There I stood before him, uncertain of what might happen next as I answered him saying "Yes, I am terrified of dying." then I took a step back slowly, asking him "Why Uncle.., are you prepared to take my life?" at this moment, as the words of my mouth sank into his mind, a clarity in his thoughts parted the haze of darkness enclosing his heart, as I stood there shaking, fear ablaze in my eyes.
"Do not be afraid sweet spirit..," he paused, reaching out for my hand, beckoning "Come.., sit beside me, for my own soul is heavy with despair and my body is weak from hunger."
So it was, I sat next to him, assured by his words, full of mercy and pity in my heart for his suffering, hoping just to give him a little comfort, as I saw the warmth return to his eyes. I, being filled with great sympathy for him, for his.., mental and physical decline. For I tell you this, he appeared like a dead man sitting there, like a ghost in the shell of a human being . It was, as if, I were in the company of a phantom, no spark of life existed in him, at that time. Here is where he put his arm around me, gently, leaning his head upon my shoulder, crying heavily, saying "If only I could bring her back to me." he lamented.
"Priscilla resides in the Palace of Hades, with dead." I told him "She can not come back across the River Styx, she is with the Spirits of our Ancestors now. Let her rest in peace. Dearest Uncle, let me give a little a comfort to thee." I said calmly, trying to be brave and supportive for the sake of his sanity. "Everything will be alright.., why, by this time next year, I promise, your heart and mind will be made whole again and you will come to love your son, with out any thought of abandoning him. But until then.., let out all of this pain, be not afraid for the sake of loneliness, for you are not alone. Now you must be strong, unburden yourself from your misery, you must share this all with your family, and I promise you will feel all the better for it. Suffer not in silence, bring out your fear to the light, cast away the darkness of your heart and mind." thereafter the sobbing and weeping went on for a long while.Then, suddenly, a strange calm came over him in a wave of silence, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change, growing heavy with tension and aggression there in the dimly lit space. Cothos remained perfectly still, his head bowed, hands on his lap, as if in prayer, his eyes closed, so still was he, I thought perchance his spirit had left his body as no air came to his lungs. This went on for what seemed like an eternity. I did not know whether I should remain by his side, or flee. Slowly, then, he, at long last, took in a deep breath, raised his head, turning to me speaking in an unfamiliar voice.
"Blessed are you, who alone has come to help save me from the abyss of my despair.., thank you." he said taking my hand, kissing it. "Thank you." he said again, kissing my bare shoulder. "Bless you." he said kissing my neck. "Thank you." he said kissing my cheek, as I tried to turn my head away. Whereupon he grabbed my chin forcibly as he proceeded to kiss my mouth, parting my lips violently with thrusts of his slippery tongue, tasting of sour wine. I tried to push him off of me, but he is so big and so strong, he pushed me, hard, back into the bed, the weight of his muscular body pressing deep into me as I struggled to breathe, twisting and writhing my body like serpent to get out from underneath him. Then, just as I could bear the force of his body no longer, he suddenly eased his transgress, collapsing into a deep state of unconsciousness on top of me in a heap, so inebriated from alcohol was he! Praise be to the gods, for if he had continued on.., I would not have been able to stop him.
"This is the truth of what happened to me, left suffering by the deplorable behavior of a member of my own family." Princess Gianna said finishing her unhappy and shocking story.
"What did you then?" Queen Sparta asked horrified by his actions in the tale, her blood simmering with anger.
"I crawled out from underneath him, throwing on my stolen robes and ran as fast as I could, unrecognized, back to the temple before any one noticed I was missing.., and I never spoke of the incident to anyone, until now, YET, it is only for your sake that I speak now, be not deceived, nor beguiled by General Cothos, for he is an ambitious man, having a thirst for power, and prestige, unlike I have ever seen." the worried young woman warned her a second time.
"Have you never confronted him about what happened?" Queen Sparta asked intrigued.
"I did.., several nights later, but he says he does not remember anything of the encounter, and he has showered me with gifts, all of which I refuse, to buy my silence."
"So, you can not tell your father, for you had disobeyed him, and.., if you did tell Emperor Cyrillus he would surely have the General killed.., would he not." here the Queen's line of questioning drawing out answers in her favor.
"One would hope.., but no." she sighed in disappointment.
"No?!" Surely the attempted rape of his daughter would merit execution." the clever Queen added.
"Upon my aunt's death, Priscilla begged my father not to ever harm her husband, for she loved Cothos so and she knew of the discord between the two, her brother being very jealous of anyone that loved his darling, dearest sister. So it has come to pass my father has taken General Cothos under his wing, not realizing he has welcomed in a viper to his nest." she said with contempt.
