A Hundred Years

Cover photo by Dustin Dagamac on Unsplash.

The bitter sting of the cold was already subsiding to make room for the blossoming flowers along the pathways. It was a fresh change of scenery that only half of the realm looked forward to, but was welcomed by all just the same. Less white powder covering the greenery outside Ashnah as it melted into the soil.

Aki leaned down to gently pat the pink tulips as they passed. Delicate petals with the new dawn but a strong stem holding it up against the light wind. A good sign for the changing of the season. Especially before the sun was even fully up.

It was a shorter walk to just cut through over the hill to the sundial, but they still preferred to take the scenic route via the pathways. Especially to admire the scenery before it drastically changed come sunrise.

Passing past the barn where the animals were just beginning to awaken for the day, over the minidam-looking bridge that allowed passage to the other side of the river into the wide field by the lake. Waiting diligently and mildly impatiently, still much more than an immortal goddess should be, Eleanor strolled right over to them as soon as they stepped foot on the grass.

“Honey, you're looking a bit pale. You really should visit more, it’s only a stone throw away.”

“I am aware, Mom.” Aki leaned up to kiss her temple and she reciprocated with a loving hand on their cheek. “I will visit tomorrow before the Dawn of Spring celebration. Persephone will be busy with Aunt Alicia setting things up, anyway”

Eleanor smiled and kissed her child on the top of their head. “Just make sure you’re nice to Maya when you do. She’s beginning to think you don’t like her and you’re just being cordial.”

“That’s only because I don’t play with her every time. She always shifts into an otter and wants me to play fetch with her toys in the pool.”

“It’s her favorite activity! There aren’t many humans to play with her when she’s in Ashnah.”

Aki sighed and pretended to mull it over. “Alright, I will play with Maya.”

“Thank you, Pumpkin.”

By the time they reached the field, the other two gods were already waiting for them. The lady of the day, and season, Persephone raced forward to envelope Aki in a hearty hug. “Oh, this never loses its joy!”

“The changing or hugging me?” Aki asked, wrapping their arms around their cousin’s waist.

“Both!” She loosened the hold on them, but didn’t let go. “Is it ready?!”

“Not quite yet, but it will be tomorrow.”

Alicia, a goddess draped in purple and features of white, stepped forward. “Is it the present she continuously speaks of?”

“Aki’s making me an automatic feeder big enough for the barns in Salemas! All their economy comes from livestock, it’s the least we can do as their patrons.”

“You’re their patron, Sephie. Not me.”

She playfully rolled her eyes, as if she didn’t believe them. Which she never did.

Eleanor and Alicia meanwhile were watching the horizon. At the first sign of darkness dwindling, Alicia sighed and looked to her younger sister, who merely squeezed her elbow in a comforting gesture and looked to them. “It’s time. Places!” she sang, taking Alicia’s hand and pretending to drag her towards the center of the field.

A large sundial just a step high off the ground. Four sections laid out equally with symbols and colors. Green with pink blossoms cast along in wind; blue with white frost swirling towards the center; yellow with cyan water sweeping from one side to the other; orange with a brown branching tree. Painted with the purest colors from nature and even after half a thousand years, had no sign of age from time. It was as pristine as the day it was conjured.

As the sun fully rose, the four gods took their places around the sundial. A circle was placed at the head of each season position and they were all poised with differing ranges of enthusiasm. But all happy nevertheless.

Three additional people stood behind each of the other gods. Aki fidgeted with their hands behind their back as the demigods participated in their own special ways. Aspen stretched back his shoulders, his snow covered suit jacket preparing itself to be shed behind Alicia. Maya waved to them while swaying back and forth, side to side behind Eleanor.

The demigod behind their cousin, the goddess of the day, had his hands in his pockets and stared up at her in admirement. Genuine adoration written all over his face. Persephone looked back at him to say something and he laughed, placing a hand lovingly over his heart. She clapped her hands and even after she looked away, he still watched her with all the love in his body.

It made Aki want to scream.

Alicia held out her sleeve where the delicate snow flurries bounced atop the fabric. They started to fade and a bittersweet smile overtook her features. “Sunrise quickly approaches.”

