Briseis, Kegarta, and a handful of other servants woke with the dawn. The Hittites were finally gone, having gotten all they asked for with the exception of the engagement. The two weeks they'd taken up the guest quarters had been a blessing in disguise. It allowed Briseis to put almost everything she needed in place. All that remained was to blindside her father and the council by filling the meeting chambers with her models, and not taking no for an answer when they told her it was unacceptable.
She watched as the confused lords took their seats. As was custom her father was the last to arrive and then chamber was sealed. The council was comprised of several men who held important positions within the kingdom. Lord Nyox was the person she absolutely had to have on her side during this meeting in order not only to convince her father, but the rest of the council as well. Briseis had briefly considered letting him in on her plan but in the end, she feared it would seem rehearsed if he spoke up for her as Nyox was a terrible actor.
"Princess what is this?" Nyox the Chief Architect of the Builders' Guild opened up the meeting.
"Where are the cup bearers?" Panagiotis, Commander of the Army and Navy groaned.
"I have instructed them to wait outside until my proposal is heard," Briseis said. "If you must have something to drink there is weak ale in the pitchers." She gestured to the side of the room where a table that usually held strong wine and a bountiful feast on council days was nearly bare. Two pitchers of ale and a small platter of fruit were all the council would be getting until she gave the order. They only met three times a week, and more often than not lately these meetings descended into revelry where little of important was discussed or decided on.
"Ridiculous." Panagiotis muttered as he stood up and took a few steps toward the door.
"Have a seat Lord Panagiotis. The chamber is sealed on my orders," Briseis told him but he ignored her. Panagiotis was her least favorite person on the council.
"Women," the man muttered without acknowledging her as he banged on the door. "Get the wine and food in here!" Silence met his entreaty from the other side of the door.
"A member of the royal family has given you an order Lord Panagiotis," King Briseus said sternly. "The Princess must have a matter of import to discuss given this display."
The center table was taken up by a scale model of the city. Not every building was represented, just landmarks such as the temple of Apollo, the business district, market and palace to give everyone a sense of direction. The buildings weren't the main focus of this presentation, that honor belonged to the wall around the city which she'd spent two years studying to create this model.
Grudgingly, Panagiotis returned to his seat. Lord Leander, the man in charge of overseeing trade from the Merchant Guild, poured himself some ale and quietly returned to his seat with a nod to Briseis. Though he was just seven years older than Briseis, he had been on the council five years longer than she. He'd taken over after his father was killed in a hunting accident.
"My King and Lords," Briseis began her speech, "it is no secret our kingdom has allowed many things to slip into disarray since the Trojan War. My great-grandfather opened the gates and armory of Pedasus to King Laomedon, as was our duty during the siege of Heracles. Unfortunately my great–grandfather lacked the prudence once the war was over to stop spending the treasury on fits of fancy. A habit my grandfather also had which left us on the brink of ruin."
"Why are you burdening us with these unhappy tidings we all know well?" Lord Melissa Head of the Treasury asked. "Your father and I have taken great pains to make the treasury vaults full again."
"None can deny you've done a difficult and admirable thing," Briseis said. "Unlike the wall around Troy, ours was not built by gods. It has fallen into a state of disarray and in some areas is one crack from crumbling."
"Are you insinuating Lord Nyox has been lax in his duties?" Panagiotis asked with amusement. Panagiotis and Nyox loathed each other with a passion though none knew why. Their feud began many years before either had been given a spot on the council.
"No, Lord Panagiotis. I'm saying you are," Briseis said in as delicate a tone as she could.
The chamber grew silent as they watched Panagiotis' eyes narrow dangerously. "Perhaps you are confused, Princess. If I'm not mistaken, I am head of the army and Nyox is the builder."
Briseis nodded. "That is correct, however the Builders' Guild primary function is to oversee the building of homes inside the city. As the nobles have made extensive modifications to their homes in recent years, it has grown the treasury considerably. As commander of the army it is your job not just to train men to fight, but assess our other defenses. Inspection of the walls and bringing forth any weakness to the Builders' Guild fall under your purview. I took the liberty of checking our records and I've seen you've only done cursory examinations sporadically, using the most inexperienced soldiers. This model is the culmination of two years of study I have undertaken. We are one major earthquake, a single siege engine or even a stiff breeze away from catastrophe."
"This is horse shit!" Panagiotis stood up so sharply his chair fell to the floor. "My King, with all due respect, what does your daughter know of such matters? Women are not members of the Builders' Guild."
