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May 12th, 2008
 | 11:21 am - Fic
Title: Facing East
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) 100moods prompt: 74. Playful (My table)
Pairing: Zeus/Europa
Word count: 520
Rating: PG
Summary: She was a daughter of kings, yet she only wanted one thing.
She was a daughter of kings, yet the only thing she wanted was a room facing east so she could see the sun rising. Her father Agenor – having held her bloody, slimy, utterly new form in his arms, staining his splendid gold-encrusted robe and gazing down in a tiny face, a tiny will, a tiny new grandness – had always wanted to give his daughter all the things in his power to give.
All she wanted was a room facing east to wake up with the sun on her face.
So Agenor instructed the finest architects of his land to build his daughter a sleeping chamber that would never make sleep elude her or bad dreams find her. A room with a view on Apollo’s rising face. They built it to the letter (except they had no power over the bad dreams – no one does).
Europa dreamt the sweetest dreams, the light curtains of her window softly blowing over her face. The room was high and it was light and there were mirrors – in the mornings there were hundreds of suns, all landing in her eyes.
(Sometimes, Agenor worried she would go blind this way, but then she kissed his beard and told him not to take this joy away from her.)
Her friends trooped at her window every morning until she came out to play. They could’ve arranged to meet outside, in the grass, but the lure of the sun-castle was stronger. A beacon in the shady morning. Every morning they closed their eyes against the glow of a hundred suns and then Europa was a bright light sliding out from her sheets, smiling, smiling.
They had different games, but Europa was the star (no, the sun) in all of them – she caught the ball, she drew the lines, she decided who won the race. She was the first to shrug off her fine robes off her shoulders and go swimming in the sea. The sea, warm with her presence, the land across, waiting for her to bring the light. The world was waiting.
Zeus, cold from living with Hera, had eyes for light, for curtains of sunshine tumbling down a shimmering back. Her mouth was warm honey. She was life and he wanted to take it – and give it back. Olympos, cold cold Olympos. He left his wife in her bed.
Meeting Apollo on the way, he said: “Make the sun rise.”
Apollo understood (as always) and did.
The playing maidens, the flowing honey on the plain. The sea lapping hungrily at the warm sand, luring – please come here. Please. Zeus disguised himself as the moon and as opposites attract, it worked. The white bull, the golden maiden. The sea carried them contentedly, even as Europa clung to Zeus in fear.
In the afterglow of their love-making, he said: “I will build you a house made out of glass. The sun will be everywhere and you will be in it forever.”
She smiled at him.
He rested his hand on her forehead, felt warm all over. He told her: “This will be your land.”
And that is what happened.
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Comments:
The prose is absolutely lovely, and the sun motif is brilliant. I love your take on this myth.
![[User Picture]](http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/74668586/3541726) | | | *points at icon* Kinda scary perfect isn't it? | (Link) |
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As always you make me want to print this out and make everyone I know read it :)
Finding a new story from you is like a piece of fudge cake...so good.
I'd comment more on what I liked, each part (The sun images, her personality, her way with her dad, Zeus' disdain with Hera, Apollo!love, their adorableness and Zeus' sweetness) but that's all I can do for now. Too tired and jetlagged.
But yeah, needless to say, I <3 you. :D
Edited at 2008-05-15 11:42 am (UTC)
![[User Picture]](http://p-userpic.livejournal.com/73331578/12915353) | | From: | ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) holyfant |
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| Date: | May 15th, 2008 06:36 pm (UTC) |
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| | Re: *points at icon* Kinda scary perfect isn't it? | (Link) |
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I'm so happy you liked it so much. Being compared to fudge cake is awesome!
<3
(And your icon is indeed perfect)
The idyllic feeling in this somehow leaves me wanting for a twist, though I'm pretty sure that says more about me than about me than about the story. I find the imagery great, and your writing impressive as always!
Yeah, there's really no tension arch here, is there? :) I just wanted a bit of fluff (although I'm sure I could've chosen better myths for it than the one involving kidnap and sort-of bestiality, but you know...)
Thanks for reading! |
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