King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

They stood facing each other. The shadows of their inevitable parting settled around them, bringing sudden uncertainty and fear as they realized they might not meet again. She looked at the rough features of the man she had once convinced herself she hated, and found the thought of being apart from him unbearable. He met her gaze and realized she was the foundation of the rest of his life. In her he would find the wholeness he had lacked as a young prince.

Tentatively, tenderly, he reached out and stroked her arm with his knuckles. As he felt her soft flesh he remembered the words of the Pythoness and took heart. Here, already, was the Spartan princess of whom the priestess had spoken. And had she not also said it was his fate to reign as king? He smiled encouragingly at his wife.

‘You’ll not become a widow yet, Penelope,’ he told her. ‘Unless the gods have deceived me, I can’t die until I’ve first become king of these islands. So have courage and do as I ask. If you’ve learned anything about me, you’ll already know I won’t permit you to refuse me.’

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded and lowered her eyes. Odysseus immediately turned to Diocles, who was close by. ‘Assign two of your best men to remain here with my wife and her slave. The rest of you make ready. We’ll march to Mount Neriton now and see what preparations Polytherses has made for our arrival.’

With a nod the prince signalled for Eumaeus to be on his way, while the rest of them began pulling on their armour and preparing for the battle that they sensed would soon be upon them. Without a final word or glance at her husband, Penelope turned and went into the stone hut.

From the slopes of the hill to the south of the city they saw all that they needed to know of Polytherses’s defences. His full strength was based inside the palace walls, with only an occasional patrol leaving the gates to roam the streets of Ithaca. Even with a hundred armed soldiers, though, the high palace walls, the thick wooden gates and the open killing ground before them presented enough of an obstacle to deter even the most numerous and well-armed enemy.

During the long march from Eumaeus’s farm speculation was rife amongst the men, most believing they would attack upon arrival. But even with the element of surprise and support from the men of the city, the sight of the heavily defended palace made them realize that an assault by daylight was impossible. This did not deter Odysseus, however, who remained full of confidence, energy and purpose. He ordered the remaining Spartans to make camp whilst the Ithacans, who knew the island intimately, were split into two groups to scout each flank of the town. Their primary task was to ensure there were no Taphian outposts to warn of their attack, but Odysseus also told them to watch for weaknesses and gather intelligence about the defences.

‘Our best hope is to kill Polytherses,’ Eperitus suggested. ‘I can climb over the wall after dark, while they’re eating, and find my way to his room. When he goes to his bed he’ll be unprotected, and that’s when I’ll kill him.’

Mentor disagreed. ‘Even if you knew which room is his, you’d never get into the palace without detection. There isn’t a ruler in Greece who doesn’t fear assassination, and I guarantee that someone as hated as Polytherses will have a personal guard of his best men close to hand. Our best hope is an attack just before dawn – ladders against the walls and into the palace whilst most of them are still sleeping.’

‘I don’t plan to do either,’ Odysseus countered. ‘I’ve been discussing the matter with Halitherses and we’re agreed the best way is to draw the Taphians out.’

He briefly explained his plan to have the townsfolk murder one of the Taphian patrols, then flee to prepared positions on Mount Neriton. Polytherses would not fear a group of peasants without armour or proper weapons, of course, but neither could he allow their dissent to go unpunished. So he would send out a significant part of his force to overthrow the rebellion – and straight into an ambush of nearly sixty fully armed soldiers. The storming of the undermanned palace would then be a bloody but brief formality.