"Death?" asked she, voice low and frightened as she stared at the long fall of bone-white hair, the milky skin and clothing almost indistinguishable from the other in their starkness. The black mask and the golden eyes scared her the most―the only splash of colour on the black and white page―peered at them through the slit of its mask.
Gideon smiled ruefully. "There is nothing to fear, for the Death God, despite his name, is a god who protects. He is also the God of the Moon. One day, when heavy clouds covered the sky and the sun, and darkness came upon the world, he carved away a part of his chest and stuck it up in the sky so that the night would not be entirely dark. When you see the full moon, you see a part of his heart, and there's nothing for us to fear in the night."
"But what about the times when there's no moon?" inquired she, curiosity overtaking her fear.
"Ah, those..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "On those nights, the God of Death also makes a sacrifice, a tithe he must pay to the God of Night. One day, the God of Night was angered because the moon shone more brightly than the stars and he thought that the balance of the world between the living and the dead had been broken when the Death God seemed more content to be the Moon God. The God of the Night demanded that for one night every month, the God of the Moon, the Death God, must not show himself up in the sky, and on that night he must perform only his rites and duties as the God of Death. So every new moon, the Death God takes a different form."
He turned the page over. On the sheet was the image of a figure in black: long ebony hair flowed behind it, and its torso all the way up to just beneath its eyes were covered in bandages. This one seemed as equally menacing and unsettling to Aria. She flipped the pages back and forth, examining both. Though human in figure, there could be no doubt that it was far from human. If indeed it placed its heart in the sky, what then was left of it? How could it bear to live without a heart? She sidled closer to her brother for warmth as an unknown chill sent a shiver down her spine.
"It's alright, Aria," said Gideon as he put his arm around her. "The Death God is a protector"
Such finery she wore―the best the village could scrounge up. As the oblation to the God of Death, nothing but the best had to be offered in order to appease the god.
Today was Aria's wedding day, and yet on her face lay solemnity, and the procession that accompanied her seemed more like a funeral march. She pulled the hood of the red velvet cloak farther down over her eyes, not willing to see where they led her as she sat inside the rickshaw.
By unanimous vote she had been bestowed the honour of becoming the bride of the Death God. She was alone; her brother had taken her away from their family and into this village, and for a time her childhood had been free of the abuse they'd both suffered. And then she was made an orphan at her brother's sudden death by the very plague that ailed their village. As the rest of the villagers had not been willing to sacrifice their own family members, they deemed her the best candidate as she had no one to make an opposition for her.
Aria herself had not protested. The only thought she had was that she would be with her brother soon, and that this way she could make amends for the harsh words she'd said to him prior to his death.
Soon, brother. Soon.
She was surprised by the sudden trail of wetness down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it with her sleeve with a sniff. From what she could see of the ground and what sound she could hear, they were close to the river. So it was to be a barge, then, she thought. The rickshaw stopped, and she descended from it, walked down the way marked by the villagers on either side of her. She must be brave, strong, despite the uncertainty ahead of her.
As gracefully as she could without assistance (as she had her pride) she went on the boat, and with a push she was on her way with the flow of the river. Should she lay down? She didn't know how to proceed. By the silence that followed, she knew that no one mourned her.
Overwhelming loneliness and uncertainty engulfed her, and with a heaving breath she allowed the tears to finally fall. The barge glided with the flow of the river while she succumbed to despair. However, the stories her brother had told her were about to come true.
The sounds of crepuscular cicadas greeted her, and Aria rubbed her eyes. She had fallen asleep, the gentle rocking of the boat had lulled her. She sat up, amazed to find that the boat was docked against the most magnificent building she had ever seen. The boat bobbed gently against the stone steps that descended down into the water. She rose, eyeing the white balustrade that surrounded the dock and the bridge, continuing to encompass the palace. A lone horned, white statue stood guard on the balcony at the top of the stairs, as though to intimidate any trespassers from entering the place. For being the house of the Death God, it was unusually surrounded by life: flowers grew along the columns, walls, awnings, and roofs; so much green and delicate blues, reds, and pinks in contrast to all the white stone.
The Lunar Palace, was what it was called, for this God of Death was also the God of the Moon.
Heart beating with trepidation, she nervously stepped off the boat and ascended the stairs, careful to not get the hem of her clothes wet. When she reached the top of the stairs, she stood there silently, not knowing what to do. She looked up at the ominous entrance of the castle and decided to wait for her groom...
(( So this is obviously a romance RP. Be the God of Death please....PM me if interested...))
