The God of Storms and His Wife

Chapter 15: Love is Life

288 Ethereal Days/ 15 Earth Days Later

"Lesson two-hundred-eighty-eight: Life is free." Enkimdu says to me. He stands so close behind me that I feel his breaths on my neck. I move my low pigtails behind my shoulder and clear my throat. "If life is free, why are there bills for living on Earth?" I ask. He turns me around and looks into my eyes.

"Those mortal peers you all have there seek to control the many people there to have the power of the masses. I've been watching the situation of Earth for a while. Little do the power obsessed small mortals know... We- the olden gods outpower and outnumber them."

"If this is the case, how come you all didn't interfere before."

"We're waiting on my son to be born. For our son to exist and become an adult."

"Enkimdu, I can't I'm married." I step back and look at the patchy grass between us on top of the hill.

"I told you that you can be a queen in both worlds. Let me show you what that looks like."

"Are we done with our lessons?"

"No, let me show you something."

He walks to the tree beside us with fruit on it. One of the fruit had been bitten but it is not decaying. He points at the many different seeds within it. "Earth's in here. It's one of many seeds." He says.

"What happened to it?"

"In eons past, my wife dared one of my dear friends to trick those who were supposed to be maintaining to the garden to break my rules. Instead of healing the fruit, which is still within my wife's power to do, her and my friend chose to flee. Dimension hopping... Imagine my surprise. In my most recent encounters with her again, I find she's married to him and they share a son together. Every dimension that I've been your husband... All those dimensions? Destroyed. Our son destroyed over and over again."

"I don't remember any of this stuff. I'm probably just a reincarnated version of your wife from long ago. I can't recall all of these things, and I won't leave my husband or commit adultery just because you say we were married first."

He grabs my face with his cupped hands. Veins shoot out of his hands like roots of a tree. They are purple and green. My eyes roll as flashes of us getting married in his beautiful home whizzes by my sight. We danced in different bodies in ballrooms with elegant clothes. We kissed under full moons with intricately woven golden rings sitting on each of our ring fingers two halves of a golden heart lay on them in every past lifetime flashing before my eyes. He's been an: army general, prince, king, warrior, spy, mountain lion, panther, bear, owl, eagle, hawk, fox, and a wolf. Every time I was his other half. Asher he has powers he could've made this whole thing up. I need to get out of here. Focus Asher. Focus on the vision of  Death's living room and that worn couch near the raging fireplace. Focus.

Wind whooshes around me. I find myself reaching for the oak door in Death's house. I pull my hand back. I turn around. I still have the golden dress that I was wearing at Enkimdu's place. I guess something about that was real. "Asher, you're back?" Seasons asks. "Yes, no thanks to you. Do you know King Enkimdu?" I ask.

She half-heartedly shrugs. "I may know of him- but Asher you have to go back. You have to go back to the king. It won't bode well for any of us if you leave now." I look at the gold and black dress she is wearing.

"Where's my son?"

"He is at King Enkimdu's castle. Everybody's waiting for you there."

"Who is everybody? Your son, my son, your husband and Enkimdu's followers."

"Yes. Stop being this way. You wanted training we gave you that but this is the price you pay. Nothing is ever free. "

"Are you serious? You all want me to cheat on my husband. I knew you both were at odds but I didn't think you all would sink this low to land a hit on my husband. I think me and my son being away from my husband this long without contact is payment enough for the training."

"I'm sure King Enkimdu has told you that your husband stole you from him and your rightful husband is him."

"Words are just that: words."

I close my eyes and imagine the foyer at King Enkimdu's magnificent castle. I appear before the glass double doors at the entrance and I see two lions sitting at the base of the cascading steps looking at me. Simon and Sabe seem bored. They didn't even shift back to their human-like forms. They probably were expecting me. "Simon. Sabe. Where's my son?" I ask. They look away from me. I try to walk to them but my legs will not move. The king appears before me still cupping my face. "Finally, your thoughts are in the right place. I'm actually proud you took my advice and thought about your son before you thought about that traitor you call a: husband. Did you really think it was that easy to escape me?"

I groan. I can't move my lips. My eyes blink erratically. "You belong to me forever and ever. If your husband is who you believe he is, he'll rescue you and his son before the wedding ceremony is complete. If not... I'll feed your son to the abyss and you'll remain mine for all eons to come. Dear please do remember you had a choice to come willingly and you refused, now I will make you my Queen. My soldiers are overrunning Earth as we speak. Soon everything will be reset to it's natural way and I will make you heal that fruit!" He yells and laughs maniacally. I grunt and groan. He sweeps me off of my feet and cradles me into his firm arms.