The Search

“What a fine washday this has turned out to be! And lucky me, being able to lug this heavy load, in this wretched heat down to the river. Why did I have to offer to help Thalia? Because she has sprained her ankle and I being the idiot I am, sought to remove this burden from her so that she may rest.” Daphne spoke out loud without fear of anyone hearing her as she lumbered down the path that would lead her to the washing area at the river.

“Why is it that I always choose the wrong times to be of help? This day is so unbelievably warm and washing these clothes will just make me warmer. What am I thinking? I will be in the water and that is sure to be cool and refreshing. Maybe I could even go for a swim when my chore is done. Ha, if only I knew how to swim.”

Daphne placed the large basket of clothes on a rock by the river edge. A beautiful laurel tree stood by the bank of the river creating a shady area just near the cleared beach. She ran back to the keep quickly and grabbed a basket containing her lunch. She knew she would be at this task a while.

Having retrieved her basket she set it beneath the laurel tree and spread a blanket for her to sit on after finishing her work. The tree provided the perfect place to lie after working hard and taking a refreshing dip in the river. She never learned to swim so she stayed by the rocks where she cleaned the clothes. A slightly deeper area nestled near the cleaning spot. There she felt safe from the danger of the river. She tucked her long red hair in a bun on top of her head. She tied up her dress so that her long legs could get wet but not her clothes. Daphne still debated on taking them off.

Soaking in the water on this hot day would be lovely and safe. All the men had left the keep to attend a meeting in some town two day’s travel. They left yesterday. Last night, Thalia decided to make a joke and danced at the hearty laughter of her audience. It happened then. She twisted her ankle as her foot hit the step on the landing.

“And here I am. Doing her chores. I really shouldn’t be complaining. I love the water and would not have found an excuse to come here today. So I suppose I should thank my friend.” Daphne thought as she worked the clothes clean. Water splashed up at her and she wiped her face dry. Almost done, she placed the last item in a basket on a rock. “I will be sure to thank her when I return after my lunch and soak.”

“I shall thank her also.”

“Who said that?” Daphne spun around, looking everywhere to find where the voice had come from and in doing so her hair fell free from her bun. There was no one there. Daphne stood with no fear, her red hair flowing down past her waist, curling at the ends. A crow sat on the branch of the laurel, the only creature around. She knew that could not be what had spoken. A man’s voice spoke to her. “Where are you? Show yourself”

It spoke again, “You remind me of my very own first love. Her name the same as yours, Daphne, a nymph. Her hair, red like yours, seemed to glisten with all the colors of a sunrise, as does yours. Her eyes the color of smoky quartz twinkled when she laughed. And her laughter touched my soul.”

“Who are you? Why are you telling me this? Please show yourself.” Daphne stood transfixed as a man appeared on her blanket in the place of the crow that had flown onto it. She didn’t even realize he knew her name so startled she felt.

“I have shown myself to you. Are you frightened, my sweet?”

‘I’m not sure if I am frightened or just seeing things. My imagination tends to run away from me at times. I can’t figure out where you came from. So you could be real and then again, it is hot today.” She spoke to the gorgeous man before her. He stood slightly taller than her and she is tall. He moved toward her from the shade of the tree as if her gaze spoke for her, beckoning him closer for a better look. She gasped. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Golden blond hair, green eyes the color of emeralds and a lovely tan that looked like it didn’t stop at his shirt. His shirt, open to his waste, moved with the warm breeze that played with it. She could tell that his chest was magnificent. “I can only wonder how I could have created something so amazing.”

He tossed his head back and laughed. The laughter, pleasing to her ears, relaxed her. “You, my lovely one, make me laugh. I have not done that in a long time. You have not created me. I am real and stand here before you.”

Daphne looked at him tilting her head slightly from side to side. She still could not be sure this man was not of her imagination. He was too beautiful by far. His clothing was not what the men from here wore, his legs were covered with leather buckskins, his shirt was lighter than that made around here, so fine was the material. Her fingers itched to touch the magnificent material and skin for that matter. His skin gold as his hair looked smooth. Her hands rose slightly to touch him.

I must gain control of myself. Here stands a man unlike any I have ever seen and he has told me that he is indeed a man. I should tell him to leave. Yes that is what I will do.

