The Sacrifice
The rain pelted her bare skin, slicing like tiny daggers and hurting almost as much as the ropes binding her wrists. Meredith fought to free her hands, desperate to escape the fate that had been placed on her since birth. They had always said she was promised to the gods, but it had been framed as metaphorical. Meredith thought that she would become a priestess, dedicating her life to the god of the tides, not a sacrifice.
They pushed her forward relentlessly, the sand crunching beneath her bloody, bare feet, leaving crimson prints on the shore. Her soles were already torn open from the rough road they'd shoved her down. Unable to put on shoes or even a proper coat thanks to them pulling her from her bed and tying her hands behind her back while still in her nightgown.
She tried to pull her hands free again, but the rough fiber of the rope was tight against her wrists. She couldn't even scream at them, as a thick piece of cloth was wound around her head and through her mouth. Her hair lay half-across her eyes, blinding her and soaked with the rain. "I'm sorry, darling," her mother said, her words barely heard as the thunder rolled around them. "But we have to stop this storm. This is the only way."
Meredith glared at her, unable to reply thanks to the gag. If she could have punched or kicked the woman, she would have. Thanks to the burly men holding her arms tightly, she couldn't even lunge at her.
She'd never had a close relationship with her parents. Thanks to her pre-ordained fate they had distanced themselves, favoring her younger siblings instead. Still, Meredith couldn't fathom how they were at peace with this.
She let out a sob as she felt the first waves covering her feet, the salt stinging the open cuts. The tides were uncertain during this storm and she knew that it would soon be covering her entirely if they left her here. The priest was screaming something to the sea, but the wind ripped his words away so Meredith couldn't hear him. She struggled again, but knew it was futile at this point.
Soon the water was up around her ankles, then her knees. Before she realized it, they'd given her a final shove and she lost her footing, falling face forward into the water. Rolling over, she tried to stand but the tide swept in and pulled her feet out from under her again. Screaming behind her gag, choking on the water that pooled in her mouth and throat, she felt her hot tears mingling with the cold sea water.
If she'd had even a whisper of the idea they were going to do this, she would have been able to run. To leave the town before they snatched her from her home. The icy chill of the water was seeping into her bones through her thin shift and she sobbed again. She managed to stagger to her feet and turned back to the beach, but a wall of people stood there, unwilling to let her return.
When the tide swept her feet out from under her again, she gave in and let herself fall backwards. Closing her eyes, she felt the sand and rocks beneath her hands and her back. When her head hit a rock, she felt blessed darkness overtake her.
The next thing Meredith felt was that she was floating. That made sense, she thought drearily. She had just drowned, right? But… she was breathing. And the gag and ropes were gone. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a rocky ceiling above her. This was the afterlife? Blinking, she confirmed she still saw the ceiling there, like the top of a cave.
Taking stock, she realized that she was floating in a warm pool of water, but she didn't feel any danger of sinking. Something else, something translucent and barely felt kept her on top of the water.
"So you're awake." The voice was soft, but deep and smooth. Her hands clenched in surprise and she flailed until she stood upright. Her feet found the floor and the water was waist deep once she stood. The translucent layer that had held her upright tore with her frantic movement and floated around her.
The man who'd spoken turned upon hearing the splashing of the water and Meredith gasped. His eyes glowed a soft blue and pale blue scales framed his face. He was draped in white silk that left his arms and most of his chest bare and his hair that was dark as the deep sea barely brushed his shoulders.
Frantic to get out of the water, she climbed out of the stone pool she'd been in and found herself on the cold stone floor, her knees weak. "What happened?" she gasped.
"They drowned you."
"They sacrificed me," she said slowly.
"They really did it. It wasn't a dream."
"No," he said, his eyes sad. "They did send you to me." He rubbed between his eyes and sighed. "This isn't how I wanted you to come to me. I want you to know that."
"You're the god I was promised to." The realization hit her almost as hard as the rock earlier. He studied her for a moment, taking in her ripped shift and bedraggled hair. "I chose you a long time ago," he said quietly. "But I never thought making my choice known would lead to this. Do you know who made the choice to sacrifice you?"
Meredith's eyes hardened, even as she attempted to stand but failed. "The high priest," she whispered.
He nodded before walking to her and offering her a hand. "Come. Sit where you'll be comfortable while you recover." Hesitant, she finally placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up. She tried to take a step, but her knees gave out. Before she could fall, he'd swept her into his arms and was striding towards a large, cushioned chair. He settled her gently into the chair before stepping back.
"Would you like your vengeance or shall I take care of him?" he asked he turned back towards what he'd been doing.
