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For months Periboea had been planning to give Icarius the perfect Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day didn't exist in Naiad culture and society, so she hadn't known to get him anything the previous year. He'd spent the next day moping around, refusing to talk to her, as he'd tear up and run away when she'd get near. If this single day meant so much to him, then Periboea was going to make sure that this day was perfect.
Like most nature spirits Periboea woke up with the sun. It was still dark when she slipped out of bed, Icarius’s sleeping features softened by the shadows. Periboea walked as loudly as she swam -silently- not a person in the castle would wake at the sound of her footsteps. Since becoming queen a little more than a year ago she'd gotten used to life with humans. Though she still refused the maids that doted on her every need and whim. She preferred the quiet to the hustle and bustle of the workers in their castle and the town. Sparta was a big island and she'd spent much of her life swimming in its many rivers, exploring the countryside. As much as this was where she lived, the water would always be her home.
Periboea headed to the outdoor bathhouse, as it was much closer than the nearest river, the water there was still fresh, and the rivers were quite cold at this time of year, as they had no artificial heating. As royalty, Periboea often had maids that would open the baths for her and would offer to wash her. She always refused point-blank but had stolen the keys from a maid the one time she accepted their offers. Using this key ring, Periboea could get into many places that usually required supervision to enter. She opened the gates and stripped out of her night gown. Into the water she slipped, staying underwater to rejuvenate. The sun was slowly rising, ripples of purple, pink and blue rising in the sky. It had been a few hours and she would need to get back soon before her absence was noticed. She stepped out of the water, not bothering to dry off or put clothes back on. Not even the maids would be up for another hour, she'd be free to head to her private changing room and dress herself there -not that it was unusual for her to walk around nude, but she knew that it was expected of her to wear clothes, being a queen of mortals now- The walk back was peaceful, the air cool on her wet skin and hair.
She roamed the halls of the castle until she unlocked her dressing room and put on a cream coloured dress that complimented her marbled blue-gray skin. She braided her blonde, and now dry, hair in order to keep it out of the way for the events she had planned later in the day. She donned the many bracelets her sisters and cousins had made for her over the years as well as the necklaces her parents, aunts, and uncles had given her. She put on the only ring she owned, the one Icarius had given to her after they'd married and he'd realised that neither of them had rings to exchange. It was a simple band of smooth bronze, with no gems set in it. It was her favourite possession.
As Periboea walked back to her and Icarius's room the staff had woken up, and she could smell the breakfast she'd requested being made. Once she entered the room she saw that her Icarius was still sleeping peacefully, the sunlight that filtered through the sheer curtains cast upon his face. Periboea began to hum a lullaby; singing in her native language. It was a slow song about the water cycle, and how when it rained all the creatures of the water would come out to play. On mornings like this when Icarius slept in later than usual she'd sing it to him to wake him up.
Icarius stirred, rubbing his eyes before blinking away the light covering his face. He saw Periboea and smiled.
“I've always loved your singing.”
“Good morning to you too. Wear some nice clothes, I've planned a lot for us today,” Periboea said as she left the room.
“Like what?” Icarius asked, but Periboea had already left and wasn't returning.
Icarius couldn't help but smile. Before he met Periboea he'd spent his life worrying about the woman he would marry. What if she thought he wasn't “manly” enough? What if he was too emotional for her? Men were supposed to be strong, stoic, and emotionless. He was anything but that. Periboea didn't seem to mind though, in fact she loved him all the more for his lack of these “manly” traits. Every morning he prayed to the gods for allowing them to meet each other. She made life sparkle like the sun on a crystal lake.
Icarius put on his comfortable, but very attractive, robes for the day. He wasn't sure what activities Periboea had planned but she liked to be fairly adventurous so he didn't want to wear anything restrictive. He made his way down to the dining hall, where he could smell eggs, cheeses, and breads, fruits and teas, and jams and sauces. What was lacking, however, was the usual smell of fish. Every morning in the dining hall Periboea refused to start her day without the protein of the water: fish. The other nobles that shared the castle and dined with them would look on in disgust, wrinkling their noses and turning away. Icarius had grown to love the smell, since Periboea smelled faintly of fish most of the time anyways.