A bright orange glow broke through the dark over the horizon. Aki had made sure no tree line obscured the sun no matter which direction it came up from. This morning it rose from the South in a confident daze, revealing itself inch by inch. Until the rays touched the edges of the sundial.

The dial moved of its own accord, with help only from Mother Nature and Father Time. They always were dramatic in their ways, even if there wasn't anyone besides family to witness them. But the dial was their way of celebrating the changing of the seasons.

Aka the gods’ birthdays.

As it drifted over to Persephone, the ground around her rumbled and the wind picked up. She smiled brightly and Alicia’s face turned a slight bit less translucent and more pale, the colorless color fading in gently from within her cheeks. They were certain Aspen didn’t even notice his jacket dissolve into water that was quickly swept to nourish the grass, with his eyes trained on his goddess the entire time.

Until the dial struck fully on her daughter, someone he’d known her entire life. The entire 867 years of it.

Soft pink petals enveloped Persephone and her demigod’s limbs. Their clothes fluttered and Aki had to physically restrain themselves from beating their chest at the skipping as the demigod regained his seasonal attire. A white shirt and a sheer green over shirt unbuttoned to match the white flowery dress and lace green sleeves Persephone wore.

Elegant and dainty, but as graceful and strong as the breeze. Just like their cousin. They matched perfectly and Aki hated how they couldn’t keep their eyes on their cousin like years prior. His hair was the opposite of Spring’s nighttime black, a sunkissed auburn blonde. Eyes that mimicked the oncoming blooming buds, but with a hint of a feeling that made you be drawn in. By a thin red line tied around your finger, one that no matter how it twisted or caught on a passing thorn, would always lead back to him.

Or maybe that last part was just Aki.

Alicia walked over from her partition and held out her hands to her daughter. Persephone took them gratefully and swung herself down in a graceful flurry of grass blades. She threw her arms around her mother and hugged tightly.

“Happy Creation, little Sundrop.” Alicia was already starting to lose the frost that adorned the edges of her sleeves and gown for her season.

Persephone smiled brightly. “Thank you, Mam!” She turned to the demigod at her side and Aki hated how their eyes were drawn to him as well. “You look amazing, as expected and as always!”

He held out his palm and she placed her hand in his. Bringing it up to his lips to sweetly kiss the back of her hand. “Not as amazing as you, Spring. The season will be just as beautiful as you and the one before.”

That made even Alicia and Aspen smile. And Aki want to wring the stem of the nearest lilac.

Amias. The demigod of love and former mortal. He’d only been immortal for about a hundred years, but he had taken to it a lot better than most would. He carried himself with the same grace as his goddess, but still with the familiar canter of someone of his arrogance.

Aki rolled their eyes and held their head high, refusing to do anything to beg for comments from him. They hopped down and strolled over. Amias’s smirk grew sharper and more mischievous as they approached. “Fall-!”

They stepped right past him and kissed Persephone on the crown on her head. “Happy Creation, Sephie. I will see you tomorrow at the waterfall.”

“Okay! I love you!” She waved as Aki ambled away from their family and Amias’s eyes boring into their back. A thought that created a light, fluttering in their chest that constricted every joint in their sturdy body. One they haven’t felt since they first laid eyes on Micah so many years ago.

As they neared their ‘castle’, a giant tree with hollowed out halls and stairways and grand roots that ran deep into the soil, their gait slowed until they came to a stop just outside the door. The palm of their hand pressed firmly against the rugged bark and their forehead resting on the smooth-stained door. Mortal feelings causing human symptoms. In any other circumstance, they’d be relieved.

For now, they’d ignore it until it went away. Even if the cause was too annoying to ignore at the source.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Days after the changing of the season, well into Spring but not too close to Fall, Aki left the too quiet tree castle on the command of their family. The more time went by and the dawning silence inside threatened to squish them, the more they regretted not having their mechanics closer than the nearby town. At least alone in their workshop, the constant banging and mechanisms filled the void Micah once occupied then left behind.

