Hymenaios, or the Marriage of the God of Marriage - 7. Part VII. Love Sanctified

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Part VII. Love Sanctified

After the men had fled, a great cheer flowed

Through the young women jumping to their feet

And surging towards where Hymena stood.

At the same instant, Kathros threw her arms

Around the neck of their liberator,

Only she knowing though of whom she hugged –

The rest thought they saw mortal girl embrace

Divine incarnation of Artemis.

Excitement and questions moved Hymena

To open her mouth and inquire if

The actions of Kathros signaled requite

For feelings she’s admitted earlier.

As the words of “If…if….” formed upon her lips

But before anymore could be uttered,

The high priestess tossed a blanket over

The lifeless corpse of their defeated foe,

And curtsied herself on a single knee

Before The Goddess’ holy presence.

“Bow, bow,” said she. “All of you girls kneel down

To honor our blessings from Artemis.”

At that word, Kathros tried pulling away,

But Hymena – catching onto her waist –

Kept the young woman standing by her side.

Bidding with gesturing hand, Hymena

Encouraged everyone to rise once more.

Yet, no one paid the ‘goddess’ any mind,

Which as far as humans go, is usual.

Inside, Hymena was in a quandary,

For now that she’d revealed her affections,

Which Kathros seemed to suggest were returned –

But lacking chance to check it vocally –

Hymena grew vexed to consider how

Myiscus had warned her to be wary.

The cult could turn the very weapon used

To secure their liberty upon her,

And rob her of that asset yet hidden.

“I’m not,” the still-veiled Hymena began

Timidly quaking in every word,

“That which my outward manners might bespeak.

For no goddess I; much less a woman.

I’m just an inferior youth compared

To all the female prowess in this cave,

But I perpetrated this hoax with one

And only one motivation in mind.”

She drew Kathros a bit tighter to her

And in her beloved, dreamy expression

Waxed as poetical as a moonbeam –

“For you see, I’m a humble boy who fell

In love with a girl high above my rank.

In me you see a pebble stone gazing

At the bright orb of Aphrodite through

The too-swift moving waters of a brook.

From my place on the riverbed I hoped

She’d fall a shooting star, down by my side,

Or wished a god would place me up by her –

Although unworthy for her firmament.”

Kathros gently picked up Hymena’s hand,

Saying, “Either ascended from earthy

Trivialities to the height of stars,

Or fallen from the divine to the ground,

There is no part of me that loves you not.

I’ll love you, no matter when, where or guise:

Male, female, or the both – boy, girl, or none –

I give my heart eternally to yours.”

Slowly, Kathros and Hymena leaned in,

About to consecrate their new union

With a sacred, vow-affirming kiss, when

The group’s leader suddenly cleared her throat.

Stumbling to her feet, the priestess stepped close,

And all the other young women stood too.

After taking that step, a priestly hand

De-wigged Hymena’s head, revealing

The boyish haircut of the auburn youth.

One girl from the crowd walked up and announced:

“That kid I know! He’s one of my brother’s

Associates at the Lyceum, but –

But to tell the truth, I think this redhead’s weird…”

Shocked cries from the girls circled the cavern.

“Is that my dress?! Oh, my god, he is weird!”

And Hymena quickly tried to explain,

“It was merely for love of my Kathros

That I hid myself amongst your numbers.

I never had any mind to…. Defile….”

Hymena gulped, sound coming out of her

Faint, yet too-terribly insipid grin.

“Now that you’ve ruined it, you can keep the dress.”

Hymena’s third leg retracted a bit

As the bold priestess stared him in the eye;

Hymena could not tell what the woman’s

Stern and chiseled, expressionless face

Bode for his future and integrity.

Slowly, that featureless mouth rose a smirk,

And the cleric turned to the assembly.

“The Fates,” she announced boldly, “have blessed us.

The gods and the most Holy Goddess have

Deemed fit to save us, through this young couple.”

The leader gazed on Hymena and Kathros

And smiled as radiantly as the sun.

 

“For now that you our would-be bullies did outwit,

The Goddess shows She loves your love, and sanctifies it.”

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