“You, sir, should go. You can see that I am alone and it is not proper for you to be here with me. Please leave.” A feather dropped in front of her. She stooped to claim it. When she rose, he no longer stood before her. The crow flew from a branch on the laurel. “Well, I asked nicely, he must be a true gentleman.”

She walked to the laurel and sat on her blanket in the same spot the man stood not moments before. Daphne ate part of her sandwich and some of her wine. She wanted to get into the water. Her blood boiled with the images of the golden man fresh in her mind.

Feeling enough time had passed and truly she sat alone, she removed her clothes and placed them carefully on the blanket where they would not get wet. Walking quickly into the water, shock quickly changed to tranquility. Daphne leaned up against the large rock.

“I have never been called a gentle man before, but I like how it sounds from you lips.”

Daphne jumped startled by the voice, though now familiar and touching her heart, still sent shivers down her spine. She covered herself. “Why have you returned?”

“You are a bold one. Naked as the day you were born, but ready to face me down. I was warm and sought to cool off in the river. I did not realize you were still here. I promise I would do nothing to harm you. I will be the gentle man you spoke of. I would like to be refreshed in the water, do you mind?”

Do I mind? Wait, I shouldn’t. “If you were a gentleman you wouldn’t even ask to join a lady in such a position as I am in. Though I do admit it is a hot day and would be rude to send you away again. I will turn away as you get undressed. You stay over there. I stay here.” That should be safe enough.

“I am not shy. But if you are more comfortable, you may turn away.”

The splash made her turn. He rose out of the water and shook the water from his hair. His skin glistened with sparkling droplets of water. “You are daring my lovely. This water is very refreshing. You are lucky only I have come by today.”

“The men from the keep are away. No one will bother me.” Oh, smart one Daphne, now he knows know one can come to your rescue. Maybe he is a gentleman. “Other than you.”

“The water over here is nice, don’t you want to swim rather than sit in the rocky area there? I promise not to bother you.”

“I wanted to swim but…I don’t even know your name.”

“My name is Apollo. Will you now come and swim?”

“Just because I know your name, doesn’t mean I know you.”

“I have known you, my lovely. I knew you well when you lived as my very own Daphne. I will know you now. You are even more beautiful than she.”

Interestingly enough, this man, Apollo, did not frighten her. She too felt like she knew him. Never had she felt so comfortable with a man. Maybe in a past life I knew him. I do believe in living again and again. I will ask him where he is from. I don’t want him to know I can’t swim.

“I am from a land of remarkable beauty, a place you would fit in well my lovely.”

Hmm, sounds nice. Why am I so drawn to this man? His looks are beyond comparison but he is still a man. I can’t control, ow, my chest.

Daphne looked over her shoulder to see what had happened. At quick glance, she watched a young boy with a bow aimed at her. No arrow in the bow. It was in her heart. She looked down at the arrow made completely of gold. Her heart began racing. It dissolved right before her eyes. Her blood began to boil. She looked to the spot the young man had occupied.

Though far away, she heard his words in her mind, “I did you wrong lifetimes ago. This is to make up for it. Apollo has loved you always. He has searched everywhere for you. You don’t know it but he is from your dreams. And he is real. He walked a long road to find you and find you he has at last. You are his reward. What I have done is only to help remind you of your love for him. Go to him. Be happy. Name your first child after me, Eros.”

Laughing he turned away and disappeared into the woods. Eros? He is a god is he not? Oh my god. Then…

“Yes, I am Apollo, referred to as the sun god. But truthfully I prefer to be known as the god of music, prophecy, medicine and poetry. Please do not fear me.”

“I do not fear you. Though I believed you a man, not a god with power. Odd though it is, I am quite comfortable in your presence.”

“You are unlike any woman I have met. You are bold and very feminine. My sister would adore you. Come my sweet, swim with me.”

“I-I, please tell me what happened to your Daphne?” That should buy me time to get out of this situation.