The fresh smell of rain fragranced the air. Aki swept a hand through the space and a sweep of moist air scattered across the podzol. Not many flowers grew in their little area, but they still appreciated the occasional watering.

Taking the shortcut past the pavilion, Aki glanced down and saw orange tulips sprouting up around their feet. Behind them, a trail of red tulips and brown carnations followed their path leading all the way to where Amias’s hand was curled up into the soil.

They raised an eyebrow and ignored the skip in their chest. “Really?”

“Thought you could use a little something to brighten up your day.” He stood up and the soil seemed to seep into his skin. “Or a few dozen.”

“Seeing Sephie will suffice.”

Amias smiled and nodded towards the makeshift castle in Spring’s little corner of Ashnah; a farmhouse style to match the rest of the houses surrounding it. “She’s right at home.”

Aki turned to walk away, paused, and threw back a quiet, “Thank you.” As they treaded lightly, but briskly, towards the castle, they could hear his voice behind them answer back a phrase. It wasn’t a comforting phrase when taken from anyone else’s mouth. Not since Micah.

“Whatever you wish, Fall.”

If Aki relied on air to breathe, their reaction would have been fatal. “Please, do not call me that.”

Amias didn’t object, but he did quip an eyebrow curiously. “May I ask why? Lady Spring has mentioned you don’t prefer it, but no explanation.”

“It’s of no concern to you why. Merely don’t do it.”

“If we’re to know each other for a century to a millennium, it will come about some time or another.”

Aki closed their eyes, biting the inside of their cheek. “Well, here’s hoping it’s not even a decade more, then.” As soon as the words left their mouth, they desperately wanted to snatch them back and throw them miles and miles away. Make the wind carry them as far away from Amias’s hurt expression as they’d go. A spiteful and unnecessary remark that wounded them both to be shared.

Amias swallowed and Aki yanked their gaze from his throat. He nodded and plastered a smile on his face. “I’ll change your mind about me soon enough, Aki.”

“Don’t bet on it, demigod.” They weren’t exactly sure what their feelings towards Amias were, but they were certain they wouldn’t be swaying any time soon.

“Many mortals feel that way about love at first. It’s my job to amend that.”

Aki cut their eyes to him. “Love? Where did you get that idea?”

“Well, I am love, aren’t I?”

“Right, right.” Of course that’s what he meant. Of course. How the demigod of all love couldn’t sense Aki’s feelings, they didn’t know. Because they did know that if Amias could, he wouldn’t have kept quiet about it.

And as they visited Salemas with their cousin and gave their blessings and aid, the thing Aki wanted most was to hear if he could sense the ache of their fingers reaching for his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silence. Awful, spike straight jabbing into their chest, guts-twisting silence. Aki stumbled down the stairs, nails gripping into the curves of the twisting trunk walls as they tried to steady themselves. If they could bleed, the thin red liquid would be dripping from their fingertips. There was no white noise, all ambiance blanked out of existence according to their ears.

They were drowning in their tree devoid of sound. Even the scrapping of their shoes and jagged coughs of escaped breath were above the surface. Aki was being dragged further down into the depths, far from where any sound waves could reach them.

They weren’t drowning in any water. Even in the ocean, they could hear the sweet ambiance of the sea life their mother and her demigoddess tried so hard to breathe life into. Chimes of creatures as they swam about their surroundings, not unlike the creatures of the night on land.

If only they were mortal. Then the release of death could give them relief from this burdening weight of silence. Even death was louder than this.

Aki collapsed against a wall and slid down until the ache in their knees subsided. Until the force shoving them to the ground let up and all that was left was the passive exhaustion they shouldn’t be able to feel as an immortal god. Crippling all senses for the emptiness to flood in-

A gentle touch to their arm. Aki didn’t even jump, but did blink to clear out the darkness creeping in on their vision. Shades of green like pixels knelt at their side. They opened their mouth to speak out, but of course nothing came out. Or if anything did, they did not hear it.

Even after over 2,500 years alive, the initial horror of feeling their vocal cords move but nothing coming from it never lessened.

“-y heart sings only for you, my dear~”

Melodious rhythm beated into their eardrums. Death hadn’t found them, but another release. Breath trickled into their leafen lungs.