Meredith's brain stuttered at the words before she really comprehended what he'd asked. She was silent for long enough that he paused, turning back towards her. His eyes were hard now, a frown etching lines into his face. "I find it hard to believe you don't want vengeance for what he did to you?" he asked.
"I…," she started, before shaking her head in confusion. "I thought I was dead. I hadn't really had time to think about vengeance."
The confusion in his eyes cleared and he nodded. Leaving what he'd been working on behind, he came and knelt before her. Gently, he picked up one of her hands and kissed it, keeping his eyes on her. Instinctively, she wrapped her fingers around his hand, not letting go. He returned the squeeze gently, interlacing their fingers.
"What can I do to help you?" he said softly. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, letting his fingers linger on her forehead. "Would you like to forget what happened? Or forget the feeling of drowning, at least?"
"You could really do that?" she whispered.
He chuckled. "I’m a god, my heart. I can do many things that a human cannot. And soon you'll be able to as well, if you accept my proposal."
"Your proposal?"
He shook his head and stood, letting go of her hand and returning to his work. "We will talk about it when you are more clear-headed. I want you to recover fully first. For now, are you hungry at all? Cold? Too warm?" He queried her gently as his hands measured and poured some kind of liquid into a glass.
Meredith shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as he asked the questions. "Now that you mention it, I am cold," she admitted. The fog in her head from the drowning was starting to clear and the implications of just where she was and who she was talking to were starting to sink in.
The god didn't answer at first, instead picking up a cup and handing it to her. She wrapped her hands around it, feeling the warmth. "What is it?" she said quietly, almost afraid to ask.
"Only tea," he said soothingly as he walked away. "Just something to help warm you up." She took a tentative sip while keeping an eye on him. He turned and smiled at seeing her watching him. "I promise," he assured her before coming back to her seat and draping a warm, knit blanket across her lap. Kneeling again, he made sure it was tucked around her bare feet, now healed she realized belatedly, as well, then laid another blanket across her shoulders. "May I dry your hair?" he said quietly.
She blinked. "Yes?" she said questioningly
He smiled again then reached out and touched her hair. Water slid off the strands and into his hand, soon leaving her hair clean and dry. The water seemed to absorb into his skin and scales appeared for a moment on his skin where it touched him. "There. That will help a little," he said. "Are you still tired?"
Meredith shook her head. "I feel like I’m ok now," she replied, taking another sip of the tea. It spread its warmth through her, and soon between the blankets and the warm drink, she could almost forget the icy cold of the ocean and the rain that had beat down on her.
"Good." He sat down and she stared as a chair appeared out of thin air beneath him. She would have sworn he was just going to sit on the floor, but soon he was seated comfortably, hands folded in his lap as he watched her. "I know you have more questions," he prodded gently.
"What's your name?" she blurted out, her mind racing over all the lore she knew about him but not finding a name to address him by. He was always just the sea god, or the god of the tides.
"A name," he mused, eyes dancing at her question. She realized the glow had dimmed and now she could see his deep blue eyes, almost as dark as his hair. "I haven't had a name for many eons. Perhaps you could give me a new one?"
She thought for a moment, rotating the cup in her hands to feel the warmth. "Murchadh?" she said softly?
"Sea warrior?" he said with a smile. "I like it. Murchadh it is. And you are Meredith." He cocked his head at her. "Do you wish to keep that name?"
She chuckled, caught off guard by his question. "I never thought about it," she finally said honestly.
"It does suit you. Though I would understand if you wished to leave it behind, along with that life."
She sat quietly, setting the tea in her lap and staring at the gently waving liquid. "I can never go back, can I?"
Murchadh was silent for a long moment, then sighed. "If you wish, then yes, I can make it so you can go back. So that everyone forgets what happened and it will never happen again. But now that you are here… I hate to let you go," he said softly.
"You said you chose me?"
"Long before you were born. I've been waiting for you for a long time." Silence stretched for a long minute and she almost missed his next words. "I've missed you."
"You missed me?" she asked, brow furrowed.
Murchadh rubbed the back of his neck. "I shouldn't have said that, but yes, I missed you." He sighed. "Perhaps now is the time to explain everything, though I was hoping to get to know you better first. I didn't want who you were to influence who you are now."
"I don't understand," she whispered, shrinking back into the chair, curling tighter into the blankets.
"Are there still stories about the Storm Goddess?"
