King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

‘Patriot!’ snorted one of the Kerosia, a man bent with age who could barely straighten his back to vent his disgust. ‘He’s a fat, pampered coward with no mind for anything other than increasing his own wealth! Who can forget how he sided with the Taphians when they raided our allies, the Thesprotians? Can a man who attacks his country’s friends call himself a patriot?’ The old man stopped to draw breath and, in honour of his age, nobody dared interrupt him. Not even Koronos, who held the speaker’s staff. ‘I was among the crowd of islanders who wanted to kill him for his treason. We chased him from his farm on the north coast all the way to the palace – you’d never have thought such a fat man could move so quickly.’ He took breath again, wheezing in his excitement. ‘Only Laertes had compassion on the man, and gave him sanctuary in this very house. He and the boy’, he pointed his stick at Odysseus, ‘held the gates, forbidding us entry and persuading us to return to our homes. And this is the family he wants to overthrow!’

After a respectful pause, Koronos continued. ‘Thank you, Phronius. If we all bore grudges as tenaciously as you, perhaps Eupeithes wouldn’t have wormed his way back into the hearts of the people. But, nevertheless, he claims himself a patriot and a respecter of the gods, and he spreads his lies amongst those who’ll listen to him. He claims Laertes is an idle king, an incompetent ruler who wants to keep Ithaca in stasis, never growing or rising to fulfil her potential. He tells us that, if he were monarch, he’d make our small knot of islands into a kingdom to be reckoned with. And the people are listening to him! They believe Eupeithes when he tells them he’ll bring new wealth to their towns and farmsteads, when he promises to build a palace to rival Mycenae, and that he’ll make powerful alliances with other states. And I’ll tell you what’s even more dangerous: he has the ear of many of the nobles of these islands.’

Koronos looked round at each member of the council, sliding his gaze from one set of eyes to the next, pushing home to them the prospect that Laertes was losing his grip on the populace.

‘But for all his influence, for all his patience in stirring up the people, he doesn’t have the majority of support. Perhaps a quarter of the people and nobles are for him.’

‘Nonsense!’ shouted Phronius. ‘A tenth at the most.’

‘Another quarter is sympathetic,’ Koronos continued, ‘but undecided. The remainder are loyal to the rule of Laertes and will never support a usurper, even if some of them agree with Eupeithes. Because he knows this, the traitor has changed his plans. And that is what brings me here.’

At this point Koronos signalled to one of the slaves, who came over and refilled his cup. He took a mouthful and looked around again.

‘Eupeithes, for all his treachery, doesn’t want to kill our great king. He still feels a debt of honour for the time that you shielded him from the mob, my lord. But he’s also a politician, and fears your death would win him more enemies than friends. Therefore he’d rather see you retired with the agreement of the nobles than murdered like a dog. And yet he has gathered about him men who are not so discerning. These men, most notably the twins Polybus and Polytherses, are tired of waiting for public opinion to turn in their favour. They’re pushing for action now, and they mean to have their way.

‘Until recently, I’ve been content for my spy to report the daily goings-on: the name of any new nobleman won over to Eupeithes’s cause; the travelling plans of the traitor; any new schemes he has dreamed up to oppose the rule of our king. These are the things that have been reported to me for months, but a few nights ago Eupeithes was visited by the twins and they spoke together long into the night. My man served them throughout and has relayed every word to me. These men don’t care for their country – they want only wealth and power. They’re also young and don’t share their leader’s patience in sowing dissent for a popular and peaceful removal of the king. They’ve spent the winter recruiting hard and raising funds, intent on recruiting a force of mercenaries. They even mentioned the Taphians, who their master still has secret connections with, and Eupeithes has agreed a plan to attack at the end of spring and take the throne by force. My lords, the time of political strife is passing. We must sharpen our swords for war.’

Chapter Seven

ODYSSEUS’S CHALLENGE