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Cold and harsh winters weren't an uncommon thing; they hadn't been for as long as anyone could remember. Cold that seeped into your bones and settled within them a harsh chill, shivers racking and lips cold. Winters used to be long - Persephone always came late for spring. But, while winters were shorter now, falling back into tune, they were still bitter. Bitter with thick and blanketing layers of snowfall and frost.
Eurydice and Orpheus had struggled to find enough firewood as they often did. In September, when they had planned to collect it, there had been an abundance of firewood, but it was in high demand, the lovers soon realised. By early October, they had to suffice with minor amounts and ration it out through winter. This left their thinly walled house frigid and the couple having to trudge through the snow to Hermes bar on the daily for some semblance of warmth.
Eurydice was used to the cold, Orpheus too. Neither of the two suspected the winter to be harder to get through than the other winters were firewood was high demand and low supply. Even on the worst nights, ones where the cold found its way to nip at Orpheus and Eurydice despite the layers of clothing and blankets, they had hope and knowledge of how to get through it. Their tactic being to holding each other close, tangling themselves to feel the body heat of each other. Neither suspected anything out of the ordinary would happen.
That was until Orpheus woke up. His songbird was still fast asleep, the layers of cover still delicatly draped across her as her mouth hung sligthly agape and her breath was even. Usually Eurydice was the first of the pair to wake up, she wasn't known for being much of a sleeper; but occasionally, Orpheus would still find her tangled in the bedsheets, deep asleep. Warmth bloomed in his chest as he watched his Eurydice sleep. There was no point in getting out of bed yet; bed had warmth in the form of blankets and Eurydice. Giving into the sleepiness which was still present, Orpheus gently rested his head closer to Eurydice's and closed his eyes, letting his eyelids droop and his breathing start to even out.
It wasn't long, however, before Orpheus felt a stir beside him, frantic movement from Eurydice's side. Quickly, Orpheus shot his eyes open, pulled from sleep immediately. The second his eyes were open, he saw his lover thrashing about wildly, eyes barely open, but terror evident.
"No.. n-no.. Orpheus!" Eurydice cried, trying to pull all of the blankets off as she thrashed around. "Make it stop!" Eurydice continued, her hands going straight to her hair, away from the blankets as she cried into her knees, now drawn up to her chest.
"'Rydice?" Orpheus began tentatively, not aware of what was going on. With no discernible reply, he reached out his hand to cup hers, but she pulled away.
"No," Eurydice spoke, her voice dripping with fear. "No!" she spoke again, body racked with sobs and shivers.
Orpheus bit his lip, a nervous habit he'd recently gotten into as he tried to figure out what to do, anxiety blooming in the pit of his stomach. "'Rydice..." he started again. "It's Orpheus," his voice was quiet, unsure of itself. He wasn't used to seeing her like this, even on the worst nights whenever she was in the grips of a nightmare. This was different.
It took Eurydice a few more moments to come back to herself, to realise where she was. Her face burned with tears and her head ached from the ferocity in which she had tugged on her hair. In a quick breath of relief, she looked towards Orpheus. "It's you.." Eurydice spoke quietly, her voice hoarse.
"Eurydice!" Orpheus called, reaching out a hand again, his body relaxing slightly.
Eurydice took his hand slowly, her eyes open fully but exhausted as she moved into Orpheus' side. Her body ached, she noted, and she was freezing cold. "What happened?" Eurydice asked, resting her head gently on Orpheus' chest, her eyes shutting as she tried to breath with the movements of the rise and fall of his chest.
"I don't know," Orpheus admitted honestly, running a gentle hand through her, now, messy black hair. It wasn't long of running his hand through her hair that Orpheus noticed the heat radiating from Eurydice's forehead. Furrowing his brow, Orpheus removed his hand from her hair and pressed the back of it gently on her forehead. Burning.
Orpheus had gotten fevers before - quite a few, actually, Hermes always said Orpheus had an awful immune system when he was younger - but none quite as high as the one he was feeling from Eurydice. He would have pulled away if it wasn't for the content hum of Eurydice, grateful for the cool skin touching her aching head.
"'Ce, you're burning," Orpheus spoke, his voice low, apprehension filling it. He'd never taken care of a sick person before; Hermes had always taken care of him when he was little, but Orpheus had picked up on what to do, but fear made it so he'd forgotten.
Eurydice shook her head gently, not fully aware of what Orpheus meant. "I'm cold," she murmured as a shiver was send through her body, making her cling to Orpheus more than she had been doing.
