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As the boat pulled up to the shoreline, the lone passenger lifted their head from their seated position, knees bent, arms resting on top and a maroon shroud covering their head. The boat ride hadn’t taken as long as she thought it might have, though in truth, she had no idea where they were going.
The driver brought them to a stop just by the waters edge and Kassandra readied herself to disembark, with a small smile she turned back to the ferryman.
“Thank you Charon, it was good to see you again”
Charon simply nodded at his charge and prepared himself for his return journey.
Kassandra stepped off the boat in to the water off the shore and slowly walked on to the beach, turning back to see that the ferryman was no longer in sight.
She lowered the shroud that had been covering her head and closed her eyes as she tilted her face towards the sun. Allowing the feeling of contentment that it gave her to take over, even just for a moment, after all she had been here before and nothing was ever as it seemed, at least for her, so she was unsure of what to expect next.
After a few moments she lowered her head and opened her eyes, looking out over the seemingly endless ocean, the waters were smooth and calm, no boats or hungry sharks milling about the coast prowling for foolish swimmers. This was not how she remembered it.
“I suppose it has been a while” she murmured to herself
Still, she knew the feeling of contentment wouldn't last, she could already feel nerves crawling away inside her. She had seen the house on the hill top as the boat pulled in and couldn’t bring herself to look back around at it.
There was no town in the surrounding area, had there ever been?
The lone house on the cliff was surrounded by fields of blossoming flowers, the most wonderful she had ever seen other than in Elysium itself. Their perfume reminding her of of the initial tranquility that she felt when she first explored there, that of course didn’t last long due to the rebellion. In Elysium of all places she thought almost rolling her eyes. Trouble really did seem to find her all her life, why should now be any different.
Kassandra turned from her ocean gazing, braving a glance up at the house. A dull pain ached inside of her chest.
The place of her most spectacular triumph, and greatest failure.
Perhaps this was what was held in store for her. An eternity in the last place she had dared to feel safe and settled, the only place she had dared to think of as her home. Though, she supposed, it was more who rather than where.
She began the walk up the single dirt path towards the house, the warm sun on her head and a gentle breeze, as she got closer she swore she could almost smell the scent of someone cooking.
Reaching the gateway to the homestead she noted that there was indeed a small fire with some meat on a spit just over it. Walking towards it she brushed her hand along the tables containing various vegetables and tools for preparing freshly hunted game. Reminders of days long passed, as people no longer needed to hunt for their food, not themselves anyway.
The cooking food smelled wonderful, though she couldn’t quite place what kind of game had been prepared. A thought struck her then, if food was being cooked, was she alone here as she had initially thought?
“You always did like to keep me waiting”
Kassandra felt her eyes close and a smile grace her face. Over 2 millennia and she instantly recognised that voice, it had both haunted and comforted her during sleep, she often dreaded and craved those hours she got what little rest she allowed herself. Sometimes she thought it better to keep herself so exhausted that dreams alluded her.
Opening her eyes again she turned to the owner of the voice, stood where she had said her final goodbye to him, leaning against the fence.
“You were always so patient, why am I not surprised you would be waiting here” Kassandra grinned
“You certainly took your time, I hope you don’t plan on keeping me waiting any longer”
“Of course not, my love”
And with that Kassandra strode forwards, arms entwining his neck whilst his circled her waist. She felt the tears begin to fall as she leant her face between his neck and shoulder and inhaled. She had forgotten, his scent, how he had felt in her arms and his arms around her. How could she have forgotten this.
Bringing her head up she looked in to his eyes, barely able to see through the tears. No matter, she would have eternity to look in to them again, to bask in their warmth. Their lips met and it was as if they had never been apart. Memories flooded back to her, it was almost painful, nights sat on the roof trellis, stealing kisses and gazing at the stars, hunting and fishing, telling tales of their adventures and making love during what little private time they could find together.
They had had so little time, Kassandra would be sure not to waste a moment now.
As they parted, they touched their foreheads together and gazed at each other, it really had been too long.
Kassandra brought her arms down from around his neck and slid them down his arms, still wearing his blue chiton, he looked the same as the last time she saw him.
“Natakas, how I’ve missed you” she said, voice thick with emotion
“And I you my love” his gaze fell on a scar just visible below her shroud on her left shoulder “This is new, I’m sure you have a million stories for me”
“Of course, the life of a misthios is never dull”
A sudden thought occurred to Kassandra as she gazed in to the eyes of her love, hands gripped.
“Elpidios?”
“He passed through long ago” Natakas said “Our boy grew to a man, had his own family to meet”
Kassandra nodded and looked to the house
“You did what you had to do Kassandra, you kept our son safe, allowed him a life he could never had had with us”
As she looked back at Natakas, Kassandra felt the clawing of guilt draw up inside her.
“Natakas I’m so sorry, I swore I would protect you both and I failed” fresh tears began to fall down her cheeks “I should never have left you on that beach, you were-”
“Hush now” Natakas brought his hands to her face and wiped away her tears with his thumbs “you did what you had to do, I would never have forgiven myself if we had left my farther to die”
“You died Natakas!” Kassandra gripped his forearms “you died and it was my fault!”
“People die Kassandra, we were being hunted every day, I’m only thankful we had the time we did together, and our boy, our beautiful little boy”
Kassandra embraced him again. The guilt she felt had not diminished at his words, but for now she could only be content to hold him again. They stood together for what felt like hours, Natakas stroking her hair as she buried her head on his shoulder.
Almost as though she would float away if he spoke to loud, Natakas asked softly “Are you ready, Kassandra?”
Kassandra raised her head, a pert smile on her lips “For what?”
Natakas grinned as her and inclined his head towards the house “To go home”
Kassandra leant back and turned to look at the house again, the doorway now glowed with a bright white light. She had seen this before, when she brought Phoibe to join her parents. Turning back to Natakas she grasped both his hands once more.
“Come my love, I have kept you waiting long enough, let’s go see our son”
The couple walked towards the doorway hands clasped, with a final glance at the surrounding countryside of their home, entered.