Born to love, Prone to die

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Despite what they had been told, the two love birds knew that their next step in life was the correct one. It was a tremendous change, but they were ready for it, at least that is what they thought. 

Orpheus stood under the wedding arch waiting for his lovely bride, Eurydice. He looked up to see the arch adorned with flowers, the same kind that he had given to Eurydice when they first met and fallen in love. The sun rays shone above the waves of the ocean, almost blinding him by their beauty. A gust of wind rushed by ruffling his hair as he looked down, Orpheus could not help but smile. In just a few moments he would be married to the love of his life, their souls would be intertwined forever. Just the thought of spending the rest of his life with Eurydice made his heart skip a beat, it was as if suddenly the entire world did not seem so awful anymore. Before their union, the god of marriage had come down from the heavens and told them that great sufferings lay in their path, he had noticed Eurydice’s face lose that shine the moment those words came out of the god’s mouth, he said he would not be able to bless this ‘unfaithful’ union. 

Even though he was not going to admit it, those words had worried Orpheus too. They found their way through every dream of his reminding him of the struggles he may encounter. Eurydice would often hold his hand and tell him “As long as the sun shines bright, as long as the wind blows and as long as we are together…” she paused and pressed her forehead to his “Everything is going to be all right, my love” 

Orpheus was known for his euphonious voice all around Greece, people said his songs calmed them down in times of need and that he had a way with words that would reach anyone’s heart. When it came to calming him down it was Eurydice that made him feel tranquil at heart. 

He stood in his tunic imagining what it would be like to see Eurydice, 

‘any moment now’ he thought to himself. 

And there she was 

As gorgeous as the goddess Aphrodite herself, Eurydice walked down the aisle towards Orpheus 

She wore a gown as white as the clouds in the sky, adorned with diamonds. Orpheus remembered Eurydice telling him a tale of how these jewels were the tears of the gods, how they represented the flames of love. 

She was almost under the arch; Orpheus reached a hand towards her… 

But she did not take it 

in a matter of seconds, everything he had feared had become a reality, the world went still. 

He did not notice the shocked expressions of the guests; he did not notice how all birds had stopped singing. Everything was clouded in his vision except for one dreadful sight. He looked down to see the dying body of his lover. 

The grey clouds loomed over humanity as they held Eurydice’s funeral. The moment she fell onto the floor kept replaying in Orpheus’ mind. When her eyelids closed, he knew he would never be able to see those emerald eyes again. The emptiness in his heart got worse every minute that he was not with her. He sang of great tragedies but never before had he endured such pain. 

Orpheus noticed how the sun no longer shone bright and how the wind stood still, he would do anything to get her back. Even if it meant going to the underworld and snatching her soul right out of hades’ hands. So that is exactly what he did. 

He reached the gates of the underworld with his lyre and began to play it, spreading its glorious melody. 

As Orpheus walked, he kept strumming the lyre, his hands glided over the strings as if they had a mind of their own. Even Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the underworld, bowed down, and let him pass. Charon, the ferryman who carried the souls of the deceased across the river Styx, led him across in his boat without fare. People said his voice was capable of doing miracles upon miracles 

He kept walking and singing, walking, and singing until he reached Hades and Persephone’s palace. 

Walking up to the throne of the king and queen of the underworld he asked them nae demanded them to release Eurydice’s soul from the clutches of the underworld. 

“It was not a fair death, the fates cut the golden string of her life too early” Orpheus took a deep breath, trying not to sound broken but at that moment all he could do was keep the sadness in his heart from trying to burst out in the form of tears. 

Hades replied a bit sternly “And who are you to decide whose death was fair and whose wasn’t? There are many mortal souls who came to the underworld before their life purpose was fulfilled” he leaned forward, surprisingly calm “Now you tell me, foolish mortal. How dare you speak of fairness when you march into my territory demanding special treatment to let go of someone you love when thousands of mortals have suffered the same pain as you. How is any of that fairness?” he raised an eyebrow. 

“I say you let her go, why does it matter anyway? Her soul will come to the underworld eventually, just like the rest of-” Orpheus was interrupted mid-sentence 

“It matters because if I allow a soul to escape once, then plenty of other souls would demand the same. While death may seem cruel and unforgiving, it is always fair. It doesn’t matter whether a person is a sinner or a saint, it’s always coming your way” hades fumed 

Hades continued, twirling the glass of wine in his hand “The thing about death is, it’s not a thing to be feared, rather it is a thing to be mourned. It demands to be felt and what you are doing is quite the opposite of that. You’re running away from it” 

Then Orpheus did what he was best known for, he sang of the tragedy that is love, he sang about how Eurydice did not get to live the life she deserved to have, how cruel it was that before she could start a new chapter in her life Thanatos, the god of death swooped in and carried her soul to the underworld leaving her body lifeless to be crumbled into dust and mix with the earth. 

He sang of how he was willing to do anything to get her back; even bargain with death itself. 

His voice was like magic flowing through the air, it could heal anything that came in contact with it. 

Persephone wiped a tear from her eye and tried convincing hades to let the young man have his wish. Hades was silent for a whole minute before he said something that shocked everyone. 

He told Orpheus that Eurydice would follow him back to the land of the living as he climbed out of the underworld, but he must not turn around at any point until he reaches his destination. 

So, Orpheus heads out believing Eurydice was right behind him, waiting for him to reach the land of the living. Orpheus thought about Eurydice and how they would spend their life together, how every word out of her mouth healed any bad thoughts he had; it was as if she were born to be loved but prone to die. 

Each step he took made him doubt hades’ credibility more and more, the same god who rambled on and on about fairness and unfairness for so long was suddenly compliant with his wish. seemed absurd. Orpheus could not hear any footsteps and in panic, he did something that he would be regretting for the rest of his days… 

For a second he almost smiled looking at her face, the same face he never thought he would see again. it all happened in a flash of a second before he could even register the shock on Eurydice’s face, he saw her falling back into the shadows of the underworld. swimming in a pool of the dead mortal souls. She was right behind him if only he did not turn around… 

That was when the epiphany struck him, he had broken the only rule hades had conditioned him to. He turned around, losing any chance of getting the love of his life back. tears fell down his eyes as he broke down into hysterical sobbing 

As long as the sun shines bright, as long as the wind blows, and as long as we are together, everything is going to be all right, my love 

He had lost her once, and just because he could not bring himself to trust the word of an Olympian god, he lost her again 

Orpheus realized his dooming mistake, but by then it was too late.