"Apollo, you are master of the sun, archer of the heavens, healer of the sick, lord of music, and our great patron! We give you honor, praise, and these offerings in hopes you will bless us another year." The priest's voice boomed all around the temple. The sun rose higher and the temple grew hotter with each hour. As many people as possible crammed inside after the royal family and nobles, the heat of their bodies grew the temperatures quicker. The feast day of the patron god of the kingdom was the most celebrated event of the year. As Apollo was god of the sun, his feast day fell on the day of the year when the sun shone longest.
Soft whispering of the adults in prayer, and louder voices of children who couldn't have the same respect for the ceremony, filled the temple. The six highest ranking noble families had already presented one of seven ceremonial offerings to the god. The king and his family would be the last to present. As heir and future of the city Briseis would be required to do the honors. Briseis knelt behind her mother and father, wishing that one hour was not the standard time between each offering. As midday inched closer, Briseis' mind turned to the models in her room. There was just one area she needed to inspect before she could present her plan to her father.
Her eyes flicked to the hourglass sitting upon the altar as the last grains of gold dust filtered down. It almost hurt to look at the small object, the skylight opened right above the altar and the gold that made up most of the ornate relic was polished to perfection.
"Princess of the Black Sun, bring forth the final offering!" The priest used a mallet to bang the gong as her signal.
Briseis removed the covering of the offering. She lifted the stone bowl from the marble floor which was so shiny she could almost see her reflection. Briseis laid the sacrifice of goat meat and honey cakes before the altar and raised her hands to the sunlight before the statue of the god.
"My god and lord the great Apollo, speaker of prophecy and slayer of the mighty python. Grant to us again a good harvest, prosperity in trade, and a city free of plague." More quietly so only the priest and her family could hear, Briseis added her own personal prayer. "And take away the curse of infertility that has been placed on me."
The priest held out a torch and Briseis lit the wad of gold cloth at the end. Taking the burning torch she walked up the short staircase to set the holy oil inside the basin alight. The light of the flames bounced off the glossy statue and reflected the glow of her eyes. Two small but clear circles appeared on the golden image of the god. Chanting from behind her filled the temple as the ceremony concluded. Briseis lifted up a silent prayer to the mother she didn't know.
Look fairly on me as I plead my case to father, unknown sire goddess.
🦉
"Kegarta meet me at the stables." Briseis gathered some unmarked wax tablets and wiped sweat from her brow as the light of the new day reached higher in the sky. After the temple ceremony last night she'd been preparing to attend to her last order of business on the outskirts of the city, however an unexpected development put a sudden stop to her plans. A delegation of Hittites arrived and threw the palace into chaos.
"Very well, Princess." Before her handmaiden could get to the door her father burst through it looking very annoyed.
"Leave us," Briseus demanded of Kegarta. The girl made a hasty bow and exited. "We have a problem. The Hittites are here because their king wishes to enter a business arrangement. Their crops haven't been as plentiful this year and they are prepared to offer us much, if we supply them with a portion of our crops and seed for three years."
Briseis sighed. "What's the problem? Apollo blessed us with bumper crops. We can easily give them what they want. The Hittites are the most advanced metal smiths the world has ever seen. This could be a new day for Pedasus if through this act of charity we can get them to share their methods with us." Brief images of blacksmiths filling their armories with the best weapons that had ever been in the kingdom filled her mind, a great day that would be indeed.
"Briseis, the Hittites would never give us those secrets even if we supplied them for twenty years. I can't give what they're asking without short changing Priam on the taxes we owe him. I haven't paid them for five years and another will not be overlooked by the king of Troy. If I refuse the Hittites there is nothing to stop them from invading. We are right on the edge of the border and with the state of our walls we cannot repel an invasion."
Briseis rolled her eyes and her father ignored the disrespectful action. "Then why are you asking me? You know there's only one option. Send a messenger to Priam. Explain the situation and he will overlook the taxes in favor of peaceful relations with the Hittites. We are the poorest kingdom in Priam's domain, he knows that. Your pride isn't more important than ensuring war doesn't come here."
Her father's face turned puce at the mention of the poor treasury. Briseus' father and grandfather spent the treasury faster than it could be grown. Briseus had worked tirelessly for twenty years to return Pedasus to even a portion of its former glory. Only during the past five years had that effort begun to show the fruit he'd dreamt of.
"Briseis, the king of Troy is-"
"Just do it, father. If rumors are true old King Priam should be in a forgiving mood. The travelers speak of the lost Prince Alexander having been returned to his family." Briseis squared her shoulders, determined to take the conversation in the direction she wanted. "I have a proposal about our walls to go over with you."
"It will have to wait, Briseis." The king had already turned on his heel and was out the door.
"No, it clearly can't," she grumbled.
Briseis gathered her bag and walked by her herald positioned outside the door. The palace was in a frenzy as the Hittite delegation needed to be housed, fed, and carefully looked after. As was custom when dining with such high profile foreign guests, only food of their liking could be served at the royal table. This sent the servants scouring manuscripts and pantries for the proper and rarely needed ingredients.
In the uproar, her presence went largely unnoticed as she headed for the stables. The servants, guards, priests and all others that frequented the palace were accustomed to seeing the princess with the glowing eyes. Glowing eyes which proved she was the offspring of a goddess and a mortal. All of semi-divine origins, no matter what rank among the immortals the godly parent held, were born with the mark of the heavens in their eyes.
"Princess," Kegarta came running to her, "we must hurry. Palace chatter says Queen Vashti is searching for you."