Confusion played around Orpheus' mind for a moment before he remembered something Mister Hermes had told him when Orpheus had first developed a fever; a confused seven year old boy who didn't understand why he was so cold whenever Mister Hermes had repeatedly tutted, "poor boy, still burning up," over and over again.
The words that came into his mind were: "Fevers are like that, Orpheus, it's gonna make you freezin' cold before you feel better. Even if I ain't telling ya that you're cold, it's the way it works - we've gotta bring that temperature of yours down."
A content hum came from Orpheus after remembering at least some advice Hermes had told him years ago. "You're gonna be cold, 'Rydice, but it doesn't mean you're not burning to me." If only he remembered how to bring the fever down, perhaps he'd be able to breathe a little easier.
Eurydice didn't reply but rather, unconsciousness took hold, grabbing her and pulling her into its grasps as she fell asleep again, Orpheus' hand still resting on her forehead. Orpheus shut his eyes too, holding Eurydice against his chest, kissing her wild hair softly, hoping she could be at peace for a few more moments while asleep.
The peace didn't last long.
Eurydice woke up with a gasp, her eyes glazed over."Orpheus?" she called out - her throat felt raw. "Orpheus?" she called again, panic rising, despise the fact she was being carefully held in the arms of Orpheus. Her throat burned and her head pounded as she looked around desperatly for her lover, even with the gentle crooning of Orpheus' voice.
"You're safe 'Rydice, I'm here... I'm right here," he spoke, feeling the girl begin to thrash about in his arms in panic again.
At a loss, he kissed her gently, hoping with his entire might that the kiss would be enough to break her from the delirium which she was in. It took a few moments of a shivering and hysterical Eurydice to calm down, not to ground herself, but to fall asleep, shaking as she did so. Often Eurydice's face would be soft and peaceful as she slept, but this time, it was filled with discomfort, pain.
Orpheus had to find Hermes.
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Snow had settled all around, blanketing the green grass and beautiful flowers that surrounded the house of Orpheus and Eurydice. They'd watched the snow fall, curled up on each other, sipping a hot tea recipe Hermes had given them the moment winter had begun. It was as freezing cold as it had been when winter began as Orpheus stepped outside, shivering in a thin, brown jacket and the first pair of boots he'd found.
Hermes bar wasn't far - a few minutes walk, and always open, even if it had barely reached midday and snow was covering the ground. It would be a cold walk, but he needed Hermes. Orpheus had shed a few tears whenever Eurydice had fall asleep again, fear rising because he knew he didn't know what to do. In a slight lapse of judgement, Orpheus had kissed Eurydice gently, laid her down on their bed, and stepped outside, hoping with all his heart that she wouldn't wake up.
The path was coated in snow, thick snow which was difficult to trek through, even with winter boots. He pulled his thin jacket around his small frame, biting back a shiver, the burning feeling of panic being the only thing keeping him feeling any sort of warmth.
"Eurydice," Orpheus whispered, gritting his teeth as he felt the drops of snowfall drop onto his back and face.
"What if she doesn't make it?" The snow seemed to whisper as he bit his lip again, shaking his head.
“What if she wakes up?” The snow called again, the wistful voice that was always in the back of his mind, stronger now since getting out of Hadestown. But he wouldn't listen to it.
The usual five or so minute walk took closer to fifteen minutes, and by the time he got to Hermes' bar, his hair was damp with snow and his skin was freezing to the touch. At least the bar got firewood - Hermes wouldn't let it go without as it was somewhat of a necessity to have somewhere where his patrons could go to warm themselves up and get a drink.
“Mister Hermes, Mister Hermes!” Orpheus panted as he walked through the entrance of the bar.
"Orpheus?" Hermes asked, his voice surprised as he saw the boy standing in the doorway. "Kid, what're you doing here?"
"Eurydice," Orpheus spoke, his voice soft but too cold to form words properly. "'Rydice... s-she's got a-" he was cut of by a shiver that ran through his entire form. "Fever," he took a breath to finish.
Hermes sighed, beckoning Orpheus over. "You left your lover back home?" he asked, instructing Orpheus to go stand by the fire, worry momentarily crossing him that Orpheus would end up giving himself a fever at this rate too.
Rubbing his hands to warm them up infront of the fire, Orpheus nodded, head hung low. "She w-was, asleep," Orpheus replied, still shivering as he took a step closer to the raging fire.
There was no point in reprimanding the poor boy, Hermes thought. He only hoped Eurydice was doing fine back at their house; he knew of their lack of firewood and low supply of food. Leaving Orpheus for a moment, Hermes grabbed the coat he'd thrown haphazardly across the back of the chair - he had ideas of what would help.
