Sacrifice

Chapter VII: “Hidden plans”

The dreadful day Enehy had long feared finally arrived. Two days ago a messenger had brought word of the upcoming arrival of the Greek army and now Enehy was sitting on her throne, wearing her royal garments and the symbols of power, her crown and scepter. Despite being overcrowded, due to all the governors, magistrates, priests and other high officials of the court that had gathered just like on any other grand occasion, the throne room was dead silent.

Enehy’s heart began beating faster and faster when some noises coming from behind the front doors announced her that a group of people was approaching. Two soldiers pushed the doors open and Enehy tightened the grasp on her scepter, trying to overcome her fear and suppress the anger and disgust of having to come face to face with her husband to be. But to her great relief, the man who entered and approached the throne was her most trusted general and commander of her personal guard, Arokh.

“My queen ……,” he kneeled before her, bowing his head; the queen smiled with great satisfaction and utmost sympathy.

“Welcome back, Arokh,” she spoke rising from her throne and approaching him, placing one hand on his left shoulder. “I am very much pleased by your safe return.”

That same moment Enehy noticed another man entering the room, followed close behind by two women, and a large group of soldiers, who seemed like they were guarding the women so as not to escape. Judging by their features and above everything by their attire, she knew immediately that they were Greeks. Yet, the plump man with light-brown hair, and a short, bushy beard was unfamiliar to her, though some of his traits looked a bit familiar. Following the queen’s gaze, Arokh felt obliged to make the proper introductions.

“My queen, this is King Menelaus of Sparta. He will honor us with his presence until his brother, King Agamemnon arrives.”

“Greetings King Menelaus, and welcome to Damascus. I am Enehy, sole ruler of this grand city and queen of all Syria,” she deliberately used a defying tone in addressing the Greek King.

“Isn’t there a man here that I could speak to?” Menelaus didn’t give her greetings too much importance, nor did he consider it an offence to speak to her as he did, given the fact that, from where he came, women were banned from public affairs, spending most of their lives in the confines of their household.

“I am Queen and you will speak to ME!” Enehy ordered sharply on a loud and menacing tone.

“You cannot rule by yourself. Only a man can truly govern a people, make them obey the law and lead the army into battle. Women ought to stay at home and raise children,” the slightly enraged King confronted her.

“Perhaps that is how things are in your kingdom, but remember that you are now very far from home, and in these lands women are treated with great respect and they share equal rights with men.”

“Then enjoy your foolish rights as much as you can, because it will all change once my brother becomes King over these lands. And you will have no word in it since it was you who requested the help of the Greeks.”

“My lord, we should not be arguing over such trifling matters. You must be tired from the long voyage. Some chambers have been prepared, if you wish to rest before tonight’s banquet,” Arokh quickly intervened, hoping to relieve some of the tension.

“Yes,” Menelaus muttered in his beard, and started walking back towards the doors through which he had entered, stopping right in front of Helen and Briseis, who hadn’t advanced too much towards the throne, just as the soldiers who were guarding them hadn’t. For a fraction of a second he stared directly into Helen’s eyes, causing her to tremble with fear and then to release a gasp of panic as he suddenly grasped her elbow tightly and pulled her violently in front of him, presenting her to the queen.

“Forgive me, your majesty, I forgot to introduce my beloved wife, Queen Helen,” he spat out ironically, with a vile grin on his face.

Seeing her, Enehy forgot about the humiliation she had just endured in front of the most important of her subjects, gathered in the throne room, and became concern with the fate of the woman whom Menelaus presented as his wife, pitying her for the way in which she was treated.

“The queen is obviously exhausted from the long trip,” Menelaus made up an excuse for the frightened state she was in, that could be easily noticed, but in doing so he never showed any signs of concern and always maintained the same cruel irony in his tone. “So, if you will excuse us, we wish to retire to our chambers.”