Meredith looked down into her tea, digging through her memory. She frowned. "There is one story I remember," she began slowly. "She was married to the Storm God, but she fell in love with someone else." She looked up and met his eyes. "She loved you, didn't she?" He nodded but gestured for her to go on. "The storm god was angry at her betrayal and he… he killed her." The silence between them was heavy as she recounted the story.
"He did," Murchadh murmured. "I will forever condemn him for that act. He was truly the one that betrayed her. She never betrayed him."
"What really happened then?"
Murchadh crossed his arms, his eyes going hard. "The storm god was my brother. The goddess was born of the storms that he created. She was never his wife, but his daughter. He raped her. When I heard of what he had done…" Murchadh stood, his fists clenched and Meredith shrank further into her chair. Water swirled around him out of nowhere, lifting his hair and his eyes glowed again, this time an intense white. "I gave her sanctuary, to recover while I sought justice against him. Our sister, the queen of the gods, sided with me. However, while I was gone…"
The water whirling around him grew faster, harder, reminding her of the needle rain before her own death. "He killed her?" she guessed.
He looked at her and seemed to realize how much he was scaring her. He took a deep breath and the water around him slowed and evaporated. Sitting in the chair again, he nodded. "He did. And he scattered her soul to the four winds. There was no way for me to bring her back. Not then, anyway. I had to wait. I had to watch the parts of her soul slowly come together again. It's taken… so long." Now he met her eyes and she could see the depth of the sadness he'd been experiencing over the long wait. "Now that she's alive again, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her that I could not prevent. Already, I feel as if I failed you…" Meredith sucked in a sharp breath. "You mean… I…"
Murchadh nodded. "Yes. You are the reincarnated form of the Storm Goddess. But you are still yourself," he said earnestly, leaning forward and reaching for her hand again. "That is what I wanted you to understand. You are Meredith. You share the same soul as her, but you are your own person." He paused, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. "That is why I wanted to give you time before I told you this."
She watched his hand holding hers for a moment. "Will I remember?"
He sighed again. "If you wish, then yes, I can help you remember. But I ask that you take a little time to think about it before you request it. You have already had one traumatic memory in your life. One death. It might harm you irreparably to have another."
Meredith shivered, suddenly thrown back into the present. "Why does this keep happening to me?" she asked, her voice hard.
Murchadh's lips tightened. "I don't know, my heart. If I did, I would have stopped it long ago."
"Why didn't you stop them this time?" she demanded, pulling her hand back. "Why did you let them sacrifice me?"
He stilled, pulling back. "I killed him," he said, his voice hard as stone. "No matter the reason, my sister could not let me go unpunished. And the cruelest thing she could do was keep me from you. So that's what she did. I was not allowed to interfere in your life until you came to me. Even now, since you are still not mine, I can only do so much. But even she would not stop me from saving you. You have suffered enough. You are her blood, too."
"So, you've already brought me vengeance once."
"And I will do it again if you ask it."
Meredith sighed, letting her head hang. "It's all so much. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."
Instantly his eyes softened and he knelt before her again. "All I ask of you right now is to rest. To recover. I healed you as much as I could, but your body still took a toll from the experience." He gently removed the half-empty cup from her hands. Meredith shivered, as the gesture felt so familiar. She met his eyes and couldn't help herself. Leaning forward slightly, she pressed her lips to his.
She felt him go stone still at first, and started to pull back, embarrassed by the impulse, when his hand slid around the back of her neck and pulled her towards him. "My heart," she heard him whisper before he kissed her. She gave in to the feeling overwhelming her and wrapped her arms around his neck. Distantly she heard the clink of the cup hitting the ground as he dropped it and slid his other arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap as he sat on the floor. His lips were soft and warm and she faintly felt his tongue run along her lips. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth. He moaned and tipped her head for a better angle.
When she could no longer take a breath she pulled back, panting. "Why… why does this feel so familiar?" she breathed.
His eyes were ocean dark as he watched her, tenderly running his fingers through her now loose hair. "We've been here before," he answered her softly. "I… I comforted her once. When she was ready." He leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against hers and closing his eyes. "I'd hoped we would get to this point, but I'd never dreamed it would be the day we met."
Meredith let herself rest against him. "I am thankful we are here," she whispered. "That I found you again." Her eyes turned hard as she pulled away and looked at him. He opened his eyes and tilted his head in question. "But I do want my vengeance."
A smile quirked his lips and he lifted one of her hands to his lips while his eyes glittered coldly. "And vengeance will be yours, my heart." He wrapped his arms around her and stood up. "But for now, you will rest, so you can see your vengeance enacted and not doubt my word." With those words, she sighed and laid her head on his chest, content… for now.