since we fled the from the plains by his house and into the vale woods. Eurydalos and I were just taking extra precaution in how far we went, not wanting to risk any chances of him being nearby, searching for us. But that had to have been at least an hour ago.
“I think we are in the clear for now,” Eurydalos stated, releasing my hand. “Let us rest for a few minutes. I think we should get some water and find some berries or fruits to scavenge in order to regain our strength, but I don’t want to stay put for too long, though.”
I bent forward, panting heavily, dropping my hands to my knees, trying to catch my breath. “Yes. I need a minute to gather myself.”
Eurydalos placed his hand over my back, rubbing it in slow circles. The rhythm soothed me as my body did its best to recuperate as quickly as it could.
“Why don’t I fetch us some clean drinking water and look for food? You can stay here and rest,” he offered.
“Are you certain?” I asked in between long-winded breaths. “I can help too.”
But Eurydalos shook his head, refusing my assistance. “No. I’ll be fine on my own. You just stay put. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I could not argue with him. I was in no condition to lift any heavy objects or climb trees. Eurydalos, on the other hand, seemed like he barely broke a sweat from all the running we just spent doing. So, if he had the energy to be able to do all of this, it would be unwise of me to prevent him from doing so.
“Okay. But don’t be too long,” I requested. “And don’t wander off too far.”
He could not help but smile. His palms squeezed my cheeks as I returned to standing upright. His lips pressed against mine for a soft kiss. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
Once Eurydalos took off further into the woods, it gave me time to finally sit down and think. We had to be strategic in whatever our next move would be. If Aristaeus was no longer coming after us, then it likely meant that he was already in search of other gods, telling them of our transgression, trying to get them to side with him. The ever-calculated brute he was.
I needed to come up with a plan, and fast. First, my safest bet was to get us back to Thrace. Being protected in my father’s castle was what seemed most logical. No one would be able to break past those walls without dealing with the Thrace soldiers and my father’s guardsmen. Plus, I had my mother and her sisters on my side. Yes! My mother, the Superior of the muses, had close ties with Zeus, King of the gods. She could persuade him to allow Eurydalos to remain with me. That seemed liked the best option I could come up with. It was worth a shot.
“Arghhhhhhh!!!” A loud screech in the distance disrupted my thoughts. I recognized that yell. It came from Eurydalos and it sounded as if he were in pain. I rose to my feet, sprinting in the direction that I heard the voice come from.
“Eurydalos!? Are you okay!? Where are you!?” I shouted back, but received no call out to me in return.
I searched the nearby vicinity of where I saw him head off at. I became frantic, worried that Aristaeus had snuck up in surprise and hurt him. But when I got closer to the exact location from where the shriek came from, I placed my hand over my mouth at what I saw.
Eurydalos was on the ground, on his stomach, passed out from the looks of it. I rushed to him, kneeling on the forest floor. I spun him around, holding my lover in my arms. His eyes were closed as he faced me. I shook him vigorously, hoping he would come to. “Eurydalos! What happened!? Wake up!” I demanded, my own body now trembling.
But there was no sign of life. He was completely unconscious and I could sense that he was no longer breathing.
Was he dead!? But how!? Who could have done this!?
I inspected his body up and down, looking for any and all clues of what could have led to the state he was in. It wasn’t until I glanced over his feet to notice traces of blood coming from it. As I concentrated in on the exact mark, it was evident that something had bitten him on the ankle, leaving two deep holes into his skin. From the looks of it, it had to have been from a snake, and my fear was that it was a venomous one. The poison had likely already made its way through his entire body.
And there was nothing I could do about it. I had no medicine, no healing potions or remedies to give him. I felt useless. All I could do was weep, watching my lover fade before my very eyes. I sobbed, crying into Eurydalos’s neck. “This can’t be happening! Please tell me this is a trick!” I shouted aloud, hoping this was all some sort of prank, perhaps by Hermes.
I prayed he would somehow come back to life, continuing to cry into him. “You can’t go, Eurydalos! There is so much more for us to do together! We have a bright future ahead of us! I love you!”
No amount of tears could rejuvenate his vitality. Eurydalos remained still, his body becoming colder minute by minute. I was not prepared to lose the love of my life. I had fought so hard for him, forus. There was absolutely no way things could end like this. It was impossible!
But what I thought to be an impossibility was proving to be otherwise. How could I have been so careless? Why did I allow him to venture off on his own? Had I not let him go wandering in search of food by himself, this would have never happened. It was all my fault! I was the one that convinced him to come to the Vale of Tempe in order to confront Aristaeus. All of this was my doing. I was the one responsible for my lover’s death. No one else could be blamed but me.
I could never forgive myself. Why was I so prone to making all the wrong decisions in life? First, with Calais and now with Eurydalos. What was I doing wrong? Was I being cursed by the gods unbeknownst to me? Were Aphrodite and Eros at play? Had I done something to disappoint the two, leading them to scorn me, taking away any love I could ever hope for? How come I always found love, only to lose it almost instantly?
As I continued to break down into my lover’s chest, I felt his body somehow become lighter in my lap. I lifted my head, only to see Eurydalos was fading. He was disappearing and soon enough, he was no longer in my arms. He was likely drifting away from this world and into the Underworld. I would never get to see my lover ever again. He was one with the dead. His smile, his tan skin, his dancing, his witty remarks. They were no more.
Now I was alone on the ground, weeping to myself. “Please come back, Eurydalos! Please come back!” I called out, pounding my fist into the ground. But nothing changed. My pleas would be in vain. No matter the words I spoke, and no matter the tantrums I threw, nothing would bring my lover back to me.
And what would I do now? The only future I had planned was one with Eurydalos. There was no future I had in mind that did not contain him in it. I no longer cared about my goals and dreams about being a world-famous musician. Why would I want to live a life like that alone if I could not enjoy it with the love of my life? It was then that I finally came to a realization about myself. I needed love in my life. I needed Eurydalos in order to thrive andlive. Because a life without love… I wasn’t sure that it was even a life worth living.
Chapter 17
One month later…
