Elpis x Pride: « The empress without a crown »

Elpis x Pride: « The empress without a crown »

A/N: a little nod to « the king without a crown » I wrote two years ago.

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She was his queen. The sin claimed so. A year after the goddess was set free from her curse, Pride took the time to get to know her. His memories of her, which meant nothing to him at the time they had returned, were replaced by fresh ones. The goddess did mature over the millennia. She wasn't the oblivious gorgeous little creature his older/other-self met 2000 years ago. From a princess kept in a golden cage by her siblings, she became the Phoenix, reborn from the ashes of her ancient life.

He loved her darker side, the tendencies she had to appreciate violence and a blood bath. He loved how eager she was to help him achieve his goals and become his true partner rather than a glorified prize. He loved to see how twisted her mind could be when she was angry. Yes, her thirst for revenge, her desire to make her enemies suffer resulted in her talking creatively about what she wanted to do. He loved her resilience and the raw power rushing through her veins.

As a matter of fact, while annoyed at mankind, he also respected her love for them. He appreciated seeing her try and protect them even if that meant going against him. She had ambition, she had her own motivations and she was her own person. She was the crowned jewel of the primeval gods' pantheon, the one they tried to keep locked in her gilded cage, unaware of her true potential. It became clear, however, that the more she stayed on Earth and grew in strength, the more she could claim the All-mother title for herself. She expressed that desire already, condemning her mother for not having protected her, her fallen siblings, and even her father, and instead chose cowardice as a solution. Elpis, the All-Mother? The amount of power would be insane, and would further boost him in his attempt at conquering the universe. That idea crossed his mind and he imagined her, sitting on a throne, her crown of light on top of her head.

Here she was his empress without a crown, only waiting for the good moment to seize power for herself. Here she was, his Light, at her best, once she'd recover fully from the curse and could operate. Here she was, smiling at him, embracing him with her pure and warm light, showing him just how powerful she really was. Here she was, loving him, and while he had a better understanding of what love was, and expected no less from the goddess, he was still pleasantly surprised to see that she kept choosing him, over the million different options she had before her. She still chose this difficult path to freedom and domination, she still chose to walk in the dark, only holding his hand as sole guide and guarantee of her survival. She chose him. Before, now, and he knew she would always.