Chapter Text
Natalie had practically dug up the Earth, and turned the lives of the mortals up-side down. The farms became a wasteland. The temperatures dropped dramatically, indicating the blizzard that currently raged inside the goddess’s heart. Food became scarce. People began to starve, and the population decreased dramatically.
The mortal world was in utter chaos.
Natalie had instructed her husband Andrew, to search the waters. He did as he was told by his distraught wife. But his efforts were in vain. She had tried to contact her son as well, but he had been sent away by Marcus for delivering a message to another god, and therefore, could not be available.
Because of the lack of food, the mortals were not able to put their offerings to the gods – they were used to feed the poorest of the poor. Animal sacrifices became practically non-existence. The only thing that the people had to offer the deities was their hopes and prayers.
This did not go unnoticed by the immortals.
Ever since the offerings ceased to come, the powers of the immortals were dimmed. Even if they wanted, they could not rectify the grave situation Natalie had put everyone in due to her grief.
And the only way to restore all that was to safely return the Goddess of Spring to her mother.
The only problem was that said goddess was nowhere to be found. The only “witness” of Beatrice’s disappearance were the two nymphs. And their statements were as good as that of Albert’s sacred cows.
The two realms were in deep peril, and unless the goddess is found, they were screwed.
Only time would tell.
Beatrice quickly found out that her newfound ‘freedom’ was just as miserable as when she was under the watchful eye of her mother.
True, she found solace in the fact that no one was breathing down her neck day and night, and that no one was here to tell her what to do. But it also made her insecure.
Since she found herself in an entirely different environment than the one she was used to, she had no idea what she wanted to do. The Underworld was a stark contrast to the mortal realm. Unlike the mortal realm, this place was always shrouded in darkness and gave her a very gloomy and lonely aura. The Underworld having no visible source of sunlight was a very distressing thing for her.
Dining with Four was awkward. He would try to initiate conversations, but she would shut him out really quickly. She admired his determination to talk to her, but she just wasn’t ready to talk to him. She would only come out of her room just to eat, and then retreat back to her room. He would send gifts to her every day, but she could care less for them.
Four was at a loss. He had run out of ideas on how to coax Tris out of her shell. She had declared a few days later on a whim to stop calling her Beatrice, as she didn’t feel like “Beatrice” right now. She would refuse to see him at anytime, except for when they were dining. She was so close, yet so far away.
He quickly realised though that the reason for her misery was a lack of sunlight and beautiful green fields. He had no clue as to what to provide to her that would make her smile again, just like when he spotted her at that party. Then it hit him.
He knew that Beatrice was miserable without the fields and sunshine. The King of the Underworld also knew just the place where she might feel at home as well. He hoped that it was enough.
“Tris?” Four says softly, knocking at her door. “Can I please talk to you?”
“Please go away.” Tris sniffed from inside. Four sighed.
“Please, just this once. I have something to show you.” He pleaded.
“I don’t want any of your gifts.”
“It’s not something I can move around.” He explained. He attempted one last time. “I know you’re miserable here, because this place doesn’t have any sunlight or fields, and you don’t feel at home. I was hoping I could rectify that situation.”
Tris remained at her bed, burying her head in her knees, as she sunk in his words. He pin-pointed the problem she faced while living in the Underworld. This place was too dark and gloomy for her liking, and she did not feel at home. Because she was the Goddess of Spring, she had the ability to bring a place back to life, and Four lived in a place that was home to the dead.
Still, she got out of her bed and went to open the door. It had almost been a month since she came here, and had very minimal contact with Four, by choice. She knew she couldn’t avoid him forever, and that since he would bring her back to her mother in a little less than year, she might as well get to know him in the meantime. She opened the door, and saw a hopeful looking God standing in front.
He was still as breathtaking as when she had first met him.
Four, a bit startled to see her agree to his proposal, grinned widely, the whites of his teeth contrasting against his golden-tanned skin.
“Follow me.” He said. The two walked together in the silence. Tris had no idea where he was taking her, but something in her gut told her that he could be trusted. Although, she couldn’t understand the fluttering in her stomach that seemed to come alive whenever she was near him.