"A'ight, Orpheus, let's go." He gestured towards the door of the bar as Orpheus stepped away from the fire, having warmed himself through a little, no longer feeling as frozen as he had been.
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Eurydice wasn't sure how it was possible for somebody to be both freezing cold and blazing hot at the same time. As she woke up again, Eurydice noticed how much her body shook, her throat burned, and her head pounded. Memories of the first few times she had awoken were blurry and patchy, all that she could really piece together was Orpheus. Orpheus holding her, kissing her gently as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
Where was Orpheus now? Eurydice pondered the thought, noticing that she wasn't still in his arms; but she didn't panic, her rational mind stronger than the hysterics which she had been in. However, "Orpheus?" Eurydice called out, her voice weak and raspy as she did so.
Without a reply, Eurydice tried to move to sitting up, see if that would give any insight as to where Orpheus was. But as Eurydice tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness crashed over her, forcing her to lie back down, pull the blankets further over her and hope that Orpheus was somewhere in their home, her throat too sore to cry and call out for him again.
Orpheus never took this long anywhere and he'd always come back to the call of Eurydice. Worry startled to settle in as the minutes passed with no sign of her poet anywhere in their one floor home. Within moments, Eurydice started to panic, losing the rationality which she had come to as she woke up. What if he'd left her?
Tears began to pound down Eurydice's face as shivers ran through her body again, unkind and irrational thoughts of, “what if he was in Hadestown?” briefly crossed her mind, causing her to gasp and call out for him again despite the pain it caused. She wanted to feel safe in his arms, be beside him, head on chest.
“Orpheus!” she rasped once more, not caring how much it hurt, longing only for the reply of her lover.
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“Mister Hermes, it's cold,” Orpheus mumbled as they continued back to his home; worry had been coming on strong, realising that he'd left Eurydice in the state which she was. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something had happened.
“I know, Orpheus,” Hermes replied, nodding his head, his own coat covered in a thin layer of white snow. “I'll make you and your lover a fire whenever we get you both warm.”
“And tea?” Orpheus replied, his voice quiet and hopeful.
“And tea.”
The walk back from the bar was less difficult as Hermes showed Orpheus the ways to avoid the most snow, taught him how to hold his jacket in a certain way to maximise the heat, and gave him the confidence and hope of helping Eurydice. However, the walk was still uncomfortably cold and all Orpheus wished for was to cuddle up beside Eurydice again, the fire blazing and a steaming mug of tea.
Hands shaking from the cold, Orpheus unlocked the door and stepped inside, hoping for what would be a slightly warmer home – it wasn't, it was still as freezing inside as it was outside.
“Orpheus!” Was the first thing the poet heard as he and Hermes stepped inside. Eurydice. Her voice was distressed, weak, laden with anxiety.
“'Rydice?” Orpheus called, ignoring Hermes concerned glances, as he shrugged off his jacket and padded into their bedroom.
Eurydice had managed to bring herself to a sitting position, blankets pulled around her, knees drawn up, as she shivered, still calling out for Orpheus.
“Orpheus...” her voice was broken and exhausted.
“I'm here, 'Rydice, I'm here,” Orpheus hummed, pulled her into his arms, feeling the temperature radiate off his wife. Her cheeks were a pale red, eyes dark.
“Where... where'd you go?” Eurydice asked, releasing a breath she'd been holding in, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Had to get Mister Hermes... I didn't know what to do.” Orpheus looked down, eyes flashing with shame – he'd left his Eurydice at home and it'd hurt her.
Holding Eurydice close, Orpheus couldn't help let his mind wander to the almost damning of Eurydice to Hadestown. Even if he didn't want to, the moment Orpheus felt guilty, he flashed back to turning around, the fear that pounded in his chest as he thought they hadn't crossed over to Overground, the relief that immediately swelled in his heart when he took her in his arms.
“I've started the fire,” Hermes called from doorway while blowing out a match, pulling Orpheus from his rumination.
Gently pressing his lips against Eurydice's forehead (both to re-check her temperature and for a light kiss), Orpheus nodded toward the living room. But Eurydice shook her head; she pulled herself closer into Orpheus, shivering, chills holding onto her.
“Hold me,” she hummed, having no more fear that Orpheus wasn't coming back, understanding his reasoning.
Hermes had always been there for Orpheus: he'd cooked for him, taken care of him, and tried to teach Orpheus those skills for whenever he'd live with someone. Orpheus new what to do, he truly did, but seeing Eurydice so distressed made his mind blank, his only thoughts were to get her better, but he'd forgotten how to do it.
“It'll be warmer by the fire 'Ce,” Orpheus murmured, pulling her closer anyway.