Hearing this, Helen’s eyes widened and she began to tremble even more, but Menelaus simply cast a despising glance in her direction, after which he proceeded to, more or less, drag her out of the room.

“What about the other lady …… my lord?” Enehy asked concerned, spitting out with disgust only the formula she addressed him by.

“She’s just a servant. Do what you wish with her,” Menelaus barely turned his head to speak, while he was exiting the room.

Helen and Briseis looked each other in the eyes, both of them wanting to speak up and protest, but neither of them finding the courage, especially Helen, whose husband’s dubious intentions frightened her.

“Arokh, I need to speak to you,” Enehy told the general who was still standing by her side.

“Certainly, my queen.”

“Not now. Wait until everyone has left.”

Arokh nodded, and then turned towards Briseis, who had remained in her spot, looking confused, while Enehy sat back on her thrown, waiting for the room to empty, but at the same time, keeping an eye on Arokh and the young woman, whom she did not yet know.

“So I am a slave after all,” Briseis reproached Arokh the moment he came closer to her, thinking back at the promises he had made to her.

“I never said that. You will be given everything you need or desire, and if that is not enough, then you are free to leave.”

“Why can’t I just leave now?”

“Please, give me a chance. I want to help you.”

“I never asked for your help.”

“The servants will show you to your chambers,” he finally spoke when he saw three women approaching, after he had hopelessly starred into her eyes for a considerable few minutes, without succeeding in triggering any reactions what so ever on her behalf, Briseis’s face remaining emotionless before him.

“Arokh?” Enehy called him when she saw him standing motionless, gazing in the direction Briseis had left, long after she had been escorted out of the throne room. “Something tells me there is more to this than meets the eye. Who is really this woman?”

“Briseis, niece of King Priam.”

“Her city was destroyed and her relatives killed, along with the majority of the population, therefore bringing her here and offering her the chance to start a new life is a very noble thing to do. Yet, I sense there is something that troubles you. What is it?”

“Achilles.”

“Achilles? What about him?”

“He cares about her and she cares about him. I told her he had died, but it was a lie. That man will never die, his gods watch over him, and he will come after her, with Agamemnon and his troops.”

“Agamemnon,” Enehy closed her eyes and sighed deeply, with unmistakable sorrow.

“Is something wrong?”

“How can it not be? I am bound to marry the man.”

“Try to think at what you will gain by doing so. The outcome of the alliance with the Greeks is worth the sacrifice.”

“You are right,” Enehy stood up, feeling overcame with courage all of a sudden. “If I give him a son, he will be his only male heir and after Agamemnon dies, my son will be the only one entitled to rule Greece and all territories under its rule.”

“But doesn’t Agamemnon already have a son with his Greek wife?”

“From what I know, he has three daughters. There are rumors that his wife may have once given birth to a boy, but no one knows what happened to that child, that is if he was ever born.”

“That would be an excellent plan, but are you ready to give birth?”

“No. But if I must, I will. What about you? What sacrifices are you willing to make for your people?”

“In what sense?” Arokh asked, a bit surprised by her sudden question.

“Would you give up Briseis if there was no other choice?”

“There is always a choice. I’m not planning on waiting for Achilles to come and take her away from me.”

“So when are the Greeks arriving?”

“Soon. A few days from now.”

“Excellent,” she smiled sarcastically. “Tell me more about the Greeks, from your experience among them, and about Menelaus and his wife.”

In the meantime, Menelaus had dragged his wife across the corridors of the palace, following the servants who were guiding them to their chambers. Once inside, he chased all of them out and slammed the door in their face, putting up the bolt. Then, he turned to his wife, who was slowly backing away from him.

“What do you want from me?” she asked sobbing. “Just kill me already and stop torturing me like this,” tears fell down her checks this time, as Menelaus kept prowling around her, like a beast around its prey.

“Oh no, my dear, I cannot kill you, not before I capture that pathetic excuse for a Prince. Then I will deal with both of you, but until that day comes, you are still my wife and you will give me an heir.”