Mythology with a Twist: Daphnis and Chloe

And yes, it's long overdue but their story is finally here! Enjoy!

Daphis and Chloe, directly from Eirini's imagination!

Philetas caught the look on Chloe’s face; curious, he followed her gaze and found her looking at Daphnis, who was busy enjoying the attention of the winemakers’ wives.

He smiled; he was old enough to know the meaning behind her glum face and reddened cheeks. He stood and went to sit by her next to the fire.

“Why the long face lamp?” he asked. “Aren’t you having fun?”

“I am just tired I suppose.” She quickly lied. “I’ve been up since the crack of dawn and it’s getting late; and it took forever to get my sheep back in their shed today.”

“Can’t say I blame them; with winter just around the corner, everyone wants to stay outside for as long as possible, even animals.”

Chloe smiled at the old man’s words. “True.”

“Did you and Daphnis have a fight?”

“No.” She replied, pursing her lips together.

“No?” Philetas asked, feigning surprise. “How come you haven’t talked all night then? You two are usually inseparable.”

“Apparently my company is not fascinating enough.” Chloe replied bitterly.

Philetas had to bite back a smile. “Nonsense.”

Just then, one of the women leaned in and planted a kiss on Daphnis’s lips; Chloe’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

She was torn between crying and marching over to Daphnis and that woman and slapping them both. Philetas, sensing Chloe’s internal turmoil, patted her knee in an attempt to comfort her. When he felt she had calmed down, he stood and walked over to Daphnis.

“It seems to me you’ve forgotten your dear old friends.”

“Philetas!” Daphnis exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you all night!”

“Were you looking for me then?” Philetas teased. “It didn’t seem that way.”

Daphnis blushed and lowered his eyes to the ground.

“I am not the only one who misses your company.”

Daphnis huffed indignantly. “She should have thought of that before she started talking and giggling at the jokes of men twice her age!”

Philetas smiled at his words. “Holding a grudge won’t do either of you any good; come and sit with us.”

Daphnis nodded and followed him. When they reached Chloe, the older man raised his eyebrows, silently urging him to talk first.

“Hello.” He said awkwardly.

Chloe looked up and gave him a small smile.

Philetas smiled and gently pushed Daphnis forward, so he’d take the seat next to Chloe. He did so, careful to leave some distance between them.

Philetas shook his head, amused at their antiques. He took a seat opposite them and studied them for a while.

“The most peculiar thing happened to me today.” He started. “I was walking around my garden, when I came across a young man, not much older than you Daphnis. I greeted him and asked for his name, but he laughed and asked if I recognised him. When I said I didn’t, he laughed again; he responded that it was his arrows that got me a wife and children to carry my name.”

“Who was he?”

“He was Eros, the god of Love, the most powerful of them all. See everything around you? He’s responsible for it all. Men and animals and plants, they all fall in love and life carries on because of him. When I fell in love with my wife, I couldn’t think of anything or anyone else but her; food, drink, sleep, none of it mattered if I didn’t have Amaryllis. She had many suitors back then; the thought of her marrying anyone else but me, felt like a dagger through my chest. But Eros had been merciful to me and made her my wife.”

“Love sounds like a terrible decease.” Chloe said.

“Oh it is a decease all right; no medicine, no charm can cure it but kissing and embracing and lying side by side in the nude.” He replied meaningfully.

“Why are you telling us this?” Daphnis asked suspiciously.

Philetas smiled and simply raised his eyebrows in response.

As the feast was coming to its’ end, Daphnis and Chloe stood, said their goodbyes and took the way home. That night, neither of them slept. They spent the night mulling over the old man’s words.

His words seemed oddly familiar; were they in love then? Because if they were, they would have to seek they same remedies as he had.

When they met in the morning, instead of their usual greeting, they embraced and kissed, something they’ve never done before.

They paid little attention to their flocks that day; instead they spent the day kissing and smiling at each other, exchanging words of endearment they’ve never used before.

The few remaining days of autumn passed too quickly for their liking though, and winter was already making its presence known.

“Winter’s here.” Daphnis said glumly. “How am I going to survive winter without seeing you? 
I’ll lose my mind.”

“You’ve survived last winter just fine.”

“Last winter I wasn’t in love with you.” He responded. “Or if I was, I had not realised it yet.”

Chloe smiled, pleased with his words. “I am going up to the Nymphs’ Cave; it’ll be so long before I get to go there again.”

“I’ll go with you.”

They walked in companionable silence for a while, until Chloe spoke again.

“Remember last summer, when we were in the cave right after you had escaped those pirates and I was washing your wounds?

