One year has passed since Amaranth first awoke in Avlan's cottage. She spent most of her time tending to the garden that Avlan had built for her, realizing that a garden once stood behind the small cottage, and all it took was a little love and care to bring it back to its former glory. Avlan also spent a lot of time teaching her how to cook, sew, and do small repairs around the cottage. He would come home from town to bring her books and other trinkets to help her pass the time.
Their touch has been limited to hugs, or Avlan pressing himself against Amaranth's back in the bed they share. She has kissed his cheek a couple of times in thanks for his hard labor, and true to his word, he has done nothing else. She is almost hoping he'll snap and make the decision for her, crossing the line that is getting wiped away slowly but surely day by day, but the only thing that has grown is his patience and his hair. He walks in one day announcing that he is in desperate need of a haircut, causing Amaranth to smile at him from her place in the kitchen as she cuts up vegetables they had harvested that morning. It is touching the small of his back now, and she has noticed here lately how he'll grumble about it being in his way while he works.
She crosses the now slightly larger cottage, which has been brought back to life by the god himself. The walls reinforced, windows sealed, and the square footage expanded. Their bed is in a loft above their heads that opens out to a balcony where Amaranth spends most of her mornings. At the foot of the bed is a large chair where Avlan spends his evenings reading. A small library has formed in the corner opposite of the kitchen, and the pair had worked together to build a rather beautiful dining table that still sits by the window the old one it replaced once was. Amaranth is bustling around the shelves and cabinets of the cottage as Avlan plops rather unceremoniously in one of the dining chairs, grinning as Amaranth makes a small "aha!" And turns around with a pair of shears.
"I don't know if I trust you with those things, dear." Avlan says as Amaranth approaches him, standing in between his thighs. "In fact, why do we own these?" He asks, and Amaranth rolls her eyes.
"I asked you to get them for me years ago to cut my own hair, remember? It didn't just magically shrink." She pulls her hair over her shoulder where it now reaches the top of her breasts. Avlan watches the motion with a darkness in his eyes that Amaranth can't ignore, deciding to refocus on the task at hand. She puts the shears on the table next to him, reaching out and running her hands through his hair. She's surprised he hasn't thrown a fit about it sooner, but realizes that the god just kept it tied up and out of the way most of the time anyways. He must have finally reached his limit of tying knots.
Amaranth leans down to observe him before stretching back up, walking around him to stand behind him. She pulls his thick hair over his shoulders, tapping her boot on the floor as she thinks.
That's another thing that has changed since Amaranth first met Avlan. Her wardrobe. Though he does occasionally spoil her with rich gowns just to make her eyes shine in delight, she chooses to spend most of her days in blousy work shirts and pants that are always a little too baggy on her. Riding boots laced up to her calves of which their sole purpose is to tuck her pants into. She picks up the shears from the table, making an invisible line with her finger just above Avlan's shoulders before sectioning the hair into smaller parts which will hopefully be easier to cut.
"Can't you just use your god powers to get rid of it?" She asks as she begins to cut at the length, and Avlan hums in thought.
"I suppose, but you enjoy it." Avlan offers, and Amaranth makes a noise of confusion.
"I've never cut your hair before, Lan." She says, stopping to think if maybe she has and just forgotten, but Avlan's hair has only grown since she met him. He laughs softly from his place in front of her.
"No you haven't, but you rushed to grab the shears before I even asked you to do anything." Avlan grabs some handfuls of hair as they fall, throwing them in the air like some sort of confetti just to hear Amaranth giggle. "I'm starting to think you're happy to get rid of it."
"And you aren't?" Amaranth asks. "Don't worry. You're handsome regardless." Amaranth adds before even realizing what she's just admitted to out loud. She ignores it, going back to the task of chopping off thick locks of dark hair from her captor's head. Amaranth almost goes into overdrive trying to remind herself that she is not here of her own will. Like speaking any feelings for Avlan out loud has triggered a fight or flight response. Avlan remains silent while she continues her work.
It doesn't take long for Amaranth to have Avlan's hair back to the length that it was one year ago, and Avlan shakes his head for dramatic effect once she announces she's done. He stands up, turning around and holding out his arms as if to say 'ta-da'. Amaranth smiles and nods, coming up close to brush some of the loose hairs off of his shoulders. Avlan rests his hands on her waist as she does so, and she doesn't find herself trying to move. Fight or flight has simply turned into…staying. Amaranth allows herself to enjoy the warmth of Avlan's hands on her body. She reaches up slowly, cupping his jaw with her hands, and he nuzzles into the touch.
"Do you not grow tired of me?" She finds herself asking quietly, and he tilts his head. "I'm sure you had a pool to choose from one year ago. Riches and women alike. Are you not tired of this boring cottage life with me?" She feels his grip tighten on her hips. She thinks about it often. How Avlan so eagerly gave up his life to take care of her. Amaranth finds herself thinking about Avlan more than she'd like to admit. When he is outside chopping wood for the stove, or when they go to bed at night and he presses up against her. The smell of pine and musk that accompanies him as she watches his gold hand rest on her stomach. She thinks of all the time she's seen him bathe in the creek by the cottage. The muscles that line his back and taper into a small waist. He's built…well how she would imagine a god would be built. Though she can't place whether or not it's from magic or the honest and hard work she's watched him do countless times over the years. Doesn't know if a god's muscle forms the same way a human's does.
"I don't think I could if I tried." Avlan says, shaking Amaranth from her thoughts. "You are an amusing little thing. I never find myself getting bored when you're around. You make something simple like planting vegetables a joy to watch." He spins her around once, twice, and Amaranth sighs. She presses herself against his chest, resting her head over where she imagines his heart would be. She hears one beat after all. "I apologize for what has happened to you. I know that you are not here because you want to be. I know it's the fear of me that keeps you here." Avlan is soft spoken, and Amaranth sighs once more as she brings her hands to Avlan's face.
