worse, some of them had lost them forever. Few spirits weren’t allowed to be with the other half of their soul, the part that had been ripped from them when they were still a four limbed and two headed thing. But those that were replaced or who had fallen in love with someone who would never love them back, they ended up in the Mourning Fields.
He stepped through the portal, knowing exactly what he would find. Some people thought the fields were a dreadful, dreary place. That it always rained or at least was very misty and that rivers were formed out of the tears from women who cried until their entire bodies shriveled up.
The fields weren’t like that at all. Birds chattered from the trees, their songs so lovely it made his heart hurt. Lush green grass mixed with moss cushioned his feet in the forest glade that seemed to go on for eternity. Beams of sunlight burst around each perfectly round trunk, warming his toes as soon as he stepped from the shadows.
This wasn’t a place to punish these delicate souls. It was a place for them to heal while their souls were patched back together.
He wandered through the woods with his hands tucked behind his back, eyes on the ground so he could really focus on what he was feeling.
Here, no one would judge him for feeling a little lost. No one would think his love was foolish or that he wasn’t a strong enough warrior to handle it. No heroes to claim a woman wasn’t worth his time. No gods to worry about when he would continue doing his job. No souls wondering what their king was up to.
It was just Hades here. Hades and the souls who would know what it felt like to lose a loved one, even when they weren’t dead.
“My king?” The voice came from around a nearby tree and a woman stood up from where she’d been seated, nestled in the roots.
She had been a beauty in life and was even more stunning in death. Dark hair fell around her face in a waterfall of shadows. Her burnished skin was tanned from the sun, even in death. She wore a simple white peplos, but that didn’t hide the strength of her arms or the wide set of her shoulders.
Though Dido hadn’t been a warrior, she had fought her entire life for what was right. And Carthage had flourished under her touch. It was such a shame she ended up here after all the impressive deeds she had done.
“Hello, Dido.” Hades bowed to the once mortal queen. “I see you’re looking better today.”
Usually she was pale and drawn. She’d fought against her better urges for a very long time. Her soul was still pulled between the memory of her first husband, Pygmalion, and Aeneas. The young, handsome warrior who had stolen her heart long after her husband’s death.
Some days were good, other days were not. But she was a master at taking one day at a time.
Dido took a deep breath and stepped closer to him. She was always so skittish around Hades, though he’d done nothing to hurt her or make her worried about how he would treat her. It only reminded him further of her predicament.
Aeneas had made her fall in love with him, of that much Hades was certain. The young warrior was a heartbreaker, and Dido still claimed they were married to each other. Aeneas, however, did not believe that.
When he’d left Carthage for good, Dido had built a pyre. She told her sister and people that she was merely going to burn all the things he’d left behind in their marriage bed and room. Unfortunately, that was a lie. As Aeneas sailed away in his battle ships, she’d flung herself on top of the pyre, impaling herself with a sword he’d left behind. There, her body had burned as the blood trailed over the flames.
It was a tragic story. Dido could have continued changing the world and impacting the entire realm. Instead, a single man had ruined it all for her.
And for everyone else.
She cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to the spirit before him. Twisting her hands at her sides, she said, “I heard your wife is gone.”
“She returned to her mother, yes.” He cleared his throat as well, awkward in her presence. “I trust you are well?”
“I’m fine, my king.” Dido ducked her head, looking up at him through the dark waves of her