"General Cothos a viper?" here the Queen said shaking her head. "Oh little Princess, you are so young and have no idea the hearts and minds of men." the Roman girl gave Sparta a confused look as the Queen opened up her mouth saying "What transpired that night was not any fault of your uncle's.., for he was oppressed by tragedy, possessed by liquid spirits that filled, and fueled, his mind with terrible things! You must find it in your heart to forgive him. For he is only a man, a sorry breed.You see.., they have no understanding, or control over their own emotions, this is what sets men and women apart, and the only reason why men cry in the dark."
"FORGIVE HIM!?" Princess Gianna scoffed choking a little on her own rage.
"Yes, yes! Verily I say unto you, be not ignorant in your understanding, for, after all, he is only a man, forced to suffer under the duress of despair, anger, sadness, fear of death and loneliness, consumed with wine, ravaged by hunger.., he was not in his right mind. I am sure he is a good man, for your aunt would not have loved him so, your father would not show him such compassion and understanding.., and.., if he is a snake in the grass, as you so say you believe, then would not your own father, the Emperor have made this known to me and my brother, the King?" Queen Sparta said, playing the part of the loyal defender of the poor, ill-fated General. Here Princess Gianna did not look convinced so she added "Now do not be misled, for it is good for you to be angry with him! For your eyes are open.., however, your heart is closed to the compassion of understanding, but you are too young and naive. For it was with sympathy for your uncle and his newborn son, that you completely disobeyed your father and this is what, ultimately, led to this terrible scene." she paused then gave the young woman a sweet look of understanding saying "Any man, whom had been made to suffer as Cothos has, under the grip of drunkenness, and you came to them in secret, sitting upon their chamber bed with them, allowing them to cry upon your shoulder, consoling them so, any man, under those conditions, should be forgiven his transgression, for, as I have said, men have no control over themselves, they are not as disciplined as women in the realm of emotions, feelings, lust, our lives and homes." here she continued "Be not cross with General Cothos, for he is only a man, and these poor creatures are to be pitied, loved and shown compassion for that is what they deserve, no more, no less. So, I thank you for sharing this with me, but we shall go and speak of this no further."
Now before the Princess could respond a loud knocking came at the door, as King Therakles ran in the room. "Queen Sparta emissaries from Athens have just arrived with grievous news from Thrace! We must convene with the War Council at once!" he panted, red faced and out of breath.
"Do not be afraid sweet spirit..," he paused, reaching out for my hand, beckoning "Come.., sit beside me, for my own soul is heavy with despair and my body is weak from hunger."
So it was, I sat next to him, assured by his words, full of mercy and pity in my heart for his suffering, hoping just to give him a little comfort, as I saw the warmth return to his eyes. I, being filled with great sympathy for him, for his.., mental and physical decline. For I tell you this, he appeared like a dead man sitting there, like a ghost in the shell of a human being . It was, as if, I were in the company of a phantom, no spark of life existed in him, at that time. Here is where he put his arm around me, gently, leaning his head upon my shoulder, crying heavily, saying "If only I could bring her back to me." he lamented.
"Priscilla resides in the Palace of Hades, with dead." I told him "She can not come back across the River Styx, she is with the Spirits of our Ancestors now. Let her rest in peace. Dearest Uncle, let me give a little a comfort to thee." I said calmly, trying to be brave and supportive for the sake of his sanity. "Everything will be alright.., why, by this time next year, I promise, your heart and mind will be made whole again and you will come to love your son, with out any thought of abandoning him. But until then.., let out all of this pain, be not afraid for the sake of loneliness, for you are not alone. Now you must be strong, unburden yourself from your misery, you must share this all with your family, and I promise you will feel all the better for it. Suffer not in silence, bring out your fear to the light, cast away the darkness of your heart and mind." thereafter the sobbing and weeping went on for a long while.Then, suddenly, a strange calm came over him in a wave of silence, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change, growing heavy with tension and aggression there in the dimly lit space. Cothos remained perfectly still, his head bowed, hands on his lap, as if in prayer, his eyes closed, so still was he, I thought perchance his spirit had left his body as no air came to his lungs. This went on for what seemed like an eternity. I did not know whether I should remain by his side, or flee. Slowly, then, he, at long last, took in a deep breath, raised his head, turning to me speaking in an unfamiliar voice.