Eurydice uttered something incomprehensible but nodded, her eyes closing slightly as she sat up. Dizziness wasn't quite as prevalent as she took Orpheus' hand. Even if she wasn't as dizzy before, her entire body ached and her heart pounded as she walked with Orpheus.
“Oh Songbird,” Hermes spoke, setting out the tea he'd made while waiting for Orpheus and Eurydice. “Have some tea, it'll make you feel better,” Hermes continued, shaking his head slowly at the paler than usual complexion of Eurydice.
The small room had begun to fill with the warmth of the fire and scent of burning wood, a comforting scent as it wasn't often smelt, and if it was, it meant that they were not longer cold. Light brown spiced tea sat in two white mugs which Hermes had laid out for them on the table in front of an old couch. It was the tea recipe he'd given them at the start of winter, warm and comforting.
“Orpheus tells me you have a fever?” Hermes asked, taking a seat on worn, chair.
“Mmm,” Eurydice replied, clutching her tea, happy for the warmth that spiked at her hands.
The brown tea was sweeter than it had been before, a distinct taste of honey and ginger filling her mouth as she took the first sip. She and Orpheus had tried to make it once before, but they both struggled to brew it correctly and missed out half of the ingredients, so it ended up being closer to boiled cinnamon water with not enough sugar. But they'd recently been to market, specifically for the tea's ingredients as the weather had worsened. The warmth of the tea bloomed in her chest, the first amount of warmth she'd felt the entire day.
“She was still burning up when I went into our bedroom,” Orpheus admitted, taking a sip of his own saucer of tea, grateful for how much nicer it was than whenever they had attempted to make it.
Hermes tutted before standing up from the chair and exiting the living room, slight concern for Eurydice. It left Orpheus and Eurydice somewhat confused as they continued to drink their tea, close by each other finally. Eurydice had stopped shivering as much, the tea and fire heating her in a comforting manner, but not doing so much for the fever that still burned.
It wasn't long before Hermes appeared again, a soft cloth that had been run under water and wrung out, held in his hands. As he stepped over to Eurydice, he gently took the tea cup from her hand and placed the cloth over her forehead.
“This'll bring that temperature down,” he spoke, turning to Orpheus. “Keep this on her forehead and let the girl rest.”
Orpheus nodded, a little too enthusiastically lucky to have someone like Hermes. Eurydice closed her eyes, leaning against Orpheus, grateful for the cool and wanted sensation of the damp cloth across her forehead.
“I've go to go back to the bar, alright? But you take care of your Songbird,” Hermes spoke as he stepped back, grabbing his coat.
“I will Mister Hermes, I promise,” Orpheus gently smiled, cradling Eurydice who was slowly slipping back into sleep, a more content sleep than before, a restful sleep which she had been wanting, as Hermes left their house.
“I love you,” Eurydice hummed, half conscious, but the statement true. Even if Orpheus hadn't made the best choices, Eurydice truly appreciated the effort. She appreciated everything he did; Orpheus was all Eurydice could ask for.
“I love you too, 'Ce,” Orpheus smiled, holding Eurydice close, kissing her cheek.
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“Mmm, you do seem quite warm,” Eurydice teased, feeling much better than the day before.
But it seemed like Orpheus didn't feel that way – at all, in fact. He'd awoken with a sore throat and chills, Eurydice beside him, face returned to her usual colour. The moment Eurydice saw Orpheus, she lightly laughed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
“This is why you shouldn't kiss someone who's sick,” Eurydice continued in a gentle tone as Orpheus sighed, closing his eyes again.
“I feel awful, 'Rydice,” Orpheus spoke, his voice as scratchy and breaking as Eurydice's had been.
“I know, love, I know,” Eurydice lulled, gently running her hand through Orpheus' tangled mess of hair. “But I know what to do; you're gonna be okay.”
Orpheus nodded, leaning into Eurydice's touch. He knew he didn't feel as bad as Eurydice had felt the day before, but Orpheus certainly did not feel well. Whenever they'd first moved into their cosy one bedroom home, Orpheus' had gotten ill. Nothing awful, a cold, but Eurydice had been excellent to him, she knew exactly how to take care of other people, having lived without shelter for years, she had to learn.
Orpheus nodded, “I trust you, 'Rydice, you're good at this.”
“I know,” Eurydice laughed, her tone comforting but teasing, as she kissed Orpheus gently, disregarding her own words from before.
“You're gonna get sick again,” Orpheus protested as Eurydice held him, still gently pressing kisses to his lips.
“I don't mind,” she smiled, still entwined with Orpheus, happy to spend as long as they could together in bed, grateful for being with Orpheus.