When he got to the dining hall he noticed that none of the other nobles were there. They had the hall to themselves, which made it much more unusual that Periboea was eating fruit, bread, and cheese. They had the place to themselves so why not eat more fish?
“Darling, Icarius, you're up,” Periboea smiled, her large pointed teeth showing.
Icarius sat down but didn't take any food.
“Not hungry? I requested all of this just for you…” She looked at him, tilting her head to one side in confusion.
“There's nothing here that you enjoy. Why's there no fish?” Icarius gestured to the large spread, which was definitively lacking in fish.
Periboea picked up an apple and took a large bite out of it. The grooves left in the apple were deep. “I love everything on this table, I'm not sure what you mean.” She chewed it, her face struggling to hide the tartness of the apple. A few chunks fell out of her mouth, as her teeth weren't meant to chew this kind of food. She was good at tearing apart fleshy items, not water based solids of sugar.
“Peri, you don't have to pretend for me. I know you can't really eat the food we eat. And I love fish too, please just eat what you like,” Icarius said, placing his hand on his wife's. She spat out the rest of the apple and smiled. The two of them waited for about 20 minutes while some fish was prepared for the two of them to enjoy.
Once they'd eaten, the couple went for a walk around their land and into the town. There were flowers everywhere, and everyone was wearing their nicest clothes. Sparta wasn't the biggest kingdom but it certainly wasn't small. Couples were shopping together for food and gifts, kissing any chance they got, and almost every spot to eat was booked full. Periboea never got what the excitement was about this day but she knew it was important, which was why Icarius's favourite bakery was completely empty.
Soon after becoming queen Periboea had learned that people would do whatever she told them the moment she reminded them that she was queen. Before knowing this, people would flat out ignore her, especially if she'd forgotten to wear clothes that day, but now she knew the power her words and actions held. A week before now she'd approached this bakery and asked them to close it to the public on Valentine's Day.
“Close our doors to the town? On the day we make the most money the whole year?” The owner had asked her, in complete disbelief.
“I'll pay one and a half times the amount you usually make this day. And be sure to make everything on that list I gave you. I know human minds are quite forgetful so I made sure to specify everything exactly the way it should be.”
The baker looked at the list and her eyes widened. Periboea had written everything she wanted for her and Icarius on that day, all of his favourite pastries and sweets.
“I can't make these with the small amount of money you're giving me. It'll cost more than double what you're offering. Half of these ingredients are out of season! I'd need to use our reserves, which we charge more for this time of year,” the baker flung her hands into the air and gestured behind her to the storage cellar that was somewhere beneath the bakery.
Periboea didn't always like to pull the queen card, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
“I'll pay double what you make this time of year, and don't forget who I am. I am the queen of Sparta. Wife of Icarius. You will obey me and you will be happy you did so. I expect to see your shop empty to all but us and for these to be waiting on the nicest table you have. People may enter once we leave. That is all, thank you.”
Periboea left without another word, leaving the baker dumbfounded and shaking.
The two of them stepped inside the bakery. The baker was nowhere to be seen, but Periboea could smell more baked goods coming out of the oven in the back, undoubtedly for after she and Icarius left and the public was allowed inside.
“Weird, this place is usually so popular. Their pastries are well known for being extra special on Valentine's day,” Icarius noted, sitting down across from Periboea on the only table with food on it.
“Maybe they decided there was a better place. Or maybe we're lucky for being so early,” Periboea thought up these excuses on the spot. It was something she was concerningly good at.
She took a pastry and held it out, offering it to Icarius. He took it from her and ate it. It was his favourite thing from the bakery, Koptoplakous (baklava), which usually wasn't sold this time of year since the ingredients couldn't be gathered until much later.
“Isn't this expensive this time of year?” He asked Periboea. He knew she told him not to worry about anything she'd managed to acquire or plan, but he still worried.
“It's no issue. I know it's your favourite. Enjoy it.” She smiled at him.
In front of them was an entire plate of Koptoplakous, Plakountae, and Teghana, as well as cups of tea for them to enjoy, and a bag to take any extra food in.
After a rest of snacks, drink, and casual -but bad- flirting, Periboea and Icarius packed up the extra food and it was added to the small case that Periboea had already been carrying. Icarius had asked her what was inside but she'd refused to answer him, saying it was a surprise.
