This is my excerpt on the last song in the Ithaca Saga by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, featuring AnnaLea as Odysseus and Penelope, titled Would You Fall in Love With Me Again.
To fully understand this, you’ll need a basic grasp of the story and the song, since I’ll be using the lyrics to explain things.
For simplicity, I’ll be calling Odysseus “Ody” at points in this piece.
A Bed Rooted in Love
Around the part where Ody is ranting after Penelope asks him to uproot the tree, the last line is:
“The only way to move it is to cut it from its roots.”
And then Penelope responds:
“Only my husband knew that, so I guess that makes him you.”
He takes a sharp inhale, then exhales deeply, as he sings: “Penelope.”
Penelope is technically nearer to the door, and Ody is by the bed. As one artist described it, even though he was upset to do it, he walked over to the bed to explain why he couldn’t.
I wish I could remember who I saw it from, I’m pretty sure it was the YouTube animatic by the artist Ximena Natzel.
Her Answer in Song
Penelope takes a deep breath before singing her response while approaching him:
“I will fall in love with you / Over and over again.”
Ody stands by the bed, watching her. His red eyes have faded significantly since meeting his son and Athena, but not completely — because Penelope is his true goal. His need for her to understand is greater than anything.
“I don’t care how, where, or when / No matter how long it’s been / You’re mine.”
Tears well up in his eyes — the red in them now like embers of a flame, moments away from going out.
“Don’t tell me you’re not the same person, / You’re always my husband.”
“And I’ve been / waiting (×7).”
By now, she has reached him and places her hand on his cheek.
“Ooo / For you.”
Embers in His Eyes and The Touch That Restores
As she sings her last line, she sees the embers flickering — the Odysseus he describes to her, the monster he had become, the pain he still carries thinking she wouldn’t accept him anymore.
But she doesn’t care about any of that.
She wipes away a tear, symbolizing her wiping away the embers of the man he was and revealing the man she has always known. No matter what, he is and will always be her husband.
This releases all the doubt and fear he had held inside.
And it affirms to her that her fight was not in vain.
She stood strong, knowing he’d return to them — circumstances be damned.
And that’s all that matters
A truly remarkable love story.
Beyond the Lyrics
My explanation might not flow perfectly, but my aim was to highlight the symbolism behind the red eyes.
Although Odysseus had become a full monster in song 38 Odysseus, upon reuniting with his son and mentor, he began to slowly regain who he was before the war. That was enough to weaken it but not end it. He still needed her.
When Penelope told him to uproot the bed, there was a flicker in his eyes, as if he was surprised she’d ask that, but he couldn’t deny her anything. As she sings to him, his heart is torn, but he doesn’t interrupt. They both need this moment.
When she stands in front of him and wipes his tears, he feels she’s wiping away not just his tears, but the last trace of doubt — and finally, he is free. That’s when the Just a Man instrumentals play.
Closing Thoughts
I don’t know the real story, and I probably won’t read it, but this rendition has a place in my heart. Honestly, I believe it will go on to greater places and I’m grateful to exist while it’s being formed.