King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

Tyndareus stepped aside to let his brother pass. ‘I’m ahead of you,’ he said. ‘There’s food waiting for us in the hall. You see, I’ve a little request to make of you.’

Icarius did not wait to ask, but made his way at once to the great hall where two slaves were waiting to serve him. Tyndareus sat and watched him satisfy his hunger, wondering how his brother would react to the notion of Odysseus as a son-in-law, or how best to cajole him into accepting.

‘I’ve some news for you. Good news, I think you’ll agree.’

‘Oh yes?’ Icarius mumbled through a mouthful of pork. ‘The best news would be that you’ve finally chosen a husband for Helen and the palace will soon be free of suitors. They’re starting to show signs of restlessness, you know.’

‘Not yet. But it’s good news, nonetheless, and involves your daughter.’

Icarius carried on eating as if nothing had been said, but Tyndareus refused to play his brother’s games. He knew he had caught his interest, whether Icarius acknowledged it or not, so he determined to keep his silence until he received a reply. Eventually, after another mouthful of food, Icarius spoke.

‘Which one?’

‘Penelope, of course. Odysseus feels ashamed that one of his men was responsible for the offence against her. He wants to restore her honour by marrying her.’

Suddenly whatever Icarius was swallowing lodged in his throat and brought on a fit of choking. One of the attendant slaves stepped up and irreverently thumped him between the shoulder blades, sending a half-chewed blob of meat flying from the king’s mouth into the fire, where it fizzed into destruction. ‘That pauper,’ he rasped, still struggling for breath. ‘I’d rather see Penelope die than marry a trumped-up commoner.’

Concealing the pleasure he took from his brother’s discomfort, Tyndareus offered him a cup of wine. ‘You should be more generous in your opinions. Odysseus may not be a powerful man, but he has a fine mind and a strong character. He’d make a good son and, besides, I have an inkling Penelope likes him.’

‘Do you indeed? And where does her opinion come into this matter? She’ll marry who I tell her to, and I have no intention of giving any daughter of mine to an upstart prince without a kingdom to his name. Why should Helen have the greatest suitors in Greece flocking to her, when Penelope has to make do with beggars and peasants?’

‘Because she’s my daughter, of course!’ Tyndareus snapped. ‘I’m the eldest of us, Icarius, and whoever marries Helen will inherit the throne of Sparta. They won’t get that from taking Penelope to wife, will they? That and the fact that Helen is the most beautiful woman in Greece, if not the world.’

Icarius shrank into his chair, withdrawing under Tyndareus’s vocalization of his own superiority. But his proud spitefulness forced him to bite back.

‘She certainly has the looks of a god,’ he retorted.

Tyndareus stood, his eyes blazing at the accusation. ‘Watch your wayward tongue, brother,’ he warned. ‘Now let’s say I’m telling you Odysseus would be a good choice for Penelope. Don’t you always say the girl gets under your feet? More than once you’ve said how you’d love to be rid of her. Well, now is your opportunity.’

‘Damn you, Tyndareus,’ Icarius squirmed. ‘Maybe I would allow it, if you insisted, but the truth is I can’t.’

‘Can’t?’

‘No. Someone has already asked to marry her. One of your guests.’

‘That’s ridiculous. They came here for Helen, not Penelope.’

‘Not this one, I think. He came here with Ajax.’

‘Zeus’s beard, Icarius. You don’t mean Little Ajax, do you?’

‘Yes, I do,’ Icarius confirmed with a nervous nod. ‘He asked me after the assembly this morning. He’s besotted with her, in a way I’ve never noticed anyone to be interested in Penelope before.’

‘Perhaps you should pay more attention to what goes on around your daughter, then. But I wish it had been anyone other than that Locrian hothead. There’ll be trouble if he gets refused for Odysseus’s sake. They hardly see eye to eye as it is.’

‘That’s good,’ Icarius said. ‘For all of Little Ajax’s anger, I’d much rather have Penelope married to a real prince than a scheming mendicant like Odysseus.’

Tyndareus was in a dilemma. He wanted to honour his promise to Odysseus, who had helped ensure there would be no disagreement when Helen’s husband was chosen. Equally he did not want Little Ajax’s temper to threaten the hard-won peace that still existed within the palace walls. Especially not over a minor princess such as Penelope. Then an idea came to him.

‘Perhaps you’ll let them decide the matter between themselves.’

‘There’s nothing to decide, is there?’ Icarius replied. ‘I intend to allow Little Ajax to marry Penelope. Odysseus can go to Hades for all I care.’