"It'd be a shame if she found me," Briseis pulled her young handmaiden behind a pillar. Thinking quickly, Briseis mentally envisioned the layout of the palace. The clatter of servants and extra guards to keep eyes on their dignified guests filled the halls, but still they went unnoticed. If they avoided the servants' quarters, which was the most direct route to the stables and instead went through the kitchen, they could utilize a long narrow passage which came out near the southern guard barracks. From there it was a bit of a walk to the stables but Briseis doubted they'd be stopped by anyone. It was even better this way as Vhasti's handmaidens would never lower themselves to enter the kitchen or barrack area. "Kegarta follow me."
Quickly making for the kitchen they set off. Twice they ducked into shadowy alcoves to avoid Vashti's severe looking handmaidens. Briseis had Kegarta bribe servants to say she was seen heading for the temple across the palace.
"You did well, Kegarta," Briseis told the girl as they exited the narrow passage and walked along the barrack wall. The shy young woman smiled as her cheeks flared. After some time they finally reached the stables. Kegarta went to fetch the stable master while Briseis waited. Briseis had taken the young woman as a handmaiden only recently. Briseis was nineteen years and Kegarta was thirteen. A royal handmaiden was usually of similar age with the one they served, and only retired from service once their lady married. After that time, the handmaidens could marry as well, and usually they were in demand to train young girls as handmaidens in their new households in order to prepare them for service to noble families. Wealthy merchant families paid great sums annually for the privilege of their daughters to be educated by a former royal handmaiden. A girl with such training could go on to serve in a noble house, and even perhaps make a marriage within a noble house. The daughter marrying into the noble class would raise the status of the entire family. As a consequence, those positions within the household of a former royal handmaiden were subject to a heavy vetting process.
In Briseis' case, the handmaidens she'd grown up with all married before she. All Briseis' former handmaidens were extremely eligible maidens and had several offers from prominent men asking them to be wives. At first, all the offers were denied as the princess was not married and they couldn't get married before their lady. As time passed and Briseis didn't enter into womanhood as her handmaidens had, Briseis had to let them go. Guilt ate at Briseis knowing her handmaidens wanted to be wives to the men they loved and she was holding them back. They went reluctantly. Not just because it was a wild violation of cultural norms, the girls were friends, and couldn't help but see how much Briseis' failure to become eligible for marriage hurt her.
When the last of the four Briseis had since childhood, a girl named Lavda, married and went to her own home, Lavda begged Briseis to take on her young cousin as a handmaiden. As not many were willing to fill the position, though it would mean better prospects for marriage and a higher lifestyle than they were accustomed, Briseis had taken the girl at once. That had been three years ago. Kegarta's father had been born a bastard son to Lavda's grandfather. Though having royal blood through his father, Kegarta's father was not considered part of the family, and had been given position as a stable master. Kegarta's own status within the kingdom she'd come from had been little better. Before serving Briseis' as handmaiden Kegarta had been a laundress to a wealthy family.
Briseis though being a bastard herself, was recognized by her father and given full rights as his heir and princess of the kingdom. Which made it odd for someone with such a low status as Kegarta to serve her. No amount of money could get any of the nobles to send their daughters, though the king had quietly offered more and more gold. It just went to show the rumors Briseis was bad luck were growing stronger with each passing year she remained unmarried.
"Princess of the Black Sun!" The accented voice called to her from across the stable.
Forcing a diplomatic look on her face Briseis turned. "Ambassador Ahimelech, may the gods shine favor upon you."
"And yourself, Princess. Walk with me."
"Very well. Kegarta," the girl had returned with the horses. "Wait here for my return and ask the stable hands to hold onto the horses for you. I will not be gone long."
Ahimelech never went anywhere, even in his own kingdom, without at least two guards. He'd chosen to travel with four this day so the soft clank of armor accompanied their every step. Ahimelech had been coming to the city for twenty years and knew the palace and grounds well. The ambassador led Briseis to the garden, through the small grove of lemon tress she loved, and stopped before the central fountain. Fragrant blooms plucked from the bushes floated in the water. The garden calmed Briseis as it always did. This was her favorite place in the palace and she wished the ambassador hadn't brought her here. He defiled the place with his presence. Servants were running back and forth in the distance, but they were all so far away no one was in danger of overhearing their conversation.
"Is this regarding Prince Uriah? I've told you again and again. I have no information on his whereabouts," Briseis reminded him with arms crossed.
"I believe you. The disappearance of King Baleck's younger son is not why I'm here. I'll get right to the point. Prince Nolk has sent an offer of marriage to your father."
"I thought you were here for seed."
"I see you've already spoken to your father. Yes, sadly enough that is our main purpose, however since the games last summer the prince has not been able to cease thinking of you."
"That's his problem not mine."
"Sharp tongued as ever, I see."
"Ahimelech, you know why I'm not married and I assure you circumstances have not changed. It's well known Prince Nolk has sworn he will take only one wife. It would benefit no one if he chooses a bride unable to give him an heir. If a prince who will soon be king cannot grasp that simple fact, a poor king will he make."
The ambassador nodded but looked unconcerned. "My spies have given me the reports your physicians write after your weekly visits. There appears to be no ailment they can see that indicates you will forever be infertile. Although rare it is not impossible your blood could be upon you any day now." He plucked a bloom from the fountain and began to pick it apart.
Briseis kept her composure calm instead of rolling her eyes. "My physicians are fools even more so than your prince. You and I both know that's a line they feed my father in fear. If I were a peasant he would have already sold me for a cow or two gold coins since he will never get a better offer."
"Fortune smiles upon you then as you are royalty. I have done my duty. Good day." Ahimelech bowed to her with a cruel smile and threw the mutilated flower remains back into the fountain. With a sharp turn his stoic guards followed him back to the palace.