Stepping quietly into his temple, a hefty sadness prevented the bright golden glow that normally enveloped him from lighting up the space. It was fitting really given the grief that filled his heart. He might have been the god of light, but in this moment, he craved the darkness as its blank emptiness might offer him some solace as he came to terms with the fact that he was never going to see the fair Daphne again.
His heart had always pined for Daphne. Apollo was not capable of lying to himself in such a manner and pretending that he didn’t have feelings for the nymph. After all, she had always been a pretty little thing and her refusal to fall at his feet like all the others of her kind made her even more intriguing to the Sun God. She had been fresh and exciting… but he never would have touched her. Not when Daphne had sworn herself to the same oath that his own sister had taken to never marry and remain pure for all eternity. Apollo didn’t understand why women were so keen to swear to such a thing -- but the respect he held for Artemis made him honor-bound to respect such an oath, especially as Daphne had taken it in his sister’s name. Apollo would not upset his sister by besmirching one of her girls. How was he supposed to have known that it wasn’t a game for her? That she despised him so much that she was happier to spend her life as a tree than bear another moment in his presence?
However, his heart continued to cry for Daphne. He knew that he would never have her like a husband had a wife, but he was certain that the nymph wouldn’t be opposed to other things that would keep her chastity. Even a simple kiss upon his cheek would have sated the god and cause his heart to shift its attention elsewhere like it always did when the hunt was over. He had thought that Daphne knew this and continued the chase just for the fun of it. How could she not have known that her oath protected her even when Apollo’s lust-filled gaze was leveled directly upon her? If only the god had done something different… Oh, he had been the fool to not have somehow let her know...
Alone in his temple with these raging thoughts in his head, Apollo thought nothing of letting out a wounded cry at these thoughts; now just realizing for the first time what he had truly lost through his own incompetence. Had he just been bright enough to tell her directly that all he wanted was a kiss, not the treasure that would break her vows, she would still be alive. Daphne would still be racing about, her beautiful golden hair flowing behind her as Apollo tried (and failed) to keep up with her quick gait. Now she would never move again. She was a tree rooted into the ground on the bank of a river somewhere and she wanted it. Daphne had begged her father to give her this because she was too afraid of what might happen if Apollo caught up to her. His beautiful Daphne… wild and free as the raging rapids that made up her father’s domain, now forever rooted and it was all his fault.
If only things could have been different.
Apollo would have given anything to go back in time and change what happened, but there was no way of doing that. There was also no undoing the magic that made her take her arboreal form in the first place. There was nothing that Apollo could do now that all was said and done. Nothing, but honor her memory at least.
In his grief, Apollo had plucked some of the twigs that had once been a part of her hair. They were no longer golden as Daphne was, but the bright green foliage of her leaves might bring her some sort of solace in his misery. One twig went into his hair, forming the first of many laurel crowns that would stem from the girl who once held Apollo’s affection. Another would be put here in his temple, in a place of honor. That way she would always at least be nearby. That might bring him comfort while reminding him how stupid he could be. However, even after he had plucked the branches, it somehow felt wrong. All he had ever done was take from her. Take and take and take. Even now that she was no longer alive, he continued to rob her. The sheer guilt of this had washed over him at that riverbed and compelled him to give for once. He offered her the gifts of beauty and safety; not only making sure that her leaves would always retain their beautiful green coloring, but he made the tree sacred to him. No one would take her branches or her lumber without incurring his wrath -- an anger that he could wholeheartedly promise would be grander than a thousand suns.
As he put the laurel branch on the pedestal, positioning it carefully next to one of the many smaller mirrors the gods used to spy upon the mortals -- its image fixed upon the lone laurel tree with branches moving slowly in the light breeze. Just like how her hair used to before… before…
A lone tear slipped down his cheek as he looked at the image of the girl he had once loved. The god wiped it away quickly though. Even though he was utterly heartbroken and grieving the death of the Daphne he had known, he couldn’t let it show. Not when everyone blamed him for causing this. For heartlessly chasing after her when he supposedly knew that she was not interested and being so relentless that she had no choice to transform herself to protect her dignity. None of them would listen to how Apollo just thought that they were having great fun and that Daphne had enjoyed it too. They wouldn’t care that Apollo had no intention of hurting the girl he loved. This had all happened before so he had no reason to believe that tonight would be any different. Knowing this, it would just be easier to hide his emotions until everyone else forgot. But Apollo wouldn’t.
He would never forget Daphne. Never in a thousand years.
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