Once they exited the shop the baker was able to reopen, and a flood of people so large came in, the baker made even more sales from the public than the money that Periboea had given her. This was due to people being relieved the shop was actually open this day, and people rushing to buy their loved ones the things they'd forgotten to the day before.
Periboea and Icarius continued to walk through town, stopping at shops with interesting displays, and marveling at the floral arrangements. Periboea went into a flower shop, asking Icarius to wait outside.
As he waited he wondered what he did to be worthy of such a perfect wife. That or what would happen to him later in life to make up for his wonderful fortune. The fates worked in mysterious ways, and nothing good ever came without a price.
Periboea walked out of the flower shop with a large bouquet of Myrtle, crocuses, and hyacinths. Some of the flowers were dried, due to being out of season and they'd been preserved from the previous year. She handed the bouquet to Icarius, whose cheeks gained subtle colour.
“These are beautiful.” Icarius smiled at his wife.
“They wilt in comparison to you, my dear.” Periboea brought her hand to his cheek, smiling.
This made Icarius flush much more than before.
“Why don't we go see the play, I hear it's special for today,” Periboea said, taking Icarius's hand in her own.
He smiled in response, resting his head on her shoulder as they walked. Usually the king and queen on an outing made people stare, and they would come out onto the streets to greet them, as was customary, but on this special day the two of them could be a regular couple. A regular couple that could pull strings in the local businesses to get what they wanted. Perfectly regular.
As they got closer to their destination, the cloudier the skies became. Periboea had prayed the night before that it wouldn't rain. Only time would tell whether she was given this small victory.
Periboea stopped in front of the theatre. There were two shows on today: Love of the Gods, a romantic play about Aphrodite and her relationship(s) and affair(s), and Cupid and Death, a masque-comedy about Cupid and Death (Thanatos) accidentally switching their bows and arrows for the day, causing mayhem in the mortal world.
“Which would you like to see, dear?” Periboea asked. She knew which one she would prefer, but this was a day for Icarius. He was much sappier than she was.
Icarius thought for a moment. He would rather see Love of the Gods, but since Periboea was going to all this trouble for him, he thought it would be nice to see the play she'd enjoy more. Plus, a comedy is never a bad idea.
They purchased tickets for Cupid and Death, and went inside to find their seats. Up in the balcony, where they had more room to put their things, was where they chose to sit. Plus they had an aerial perspective of the stage. Once they'd sat down, the lights dimmed as curtains were drawn and candles snuffed.
The curtains of the stage opened as live music began to play. Cupid was sitting at the bar, and death walked in, sitting down beside him and placing his bow on the table. Death ordered a drink and began talking with the bartender. A few minutes passed before a drunkard stumbled over, knocking death's bow onto the floor, along with Cupid's, which had been resting beside him. The two scowled at the drunk man, and bent down to pick up their weapons. They apologized for troubling the other, and each went about their evenings.
The next day each one went about their business. Cupid was spying on people talking in the park and decided to grant them true love. He aimed, steadied his bow, and released. The young man was struck. He looked at the woman in front of him, wide eyed. He dropped to the ground. Convulsing, shaking, his eyes rolled back into his skull.
What terrible timing, Cupid thought. That man had a seizure the moment Cupid hit him with a love arrow. Ah well, bad luck.
Death was in the park as well. It was a big park. These elderly men were arguing about whose turn it was to feed the birds. Getting so worked up at this age isn't good for the heart… Death took aim and fired. The one man stopped for a moment. Here it is, my reward for patience. He looked at the other man, and stepped forwards, dropping the birdseed. The two of them began making out aggressively. It looked as if they were eating each other's faces. That's not… what was meant to happen… perhaps it was the fates, afterall, even Death makes mistakes.
Cupid and Death each continued about their days as usual. Strange things kept happening though, couples that were meant to be in love kept dying. Accidents that were meant to be fatal all ended in kissing and confessions.
Back at the bar, Cupid was drinking away his sorrows. Am I this bad at my job? Death walked in. He struck up a conversation with the bartender.