“Yes.” Daphnis replied, urging her to continue.

“That’s when I first saw you in a different light, but I didn’t know what it meant.”

“Hah!” Daphnis exclaimed triumphantly. “I knew before that!”

“When?” Chloe challenged.

“When Dorkon was begging for a kiss of yours, but you decided to kiss me instead.”

Chloe blushed. “Will you be thinking of me?”

“By Pan, I will.”

“Don’t swear by Pan; he was unstable. He claimed he loved Pitys, but that didn’t stop him from going after Syrinx too.”

“Then I’ll swear by the Nymphs we both love so dearly; I shall not live another day without you.” Daphnis said before leaving in and kissing her.

Winter passed with Daphnis seizing every opportunity possible in order to see Chloe; he showed up at the her doorstep, bearing ridiculous excuses most of the time, just to see her and, if possible steal a kiss from her, while their parents turned a blind eye at their behaviour.

The first day it was warm enough to go out, nothing could hold them inside. When they saw each other, they ran into each other’s arms, colliding with such force, that Daphnis landed on his back, with Chloe landing directly on top of him. They met halfway in a kiss, and kept on kissing for what seemed like hours; reluctantly, they broke apart, for fear of prying eyes.

Spring proved to be quite challenging though; with each passing day, their kisses grew bolder and their embraces fiercer but they still did not dare try the third remedy Philetas had suggested, despite wanting to.

Being both inexperienced, they had no idea how to go about things, which resulted into reddened cheeks and awkward moments between them; still, they could not spend a day apart.

Every morning, on his way to meet Chloe, Daphnis was passing in front of Chromis’s house; he was one of the wealthiest people in the area, so his money had got him a young and beautiful wife, Lycaenion. People in the area did not like her. They said that she was far too delicate and frail for the country life; that she had met Chromis in her days working in a pleasure house, and that she married him seeking out a better life.

Being young and handsome, Daphnis had caught Lycaenion’s eye; it was only natural since Chromis was quite old, and not much to look at. She would very much like to lure Daphnis in her bed, but, like everyone else, she was well aware of his feelings towards Chloe.

One day though, she accidentally became witness to one of their encounters; instantly, she felt sorry for them; they were far too innocent for their years. The wheels started turning in her head, trying to figure out a way to use their ignorance in her favour. She didn’t hesitate at all; the next morning, she was ready to put her plan into action.

She spotted them, sitting under a sole oak tree, close to the edge of the forest, and hastily approached them. “Good day,” she said, “An eagle just grabbed one of my geese; Daphnis, would you be kind enough to help me look for it?”

He nodded eagerly, unaware of Lycaenion’s intentions. He stood and stretched a bit. “Chloe, you’ll keep an eye on my goats, eh? I won’t be long.”

“Of course I will.” She responded and offered him a smile. He smiled back, and followed Lycaenion towards the forest.

After wandering in the woods for a couple of hours, Daphnis and Lycaenion finally reached a clearing.

“I think we were too late.”

“Quite probably.” Lycaenion answered. “Here, let’s rest for a bit before we head back.”

Daphnis nodded and took a seat under a large oak tree; Lycaenion moved to sit next to him.

He jumped slightly; he couldn’t wait to go back, that much she could tell. “I know what’s troubling you.” She said mysteriously.

“Oh?”

“You want to learn more about the matters of love.”

Daphnis blushed and lowered his eyes to the ground. “How did you know?”

“The Nymphs visited me in my sleep last night and told me so. They’ve even asked me to teach you everything I know about it.”

“Would you?” Daphnis asked eagerly.

She could not believe Daphnis was still this innocent; any other boy his age would have already caught on to her intentions.

“The Nymphs asked me, how can I refuse?” Lycaenion said innocently and moved closer to him.

True to her word, she taught him well, for she indeed had been working in a pleasure house before. When the lesson was over, Daphnis was still in awe of his newfound knowledge; he could not wait to share it with Chloe.

“You’re a man now.” Lycaenion said, while arranging her clothes back into place. “But keep this in mind; what we just did, could not harm me, for it was long ago that I became a woman. Your Chloe is still a maiden though; she will bleed and cry from pain, but that shouldn’t stop you; that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Daphnis frowned.

“Shame the eagle already killed my goose eh?” Lycaenion continued playfully and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

Before Daphnis could respond though, she had already started towards the village. He followed, keeping his distance.

Chloe would never forgive him if she ever found out what he did with Lycaenion.

He let out a sigh as he spotted her in a distance. She was picking flowers, only a few meters away from where he’d left her.

How could he be so stupid? What would he tell her now?

She smiled upon seeing him. “Did you find the goose?”