Eventually, they reached at the bank of a river. A beautiful gem-encrusted boat was anchored at the bank, with a hooded figure sitting at the front of the boat with a large paddle held in his arms, waiting for his passengers to climb aboard. Four climbed inside the boat, and held out a hand to her to help her climb inside as well. Tentatively, she grabbed his hand, climbed inside the boat as she took her seat beside him. The way her small, soft hand was wrapped in his large, calloused one sent shivers of pleasure through her entire body.
“Where are we going?” she asked, as their ferryman sailed them across the waves of the River Erudite.
“It’s a surprise.” He said a little nervously, as he urged the ferryman to pick up the speed.
The boat rocked and rolled along the waves of the river as they made their way to wherever Four said was her surprise. The ferryman later paddled the boat to the edge of the river after what felt like forever. The duo climbed out of the boat, with Four still holding on to the goddess’s hand, walking a little ahead of her as he lead the way.
They entered a long, dark tunnel, with cave-like walls. Four’s hand tightened around her and Tris somehow understood that he was not all comfortable in this narrow space.
At last, they came across a carved wooden gate, which was at least ten times the height of Four. He gave a gentle nudge at the crack, and the gates opened wide, giving the way to enter.
“It’s . . . dark.” She mutters. She’s wondering why he brought her here.
Four nudges her forward. “Go on, I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Feeling a little doubtful, Tris walks ahead and enters the room. As soon as her foot touches the ground inside the gates, a brilliant flash of light emerges from underneath her toes. The flash of light spreads so brightly and fast, she had to cover her eyes to prevent herself from going blind. As soon as she opened her eyes, she gasped.
She was facing what she would refer to as Paradise. It was a large, endless field of green, with several fruit trees and flower shrubs scattered around. The sky was a brilliant blue colour, with beautiful mystical birds with their feathers of gold and silver soaring throughout the fields, singing the most beautiful tunes she had ever heard. The lake, she could see, was clearer than the glass, which showed her the clearest reflection of herself she had ever seen, which even a mirror was incapable of.
Slowly, she went deeper into the fields, trying to soak in its magnificence. The smell of fruits from a tree wafted up her nose, enticing her. She made her way to the most delicious smell of pomegranates she had ever smelled, and found herself in front of a large pomegranate tree. Seeing the red, fat pomegranates mixed with that delicious smell made her mouth water. She picked up the nearest fruit, and was just about to taste it, when an alarmed voice startled her.
“Don’t eat that!”
Panicked, she dropped the fruit, where it was instantly buried under the grass. She looked at the spot mournfully. Four smiled sheepishly as he saw her pout.
“Sorry.” He said. “It’s just . . . when you eat the pomegranates from here, you become bound to the Underworld. Then you wouldn’t be able to leave this place. Ever.”
Tris’s eyes widened as her mouth formed the shape of an ‘o’. “Thanks for the warning.” She said. Then she looked from left to right, and turned to Four with an awed expression. “What is this place?”
“This is the Fields of Amity.” He explained. “This place is where souls of mortals are sent when they have won favour amongst the Gods and the mortals. This is the place where the most courageous warriors have taken up residence for a life of eternal bliss as a reward for their greatness.” He shuffles his feet, looking at her bashfully. “I figured out you were miserable without the fields and sunshine, so I brought you here. I wanted to make you feel at home.” He paused. “Do you like it?”
Tris just stood there, speechless and touched. She never knew that such a place existed in the Underworld. All the other presents he had given her paled in comparison as opposed to the surprise he had given her just now. Now, she couldn’t bring in herself to feel any regrets about staying here.
Her face spread into an ear-splitting grin as she launched herself at Four, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love it, Four! Thank you!” she squealed.
As Four brought his arms around her, pulling her close, she inhaled deeply in his scent. Many nymphs had complained that the Lord of the Dead stank of death, but she wholeheartedly disagreed. It was the most wonderful smell that had ever filled her nostrils.
Of a forest fire in winter.