"Blessed are you, who alone has come to help save me from the abyss of my despair.., thank you." he said taking my hand, kissing it. "Thank you." he said again, kissing my bare shoulder. "Bless you." he said kissing my neck. "Thank you." he said kissing my cheek, as I tried to turn my head away. Whereupon he grabbed my chin forcibly as he proceeded to kiss my mouth, parting my lips violently with thrusts of his slippery tongue, tasting of sour wine. I tried to push him off of me, but he is so big and so strong, he pushed me, hard, back into the bed, the weight of his muscular body pressing deep into me as I struggled to breathe, twisting and writhing my body like serpent to get out from underneath him. Then, just as I could bear the force of his body no longer, he suddenly eased his transgress, collapsing into a deep state of unconsciousness on top of me in a heap, so inebriated from alcohol was he! Praise be to the gods, for if he had continued on.., I would not have been able to stop him.
"This is the truth of what happened to me, left suffering by the deplorable behavior of a member of my own family." Princess Gianna said finishing her unhappy and shocking story.
"What did you then?" Queen Sparta asked horrified by his actions in the tale, her blood simmering with anger.
"I crawled out from underneath him, throwing on my stolen robes and ran as fast as I could, unrecognized, back to the temple before any one noticed I was missing.., and I never spoke of the incident to anyone, until now, YET, it is only for your sake that I speak now, be not deceived, nor beguiled by General Cothos, for he is an ambitious man, having a thirst for power, and prestige, unlike I have ever seen." the worried young woman warned her a second time.
"Have you never confronted him about what happened?" Queen Sparta asked intrigued.
"I did.., several nights later, but he says he does not remember anything of the encounter, and he has showered me with gifts, all of which I refuse, to buy my silence."
"So, you can not tell your father, for you had disobeyed him, and.., if you did tell Emperor Cyrillus he would surely have the General killed.., would he not." here the Queen's line of questioning drawing out answers in her favor.
"One would hope.., but no." she sighed in disappointment.
"No?!" Surely the attempted rape of his daughter would merit execution." the clever Queen added.
"Upon my aunt's death, Priscilla begged my father not to ever harm her husband, for she loved Cothos so and she knew of the discord between the two, her brother being very jealous of anyone that loved his darling, dearest sister. So it has come to pass my father has taken General Cothos under his wing, not realizing he has welcomed in a viper to his nest." she said with contempt.
"General Cothos a viper?" here the Queen said shaking her head. "Oh little Princess, you are so young and have no idea the hearts and minds of men." the Roman girl gave Sparta a confused look as the Queen opened up her mouth saying "What transpired that night was not any fault of your uncle's.., for he was oppressed by tragedy, possessed by liquid spirits that filled, and fueled, his mind with terrible things! You must find it in your heart to forgive him. For he is only a man, a sorry breed.You see.., they have no understanding, or control over their own emotions, this is what sets men and women apart, and the only reason why men cry in the dark."
"FORGIVE HIM!?" Princess Gianna scoffed choking a little on her own rage.
"Yes, yes! Verily I say unto you, be not ignorant in your understanding, for, after all, he is only a man, forced to suffer under the duress of despair, anger, sadness, fear of death and loneliness, consumed with wine, ravaged by hunger.., he was not in his right mind. I am sure he is a good man, for your aunt would not have loved him so, your father would not show him such compassion and understanding.., and.., if he is a snake in the grass, as you so say you believe, then would not your own father, the Emperor have made this known to me and my brother, the King?" Queen Sparta said, playing the part of the loyal defender of the poor, ill-fated General. Here Princess Gianna did not look convinced so she added "Now do not be misled, for it is good for you to be angry with him! For your eyes are open.., however, your heart is closed to the compassion of understanding, but you are too young and naive. For it was with sympathy for your uncle and his newborn son, that you completely disobeyed your father and this is what, ultimately, led to this terrible scene." she paused then gave the young woman a sweet look of understanding saying "Any man, whom had been made to suffer as Cothos has, under the grip of drunkenness, and you came to them in secret, sitting upon their chamber bed with them, allowing them to cry upon your shoulder, consoling them so, any man, under those conditions, should be forgiven his transgression, for, as I have said, men have no control over themselves, they are not as disciplined as women in the realm of emotions, feelings, lust, our lives and homes." here she continued "Be not cross with General Cothos, for he is only a man, and these poor creatures are to be pitied, loved and shown compassion for that is what they deserve, no more, no less. So, I thank you for sharing this with me, but we shall go and speak of this no further."
Now before the Princess could respond a loud knocking came at the door, as King Therakles ran in the room. "Queen Sparta emissaries from Athens have just arrived with grievous news from Thrace! We must convene with the War Council at once!" he panted, red faced and out of breath.
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