A dim light shone through a crack in the roof, falling upon the face of a young woman who lied slumbering upon her bed. As she slept bright yet small particles of golden luminescence fell inside from the crack, some landed on her face, some on her white peplos and some on her dark hair. She lightly twitched as the particles dissolved, subsequently a greyish fog appeared in the spots of the particles.
"Pandora, get up!" A voice softly called out.
Pandora's eyes slowly opened, she responded to the call already. "Mother, I don't need—" she glanced to the door only to see that she was indeed alone in her room. "I must have been imagining it."
After the strange incident Pandora sent her gaze up to the crack in the roof, she shrugged before she got up and made her way out of the room.
In the andron Pandora lazily walked towards the kitchen, she only stopped when she saw her younger sister, dressed in a chiton, sitting alone, eating. Her sister was smaller and had a much thinner frame in comparison, they shared the same hair as with their mother but Pandora's features looked more rough than her sister's.
Her sister cocked her head back, only with surprise. "Is the world ending? I'd never thought you'd awaken at sunrise."
Pandora walked to sit alongside her sister. "I'd thought mother called me. Why are you eating alone Aglaia?"
"You should know she's busy, father also, it's your eighteenth." Aglaia offered up some bread to Pandora to which she accepted.
"We should have moved to Rome." Pandora spoke, she began tearing away at the bread and chewing on it.
"Oh please, you know mother would never let you become a vestal. Neither would she let you be a virgin, she says you'll birth some sort of divine," Aglaia said while snickering. "Although honestly a lot of people believe her, they say you'll be the mother of the next Hercales."
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"Well running from this seems like the most beneficial option." Pandora muttered, Aglaia shook her finger with a smile.
"Mother told me to keep you here, besides you might bring ruin and misfortune upon us."
"Have you been reading those stories about Oedipus? They're silly." Both had finished eating, instead of moving they conversed for a while longer.
"You should be happier, you are the strongest woman in all of Sparta, I've heard that so many wish for your hand in marriage." Aglaia stated.
Pandora massaged her forehead, her eyes catching onto a piece of folded paper left under a plate. She picked it up, her fingers attached to the texture of the paper. Upon opening it was a finely written letter addressed to her father, the contents of which not focused on him:
Dear Loyal Alcides,
I have written to ask of you a favor and honor most great,
feats of your daughter's unfathomable strength, wit and
courage have reached me and seeing as how she
has reached of age I seek to ask of you for her
hand in marriage. If you would grant me such
an honor I would forever be in your debt.
Yours Sincerely,
Prince Pyrrhus.
Algaia stood up, peering in on the letter that Pandora had read only to step back seconds later. "This is unbelievable... on your eighteenth day of birth and the prince already seeks your hand in marriage. What—"
Pandora crumpled the letter and threw it aside. "I'm going now."
Algaia's expression grew concerned as Pandora stood up and headed towards the door. Before she had the chance to speak a word Pandora had already left. Algaia went and picked the crumpled and now dirtied letter on the ground, unfolding it.
"Apologies my prince... I couldn't help contain her blood." Algaia murmured.