“You wish to know the story of my first love? Fine, I shall tell you. The story is a sad one. It is a tragedy really. It is also about you. I met my love just after I defeated the Python, an evil serpent that tried to kill my mother. Anyway feeling boastful and proud, I made a terrible mistake. I came upon my cousin’s youngest playing around with his bow and arrows. In truth he is older than I, though he looks like a boy. The temptation too great, I teased him. I called into question his ability to use his arrows, how could a mere childe be able to best the great god Apollo. I could shoot at any mark. I should have been more careful but I was cocky. I had defeated a serpent. I could take on a mere child. He is not really a child, he just appears that way.”

As Apollo spoke, Daphne closed her eyes viewing the scene he described. Little did she know how accurate her interpretation of events played. She felt part of the scene. Shaking her head, she needed to bring herself back to the present. Daphne felt an amazing power blanket her. If she wasn’t careful his voice might pull her toward him, the strength of it made her want to be enveloped by him. She thought, “I can’t swim and here I am in the water with a dangerous creature.”

Without skipping a beat, Apollo continued with his story. “Angered, he sought revenge on me. I never knew when it would happen, he vowed. I happened upon Daphne one day in a place very similar to this. I looked at her and immediately fell in love with her. Later my sister told me that Eros had struck me with a golden arrow, causing me to love this creature. I believe I loved her first. Eros struck her with a lead arrow. A lead arrow causes the victim to despise the thought of loving anyone.”

“She despised me most of all. The more she protested the more I needed to reassure her of the purity of my love. Daphne carried beauty with her everywhere. To behold her face, well words cannot even describe. ‘Tis how I feel when I look at you.” Apollo grinned at her a radiant smile causing Daphne’s heart to skip a couple beats.

“She had no interest in marriage. She sought to worship Artemis and stay a virgin forever. I wanted her. So great my hunger for her, I pursued her, consumed with love and lust. As I chased she ran. I pleaded with her. ‘I am not evil nor seek to terrorize you. It is for your love I follow at your heels. A glance from you, perhaps a kiss and I should die happy.’ At this she laughed, ‘You are a god Apollo, you can not die. Please pursue me not. I will not be with you.’ I ached with the need to be with her. No cure for this ailment attacking the god of medicine. My love propelled me toward her. She ran.”

“I chased. I came upon her in a clearing by a river. The god and the virgin face to face, one filled with love and the other fear. She stood glaring at me. The chase had caused her hair to flow free around her and her clothes disheveled. No will, nor more strength to run, she called upon her father, the river god Peneus. "Help me, Father! Change my form for surely it shall change the feelings of this pursuer." Before my eyes, her limbs turned stiff and her body transformed into a tree, nothing of the woman remained except her beauty. Stunned and quickly feeling her loss, I embraced the tree, kissing it. The branches pulled away. I told her she did not take me as husband but she would be my tree. I gifted the tree with the ability to live forever young and thus the laurel tree remains green. I told her also that I would love her forever and I would find her again. Daphne, having chosen her fate, tilted her branches in acknowledgement.”

“The irony of this situation-I, the god of prophecy, should have seen this coming. Had I been in my right mind, I would have thought to look to my future. I didn’t then. Though it is a lesson, I felt above the situation. Time sped by and the love I felt did not dissipate, it grew stronger. I sought the oracle at Delphi I created. The answer hit me in the chest, striking my heart yet again. She would live again. My love would exist far away, but she would live. I had another chance to make amends. I may even have a chance to win her love.”

“I did fear that Eros would still hate me and continue his revenge. I went to him. We spoke of the event now ages in the past. He and I worked through our differences. I asked him if he knew where Daphne could be, did she live again? He told me then, ‘Daphne lives and grows beautiful, far more so than in her previous lives, enough to cause Hera and Aphrodite to be jealous. Go to her find her. She will accept you and not fear you. She, too, learned a lesson...living in fear is not living…living with love is a true adventure. This Daphne needs to be reminded of the lesson she learned. Be kind and gentle. Do not frighten her. She will come to you.”

“I searched for what seemed another lifetime. Today is the most glorious day. I have found my Daphne again. I vow to you here and now…you have no need to fear me.”

“As I said before, A-Apollo, I do not fear you.”

“Why do you shiver then if not in fear?”

“I am cold. The water is refreshing but here in the shade it is very cold.”

