Hadestown / Six
The way was long, they’d been walking for hours. Well, Orpheus had been walking, Mezimuri had stayed on his shoulder, softly singing to him, trying to keep his spirits up. It didn’t always succeed, but, even when his heart was at his lowest, he still put one foot in front of the other.
‘What do we do when we get there?’ Orpheus muttered at one point, as his steps got so slow they almost stopped.
‘We find Eurydice. We bring her home.’
‘But what if she doesn’t want to come home with us? We’ve taken too long, she’ll barely even remember me. Migibi will push me away again.’
The bluebird on his shoulder said nothing, instead trilling a song. The song. The one they’d been working on, and as she sung, she felt his speed increasing, his determination growing.
‘If she does, we will remind her. And it doesn’t matter how long we take, we will get there.’
Orpheus nodded, eyes focused on the great wall in the distance. They would get past it and find their loves.
‘It’s okay, Eurydice.’ He muttered to the wind, feeling his dæmon’s wings brush his ear. ‘Just wait a while longer, I’m coming.’
‘I want to stay. I want to stay with Orpheus.’
Eurydice paused slightly in her packing. Orpheus was out, walking through the fields and forest, barren as they were, in some vague attempt to find inspiration for his song. Eurydice had held out hope that there would be money, or food, when she got home but, without it, her mind had been made up. Migibi’s hadn’t.
‘We'll starve if we stay here Mig. Got to do what's best for us.’
‘But,’ The wolverine said, looking at her with big, sad eyes. His form had never suited him, the sensitive one of their pairing. ‘We're happy here, we love them.’
She sighed, swinging the bag over her head. Her eyes met his, matching his feeling. ‘My heart is breaking here, Mig, I don't want to go. But we need to or we'll die.’
‘And Hadestown is better?’
'Hadestown has warmth, and food, and work.’
It wasn't really an answer and both Migibi and Eurydice knew it. But, if she let her heart, her soul, choose where she went, she’d have lost both years ago.
‘When they come back, it’ll be like we were never here.’ Migibi whispered.
‘Good. Now, let’s go.’
Almawt watched the boy, getting ready to sing his song and Hades watched Almawt. The boy seemed unbothered by the snake, larger by far than any creature of the land above. Persephone used to love her form, thought it majestic and beautiful. Now, she only looked at Hades' soul with scorn for how she was different and dangerous to the humans Persephone so loved.
The song was about him. About him and his wife.
Almawt turned away from the singer as he sang about falling in love. Hades tried to stop, briefly, how did he know the melody, but Persephone let him continue, her eyes on Almawt. The snake, head half bowed as if scared to look to her, slowly moved towards Persephone. Hades held his breath as he watched her move. He’d kept her close for years, scared she would be turned away if she tried to reach Haya. Hades’ eyes rose slowly to Persephone, to the bumblebee in her hair, who slowly flew down to land on Almawt.
Hades let out a deep, halting breath and the melody came to him. He sung with his wife, standing to offer his hand. Persephone took Hades’ hand and they danced.
Persephone glared at her husband, watching him drive his workers into a frenzy. They’d been building the wall for years, long before many of these workers had joined them and they were still building. Hades wouldn’t let them stop.
‘He’ll work them to death.’ Haya muttered in her ear, perched just above her hairline. Unlike Almawt, the bumblebee was almost identical to a human’s dæmon, only the gold flecks along his stripes marking him as anything otherworldly.
‘He already has. Why else do you think they’re here?’
‘If summer was longer, they wouldn’t need him.’
‘They would just need us, don’t you mean?’
Persephone moved a hand to her hair, lifting him away from his face. His wings buzzed irritably but he turned as the newest worker joined the call, driving the others forward. She was a young girl and Haya’s wings wilted looking at her. Her dæmon staled beside her, looking broken.
‘They’re too young for this land.’
‘So are we, mother would say.’ Persephone frowned. She needed a drink if they were going to discuss their husband’s injustice.
‘I’m serious. We can’t stay here.’
‘We won’t,’ She said, smiling sadly. ‘We just need to make it through Winter.’
‘No, no, it can’t end like that.’
Hermes wasn't watching. He turned away when Orpheus did, ignoring the magpie on his shoulder. Alsafar was fussing, trying to get him to react.
‘Hermes, did you hear me? Why-‘
'That's just how it ends, Saf. Don't ask why.'
‘But…’ She trailed off, feathers dropping. Without the way they normal sway and shine in the wind, she looked so small, a human’s dæmon. ‘He was so close.’
‘I know, Saf. But I don't think he had a choice.' Hermes turned to the Fates, beginning to hum to themselves. ‘You've heard this song before, haven’t you?’
'I have.' She’d heard ever song. 'But never like this. Never one of our own.’
‘It was going to happen. We couldn't protect him from tragedies forever, he had to hear sad songs from time to time.’
Alsafar crooned, the sound travelling over to where Orpheus was stood, still staring at where Eurydice had been. He didn’t move but Mezimuri let out a low trill to join the magpie’s chorus.
‘So, what do we do now? Isn't the song over now?'
Hermes finally looked at Orpheus and smiled. 'Now? Well, now we sing the song again, don't we?’
Jedan stormed about the room, ranting and raging. Catherine just watched him, trying to figure out the best way to calm him down. They were lucky Henry's palace had plenty of ballrooms for him to stomp around.
‘I cannot believe him!’ The bull yelled, the sound echoing around the room. Catherine raised her head, as if she could watch the sound heading up into the rafters. ‘Twenty four years, Catherine. Twenty four years and this is what we get!’
‘It's not happening.’ She said, standing up and walking towards him. ‘It's not allowed.’