“Our eclipse escape is never ending~ Let me be the wings for your wind to sweep away~” The pixels solidified and Amias leaned forward to rest his wrists on Aki’s knees. Even through diluted senses, Aki’s chest wrapped around itself at the touch.

“Have you ever seen the fluttering of the wind? Or the way my eyes turn sorrow when our day together ends? It’s a mournful feeling every time I leave you, my dear~” He titled his head until his eyes met Aki’s and held his gaze. “Every sunrise and moonset, I will find you in the morn~”

Aki had heard him sing numerous times over the past hundred years. At every celebration and holiday, it was always Persephone’s special request. But they had always left when he would bring up love songs. Romantic love that they themselves had lost years ago. They couldn’t stand his flirty nature in day to day passings, but much less in song form.

But this felt different. The look in Amias’s eyes wasn’t the same when he sang for the mortals. For the people in Spring’s towns on Rozmeher. For any pretty human he deemed worthy to flirt with.This one was filled with concern replicate to their cousin. A deep, delving fixation that begged Aki for confirmation they could hear him.

“I will find you and you will always find me~ I assure you, my dear.” Amias’s voice dropped at the end as his eyes left Aki’s to search their face. “Are you still breathing?”

“I-” They bit the inside of their mouth and flexed their fingers. Thin orange veins popped underneath olive skin, creating an intricate system of roots akin to a tree’s running along their hands and arms. “I’m fine. Now.”

They attempted to stand and wobbled for only a second, but Amias still took their arm and held it until they shakingly took it back. They stumbled backing away, but no longer due to any silent panic. “Thank you, Amias.”

“Are you alright? You didn’t look good there for a moment.”

“I’m perfectly fine. Just…a bit too quiet in the tree.”

“You don't like the quiet?” Amias smirked. “The squirrels should be an easy fix to that, shouldn’t they?’

Aki narrowed their eyes. “I have no squirrels in my tree. Only birds and a pest that broke in.”

“It isn’t breaking in if the front door was open.” Amias gestured behind him where the two doors to the castle-tree were indeed both wide open. Though one did appear to be flung out.

Avoiding his eyes, Aki brushed past him and outside in the air. As soon as they stepped out, the calling of their birds and soft spring wind welcomed them. They could hear commotion from their mother’s domain on the other side of the pavilion. The animals in their cousin’s barn pacing about to their muck stalls for food. Mellow music floating from their aunt’s castle.

Sweet sound that calmed all remaining unrest in their body.

“Better?”

Almost all of it.

Aki twisted around just as Amias sauntered down the steps and across the podzol. An aura stretched between them, of pale colors that they weren’t sure consisted of which kind. What shade or tinge. Which power Amias possessed that Aki needed to sever to rid themself of this curse.

“Why did you come here? Initially?”

Amias stopped in front of them and smiled with a corner perked up. “Persephone wanted to invite you over for dinner and you weren’t answering her. She was worried.”

Aki looked away. “I’m a god. What’s there to worry about?”

Amias reached out towards their face and they flinched away. But he still plucked the stray green leaf from their chestnut hair. He held it up between two fingers and flicked his wrist, sending the leaf flying into the air.

As Aki watched it drift towards the sky, Amias turned away and started walking towards Spring’s pasture. “Coming to dinner?” he called out behind him.

Aki snapped back to reality and scowled after him. “I agreed to eating with Sephie. I don’t recall you being involved in the deal.”

“If eating with my goddess is the offer, I can assure you I am always involved in the deal.” Amias pivoted on his heel to walk backwards but could still watch Aki.

A funny and familiar feeling in their chest that resonated down into their stomach. Somewhere in the back of their mind, Micah’s face rippled into a conscious memory fragment. It was cemented into their entire being at the call of his death. That wasn’t going to change until the death of their own season, Aki was sure.

But after 1,500 years, the ache of a love lost dissolved into an echo that seemed intent on begging for a call back. And Aki wasn’t sure if they wanted to spend another millennium or two blocking any of them.

So they took a deep breath and followed Amias.