"My daughter is no ordinary woman," Briseus reminded Panagiotis sternly. "You will give her your respect. Briseis may not be an official member of the Builders' Guild, but since she was a child I have allowed her to study under the instruction of its most senior members." The king turned to his daughter. "Where are the records you speak of?"
"I have them here." Briseis reached into a box and handed the scrolls to her father. The silence was so great in the chamber they could hear Panagiotis grinding his teeth. The king passed the scrolls down to the other lords as he finished them. "I propose I take over inspection of the walls and oversee their reconstruction." Briseis went to her model and pointed to the side that faced the border of the Hittites. "This is the area I will need to do first. I have–"
Panagiotis cut her off. "Are you suggesting I be dismissed from my post? I have served this kingdom for more years than you've been alive!" His hand flickered down to his waist, where he would have been wearing a sword but weapons were not allowed during meetings.
"Lord Panagiotis," Briseis said coldly. "You will allow me to finish." She stared the older man down until he turned red. He picked up his seat and took to it again. "I do believe Lord Panagiotis should be relieved of this duty." The lord in question made a sound of protest. "As he eloquently stated, he has served the kingdom well for many years, and I know when it comes to training our army and navy he is unquestionably the best. It is the duty of overseeing the walls, and that duty alone, where I believe he is unfit to serve. I would like to add, the state of our walls is not on his head alone. If previous commanders had brought the small problems to attention we wouldn't be in this situation now. It's nearly eighty years of neglect that has lead us here. I suggest a new office be created solely for overseeing the walls, and that I be made head of it."
Lord Melissa drummed his fingers on the table in thought. "Your proposal is a worthy one, Princess. As Head of the Treasury I want to know how much this would cost. Our wealth is better than it's been in years but it has limits. To repair the entire wall would likely clean out our coffers again." Lord Melissa grabbed a wax tablet and began running figures.
"You'll find it to be more affordable than you believe," Briseis promised with confidence.
"You're considering putting this child in charge of–"
"Lord Panagiotis." The king fixed the man with a look of irritation. "Are you going to protest everything that comes out of the Princess' mouth? If all you can contribute are angry objections then leave."
Panagiotis stayed out.
"As a member of the royal family a certain portion of the treasury has always been set aside for my personal use." Briseis reached into the box again and pulled out several scrolls. "Five years ago when the notion of bringing this plan forward entered my mind, I held off because I knew how expensive this would be. I knew I needed to find a way to pay for the majority of it before I could bring this plan to council. Some of you may remember when I began buying a large amount of chickens, afterwards I bred and housed them on palace grounds."
"A harmless amusement," the king stated.
"Not exactly. As you said father, I studied under the best of the Builders' Guild. Before his death, Master Dimitris was developing a mixture to make stone that was not only lighter in weight but stronger. He wanted it with higher rates of durability, but with less expensive materials, because he too was worried about the condition of our wall. He brought this plan to me. I have since carried out his work testing and refining his formulas. The ingredients needed to accomplish this feat are egg whites and eggs shells."
Panagiotis snorted. "Eggs?"
"Yes, eggs. When mixed with mortar they have bonding properties making the stone stronger and lighter. Critically, eggs are much less expensive than the other ingredients we need to make mortar. I have tested this theory by building statues, this model, and commissioning a house that Nyox's team finished just six months ago using this formula, though he didn't know it was I." Briseis gestured to the man in question to confirm her story.
"That explains all the strange stipulations," Nyox said. "The home is still standing and sustained no damage after that earthquake rattled us, though it destroyed many homes around it which were recently built or under construction."
The area she decided to build her experimental dwelling was the part of the city which suffered the most damage in that quake. Briseis was delighted when the earthquake struck. Not because she revealed in destruction, but it gave her further proof the formula worked. "Indeed. This formula works. I have bred the chickens very successively, sold their eggs and feathers, and contributed far more to the treasury than I took. This is possible."
Lord Melissa lifted his eyebrows and turned to Nyox for an assessment of what the house had cost to build.
"Briseis," her father said. "This is undoubtedly a worthy plan, and you have put much heart into it, but I'm nervous about repairing the wall in this manner. Eggs? It sounds rather...unconventional."
Briseis dug into her box again and produced a stone made with the formula. "It is but I have proven it works. I'll redo the area of the wall that faces the Hittite border, all at my own expense, with men from the Builders' Guild. You can have anyone you want inspect it and if you find it satisfactory, I want to begin work on other sections of the wall. If my plans fail, then no more from the treasury need be taken but if it succeeds then we can spend a larger amount, not just my own funds. Take this and examine it. It's a stone made with this formula. It is stronger yet lighter than what we currently build with." She passed it to her father.
"I can spare the men for this," Nyox told the king.
