"Are you lost?" a voice called out. Odysseus awoke from his slumber as a woman surrounded by dark figures approached.
"A fair noble woman giving pity to a beggar? No, I was simply resting my eyes." He leaned on his elbow, straining to catch a glimpse of the speaker without much success.
Instead he decided just to relax and rest beneath the shade.
A moment of respite beneath the olive tree.
He was without a weapon and without his envoy...
It was his first time on a boat and he ended up making his men wash the deck. He avoided their gazes for the next few days in shame.
"A beggar dressed in fine silk? And even dirtying such an attire by laying on the grass?
If you imagine yourself to be a beggar, surely I must be some sort of gypsy." She laughed quietly, earning open mouthed stares from her entourage.
Her laughter tickled his ears pleasantly. He had to admit she sounded beautiful.
The figure kneeled, sitting in a resting position quite elegantly, much to the dismay of the background characters.
'Probably maids. A high ranking official? Perhaps a concubine of one of the many suitors arriving. Should I get up to have a better glimpse?'
They exchange small conversation. Odysseus not wanting to tempt a conflict with a suitor didn't put much effort into it, just simply content with enjoying the skies rippling colours.
"Ah... it seems like the crowd is beginning to gather. It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for the shade and uh... for the company."
"I am grateful for this encounter," she said, pursing her lips, as the man walked away. One to remember for sure. The maids behind her exchanged glances.
"Sometimes, it takes a stranger beneath an olive tree to remind us of what truly matters." She muttered to herself.
...
Inside of the Spartan halls, the air stank of wine. Laughter and chatter resounded of over a hundred suitors, each seeking the attention of Penelope, The Princess of Sparta. Each boasting of their birth right, their conquests, and their ability to provide.
Most if not all treated it as a political game. Most double, perhaps even triple the age of the Princess. Odysseus found it disgusting and yet he was the same, seeking Marriage for resources, to continue the war effort. To win. He felt disgust for himself as he glanced down at his cup of warm wine, a look of disgust etched on his face like granite.
Maybe it was just the alcohol.
It had been his father's request that he pursue Penelope, a union that would forge a vital alliance between Sparta and Ithaca in the face of the coming conflict.
"Strength in unity," His father wheezed, practically on his deathbed. And yet…
His father made no moves to force him. Odysseus's expression softened slightly as he knew he had to do this for his people, for his family. He had asked Athena, wanting to know what the Goddess of Wisdom had thought.
"You, Odysseus must not be stopped. I can see you becoming a general, a warrior like no other, yet you are not there yet. Will you let your nation fall before you reach maturity? This is an opportunity, a chance...
So what's holding you back? She has wealth, beauty and power. Everything to keep your men alive. All you have to do is show her who you are. Who Odysseus of Ithaca is."
"What's holding me back…" A vision. A memory, something precious. He looked at Athena's strawberry-blonde hair and stormy gray eyes and pursed his lips something on the tip of his tongue.
"I don't know…"
He didn't have a single excuse. To appease his Mother and Father, both that he treasured dearly, to save the lives of his men and his kingdom. There was no other argument but "Yes!"
Like a soldier.
As he stood in the Halls of Sparta, he just couldn't bring himself to go up to her. To show her the ol' Ody charm. He was just 15… His father can't last for more than a few weeks, others marry far earlier, for some reason with his mindset it just leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.
He watched as the suitors with an almost red gleam in their eyes crowded around the princess vying for her attention. He felt sorry for her. That's it. And yet he was to be like them? To whore himself out to save his kingdom? That would be the right thing to do…
Why couldn't he do it? Why was no one on his side?
Although he hunted beasts daily, fought hand in hand with soldiers.
He still felt like a child.
'Is this what it means to be a warrior of the mind?'
He clenched his teeth, staring at the goblet of wine as it started to warp in his hand. He looked up and locked eyes with Penelope.
A Tether.
An almost invisible plea for help from a stranger she barely knew. An obligation he felt restricting his throat and yet… he did nothing, he walked away. He looked towards the balcony as he switched his cup of wine on the table for an untouched one, left by a rather chubby suitor…
"Coward." He muttered to himself as he slipped out to the balcony hoping from some reprieve from the invisible pressure crushing his lungs. He looked down at his wine once more, sighing before pouring it off the balcony and leaving the goblet on the side as he sulked.
'Liquid courage? Yeah right…'
And although he believed himself to be alone with his thoughts, he was not.
Fate tended not to favour those who sought solitude.
Stormy Gray eyes from the rooftops and Ocean blue eyes from the doorway.
A woman's voice like no other, echoed through the endless night.
"Hello there, I am quite curious why you would scuttle away in a corner, like a rat dressed in silk." She spat lastly, annoyed at her plea for help being ignored.
"If I am a small and timid creature, does that make you the predator, stalking its prey? a cougar perhaps? I am clearly younger than you, yet you found your way to me. You have locked the door so no one else can interrupt. Any other man might blush." He grinned, leaning on the edge of the balcony in response.
The woman had no words, a blush slowly forming, not expecting such a retort.
"If you continue like that, you might catch flies," Odysseus teased, a playful grin dancing on his lips. "Though I imagine that would make you a frog instead, princess." He laughed at his own joke, almost like a man unsuited for any sort of women.
"You wish to insult and demean me? If not for the fact I sought you out and insulted you first, I would have had you put down like a rabid dog. Though with your vulgarity, I suppose it's no wonder why you are simply maidenless, without company. I feel sorry for your country." She lifted her head defiantly as she raised he knuckle to her lips.
