King of Ithaca (Adventures of Odysseus)

‘Yes: gold; women for you and your men; even land if you want it. But only if I agree to your idea, and it works.’

Odysseus offered him his hand, which Tyndareus took. ‘That’s settled then. I shall take your offer of anything I wish, but first I’ll honour my half of the bargain. Agamemnon’s council of war will take place in two days’ time, when he expects your guests to support his raid against Troy. It won’t work of course, but that’s another matter altogether.

‘When the suitors are gathered together, and before any disagreement can begin, you must demand that they take an oath. As you said, they’re proud men and therefore you can be sure an oath will bind them. And to ensure they consent to the oath, tell them you won’t consider any man as a husband for Helen unless he agrees.’

‘But what oath?’

‘Simple,’ Odysseus smiled. ‘You must make them swear to protect Helen and her husband against anyone who would come between them. That’s the only way you can ensure they don’t fight each other for her, now or in the years to come. And if anyone breaks the oath, the others will be compelled to protect your daughter and the winning suitor. It’ll need to be accompanied by the most compelling sacrifice that your priests can devise, of course, but you shouldn’t have any problems after that.’

‘Yes,’ Tyndareus agreed as the easy brilliance of Odysseus’s suggestion grew on him. ‘Yes, that should do it. Even Ajax will obey an oath, for all his brute strength and his confidence about Helen. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. You’re cleverer than you look, Odysseus.’

Odysseus smiled benignly. ‘Thank you, my lord. But what about my price?’

Tyndareus gave him a cautious look. ‘Well, I’m an honourable man, what do you want? You’ve sorted my problem out, so let me sort yours. Is it the land you want – you’ll be welcome to settle in Sparta.’

‘No,’ Odysseus said. The thought of not returning ultimately to Ithaca had never crossed his mind. ‘My price is a woman in your palace.’

‘Any woman?’

‘No. A princess.’

‘I thought you might say that,’ Tyndareus sighed, realizing he had been outmanoeuvred. ‘Well, you might be surprised to know she’s attracted to you, too.’

‘I am!’

‘No offence, my son, but so am I. Apparently she’s been thinking about you since she first saw you. Wants a simple life on Ithaca, she tells me. My only problem is how to explain it to Agamemnon. We had an agreement, you see.’

Odysseus had no idea why Tyndareus and Agamemnon should have an agreement about Penelope, but he was more surprised to learn she reciprocated his own feelings. After they had fallen out in this very same garden she had shown him nothing but hostility, even contempt, and he expected to have to drag her kicking and screaming from Sparta. He had long ago struck on the idea of an oath to keep the peace between the suitors, and soon after had thought of using it to employ Tyndareus’s influence in winning Penelope. But he had also lost sleep over the thought of marrying her against her will. It was customary that women were given away by their parents, to men they either did not know or did not have any passion for. For the most part they came to accept their lot and got on with their lives, and in the majority of cases familiarity bred love. But Penelope was different. She had an independent character that, he guessed, would not easily be tamed to love. So the news that she already loved him was a revelation and a wonderful blessing.

He smiled broadly. ‘And what about Icarius? What does he say?’

‘Icarius? What in Hades does he have to do with it? Helen’s my daughter, and if she wants to marry you, Odysseus, then you should thank the gods and take her.’

Chapter Twenty

THE GREAT OATH

The Ithacans were training as usual when Odysseus came striding across the broad courtyard, shouting for Halitherses. Eperitus glanced across whilst fending off blows from Damastor’s mock wooden sword and received a painful blow in the ribs for his lapse of concentration.

‘Never drop your guard, Eperitus,’ Damastor admonished him, before stepping back to prepare for another attack. But before he could renew their contest Halitherses called a halt to the drill. The two lines of sweating soldiers lowered their sticks and sat down in the well-trodden dirt.

‘Mentor, Eperitus, I want you too,’ Odysseus said, waving them over. He appeared unusually concerned. ‘The gods have shown me their favour, at last, but I need your counsel.’

Halitherses put Antiphus in charge and went to join the huddle about Odysseus. The prince folded his arms and gave them a sober look.

‘I needn’t remind you that we came here for Helen,’ he began.

‘We came here to win friends and make alliances,’ Mentor corrected. ‘We all know the prince of a small kingdom doesn’t stand a chance of winning Helen, not against men like Menelaus, Ajax and Diomedes.’

‘Maybe so, but things have changed. Tyndareus has offered me Helen for my wife.’