Chronicles of the primeval gods: Life of Elpis: The Garden of Everything
A/N : A little bittersweet moment between these two.
Xxx
Buildings, humans built buildings instead of enjoying the beautiful garden that existed there before. Granted those were millennia ago and men could have transformed this paradisiac place over the centuries, destroying little by little nature to build structures made of concrete instead. Elpis couldn't prevent the pang in her heart at the sight of it. A five-star hotel had been built there, offering a level of luxury that had not been matched in the area. Pride was making efforts for his Light, he'd rather spend time in Hades than mingle with humans. Yet his strategy paid since the goddess' powers reached new levels over her stay on Earth. His magic was still able to cloak her energy signature from the prying eyes of Ayasha, but he knew that it only was a matter of time before her powers exceeded his spell and they would have to think of another spell to hide her from her relatives.
Pride had the memories attached to the garden of Everything, but he had none of the emotions attached to them. Those weren't /his/ memories, after all, those belonging to the previous version of him. But the goddess was still the same and he understood why she was attached to them and why their steps took them to this place. It was the garden where everything began between the two of them, where they met and kept seeing each other when they were on Earth. It was a place, the pink-haired beauty held dear in her heart but, as Irony never took a day off, it was now transformed, a little bit like he was. She was upset, however, he could see it on her face since she wasn't hiding her feelings anymore. A smirk graced his features and he put his hand on the small of her back. Even now, Elpis was otherworldly, with a fine black dress that clung to her curves and her hair wavy yet with a single greek braid that held the top of her hair in check. She put a golden olive wreath in her head, to remind herself and others that she was a queen. Pride was wearing his usual black suit, impeccable around his silhouette and elevating an already perfect physique.
« Come on, Elpis, you couldn't possibly have expected the place to stay the same. »
« Part of me did, Superbia. The garden was breathtaking, beaming with wildlife and plants. It was so quiet back in the days. » She smiled faintly before she walked into the hotel. « Now, it's only concrete, gold, and platinum structures. »
« The hotel seems charming. Humans of this era can have a good sense of taste. » He mentioned while rubbing her back. « Let's go inside. »
As they went and rented (well, a slight influence of Pride and suddenly, everything is free and at their disposal, you know the drill) the royal suite, Bäahal stretched her arms as she crossed the door into the living room of the suite. The place was huge, with enough space for them to have a living room, a kitchen, a large dining room, and their bedroom. It was a gold and white room, richly decorated with golden ornaments, arabesques, and even furniture. It was familiar to the style of her own home and of Hades pantheon, which made both comfortable in the room. Elpis went to the balcony, in hopes to perhaps have a racy view of what could have been left of the garden. But there was nothing left of the original place anymore, instead, there was an Olympic swimming pool where several good-looking, or rich old people were gathered. Elpis sighed and put both hands on the balcony.
« There is always a moment when my feet take me to this place. I used to come here often, even when you weren't around. » She said, soft memories of her time in the garden brought a smile on her face. « Today it's noisy, filled with people eager to enjoy the latest lavishly decorated hotel. » She sighed and turned to look at Pride. « It hurts... » She patted her heart with her right palm and looked back at the people in the swimming pool.
« I know you're hurting. » Pride started before he walked closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. « The garden meant something to you, but just like the old me, it's gone now. » He mentioned, his voice as soft as possible but firm still. « I think that you wanted something to hold onto, something that could remind you of the good old times, but you've already admitted to me that those times weren't that good, to begin with. » He pointed out again, which achieved to break her heart. She gently escaped his grip and gave him a stern look.
« So what? I might misremember the days we spent together, but I still /lived/ them. I still feel something.. those were happy memories for me. »
« Memories of a time you were enslaved by your family. Memories of a time you were desperate for freedom and the old me was your ticket to your freedom. »
« How dare you? » She hit the balcony with her fist, the sky which once why bright and devoided of clouds, quickly turned black with grey clouds ready to unleash a tempest. « How dare you say that ? » -She weakly said, her eyes filled with unshed tears. « Yes, my life was less than ideal but is it a reason to insult me? » She asked, pointing him with her forefinger. « I wasn't even trying! We were in the area, so of course I would visit the only place on Earth that felt like home ! » She then groaned and looked away from him.
« You didn't let me finish, Elpis.. » But she stubbornly didn't look at him. Instead, she felt her lips purse tightly as she didn't want to let any sound escape her lips. Yet, her golden orbs were flashing bright light, while people under started to scream as the rain was ruining their swimming pool day. « Ever since we came on Earth to help you recover, we've made sure to make new memories. I can't and I would never feel anything that the old me did. I think that the irony of you coming over to a transformed place could actually be the opportunity to build new memories with me instead. Yes, the garden is gone, but it is still there, and the old Pride is gone, but I am here. My light, the garden was nothing but a place and the memories attached to it. I can offer you better memories with someone who truly cares for you. » He finally added, his hand holding her chin and turning it just so she could meet his gaze. We will make this garden ours.
« Do you really mean it? » She finally asked with a broken voice as the rain became even more violent. He stroked her cheek and gave her a non-ambiguous smile. « Then alright, You're right, I don't know why I got so upset over the change. » She took a deep breath and calmed the rain, then cleared the sky again. « The most important is that I am here, with you. It's all that ever matters. » -She finally said, proceeding to hold onto him as tight as she could.-
« It's all there is. » -Pride added while keeping her in a tight embrace.
It wasn't always a fight, she knew it. They learned to appreciate one another and have connecting moments between the two of them. She did change over the last year spent together, fell in love with the new Pride, but her recovery made her sensitive to any slight change. The garden of Everything was, after all, more than just a beautiful place. It also was the memories she shared with the old Pride, memories tied to her rebellion, to something she wanted so much she sacrificed her life for it. Pride knew he couldn't ask her to reject everything they've experienced together, but he had to remind her that the future was now, and the most important thing was that he chose to be with her, help her recover, prepare her revenge. The most important thing was that she managed to make him feel something that went beyond domination or desire. It went beyond pettiness and revenge. It was actual, genuine care for the goddess of Light. For his queen. The future empress of the Universe. It wasn't always a fight, and this little cloudy day would quickly turn back into the sunny cloudless day it was before. It was just a matter of time.
-TBC-
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