“You won't believe the day I've had. I'm meant to finish people off, be the reason for their final moments. Instead I'm creating couples left, right, and centre,” he threw up his hands in exasperation, taking a shot of whiskey.
Cupid overheard the conversation, it seemed like the exact opposite of his day. Cupid looked at his bow, and then at the bow Death had put on the table. Oh no…
Tapping Death on the shoulder, Cupid spoke up, “Hello, we met last night. Our bows were knocked down by some inebriated fool. I… I think we swapped by mistake. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and it is exactly what my day was like, but in reverse.”
A feeling of dread washed over Death, a feeling that wasn't often felt. People that were meant to die walked the Earth, and those that had been killed were meant to be with lovers. It had all gone terribly wrong.
“I do indeed think you are correct. So sorry for the troubles, but there are a lot more ahem elderly couples than there currently should be…” Death tried to explain, wringing his hands.
“And, in opposite fashion, a lot more dead young lovers…” Cupid added.
The two swapped back, making sure that this night they left with the appropriate bows.
A standing ovation, as people rose from their seats to applaud the actors. The masque was very entertaining. Icarius's ears were graced with Periboea's laughter throughout the whole performance. A much better gift than the other play would've been. Leaving the theatre, grinning from ear to ear was Icarius, as Periboea brought it upon herself to retell the funniest parts aloud. The masque had made her very giddy, along with the change in weather. The clouds had gone away.
The laughing and smiling couple continued on their walk through the town, eventually leaving it and walking up the hill. On top of the hill was a horse stable. Periboea had booked them a carriage ride through the forest and across the countryside.
The farmhands who ran the stables hooked the horses up to the carriage, and fed them while waiting for the couple to climb inside. It was one of their nicer carriages, with a divide between the driver and the passengers, but still mostly open to the air. Periboea refused the help into the carriage from the farmhands and got in on her own, then offered Icarius help herself. He smiled to himself, Periboea was the most independent person he knew.
Once they were both in the carriage the driver cracked the reins and the horses began to walk out of the stables and down the hill. The forest was a bit of a ways away so they enjoyed the view of the countryside before the woods enclosed them. The trees were still bare, though a few evergreens still showed nature's resilience, even in colder weather, though the weather on their island was quite mild, with heavy rain and light snowfall being the worst that happened in mid-winter. Now of course it was February and it was starting to get warmer as spring approached, and the skies were clear, the sun shining down.
As the carriage rattled along the path a breeze blew, causing Periboea to shiver. Her already naturally cold skin was now completely frigid. Icarius looked around the carriage for a blanket and found a lovely woven quilt. He wrapped it around her, kissing her on the cheek. She smiled and hugged Icarius, effectively wrapping him in the blanket too. They sat, cuddled together in the back of the carriage for a while as the breeze attempted to break through their warmth. Periboea kissed Icarius as thanks. He kissed back. After a while longer of comfortable silence they arrived at the edge of the forest, where the next activity Periboea had planned was going to take place.
It was a field of flowers by the river. It was actually quite close to the spot they got engaged. On their second or third meeting Periboea was bold and asked Icarius to marry her, since she’d seen how distraught he was. Clouds were beginning to form, but the sun still shone on this field and the river.
Periboea stepped out of the carriage, shrugging the blanket off. She placed down the case she was carrying and extended her slender hand out to Icarius. He took it and stepped down. Periboea picked her case back up and they linked arms as they walked to the riverbank, the carriage turning away, the clipping of the horses hooves softened by the grass.
Periboea spun around, giggling and falling into Icarius. She hadn't realized how fun human activities were. Maybe mundane was fun. Maybe mortality was fun. Maybe she was going to be fine in the castle after all.
The two of them fell back onto the grass, laughing and kissing. Periboea sat up and opened her case. She took out a folded blanket and a set of paints and canvases. They were small canvases, just big enough to do portraits.
Icarius helped her set up their picnic and put out the canvases and paints.
“We'll paint a portrait of each other! I saw some other people doing this when I was walking through town a few weeks ago,” Periboea explained, handing a canvas to Icarius.
“I'm not very good at painting… what if I make you look awful? I'm not skilled enough to capture your beauty onto a still image,” Icarius worried, expressing his concerns. His wife didn't deserve to be misrepresented for eternity.