He shook his head negatively. “We were too late.” He replied, careful to avoid eye contact.

“Shame.”

Daphnis simply shrugged and took her in his arms. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he let out a sigh.

He wanted to do everything he’d done with Lycaenion with Chloe, but he did not want to hurt her in any way, ever; how was he supposed to do that?

Summer came and Chloe had just turned fifteen; many men were asking for her hand in marriage, but Dryas, her father, refused them all, claiming they were not good enough for her.

And that was true, in a way. No one knew of this, but Chloe was not his real daughter. He had found her in the woods when she was only a baby. The clothes she was dressed in indicated she came from a rich family; if she was meant to ever find her real parents, he didn’t want them to say that he had not chosen well for Chloe.

Daphnis was desperate. Dryas would never accept his offer, since his family was just as poor as Chloe’s. He prayed to the Nymphs to assist him, and they listened, like they always did when he and Chloe asked for their help.

In a dream, they showed him the path to a forgotten treasure, so he had more than enough money to offer to Chloe’s father. Dryas could not refuse him; he agreed to give him Chloe as his bride and even promised to convince Lamo, Daphnis’s father, to consent to their union.

Little did he know that Lamo’s reasons for not wanting Daphnis to marry anyone were similar to his own. Daphnis too, was an exposed baby, coming from a family much richer than his own.

In the end, Lamo reluctantly agreed, since there was not a reason for him to refuse; still, the governor would have to consent as well, so Lamo suggested they wait until September, when the governor would visit their village. Daphnis and Chloe were elated at the news; September could not come soon enough.

When Dionysophanes, the governor, arrived in the village, Lamo decided that he should not keep Daphnis’s story a secret anymore. He presented himself to him and told him Daphnis’s story, presenting his baby clothes as evidence. All colour drained from Dionysophanes’s face upon seeing them.

It turned out that Daphnis was his lost son, who had been abducted all those years ago. Elated at having found his son, he threw a grand feast for everyone. Daphnis, still in shock from all the revelations, didn’t notice that Chloe had slipped away from the feast.

She couldn’t help but think how things would change now that Daphnis turned out to be the governor’s son. He’d never allow his son to marry a shepherd’s daughter.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn’t notice Lampis, one of her suitors, lurking in the shadows; with Daphnis still at the feast, he seized the opportunity and abducted Chloe.

News came back to Daphnis in no time; he was devastated. None of this mattered, if it meant losing Chloe.

He explained the situation to his father and immediately Dionysophanes sent a search party for Chloe; it wasn’t long before she was returned to Daphnis, safe and sound.

Dryas, glad to have his daughter rescued, decided that he no longer had the right to keep the truth from her; he revealed Chloe’s story to Dionysophanes, who promised to find her parents.

Not long afterwards Dionysophanes was supposed to return to the city. Naturally, Daphnis was expected to go with him, and, since Chloe would soon be his wife, she would join them too. So they said goodbye to the people who raised them and set out of for the city.

Once they were home, Dionysophanes decided to threw a grand feast for all his friends, in order to introduce them to son and his beautiful bride. With everyone present, Dionysophanes was quick to share the story of Daphnis and Chloe. Megakles, one of Dionysophanes’s oldest friends, clearly agitated, asked to see Chloe’s baby clothes.

When he took them in his hands and nearly dropped them. When Chloe was born, he was in no position to support a child, so he had abandoned her in the woods, in hopes that someone would find her and care for her. But the gods had punished him for his actions; they didn’t grace him with another child afterwards.

He begged for Chloe’s forgiveness, which she granted. She was not angry at her father’s actions, for she had had a happy childhood in the country.

He smiled gratefully and asked her to go home with him for it was time to meet her mother; Daphnis stood, stating that he would go with them, since he had taken a vow to never leave Chloe alone. Megakles nodded in agreement, pleased to be giving his daughter as a bride to such a noble young man.

Ever since their arrival, many people, having heard their amazing story, kept visiting them, but life in the city wasn’t for Daphnis and Chloe.

“I miss the country.” Chloe admitted sadly.

“I miss it too.” Daphnis agreed as he reached for her hand. “At least I’ve got you.”

Chloe smiled. “I miss my parents; our cave too; I even miss my sheep.”

“I miss them too; and my goats.” He replied. “Would you like to go back then?”

She nodded. “Very much so; but I don’t think that’s possible.”

“We will make it possible then.”

“How-” Chloe started, but Daphnis silenced her with a kiss.

He pushed some hair out of her eyes and smiled. “We’ll return to the country and get married there, I promise.”

She smiled back. “I can’t wait!”