"Thank you for your support, Lord Nyox," Briseis said graciously.
"Very well." Briseus put down the stone and gestured to one of the scribes, who had been sitting quietly to the side of the room recording the meeting. "Draft an official decree laying out the reduction of Lord Panagiotis' duties, and the creation of a new office to be named Master of the Walls, with Princess Briseis as the interim head."
The Princess didn't like that her father called her the interim head, but that was a matter she would change latter. Once the scribe made several copies and had given the documents everything needed to make them legal, Briseus signed them with his seal and signature. The signing took patience on the part of the king and council. With three missing fingers from his dominant right hand, Briseus had learned to write using his left. But it took time and effort to make whatever he wrote legible, even with twenty years of practice. Which was why Briseus employed a large number of scribes, to ensure all that was required of him was a signature.
"I also have a proposal I want to bring forth." Leander put down his drink and pulled out a large square of silk from the satchel he'd brought with him. "This silk is made from the webs of spiders. I have been buying and collecting the insects for much the same reason as the Princess has chickens. It takes time to collect enough for clothing. But I have several garments in the making for the royal family and top officials."
"Spider silk," Nyox said distastefully. "Aside from the creatures being more abundant, why does it matter where the silk comes from?"
"There is a very important difference." Leander stood up. "My King, did you bring the blade I requested?"
"I have Lord Leander." Briseus pulled a dagger from his robes.
"Very good. I ask you to assist me." Leander got up and asked the king to stand in front of him with the dagger. "I want you to try and stab me."
"Excuse me?" Briseus looked confused, along with everyone in the chamber.
"Stab me, my King. Aim for this silk." Leander held the silk just one foot away from his chest.
"Have you taken leave of your senses, boy?" Melissa asked in horror.
"No, I haven't."
"Very well." Briseus stabbed and the silk stretched toward Leander's chest, but the knife didn't penetrate either the silk or Leander's body. The room was stunned.
"How is this accomplished?" Briseis breathed.
"What sorcery have you used?" Panagiotis got up and took the silk from Leander's hands.
Proudly Leander gestured to the silk in Panagiotis' hands. "Spider silk, as I have just demonstrated, is far stronger than silk derived from other sources. This is made from over three hundred webs and very effective for protection from close range weaponry. We haven't yet developed one strong enough for blocking arrows or spears thrown with great force. However with backing from the crown, I would purchase more insects and eventually I believe it could be done."
"This is extraordinary." Briseus stole the silk from Panagiotis' hands and held it up to the light. Not one tear could be seen.
"May I see that?" Briseis asked. Her father handed it over and Briseis tried multiple times to get the knife to rip into the silk, but the silk remained intact.
"What a wonder," Nyox marveled.
"Yes, and one I knew I should bring to the council. You see, as Head of Trade I believe this could bring in an enormous amount of revenue. Can you imagine what the Greeks and Hittites would pay for–"
"No," King Briseus cut off the younger man.
"My King please consider–" Melissa tried.
"I am," Briseus turned to the scribes. "Strike everything from the record after the making of the new office and you may all leave." The scribes did as they were told. "Everyone sit." Briseus took the silk from Briseis and laid it before him. "Lord Leander, you have done a great thing for the crown. Not only will I give you any funds you need to expand this operation, but I will see you personally rewarded. Have you told anyone of this, your family, colleagues, your weavers?"
"Only my brother and his son, they help me harness the silk. The weavers don't know the origin is any different from the other silk we give them."
"Very good. I want to use this to our advantage," Briseus said enthusiastically.
"The Hittites–" Leander tried to begin again.
"No," Briseus refused again. "I don't want this falling into any hands but our own. I won't see this innovation worn by our enemies regardless of the wealth it would bring."
"Father, I understand your reasoning but there is another way we could make money off this. What if you have it known to Priam and the other royals of the Troad? They could order garments for their families and we could charge whatever Leander says is reasonable," Briseis spoke.
Before the king could speak, Leander did. "That is a great idea, Princess Briseis. The problem is if Priam knows he'll likely order enough to outfit his entire army. I cannot fulfill that wish. I was planning on outfitting Pedasus' royal family and important officials first. The operation while running smoothly, is still new and when I spoke of selling to the Hittites and Greeks, that would have been several years from now when I have more silk to work with."
"Yes," the king mused. "This will be kept within the confines of this chamber for now, any mention of it to those not currently present will be considered an act of treason. Lord Leander, I want to see where you do this work."
"As do I," Briseis said.
"It will be arranged," Leander promised.
With that Briseis went to the door and allowed the servants to usher in the usual feast.