‘He said he'll make it allowed. He's the King!’
‘The King is not above the church, above God.’
Jedan finally stopped and looked at his woman. His head tilted, making his face look softer. He’d almost look gentle if it weren’t for the great horns on his head. Catherine had loved his form since the moment he Settled, days before they married Arthur. It showed she was strong, it reminded her of home and reminded all who saw her that she was the Queen, and her horns were her crown.
‘This crown is mine. So, there is no way that Henry will take it away from me.'
‘He’s out. Again.’
Anne twirled a strand of hair, glaring at the door to her bedroom. Their bedroom. Henry’s bedroom, the one he should be in but wasn’t.
‘He’s been out every night for the last month. I’m not sure why you’re surprised anymore.’
Anne turned her head to look at Dyo, clinging to the bed frame and looking at her, not the door.
‘Because he’s meant to be here. Imagine how mad he’d be if we even flirted with someone else.’
Dyo’s eyes narrowed as hers widened, excitement clear. ‘Don’t even think about it Anne.’
‘Oh, come on, it’ll be fun.’ Anne said, sweeping the monkey into her arms. ‘Flirt a little, get some attention, make Henry jealous. It worked before.’
‘Yes, when we were flirting with him, with a King! You’d be risking a lot.’
‘Ha, yeah, right,’ Anne chuckled, jumping onto her bed with him and laughing. ‘Henry went against the Vatican for us, he’s not going to go against us.’
Dyo frowned but said nothing, watching her laugh and imagine all the ways she could make her husband jealous.
They were going to be in way over their heads and Dyo didn’t know what to do.
‘Jane. Jane, hold on, we need to see Edward.’
Edward, her son. She needed to see her son. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t even tilt her head to the the lion beside her.
‘It’ll be okay, Jane. We’re strong, we’ve always been strong. We’ll weather this like everything else.’
Ekolu was rambling now, trying to make Jane react in any way. They needed to get better, their son needed them to be better. Henry and the doctors had taken him away and if they didn’t leave the bed, they wouldn’t see him again.
‘Come on Jane, sit up. Or…or, just look at me. Please, you can do that, right? Look at me.’
They’d left her alone, all wanting to help the new Crown Prince. Which is what they wanted, what Jane had practically screamed at them while she still could but it left Ekolu trying to shake her out of her daze on his own. Something he was failing to do, as the daze was becoming increasingly difficult to shake from himself.
‘Jane, please. Just look at me.’
Jane blinked. She turned her head to the voice but there was nothing there. Maybe Ekolu had gone to see Edward.
Anna leant back on her throne, smirking to herself. Her servants were rushing about, making sure everything was perfect for her. The palace was hers and hers alone. Well, hers and Fjorir’s.
‘Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren’t you?’
Anna turned her head to her dæmon, smirking. He’d been out in the garden, perusing the vast grounds they owned. After the divorce, Fjorir had insisted on their bond being Stretched, giving him freedom from her to represent her new social movements. It was useful and quite fun for scaring people at court, walking about without a dæmon or having him start conversations without her.
‘Not at all. Just considering all the things we could do today. Hunting, croquet, take trip to court, anything we want.’
‘And no one to stop us doing anything of it.’ The peacock chuckled, tail feathers fanning out. If a few feathers fell out in his rustling, well, someone would clean them up later.
Anna laughed, holding out her goblet. She only had to wait a few seconds and the goblet was full. She smiled at her dæmon as she took a sip.
Even if they’d divorced the King, in Richmond, she was the Queen.
‘Marriage? But, K, I didn’t think we wanted to get married?’
Katherine rolled her eyes, looking back at Coig. The little mouse was scuttling across her vanity as Katherine looked through her dresses. She had to look her best to accept the proposal, otherwise Henry might be upset.
‘Well, you heard what he said.’ Katherine smiled, ignoring the slight force she had to put behind it. ‘He wouldn’t know what to do without me, Coig. He’s devoted to me.’
‘I’m not sure devotion is what’s on his mind.’ Coig was frowning, chasing his tail nervously. He always did that if he wasn’t sure what to do or if he was nervous. Especially if either of those feelings related to men.
‘Well, that’s what he said.’ Katherine said, sitting down next to the vanity. Her grin was fully plastered on now, it’s falsehood only betrayed by the dull of her eyes. ‘He wants me to be his Queen, it’s the place I’m meant to be, he said it.’
‘He said it K. That doesn’t mean he meant it.’
Katherine looked at her dæmon. ’He asked me to be Queen. What else could I say?’
Her smile still didn’t reach her eyes.
Chwech perched on the side of the stage, watching the other former Queens singing. Catherine was joining in, supporting their songs but the raven just watched on. This little competition was pointless and demeaning. He didn’t understand why Cathy was even entertaining the rest of them, letting them drag her into this childish charade.
They took a brief break after Howard’s song and Chwech flew down onto Cathy’s shoulder, pecking her ear slightly.
‘Get over yourself.’ She said, turning her head to glare at him. ‘It’s our song next, I need you with me.’
‘Oh, our song is it?’ He said, wings flapping. ‘Tell me, what are you planning to sing about, Parr? Or is it Seymour? Or-‘
‘I get the point, Chwech.’ She said, rolling her eyes. Howard is on stage, bragging about her song and the others look ready to run on and fight against her words. ‘They won’t be happy if we don’t sing.’
‘But it’s stupid. Why are we letting Henry define us? He was the worst part of our lives.’
‘That’s why they are letting him define us.’
Chwech frowned as they all ran back to the stage. ‘Well, maybe we shouldn’t let it anymore.’