Periboea just smiled. “To be your muse would be my honour. Anything you create I will love, darling.”
With that the two of them got comfortable and began to paint. The sun climbed higher in the sky, shining brightly. Birds flew overhead, overjoyed at the warmer weather. A light breeze ran across the countryside. Clouds rolled further in and settled in front of the sun. Before they knew it, two hours had passed and the paintings were finished.
“Oh no… it's really bad…” Icarius said, biting his nails.
Periboea just laughed. “I don't care if it's bad. I'm happy you took the time to try.”
They slowly put away all the paints before turning their canvases around one after another to reveal their portraits of each other.
“That's incredible, Icarius!”
“It's really not…”
Icarius had painted not just one interpretation of his wife, but several, scattered aesthetically around the canvas. Her tantalizing smile captured with colour and shape. Her picturesque body displayed over nature. Her hair flowed into a river, which became her body once more. Light hit her in a way that illuminated all of her beauty, even the parts she may not think of herself as beautiful.
“It really embodies me. Thank you,” Periboea smiled. She then turned her canvas around.
Her portrait of Icarius was more of a chicken scratch caricature than a proper painting. It was safe to say she didn't possess any painting skills. The only thing that really resembled Icarius were his eyes, which were gentle.
“Wow… it's… I love it,” Icarius told her. She tried. He loved her for that, even if it looked bad.
Periboea leant forward and hugged him.
The two embraced for a while before putting away their works and taking out their leftover food to eat.
They fed each other food, and the weather only got chillier. Periboea stood up and walked towards the river, bending down to pick up shells and rocks.
Icarius got up and followed her lead, smiling. He walked into the field of flowers rather than the river though. Periboea's arms were getting crowded with all the trinkets she'd gathered. She started using her dress as a basket. Icarius picked some flowers as he wandered near her, slowly building up a bouquet.
The two of them eventually met each other and presented the gifts that nature had provided them.
Icarius pocketed a few rocks and shells, as he tucked some flowers into his wife's hair. The two of them were very close, and were getting closer, even still. Their lips were brushing against each other when the first drop fell.
It began to rain, then pour.
Periboea stepped back, turning away from Icarius. Her hair was soaked now -her careful braids becoming loose from the rain and the activities of the day- as was her dress, as it clung to her skin, showing off the contours of her body. Icarius's hair was sticking to his forehead and eyes.
“It's your favourite, Peri. Rain.”
“Not today it isn't… I wanted today to be perfect. Everyone knows that rain ruins the day, at least for humans. And now it's ruined and you won't be happy thinking back to this day… and, and…” The tears began to flow down her face. It wasn't often she cried about insignificant things. She was a rather stoic person with a carefree attitude.
Icarius only smiled, “darling, I love the rain. It reminds me of you.”
Periboea’s dress was soaked to her skin, and the thin material was close to transparent by now, making it hard to tell where the fabric ended and her skin began. This reminded Icarius of their first meeting, where Periboea was nude, but it wasn't sexual desires that entered his mind, it was her ethereal grace and the beauty of her form. A purely artistic gaze was the way that he looked at her. If one of the muses were to die or be cast out, Periboea would easily replace her and become the most envied one within a heartbeat.
“I don't care about the weather. It won't ruin my memories. All I care about is you.” Icarius took Periboea into his arms and just held her.
Slowly, she stopped crying. And then began to laugh.
“I've been so silly, haven't I? I was so worried about having the perfect day. All it needed to be perfect was you,” She looked Icarius in the eyes and kissed him, before pulling away and dancing in the rain.
“Any day is perfect when you're here,” Icarius said out loud. He knew Periboea couldn't hear him, but he also knew that she already knew this. She didn't need to hear it because he showed it was true every day.
He ran after her, dancing with her.
The two danced and ran in the rain until they were shivering. (Icarius was shivering and Periboea made him go inside). The two of them changed into robes and sat by the fireplace in their common room, wrapped in blankets next to each other.
The warmth of their bodies and the fire made Icarius drowsy. Him and Periboea had spent almost all of their energy having fun throughout the town and countryside.
Slowly the two of them got up and headed to bed. Cuddling next to each other for warmth, they fell asleep in each other's arms.