Page 50 - Yellow Feather Book 2

but he couldn’t dare disappoint his mother, so he decided not to tell his mother what he was feeling.
Psyche was a wretch because not only she could not fall in love with someone but, even more surprising, nobody seemed to really fall in love with her. Men were happy just to admire her. Then they passed by and married another girl. Her two sisters, though definitely less seductive, had held two lavish weddings, each with a king. Psyche was the most beautiful girl on Earth, but she was sad and lonely, always admired but never really loved. It seemed that no man would want her as his wife and this caused great anxiety and distress to her parents. That is when her father went to visit the Oracle of Delphi to ask Apollo for advice on what to do in order to find a husband for Psyche. The prophecy of the god was terrible. “Dress the maiden for a wedding and for a funeral”, Apollo decreed. “Take her to the top of the highest mountain. Do not search for a son-in-law of mortal blood. Her husband will be the winged serpent whom even the gods fear and who makes the bodiless travelers on the Styx shrink in terror”.
No one can imagine the despair of the family and friends of Psyche. She was prepared for the ordeal as if she were to face her death and with more cries than if they were to drive her to the tomb, they led the young lady to the mountain. Desperately, they all departed, leaving Psyche to her fate, radiant and helpless, and they locked themselves in the palace to mourn her for the rest of their days.
On the mountaintop and in the dark, Psyche remained seated and waited. While she was shaking and crying in the quiet night, a slight breeze reached her. It was the fresh wind of Zephyr, the mildest of the winds. She felt that she was being raised. She was being taken into the air, over the rocky hill, to a soft meadow full of flowers. He did his best to make her forget her pain and put her to sleep. She then woke up by the sound of a clear stream and when she opened her eyes she faced an imposing and magnificent castle. It seemed destined for a god, with gold columns, silver walls and floors of inlaid precious stones. Absolute silence ruled. It seemed uninhabited and Psyche approached cautiously to admire its splendors. She remained suspicious at the threshold, where she heard a noise but could not see anyone. However, she could clearly hear the words: “Lady and mistress! I am your servant. The house is for you. Come in and do not be afraid. Take a bath and we will immediately honor you with a great feast.”
The Story of Cupid and Psyche 49 by Apulieus