"At first it was fear, but I have lived more life in these past one years than I did in the seventeen years I lived in the kingdom." Amaranth rubs his thumb against Avlan's cheek. "I may not love you, yet, but I have grown rather fond of you, Avlan." She sees as his eyes flicker down to her lips while she speaks. She feels the way his hands rest on her waist and squeeze the softness there. She doesn't protest as Avlan pulls her forward into a searing kiss. The princess gasps as Avlan grabs the back of her thighs and lifts her up, placing her onto the dining table and settling in between her thighs. She lets the god lick into her mouth, and Amaranth feels as the gold floods through her veins. She feels the warmth as it radiates from her body, and she feels euphoric. Amaranth pulls away only to tug at the buttons of her shirt before shedding it off of her shoulders.
"Wait." Avlan breathes, resting his forehead against hers. "Why? Why now?" His eyes are bright and his hands are gold against her tan skin. She swallows hard, and Avlan tilts his head. He gives her another soft kiss, and Amaranth huffs out a laugh.
"I, uhm, don't know myself?" Amaranth sighs. "I have gone way too long not allowing myself the wonders of being human, and I expect to become a goddess?" She looks down and over Avlan's muscled body. "Why? Do you not want me anymore?" She asks, and Avlan shakes his head, but he still looks conflicted.
"I want you, but I want you to want me in return." He sighs, pulling Amaranth into a tight embrace and hiding his face in her neck. She pets the back of his head, and he hears her heartbeat behind her breast. Avlan pulls away just enough to look at her, and she feels like she has centuries of gods looking at her. It makes her clammy but in a way that feels like anticipation. There's suddenly a knock on their front door, and it makes them both jump. Avlan is quick as he wraps Amaranth back in her shirt, and Avlan waits until she's dressed and decent before opening the door.
Amaranth can't see who is on the other side, but Avlan's reaction is instant. His eyes are fueled with rage as he lunges through the door frame. Amaranth yells out in response, chasing after the man and finding him holding his hunting knife to another man's neck. The man is smaller in stature but growls just as fiercely as Avlan snarls before grabbing a handful of Avlan's hair and yanking him onto his back.
"I should've known you'd keep her here. You were always so predictable, brother." The man spits, and Amaranth trembles as she backs away, clutching onto the wooden door frame to keep herself stable. "You've done a wonderful job with the place. Father would be proud." The man stands, dusting off his knees as Avlan is quicker to his feet. He shoves past the blonde man to stand in front of Amaranth, shielding her from the visitor.
"Get out of here, Perthius." Avlan warns, and Amaranth presses herself to Avlan's back, fists clenching in the loose fabric of his blouse as her eyes shake in recognition of the name.
Perthius is…alive?
"Of course I'm alive." Perthius says, reading Amaranth's mind as if it were a book laid out in front of him. "I never died." He huffs out a laugh. "Father really should've sent someone out to find a body." He adds, looking at Avlan specifically who only tightens his hold on Amaranth, pushing her further inside the cottage. "Took me far too long to find where my baby brother was hiding my sacrifice, but I should've known the first place to look would be his childhood home." He looks around, taking careful steps closer to Avlan. "Well? I do believe this is the time where you hand her over to me."
"She was marked with my sigil. She was my offering." Avlan growls. He unsheathes his knife again, holding it towards Perthius as he stalks closer. "I will make her a Goddess. She will rule father's kingdom with me."
"That's what this all comes down to, isn't it? Revenge on our father for fucking your farmstead mother."
"He used her. Abandoned her before I was born. Only for him to kill her when he called me home." Avlan yells. His hands are glowing where they hold the knife and Amaranth's hip. His eyes are a blazing gold to match, and Perthius laughs. He laughs as his hands seem to vibrate the air around them, black crackling up his skin as his eyes turn to match. It's as if they are both pissing on the same tree. A stand off to see who will back down first.
"You think your kitchen knife is enough to kill me for good?" Perthius asks, and Avlan doesn't falter, holding it as steady as ever to Perthius's head. "Oh, I get it. You don't want her to see what you really look like. Why humans like her were born with fear in their hearts of Gods like us."
"I am not like you." Avlan decides, newly cut hair falling in front of his eyes. "I still hold the human heart my mother gave me."
"Your mother died over four hundred years ago. What human survives that long?" Perthius gestures behind Avlan to the princess. "You're supposed to take this woman to carry your children then feast upon the power when you call them home. That is how you rule your father's Kingdom. Not by building her a cottage and planting her a garden." He spits out the words, and Avlan steps even closer to Perthius. Their noses touching as claws breach his fingertips and something crawls under the skin of his back.
"I will marry Amaranth, and she will carry my children by choice. We will raise them together and with our power combined I will take over my father's kingdom." He seethes, and Amaranth finally approaches the two of them, a small hand resting on Avlan's arm in an attempt to call him back to her. His eyes waver at the touch, and he can feel something radiating from her body.
Something that is so familiar to the warmth of his mother, but so much more strong that he knows it can only be one thing. He looks over, and a pale but bright purple is shining behind Amaranth's eyes. His mother never wanted to be a Goddess. She hated his father with every fiber in her body after he was born. Spit in his face the day he came to collect Avlan after Perthius's "death".
"I am here because I want to be with Avlan." Amaranth says, and Perthius seems to flicker out entirely, his eyes softening upon looking at the woman. He stumbles back, and Avlan is confused before he feels it, the winding of energy as it seeps into the ground and kisses at their ankles. Amaranth steps forward, the ground seeming to follow her until her hand slips from Avlan's arm, and she collapses entirely.