“Come out here to the sunny part. I will be the gentle man you spoke of.”

“You don’t understand, it is not you I fear. It is not even fear. I just don’t know how to swim.”

Apollo laughed heartily. “My love you do humor me. I stand here reduced to feeling the emotions of a mortal man, afraid you will flee from me and you stand there not knowing how to come to me.”

“I don’t really think this is anything to laugh at.” Daphne stood rising out of the water placing her hands on her full hips petulantly. “I do not know how to swim. That is not funny.”

“My dear, maybe you should sit back down. I fear I will not be much of a gentle man with a view as delectable as this.”

Daphne appalled, sank back into the water quickly. “You-you. Ahhh.”

“Would you like to learn how to swim my dear? I am an excellent teacher, coach if you will.”

Daphne debated this offer. This would not come again. She had no chance of having any of the other women teaching her, they did not know how. The men, they would take the opportunity to grope her and the lesson would be a very painful one for her. This she had to take. He seemed kind enough. She fixed a determined look on her face. “Yes, I would like to learn. And who better to teach me than a god who happens to be an excellent instructor?”

Apollo chuckled at her remark and moved through the water to take her hand. “Come with me. I will hold on to you. You will be safe.”

She hesitated. Daphne realized her nakedness and quickly covered herself.

“Would you feel more comfortable putting on your dress? Though I have to admit, swimming in a long dress is cumbersome. Think about it.”

“I have no need to think about it. I gave my consent and dressing will only prolong the activity. I am not ashamed to be naked before you. You promise to be a gentleman?”

“My lady I promise to be the gentlest man you have ever met.”

She smiled despite herself. Daphne reached out to Apollo’s hand. His grip strong and firm but tender. She instantly willed all her strength to maintain control of her emotions with this man, no, this god.

“Here is a good place to learn. The current is not strong and you can stand up when you feel the need. Relax in my arms, I will hold you up until we teach you how to float.” Placing his arms under and across her chest as she leaned forward, Apollo felt stronger and more powerful than any god. The woman in his arms, the woman he had wanted to hold forever, with him at last.

“Since you are a beginner, we’ll get to the stroke part of the lesson after. Try floating. My arms are here to support you if you need it.” Apollo, a god who never needed permission for anything he wanted to have, held himself in check. These human emotions griped him strongly threatening to pull him under like the river could do when it raged after a storm. Daphne’s prone figure lay across his arms for his taking. At this moment he took every inch of her in with his eyes. Later he would know all of her.

“Put your arms out and alternating each one bring them over your head and pull yourself through the water. Like this.” He placed Daphne safely on her feet as he showed her how he wanted her to move her arms.

“I think I can do this on my own. Please stay close though if I should need a support.” Daphne needed to get some distance from Apollo. The feelings he awakened in her made her feel close to drowning. The thought excited her when it should have scared her. She eased back into position and began to move her arms mimicking Apollo’s actions.

“You my love are a natural. I wonder if you needed my help at all or if it was an excuse for me to hold you?”

Daphne stopped swimming and turned to Apollo. “I truly did not know how to swim sir. It is not fair for you to tease me so.”

“My love, I do tease but is without venom. I seek to know you and I lighten the mood with mild teasing. I apologize if I have done you wrong.”

His remark innocent, she realized she over reacted. “You did no wrong. I am a bit unsure of myself with you. I reacted before thinking. It is a poor trait I carry.”

“Nothing about you is poor. You are fairer than the moon at it’s fullest shining brightly over the ocean. Your words tickle my ears like the waves reaching out to the shore. Please reach out to me. I need you my Daphne. I need you so much.” Apollo opened his arms to her and his heart.

Daphne hesitated then glided through the water to Apollo. She knew he had never uttered these words to anyone, least of all a mortal. No god would state such naked want. She knew from the moment he touched her, she belonged to him and always would. Would he be able to help her understand how to love?

“I-I-I’m not what you may think. I am no wanton woman. I have had no men. Attacked numerous times, I stay far away from them. You are the first who I have allowed so close.”

“I am honored my lady. I had no thought to you being anything other than mine.”

His words knocked her breath right out from her chest, stopping her heart also. Daphne belonged to him, she wanted to know what that meant.