Odysseus simply raised an eyebrow in response, not letting her words strike him.
"'For your country?' If you are trying to gauge my station, I could just be a common soldier. A Nobody. If I flee today, you would never know my identity."
"Ah, but just like your namesake, you must indeed be a nobody," Penelope shot back, her tone light yet sharp. "For as I said, only a Nobody would dare insult me so brazenly. Do you have no fear of Sparta's retribution?" Penelope grinned at the 'Mr. Nobody' standing before her.
"And yet you would talk with a simple soldier instead of standing with those who would drop riches and legacies like petals from a tree. I have no such wealth, nothing to offer." Odysseus replied simply, completely ignoring her question.
"Yet a simple soldier would have cut off their own tongue by now. So there must be something beyond your words." She spoke not with conviction but rather with a soft tone of hope.
'Does he really forget that he is still dressed in fine silk? I have repeated it several times. Perhaps he really is a soldier, only used to wearing armour.'
"..."
The softness in her voice caught Odysseus off guard, not expecting anything other than hate or a game of words. Like an open heart, showing how it beats.
"This isn't the first time I'd be surrounded by barbarians, yet it is the first time where I was actively ignored, as if you had wanted nothing to do with me in the first place. Even seemingly forced to come here through no will of your own. Is that the case?" She asked curiously, stepping closer under the moonlight as Odysseus stood to the side.
"Pretty close actually. I came here out of respect for my Father and Mother, for my kingdom. And yet every time I tried to take a step forward I felt needles stabbing into my sole." He brushed his hair back, speaking only honest truths.
"And yet you do not seem to build relations. To ignore and belittle me. A cougar really?" She raised a twitching brow.
'That comment really did get to her…' He thought briefly before responding with a sigh.
"Not a single one of those men are honourable. I've kept my eyes wide open, to invite them to my kingdom would be inviting a plague upon my land. I've listened to their whispers and ambitions, they would love nothing more than to take advantage."
"Is that your way of saying the only good man in this banquet is you?" Penelope laughed as Odysseus began to flush from his own unintended words.
"...I do not know what I want. I want to protect my kingdom yet I have to do it in a contest of words to a maiden I barely know in a room of full disgusting old men instead of a battlefield. I cannot offer you what they can. They may be old but they also may be wiser." Odysseus spoke slowly, his words at times stumbling.
She glanced up, capturing his gaze with her earnestness. "Many would argue that it takes great strength to win a woman's heart. But look around! More than a hundred men have arrived, eager for conquest rather than companionship. That is not wisdom in my eyes. The only one who seemed to take this farce seriously has already scuttled away, leaving me trapped in this gilded cage, forced to endure their advances over and over again." She almost-shouted her frustration, evident.
"Must you pick a husband so soon?" he asked gently.
"If not soon, then a choice will be made for me," she replied, her tone dripping with distaste. "I have just come of age. As time goes on, these men will dwindle, and my father and uncle will lose valuable opportunities for our kingdom."
Right… Those old men want something new, otherwise they would be seeking brides their own age.
"I only wish to lead my people without being bound by romantic notions." Odysseus dropped his head in defeat, trying to express himself without making himself sound more childish than he already had.
"That's quite selfish don't you think? For your kingdom and for I. You would weaken your kingdom just to be free and leave me to suffer the consequences. Do you even know how annoying it was to squeeze through a room of drunk pungent suitors? I think not. Tell me, enough with this game. Tell me, what is your name?" She said, becoming more frustrated with the lack of formal introductions.
A moment passes as Odysseus remained silent. He sighed deeply, hoping that this wasn't a mistake.
"... I am Odysseus, the future king of Ithaca."
"Ah… I've heard of Ithaca. The battle with Troy is stretching on isn't it? 5 years long isn't it? Constantly thinking, 'Will it be over?' For your Citizens to never know when their time has come. It sounds lonely and quite depressing."
"Perhaps it is. But in loneliness there is the solitude that allows one to think beyond the context of relationships."
"Do you fear surrendering yourself to the joys of companionship, of love?" she asked, her gaze steady and searching.
"It's never been a surrender, it's simply unique... like mixing colours on a palette to create a masterpiece." He frowned, frustrated with his own awkwardness.
He wasn't good at being formal. In fact he often stumbled over his thoughts, particularly in moments like these.
The one thing he knew...
Is that he sucked at it. Hard.
But even he didn't know why he could not simply commit.
"Then why remain as 'nobody special' when you have the potential to create something remarkable?" she pressed gently, leaning closer as if to draw out his thoughts.
"..." Odysseus was silent.
Lost in his own thoughts now. Something had gotten through and he wasn't sure what it was.
"I'm more than willing to explore a relationship with someone who appreciates the resources that Sparta can offer," She started, thinking for a brief moment before continuing.
"As long as it means they can see past the obligations and one day let themselves truly fall. A chance is all I ask, something I would not get out there. Besides, you're not too dull, in looks or conversation. Just inexperienced." She held up her hand, covering her mouth as she let out a soft laugh.
Odysseus just nodded, his eyes briefly glancing upwards to a passing avian. His eyes darkened as he grasped her hand suddenly with both of his.
A flush flooded Penelope's face from the sudden contact.
"Can we talk somewhere more privately?" He said quickly, suddenly looking a bit more nervous. She raised an eyebrow but at this point he looked as innocent as a puppy.
"Let us." She said as they went towards the hall. As their attention shifted the clattering and noise had completely ceased, at what point? They had no idea.
If nothing else Odysseus was enjoying the conversation. They returned to the hall where it was found empty. By the request of the King all the suitors had already left.